A review of
Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s
production of
I first fell in love with “HAIR the Musical” (with its famous nude scene) when I saw it at the Aquarius Theater in Los Angeles about 6 months after the Broadway production opened – I was 13, recently Bar-Mitzvahed, but looking so much older that no one stopped me from going in to see it.
Over the years I have seen many a production of “HAIR” – including that weird film version – and most recently the last Broadway revival (twice) and so I consider myself a bit of a #HAIRMAVEN.
Peregrine Theatre’s production of “HAIR the Musical”, now playing thru September 7th 2018 at FISHERMEN HALL (inside Provincetown High School) is one of it’s finest shows to date.
This productions stars a group of unknowns (listed below) who mingle with the audience before the show and during intermission while managing to stay in character as the 60’s hippies they portray.
Director/Choreographer Kyle Pleasant has molded his actors into a ‘Tribe’ rather than a cast which is evident as they move about the audience introducing themselves and being the flower children that their roles portray. Using choreography that feels more organic and spontaneous than rehearsed the piece flows seamlessly from song to song.
Being more of a musical journey than stage musical has always been one of “HAIR’s” greatest distinctions. This 50th Anniversary version’s Musical Director, Matthew Hougland has proved that with musical numbers that evoke the feelings of the 60’s (I was there!) which was an era of free love, psychedelic drugs, rock & roll, draft dodging, draft card burning, and an anti-war/anti government sentiment not dissimilar to today’s politically charged times.
“HAIR’s” cast is the aforementioned group that Peregrine’s creative’s have brought in to be the tribe. Each and every one of the principle cast members shine in their performances as does the Ensemble.
In addition, Gifford Williams’ Lighting Design, Chad Hayduk’s Makeup Design, and Carol Sherry’s Wig Design, are all quite professional and impressive
My only criticisms are technical in nature; Christopher Heilman’s sets are a bit too High School musical for my taste, and the auditorium’s sound system is in desperate need of an upgrade (I am told that this coming year will bring some improvements – donors take note!).
So, dress in your hippie finest, don your peace symbols, put on a flowered hairband, and go see Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of “HAIR the Musical”. It’s as fine as entertainment gets.
HAIR
Book and lyrics by James Rado & Gerome Ragni
Music by Galt MacDermot
DIRECTED BY: KYLE PLEASANT
Musical Direction: Matthew Hougland July 10th – Sep. 7th 2018 TICKETS ON SALE NOW!! PURCHASE TICKETS
Director/Choreographer Kyle Pleasant Musical Director Matthew Hougland CAST Claude Kevin Lagasse Berger Jeffrey Kelly Shelia Daisy Layman Dionne Rhetta Mykeal Jennie Lexi Tobin Chrissy Rebecca Zeller Hud Nigel Richards Woof Brendan Williamson
Featuring
Melissa Zeller
Michael Whitty*
Carly Cherone
Alexander Tan
Landon Ebuna
Kelly Hooper
LeVane Harrington
Meridien Terrell*
Julia Solecki
*Dance Captain
The Production team includes: Christopher Heilman Scenic Design; Seth Bodie Costume Design; Gifford Williams Lighting Design; Chad Hayduk Makeup Design; Carol Sherry Wig Design; Brenna Hull Production Stage Manager; Molly Rocca Assistant Stage Manager; Alyssa Krinsky Intern & Social Media; Dusty Cohen Intern & Prop Master; Chanthoeun Hart Varon-Collins Intern and assistant to production; Patron Saint of Peregrine and front of house Carolyn Collins; Artistic Director Ben Berry; Executive Director Adam Berry
Broadway Kingdom was fortunate to be able to sit down with Ashely and talk about things – and talk we did for almost an hour!
At first glance, one might think Ashley Blaker is just an Orthodox Jewish Nerd but then, he begins to speak and the comic gems that flow out are pure genius – and you, my amazing viewers and readers, all know how much I admire genius.
Ashley Blaker Strictly Unorthodox is 90+ minutes of “things about Observant Jewish life and practices you might have thought of but never dared to speak out loud” – so Ashley will say them for you and with a ‘plotz in your seat’ take to boot!
Appropriate for all ages, genders, religious affiliation, or no affiliation at all. Jew, Gentile et al, Ashley will have you in stitches.
So sit down, relax, and enjoy our longest video interview to date… then go see the show!
Ashley Blaker Strictly Unorthodox May 27th – June 28 Off-Broadway at the
Jerry Orbach Theater
1627 Broadway @ 50th Street.
For tickets phone the box office 212 921 7862
or click here (tix are cheaper by phone than thru Ticketmaster)
Running Time: 90+ minutes
(Minchah or Maariv may follow the show)
Appropriate for all ages.
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Ashley Blaker is “the UK’s only Orthodox stand-up comedian”. Blaker is a writer for TV and radio and was producer of Little Britain. Mr. Blaker is an alumnus of The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School where he was a contemporary of Sacha Baron Cohen and friend of Matt Lucas, with whom he went on to create Little Britain and The Matt Lucas Awards. In 2017, he was commissioned by the BBC to create a show called “Ashley Blaker’s Goyish Guide To Judaism”, described as “an insider’s view of his religion” Ashley will next be see at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in “Ashley Blaker Observant Jew” at 3pm Sunday-Friday.
Ashley Blaker’s Goyish Guide To Judaism on the BBC Radio 4 – stand-up from Ashley Blaker 1 episode in 2018. Due to be broadcast on Sunday 3rd June on Radio 4 at 7:15pm. The program will be repeated on Radio 4 Extra on Friday 8th June at 7:30am.
A review of
‘Randy Writes A Novel’
at the Clurman Theatre/Theatre Row
In the world of puppetry, first there was Punch & Judy, then H.R. Puffinstuff, then the Muppets with many, many more puppets woven in and out, but all those were for the kids (or were they?) Then the Adults got Avenue Q and we howled, on Broadway and Off.
Now there’s RANDY and boy, can he be randy!
Randy has written a novel and he wants to share it with us. So for two months Randy will be looking for approval by putting on a nightly show telling all of New York about his novel – or will he? Tonight Randy will talk on Hemingway, Harper Lee, hoarding, Veganism, Buddhism, the human condition and the challenges of being an artist. It seems Randy likes to talk about anything but his Novel! You see, Randy is having a bit of a crisis – is Art still Art if we don’t like it?
Starting out with warm-up comedian Randy, who, after warming up the audience introduces Headliner Randy, the approximately 75 minutes that follow are basically Puppet Stand-Up comedy delivered by a puppet with skilled timing and obvious improv training. Sitting like a talk show host behind his paper strewn desk, Randy randomly focuses his always open ping-pong ball eyes on several audience members engaging them in dialogue as if he could actually see them. He also touches on many different subjects from current events to history, often using language that would make a sailor blush! This show is definitely for the kiddies, although the night I was there a 10 year old accompanied by his Father!
Randy Writes A Novel is an odd but enjoyable evening of laughter, and insight into the (puppet) mind of an Artist, although I more than suspect we’re actually getting into the mind of the puppet master himself.
From Randy’s press notes:
Star of Australian stage and television makes his much-anticipated US debut!
Randy, the felt-faced comedian, started doing stand-up comedy in 2005 and has since gone on to headline most of the Theatrical Fringe and Comedy festivals around the world, as well as finding success on television with his own show airing on ABC TV in Australia, Seeso in the US and Netflix in the UK.
Randy has played everywhere from Edinburgh to Hong Kong, Galway, to Singapore to Sydney and anywhere in between. Next stop — New York City, Off-Broadway at the internationally acclaimed Theatre Row on 42nd Street
Randy Writes a Novel Clurman Theatre/Theatre Row
410 W. 42nd St., NYC View on map
Running time: 1hr 15min. No intermission.
Now Playing Through June 10, 2018 Tickets: https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Randy-Writes-a-Novel/
Randy Writes a Novel Creative Team
Author: Randy
Director: Randy
Producer:
Randy Writes a Novel Award Winners/Nominees
– Nominee Best Television Comedy Show – ACCTA 2015
– Nominee Best Comedy Release (with Sammy J) – ARIA 2015
– Winner Best Comedy – Perth Fringeworld 2014
– Nominee Best Comedy Release (with Sammy J) – ARIA 2013
– Winner Barry Award for Most Outstanding Show (with Sammy J) –Melbourne Comedy Festival 2010
– Nominee Golden Gibbo Award – Melbourne Comedy Festival 2009
For More Information On Randy Writes A Novel Click Here
A review of the revival of
Rogers & Hammerstein‘s “Carousel” at the Imperial Theatre
Disclaimer:
I am not particularly fond of Rogers & Hammerstein‘s “Carousel”.
Even though much of the music is among my favorite in the Rogers & Hammerstein catalogue, save for the Soliloquy which to me is a cringe worthy 6 minutes – I even joked pre-show that Soliloquy was my early intermission bathroom break, to hear a brilliant Rogers & Hammerstein score played by a Broadway orchestra is one of the reasons that I decided to attend this Revival,
Much to my dismay I did not even get that.
The orchestrations were flat, two dimensional representations, and the sound design by Mr. Scott Lehrer woefully underwhelming. Sitting in the Orchestra I expected the music to be spectacular but I was sadly disappointed – especially after the recent multi-million dollar remodel of the Imperial Theatre.
I also could just not get past “Carousel’s” main character, Billy Bigelow, the dishonest, wife-beating, carnival barker not being portrayed by a white actor.
Go ahead, get it out of your system, start calling me all kinds of names (you’d be totally wrong) but here’s the thing – perhaps it’s conditioning, perhaps it’s purism, I’m not sure, but in my mind the connotations of such a vile character being played by a Black man is just wrong. The thought kept going through my mind, ‘Why would any person of color agree to play this role?” As far as performance goes, Josh Henry nails it, and nails it strong. His smooth, silk like, baritone voice in any other role would, and have, taken me to great heights emotionally.
Throughout the entire show I felt like I was at a performance of MCC’s Miscast. Great voices cast in the wrong roles.
Further, while I have always felt that the part of Julie Jordan, played by a delightful, if not completely doe-eyed and confused Ms. Jessie Mueller, is terribly underwritten, there were times Mr. Jack Doyle, the Director seemed to forget Julie/Jesse was even in the show. More disappointment came from Ms. Renée Fleming, whose gorgeous operatic soprano voice is just too prim and proper to be Aunt Nettie.
Then there’s the casting of a Middle Eastern actor, the talented and graceful ballet dancer, Amar Ramasar, making his Broadway (and possibly acting) debut, to play “Jigger”, another monster of a character. This is yet another dangerous step towards stereotyping. Every time I heard Billy Bigelow call his name I thought he was using the N-word .
There is some good news. The shining stars of the show were most definitely the lark-voiced Ms. Lindsay Mendez who portrayed Carrie Pipperidge with a delightful and quirky style to her that played extremely well off of Mr. Alexander Gemignani’s playfully-teasing Mr. Enoch Snow. As a matter of fact, Mr. Gemignani’s performance is award worthy in my opinion.
I must also admit to you that while I tend to tune out the seemingly obligatory ballet sequences of most early 20th century musical theater, Ms. Brittany Pollock and Mr. Andrei Chagas were graceful and visually stunning in the Fairground Ballet sequence – a great tribute to the fabulous Choreography of Mr. Justin Peck.
Santo Loquasto’s scenic design was executed well, although there were too many ‘played in front of the curtain’ scenes while scenery was being noisily shuffled around Backstage. Note to Production: PLEASE Oil the stage right light motors and the sheer curtain pulleys.
Sadly, Ms. Ann Roth’s costumes look like they have been recycled from my high school production of ‘Oklahoma!’ And what’s with those baggy pants that come up to the men’s bellies?
The lighting design by Brian McDevitt left me squinting many times to see what was happening on stage and again, that was from Orchestra Row M – I can only imagine what it was like up in the oxygen-tank seats.
Speaking of seats, it appears to me that when they remodeled the theater after “The Great Comet“ they added many more seats then there were before. In my cushy (read expensive) Orchestra seat I was sucking on my knees or more annoyingly to her, scraping the back of the chair of the lady in front of me.
All that being said, I haven’t told you the worst part:
I DIDN’T CRY!!!
Me – the person who “cries at everything” – DIDN’T CRY!!!
If you’ll remember, I said up front that I’m not the biggest fan of this show – BUT when I DO see it I always CRY – ALWAYS! This tells me everything I need to know.
All said, the audience seemed to love the show, hooting and hollering along with their thunderous applause, it was a Press Preview, so perhaps you too will enjoy Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Carousel as much as they did.
Me, I’m still optimistically looking forward to Lincoln Center’s revival of “My Fair Lady”
Have You Seen This Dog?
A review of “The Play That Goes Wrong”
at the Lyceum Theatre
April 6th – 7:00pm
When I sawThe Play That Goes Wrong during its first week of previews, I was approached at intermission by one of the members of the ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’, who are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery, asking me if I had seen a man with a yellow shirt I told him that I was wearing a yellow shirt to which he replied, “You’re no help at all!” and scurried away muttering under his breath.
At my second viewing last night, as a representative of the Press, I was reprimanded by another ‘Drama Society’ member for my scarf/tie was “Inappropriate for Theatre wear” and “Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to dress?” and followed up with other cast members apologizing to me and arguing with him about how he treats the American audiences.
Such are the antics before the show and during intermission contributing to arguably the funniest and most well executed comedies I have ever seen in my life!
The Play That Goes Wrong now playing at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street, NYC) is every door slamming, pratfall, missed cue, early entrance farcical comedy you have ever seen rolled into one and on steroids! It is nearly two hours of constant laughter, guffaws and “Oh no!” moments ever put on stage.
As I mentioned above, the members of the ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’, are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery called, “The Murder at Haversham Manor”, written by Susie H. K. Brideswell, but that play isn’t really important, as a matter of fact, after two viewings, I’m still not sure ‘whodunnit’ or why! It’s the performance, or lack thereof, of the play that is the point here.
You can already sense that things are going to get out of hand from the moment you enter the Theatre and see the crew, led by Annie, the stage manager, played with a subtle brilliance by Bryony Corrigan (during previews I saw Nancy Zamit who was equally great) and Trevor, the company’s lighting and sound operator, played with expert daftness by Rob Falconer, (who spends most of the play in a box above stage right working lights and sound while texting and not paying attention), who are puttering around on the stage fixing last minute set and prop problems. They even enlist the help of an unsuspecting audience member down front. Did I mention the completely inappropriate pre-show house music playing while all this is going on?
When the lights go down we are introduced to Chris, played with appropriate snootiness and skill by Henry Shields, who is the head of the ‘Drama Society’, ‘Director’ of the play, and who plays the character of Inspector Carter. He is obviously stalling for time as the crew is still readying the set, which keeps falling apart as quickly as they can fix it.
From here it gets crazy, so pay careful attention. Each person is three people. The Actor, the ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ member, and the character they portray in “The Murder at Haversham Manor”. Got it? Ok. Moving on…
The play within a play opens with Jonathan playing Charles Haversham, (played with deafening subtlety by Greg Tannahill, the worst corpse ever)who is dead (?) being discovered in his study at his engagement party by Robert (the purposefully overacted, pompously riotous, and agile Henry Lewis) playing Thomas Colleymoore, Charles’ best friend, and Dennis (daftly played by Jonathan Sayer) playing Perkins, Charles’ manservant, who can’t remember his lines and shouts most of them.
After discovering the body they try to figure out the best way to break the news to Sandra (delightfully hammed up and overplayed by Charlie Russell) playing Florence Colleymoore, Charles’ fiancè and Thomas’ sister who has also been having an affair with Max (who as portrayed with calculated silliness by Dave Hearn) playing Cecil Haversham ( who gets distracted by audience laughter and applause), Charles’ brother (as well as Arthur the Gardener).
Confused? GOOD! That’s how it’s supposed to be. But it’s not about who plays whom – it’s about the timing. TIMING IS EVERYTHING and it has never been better timed than by this group of actors. While what goes wrong, and I refuse to spoil it for you here, seems to be a sequence of random events ‘just happening’ they are, in reality, a series of perfectly staged ‘accidents’. What impressed me most is that there is nothing happening on that stage that isn’t planned down to the precise moment of execution by this amazing cast. In addition, the physical humor and the agility of the actors getting slammed by doors and trays plus the acrobatics perpetrated by all, including some of the, shall we say, heftier actors, is a thing of beauty as well. Combine that with the acting, overacting, missed cues, forgotten lines, and pratfalls and you have the audience laughing non-stop through both acts and remembering The Play That Goes Wrong long after the curtain (and more) comes down.
In The Play That Goes Wrong whatever can go wrong does go wrong and boy, does every second of it feel so right!
I would like to also mention that this all comes together under the expert Direction of Mark Bell, featuring a beautiful and perfect set design by Nigel Hook, with lighting design by Ric Mountjoy, sound design by Andy Johnson (with special thanks to Duran, Duran) original music by Rob Falconer; the real production stage manager, Matt DiCarlo, and exquisite period costume design by Roberto Surace.
Last but not least, a huge shout-out to J.J. Abrams who, on a rare night off from filming Star Wars in London, asked to see some original English theatre and fell so much in love with this play that he decided to bring it here to the Colonies for all of us to enjoy!
Thank you J.J.!
Oh… I almost forgot…
The Play That Goes Wrong (Running Time: 2 hours including one intermission) stars the original Olivier Award winning West End cast featuring Rob Falconer, Dave Hearn, Henry Lewis, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields, Greg Tannahill and Nancy Zamit. (Bryony Corrigan was on for Nancy Zamit at this reviewed show).
Produced by Kevin McCollum, J. J. Abrams, Kenny Wax, Stage PresenceLtd. and Catherine Schreiber.
Co-written by Mischief Theatre company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, The Play That Goes Wrong is a riotous comedy about the theatre. The play introduces The ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ who are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong…does, as the accident prone thespians battle on against all the odds to get to their final curtain call.
The Play That Goes Wrongis playing at The Lyceum Theatre – 149 West 45th Street, in New York, NY. For tickets call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or 800-447-7400, or purchase them online.
A review of the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ new production of
THE MIKADO: or, the Town of Titipu
at the Kaye Playhouse
by Moshe Bloxenheim
December 31, 2016
The new NYGASP production of THE MIKADO has closed after an all too limited run, but even though I had already reviewed one cast during the run, attendance of later performances convinced me that the alternate principal actors deserved mention as well (and I could clean up some of my worst typos). So here is the expanded “get the whole set’ review, in the usual text below and DOC attachment formats.
Moshe ——————————————————————————————————
Sword-Play
A review of the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ new production of
THE MIKADO: or, the Town of Titipu
At the Kaye Playhouse
Covering the performances of December 31, 2016, January 5 & January 8, 2017
As this MIKADO is a significant production for NYGASP, it seemed only fair to cover ALL the performers who alternated in the lead roles.
According to theatrical legend, a falling Japanese battle sword inspired Sir William S. Gilbert to create a new operatic satire of English foibles set in the contrasting framework of the Japonaiserie craze that was then sweeping London. Whatever the cause, Sir William, aided by his producer Richard D’Oyly Carte then embarked placing THE MIKADO in as authentically Japanese a setting as could be possible for an 1885 English Comic Opera Company. The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Player’s (NYGASP) brand new production of THE MIKADO sets the work as it might have appeared newly born in Sir William’s mind – a very English world in “Japanese” fancy dress that has yet to be touched by the research in costume and sets that was to come.
To prepare the audience for this cerebral concept, NYGASP’s Mr. David Auxier has written very brief and effective tongue-in-cheek prologue that confronts Sir W.S. Gilbert with the challenges faced by an author in a successful theatrical partnership: To create a new work that is acceptable to his composer partner Sir Arthur Sullivan, their producer Richard D’Oyly Carte and some very distinctive and demanding members of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. Suffice it to say a Japanese sword figures most effectively, literally knocking the author into a world based on the characters, expressions and Japanese goods he had just experienced.
Sir William’s hero, Nanki-Poo arrives in the town of Titipu. He is, in fact, the heir to the throne of Japan, but has disguised himself as a minstrel to escape the matrimonial claims of the formidable lady Katisha. In his musical wanderings, Nanki-Poo has fallen in love with Yum-Yum who is a ward of Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor. When Ko-Ko is condemned to death under the Mikado’s ban for flirting, the town of Titipu promote him to Lord High Executioner under the reasoning that Ko-Ko can execute other miscreants after he carried out the job on himself. Circumstances soon require that Ko-Ko execute SOMEBODY and as he would rather not be the victim, he strikes a bargain with the love-blighted Nanki-Poo. Betrothals are made, revelations are prevented, complications run cheerfully rampant, logic is taken to lunatic extremes and eventually all ends happily with more than a few sacred cows being taken on.
Musically, THE MIKADO shows its composer Sir Arthur Sullivan as a worthy match to Sir William’s language. Sir Arthur clearly enjoys the characters of THE MIKADO and carefully fits the music to the characters and actions, whether for Ko-Ko’s busy sounding list, Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum’s youthful, romantically teasing “Were You Not To Ko-Ko Plighted,” Katisha’s threatening yet sympathetic melodies or the brashly imposing “A More Humane Mikado” sung by the title character. This score is not simple accompaniment, but is a vital contribution to the setting and action of the play and THE MIKADO shows both men at a creative high point.
In revising and refreshing THE MIKADO, NYGASP has cast the roles very carefully and quite successfully.
Mr. Jesse Pimpinella’s Nanki-Poo may appear at first glance to be a wide-eyed youth, but he certainly knows when he has the advantage and takes it, to the glee of the audience. This Prince disguised as a Wandering Minstrel is uniquely artless and direct and I am sure time and experience will make Mr. Pimpinella’s performance even more enjoyable.
It is easy to see why Nanki-Poo falls in love with Yum-Yum because the charming Ms. Quynh-My Luu is everything one could hope for in the role. Her Yum-Yum is a pretty and sweet girl but Ms. Luu also adds a bit of assurance and a hint of steel that brings certain scenes to new life as well as making the most of some classic bits of humor. Vocally, Ms. Luu’s redition of “The Sun Whose Rays are all Ablaze” is a highlight of the evening and reveals the smooth transition from the girl first seen in “Three Little Maids From School” to a woman who is aware of her powers.
Yum-Yum’s sister Pitti Sing is given a wonderful zest by Ms. Jessica Rose Futran. Her character is always a bit more aware of the situation to excellent effect, delightfully culminating in her desperate, yet eager taking of the spotlight in the Trio “The Criminal Cried’
Ms. Lauren Frankovich is quite winning as Yum-Yum’s other sister, Peep-Bo, with her drolly unfortunate tendency to state the obvious when everybody else would rather not hear it.
One wonders HOW these three girls became the wards of the cheap Tailor Ko-Ko, but the audience should consider itself very fortunate that Mr. Adam B. Shapiro is performing as the guardian who became Lord High Executioner. Already amusing in the prologue as the unsatisfied Arthur Sullivan, Mr. Adam B. Shapiro takes elements from that introduction and creates what is for me one of great Ko-Kos. This is a man who cannot believe where he has ended up and is waiting for the other anvil to drop. Nevertheless, this Ko-Ko is more than a cartoon and even when he is forced to woo the aggressive Katisha, there is byplay between the two that is very human. Mr. Shapiro’s mastery of musical numbers is a pleasure to witness ranging in moods and delivery from the updated list of social quirks in “A Some Day it May Happen” through the comic yet touching ballad “Tit-Willow.”
Ms. Cáitlín Burke’s Katisha is fantastic. In the prologue as the lead Contralto and in Katisha’s later Act One entrance, the fire and storminess of the part blast onto the stage, but Ms. Burke then reveals shading in the character that makes her so much more than a villainess. Katisha may be a pain in the neck, but she earns our sympathy and beneath the bossiness it is clear that she has something to offer. Ms. Burke’s ability to capture all this makes for musical, dramatic and comic gold, especially in Act Two when Katisha mourns her single state in “Alone, and yet Alive,” and is then won over by the fearful Ko-Ko, culminating in the buoyant duet “There is Beauty in The Bellow of The Blast.”
Considering Katisha’s demanding presence in his court, the Mikado clearly has a lot to put up with and Mr. Cole Grissom plays the Emperor of Japan with the smooth, disdainful air of one who might easily have entire the cast executed; would it not make such a mess and bother. In the Mikado’s song, “A More Humane Mikado,” Mr. Grissom’s character knows how uncomfortable the townsfolk are in his royal presence and uses that to great advantage. HE is the Mikado and do not forget it!
Another man with aspirations to power is Pooh-Bah, the Lord High Everything Else. Mr. Andy Herr builds an admirable Pooh-Bah of flash and cash who is obviously rooted in the prologue part of the urbane producer, Richard D’Oyly Carte. Both men will do it all – so long as there is money in it. Pooh-Bah uses his alleged dignity to his advantage as Mr. Herr shows quite entertainingly but I truly enjoyed his eagerness to gild the lily in “The Criminal Cried as he Dropped Him Down.”
In the Gilbert and Sullivan canon there are Ko-Ko roles, Pooh-Bah parts and Katisha contraltos, etc., but not as much thought about Pish-Tush, “A Noble Lord.” But it is here where the genius of NYGASP’s new version lies, because this Pish-Tush is the William S. Gilbert of the prologue who is dreaming up this new operetta. The estimable Mr. Chris Vaughn embodies the author discovering, enjoying and even critiquing his own idea; Tentative at first, as a dreamer realizing who he is supposed to be, Gilbert/Pish-Tush becomes a keen witness and eager contributor to the proceedings.
In the course of the current production, other NYGASP members have taken on these roles and deserve their own mention too.
Mr. Daniel Greenwood’s Nanki-Poo gives the air of innocence that such a young hero must have, but adds a delightful touch of awareness that allows him to deliver a line or even a pause that homes right into the humor of the moment. Vocally as well, this Nanki-Poo ranges from heroic to tender to whimsical with ease.
If Mr. Greenwood knows how to provide just the right amount of cleverness, Ms. Sarah Caldwell Smith understands how to take part in the most nonsensical situations with skillful sincerity, giving THE MIKADO another truly fine Yum-Yum. Musically as well Ms. Smith is superb and her scene and duet with Mr. Greenwood in “Were You Not To Ko-Ko Plighted” is an “anti-flirtatious” highlight.
If Yum-Yum lacks irony, Ms. Amy Maude Helfer makes a very effective Pitti-Sing with her air of one who has a good idea of how silly things are becoming and has to pitch in against her better judgment. She is neatly contrasted by Ms. Alexandra Haines as the third little maid, Peep-Bo: a most amiable girl who drops social bricks with amusing nonchalance.
As their guardian, Mr. David Macaluso’s truly funny Ko-Ko is indeed a tailor out of his element. Even when he wants to take advantage of his new rank of Lord High Executioner, this Ko-Ko knows something is bound to go wrong. It is just a question of What Now? Yet for all Ko-Ko’s foolery, Mr. Macaluso also develops a subtly sympathetic side that really works well in his wooing of the daunting Katisha.
Ms. Angela Christine Smith creates a marvelous Katisha who may enter in a fury, but we can see her humanity from the very first. If we feel the force of this lady’s anger and desire for vengeance, Ms. Smith also makes us see the despair and loss of hoped for love. This Katisha has been hurt and she is downright heartbreaking in her aria “The Hour of Gladness is Dead and Gone.” Though the “Daughter-In-Law-Elect” is a bossy-boots there is a feeling that she may be doing it to ensure that she is not left out in the cold. While Ko-Ko’s winning of Katisha is still wonderfully comedic, Ms. Angela Christine Smith made me root for Katisha too.
Katisha’s intrusive presence seems to be the one thing that visibly annoys the Mikado because Mr. Chris White splendidly portrays him as a dangerously jovial fellow – this Emperor clearly takes pleasure in his absolute power and how is it his fault if his witty inclination for boiling oil may unnerve some people?
One citizen of Titipu who does not care extreme punishment is the “Lord High Everything Else” Pooh-Bah. Mr. Matthew Wages quite lives up to Sir W.S. Gilbert’s best satire of mendacious bureaucracy and class consciousness. This Pooh-Bah will certainly “…put in his oar” to great amusement, and does very nicely too in the prologue as the eager Richard D’Oyly Carte.
As I mentioned before, the role of Pish-Tush is now far more significant because he is now the unconscious W.S. Gilbert who is literally dreaming up the show in front of us. As played by Mr. Joshua Miller, Pish-Tush/Gilbert is ever the creative playwright who is happy to see how the plot unwinds to his prodding, even if he might give a grimace or two at a rhyme or joke that his characters deliver.
The Chorus of Noblemen, Schoolgirls and Townspeople are all to be praised, populating Titipu with as Victorian a suburban London crowd as could ever be found in Japan.
In addition to the admirable cast, Mr. David Auxier’s brilliant reconsideration and careful direction of THE MIKADO goes very far to ensure the success of this production. With the directorial assistance of Mr. Kelvin Moon Loh, Mr. Auxier has not missed a trick in highlighting and reviving the humor of the story and its characters while keeping everything united and moving merrily along. These gentlemen understand that this is an English comedy set in a “Japanese” framework of the imagination –The non-English setting pointing out the absurdity and parody without being a caricature on its own. Even the most radical of changes are carried out with respect to context: While I am quite partial to the original “Mi-ya Sa-ma” chorus that greets the Mikado of Japan and his entourage, I believe Mr. Auxier’s new lyrics “Oh Mikado, Great Mikado” are not merely an effective substitution, but cleverly add to the Gilbertian whimsy of the moment by allowing the citizens of Titipu to express their true feelings while ostensibly chanting praise of their monarch.
In addition, Mr. Auxier’s choreography is very well done, ideally setting off the music and singing or to create tableaux that highlight the story itself.
The unreal, dreamlike atmosphere is further enhanced by the beautiful setting by Mr. Anshuman Bhatia – based on Japanese Block prints and Mr. Quinto Ott’s highly stylized costumes that feature exotic yet recognizable touches such as straw derbies and ornate open framework bustles and even snippets of other Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Mr. Ott truly excels with his fanciful Mikado regalia and Katisha’s striking outfit. Mr. James Mills also rises to the occasion in his make-up work especially in his expressive design for Katisha. Sets, costumes and visages all look extremely well under Mr. Benjamin Weill’s deftly handled lighting and all unite to give a sort of picture-book aspect that is most appealing.
In the first version of this review I had mentioned that the first performance I saw under the baton of Conductor and Music Director Aaron Gandy seemed a bit out of sorts. Knowing how good the NYGASP musical direction usually is, I assumed this was a unique occurrence. I am pleased to say that later shows found Mr. Gandy and the NYGASP orchestra back in top form. Mr. Gandy and the musicians clearly enjoy the vitality and range of Sullivan’s music and share the same energy and sense of fun as the performers onstage.
Production Stage Manager David A. Vandervliet and Assistant Stage Manager Annette Dieli do amazing work ensuring the smooth flow of THE MIKADO, ensuring that it entertains without a hitch.
There is always much risk and a great deal of work inherent in any new production. So Producer David Wannen and Mr. Albert Bergeret, the founder of NYGASP and Production Manager deserve special congratulations for their willingness to bring this new version of the classic work to fruition. As it is now, NYGASP’s new staging of THE MIKADO has shed a lot of distracting addenda, firmly and happily returning the focus back to where it belongs: on Sir William Gilbert’s witty libretto and Sir Arthur Sullivan’s timeless score.
Thursday, December 29, 2016 at 3:00 PM– Bring Your Grandparents Day – Respect your Favorite elders with a pre-show family overture (1:45 in the theater) and a backstage tour featuring the character of your choice following the performance!
Saturday, December 31, 2016 at 2:00 PM* & 7:30 PM – New Year’s Eve – A New York tradition since 1978! Join the NYGASP Company for a rousing toast to the New Year – including Auld Lang Syne with the audience, cast, and orchestra – following a performance of The Mikado.
*Family Overture – Musical introduction and plot summary made entertaining for the entire family (1 hour and 15 minutes before curtain in theatre)
The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
68th Street Between Park and Lexington Avenues
About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com
April 12, 2015 and April 21, 2015 – Opened April 23, 2015
THE VISIT offers so much that one does not usually get in a typical new musical nowadays: a score with memorable songs, a plot that is thought provoking and best of all, a Star Turn of the Highest Caliber. THE VISIT is also a brave show, in the sense that it does not try to stroke the audience’s sensibilities and even dares to make them work at understanding what happens onstage. In the VISIT, the citizens of the desperately poor Swiss town of Brachen welcome Claire Zachanassian, the richest woman in the world, who is returning to the hometown that she had fled long ago. The impoverished villages hope that they can persuade Claire to use her wealth to revitalize the town. To their surprise Claire agrees but lays out a deal. She will endow the village with untold billions if they kill the man who loved her, impregnated her and then denied being the father of her child, forcing her to flee Brachen when she was a young girl and make her own way in a cruel and dangerous world. That man is Anton Schell, an impoverished shopkeeper who can’t even win the respect of his own family. The leaders of the town indignantly reject such a horrendous offer, but soon after townspeople start buying expensive items from Anton’s store, charging their purchases to some unmentionable windfall they expect and talk darkly about how Anton had so foully wronged poor Claire…
Mr. Terence McNally has created an often powerful book based upon the original play by Mr. Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Mr. Fred Ebb’s lyrics and Mr. John Kander’s music further hone the sharpness of this Brechtian Fractured Fairy Tale. Justice, revenge, the violent collision of love and self-interest, and the moral fluidity of honorable people are all covered in rather raw terms, but somehow there is a humor and even lightness that flavors even the most severe and unsavory moments of this story with a touch of vaudeville. Messrs. McNally, Ebb and Kander work very carefully together contrasting the diverse feelings of the Brachen denizens with their attempts to form a united front in the face of poverty with such numbers like the community glee “Out of the Darkness.” They eventually show these same people descending into moral self-delusion with the bitterly entertaining “Yellow Shoes.” As far as Claire is concerned, her very first entrance provides her with firm dramatic footing augmented with strong numbers like the unforgettable matrimonial success catalogue “I Walk Away” or Claire’s soulful description of her feelings for and about Anton and their broken past in “Winter.”
Admittedly, not every song is a gem – Anton’s first number “I know Claire” has a very general feeling as if it could be from any show at any period from 1965 to the present. In fact there is sometimes an uneven style that seems less an attempt at being rustic and more a case of needing more work. Nevertheless much of what is on offer is choice indeed.
The opening scene of THE VISIT makes for a most appropriate introduction to the threadbare inhabitants of Brachen: Ms. Diana Dimiarzo’s plays the Mayor’s wife and local gossip and Messrs. David Garrison, Rick Holmes, Aaron Ramey, Timothy Shew and Jason Danieley are the town’s Mayor, Priest, Policeman, Doctor and Schoolteacher respectively: all are excellent as desperately respectable people who will throw aside all scruples if they have to, all the while convincing themselves of their decency.
Just as bad – and very good – are the members of Anton’s own family. Ms. Mary Beth Peil is wonderfully acerbic as Matilde Schell, a wife who never hesitates to reminds Claire that she is the woman who married Anton, yet doesn’t even find much satisfaction in that fact. Mr. George Abud is Anton’s son Karl and Ms. Elena Shaddow plays daughter Ottilie, showing a very effective indifference for a father who couldn’t even afford to let them have things from their own family store. The promise of prosperity brings this family and the town to life, even though they all have to keep tamping down that little part of them that knows what the price will be. Mss. Piel and Shaddow and Mr. Abud make this painfully clear in the song “A Car Ride;” a pleasant and simple number sung with Anton where the Schells enjoy what is the first happy family moment that they have had in many years. Everyone is delighted but the unspoken cost is still there.
Contrasting the dingy indigence of Brachen’s people is Claire Zachanassian’s astonishing entourage led by Mr. Tom Nelis’ imposing Butler Rudi. Mr. Matthew Deming is Eunuch Louis and Mr. Chris Newcomer takes the role of Eunuch Jacob. All three are always dressed in dapper suits, carefully hatted and walking in eye-catching footgear. These performers shine in their marvelously fantastic roles, often taking the spotlight with remarkably controlled insanity beginning with the Eunuch’s startling backup chorus in “I Walk Away.”
Since this is a show about a present that can never escape the past, the figures of the young Claire and Anton are part of every scene whether reenacting their amour or watching the current situation. Ms. Michelle Veintimilla and Mr. John Riddle truly haunt the show, vividly showing the joy of young love and standing aside as observers to the demands and cruelties of the real world. When Ms. Veintimilla and Mr. Riddle join their present counterparts (such as in the beautiful song “You, You, You”) the contrast of destroyed youthful romance and the cynicism, hurt and longing that has taken its place is deeply moving.
Of course the present Anton has long been a beaten down man who cruelly sacrificed love for security and has since had to make do without either. Mr. Roger Rees plays this role expertly rising from the miserable storekeeper to the hopeful former lover who dares to hope a little. Mr. Rees displays every turn of amazement, disgust and realization that is inherent in Anton Schell as he sees the past catch up with him and the future demand his removal. Mr. Rees makes it painfully clear that anyone in Brachen could have been as cruel and stupid as Anton had been in his youth, but there are times in the middle of THE VISIT when Anton is less caught by the story than bogged down in it.
Of course it is a task indeed for Anton to approach the level of the fabulous Claire Zachanassian – especially when Ms. Chita Rivera so embodies that adjective. This is natural, not only due to Ms. Rivera’s phenomenal performance but because Claire’s presence simply permeates the play – even when the action does not focus on Claire, it occurs because of her. Ms. Rivera imbues this glamorous and wealthiest of women with the world weary brio of one who is always in charge, but when Claire turns to the only happy memory of her past, Ms. Rivera lets the joy and pleasure of that youthful love melt her hardness. This is one of the reasons that Claire Zachanassian is not a monster of vengeance, but someone all too human and desperate to take back something that had been stolen from her so long ago. This performance keeps the play’s ending from being the grotesque finale that it might have been and transforms it into something that ought to be seen to be appreciated: a true example of Theatrical Power at its height.
Director John Doyle does amazing work with THE VISIT giving the story the universal feeling that a fable ought to have. But Mr. Doyle wisely never paints anyone as an outright villain, making the wrongs committed all the more real. People can disassociate themselves from bad actions that happen in the present just as they did so many years ago. Other folks may demonstrate what can happen when justice is withheld. But the moral caprices are far from alien. Unfortunately, while the show engrosses and appeals and appalls two thirds of the way through THE VIST seems to get stuck. The depiction of Anton feeling trapped and his putting up with the emotional justifications of an apologizing villager is essential but the storytelling at this point seems to go awry and put a drain on the energy of THE VISIT’s surreal narrative. Maybe Anton ought to have more or different emotional power as he watches his own world turn on him, but as done now, Anton, Mr. Doyle and THE VISIT seem to just soldier through this void, until theatrical balance returns. Happily the ending is well worth it.
Ms. Graciela Daniele’s choreography lets the citizens of Brachen make much use of Mr. Scott Pask’s spare scenic design with its decrepit railroad station setting and Claire’s vast pile of luggage and coffin. With the addition of Mr. Japhy Weideman’s lighting, we are taken all over Brachen from station to hotel to woods to past and present with amazing clarity, giving a wonderful meaning to the idea of dealing with people’s baggage. Then also, both Mr. Doyle and Ms. Daniele gives nodding acknowledgement to the notion that Claire Zachanassian now has some trouble with her limbs, but they allow Ms. Rivera to soar gloriously beyond such commonplaces as physical infirmity in this mythic role. When handling the young Anton and Claire too, director and choreographer are amazingly able to let these shades be a part of the action and still keep them firmly in the past.
Music Director David Loud contributes mightily with the orchestra allowing the different types of numbers – choral to star solo to ghostly echoes – to shine and fit the action even when the music suddenly shifts from one style to another.
The costumes by Ms. Ann Hould-Ward with hair and makeup by Messrs. Paul Huntley and J. Jared Janas are downright spellbinding with the dusty threadbare denizens of Brachen contrasted strikingly against the glamorous and dapper beings that are Claire and her crew and the cream white garb of the young Claire and Anton.
As it is now, Ms. Chita Rivera and Messrs. Kander and Ebb’s score make THE VISIT a truly amazing spectacle to behold and well worth the trip to the Lyceum Theatre, but there is still a feeling of inertia in the middle of THE VISIT that cannot be ignored and must be endured as one goes from the extraordinary start to its dazzling finish.
Running Time: 95 minutes, no intermission
LYCEUM THEATRE
149 West 45th Street
Between 6th Avenue and Broadway
Box Office Hours: Mon – Sat: 10am – 8pm | Sun: Noon – 6pm
Online Tickets: Or Call 212.239.6200
About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com
THE BAND WAGON is an energetic celebration of the music and lyrics of Messrs. Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz. Based on the 1953 MGM film THE BAND WAGON, Mr. Douglas Carter Beane uses the original screenplay by Ms. Betty Comden and Mr. Adolph Green to provide a workmanlike pastiche of scenes in which to launch the songs; many of which had originally been created for the 1931 Broadway review of the same name. And what a lovely score there is, with fun numbers like “I Love Louisa,” the wistful “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan,” and the intense “Dancing in the Dark” to name but a few. All are played with the flair and obvious pleasure that has come to be a hallmark of the Encores! Orchestra which is led for THE BAND WAGON by Mr. Todd Ellison. Indeed there is such a wealth of beloved songs that the couple behind me had a lovely time quietly singing along with the music onstage and I had not the heart to turn around and ask them to stop.
The plot is simple: Hollywood Screen Idol Tony Hunter is slipping at the box office and in hopes of revitalizing his career Tony has accepted the invitation of British Thespian Jeffrey Cordova to star in a new Broadway show. Tony arrives in New York only to learn to his reluctant surprise that the show is going to be a musical that Jeffrey will direct – his first musical to be precise. Adding more to Tony’s hesitation is the fact that his former friends Lily and Lester Martin – who aren’t exactly thrilled to be working with Tony again – are supposed to supply the book and score to this new production. Toss in Paul Byrd, a self-important choreographer, and his girlfriend Garielle Gerard, a former member of the Tony Hunter fan club and you know that there are going to be complications, hijinks, tantrums and spur-of-the-moment decisions of such significance before they make it to Broadway, that I wondered why they didn’t simply resort to Judy and Mickey’s barn – actually someone DOES ask that same question in the show.
The cast works very hard to flesh out the cinematic shadows they are saddled with. Mr. Brian Stokes Mitchell gives a pleasantly light performance as Tony Hunter that is in keeping with the “aw shucks” 1950’s ambiance. In fact he’s a somewhat more entertaining but slightly flawed “Father Knows Best” figure; trying to marshal his troupe to a successful first night and at the same time renew his career and inspiration. But there was very little Tony Hunter for Mr. Mitchell to work with so I took Mr. Mitchell at his word that this was his role and just enjoyed watching him try to make the best of it. Song and dance-wise he was simply delightful.
The Great British Dramatic Actor Jeffrey Cordova is a theatrical babe in the woods who is such a good sport and so eager to take up the latest half-baked idea that he would be absolutely impossible to believe as a character had not Mr. Tony Sheldon had so much fun playing him with a wink and a nudge. Jeffery is unreal, but Mr. Sheldon makes him amusingly good company.
Complementing Jeffrey Cordova is his devoted right-hand man Hal Meadows. Hal is down to earth and often keeps Jeffrey from running off the rails. As the show proceeds Hal is often the one who is there to keep things moving forward for everybody. Mr. Don Stephenson plays Hal with wonderful understatement often providing an ideal counterpoint to the more volatile “creative” people.
Speaking of volatile, Mr. Michael Berresse is the egocentric choreographer Paul Byrd. Byrd is something of the heavy of the piece – determined to have an advanced ballet produced in the show at all costs (Boo! Hiss!). Thankfully Mr. Berresse remembers that this is a MOVIE version of Broadway and NOT “A Chorus Line” and if he does not quite twirl a moustache and mutter “Curses,” he does exude a villainous single-mindedness to his plot to inflict his interminable ballet upon the public, even at the expense of the show.
It is surprising that Paul Byrd has a girlfriend as talented and idealistic as Gabrielle Gerard who clearly seems to overshadow him. There is something of a blushing “Gee Whiz” demeanor in Gabrielle that Ms. Laura Osnes makes believable. Here is a sweet and likable young lady who has something of a full story to tell us. Better still Ms. Osnes makes us root for her.
Lester Martin is another incompletely drawn character; he is there to sit at the piano and push his music while worrying about losing his wife Lily to Tony Martin. Somehow Mr. Michael McKean brings him sweetly to life and makes us care for this man who knows that his wife had settled for him after Tony left for Hollywood.
Indeed I too was in love with Ms. Tracey Ullman’s Lily Martin. Lily is not glamorous nor does she have any major dance number, but she is the most three dimensional and sympathetic of all the people trying to bring this musical to a successful Broadway opening. Here we have a successful woman who was deeply in love and only married her best friend Lester because she could not have Tony. She has to work out her feelings for both men while trying to keep the show from closing out of town. Watching Ms. Ullman’s superb portrayal of Lily, I thought, “What an amazing musical there might have been had Lily Martin been the focus of THE BAND WAGON – not Tony Hunter.”
The rest of the ensemble do their best to be believable city people and show folk, not even cracking a smile during the most ludicrous of Paul Byrd’s dance excesses.
The problem with adapting a well-known and beloved film into another form is that the original is a ghostly presence that haunts whatever new version is created. In the case of THE BAND WAGON an exorcism would have been a good idea. Mr. Douglas Carter Beane’s book does not want to risk alienating the audience who remembers the original – like the musical duo I mentioned before – but at the same time he often forgets that the speedy development of the plot points that might work in a movie may come across as incomplete onstage. Interactions that can mean a lot in close-up need more fleshing out when on a big stage. Matters that should be detailed are merely relayed to the audience in a second hand way, sometimes with minimal exposition: Who really cares about Tony Hunter and his bad movie making decisions?
Director and Choreographer Kathleen Marshal has to make the most of the uneven script but she cannot get beyond some of the moments that are staged for the sole purpose of setting a song that has no logical place in the script. She tries to interest us in these musical numbers that are often part of the Broadway bound show in a show but beloved as some of these scenes are in the movie (like “Triplets” and “Louisiana Hayride”) it might have been better just to assemble them as some sort of independent entre-act rather than waste time in a painful attempt to make them integral. Again, I have to hearken back to Mr. Beane’s adaptation. I understand that this BAND WAGON is based on Hollywood’s take on Broadway, but the creaky conventionalities (commercial entertainment versus ART, the comeback of the has-been, etc…) and the hackneyed theme of the Lester and Lily Martin’s plot for the Broadway Bound show are either a spoof or a lousy script.
Even when there are departures that seem promising, everything is firmly buried in what Mr. Beane assumes are the Hollywood conventions of the day. Mr. Beane claims the script was a tribute to Ms. Comden’s and Mr. Green’s work as a writing team. As an admirer of the duo, I had this sinking feeling that they’d have demanded a rewrite Happily when the musical numbers get going they are a lot of fun to hear and watch. Ms. Kathleen Marshal does know how to make performers move and some of the staging is memorable such as for the song “I Love Louisa.”
Mr. Derek McLane’s excellent sets and Mr. Peter Kaczorowski’s lighting followed and highlighted the action smoothly, while Mr. William Ivey Long’s costumes were very much of the 1950’s and he allowed himself a sly joke of dressing some performers in the show within the show as recognizable characters from other musicals of the era. But little point: Ms. Osnes please tuck in ALL of your hair for “Triplets” – it just spoils the point when the three babies sing about how they are all alike when one of them is sporting long flowing curls down past her shoulders. Then too in “Triplets”, Mr. Brian Ronan’s sound design is either muffling some of the lyrics or amplifying the performers’ mumbling of them – and not only in that number.
I feel like a grump writing down all these criticisms – especially as the audience seemed to be having a whale of a time. And I enjoyed THE BAND WAGON too for what it was: a pleasant diversion that entertained in spite of its story – not because of it.
Cast & Credits
Book by Douglas Carter Beane
From the screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Howard Dietz
Based on the classic MGM film
Produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures
Featuring The Encores! Orchestra
Guest Music Director Todd Ellison
Directed and Choreographed by Kathleen Marshall
Starring Brian Stokes Mitchell, Tracey Ullman, Michael McKean, Tony Sheldon, Laura OsnesWith Michael Berresse, Don Stephenson, Lawrence Alexander, John Carroll, Joyce Chittick, Jason DePinto, Ericka Hunter, Dionna Thomas Littleton, Gavin Lodge, Erica Mansfield, Brittany Marcin, Paul McGill, Kaitlin Mesh, Jermaine R. Rembert, Brandon Rubendall, Jennifer Savelli, Eric Sciotto, Samantha Zack
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions. I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com
On whom the Belle told…
A review of Encores! Concert Revival of
LITTLE ME
At New York City Center
February 9, 2014
A wealthy, well-connected celebrity decides to share “Her Inspiring Life Story” with the world. This is the basis for Patrick Dennis’ classic camp novel LITTLE ME which in turn formed the book for the rollicking vaudeville of a musical with the same title. In bringing LITTLE ME to New York City Center, Encores! has spared nothing in their new concert production: great performers, superb choreography and excellent staging, all of which set off this tuneful and happily silly show to the best advantage.
Mr. Neil Simon was clearly mining comic gold when he adapted LITTLE ME for the stage and Mr. Jack Viertel’s concert version does not tarnish the show one whit. Miss Belle Poitrine has decided to dictate her memoirs to the fascinated author Patrick Dennis and give the world “the Truth” of her start as a dewy, well-proportioned lass from the wrong side of the tracks who, due to heartbreak, rose to prominent wealth, culture and social position on the right side of the tracks. She relates all the people who have helped her along through hardship, war, disaster, Hollywood and Monte Carlo beginning with her one true love and all the other men who happened along the way, bankers, performers, producers, princes and so on…
The company truly romps through the show, most of them even being without the scriptbooks that Encores! had everyone carry onstage as a constant reminder to one and all that this is a “show in concert. Only one script is ever seen and it generates one of the best laughs of the evening.
There are performers who understand the virtue of facing farce with an absolute straight face and Ms. Judy Kaye is certainly adept at this high comic art. She sails serenely through the most outrageous narratives never tipping her hand at the absurdity of a situation (and boy can they be fantastic). As a result, Ms. Kaye creates an unforgettable contemporary Belle Poitrine: a woman with an outrageous – but heroic – past and who clearly not content to rest on her massive pile of laurels. In doing so, Ms. Kaye wins the adoration of the audience and gets some of the best laughs of the evening.
Neck and neck with Ms. Kaye in capturing the admiration of the audience is the young Belle Poitrine (neé Schlumpfert) who bravely climbs her way out of highly emphasized poverty. Ms. Rachel York’s Belle is sincerity personified whether she is taking poise lessons in a hotel room with a rich banker or personally comforting a prince who has the pressures of the kingdom on his frail shoulders. Additionally, Ms. York shows each step of her character’s evolution rising from naïve innocence to sophistication maintaining a blatant nobility and intrusive purity that makes her presence onstage all the funnier and likeable. Musically as well Ms. York can do no wrong and when she and Ms. Kaye join forces in the number “Little Me” they wreak considerable pleasure.
If there is anyone who can truly blight the irrepressible Belle’s life it is Mrs. Eggleston, a wealthy snob of the first rank and the mother of Belle’s one true love. While Mrs. Eggleston’s oedipal control of her son is not complex, Ms. Harriet Harris’ starchily droll demeanor makes her the perfect cartoon villainess to root against.
If Belle cannot achieve her heart’s desire there are many, MANY other men who desire her, starting with Tony Yazbeck who plays the devoted and world-wise George Musgrove. The handsome urbane George may not be the man who can assure “happily ever after” for poor Belle, but the charming Mr. Yazbeck makes it a close thing. His rendition of “I’ve Got Your Number” is both a seductive call and a wink at the real Belle that George can see and still love.
Ah, but then there are a LOT of other men in Belle’s life: The stingy banker Amos Pinchley whom Belle converts to generosity; Monsieur Val Du Val, France’s rude answer to Maurice Chevalier, Deliveryman and Hollywood Director Otto Schnitzler and Princes AND soldiers and, and, and… All of whom are portrayed by Mr. Christian Borle.
This is the gimmick.
And a worthy gimmick it is too, for the dynamic Mr. Borle never holds back on the fun, allowing full lunacy of expression whether he is a man toggling through on-and-off amnesia, a Prince calling on his loving subjects with some rather unfortunate news or the innocent nearsighted doughboy Fred Poitrine who rapidly weds and widows Belle. Not only does Mr. Borle play his goofy roster of characters to the hilt, but he also carries their numbers quite admirably (“Real Live Girl” is a joy) – especially in the role of the ridiculously wealthy, hyper-educated true love of Belle’s life, Noble Eggleston. As Noble, Mr. Borle has gotten the deadpan demeanor down beautifully, whether he is explaining the difference between a gift and charity to young Belle (charity is better) or training a rapidly sinking linerful of people how to swim before the ship goes under. There is no doubt that Noble is something of a wet smack (even before the boat sank) but he is Belle’s drip and he loves her – which makes him kind of endearing. We know he will always be forced to leave, but Noble somehow manages return to Belle. It is commendable when an actor can carry off a constantly varying array of portrayals, but it is really something when he must also perform one consistent role that has to thread its way in between his other characters at the same time. If Mr. Borle does not deliver absolute perfection in such a complicated tangle of personas, he does pretty darned well.
Following Mr. Borle through his ever changing personalities is the worthy Mr. Robert Creighton who capably does his share to shift from role to role, matching the scenes as he ranges from the stingy banker’s craven son to a preacher in World War I to a prince’s aide-de-camp and so on.
Naturally there are a whole host of others who make up Belle’s life: Her mother Momma Schlumpfert, who, in Ms. Gealen Gilliland’s skilled hands, can make even the oldest profession seem naughtily respectable, the Buchsbaum brothers Bernie (Mr. Lee Wilkof) and Bennie (Mr. Lewis J. Stadlen) who memorably launch Belle into show business, Belle’s fascinated ghostwriter Patrick Dennis, played with amusing understatement by Mr. David Garrison and a delightful crew of talented ladies and gentlemen who range from the rag-tag denizens and highfalutin upper crust of Venezuela, Illinois to the various friends who flock around Belle at the close of her recollections.
With the changes in characters and the loosely linked scenes LITTLE ME is strongly reminiscent of the old Broadway review, Director John Rando firmly keeps the narrative focused and the action flowing, yet there is an improvised feel that is well in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the show.
Dance-wise too there is a sort of “why not?” atmosphere that matches well with the show’s air of intense parody. Choreographer Joshua Bergasse covered a wide range of dance styles and never wastes a movement. He and the cast were clearly having a ball with the material and their enjoyment is happily infectious. Mr. Bergasse’s arrangement of the vaudeville number “Dimples” sung by Belle with her union-suit clad “police” backup was one of those hilariously outrageous moments of theater that will always be stuck in my memory.
This of course leads us to the songs with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and music by Cy Coleman. How can one fault such an enjoyable score with numbers like “Be a Performer!” and the standard “I’ve Got Your Number,” especially when the music is performed by the Encores! Orchestra conducted by Mr. Rob Berman? Under his baton, Mr. Ralph Burns’ orchestrations sweep over the audience with real energy. Mr. Berman is definitely into “Little Me” and the musicians and singers certainly benefit from his enthusiasm.
The look of the show keeps in with Encores! tendency towards lavish simplicity. Mr. John Lee Beatty is certainly a master at using the outline of a house to indicate a hometown setting or placing a set of tables and some small backdrops to create a busy nightclub scene. His scenic designs for LITTLE ME certainly always highlight the action and never draw the focus away from it even when Mr. Beatty slips in his own small visual wisecracks (such as the Buchsbaum Brothers nameplates “BENNIE”, “& BERNIE”). With all the praise I have been lavishing on LITTLE ME it is downright curmudgeonly to mention a fault now, but I really think that Mr. Beatty ought to remember that the people in the upper gallery cannot fully see the back of the stage; so even if his wonderful gag backdrops get a large laugh from the lower two levels of the theatre, there is an entire third level of spectators that he excludes from the jokes because of he did not consider the sight lines. If this happened once or twice, I might have overlook such a problem, but such joke screens set off each major scene and leave the upper seats feeling somewhat gypped.
Still it is impossible to be resentful when we also have Mr. Ken Billington’s atmospheric lighting and Sound Designer Scott Lehrer efforts adding their own running gag to the evening by visually and audibly expressing – with some frequency – what true love means to Belle and Noble.
Mr. Paul Tazewell adds his own measure of deviltry in his costumes for LITTLE ME. They may echo the periods in which each scene is set, but they are never museum pieces – unless they need to be. Young Belle’s costumes alone are a skillful sartorial map of her advancement in the world and slyly remind us all to what her rise is attributed to.
It is a shame that this past Sunday evening was the final performance because as done at Encores! LITTLE ME clearly deserves further exposure. It is a solid, entertaining show that reminds us how wonderful it is to simply have a good time at the theater and walk out afterwards with a broad grin and a strong desire to buy the show’s album.
About the reviewer: I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.
Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com
Cast & Credits
Book by Neil Simon
Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
Music by Cy Coleman
Based on the novel Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen
and Television/Belle Poitrine, by Patrick Dennis
Directed by John Rando
Choreography by Joshua Bergasse
Starring Christian Borle, Robert Creighton, David Garrison, Harriet Harris, Judy Kaye, Lewis J. Stadlen, Lee Wilkof, Tony Yazbeck, and Rachel York
With Cameron Adams, Stanley Bahorek, Meggie Cansler, Gaelen Gilliland, Arlo Hill, Reed Kelly, Justin Keyes, Eloise Kropp, Josh Lamon, Jenny Laroche, Samantha Massell, Skye Mattox, Paul McGill, Jason Mills, Vivian Nixon, Lindsay O’Neil, Manuel Stark, Clay Thomson, Kathy Voytko, and Amos Wolff
Review of “Porgy & Bess” on Broadway by Sierra Rein, Guest Reviewer
I almost pinched myself whilst sitting in the balcony of the Richard Rogers theater Friday night (August 3, 2012) – finally I would be able to see the Broadway production of “Porgy and Bess,” featuring at least three amazing musical theater performers – Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, and David Alan Grier. I had never seen a production of it before, neither on stage nor on the screen. I had only heard clips, and of course have heard “Summertime” in both classical and cabaret styles over the years. But I never knew the show from top to bottom, the characters, the plot, and am not an expert on the score or the history of the show. I went in with innocent/virgin ears and eyes.
It was brilliant. Moving, gorgeous, amazing music, vocals to die for (in both the classical and the more modern musical theater sense). The running time was obviously cut down to reflect Broadway audience schedules, but I could have seen another 1/2 hour of material. I know there are purists who rail against the cuts, the edits, the character changes, how certain songs do not have the original orchestrations or vocal harmonies as the original. And I say that I understand this; however this Broadway version whets my appetite to want to see more, so in a way it’s a great introduction to the original show.
What I appreciated the most about this production was the care the director and actors took to make these people absolutely, 100% real and emotionally present. Not a moment was glossed over, not a down-dirty piece of information was missed. Drugs, rape, babies, love, death, poverty, obsession, hope, nature, racism, big city vs. country life – all were dealt with from the ground up, nothing ignored. I felt immense tension all through my body watching some scenes; others made me tear up and have a lump in my throat, they were so gorgeously done; still others were perfectly attuned to the comic side for relief.
This was one time of many that I had seen Norm Lewis perform on stage, and unsurprisingly his Porgy was amazing. He just radiated hope and love and care, a true hero you wanted to root for. He was in constant struggle with his physicality, his crippled state, and it was brilliant to see him consistently hold that physicality for the entire show. His “nothing” with a wry smile into “I Got Plenty O’Nothin” was pitch-perfect, you just instantly fall in love with him and want to follow his journey with your whole being.
His Porgy was the perfect antidote to Audra McDonald’s Bess. She burned with the physicality of a druggie, from her speech (a bit of a stutter), to her sensuality, to a leg tremble that appeared at intense moments of decision. I have never seen her perform on stage (I have only listened to her amazing voice on CD) and I was awestruck by her ability to make Bess a truly conflicted character, and I followed her struggle and the love she had for Porgy (and moments of hopelessness for that love to survive) until the end. Her stellar vocals aside, I would watch that woman on stage doing anything – she was specific, grounded, consistent, and mesmerizing.
Indeed, the entire cast floored me with the exact same strengths. I rose to give them a Standing O as soon as the curtain came up for bows. This music is not easy, and to perform it with full emotional power is not easy as well (and sometimes dangerous to the vocal chords). Not one person held back, and the other characters on stage GAVE of themselves in full. I loved the care that the director made to make their stories as vibrant and as fully human in scope and power as Porgy and Bess’ love affair. I was rooting for everyone, and interestingly enough I understood where the villains and antagonists of the story were coming from too – they were 3D villains and a part of the world of the play (as a**holes are in the real world), not stereotypes. Yes, this is an OPERA and has the breadth and scope of an operatic story, but everything was done with such specificity that the audience should be able to track the true emotions of everyone involved.
And David Alan Grier…what can I say?! He played the scoundrel Sporting Life with stray cat pizazz, hitting the light and the dark sides of his character perfectly. It wasn’t too hard to imagine his character strutting down the streets of New York. I’m hoping someone in the future might write the sequel to “Porgy and Bess” (uh oh, do I hear a “blasphemy!”?) just so I can see how this scoundrel does his thing in New York. He invoked an evil Cab Calloway, and was pretty amazing.
I praise this production for introducing me to the world of “Porgy and Bess,” and look forward to seeing the original in one form soon. In the meantime, the souls of the story are being brilliantly portrayed on Broadway – it closes September 23rd, so go see it! My husband stated that it was the best musical he had ever seen (he’s a stickler for character motivation and storytelling, and he was just as thrilled as I).
About the Reviewer:
SIERRA REIN SAG-AFTRA • AEA
Sierra was last seen at Goodspeed Musicals in “City of Angels” as Angel City 4 Alto and Donna/Oolie understudy. She also has performed with members of the New York City Opera in a reading of the new opera “Strange Fruit” and had her New York City stage debut with Theater Ten Ten’s “Ruddigore.”
Her vocal group, Marquee Five (www.marqueefive.com) won a MAC Award for Vocal Duo/Group and released their debut CD, “8-Track Throwback,” in 2011. She yearly sings with the Definitely Dickens Holiday Carolers. She has also performed in numerous composer showcases in New York and has become a regular at The Salon open mic. She has regularly appeared at open mics, for composer showcases, and has shot many videos with her puppet, Kay “ThePal” Pringle. Along with her husband, Pete, they perform online puppetry via www.ThePal.us (his puppet’s name is Jay ThePal).
Favorite credits: Chiffon in “Little Shop of Horrors” (Utah Shakespearean Festival), Sister Sophia in “Sound of Music” and Nimue in “Camelot” (Fullerton CLO), Nadia in Ovation-winning “bare” (Hudson Theater), Second Soprano in “Master Class” (Odyssey Theater), roles in “The Pajama Game” and “The Boys from Syracuse” (Reprise!), and Ellen Beach Yaw in cult favorite “A Mulholland Christmas Carol” (Theater of N.O.T.E.). In 2007, she premiered “Ridin’ High,” her debut cabaret show (directed by Calvin Remsberg). Read a more detailed bio here.
My only criticisms are technical in nature; Christopher Heilman’s sets are a bit too High School musical for my taste, and the auditorium’s sound system is in desperate need of an upgrade (I am told that this coming year will bring some improvements – donors take note!).
CAST
Starting out with warm-up comedian Randy, who, after warming up the audience introduces Headliner Randy, the approximately 75 minutes that follow are basically Puppet Stand-Up comedy delivered by a puppet with skilled timing and obvious improv training. Sitting like a talk show host behind his paper strewn desk, Randy randomly focuses his always open ping-pong ball eyes on several audience members engaging them in dialogue as if he could actually see them. He also touches on many different subjects from current events to history, often using language that would make a sailor blush! This show is definitely for the kiddies, although the night I was there a 10 year old accompanied by his Father!
From Randy’s press notes:
“The Play That Goes Wrong”
As I mentioned above, the members of the ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’, are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery called, “The Murder at Haversham Manor”, written by Susie H. K. Brideswell, but that play isn’t really important, as a matter of fact, after two viewings, I’m still not sure ‘whodunnit’ or why! It’s the performance, or lack thereof, of the play that is the point here.
The play within a play opens with Jonathan playing Charles Haversham, (played with deafening subtlety by Greg Tannahill, the worst corpse ever) who is dead (?) being discovered in his study at his engagement party by Robert (the purposefully overacted, pompously riotous, and agile Henry Lewis) playing Thomas Colleymoore, Charles’ best friend, and Dennis (daftly played by Jonathan Sayer) playing Perkins, Charles’ manservant, who can’t remember his lines and shouts most of them.
news to Sandra (delightfully hammed up and overplayed by Charlie Russell) playing Florence Colleymoore, Charles’ fiancè and Thomas’ sister who has also been having an affair with Max (who as portrayed with calculated silliness by Dave Hearn) playing Cecil Haversham ( who gets distracted by audience laughter and applause), Charles’ brother (as well as Arthur the Gardener).
Confused? GOOD! That’s how it’s supposed to be. But it’s not about who plays whom – it’s about the timing. TIMING IS EVERYTHING and it has never been better timed than by this group of actors. While what goes wrong, and I refuse to spoil it for you here, seems to be a sequence of random events ‘just happening’ they are, in reality, a series of perfectly staged ‘accidents’. What impressed me most is that there is nothing happening on that stage that isn’t planned down to the precise moment of execution by this amazing cast. In addition, the physical humor and the agility of the actors getting slammed by doors and trays plus the acrobatics perpetrated by all, including some of the, shall we say, heftier actors, is a thing of beauty as well. Combine that with the acting, overacting, missed cues, forgotten lines, and pratfalls and you have the audience laughing non-stop through both acts and remembering The Play That Goes Wrong long after the curtain (and more) comes down.
