DC Theater Arts

Tag: Maryland Metro Theatre Arts

  • Nibbles And Sips Around Town: ‘Very Cherry Celebrations’ by Jordan Wright

    Ahh the cherry…luscious fruit and symbol of spring in our Nation’s Capitol.  But why?  The cherry trees whose airy pink blossoms grace the Tidal Basin at this time of year will never bear cherries – but no matter – local chefs and mixologists have been falling all over each other to create cherry-inspired concoctions to celebrate the 100thanniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.  Here are some enticing examples of what you can expect around town during the five-week festival.  I’ll be posting more in the upcoming weeks.

    At Station 4 they’ve added a fixed price cherry-laden three-course meal.  Chef Orlando Amaro proffers a seared foie gras with Marcona almond powder, dried cherry jelly and rosemary crusted lamb loin and sous vide cherries, finishing the dinner with cherry essence chocolate lava cake with cherry cabernet sorbet.

    Hank’s Oyster Bar has a cherry salad is made with bibb lettuce, Gorgonzola cheese, cherries and cherry vinegar.  Beverage Director Dana Mosbarger’s dazzles with her festival concoction called Cherry Stone Blossom made with a combination of vodka, sake, lemon juice and a splash of tart cherry juice.

    Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery in Crystal City, Georgetown and Capitol Hill is where the Obamas drop in for burgers and shakes and you should too.  During the festival they’ll feature a cherry blossom shake made with the restaurant’s homemade custard and fresh cherry puree topped with a bing cherry.

    In  Dupont Circle, Agora, the Mediterranean-centric eatery, is pouring a special cocktail, the Kiraz Cicegi, which translates to cherry blossom in Turkish. This delicious elixir is made from a combination of Southern Comfort, Yeni Raki, cherry juice, fresh mint and agave nectar.

    Poste Moderne Brasserie takes a more Asian approach with a sake-based cocktail called For Heaven’s Sake made with house-made pomegranate soda, Tozai sake, vodka, Maraschino liqueur and fresh lemon juice.

    Torsade cerises, twisted artisan Bread studded with cherries. Photo credit Paul Bakery in Penn Quarter.

    Stop by Paul Bakery in the Penn Quarter or the newly opened Georgetown location where they’ll start baking up cherry treats from March 20th – April 29th.

    Any of these should satisfy.  Torsade cerises, twisted artisan Bread studded with cherries, Croissant aux cerises, a crusty and buttery croissant filled with hand-made pastry cream and cherries; Cramique aux cerises a mouthwatering brioche with sweet pearls of sugar and sour cherries; Flan aux cerises, flan in a sugary shell filled with handmade pastry cream and cherries; Millefeuille aux cerises, a Napoleon of crispy puff pastry encasing a delicious mix of cherries and fresh pastry cream; or the Éclair aux cerises, a crispy choux pastry éclair filled with a delicate balance of cherries and pastry cream.

    In Alexandria The Grille at Morrison House look for both sour and smoky cherry cocktails to celebrate the season. The Sour Cherry Fizz is made with sour cherry juice, Tanqueray gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white and a splash of club soda.  But try a Smoked Cherry Old Fashioned made with Maker’s Mark, bitters, house-smoked cherry syrup and garnished with a smoked cherry and a slice of orange for a new twist on an old classic.

    Also in Alexandria Jackson 20 celebrates with the Cherry Picnic made with ginger liqueur, spiced rum, fresh sour mix and Campari wash.

    Firefly’s Sakura Sling is cherry and vanilla bean infused Ketel One with Leopold Brothers Michigan tart cherry liqueur, simple syrup and a splash of soda.

    These concoctions should keep you in the pink!

    Deals and Steals

    Station 4 has a cool option for theatregoers. You gotta love this one with valet parking for $10 per car and only steps from Arena Theater. Enjoy a three-course menu for only $29 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) and walk to the performance leaving your car in the care of the restaurant’s valet. You could also opt for the first two courses of the pre-theatre dinner then return for dessert after the show.

    A Washington institution 701 Restaurant offers Modern American cuisine by Executive Chef Ed Witt.  Enjoy a three-course pre-theatre menu for $30 per person from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday – Saturday and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.  Valet parking Monday – Saturday for $8.

    The award-winning Rasika restaurant offers Chef Vikram Sunderman’s pre-theatre menu for $35 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). The menu is available Monday – Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  Validated valet parking for $8.

    Happenings

    If you miss this one, you’d better hop a plane to Mexico, because you won’t find this anywhere else!  Oyamel Cocina Mexicana hosts their Fifth Annual Tequila & Mezcal Festival from March 5 – 18 the two-week festival will have informational cocktail sessions, open to the public, and intimate dinners complete with tequila and mezcal tastings.

    In honor of the festival, Oyamel will offer special bar antojitos.  These small plates are served only at the bar and include garbanzos fritos – crispy roasted spiced garbanzo beans and alas de pollo con salsa naranja – chicken wings in a sauce of orange, spices and chile pequin.

    Chef Omar Rodriguez is also crafting a special menu highlighting the flavors of Oaxaca and Jalisco in Mexico.  Dishes from the Jalisco region include Sopes de ostiones, traditional corn flour cake topped with an oyster, tomato salsa, lettuce and queso fresco; Pozole de camarón, shrimp and hominy soup with Hawaiian blue prawns, guajillo and ancho chilies, served with garnishes of onion cabbage and slice radishes, and Lomo de cerdo relleno con chorizo en mole manchamanteles, chorizo stuffed pork loin with a mole of almonds, chilies, tomatoes, plantains and pineapple.  Authentic Oaxaca flavors can be found in Tortitas de patas de puerco, crispy pork trotters served with a salsa of tomatillos, avocado, Serrano peppers, and cilantro, and Chuletas de cordero en chileajo con frijoles borachos, grilled lamb T-bones marinated in Guajillo chiles and garlic with drunken navy beans with pork belly and Negra Modelo.

    Drinks are the highlight of every Tequila & Mezcal Festival at Oyamel and the beverage team at Oyamel has created unique cocktails just for the occasion.  Libations featuring mescal include the Oaxacan Swizzle, Del Maguey Mezcal “Vida”, ruby port, fresh pressed apples, lime, ginger and house-made orange bitters; El Bahio, Sombra mezcal, roasted pineapple juice, lemon and cardamom; Joven avocado, avocado-infused mezcal, Cocchi Americano, grapefruit syrup, grapefruit juice, Hellfire bitters, and avocado leaf; and the High Tea, Los Nahuales Reposado Mezcal, chamomile tea, honey, and house-made tobacco bitters.  Drinks featuring tequila are the Mexican Tailor, house-infused “Gin-quila” fresh pressed apples, lemon and basil; El Pescador, Herradura Tequila three ways, grapefruit juice, Curacao, maraschino liqueur, Honey and Velvet Falernum, and the Champs–Elysees; Don Julio 70th Anniversary Añejo, Remy VSOP, Green Chartreuse, Lemon, and Peychaud’s bitters. A complete calendar is online.

    New and Notable

    Jordan Wright

    Cahal Armstrong’s latest Alexandria food adventure, Society Fair, has just opened on Washington Street a few blocks from The Little Theatre of Alexandria.  The pretty gourmet shop featuring fresh baked breads, a butchery, upscale food market and wine bar has some smallish eat-in tables for enjoying delicious sandwiches and cheeses with a wide range of wines by the glass offered on tap.  As the weather complies there’s an outdoor patio.

    In Columbia Heights the hot buzz is all about Mintwood Place where Executive Chef Cedric Maupillier, formerly of Puro Café in Georgetown, has at last found his niche serving French food with an American twist.  Nibble on escargot hush puppies or maple pork cracklin’ to start.  Spring has arrived with the shad.  Try the delicate fish served with it’s own roe accompanied by black trumpet mushrooms and lardo.  You get the idea.

    Featured Picture: National Mall cherry blossoms.

    Stay tuned for lots more news and updates from Nibbles And Sips Around Town.  To read more -go to my website Whisk and Quill.

     

  • Cyle Raving: ‘On the Brink of the Waterfront’ by Cyle Durkee

    There are few relationships as complex as those that are created by actors and directors working together.  They’re soggy with shared experience and emotion.  They’re dry and cracked like the kindling that bursts into flame when the match is struck (the match being any other human in the room that dares to speak when the two of you are having a “discussion” {yes, screaming matches about your character that degenerate into an acrid commentary about the sexual proclivities of parental units can [technically] be called a “discussion}).  And they take such solid root in your heart and mind that, given time, they can destroy just about any emotional wall or pretense that you might care to offer up to the gods of theater. So this should be interesting.

    Knowing that I would need some help traversing this spiky (though, somehow welcoming) landscape I decided to knock upon the door of one Kathleen Akerley.  First, let me say that if you ever need to be shaken free of your own pretensions, she can do it in three sentences or less.  So she was a great choice to help me clear the fog that surrounds the shifting (I would say “unmapped”, but the maps have been written {though altered so quickly and thoroughly as to make them unrecognizable to their own cartographer within approximately 15 minutes}) face of this beautiful, if bizarre and complex symbiosis.

    About Actors:  Dear God. Dear God help us all.  I have been (and am), directed, worked for, and dated them (the first two are great, the second two…not so much {though I’m sure YOU are a total catch and have no issues or drawbacks….except that one thing that we talked about earlier [being a pyromaniac]}). I will sum up in a few sentences the things that must be said here.  No one is at “fault” because your opinion didn’t line up with someone else’s. And, by that same token, no one is at “fault” when they explain to you that everyone else in the room doesn’t need a diatribe on how EVERY play you have EVER been in is pertinent to the three lines you have in this scene.

    Cyle Durkee

    And here we are at the first component of the director/actor relationship: Censorship. Part of the job of the director is to censor you without censuring you.  They must shape the play without confining an actor or stifling their creative abilities. This is a knife’s edge that every show must maneuver (and many shows julienne themselves on the sharp edges of spiny egos {leaving the audience with something akin to a half skinned rabbit to stare at on stage [don’t let it happen to your show as julienned rabbits and mixed metaphors are unattractive]}).

    To Directors: Yes. All actors are, in fact, working in tandem to ruin your day. They have not done their homework. They don’t know their lines. They are late, lippy, lazy, lackadaisical landscapes of lethargy and libido. And you have to convince them to do what you want them to do, by helping them realize that they actually want to do it themselves (and then deal with the fact that they are now totally certain that it was their idea all along).

    So here we are at the second realization about this relationship.  No one is ever going to be able to meet every single initial expectation of anyone else (except for that one time that you managed to get your leg all the way behind your head).

    Kathleen Akerley. From Adam Szymkowicz.

    Creation takes a caring, strong hand. You cannot create with a fist (though it’s a great tool for breaking though facades and allowing truth to shine through). As you careen through the dance of artistic expression, expectations fall away while the basis for a play is sculpted. And those expectations that do make the leap into reality through the rehearsal process then grow reefs of thoughts and interactions. And slowly, using both the forces of creative freedom and controlled shaping, a show develops in the waters of inspiration.

    If all parties remember that they are not the only artists in the room, and accept the help and thoughts of those they are working with this reef can become something extraordinary. What began as a stone sculpture in the mind of the director can be given life.  Using it as a seed and as a base, a beautiful, coral ecosystem will emerge. As it branches and evolves it attracts life and beauty in a multitude of varieties. New facts emerge as families of fishy backstories and shark infested interactions create an entirely new biosphere that surrounds, engulfs, and invites the audience.  And, in the end, a thoughtful and wistful guardian allows the new world to float off on it’s own as its emotional gravity creates a swirling atmosphere of art.

    Now, I’m going to eat some sushi (because some of those thoughts need to be caught and eaten before they have a chance to reproduce).

    Thanks Kathleen!!

    Kathleen Akerley (Artistic Director for Longacre Lea Theater Company) is currently directing On the Waterfront for American Century Theater.  Next up for this whirlwind of talent is Sam Shepard’s Tooth of Crime to be committed by WSC Avante Bard at Artisphere. And the final feather in her trifecta of shows for this season will be Goldfish Thinking for her fabulous company Longacre Lea. In addition to all this Kathleen is in her final semester at Massage Therapy School.  Let her get her hands on you and you’ll feel true artistry! See you all at the show!

    Check Out what Cyle’s doing next!

    On The Waterfront
    at American Century Theater
    March 30 to April 28, 2012
    Directed by the Fabulous Kathleen Akerley.

    LINK

    Read an interview with Kathleen here.

  • ‘The Addams Family’ at The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at The Hippodrome Theatre by Amanda Gunther


    Every family has one. This family happens to have 25. Broadway Across America takes you into a deep dark hole – and yes, you do want to go there with their astonishing production of The Addams Family. A new musical comedy with a complete revamp from its time on Broadway lands itself at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at The Hippodrome Theatre. The timeless characters from the brilliant mind of Charles Addams rise up from their gloomy graves to encourage audiences everywhere to find their inner Addams, embrace it and move toward the darkness. Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks achieves a smashing success with this sensational production in all its dreary glory as number after number has audiences thundering with applause, laughing until they cry and snapping their fingers right along to the familiar introductory tune.

    Patrick D. Kennedy (Pugsley), Pippa Pearthree (Grandma), Sara Gettelfinger (Morticia), Douglas Sills (Gomez), Tom Corbeil (Lurch), Cortney Wolfson (Wednesday) and Blake Hammond (Uncle Fester) in 'The Addams Family.' Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

    Gomez Addams (Douglas Sills) is confronted with every father’s worst nightmare; his little daughter all grown up and wanting to get married. And what’s worse— Wednesday’s (Cortney Wolfson) asked him to keep it a secret from his darling wife, Morticia (Sara Gettelfinger.) Add to that her normal fiancé, Lucas (Brian Justin Crum) and his normal parents coming to dinner in the not-so-normal Addams Family household you and you have a recipe for hilarious disaster.

    Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch are the inspiring scenic designers. Using a red velvet drape to conceal portions of the stage, genius is executed as the drape shifts and undulates to reveal various parts of the Addams dwelling, almost giving the house the sense that it alive and moving – a perfect creepy fit for such a kooky family. The graveyard scene is perhaps the most intense and impressive scene to be revealed throughout the musical. As the red drape draws open, assisted by a very special member of the Addams’ clan, the looming iron gates conceal the vast derelict family cemetery. Headstones jut out from the floor, the family crypt stands in waiting and you’d swear it was a portrait of the Addams Family standing just behind those gates until they fly open and the opening number, “When You’re An Addams,” begins.
    And we find further perfection from the vastly creative minds of

    McDermott and Crouch as they are also responsible for the costumes – including Morticia’s drop-dead gorgeous dress cut down to Venezuela. The spidery black number hugs Gettelfinger’s body with accents of purple, restricting her legs just like the original Morticia. And a range of historical costumes, all in powder white, can be found outfitted to the ancestors. From ballooned pantaloons and a Spanish conquistadores hat to a turn of the century flapper-style dress there are a myriad of entertaining, eye-catching costumes for these ghostly ensemble members as they are raised from the grave to assist with present dealings of love in the family.

    The real treat lays in the numerous dance numbers as provided by Tony Award-winning Choreographer Sergio Trujillo. “When You’re An Addams” provides perhaps the best example of Trujillo’s choreographic excellence, showcasing most of the cast in a celebratory dance number which involves a line dance, the bunny hop, the twist, and many other unique dance styles showcased as the ancestors and Addams Family sashay through the cemetery to a tango-type beat. We see further incredible examples of large group choreography in numbers like “Secrets” and “Just Around the Corner,” which puts the ancestors to their best use yet as they flank Morticia (Gettelfinger) on either side in both numbers giving breath-taking displays of perfectly synched dancing acrobatics. But the shocker comes from “Tango de Amor” where Morticia (Gettelfinger) and Gomez (Sills) as well as the ancestors own the stage in a complex and perfectly executed tango routine.

    And you will never see such iconic characters played to perfection the way you find them here. Wednesday (Cortney Wolfson) and Lucas (Brian Justin Crum) youthful star-crossed lovers that would turn the heads of even Romeo and Juliet; their powerful duet “Crazier Than You” speaking volumes of their crazy feelings. This duet is joined by the Beineke’s Alice (Crista Moore) and Mal (Martin Vidnovic) who in their own right are pretty crazy. Wolfson has a glistening voice that consumes the entire stage in her solo “Pulled” while perfecting her torn emotions – one minute cheery and the other sarcastically doomed. This couple takes the focus when they’re on stage and they let that jovial spry feeling of young love bounce eagerly between them from their huddled make-out sessions to their sporadic fights.

    And let’s not forget her pain-loving brother, Pugsley (Patrick D. Kennedy) who sets the whole night in motion with his desperate act to bring his sister back to him. Kennedy has an adorable solo “What If,” where he displays true uncertain terror at the prospect of never being tortured by Wednesday (Wolfson) again. His comic interactions with Grandma (understudied that night by Christy Morton) keep the audience laughing as he hatches a diabolical scheme to break-up his sister and her new boyfriend.

    Blake Hammond (Uncle Fester) in 'The Addams Family.' Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

    Serving as the medium between ancestors and family, between audience and actors is the great Uncle Fester (Blake Hammond.) His comic well-placed one-liners keep everyone entertained. Hammond has a beautiful love ballad “The Moon and Me” where he croons and swoons to the moon in a romantic whimsical number that drifts his love to the sky. He is the epitome of the character both in looks, vocal quality, and even some of the crazy dancing he does from time to time. His narrative moments directed at the audience are witty and well-timed, providing a more than astonishing experience for all involved. And there’s a scene stealer who plays opposite Hammond, though he is really caught interacting with Fester, Lurch (Tom Corbeil) the family butler has laugh out loud moments throughout the show- but I won’t spoil them! Be sure to keep an eye out for him toward the end.

    But what would a musical about the Addams Family be without its matriarch and patriarch? Gomez (Douglas Sills) and Morticia (Sara Gettelfinger) take on the leading roles in this fantastical production leaving nothing to be desired from their stellar performances. Sills exudes the wild Spanish heat of his ancestry with his heavily accented but perfectly articulated voice. His facial expressions tell it all from the giddy hysterics when discussing his devices of torture with Mal (Vidnovnic) to his panicked fear when confronted by his wife and daughter. Sills is a dancing fool so to speak, shaking his body in every number that will let him. His performance is beyond lively while still being rooted in Gomez’s dark death obsession. His two solos “Trapped” and “Happy/Sad” are a phenomenal display of his talented voice. He well matched against Gettelfinger whose expressions remain stoic as expected from Morticia but her voice tells it all. She too dances like mad, despite her costume’s restrictions and owns her character to the fullest extent. Gettelfinger displays the perfect dichotomy of concerned mother and ardent wife, both dictated by her deep seeded tendencies of gloom and doom. Her voice calls like a siren from beyond the grave in her solos “Secrets” and “Just Around the Corner.”

    The chemistry between Sills and Gettelfinger is outstanding! There is a vivacious life to their marriage, governed by dark humor and underlined with sexual poignancy. But the tempestuous fire that rages within their hearts bubbles up like hot lava and explodes between them when they are confronted with the everyday problem of keeping secrets. They are well matched in their acting talent as well as their vocal abilities and a more perfect pairing could not have been made for this dynamic duo.

    So here’s my addition to the Addams Family’s dinner game — the secret that I’ve never told anyone — you must see this show!

    The Addams Familyis a non-stop roller coaster ride of enjoyment, laughs, and dark humor. You’ll jump into a grave if you miss it. Full Disclosure.

    The Addams Family plays through March 18, 2012. At The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at The Hippodrome Theatre – 12 North Eutaw Street, in Baltimore, MD. For tickets, call (410) 547-7328, or (410) 837-7400, or purchase them online.

     

  • ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’ at Adventure Theatre by Julia L. Exline


    Adventure Theatre presents Alexander and the Terrible. Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, a production based on the classic children’s book by Judith Viorst. Gail Humphries Mardirosian directs this energetic, musical feast that brings the beloved book to life for a new generation to enjoy, with musical direction by Joshua Morgan.

    Ben Lurye and Parker Drown in 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.' Photo by Bruce Douglas.

    Scenic Designer Douglas Clark frames colorful, intersecting beams before a deep, glittery-blue backdrop, creating the feel of a unique sort of jungle gym, and the actors use it as such, climbing and sitting on them throughout the production. The set is comprised of many shapes and colors, and large props such as a checker-print bed, dentist chair, and shoe displays are swiftly wheeled on and offstage by the actors to change the setting. The geometric shadows cast from the beams creates an almost 3-dimensional effect, while Lighting Designer Andrew Cissna follows the characters with dimmed spots.

    Sound Designer Brandon Roe uses effects such as alarm buzzes and school bells, accompanied by cheery melodies that turn ominous at appropriate times (like a fun scene when Alexander visits a cackling dentist that wields torture devices). To go along with the colorful set, Costume Designer Adriana Diaz clothes the actors in bright, bold colors, while using patterns that stay true to those of the book, such as Alex’s green-and-white striped shirt. Children don vivid pajamas that have blankets tied around them as capes, as well as imaginative school clothes with prints and accessories that fit the persona of each character. Even the adults, while wearing age-appropriate clothing, are dressed in vibrant colors that pop, with fun accessories like winged eyeglasses.

    Alexander, played by Helen Hayes Award recipient Parker Drown, is having a bad day, starting from the moment he wakes up to find gum in his hair. Drown perfectly mimics the pitchy whine and scrunched face of a grumpy child as he trips over his toys, is scolded for singing too loudly in school, and is unceremoniously dumped by his best friend (a wonderfully nerdy Ben Lurye), among other things. Declaring, “I think I’m gonna move to Australia,” the cast sings about the joys of life in Australia while dressed as kangaroos and koalas, in an energetic and memorable number choreographed by Kate Arnold Wernick.

    After school, Alexander’s mother (a terrific performance by Broadway’s Sandy Bainum) takes him and his rambunctious brothers (Ashleigh King and S. Lewis Feemster) to a shoe store, the dentist, and to pick up their father (Benjamin L. Horem) from his office…where a gleaming copying machine catches Alexander’s eye. Each outing yields worse results for Alexander, and he wonders how much more bad luck he can take. It truly is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!

    This production is a real knockout! The set, effects, music and choreography are all masterfully executed, and the entire cast is hilariously talented. The script is filled with fun songs and upbeat dance routines, and the riotous interaction between the actors is great fun to watch. Everyone in the audience, both young and old, had a great time, myself included. This production is bound to be as adored as the book that inspired it. Grab your tickets while you still can, because the showings are selling out!

    Running time is 70 minutes.

    Featured Picture: Benjamin L. Horen, Parker Drown, and Sandy Bainum in ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.’ Photo by Bruce Douglas.

    Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day runs through April 9, 2012, at Adventure Theatre, in Glen Echo Park – 7300 MacArthur Blvd., in Glen Echo, MD. Purchase tickets by calling (301)634-2270, or order them online.

  • ‘I Love You Because’ at Reston Community Players by Doug Poms


    Reston Community Players’ production of I Love You Because is delightful. A romantic and humorous homage to the dating scene in current day New York City, this show is full of witty observations about relationships and the rules for finding ‘Mr. or Ms. Right.’ I Love You Because had a successful stint Off-Broadway and the Reston production is the first one I have seen in the Washington DC area.

    Tim Adams (Jeff Bennet) and Diana Bingley (Evie Korovesis). Photo by David Segal.

    The show is very loosely based on the Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice, and is sprinkled with references to that classic book, for example through the names of the characters – Austin Bennett, Marcy Fitzwilliams, Diana Bingley. The story follows the romantic relationships between two couples: (1) Austin, a set-in-his-ways greeting card writer intent in wooing back his ex-girlfriend Catherine, and Marcy, an adventurous and neurotic photographer and (2) Austen’s brother, Jeff, who is just out to have fun, and Marcy’s roommate Diana similarly seeks something casual as a detour to true love.

    Marcy chooses to spend time with seeming ‘Mr. Wrong,’ Austin, while she waits out her requisite rebound time – so she can find ‘Mr. Right’ – while Austin is too focused on winning back his ex-girlfriend to notice his emerging feelings for Marcy. Meanwhile, Diana and Jeff both are expecting to have only a fling – but find that they can’t stay away from one another.
    The fabulous number “The Actuary Song,” in which Diana musically describes a mathematical calculation for the appropriate amount of rebound time (‘RT’) before one is ready to embark on a new serious relationship after a failed one, is as insightful as it is tuneful. It is sung brilliantly by Evie Korovesis, who is a real scene stealer in this production.

    The score is filled with other wonderful songs by Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham, including “Coffee”, “Maybe We Just Made Love,” “Just Not Now,” “That’s What’s Gonna Happen,” and “Even Though.” Susanna Todd is also terrific as Marcy. She has a very strong singing voice and is very likable in the role. Joshua Redford and Tim Adams, as the brothers Bennett, and while not as vocally strong as their female counterparts, they are still both very appealing.

    Joshua Redford (Austin Bennet) and Susanna Todd (Marcy Fitzwilliams). Photo by David Segal.

    The ensemble, Terry Barr and Jolene Vettese, do a great job in numerous roles (including bartenders and a Chinese waiter), and the device of using them as a Chorus that provides witty commentary on the romantic developments between Austen and Marcy, is effective and very funny. All six actors, under the fine direction of Lisa Anne Bailey, make a winning ensemble and when they harmonize on a few of the songs, they sound great together.

    The orchestra, under the musical direction of Elisa Rosman, does justice to the worthy score. The set by Michael Schlabach made up primarily of pieces of furniture, works well. The costumes by Sam Nystrom give authenticity to the characters and add to the humor.

    If you are a romantic that likes a good funny musical, head over to Reston Community Players’ exuberant production of I Love You Because…because you’ll love it!

    Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission.

    I Love You Because plays through March 24, 2012 at CenterStage, at The Reston Community Center – 2310 Colts Neck Road, in Reston, VA. For tickets, call the box office at (703) 476-4500, or purchase them online.

  • ‘Narnia the Musical’ at Reisterstown Theatre Project by Amanda Gunther


    When two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve sit enthroned at Cair Paravel the prophecy of Narnia is fulfilled. Reisterstown Theatre Project’s sets about to fulfill this prophecy with their production of Narnia the Musical. Directed by, Kathy McCrory, this show takes the classic C. S. Lewis story The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, arguably Lewis’ most famous in the chronicles, and turns it into a musical translation of the very first adventures of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie in the kingdom of Narnia. It’s a community theatre production that’s great for the youngsters. With a mixed cast of adults, youths, and children on stage there’s a little something for everyone.

    Cast of 'Narnia the Musical.' Photo from Reisterstown Patch.

    Set Designer Sharon Weaver really creates scenes straight out of the books. The iconic wardrobe occupies a far corner of the stage set amid the Professor’s mansion. There are large evergreen trees flecked with snow on the stage once they children travel through the wardrobe and the big gray castle in the far back makes up the White Witch’s castle. All the locations from the book are present, even the stone table. But the most stunning piece of scenery comes from the mind of Prop Master Carol Sorenson who creates a large white sleigh for the White Witch decorated with silvery tinsel and glittery accents. This sleigh captures the frosty demeanor of the White Witch too perfectly as she rides through Narnia aboard it, pulled by two reindeer.

    And the costumes are equally impressive – the most impressive perhaps being The White Queen’s. Costume Designers Gretchen and Shelby Hylton start by layering her in a huge puffy white gown completely with silver tinsel accents and a white furry muff for her hands. But as Aslan returns to Narnia and spring breaks through her curse of eternal winter the witch is stripped down to just a plain gray dress. Even her elaborate crown just becomes a simple three-point gold dollop atop her head. The various woodland creatures are outfitted to varying degrees of cuteness but none so cute as the little unicorn (Megan Benkler) whose dress is a mini white wedding dress with a white string wig and a swivel horn atop her head. Another costume triumph comes from the White Stags (Shelby Hylton, Ava Ertel, and Lily Ertel.) They have large beautiful antlers that are dusted with glitter and shimmery white tutus as they dance around the stage to help them look elusive.

    The kids try their best to make the show work. With a live orchestra and singing support from the adults some of the tunes are actually quite catchy. The singing stars of the show are found in Tumnus (Lauren DeSha) who enjoys a wonderful solo during “Narnia, You Can Imagine.” DeSha’s voice is so haunting and sweet as she fondly reminisces of the times when Narnia had Christmas and spring that you feel her soul mourning for the lost times and are entranced by the simple melodious tune. The show stealer, however, comes from the angry and terribly evil White Witch (Kat McKerrow). Her frightful persona oozes from her body in the way she walks, talks, and certainly in the way she sings. When her first number “Turkish Delight” takes to the stage she belts and bellows the song, a duet along with the Dwarf (June Frank,) that will send shivers up your spine. It has a gypsy feel to it but something truly evil seeps out through McKerrow’s expressive face during this number. She has a second duet, this time with Aslan (Raphael Shaw) where they sing “Deep Magic” and her pompous personality bubbles over onto the stage possessing it like a living evil that cannot be contained.

    Aslan (Raphael Shaw) makes a stunning first impression when he leaps onto the scene with a roar. But it would have been slightly more impressive had they really made him look like a lion. Donned in white Jesus style robes with golden accents the only thing Shaw wears to show that he’s a lion is a makeshift mane, which is so well hidden by his natural hair that you don’t even see it until the Dwarf is ordered to cut it off in act II. But looking like a lion or not, Shaw has the powerful voice of this king of Narnia character, belting out powerful numbers like “Cair Paravel” and “Catch Me If You Can.” He shares the stage with McKerrow in many scenes and their interactions really bring life to the show.

    It’s a great outing for the kids, bring them along to enjoy Narnia: The Musical at the Reisterstown Theatre Project.

    Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes, with one intermission.

    Narnia – the Musical plays through March 17, 2012, at Reisterstown Theatre Project at Franklin Middle School – 10 Cockeyes Mill Road, in Reisterstown, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 246-6401.

    LINK:

    Read “Narnia” Comes to Life by Staci Wolfson in Resisterstown Patch.

  • ‘Avenue Q’ at Silhouette Stages by Amanda Gunther


    What do you do with a B.A. in English? One option is to go see Silhouette Stages’ production of Avenue Q. Directors Mo Dutterer and Ric Ryder alongside Musical Director Michael Tan bring the area premier of this raunchy racy Broadway sensation to life like nobody else. It’s Muppets for adults with catchy upbeat tunes like “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist” and “The Internet is for Porn.” This hilarious show is sure to keep you in stitches from the overture to the curtain call.

    Set Designer Alex Porter captures the essence of a dodgy New York City streetscape with his apartment building backdrop. Porter shows us the grungy details of the city with graffiti marks and hints of broken windows all while centrally encompassing the large plasma screen necessary for the digital media that goes along with the show. It’s a fantastic fun experience to see the characters emerge from within this realistic looking set as they flit in and out of each other’s lives through jaunty song and dance. And we must nod our puppet heads to Choreographer Tina DeSimone for her simplistic but well synchronized dances that appear throughout. Her best work is scene in the opening number “It Sucks to Be Me” and the kick-line that ensues. DeSimone’s very simple tactics and techniques ensure that everyone is completely in synch making the choreography look complex and perfect.

    This crazy cast of characters are truly memorable as portrayed by these talented actors. For the most part they even master the illusion of blending into their puppet characters. The best execution of this is seen with Nicky (puppeted by Brian Sackett and Clare Kneebone.) This team of puppeteers keeps Nicky constantly moving, his mouth perfectly synched and you lose yourself in this fuzzy green puppet as he sings engaging songs like “If You Were Gay.” But there are a few moments where the actors forget that they are meant to be extending themselves into their puppets. It is few and far between when this occurs but in moments when Rod (Neil Rushnock) is left gaping during moments where he’s just meant to be in the background, or when Kate Monster (Danielle Sherry)’s lips briefly stop moving during her solo numbers it’s a little distracting.

    Danielle Sherry (Kate Monster) and Ryan Geiger (Princeton) in ‘Avenue Q.’ Photo courtesy of the Silhouette Stages.

    You will fall in love with the unique casting choice that Dutterer and Ryder have taken with their approach to Gary Coleman (Matt Wetzel.) Traditionally the role is taken on by a black female. Wetzel owns this role as the iconic kid star turned broke so thoroughly that you are laughing almost every time he is on the stage. His shining moment comes during “You Can be as Loud as the Hell You Want” where his facial expressions are so raunchy— well I can’t even describe it! His performance is hands down the best thing about the show. Wetzel masters all of Coleman’s catch phrases and puts such emphatic emotions behind his characters despair in “Schadenfreude,” that you do feel good that your life isn’t as crappy as his.

    While Wetzel will keep your focus there are two total scene stealers who wrangle the spotlight every time they make an appearance. To remind us all that “The Internet is for Porn” we have Trekkie Monster (voiced and puppeted by Jim Gross and co-puppeted by Angie Townsend). This huge furry pervert keeps the laughs going during this song and his brief and heartfelt solo toward the end of Act II “School for Monsters.” Words cannot describe the outrageous performance that Gross gives while embodying this fluffy fuzzy monster, popping out of his window at the most inappropriate of times with the most inappropriate things to say; he will keep you thoroughly if naughtily entertained.

    The other scene stealer comes from Katrina Janson, the female Bad Idea Bear. Playing opposite Jeff Miller, the Male Bad Idea Bear, Janson hones a squeaky and innocent voice to suggest things like buying a case of beer to save money during a financial crisis rather than a simple six-pack. She makes incredible facial expressions to show her bear’s happy and sad moments and in a production where the puppet’s facial features are limited in their range of motion such expressions can be the striking difference between a good performance and an amazing one.

    Kate Monster (Danielle Sherry) and Princeton (Ryan Geiger) are well matched not only in using their facial expressions to show their puppet’s emotions but in their vocal talents. Sherry is wildly expressive especially when she goes from pessimistic to optimistic to confused during “Mix Tape.” Her voice is powerful as is Geiger’s, which is most noticeable during his song “Purpose.” The pair create great chemistry especially during the song “You Can be as Loud as the Hell You Want” where they synch their puppetry movements into the most raunchy live puppet sex you will ever see.

    Avenue Q is an enjoyable experience and ou will learn everything you ever needed to know from these inappropriate puppets. Silhouette Stages’ (first in the area) wonderful and hysterical production has set the bar high for other productions of Avenue Q that will follow.

    Avenue Q should not be missed if you love dark and inappropriate humor live on stage. I’m so glad that Silhouette Stages was pulling the strings!

    Avenue Q plays through March 11, 2012 at Silhouette Stages at Slayton House Theatre in Wild Lake Village Center – 10400 Cross Fox Lane, in Columbia, MD. For tickets, call the box office at (410) 637-5289, or purchase them online.

     

  • ‘Sucker Punch’ at The Studio Theatre by Don Michael Mendoza


    I’m not a big sports fan and have never had an interest in boxing, but The Studio Theatre’s production of Roy Williams’ Sucker Punch brought me into a whole new light, and who knows – I might go see a boxing match in the future.

    Set during the 1980’s London race riots, Sucker Punch presents the story of two black teenagers – who happen to be best friends – that try to box their way to a better life in a world dominated by white men.

    Walking into the Mead Theatre, I gazed upon the gym designed by regular Studio Theatre Set Designer Dan Conway and the great detail immediately brought me into the world of boxing before it even started. Later, the set amazed me again when it transformed itself from gym to boxing arena with help from the excellent lighting design by Tony Award winner Brian MacDevitt.

    Aside from great technical aspects, the show’s cast was nothing less than mesmerizing. Sheldon Best (Leon) and Emmanuel Brown (Troy) – both newcomers to Studio – gave wonderful performances and truly showed their characters’ journeys from adolescent buddies to athletic rivals, which can be attributed to director Leah Gardiner’s sure-hand guidance.

    Also, the training Best and Brown received from fight choreographer Rick Sordelet and boxing consultant Gary “Kid” Starl Jr.’s was electrifying and well-executed, and produced exciting boxing matches, especially during the championship fight near the end of the play.

    Sheldon Best and Emmanuel Brown in 'Sucker Punch.' Photo: Scott Suchman.

    Other outstanding performances came from Sean Gormley (Charlie) – Leon’s boxing mentor and the gym owner bent on achieving boxing notoriety through his talented boxing protégé, and Michael Rogers (Squid) as the Leon’s boxing mentor and father, who cared so much about about his son despite his own addiction to gambling.

    Although it took me a while to warm up to Dana Levanovsky (Becky) and Lucas Beck (Tommy), when it came to the more critical times for their characters, they each pulled through and gave the emotional backing needed in the moment. Finally, Lance Coadie Williams (Ray) definitely owned his role as the money-hungry American manager, and although his time on stage was short, he made the audience remember him.

    Sucker Punch is a powerhouse night of theatre. Filled with excitement and knockout performances, it packs a wallop. Athletes and non-athletes will love it!

    Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes with no intermission.

    Featured Picture: Sheldon Best and Emmanuel Brown in Sucker Punch. Photo by Scott Suchman.

    Sucker Punch runs through April 8, 2012 at The Studio Theatre – 1501 14th St, NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call the box office (202) 332-3300, or purchase them online.

  • ‘New Jerusalem -The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza’ By Jennifer Perry at Theater J


    Every so often, I get the opportunity to witness a theatrical production that is not only thought-provoking, entertaining, and witty, but has a great deal of intellectual depth. Theater J’s remount of the Summer 2010 critical hit, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza is certainly one of those shows. The seven member ensemble cast – led by two DC theatrical stars Alexander Strain and Michael Tolaydo – excels under the direction of Jeremy Skidmore in presenting David Ives’ examination of faith in God and the ramifications of questioning accepted beliefs about the control God has over the world and the life of His followers.

    Certainly, I entered into the theater with much anticipation. Having had many philosophical discussions over concepts like free will and belief vs. knowledge while attending an Evangelical Christian College where theological classes were a requirement, I was curious to see how these debates could be ‘theatricalized.’ The case of Baruch de Spinoza, a 17th century Jewish intellectual who is scrutinized for his seemingly anti-establishment views on God in Christian-dominated Amsterdam, provides an interesting way to dramatize the ramifications of an individual’s choice to question the accepted norms in established monotheistic religions and the tensions that can arise in societies where there is a power gap between two religious groups vying for political and social influence. Rather than doing so through a dry, history-based intellectual exercise, Ives rightfully chooses to present the case with modern lens. In doing so, it’s easy to see how the trials and tribulations of Baruch de Spinoza still have relevance today in some areas of the world and sub-sects of certain societies.

    Though the fundamental tenets of Ives’ script are strong and thought-provoking, it’s unlikely that the play would be quite as impactful if the actors aren’t up to maintaining witty exchanges with one another while examining deep philosophical questions. Thankfully, every member of the cast is certainly up to the challenge of balancing intellectual discourse with the telling of a very human story. At the core of this piece is Alexander Strain (Baruch) who defies his young age in portraying an intellectually curious, witty and sometimes sarcastic young man with a great deal of nuance and range. His final scenes with Michael Tolaydo (Rabbi Mortera) are the most intense as he carefully balances the portrayal of real human emotion- in this case a love and appreciation for what the Rabbi has taught him – with the anger and frustration that can arise when one has more questions about the meaning of life than complete answers. Tolaydo more than capably portrays Mortera, a man rooted in Jewish faith and tradition. Tolaydo portrays Mortera’s struggle to decide whether to allow for Baruch to be excommunicated for spreading ideas that go against the Jewish faith and discussing matters of religion with Amsterdam’s Christians (which, was, at the time against the law) in a very raw way; it’s heart-breaking to watch.

    Rounding out the cast are Colleen Delany (Baruch’s sometimes outspoken sister Rebekah), Emma Jaster (Clara, Baruch’s Christian lover), Michael Kramer (Ben Israel, a Jewish leader), Brandon McCoy (Simon, a young Christian man who befriends Baruch under some interesting pretenses), and Lawrence Redmond (Valkenburgh, a Christian official in Amsterdam concerned with Baruch’s actions).

    Alexander Strain and Lawrence Redmond. Photo by Stan Barouh.

    Delany is most successful when acting as nuisance to Strain’s Baruch. Her comedic timing, particularly as she addresses the congregation of the synagogue (where Baruch is essentially ‘on trial’ for his actions and views) is first rate. Jaster is charming as sweet Clara who has a great ‘child-like’ faith in God. She is especially strong during the interrogation scenes where she discusses her love for Baruch despite their disagreements on matters of faith and doctrine.  Kramer does a commendable job in embodying a man steeped in Jewish religion and practices while not quite having the intellectual wherewithal to examine the most difficult questions of the Jewish scriptures. His thirst for knowledge is endearing. McCoy has an interesting and organic take on Simon. The struggle his character faces in choosing friendship over familial obligation is relatable because of the way that McCoy presents it. Redmond is necessarily political as Valkenburgh and holds his own with the indomitable force that is Tolaydo’s Rabbi Mortera.

    Though the acting is front and center in this play (as it should be given Ives’ strong dialogue), the production values are also first rate. Wooden pews encompass most of Misha Kachman’s set. It’s a very realistic setting for a 16th century synagogue while also doubling as an outdoor venue where Baruch and his friend Simon draw and discuss philosophy. Thom Weaver’s minimalist lighting design is very suitable for this non-flashy play. The chandeliers allow for the synagogue to be lit in a natural way. Kathleen Geldard’s modern-influenced costumes remind the audience that although the play takes place in the 17th century, some of these same philosophical and human debates remain relevant today.

    I would highly recommend this play.  Even if one is not a person of faith – whether Jewish or Christian – the philosophical discussions at play are stimulating for the intellectually curious. The acting is among the best one can see on DC’s stages. And for those like myself who were very much raised in church, the jokes about Calvinism and Presbyterianism will likely be rather entertaining.

    Theater J Artistic Director Ari Roth should be applauded for remounting this production and continuing to push the envelope on presenting theatre suitable for a thinking audience.

    Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission.

    Featured Picture: (l-r) Timothy H. Lynch, Bradley Foster Smith, Michael Innocenti, Rich Montgomery, Kevin Adams and David Jourdan. Photo by Jim Coates.

    New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza plays through April 1, 2012, at Theater J at the DC Jewish Community Center – 1529 16th St NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call (800) 494-8497, or purchase them online.

  • ‘Blackbird’ at The Barrelhouse Theatre by David Friscic


    The insistent presence of a blackbird tapping against a window hovers above the two characters trapped in their own mutual hells in Adam Rapp’s intense and stimulating play Blackbird. Under the astute directorial control of Director Gabriel Swee, the play delivers a high-voltage mix of anger, remorse and raw emotion laced with biting, black humor that is reminiscent of the best of experimental theatre one would see Off-Broadway. This highly-charged play runs straight through with no intermission and hurls its two characters into a psychological vortex of addiction and need that offers very little hope of redemption or peace. This play packs a visceral jolt and is not for the faint-hearted.

    The intimate space of The Barrelhouse Theatre/DC Arts Center enhances the claustrophobic feeling of the emotionally fraught lives of two people who are fighting for survival in a dingy New York apartment on Canal Street during Christmas Eve. The interplay that takes place between an embittered, disabled Gulf War Veteran and his precocious heroin -addicted girlfriend is beautifully etched by Tony Bullock as Baylis and Julie Roundtree as Froggy. Bullock’s character is the more restrained and contolled of the two and is a perfect counterpoint to the openess and fluidity of Roundtree’s portrayal of Froggy. Alternating between puppy-like codependence and impudent sassiness, Roundtree movingly portrays a vulnerable soul with remarkable sensitivity.

    The lighting and sound design by Chris Griffin is superb; the utilization of interspersed Christmas music seems to mock the very real torments of these two characters. The garbage strewn and messy set by Gabriel Swee aptly conveys the messiness of the characters’ lives.

    'Messin' with Baylis.' Julie Roundtree (Froggy) and Tony Bullock (Baylis) in The Barrelhouse Theatre production of 'Blackbird' by Adam Rapp. Photo by Gabriel Swee.

    The text of the play by Adam Rapp is often audacious and thought-provoking but, sometimes, borders on constant variations on the same theme. Luckily, the provocative and engaging staging of Director Gabriel Swee forcefully wends its way around any pretentious patches in the text. This is the directorial debut of Swee in the D. C. area and it is clear that he has an original and exciting voice. This production is a ‘Must See’ for anyone interested in psychological theatre.

    Featured Picture: “I wanna dance!” Julie Roundtree as Froggy and Tony Bullock as Baylis in The Barrelhouse Theatre production of ‘Blackbird’ by Adam Rapp. Photo by Gabriel Swee.

    Blackbird plays on March 2, 3, 4, 9, 10,11, 16,17, and 18th at 7:30 PM and March 11 at 3:00 PM at The Barrelhouse Theatre at the District of Columbia Arts Center -2438 18th Street NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call (202) 462-7833, or purchase them online.

     

  • Welcome to DCMetroTheaterArts! by Joel Markowitz

    Welcome to DCMetroTheaterArts. The inspiration for the site evolved from an informal meeting between me, Founder Bruce Markowitz, and our Assistant Editor Alex Murphy. We talked about the need to cover more performances in the DC Metro area, in Baltimore, the Annapolis area, Virginia and Maryland, and we got excited about creating a one-stop-shopping site for all of the arts.

    We have wonderful writers who love the arts. DCMetroTheaterArts contains reviews, interviews, postings, and articles about professional, community, university, school, and children’s theatre, as well as concerts in the DC Metro area, and dining tips for pre-and-post theatre. And there are more surprises to come.

    We are reaching out to every theatre, arts group, school, university, musical venue, and charities in the area to come and join us in working together to write articles, do interviews and videos to promote your upcoming season and events.

    Joining us will be Todd Clark from The DC Place who is a sponsor of DCMetroTheaterArts.com, Teresa Ertel, Elliot Lanes, Jonny Perl, Jordan Wright, Cyle Durkee and myself, whose columns will be featured on DMTA. Visit the site and click on ‘columns,’ to read a short introduction about what you can expect to find as we launch, as we strive to become the most comprehensive premiere site in the area for theatre and the performing arts.

    We are reaching out to everyone involved in the arts in our area to work together. If you’d like, we can share your work with our readers and link to your sites, and please consider doing some joint articles and projects.

    We will always be on the look out for top writers to help us cover the arts – and most importantly – we want to know what you – our readers – would like us to cover. You can reach us here: info@DCMetroTheaterArts.com

    We honor all your hard work in covering this rich arts community.

    We invite you to become regular readers of our site and to join us in covering the amazing and burgeoning arts scene in DC, MD, and VA.

    Joel Markowitz, Publisher and Editor

  • Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at The Music Center at Strathmore ‘Voices of Light – The Passion of Joan of Arc.” Saturday, March 3 2012 by Jane Coyne


    I’m not totally sure I can write this review, and regardless of what I write, I’m not sure anybody who was not at Strathmore last night will be able to understand what happened there. I left in tears. I was crying so hard that I gave up trying to wipe the tears off my face, despite the fact that they were flowing so fast and hard that my clothes were drenched. I could not remember where I parked my car. When I found it, I just sat and cried until I realized I was about the only one left in the garage. Even then, I was not sure that I should or could drive home.

    Marin Alsop. Photo courtesy of The Baltimore Symphony

    Last night I was at The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concert at Strathmore –Voices of Light – The Passion of Joan of Arc – more specifically an oratorio with silent film. The film was the Carl Theodor Dreyers 1928 masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc. The music was composed by Richard Einhorn, who conceived of his project in 1988. Six years later, in 1994, the finished work, consisting of the film, four solo voices, chorus, and full orchestra, received its premiere in Northampton, Massachusetts, and has since been performed throughout the world.

    The BSO performance, conducted by Marin Alsop, featured first and foremost, the film The Passion of Joan of Arc, along with soprano Julie Bosworth, mezzo-soprano Janna Critz, tenor Tyler Lee, baritone David Williams, the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, and the one and only Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performing the music of Richard Einhorn.

    It has been written that Renée Jeanne Falconetti, who played the part of Joan in The Passion of Joan of Arc, refused to ever work in a film again after her experience in this film. Perhaps, as Roger Ebert says, this was because of the physical demands required of her in this role. After seeing the film, I believe that the emotional toll had to be greater. Honestly, I don’t know how the musicians performing last night were able to keep going. When BSO concertmaster Jon Carney took his solo right after Joan admitted that she had lied because she was afraid that continuing to stand by truth would mean that she would burn at the stake, I didn’t know if he would be able to keep playing. I kept hoping that Marin would not look up at the film for the same reason. The singers were incredible most of the time, but when I noticed one getting into a little trouble with pitch, I actually sympathized with the emotional pressure she was under.

    I’m not sure who could possibly have been at this BSO performance last night without already knowing the story of Joan of Arc going into it. Coming out, I think all of us had a better understanding of a real live person named Joan of Arc, who really did burn at the stake rather than compromise her religious beliefs. My understanding remains painful, but let’s face it, there’s a story, and then there is life.

    Richard Einhorn – the composer of 'Voices of Light:The Passion of Joan of Arc.'

    In spite of my own emotional state leaving Strathmore last night, I do recall hearing reactions from various audience members walking near me. Some indicated that Joan was obviously mentally ill. Some said that she was a saint. Others said that there are no saints. One man said that the movie The Passion of Joan of Arc should not have been shown and that it should be banned forever. All I could think about was that despite any of these comments, it is an inarguable and well-documented fact that Joan of Arc was a very real person who was born in 1412, and that she was in fact burned at the stake in 1431, at just 19 years of age, not because she ever truly was a transvestite, and not because of her religious beliefs. It had to do with her being politically inconvenient, and it had to do with people being willing to sacrifice one another for power. It’s 600 years later, and the world is still learning.

    Featured Picture: Renee Jeanne Falconetti as Joan of Arc.

    Check out upcoming Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Concerts at Strathmore and the Meyehoff using this handy Season at a Glance Calendar. Tickets may be purchased online at BSO.org, by calling the BSO Box Office at (410) 783-8000, or by calling the Strathmore Box Office at (301) 581-5100.

    Locations:

    The Music Center at Strathmore
    5301 Tuckerman Lane
    North Bethesda, MD 20852

    Joseph Meyerhoff  Symphony Hall
    1212 Cathedral Street
    Baltimore, MD 21201

    LINK

    Watch Marin Alsop discuss Voices of Light – The Passion of Joan of Arc.

  • ‘Husbands & Lovers’ at Washington Stage Guild by Amanda Gunther


    Lies deceive. The truth hurts. But in Washington Stage Guild’s presentation of Husbands & Lovers it isn’t always clear which is which or even the best! Written by Ferenc Molnàr and adapted as well as directed by Bill Largess this particular show makes its world premier here in DC just in time for the notions of young love blossoming in springtime. This roundelay of comic miniatures is a wry and wise look at the many ways in which women and men can drive each other crazy.

    When you enter the house your ears are greeted with the soft minstrel music reminiscent of a stroll through a garden perhaps in Venice or one of those other notoriously romantic cities. Sound Designer Marcus Darnley uses this light airy music to invite audiences into the jovial and loving nature of the show that will play out on the stage before them. The stage itself is dressed simply – another fond memory of outdoor romance. Scenic Designers Carl F. Gudenius and Jie Yu frame the stage with woodwork that looks almost like the edging of a gazebo. There are two slender iron chairs and matching café table with a wooden bench in shades of earthy but muted green. Gudenius and Yu create a simplistic yet romantic atmosphere for love, lies, and laughs to develop, each scene taking place someplace a little different, from a balcony to a garden, all easily found in these very basic choices.

    There are a dozen or more little vignettes that populate the show – all played out by four actors each taking on many roles. There are husbands and wives, lovers, old friends, young friends, a plethora of characters to encounter in these sprightly tales of delightful deception and teasing treachery. Director Bill Largess creates a definitive beginning and end to the show by letting the actors move almost like shadows; silhouettes of themselves in dim lighting across the stage in a dance-like motion, twirling from one partner to the next. And Largess guides his actors with conviction; as one scene ends a player from that story steps out of the scene to announce the setting for the next and each progression is made clearly without stumbling or pause. This really keeps the pace of the stories entertaining and allows for many of them to flow through in a short period of time.

    The actors are commendable as they flow so gracefully from one character to the next, shifting with ease in physicality, vocalizations and emotional expressions from older characters to younger ones, from those married to those first experiencing love. The thing that really stands out about these performances is the level of chemistry that is constantly bubbling between the actors. They constantly switch off — two guys and two girl – each performing with everyone else in two-person scenes. But regardless of their character or scene the level of intimacy and familiarity is always high.

    Conrad Feininger as “Him” is the more refined sophisticated male of the two in the show. One of his finest moments comes during a moment opposite Lynn Steinmetz as “She.” The pair is standing at the river on a chilly, dreary autumn morning when Feininger suddenly professes his love to Steinmetz. His rapid outburst of emotions comes pouring from his mouth like an eager waterfall his gestures matching his emotional excitement. This same high energy and exuberance is found during a scene shared with Peter J. Mendez as “He.” Only this time Feininger is a youth whose infatuation over an older married woman is the cause of his anguish. Feininger plays the highs of love and the lows of a fool with a solid commitment to both and never lets the matter of age interrupt his approach to the roles.

    Peter J. Mendez has similar active energies about his person. Mendez’s shining moment unfolds in a scene with Steinmetz where she is a wealthy married Baroness and he is a lowly artist. He prostrates himself before her professing his deep unrequited love, literally throwing himself at her feet, kissing up the length of her arm as he begs to paint her. His emotional hysterics cannot be topped except by the quick change up that he presents at the end of the scene. He carries a suave air about him which translates from character to character without becoming hackneyed or overdone.

    Conrad Feininger and Lynn Steinmetz. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

    And ladies are the best liars, filled with trickery and deceit. Both Lynn Steinmetz as “She” and Laura Giannarelli as “Her” prove this point over and over again. These two women share an enticing scene as friends where Steinmetz is the listeners and Giannarelli relishes in a tale of her truthful deceit in regards to a secret key and its explanation to her husband. Giannarelli is a vivacious character actor especially when she plays the youthful girl struck by her first love; caught up in the notion of a first love one moment and then painfully scorned in tantrum the next.

    Lynn Steinmetz as “She” provides a myriad of women to this show. The moment that stands out the most is when she is dissecting a missed opportunity with Peter J. Mendez from ten years prior. She speaks with a wistful romantic air as she recounts all of the things that could have happened and then drops into a crass and blatant explanation of the things that did happen. Steinmetz is a pivotal actor who flounces easily through a garden of emotions all displayed upon her face with wide eyes to project surprise, a twisted smile to celebrate her simple deceptions and an uncanny pout to show the world that it was the wrong moment to announce love in a scene played opposite Feininger.

    Husbands & Lovers is an enjoyable production which reminds us of many things in regards to love -especially that the idea of tears – being the opposite of laughter – is truly a masculine invention, because to a woman the opposite of laughter is not tears, but to simply not laugh. Don’t miss it!

    Running Time: 95 minutes, with no intermission.

    Featured Picture: Lynn Steinmetz and Laura Giannarelli in ‘Husbands & Lovers.’ Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

    Husbands & Lovers plays through March 18, 2012 at the Washington Stage Guild’s Undercroft Theatre, in Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church -900 Massachusetts Avenue, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call the box office at (240) 582-0050, or purchase them online.

     

     

  • ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Aldersgate Church Community Theater by Julia L. Exline


    Aldersgate Church Community Theater presents William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, modernized though use of costumes, props, and movement for a timeless effect. Heather Sanderson directs what is ACCT’s first Shakespearean production.

    The set designed by Heather Sanderson and Stuart Travis shows painted stone and brick archways on the main stage, and another two sets placed on either side. One shows an organized room with a neat desk, potted plants, and an intricate cross displayed on the wall, and the other, a sinister apothecary, complete with scattered, rough artifacts and a fluttering fire. Lighting Designer Rachel Lau uses different colors to help set the tone, and cleverly projects a stained-glass window onto the wall of the set. Sound Designers Heather Sanderson (what doesn’t she do?) and Alan Wray use a wide variety of music — from playful festival chimes to a foreboding, thrumming bass. However, what sets this production of Romeo and Juliet apart from the rest is the use of costumes and props. Costume designer Jessica Moreno uses era-appropriate clothing such as flowy tunics and headdresses, but also mixes in modern pieces to emphasize the timeless quality of Shakespeare’s work. Sundresses, sneakers, jeans, and football t-shirts are paired with breeches and feathered caps for an overall interesting effect. The same is done with props, including the popular novel “Twilight”, ipods, and skateboards, among others.

    Erik Harrison (Mercutio), Chorus members Lily Penn, Samantha White, Megan Wirtz, and Diana Kleiman. Photo by Lee T. Anderson Photography.

    The plot of Romeo and Juliet is widely known, which is good, because Old English spoken from the quick mouths of actors can be quite difficult to follow. The play begins with a chaotic fight between several characters. As the majority of the cast is made up of young actors, it is not unlike watching a brawl unravel on a playground. While enthusiastic, the stage combat does need work, as the blocking showed signs of caution, planning, and hesitation. The anticipated scene where Romeo (Alex Wong) and Juliet (Emily Whitworth) finally meet at a party is a nice one, filled with dancing and laughter. Realizing that their families are mortal enemies, the couple is distraught (“my only love sprung from my only hate?”) but determined. Whitworth suitably plays Juliet as a typical young girl, dancing along to her ipod and anxiously binge-eating chocolate bars when nervous.

    A handful of actors show off their talent as Romeo and Juliet’s relationship unfolds: Juliet’s worrisome Nurse, played by David Adler, gets many laughs from the audience, as well as her own put-upon servant, Sampson Peter (Eddie Perez), who has mastered the hilarious “kill-me-now” face. However, the most outstanding performance is that of Romeo’s friend Mercutio, played by Erik Harrison. Playful and daring, Harrison commands the stage while mimicking his peers and munching on candy. When he is killed (after a well-executed sword-fight) by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt (Joe Quinn) the plot is set into its fateful motion.

    A tale of love, hate, loyalty, and resolve, Romeo and Juliet is a timeless tale that is always worth catching. While the majority of the acting is rough-around-the-edges, it is fun to watch young people who are interested in acting pursue the stage. The community theatre atmosphere is also very friendly and pleasant, and is an institution that I am happy to support and admire. For a supportive family environment with reasonably priced entertainment, Aldersgate Church Community Theater’s Romeo and Juliet is a good bet.

    Running Time: Two hours and forty-five minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

    Romeo and Juliet runs through March 18, 2012 at  Aldersgate Church Community Theater – 1301 Collingwood Road, in Alexandria, VA. Purchase tickets at the door, or online.

  • ‘California Suite’ at Vagabond Players by Amanda Gunther


    A fly on the wall of a Beverly Hills Hotel room would get quite the show in California Suite at Vagabond Players. A series of four different happenings occur in that hotel room over the course of one evening. Directed by John F. Ford, this collection Neil Simon’s characters presents a look at love through four different lenses — the lost love of divorce, the saved love of a challenged marriage, the love of a marriage that shouldn’t be, and of course the love between friends.

    John F. Ford doubles up as the Set Designer for this show giving the audience a clear depiction of a hotel room. Any hotel room nothing particular to make it stand out to identify location or time, and this vague approach really allows the characters to make the room their own. There is a bed, and matching mahogany furniture — a dressing table and night stand. There are white towels hanging in the bathroom and a phone in the front suite room and in the bedroom. These non-detailed choices allow the room to be a den of sin for the visitors from Philadelphia or a makeshift injury recovery room for the visitors from Chicago.

    Using the simple framework of a basic hotel, Costume Designer Victoria Halperin Kuhns defines the characters in smart sensible attire appropriate for their situation, often showing great contrast between the male and female characters. The best display of her work can be seen in the first scene with Hannah (Michele Jenkins Guyton) and Billy (Greg Guyton.) Kuhns presents the uptight high-powered news journalist from New York in Hannah by giving her a serious look with a black pencil skirt and white half jacket complete with sharp shiny black heels. For contrast, Billy the hippie from Beverly Hills is outfitted in a polo style sweater khakis and sneakers. Her contrasting elements are a key note in her design work used throughout the show to highlight these unique characters.

    The opening pairing on the stage is Hannah (Michele Jenkins Guyton) and her ex-husband Billy (Greg Guyton). The pair’s acting abilities are a little mismatched. Greg Guyton is very down to earth and real with his character, relaxing into his new California lifestyle as if he’s justifying it not only to the other character on stage but to the audience and himself as well. He delivers his lines with ease, finds purpose when moving from one space on the set to another, and generally feels comfortable with what he’s saying. Michele Guyton, however, presents the feeling of being uncomfortable in her own skin. Simon provides a script full of acidic but witty quips and one-liners and unfortunately many of these fall flat during her delivery, lacking that sting and conviction that could have turned this first scene into an all-star delivery. She also seems to move aimlessly about the space, in and out of the bedroom not really sure what she’s doing and her regular text sounds more like she’s reading to her ex-husband rather than having a conversation with him.

    But the second act throttles laugh after laugh at the audience as Marvin (Marc Harber) finds himself in quite the situation. Harber is spastic as he wakes up to discover a surprise in his bed, fretting and frantic as he practically turns somersaults across the room to try and cover up his mistake before his wife arrives. And when Millie (Barbara Pinker) does finally arrive the proverbial shit really does hit the fan. Harber kicks it into overdrive trying madly to convince his wife to stay out of the bedroom. He is extremely physical and in constant motion which seems very realistic for a character in his situation. And Pinker is a show-stopper. With her perfect borderline Philly-Jersey-Jewish accent and motherly ways she kvetches and riles against her husband. The two share great chemistry even if it does meet a good deal of strain along the way.

    Sidney Nichols (Michael P. Sullivan), Hannah Warren (Michele Jenkins Guyton), William Warren (Greg Guyton), and Diana Nichols (Hillary Mazer) (clockwise from bottom left). Photo by Tom Lauer.

    The opening for act two is perhaps the most entertaining of the stories you will encounter during the show. Diana (Hillary Mazer) and her husband Sidney (Michael P. Sullivan) have been flown from London to California to attend the Oscars Ceremony for which Diana has been nominated for Best Actress. Mazer and Sullivan master the art of British repartee — the wit flings fast and the zingers sting with undertones of love and affection. Mazer is comical and her banter with Sullivan grows increasingly so the more they imbibe. And like all couples who have had a few too many drinks the arguments between them grow to be outrageous once they return home from the ceremony. But there is more than meets the eye with these two humorous characters. The honesty and realistic raw approach they each take to their confessions near the end of the scene is actually worthy of an Oscar or a Tony.

    The final scene is sheer physical comedy. A married couple Mort (Michael Panzarotto) and Beth (Karin Crighton) are vacationing with their best friends who are also married, Gert (Polly Hurlburt) and Stu (Blaise D’Ambrosio). It starts with an ankle injury for Beth (Karin Crighton) and then all tumbles downhill from there. The comedy builds as injury after injury occurs and tempers fly over who is to blame. These four actors are literally falling over each other, some accidentally some with purpose to execute the exasperating situation of what it is like to be stuck vacationing with your best friend for three straight weeks. Panzarotto and D’Ambrosio really display their macho masculine ability to fight one another over the most trivial things while Hurlburt and Crighton leave their bickering to a more verbal approach. A perfect way to end the show; physical violence among friends in a three-stooges sort of way.

    Ultimately it’s a great night out for a little bit of love and the dissection thereof, so don’t miss your chance to enjoy a quick trip vacation, Vagabond Players will even take care of the room at California Suite.

    Running Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission.

    California Suite plays through March 25, 2012 at Vagabond Players – 806 South Broadway in Fells Point, in Baltimore, MD. For tickets, call the box office at (410) 563-9135, or purchase them online.

  • ‘Yefim Bronfman: WPAS Piano Masters Series’ on Friday, March 2, 2012, at The Music Center at Strathmore by Jane Coyne


    Yefim Bronfman performed a solo recital program at Strathmoreon Friday night that was stunningly beautiful in its simplicity. There was nothing on the stage save a black Steinway concert grand piano. Bronfman walked on stage to applause, and without any fanfare whatsoever proceeded directly to the piano and began playing immediately. With a focus on the music so all consuming that even Bronfman himself seemed to vanish, there was nothing left but the music. It was the music that mattered, and it was all that mattered.

    Yefim Bronfman. Photo by Dario Acosta.

    The concert opened with “Piano Sonata in C Major,” a splendid and pleasing work composed by Franz Joseph Haydn in 1794. I really enjoy this sonata, which has a fuller and more expansive sound than I normally associate with Hayden, and I don’t recall every hearing it performed better than by Bronfman. His technique is so wonderfully perfected and seemingly effortless that, like Bronfman, it does disappear, which is clearly Bronfman’s intention. What is left is pure brilliance. Every musical nuance is expressed with a decisive precision that is flawless. Bronfman’s fingers seem to spring up and off the keys in a way that, regardless of tempo, leaves space for each note to spin a ringing sound before the next is played, and he plays his instrument more as a conductor conducts an orchestra, so that harmonies and counter melodies present with pleasing balance clarity of expression that is simply gorgeous.

    For his second selection, Bronfman chose “Piano Sonata No. 3,” composed by Johannes Brahms in 1853 when he was just 20 years young. A grand and glorious five movement work that is almost symphonic in nature, it is a showcase gift to a virtuoso from a virtuoso. With youthful bravado and courage, Brahms pulled out all the stops on this piece. With its huge rolling chords, dynamic range, and runs that seem to hit every key on the instrument, Brahms needed all five movements just to hold his creation.

    As I have often commented, one of the things that I love about Strathmore is that despite its size and its amazingly impressive concert hall, it is really a place where people feel comfortable gathering and sharing the joy of music with family, with friends, and with new friends. Everyone is welcome and appreciated at Strathmore. I stayed in the hall throughout the intermission, partly because I wanted to just sit and savor the experience of the first half of the concert, and partly because I got interested in watching the interactions of the people seated below me. Coming and going between their seats and the lobby, people seemed equally engaged with friends and total strangers. I wish everybody could have a Strathmore. I really do.

    Bronfman thrilled the audience with his performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major,” which comprised the entire second half of the concert. Originally every musical nuance is expressed From the very first note, I was astonished by Bronfman.

    WPAS Ticket Services Information
    Box Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30am-5:00pm
    Address: 2000 L Street NW | Suite 510 | Washington DC 20036
    Email: ticketservices@wpas.org
    Telephone: (202) 785-9727 Fax: (202) 833-1595
    Business hours are subject to change.

    LINKS

    Watch and listen to Yefim Bronfman play “Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3,” “Chopin Revolutionary Etude,” and “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto (3rd Movement).”

    Yefim Bronfman’s website.

  • ‘Coastal Disturbances’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre by Amanda Gunther


    Human relationships are like the sea; they ebb and flow crashing upon the sand washing away as if they never existed. Fells Point Corner Theatre sets up a unique experimental study of such relationships with their production of Coastal Disturbances. Directed by Jay Gilman, this series of scenes flashes through many instances of relationships; friend to friend, mother to child, ancient lovers, and summertime romances. It is a series of flashes on the stage, loosely connected to one another through the characters and their shared setting of the beach; each scene like a wave— the same and yet different as it washes upon the shore.

    Scenic Designer Katie Callahan creates a vacation getaway on the stage. Real sand, a full-size extra large lifeguard chair, and a little wooden walkway leading down to the beach set the perfect scene for this production. The walls are awash with murals of blue and white to simulate the sky; the beach itself looking out to the audience as if we were the sea. Combining her work with Sound Designer Dan Cassin, the audience enters the theatre to the sound of soft waves rolling onto the shore and all you can see is this stunning live beach seen before your eyes. It really captures the essence the play’s location and creates a stunning backdrop for various relationships to unfold; a safe place to play for the children, a secure place to discuss friendships, a romantic spot for making-out, and a fond memory to celebrate past occasions. Callahan and Cassin make a fantastic team having created this fantasy escape on the Northern Shores of a Massachusetts private beach.

    Holly Dancer (Maddie Hicks) and Leo Hart (Michael Alban). Photo courtesy of Fells Point Corner Theatre.

    The relationships vary in the most astounding way as this play explores the true dynamic of human nature. The characters’ stories are only related in so much as they keep encountering one another on the beach. There are subtle mentions of previous existences, Faith (Kate McKenna) knowing Holly (Maddie Hicks) from so many summers ago, etc. We see a fun and exciting playful friendship blossom between two children; Winston (Jacob Jedynak) and Miranda (Destiny Brown.) The children play well together; acting almost like siblings as they spend the summer together at the beach. Jedynak is the ever antagonizing boy, chasing Brown around the beach, trying to play tin-can phone with her. The children steal the scene during Holly’s initial photo shoot, especially Brown where she really hams up her poses in a true youthful fashion.

    Their mothers, Ariel (Elena Kostakis) and Faith (Kate McKenna) work through their friendship as Kostakis’s character is going through a divorce and is depressed while McKenna is expecting her first non-adopted child. These two women simply provide comic relief at times, encountering young lovers in the middle of the trysts, and each have their own bizarre mini monologues of incredibly inappropriate comparisons regarding live child birth. Their interactions with the children are most strongly shown through Kostakis’s dependence on her son, played by Jedynak, to pull her through tough times and she spends much of her stage time either reprimanding him for being a mischievous boy – or hugging him and simpering how she would never make it without him.

    And of course when children grow up and get married and spend their long lives together they become the proverbial old married couple. This relationship is not forgotten in the show, reflected through Dr. Hamilton (Jonathan Claiborne) and his wife M.J. (Jill Vanderweit.) These two actors are the epitome of an old couple in their prime, retired to the beach and set in their ways, bickering over simple things like collecting seashells and painting. They show a true connection on a much deeper level with their simple gestures and gazes at one another like a real married couple of many years. It is probably the most stable and adorable of all the relationships presented in this show.

    And then comes the big one – the summer romance that was never meant to be. You have Holly (Maddie Hicks) a photographer who is in the middle of a breakdown and Leo (Michael Alban) who has taken a job at the private beach because he’s just ended his engagement of three years. The chemistry between these two characters is immediately apparent even if their first handful of encounters is extremely awkward. This nervous tension build between the two until it erupts into fiery passion shared late night on the beach.

    Hicks is prone to emotionally unstable outbursts and she expresses these outbursts both physically almost in tantrum with spastic gestures and vocally by crying and screaming to the point where she almost can’t be heard. She’s a bit too dramatic at times, working herself up into a frenzy over nothing and everything all at the same time but it fits the character’s notion of breaking down. Alban on the other hand is calm and collected, having only one outburst when he takes to burying Hicks in the sand to profess his pent up feelings. Hicks and Alban share an intimate rollercoaster of emotions as they explore the boundaries of their characters’ new relationship and are perhaps the focal point of the show. Watch out for scene stealer Andre (Brian Douglas) – a mystery man who shows in at the very end of Act I, in a much more significant way than you could possibly imagine.

    So go, learn about life, love, and the beach, and enjoy the sound of the waves indoors in this chilly winter and see Coastal Disturbances.

    Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with 1 intermission.

    Coastal Disturbances ended its run on March 4, 2012 at Fells Point Corner Theatre – 251 South Ann Street, in Baltimore, MD. The remaining 2012 schedule is here.

  • ‘Passing Strange’ at Howard University by Ashunda Norris


    To be marginalized for being Black is one thing. To be marginalized for being different and Black is another. Stew and Heidi’s semi-autobiographical rock musical Passing Strange directed by Eric Ruffin, examines this idea through song, dance and quite a bit of humor.

    This musical, like the protagonist Youth (Galen Williams), breaks the conventional mold and takes a chance with new, innovative ways to tell a story on stage. Youth is a young Black man who lives with his Mom (an absolutely stellar Te’La Curtis Lee) in southern California. Mom encourages Youth to attend church and attempt to fit in with all of other teenagers in the congregation. Youth tries but fails and determines that the life his mother created for them is not enough, and he embarks on a journey to Europe in a quest to find “the real.” What occurs in Youth’s life while in Amsterdam and Berlin is only part of the plot. The most telling scenes are those at the church and with his mother. Youth is forced into a tiny box, and his urgency to escape it leads him to make decisions that affect him for the rest of his life.

    Passing Strange was nominated for seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, when it debuted on Broadway in 2008, and won one for Best Book of a Musical. Critically acclaimed film director Spike Lee made a documentary of the same title, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. And watching these performers at Howard University recreate the production, it’s easy to see why it made such an impression.

    Standing: Anthony Manough with guitar (Narrator). Left Front Row: Galen Williams (Youth). Right Front Row: Tyree Young (Mr. Franklin). Left Second Row: Aurie Ceylon (Sherry), and Right Second Row Julius Williams (Terry). Photo by Justin D. Knight.

    Most of the performances are brilliant, especially from Lee as Mom and Tyree Young as Mr. Franklin/Joop/Mr. Venus. Lee virtually shines in this role. She carries with her a forced optimism that her son will soon become who she wants him to be, while fear, uncertainty, concern and worry line the corners of her wavering smile and trembling lips. The tears gather and patiently wait to fall, but it is as though Mom is determined not to weep for what she cannot control. To portray a character like this takes a considerable amount of nuanced poise and Lee owns it. I never forgot that she was lingering in the shadows, waiting for her son to come home.

    Young’s portrayal of Mr. Franklin and Mr. Venus nearly steals the show. His Mr. Franklin is a trapped soul who uses music in church and considerable amounts of marijuana to cope with the fact that he didn’t have the guts to get up and get out. Young is nearly perfect as Mr. Venus, a German whose music topples the traditional song of verse/chorus/verse/bridge/ chorus, performs “Surface” while strutting along the aisles and across the stage in 3-inch black knee high boots and gives the crowd wild looks with wide, frightening eyes. I was actually a little scared of this guy. There’s a future in show business for these two.

    The Narrator (an effective Anthony Manough) carries the weight of the show and does it quite well. This is due to Manough’s rich singing, his penchant for sarcasm and just the right touch of comic timing. The rest of the cast, Brandyn Ashley (Edwina/Marianna/Sudabey), Aurie Ceylon (Sherry, Renata/Desi) and Julius Williams (Rev. Jones/Terry/Christoph) hold their own, though Ceylon is fares better when a part of the ensemble. Her voice, though beautiful, is soft, timid even. She gets drowned out by the music and the richer tones of Manough and Heidi (Soneka Anderson).

    The show stalls a bit when Youth is in Berlin attempting to persuade his new comrades to let him stay. The ‘I’m from South Central and I’m a gangsta’ bit seems forced with Williams at the helm, and the scene suffers as a result. A fair amount of scenes are overly-preachy, especially when Youth mocks his mother’s belief system and distances himself from the church. The marijuana induced conversations between Youth and Mr. Franklin also seem a bit strained. Youth drags out, “I don’t believe in God.” Mr. Franklin’s retort of, “Does he know?” leads to a mini-sermon about being yourself and breaking the mold, and escaping the trappings of a mundane life. There must be several ways to say ‘keep it real!” “be you!” and, at times, this musical tries to disclose all of them.

    The musical numbers (played by a five piece band) are powerful to say the least. Standout songs include “Church Blues Revelation,” “Music is the Freight Train in Which God Travels,” We Just Had Sex,” and “May Day.” Most of the songs are accompanied with dance and there’s Princess Mhoon Cooper to thank for the phenomenal choreography. The ensemble jumps, hops, steps, shouts and curve their bodies in unimaginable ways, eliciting yelps and cheers from an ecstatic audience. Cooper’s vision is unique, and the choreography is the most compelling in the scenes in the church and when Youth moves to Berlin. The ensemble speeds through the aisles filled with what is assumed to be the Holy Spirit in Act one and seemingly perfects the German military march in Act two.

    Standing: Anthony Manough with guitar (Narrator). Left: Galen Williams (Youth) and Right: Tyree Young (Mr. Franklin). Photo by Justin D. Knight.

    This production team is impressive with set design by Micheal C. Stepowany, immaculate colorful costumes by Reggie Ray along with Theryn Knight’s lighting. Steopwany’s set is an elaborate foray of curtains and shades. Tall, willowy sheets line the walls and change from lavender in the first act to white and twisted with intricate knots in the second. Ray’s costumes are bright, divine looking dresses and slacks along with leathered soldier gear and mohawks. Knight’s lighting is most effective during the shadowy scenes with Mom and the brighter ones in the church. The urgency of Berlin’s revolution is thoroughly captured and this is surely due to Knight working her magic.

    Theatre students at Howard rarely disappoint and this musical is no exception. Now it’s your turn to seek out ‘the real.’ You just might find it if you go witness this show.

    Running Time: 2 hours with a 10 minute intermission.

    Passing Strange runs from March 7 -10, 2012 at Howard University’s Ira Aldridge Theatre – 2455 6th Street, NW, in Washington, D.C. For tickets, call (202) 806-7700, or purchase them online.

  • An Interview With The Heritage Players’ Katie McIntyre Sheldon and Director Damien Gibbon

    The Heritage Players presents Lend Me A Tenor opening March 16, 2012  at Pice Auditorium in Catonsville, MD. Here, the group’s president, Katie McIntyre Sheldon, and Director Damien Gibbons share a little Heritage history, their mission of giving back to the community, and their vision for this classic farce.

    Katie McIntyre Sheldon

    Katie McIntyre Sheldon.

    Teresa: Tell us about the beginnings of The Heritage Players, your role, and how you become connected with the theatre company.

    Katie: Heritage started in 1975 at Ames United Methodist Church in Pikesville, and then moved to Catonsville United Methodist Church in 1996. I started in 2000 stage managing The Secret Garden. I had always loved theatre and was involved with drama in high school, but I truly feel like I found my niche when I found the The Heritage Players. I stage-managed several shows and became involved on the board as Member-at-large. After about a year, I ran for VP and did that for a few years until our President left and I had to take over. I’ve been going back and forth as President now for a few years.

    How do you choose your shows? What lead to the selection of Lend Me a Tenor ?

    Katie: Years ago, we used to have a play selection committee that would get together and select the shows and then try and find directors. About five or so years ago we stopped doing that and instead went in search of directors. They would bring to us shows they were interested in directing, and from there we would decide as a group what would be the best fit for our talent pool and space. This has continued to serve us very well, and also provide us with lots of new directors over the years. Lend Me a Tenor has actually been coming up on our list of shows for years now and I’m so glad that we are finally able to do it.

    Each show is tied to a bit of philanthropy. Explain what prompted this, and where some of the proceeds for Tenor will be donated.

    Katie: I think this is an extremely important part of what makes Heritage such a special theatre company. Each cast of our shows chooses a charity in which a portion of our proceeds will be donated too. In the past we’ve donated as much as several thousand dollars from a single show. I really love when we choose a local charity, especially one that somehow ties into the theme of the show. The cast of Lend Me a Tenor has chosen Music is Medicine which encourages music therapy in pediatric oncology patients. This charity was started by a local teenager several years ago right at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since moving to Spring Grove, we also donate to the Patient Fund as part of our contract.

    How many Heritage productions are presented per year, and how is a director chosen?

    Katie: Right now we have been producing two shows a year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. We are excited to be adding a Summer show this year, our first one here at Spring Grove. We also hope to be adding some Cabaret Nights in the coming year which much like an “open mic night,” which allow local talent to be showcased and performers to have the opportunity to do songs/scenes from shows we may not be able to do right now.

    We like directors to come to us with their “wish list” of shows that they want to direct. We try to keep things ‘family friendly’ for the most part, although  we have been branching out more since moving to our new home. For space  reasons we are still confined to smaller shows with a cast size of around 20 or less and minimal sets. Starting with Lend Me a Tenor, our whole next season will feature two first time directors, as well as two “new to Heritage” directors.

    Director Damien Gibbon

    Director Damien Gibbon. Photo by Larry Kohlenstein.

    What is your background in regards to theater?

    Damien: I’ve been involved in theatre since I was a child. I took a break when I entered the Navy after high school, and didn’t start up again until about five years ago when my wife and I moved to Baltimore. I was cast as a co-lead (alongside Lend Me a Tenor cast member Tricia Morgan) in a Salem Players production, and haven’t stopped since then!

    How did you become involved with The Heritage Players?

    Damien: When I was cast as the lead in Mort (based on the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name and directed by Lend Me a Tenor’s Assistant Director  Tim Van Sant) I had the chance to act with Heritage regular John Sheldon. Later, I shared the stage with other Heritage alums Katie Sheldon and Ashley Gerhardt, and they encouraged me to audition for a Heritage production. I made my debut with the company in last fall’s A Few Good Men, directed by Katie and assistant directed by Ashley.

    How would you describe your directing style?

    Damien: I like to let the actors bring their perspective and takes on their characters to the role, while I provide direction on dialogue and blocking that I feel is important to get “just so.” I feel that’s the most important element in making every show unique, even if an audience member has seen it several times before. It’s the style I have most preferred in the past as an actor working with a director and with an experienced group like I have in this cast, it’s been a very easy process.

    What have been the most challenging experiences working on this production?

    Damien: Well, as it’s my directorial debut a major challenge has been figuring out exactly what my role is! For example, at Salem Players and in other companies I’ve been with, the director often does much of the production work and I was prepared to do that, only to find out that at Heritage, the stage manager and producer provide that support. This allows the director and assistant director to focus on what’s going on onstage, and eliminates many of the distractions that can bog them down with administrative duties. Once I figured that out, the biggest challenge became envisioning and describing how I’d like to see the set, costumes, blocking, and dialogue presented.

    What has been the most rewarding thing about directing the show?

    Damien: By far the most rewarding part is being a part of this team of individuals who work so hard to make this happen. From the production staff – working on all of the details – to the actors working on their lines, this production has been a lot of effort and an absolute joy. Sitting in the director’s seat and watching it all come together is a new perspective for me, and is both very humbling and very exhilarating.

    Daniel Douek (Tito) and John Sheldon (Saunders). Photo by Larry Kohlenstein.

    Which character in the show is your favorite?

    Damien: Tough question and I don’t know that any director should ever answer that one! All of the characters have such unique personalities and personal foibles! Every one of them has a neuroses that make them special, from the perpetually anxious Saunders to the ambitious Diana, from our humble hero Max to his star-struck girlfriend Maggie, each of them adds a flavor to the stew that is this show. I honestly couldn’t choose one that I would most like to portray as an actor, though the impertinent Bellhop and passionate Tito would also certainly be high on the list! Alas, unless I were in an Elizabethan-style theatre, the spicy Maria and grand Julia are not available to me…

     

    Lend Me A Tenor plays March 16-April 2, 2012, at the Rice Auditorium at Spring Grove Hospital – 55 Wade Avenue, in Catonsville, MD. Tickets are $15. Purchase tickets online, or at the door.

  • ‘The Lunch & Judy Show: Men VS. Women?’ by Judy Stadt

    I am the host and creator and writer and editor of The Lunch and Judy Show. For four years – every week – DCMTA’s Joel Markowitz  and I have been schmoozing for 4 years about theatre in DC, Philly, and NYC and other things…like what was happening in our lives. Joel calls it ‘free therapy.’ It’s a blast schmoozing together every week, and I am so honored to bring you The Lunch and Judy Show on DC Theater Arts. And enjoy my new column on DCMTA called Judyisms. 

     THIS WEEK: MAN VS, WOMAN.

    I AM WOMAN, Helen Reddy
    FLY LIKE A BIRD, Original poem by Judy Stadt
    LET IT SNOW, Judy Stadt

    ——

    MEN, The Forrester Sisters

    COMEDY, Rick & Bubba
    THE BUSINESS LUNCH, Radio theatre with Kurt Goldschmidt & Judy Stadt
    DO YOU LOVE ME?, Margaret Whiting
    I’M BEGINNING TO HATE WINTER, Original poem by Judy Stadt

    ——

    I GOT IT FROM AGNES, Robin Ray
    I’M AN ORDINARY MAN, Rex Harrison
    COMEDY, Jeff Altman
    I’M IN LOVE WITH MY COMPUTER, Dottie Burman

    ——

    SCHADENFREUDE, From Avenue Q
    THE COLIN LIVELY SHOW, a part of an interview with my dear friend!

    www.lunchandjudyshow.com

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