DC Theater Arts

Tag: Neal Newman

  • Review: ‘The Color Purple’ at the Forrest Theatre

    Review: ‘The Color Purple’ at the Forrest Theatre

    It may take place in rural Georgia circa 1909, but because of today’s headlines about the mistreatment of women, The Color Purple is more relevant than ever. The tour of the recent Broadway hit (winner of the Tony Award for Best Revival) has arrived at the Forrest Theatre for a short run that ends this Sunday.

    Adrianna Hicks and N'Jameh Camara. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
    Adrianna Hicks and N’Jameh Camara. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

    The heroine, Celie (Adrianna Hicks), is sexually brutalized and raped by her father and her arranged-marriage husband, who use her as a full-time servant and slave. Since this has been occurring since Celie was a tiny child, she knows no other world and copes by writing letters to God. As this uplifting musical unfolds, she meets Sofia (Carrie Compere), who refuses to tolerate any abuse from men. Then she meets the famed blues singer Shug Avery (Carla R. Stewart), a woman whose sexual power allows her some degree of control in this male-dominated world. Can Celie grow to love her fellow man and realize her human potential?

    Marsha Norman’s book tells the story but is, unsurprisingly, a simplified version of Alice Walker’s powerful and complex novel. The score, with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Alee Willis and Stephen Bray, is solid but not terribly memorable. It features down-home church music (“Mysterious Ways”), funky blues (“Push da Button”), a touch of Africa (“African Homeland”), and one memorable ballad (“Too Beautiful for Words”). The cast delivers mightily with powerful singing voices and striking musical stylization. The lyrics are sometimes hard to follow with only about 70 percent of the words making it through the vast reaches of the Forrest Theatre. Dan Moses Shreier’s sound design is unsubtle and loud, but gets the job done. Joseph Joubert’s xylophone-heavy orchestrations are continually fascinating.

    The original 2005 Broadway production was a financial success, aided largely by the star performances of LaChanze and Fantasia; it was generally agreed at the time that The Color Purple was not a first-rate work. That opinion was reversed with the 2015 Broadway revival, directed in an abridged, stripped-down style by John Doyle. Newcomer Cynthia Erivo and film actress Jennifer Hudson provided the star power for this highly-praised rendition (which inspired the current tour). Doyle designed the set, a group of simple platforms backed by a giant wooden wall, with chairs suspended from it. The chairs are moved to indicate the scenes while Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes provide a bit of color and historical perspective. Jane Cox’s lighting is similarly downplayed but effective. The staging resembles Doyle’s less-than-memorable productions of Peter Grimes and Allegro, which were essentially “stand-stage-center and sing” oratorios.

    This concept will work brilliantly if one can people the stage with leading actors who can bring a grounded, force-of-nature intensity to the roles. The performers in the tour are fine musical theater specialists and many have Broadway experience. But while they sing their roles superbly, they are not able to connect the dots between the songs, which would help us understand why the characters act as they do. For example, Gavin Gregory is fearsomely effective as Celie’s bullwhip-wielding husband, but is unable to convince in his transformation into a “nice guy.”

    While it’s far from perfect, fans of the book, film and musical will find much to enjoy here. It would be hard to find a stronger group of dazzling voices in the Philadelphia area.

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

    Adrianna Hicks and Company. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
    Adrianna Hicks and Company. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

    The Color Purple plays through December 17, 2017 at Broadway Philadelphia, performing at the Forrest Theatre – 1114 Walnut Street, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call Telecharge at (800) 447-7400, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘The Miser’ at The Stagecrafters Theater

    Review: ‘The Miser’ at The Stagecrafters Theater

    A play by Moliere in the Philadelphia area? Be still my heart!

    I took a quick unscientific survey in the lobby, prior to the performance, and discovered that not many visitors to The Miser, presented by the Stagecrafters of Chestnut Hill, had seen one of the great French author’s works. This company usually presents modern comedies and dramas, but they do have in their long production history plays by Marivaux, Goldoni and Barrie. The very appearance of this production is cause for rejoicing. And it’s also very good.

    Julianne Schaub and Steve Harding. Photo courtesy The Stagecrafters Theater.
    Julianne Schaub and Steve Harding. Photo courtesy The Stagecrafters Theater.

    I continually praise the directing work of Barbara D. Mills, with phrases such as “razor sharp” or “steel cut,” and this Miser is no exception. The production is well cast, beautifully staged, clearly interpreted and delightfully designed. David Chambers’ translation is certainly irreverent, with lines like “Your eyes are spinning like bicycle wheels” and mentions of Napoleon and other anachronisms. It works well, and American actors will find it easy to speak.

    The costumes (credited to Claire Adams and Jen Allegra) are certainly not of 1668 France. Historical research be darned. Here is a delectable mish-mosh of periods that somehow define the characters and give the evening an Alice in Wonderland-style wackiness. Those shiny-buttoned vests, knee boots, tight bodices and tiny hats will be long remembered. The title character’s cheapness is well indicated by the set, designed by Scott Killinger and Marie Laster, which details a once-elegant house long gone to seed. Gilbert Todd’s lighting ably assists.

    Jen Allegra. Photo courtesy The Stagecrafters Theater.
    Jen Allegra. Photo courtesy The Stagecrafters Theater.

    The comedy involves a nasty miser whose love of money (not what money can buy, but the money itself) ruins the lives of his family and friends. Yes, he is even shown kissing the golden coins. Jen Allegra is outstanding as Frosine, a lusty marriage broker, who seizes the audience with her hilarious costume, physical characterization, and biting line deliveries. Equally good is Dane Lavery as Cleante, the frustrated son. He is at once both a typical Moliere fop and a romantic lover. His every move contributes to the evening’s success. Proper support comes from the servants (who in Moliere are always smarter than the masters), played by Nolan Maher and Dan Shefer. Julianne Schaub and Steve Harding charmingly handle the traditional young lovers, with John C. Hill as the grounded raisonneur character.

    Lenny Grossman plays Harpagon the miser, and has many fine moments. He is energetic and has a good deal of fun with the role, but lacks the needed element of impulsiveness. Grossman is an excellent actor who delivered a nuanced performance in the theater’s recent Any Given Monday. But he is not a crazed comedian. This Harpagon’s need for money never seems to extend from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. By the time of the famous Act Five speech, Grossman’s performance becomes far too predictable to bring the play to its proper climax. It must be remembered that Moliere suffered twelve long years on the road with a commedia company, and then played all of the leading roles when he began to write his own plays. By the time he played Harpagon, he could wrap the audience around his little finger with ease. This type of onstage training is hard to come by nowadays. This production is an ensemble effort rather than the star vehicle Moliere wrote for himself.

    The audience left the theater with a good deal of excited curiosity. “Was Moliere a man or a woman?” and “Did he write anything else?” were overheard comments. Hopefully Google will be put to work as the Philadelphia area looks forward to more classics at the Stagecrafters.

    Running Time: Two hours, including an intermission.

    The Miser plays through Sunday December 10, 2017 at The Stagecrafters Theater – 8130 Germantown Avenue, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 247-9913, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘The New World’ at Bucks County Playhouse

    Review: ‘The New World’ at Bucks County Playhouse

    A Thanksgiving musical? We can think of musicals that sometimes involve that observance, but an entire show about how the holiday evolved? Bucks County Playhouse’s The New World may be onto something here. The show runs through December 2, and Anna Louizos’ set design certainly evokes autumn in Massachusetts. One of the songs about that famous dinner (“Mix It Up”) is about trying new foods. The cast is a total racial mix, and the number soon becomes a celebration of modern diversity.

    The ensemble. Photo by Joan Marcus.
    The ensemble. Photo by Joan Marcus.

    Bucks County Playhouse is especially proud of The New World. They have regularly produced new musicals such as Cake Off and Rock and Roll Man, but this is the first show they have nurtured right from the beginning with a 45-minute reading. The production is professional all the way.

    Louizos’ set evokes the many locals of the 1620 New World, in a splendid array of colors. Kirk Bookman’s lights bathe the trees and seashore in a nostalgic haze, but also evoke the burlesque qualities of the script with vaudeville flashes and theatrical spotlights. Jen Caprio’s costumes are an anachronistic hoot, with the Indians (that’s the word the authors use) dressed as modern tourists, and the Pilgrims wearing outfits resembling their traditional attire. Paul Masse leads a hot band through the up-tempo score with excellent orchestrations by four-time Tony nominee Danny Troob. Lorin Latarro’s choreography is pure Broadway, fitting the anachronistic mood.

    The plot involves the culture clash between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. The Indians are so attuned to the land that merely watering it causes corn to rise like magic. The Pilgrims are more problematical. As Miles Standish explains early on: “I shall not let other people in with their other way of doing things. And nothing says, ‘Keep Out!’ like a moat.” The exceedingly religious pilgrims are also sexually repressed. As one eager young lady puts it: “All you care about is the size of a man’s Bible. It’s the testaments that matter.” Later on, Standish’s daughter falls in love with an Indian brave, and matters begin to take their course.

    The book by L.F. Turner and Regina DeCicco is filled with similar jokes. The opening night audience loved it, but such humor, which would have been at home 80 years ago in Phil Silvers’ old burlesque act, is definitely a matter of taste. The Indian bride’s family comes from more upscale Connecticut and they are the Corn Family. The Father is Colonel Corn, the mother is Candy Corn and the beautiful daughter is Creamy Corn. Remember the Disney Pocahontas? Remember how the Native American heroine had two animal friends: a bird and a raccoon? Well, the Native hero here has a pet as well: a turkey. Carl, the turkey, doesn’t talk – he gobbles. But he can dance.

    Justin Guarini and Jillian Gottlieb. Photo by Joan Marcus.
    Justin Guarini and Jillian Gottlieb. Photo by Joan Marcus.

    If you loved the recent Broadway hit Something Rotten!, you might like this. That show, however, began with a nonsensical premise and developed its silliness in inventive and surprising ways. But The New World is essentially a one-joke show. The characters introduce their cultures in the opening number, “Harmony,” and the remaining two hours are variations on this single idea. The same is true of Phoebe Kreutz’ lyrics, which take an idea and then fail to develop it. When the daughter, Susanna (Jillian Gottlieb), examines the typical hand-raised “Indian greeting,” she raises her hand and sings:

    How. How. How’d ya get to be so handsome?
    How. How. How’d ya get to be so tall?

    That’s it. There are no developmental ideas, only repetitions. Structure, development and the occasional surprise are needed for a good show tune. Gary Adler’s relentlessly upbeat score has one major power ballad, “Live My Dream,” in which the mother tells her son that his job is to forget his future and live hers. This excellent idea is never developed into a memorable or theatrical lyric.

    Bucks County has pulled out all the stops with the casting. The program bios for the actors list leading roles in successful Broadway shows like On the Town and Kinky Boots. Leading the large cast are Ann Harada of Avenue Q and Cinderella, and Justin Guarini of American Idol, Women on the Verge and Paint Your Wagon. Harada plays Hyannis, the Indian Chief, dressed in a fetching pantsuit, and her Broadway belt frequently brings the house down with “Massachusetts” and the aforementioned “Live My Dream.” Guarini anchors the show as Indian brave Santuit with his powerful singing and energetic personality. The songs “Lone Wolf” and “Natural” are highlights because of his performance. Eddie Cooper brings tremendous voice and presence to Miles Standish. Director Stafford Arima directs in the true burlesque manner with large, almost camp, performances that fit the style of the musical. (One of the Massachusetts Indians even speaks with a Harvard accent.)

    The New World didn’t have enough meat and potatoes for my taste, but if you’re like those folks in the opening night audience, this may just be the Thanksgiving feast for you. After all, lots of people really love the taste of corn.

    Running Time: Two hours, including an intermission.

    Ann Harada and Clyde Alves. Photo by Joan Marcus.
    Ann Harada and Clyde Alves. Photo by Joan Marcus.

    The New World plays through Saturday, December 2, 2017 at the Bucks County Playhouse – 70 South Main Street, in New Hope, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 862-2121, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘By the Bog of Cats’ at The Irish Heritage Theatre

    Review: ‘By the Bog of Cats’ at The Irish Heritage Theatre

    “To the Bog of Cats I one day will return
    In mortal form or in ghostly form
    And I will find you there and there with your sojourn
    Forever by the Bog of Cats, my darling one.”

    If there ever was a title to scare away American audiences, By the Bog of Cats is certainly it. But to an audience at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, it promises wonder, ghosts, and a visit into centuries of tradition. The author, Marina Carr, is a frequently-produced playwright in Ireland but nearly unknown in America. Could it be her stylistic challenges are too daunting for American directors and audiences?

    Kirsten Quinn and Ethan Lipkin. Photo by Carlos Forbes.
    Kirsten Quinn and Ethan Lipkin. Photo by Carlos Forbes.

    Here’s the author’s description of the set:

    Dawn. On the Bog of Cats. A bleak white landscape of ice and snow. Music, a lone violin. Hester Swayne trails the corpse of a black swan after her, leaving a trail of blood in the snow. The Ghost Fancier stands there watching her.

    Wow. This is a play that could proceed in a number of directions. Is it about the effects of a harsh surreal landscape on humanity? Is it a poetic exploration of hate and loss? Is it a ghost story where the nether world and the real world collide? This is one of those Dark of the Moon-style plays that can be imaginatively produced on a low budget.

    The plot is loosely based on Medea by Euripides. Hester (Kirsten Quinn) is a Traveler – that is, one who lives in a caravan, a sort of gypsy wagon. She abides in the Bog of Cats and has a 14-year relationship with Carthage (Arlen Hancock). They have a seven-year-old daughter, Josie (Keri Doheny). Carthage has decided to marry the young and beautiful Caroline (Jenna Kuerzi), the daughter of a rich landowner (Ethan Lipkin), for personal and financial reasons. Everyone hopes that the now-dispensable Hester will merely leave the bog, but she has no intention of doing so. Deep-seated revenge will follow.

    Then add this: the dialogue is composed in an abstruse, near-poetic language featuring many long speeches rich with sometimes-obscure imagery. Nearly everyone has a huge mouthful.

    The production by the Irish Heritage Theatre, at the Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5 and directed by Peggy Mecham, takes no particular approach to the material, resulting in a confusing experience for the audience.

    Set Designer Samuel Lee Lewis has created a backdrop of white and gray strips of cloth that make no statement about the Bog of Cats. The set is indifferently lighted by Rachael Krupnick, and there is no attempt to create atmosphere in the admittedly tiny Studio 5 space. The final scenes are supposed to be set in front of Hester’s caravan, but this single set is merely dominated by folding chairs painted white. The audience must imagine quite a lot as a red muffler and a blanket here play Hester’s symbolic black swan. Is there an idea behind this choice?

    The costumes (by Peggy Mecham) seem to be California chic. A character called The Catwoman (Tina Brock) is, according to the playwright, dressed in the remains of dead cats. But this Tiresias figure has a nice fur piece, jewelry and a fetching wig. Poor Hester, child of the bog, has elegant boots, coat, dress and earrings. She is a double for Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies. The script and dialogue continually state how cold and unforgiving the bog is, but this has little effect on the designs or the performances.

    This, naturally, places a huge storytelling burden on the actors. Yet long speeches pass at such a rapid tempo that is it impossible to sense the imagery, individuality, or even the plot points, resulting in further bewilderment. Kirsten Quinn makes a valiant attempt at a heroic, tragic performance but only manages a generalized rendition of the humiliation, fear and rage the role requires. (Shaw’s often-repeated dictum “If the play seems long, slow it down” might abet upcoming performances.) Mary Pat Walsh has a good beginning on the humorous mother-in-law from hell, but needs more variety and complexity of characterization.

    Irish acting is known for the deeply committed performances and the almost magical handling of poetic language. Praise is due to Susan Giddings as a lonely neighbor and Arlen Hancock as the handsome leading man. When they are on stage, every word is understood and the characters’ pain and sorrow are palpable and believable.

    Arlen Hancock and Kirsten Quinn. Photo by Carlos Forbes.
    Arlen Hancock and Kirsten Quinn. Photo by Carlos Forbes.

    Running Time: Two hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission.

    By the Bog of Cats plays through Saturday, November 18, 2016, at the Irish Heritage Theatre, performing at Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5 – 825 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call (215) 735-0630, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ at Quintessence Theatre

    Review: ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ at Quintessence Theatre

    Family is everything according to Eugene O’Neill. The relationships you form as a child will haunt and guide all of your future life. Rebellion is a basic of the dynamic, and as much as O’Neill suffered in his life in a theatrical household, it allowed him to break away from the traditions of claptrap melodrama that made his relations rich, famous, and miserable. How fortunate we are that O’Neill used these experiences to find the keys to modern drama. Every serious, probing playwright working today is in his debt.

    James Davis, Josh Carpenter, E. Ashley Izard, and Paul Hebron. Photo by Shawn May.
    James Davis, Josh Carpenter, E. Ashley Izard, and Paul Hebron. Photo by Shawn May.

    Long Day’s Journey into Night takes us into the soul of the unique world O’Neill came from. His father, James O’Neill, was a great stage actor of the late 1890s who possessed a talent and bearing that made him a popular idol of the era. According to the play and in real life, he ignored his natural talent for Shakespeare and toured in a popular vehicle that destroyed his greatness but made him a mountain of money. As the play opens in the summer of 1912, James (here called James Tyrone) has become a controlling miser whose apprehensions dominate the entire family universe. Eugene felt that his portrait was so revealingly honest that he forbade publication and performance of the play. It was writing as exorcism, or what we would call today “theater as therapy.”

    The modern term, one that O’Neill never heard, is “dysfunctional family.” The term means a system where each member is so overwhelmend with his own problems or addictions that assisting anyone else is impossible. The members can only hurt not help. As such, Long Day’s Journey remains as vital in today’s world as the era it depicts.

    Quintessence Theatre director/designer Alexander Burns has created a setting that closely resembles the actual O’Neill house, Monte Cristo Cottage, now a museum in New London, Connecticut. Since the summer was a slow season for touring actors, the O’Neill family returned to this same seaside location every year. We O’Neill idolaters, who have seen many so many different productions, have made the pilgrimage. The first thing we notice is how small the actual room is, compared with the settings on Broadway or the National Theatre. This tiny space offers no escape. Clapboard carpentry and no-frills design dominate this production. Only the lack of extensive set dressing keeps the room from feeling truly lived in. Lighting Designer Ellen Moore effectively takes us on the journey from bright morning to the depths of midnight, as Costumer Jane Casanave helps us understand the fashions and conventions of the era.

    Young Eugene, here called Edmund Tyrone, has grown up in the melodramatic theater of the late 19th Century. His young life was “the road,” cheap hotels or boarding schools. To escape his family he shipped out as a seaman, but how now finds himself back in New London with an illness that may turn out to be the dreaded consumption. As Edmund, James Davis tends to lapse into self-pity in the production’s first half (which travels from morning to mid-day) but comes into his own late at night as he recites the new poetry that must supplant Shakespeare in modern life and theater. His performance effectively details the young artist/poet struggling to find his own path is a new world.

    James Davis and E. Ashley Izard. Photo by Shawn May.
    James Davis and E. Ashley Izard. Photo by Shawn May.

    Eugene’s beloved older brother, Jamie, was a handsome rake whose natural charm could easily have led to a successful life in the theater, had he not allowed himself to sink into uncontrollable alcoholism. As the play begins, he launches some of the meanest attacks on his parents especially despising that James is always acting, or seducing people with his theatrical voice. He hates that the older actor’s insecurities have led him to invest his fortune in “bum” real estate schemes that prevent him from perceiving that his family is slipping into illness and addiction. Josh Carpenter, one of my favorite of the Quintessence regulars, monotonously shouts his way through the first half, and it is only in his final scene that the self-loathing and painful confusion of alcohol abuse is allowed to emerge.

    E. Ashley Izard offers a Mary Tyrone who has stepped right out of the 19th Century. Her careful attendance to her hair, clothing and bearing completely convince as the young convent girl pushed into the world of theater by an adolescent crush on her matinee idol husband. Now, years later, she realizes that she has always been ashamed of the lower class world she has entered and uses drugs to gain the thing she needs most: escape. This many layered performance turns from simple petulance, to wild eyed dreaming in an instant. She is supremely memorable.

    Cassandra Nary, as Cathleen, the greenhorn maid with a drinking problem, contributes a welcome comic cameo.

    Paul Hebron, as James Sr., is at his best when he describes his escape from poverty. He details in relishing specifics the life of the truly poor of the 1870s. He worked in a freezing factory, struggled to lose his Irish accent and eventually escaped to the acting profession, where he once played successfully with the great Edwin Booth. Hebron cannot make the old skinflint likable, but he does make him comprehensible. In the great alcoholic tradition, he consumes an enormous amount, but continually reminds everyone that he has never missed a performance. But this James is more Willy Loman than James Tyrone. He comes across as a contemporary person who is not quite convincing as the great hero that now cannot escape the melodramatic stage he has built of his life, and that Eugene O’Neill sought to remake. Hebron is a fine actor, but one feels that this James could never have created a sensation as Othello.

    Director Burns portrays the Tyrones as clamorous, high decibel, and angry. This family gets the screaming hatred out in the first hour, and does not need the journey into night that the author set them upon. Had O’Neill possessed this family he would not have needed the four-hour running time that must slowly break down hidden barriers, subterfuges and prevarications that must finally dissolve into honesty and truth. Hopefully, as the run continues, the family can replace the shouting with more subtle choices to give Long Day’s Journey into Night the structure and development it demands.

    Running Time: Three hours and 45 minutes, including one intermission.

    E. Ashley Izard and Paul Hebron. Photo by Shawn May.
    E. Ashley Izard and Paul Hebron. Photo by Shawn May.

    Long Day’s Journey into Night plays through Sunday, October 22, 2017 at Quintessence Theatre Group, performing at the Sedgwick Theater – 7137 Germantown Avenue (Mount Airy) in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call (215) 987-4450, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ at Delaware Theatre Company

    Review: ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ at Delaware Theatre Company

    What’s the most impressive technical production in the area? What’s just as astounding as Disney World or any show on Broadway? It’s Delaware Theatre Company’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, a world premiere musical.

    Jake Blouch, Rob Riddle, Christopher Sapienza (front), and Joelle Teeter, Rajeer Alford, Clare O’Malley, Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton, and Melissa Joy Hart (back). Photo by Mark Miller.
    Jake Blouch, Rob Riddle, Christopher Sapienza (front), and Joelle Teeter, Rajeer Alford, Clare O’Malley, Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton, and Melissa Joy Hart (back). Photo by Mark Miller.

    Chicago-based Director Rachel Rockwell has imported the Windy City’s finest to present a truly unprecedented theatrical achievement. The designers have embraced every facet of Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed fantasy/horror novel with both its small-town charm and the nightmare of its sinister carnival. You’ll see autumn colors in the trees and the sky. Birds and bats will fly across the moon. A carousel will swirl out of control. The stage will catch fire, as demons are destroyed and reborn in clouds of beautiful haze. The combination of setting, costumes, lighting, special effects, turntables, movable scrims, projections, slides, video, green-screen effects and film keep the stage in constant motion and the audience in constant wonder.

    The triumphant team is: scenic design – Scott Davis (we all loved the train); costumes – Theresa Ham (the clothes resemble falling October leaves); lighting – Greg Hofmann (the moving floor gobos follow the music perfectly); projections – Shawn Sagady (remember the house of mirrors); interactive projection design – Freckled Sky in partnership with Ukrainian company Front Pictures (trains, The Dust Witch and the Monster Montgolfier, tattoos, all mirror scenes, carousels, Mr. Electrico, etc.); and sound design – Garth Helm (so quadraphonic the floor shakes). It all must be seen, heard, and felt to be believed. The co-producers, Yonge Street Theatricals, obviously have big plans for their project.

    This approach is perfect for Neil Bartram’s deep, swirling musical score, directed and conducted by Ryan Touhey. The hypnotic music is almost non-stop. When it is combined with the visuals in the DTC’s 389-seat theater, the result is stunning.

    Bradbury’s story (the book for the musical is by Brian Hill) is set in Greentown, a typical Midwestern borough of the Depression era. Like many small towns, it’s filled with young people and old people, with nothing in between. The minute the kids finish high school they leave, and the adults that remain are regretful of everything they’ve yearned for in life. The kids can’t wait to grow older, and the grownups wish they were young again. But in true Ray Bradbury fashion, be careful what you wish for.

    October is unusually late for a carnival to arrive, but the townsfolk are grateful for the entertaining distraction. But something is different. This ringmaster doesn’t wear red, he wears black. And that name: ‘Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show’? Two youngsters are thrilled by the adventure but gradually come to realize that the ambiance is menacing. The autumn people are coming. If you remember the scent of cotton candy, popcorn or licorice you’ll find yourself seeking this dreamy locale that has “the most beautiful woman in the world,” “Mr. Electro,” or the carousel that runs backwards. Gradually, the townspeople begin to disappear.

    Rob Riddle and Stephen Bogardus. Photo by Matt Urban.
    Rob Riddle and Stephen Bogardus. Photo by Matt Urban.

    There’s a human story as well. Charles Halloway misses his late wife so much that he neglects his son. But his skills as a librarian may just hold the key to uncovering the root of the evil approaching the town. Can he rescue the boys from the undiscovered dangers? Soon they all will learn what it means to confront evil in the eye, as well as traveling that deep expanse from being a child to becoming a man.

    Bartram writes words and music, and the nearly through-composed score does not have songs, or at least the composer hasn’t named them. There’s a funny moment when the townspeople remember past carnivals by the smells they loved. There’s a touching sequence where Charles dances with the ghost of his wife, and another when he and his son finally sit down and try to communicate. Most of all, we remember the grotesque sounds of the merry-making, and the fears that the darkness and unexpected visions evoke. The opening number, possibly called “Time Flies,” captures the Bradbury mood immediately.

    Director/Choreographer Rockwell has raided the finest theaters of Broadway and Chicago to import this impeccable cast. The two thirteen year old boys are splendid, as they steal off to the carnival looking for adventure and perhaps a little trouble. Sawyer Nunes is Jim, who longs to escape the boredom of the town. John Francis Babbo is Will, the neglected son who is first to suspect that something wicked is on the way. They grow up quickly and painfully.

    Marian Murphy is tender as the “old” schoolteacher who dreams of being a little girl again. The ensemble is first seen as the simple townspeople, but they soon metamorphose into the creepy carnival acts. Meghan Murphy is a sensual and frightening Dust Witch, while Rob Riddle brings tremendous presence and menace to the mysterious Mr. Dark, even if I missed many of the lyrics in his welcoming patter song. Nothing was missed with Stephen Bogardus as Charles. Here is the perfect modern musical performer; a fine singing voice with the ability to deliver each word each image in Bartram’s lyrics with crystal clarity. Bogardus movingly conveys the dolor of just being a little too old to achieve any lost dreams, or relate to his son. He is the keystone of a fine ensemble. The inevitable confrontation with Mr. Dark is riveting.

    Is the Hill/Bartram work ready for Broadway? The production could hardly be bettered, but there are some questions about the work itself. The lyrics poetically tell the story, but on first hearing, there are not enough of those unforgettable musical moments that can thrust a musical into greatness.

    Something Wicked runs the danger of being what my BMI Musical Theater Teacher called a “mood piece,” where ambiance becomes more important than character or narrative. Sweeney Todd is striking because the authors can combine humor, charm, terror and everything else in between. Something Wicked is not yet that varied. The show exudes atmosphere, but the tone might be better sustained as a 90-minute intermission-less piece rather than a prototypical two act musical.

    One final image: the Dust Witch has been sent to kill young Jim. He stands on the roof of his house as she levitates him. He flies contorted through the air. The other boy seizes a lighting rod and spears it across the stage into the witch. It hits the mark and she explodes into a thousand pieces. How do they do it? I don’t know and I don’t want to know. Save a trip to Orlando and dare to experience Something Wicked This Way Comes.

    Running time: Two hours, with an intermission.

    John Francis Babbo and Sawyer Nunes. Photo by Matt Urban
    John Francis Babbo and Sawyer Nunes. Photo by Matt Urban

    Something Wicked This Way Comes plays through Saturday, October 8, 2017 at Delaware Theatre Company – 200 Water Street in Wilmington, DE. For tickets, call the box office at (302) 594-1100, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Carousel’ at The Media Theatre

    Review: ‘Carousel’ at The Media Theatre

    Musical Heaven. Is there a better way to describe the production of Carousel at the Media Theatre?

    Joseph Spieldenner and Maxwell Porterfield. Photo by Greg Carroccio.
    Joseph Spieldenner and Maxwell Porterfield. Photo by Greg Carroccio.

    It would be hard to find a better-sung production than that given by the surpassingly youthful professional company assembled by director Jesse Cline. The evening allows us to savor again Richard Rodgers’ amazing ability to deliver compositions that are expected yet simultaneously surprising. Just as you think a melody is heading in the perfect direction, it takes a startling turn that slips from beautiful to sublime. Oscar Hammerstein’s lyrics are simple, profound, and profoundly singable all at once. Spinal chills are common.

    These classics such as “If I Loved You,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Blow High, Blow Low” are deceptively difficult to sing, but the entire company sails through with taste, phrasing and exalted beauty. If you’ve never heard this music before, this is a great place to begin.

    Hammerstein Americanized the Hungarian play Liliom, moving it to a village in New England in the early 1900s. Billy Bigelow is a loner who makes a living as a barker on a carousel for a traveling carnival. He falls in love with another loner, mill worker Julie Jordan, but their marriage is troubled. When Billy is unable to make a living and discovers he will be a father, he turns to a life of crime. It’s a sad story that only a brilliant score could sustain.

    Joseph Spieldenner and Maxwell Porterfield sing Billy and Julie with thrilling purity. Spieldenner is a comely rogue who exudes self-confidence and macho intensity. Porterfield is a naive waif willing to give up anything to be with her charismatic man.

    Director Cline has also carefully cast the supporting roles. Oftentimes these come off as annoying: Carrie and Mr. Snow try to ratchet up the comedy with cute mannerisms and quirks, while Mrs. Fowler is usually the earthy equivalent of The Sound of Music’s “Climb Every Mountain” nun. But this time Madalyn St. John, George Slotin, and Elisa Matthews (respectively) take on these roles, and they are played with simple, honest, dignified grace and charm. Carl Smith is the villainous Jigger who tempts Billy, Susan Mattson is the controlling boss who desires Billy for herself, and Kelly Briggs is the religious zealot mill owner. Once the action moves to Heaven, Jim Conte is an irascible Starkeeper.

    Beada Briglia. Photo by Greg Carroccio.
    Beada Briglia. Photo by Greg Carroccio

    The ensemble deserves special mention. Back in the day of the original production, singers were separate from the august Agnes de Mille dancers, and they fled to the sidelines as the dancing commenced. Here the ensemble are both superior singers and dancers, as is currently expected in 21st Century musicals. The director has trimmed the choreography to make the show run a very modern 2 ½ hours. The ever-employed and always-excellent choreographer Dann Dunn contributes a shortened, scaled down version of the Act Two ballet that captures the feeling of de Mille’s original. Beada Briglia dances the role of Louise.

    Ben Kapilow discerningly directs the music, and the seven musicians do their best with a score written for twenty-four players.

    It’s unfortunate that the technical aspects are uneven. Set Designer Matthew Miller has moved the fishing village setting to the industrial revolution, with a proscenium filled with metal girders and the castoffs of a factory. All props are on the open stage at all times. Boxes or chairs are occasionally moved to indicate scene changes, along with the switching of a few black and white projections. The result is a visual downer, especially when the scenes in Heaven fail to impress. This effect is contradicted by the exquisite costumes by Carol Sorenson, which are pure Hammerstein. The full de Mille skirts are flowing throughout “June is Bustin’ Out All Over,” the fisherman have the expected colorful suspenders and vests, and as time goes by the characters age and grow gracefully. This is complimented by Steven Spera’s subtle lighting.

    Yet despite this production’s many strengths, this Carousel fails to pack the emotional wallop we expect from a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. One reason is that it is so difficult to produce in a way that addresses its dramatic complications in a satisfying way. The Media’s Carousel succeeds as a musical event, but we have no idea why Julie and Billy are attracted so deeply, or why they do the things they do.

    Finally, it is time to address the concept of sound design. This falls into two schools: the Cameron Mackintosh method, with shows like Les Miserables, where the sound is very subtly enhanced and almost unnoticeable, and the Tommy/KPOP school, where the creative blueprint is part of the entire production. Carl Park’s design at the Media is loud, and the music and voices emit from the speakers above the stage rather than the performers. The live orchestra sounds recorded, as do the actors’ voices. This led to a dramatic moment on opening night when, right in the middle of Billy’s massively demanding “Soliloquy,” his mike gave out. Spieldenner, a skilled performer and singer did not disappear. He became more excitingly human, as we heard every word and note. The great finale of the song was the musical highlight of the evening. Special thanks must also go to the excellent acoustics of the old Media Theatre, which is, after all, a former vaudeville house.

    Carousel is challenging to produce in our era. Many thanks are due to the Media Theatre for letting us hear it again.

    Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, with an intermission.

    Elisa Matthews. Photo by Greg Carroccio.
    Elisa Matthews. Photo by Greg Carroccio.

    Carousel plays through Sunday October 22, 2017 at The Media Theatre – 104 East State Street, in Media, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (610)-891-0100, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Funny Girl’ at Candlelight Dinner Theatre

    Review: ‘Funny Girl’ at Candlelight Dinner Theatre

    What would you rather see: Fanny Brice singing on a tugboat in New York harbor, or a real live Fanny Brice in the Ziegfeld Follies?

    Funny Girl, the original 1964 Broadway musical, is a real stage animal, revisiting a classic era of American theatre. Most of its scenes are about theatre life and are set backstage or onstage, which means a live version is far more effective than the famous film.

    Victoria Healy. Photo courtesy Candlelight Dinner Theatre.
    Victoria Healy. Photo courtesy Candlelight Dinner Theatre.

    Why is it so seldom produced? It is the only truly acknowledged classic musical that has never had a Broadway revival. Is it “People,” that song, now a standard, which was a hit single in the day, but rarely recorded by other artists? Is it the remembered unique magnificence of its original star (who will not be named here)?

    Banish these thoughts. When you hear Victoria Healy sing “People,” you will believe you’ve never heard the song before. She sounds like no one else and doesn’t try to. She is her own performer and her Fanny Brice is rich in the comedy that subtly masks the pain of a tragic romance.

    Max Redman’s simple design sets the many scenes against a backstage unit, which makes sense, as Fanny is “always on.” The locales jump from lower-class 14th Street vaudeville stages to the Follies of Broadway, and we are swept up in the story of the driven and talented Fanny Brice who used comedy to propel herself to fame as a torch singer. Tara Bower’s costumes and Lisa Miller Challenger’s wigs skillfully recreate both the pre-WWI era and the Roaring Twenties. Eric Baker’s lighting is spotlights, curtain warmers and flashing bulbs surrounding the proscenium. It is all pure theatre.

    Director Renee Dobson has guided her star to a multilayered performance. Healy’s singing is first rate in comedy numbers such as “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat” as well as the memorable ballads “The Music That Makes Me Dance” and “Who Are You Now?” She is always the Jewish clown offstage, illustrating that she must deal with the truth that she could never make it in a show business where “girls” were either hoofers, strippers or showgirls. The tragedy comes when she rejects the boy-next-door for the glamorous, elegantly dressed, society gambler Nick Arnstein, who represents everything that a poor Brooklyn girl can never achieve. But Fanny’s supreme drive and confidence would be bad news for any man, especially a twenties dandy who values masculine pride above all else.

    Rosemary Benson. Photo courtesy Candlelight Dinner Theatre.
    Rosemary Benson. Photo courtesy Candlelight Dinner Theatre.

    Brett Anderson is outstanding as the dance director who loves Fanny for who she is and is always ignored. His singing and dancing are highlights, and when he teams with Rosemary Benson (as Fanny’s pushy mother) in “Who Taught Her Everything,” their comic skills give us a brief respite from the ever-forceful Fanny.

    Brices’s drive is what we remember from this production. The love story is not nearly as successful since the miscast Paul McElwee is simply not the fellow described in Isobel Lennart’s script.

    The ensemble is outstanding as well, singing and dancing with dynamism. Matt Flocco has exactly the stilted voiced tenor of the period in “His Love Makes Me Beautiful.” The excellently-researched choreography was by the above-mentioned Brett Anderson.

    The score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill is unforgettable, which again makes one question the rarity of productions. Musical Director David T. Snyder has to cope with the usual dinner theatre recorded orchestra, but the cast does very well with it.

    Who knows when a production of Funny Girl will visit this area again? This is a good one, and serious theatergoers and fans of musicals should hurry to grab those quickly disappearing tickets. Opening night at Candlelight Dinner Theatre was sold out, and many other performances are as well.

    Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with an intermission.

    Funny Girl logo, Candlelight Dinner Theatre

    Funny Girl runs through Sunday, October 22, 2017 at Candlelight Dinner Theatre – 2208 Millers Road, in Wilmington, DE. For tickets, call the box office at (302)-475-2313, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Souvenir, A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins’ at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3

    Review: ‘Souvenir, A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins’ at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3

    How is theatre superior to film or TV? What special magic is found in live performance? This question is superbly answered in Souvenir, A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins, Stephen Temperley’s hilarious and oddly touching play at the Walnut Street Theatre.

    Jonas Cohen and Rebecca Robbins. Photo courtesy of Walnut Street Theatre.
    Jonas Cohen and Rebecca Robbins. Photo by Mark Garvin.

    Leading lady Rebecca Robbins is a trained opera singer, yet she is somehow able to recreate the bizarre “musicality” that catapulted the real Madame Flo to Carnegie Hall. She looks like a typical Park Avenue matron in the Margaret Dumont mode but when she sings… well, it resembles the sound a cat being run over by a car. Listening to her rendition of “The Laughing Song” from Die Fledermaus is like standing in a shower of needles. How can a wonderful singer like Ms. Robbins force herself to sing flat and sharp continually? Movie soundtracks can be altered, but this performance is “live.” You have to see/hear it to believe it.

    The real Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944) was a wealthy society woman who thoroughly enjoyed singing for her rich friends at charity benefits. What she lacked in some of the basics, such as pitch, musicianship, or rhythm she made up for in feeling. And the poor woman had no idea how bad she was. As her accompanist continually asks, “What does she hear?”

    Robbins plays Madame Flo as a woman of some taste and sensitivity who says a number of insightful things about music and composers, such as the fact that musical notation is really just a signpost to guide singers to true feeling. And if she wants to sing and people want to listen, what is so wrong with that? The real Florence Foster Jenkins made recordings, and they attest to the amazing accuracy and comic timing of Ms. Robbins’ performance.

    The second half of this two-character play is Cosme McMoon, Madame Flo’s longtime accompanist, who at first is a serious minded, starving artist seeking a patron. He hopes this embarrassing society event will last six weeks. But the fat salary the self-financed Madame Flo pays him keeps him coming back for 12 years. Jonas Cohen, who proves to be a skilled comedian, a decent classical accompanist, and an appealing piano bar performer, plays him. His best moments are the painful physical reactions to Madame Flo’s absurdities, not only her singing but also discoveries that the newspapers will review them, or they will play Carnegie Hall. He is a master of the double and triple take. In addition to “What does she hear?” he continually asks himself, and the audience, “Why am I here?”

    The heart of Temperley’s play, carefully outlined by director Debi Marcucci, is the relationship. Cosme starts out as a sarcastic youngster who is horrified by what he must do to pay the rent. But gradually, her absolute belief in herself softens Cosme as he comes to see that true artisty might not be what comes out in the performance, but what the artist hears in her head.

    Roman Tatarowicz’ set is the perfectly elegant Ritz-Carlton music room. Troy A. Martin-O’Shea’s lighting is memorable for the candlelit glow for Florence and the sharp purples for Cosme’s rants. In her final concert, Madame Flo wore a different costume for each song. Courtesy of designer Amanda Wolff, we are able to see some of these period accurate but hilarious outfits. John Kolbinski’s sound design is thankfully light-fingered for the tiny, upstairs Independence Studio.

    Rebecca Robbins. Photo courtesy of Walnut Street Theatre.
    Rebecca Robbins. Photo courtesy of Walnut Street Theatre.

    The Walnut audience responded pretty much like Ms. Foster Jenkins’ audiences of the 1940s. They laughed and somehow approved at the same time. That’s an amazing thing to achieve.

    Running time: Two hours, with an intermission.

    Souvenir, A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins plays through Sunday, October 15. 2017 at the Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3 – 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 574-3550, or purchase them online.

     

  • Review: ‘A House with No Walls’ at Old Academy Players in Philadelphia

    Review: ‘A House with No Walls’ at Old Academy Players in Philadelphia

    Confederate statues are toppled because they ignite memories of slavery. Colleges are compelled to rename buildings because their namesakes turned out to be slaveholders.

    Theater companies must choose their seasons months in advance. Who was it at Old Academy Players that had the crystal ball that made their current offering, Thomas Gibbons’ A House with No Walls, reflect the daily news so clearly? It’s hard to remember seeing a play that seemed so timely.

    Hyresh Davis and Ciara Williford. Photo by Jim Pifer.
    Hyresh Davis and Ciara Williford. Photo by Jim Pifer.

    Gibbons’ play was first presented in 2007 in Philadelphia and then picked up by regional theaters throughout the country. The author specializes in plays that dramatize national problems through a Philadelphia perspective. His best knows works are 6221, a staging of the MOVE crisis, and Permanent Collection, about the behind-the-scenes shenanigans at the Barnes Foundation.

    A House with No Walls refers to The President’s House Site on Market Street, which is part of Independence National Historical Park in downtown Philadelphia. It prominently displays information that George Washington, during his first term as president, was an active slaveholder. He realized that if his slaves lived in the free state of Pennsylvania for more than six months they would automatically become free. Washington cleverly had his slaves visit their home in Mount Vernon, Virginia to keep them slaving in Philadelphia, which was then the nation’s capital. He specifically hid this information from them and, like all slaveholders, forbade education and the ability to read. When one of his wife’s servants escaped to New England, he went to extraordinary lengths to have her recaptured.

    The politicians and city planners were eager, in 2003, to keep their money-making museum from reflecting unpleasant truths. African American Philadelphians insisted that slavery is a part of historical reflection, and a battle ensued.

    Gibbons’ play dramatizes this in a striking manner. A character named Salif marks the tiny area of Washington’s slave quarters with string, and places a banner above with pictures of the slaves that lived there (most of their last names are unknown). To Salif, these people should be remembered along with the founding fathers. Historians, both white and black, for whom history is a living breathing event, join him. Soon Gibbons has the slaves appear in their period costumes and start to live in the house with no walls. Two stories emerge, one about the need to honestly discuss history, and the other about the slaves dealing with their complex existence.

    Along the way Gibbons discusses many things, such as the need for more African Americans in colleges, or what it means to be a “moderate conservative Republican,” or how you must phrase particular sound bites that will get you on television. This generates a lot of talk, and one audience member commented at the intermission that the play should have been shortened.

    I disagree. The playwright has a lot to say, and he says it well. Such a work that spans generations needs an extraordinary company of designers and performers to pull it off. Old Academy’s group is better at the simple, personal stories than the long didactic speeches. This is no problem for Maurice Tucker who plays Salif with just the right touch of outrage. Whether he is bullhorning the crowd with his message, or arguing with a professor about the difficulties of young blacks in current society, he brings a total commitment to the character and generates sympathy for his beliefs.

    Ciara Williford dominates the 1797 story as a simple girl who wants to learn to read. The scene where she discusses the life of a slave with her less contemplative brother (Hyresh Davis) is a touching highlight. Her decision to escape Philadelphia is not taken lightly and adds to the suspense of the evening. Hopefully director Carla Childs will continue to work with the other cast members to achieve this level of commitment.

    Childs is also credited as designer of set, costumes and lights (with Jesse Friedman, and Helga Krauss). The costumes illuminate the modern characters (Salif first appears with a Bob Marley t-shirt) and illustrates the class consciousness of the earlier era (Washington’s slaves were well dressed). The lighting effectively changes as the play moves to its many locations.

    Co-Designer Friedman has made some effective updates to the aging theater building. He has updated the website (you can finally order tickets online), upgraded the sound, and added a system that allows projected scenery. The projections (Philadelphia scenes) work very effectively in the blackouts and when the performers are far downstage, but are washed out when the action moves upstage. Gibbons obviously imagined a larger playing area than the tiny one at Old Academy. Childs and Friedman have not managed to effectively cram all the settings and ghosts onto the small platform, which results in some awkward staging.

    George Webster and Maurice Tucker. Photo by Jim Pifer.
    George Webster and Maurice Tucker. Photo by Jim Pifer.

    None of this keeps Gibbons’ themes from emerging with power and grace. A House with No Walls will stimulate much conversation and disagreement about the divide between races in this city. This is a splendidly written play that will certainly enhance your next visit to the Liberty Bell.

    Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with an intermission.

    A House with No Walls plays through Sunday September 24, 2017 at Old Academy Players – 3544 Indian Queen Lane, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 843-1109, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Rabbit Hole’ at Theater With a View

    Review: ‘Rabbit Hole’ at Theater With a View

    Warning: You don’t have much time left! Nearly one third of Theater With a View’s performances of Rabbit Hole have been rained out (including the earlier one I was supposed to attend.) There are very few remaining showings of this unique and splendid production.

    The ensemble. Photo courtesy Theater With a View.
    Drew Seltzer, Jo Twiss, Nina Covalesky, and Jessica Myhr. Photo by Matthew J. Photography.

    One of the raisons d’être of this company is to bring professional theater to places you’d never expect. In this case, the stage is the large backyard of a house, high in the hills of Pottstown. Seeing an Equity performance in this location is a shock.

    Director Seth Reich likes to explore unusual ways to display theater, and Rabbit Hole revives the once-popular but now nearly forgotten concept of “theater in the round.” It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this configuration in a Philadelphia area theater. Many of the local playhouses, such as DCP and Steel River, were built with arena staging as a possibility, but these theaters have now anchored their seats for permanent proscenium presentation. True, the director has to stage the actors carefully so that every seat is the best seat, and the scenic possibilities are limited, but the intimacy that the actors can achieve more than compensates.

    Reich has made another courageous choice in selecting this Pulitzer Prize winner. Most directors of outdoor productions choose plays such as As You Like It or Redwood Curtain, where the setting sun, crickets, and flying insects compliment the performance. Rabbit Hole is a multi-set, interior, almost kitchen sink, play that does not call for a grassy stage floor. Oddly enough, it doesn’t make any difference. Reich draws such deeply concentrated and sharply etched performances from the actors that the overwhelming outdoors disappears.

    The subject of David Lindsay-Abaire’s play is grief, loss, and the supreme effort people must make to comfort each other in these mournful days. How can a family cope with the pointless, accidental death of a four-year-old child? Anyone who has ever been a parent, or lost someone close, cannot help but be emotionally drawn into this simple story.

    The anchor of the evening is Nina Covalesky as Becca, who provides a textbook illustration of underacting. Everyone in the play is trying to cope with the tragedy, but Becca cannot. She remains lost in a haze of doubt and despair that makes her doubt the existence of God and the value of life. She is unable to understand that the others share her grief, because theirs is a little different. Much of Covalesky’s performance is quiet listening as we search her infinitely expressive face for a sign of hope or relief. Her stalwart confusion will be taken to heart for a long, long time.

    Drew Seltzer plays the husband, Howie, as one who seems to be returning to normal. But anyone who has studied the stages of grief will discover that Howie is just as devastated as Becca, but in a different place in the process. This results in an inability to communicate that threatens to destroy the marriage. It is a well-known fact that the loss of a child renders many loving marriages impracticable. Howie has one of the few moments of clamorous outcry and Seltzer’s deeply felt portrayal makes the most of it. Extraordinary.

    There are some light moments. Jessica Myhr is Izzy, Becca’s younger, immature sister. Her idea of humor is a shower curtain picturing The Three Stooges. She is accidentally pregnant, which sets off complex feelings in Becca, who is convinced that the girl is simply not prepared for the complexities of parenting. Myhr specifically captures the lightheaded energy that can easily lead to an unexpected one-night stand. Add to this the mother, Nat, played by Jo Twiss, someone who continually tries to lighten the mood with wild theories about the Kennedys and stories of her unusual past. Her performance turns suddenly tragic as we discover that her grief is a real as the others, just different. Connor Johnston completes the cast as a humbled high school student with a sorrowful secret, but one who can still look forward to a full, rewarding life.

    These performances combine to create an unforgettable evening.

    Nina Covalesky and Drew Seltzer. Photo courtesy Theater With a View.
    Nina Covalesky and Drew Seltzer. Photo by Matthew J. Photography.

    The setting by Stephan Moravski, is an excellent arranging of the furniture (on a sloping hill, no less.) The concept loses some power when a scene in the child’s elaborately decorated room is restaged to the kitchen, but most of it works well. Inherent Style provides the simple, appropriate costumes.

    Arena lighting is always a problem. Designer Emilie Leasure has no ceiling to hang the necessary overhead lighting to keep the glare from the eyes of the audience. Director Reich composed appropriate and moody piano music to indicate the endings of the many scenes, since there are no blackouts.

    Reich proved in last summer’s patio setting of Detroit that he has an uncanny knack for drawing acute performances from actors, and Nina Covalesky is his regular and superb leading lady. If you are able to catch one of the few remaining performances, your effort will be infinitely rewarded. You will join fifty others sitting in a simple circle sharing this combined knowledge of human frailty, and of the heart’s natural desire to heal.

    Running Time: Two hours, with an intermission.

    Rabbit Hole plays through Saturday, July 29, 2017 at Theater with a View – 481 Ebelhare Road, in Pottstown, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (484) 925-1547, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Scarborough Fair: A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel’ at Bristol Riverside Theatre

    Review: ‘Scarborough Fair: A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel’ at Bristol Riverside Theatre

    Whenever a musical group has the name “brothers” or “sisters” (as in “Smothers” or “Andrews”) you can expect a tight, controlled sound with seamlessly blended harmonies. Close harmony (even if it’s just simple thirds and fifths) can be difficult to sing, and family groups have always mastered it most successfully. After all, the rehearsals don’t ever have to stop.

    Such a group is The Guthrie Brothers, who have been singing together “for as long as they remember.” The melodies are perfection, the guitar work solid. They have been a professional act for many years and the seasoning shows.

    Jeb Guthrie and Jock Guthrie. Photo courtesy Bristol Riverside Theatre.
    Jeb Guthrie and Jock Guthrie. Photo courtesy Bristol Riverside Theatre.

    Bristol Riverside Theatre has invited them to perform for a short run (only five days) and their current show is Scarborough Fair: A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel. Jock is the one with the longer hair who sings the Garfunkel lines and also plays the difficult lead guitar parts with their memorable Paul Simon riffs. Jeb plays rhythm guitar and sings the Simon lines.

    The audience (twice as old as the performers) could remember those years, 1964-1970, when Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel ruled the airwaves. Their massive hits such as “The Sound of Silence,” “Scarborough Fair,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” captured the alienation and loneliness of a generation. This is best remembered through Dustin Hoffman’s confused young man in the culture-altering film The Graduate, which was saturated with S&G music.

    The Guthrie Brothers sound amazingly like the famed musicians, especially when duetting in close harmony. Numbers like “At the Zoo” and “The Sound of Silence” are uncanny in their resemblance to the originals. The tribute isn’t perfect: Jeb doesn’t quite get the incisive bite that Simon brought to many of the lyrics, and Jock doesn’t have the angelic high notes of Garfunkel (but then who else does?).

    The simple guitar and voice presentation reminded me of the earlier S&G college tours, which consisted of just two voices and a guitar. Simon, who wrote most of the songs, brought memorable lyrics and melodies to Garfunkel’s rich tenor and his own unique growl. Listening to the Guthries was like returning to the old coffeehouses, in that brief period when young people gathered in an old building with cracked tables and mismatched chairs, drank strong but terrible coffee and actually listened to the words.

    Jock Guthrie and Jeb Guthrie. Photo courtesy Bristol Riverside Theatre.
    Jock Guthrie and Jeb Guthrie. Photo courtesy Bristol Riverside Theatre.

    The second act is not as nostalgic as the first, as the later S&G began performing with a full band. “Bridge of Troubled Water” doesn’t work without a piano.

    The early S&G concerts, as I remember attending them, were serious musical affairs. Neither performer had much to say, and they quickly jumped from one song to the next. In true coffeehouse tradition, the Guthries, especially Jeb, have a lot to say. They are not imitators, so they lace the patter with stories of their parents and their life in Wisconsin. They are quick with a wisecrack such as “In Wisconsin you have to say ‘Go Packers’ at least once a day or you lose your daily allotment of cheese.” Unlike S&G they also generate a lot of back and forth with the audience including some pretty successful sing-alongs.

    The afternoon’s highlights were unexpected. Act One featured a stunning rendition of “All I Have to Do is Dream,” which illustrated that S&G began by imitating The Everly Brothers. The highlight of Act Two came when the brothers departed from the tribute and sang some of their own compositions. Their style is very different and exciting.

    The songs are presented in chronological order starting with “The Sound of Silence” and ending with “El Condor Pasa” which predicts the breakup of the duo as Simon was losing interest in folk-rock, and looking to world cultures to inspire a new musical direction.

    Simon and Garfunkel have staged a few reunion tours since 1970, but as they are currently over 75 years of age, it is doubtful we will be able to see them together again. The Guthrie Brothers tribute will do just fine.

    Running Time: Two hours, with an intermission.

    Scarborough Fair - A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel

    Scarborough Fair: A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel plays through Sunday, July 30, 2017 at Bristol Riverside Theatre -120 Radcliffe Street, in Bristol, PA. For tickets, call the box office (215) 785-0100, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Barefoot in the Park’ at The Candlelight Theatre

    Review: ‘Barefoot in the Park’ at The Candlelight Theatre

    Six days do not a week make.

    These famous words of nonsense, uttered by the young wife Cory, will tell all serious theatergoers that they are in the domain of Neil Simon and his oft-performed blockbuster Barefoot in the Park.  Written in 1963, Barefoot established Simon as the go-to playwright for Broadway comedy.  Nowadays we critics tend to scoff at these earlier works calling them “sitcoms” or “formula plays.”  A revisit brought this reviewer a few surprises.

    David Polgar and Sarah Robertson. Photo by Tisa DellaVople.
    David Polgar and Sarah Robertson. Photo by Tisa DellaVople.

    Simon already had the deft hand with a wisecrack, but now we can notice the presence of three-dimensional characters, which give the actors complex roles to really dig into.  His sense of structure is already impeccable, with a first act (of three) that demonstrates how much Cory and Paul love each other, and the second ending in one of the funniest arguments in American theater.

    Simon wrote the play as a love-letter to his new wife.  Cory and Paul have been married for six days, and are just moving into a new apartment.  Since this is New York City, the apartment has only one room and is sadly run down.  Paul, a bit of a stuffed shirt, immediately sees the problems, such as no heat and a hole in the skylight, but Cory, a spirited kook out to enjoy life to the fullest, is so delighted with her new situation that she notices nothing.  But by the end of act two, Paul is on the couch alone, being rained on.  There is a second love story involving Cory’s straight-as-a-board mother, a recent widow, who might find new life with Cory’s eccentric, attic dwelling neighbor.  The title implies that running “barefoot in the park” when it is seventeen degrees might be the secret to a successful marriage.  Couples have to bend a little bit, as in the mother’s famous line: “ If you do that you’ll have a happy and wonderful marriage – like two out of every ten couples.”

    And then there’s one of the best running gags ever.  The apartment is a sixth floor walk-up, so everyone enters in a different state of comic exhaustion.  Anyone who has ever lived in New York can readily identify.

    Frank Schierloh. Photo courtesy The Candlelight Theatre.
    Frank Schierloh. Photo courtesy The Candlelight Theatre.

    This production, skillfully directed by Paul Nolan, mines all the subtleties of the characters yet keeps the action moving at lighting speed.  Sarah Robertson as Cory instantly wins the audience’s heart with her energy and “joie de vivre.”  Since the first act is in an empty apartment with no furniture, this allows Robertson literally to dance the role, as she demonstrates Cory’s vivacity.  David Polgar as Paul has a lot to work with as he tries his best to keep his suits pressed and to appear in court on time as a new young lawyer. His character development is carefully delineated as the play progresses.  The famous quarrel scene is a winner.  Best of all is Susan Giddings as the mother.  Blessed with a beautiful theater voice, and the physicality of a true rep actress, she wrings the most out of every line and pause.  Where are the roles in Shaw and Molière that she could do so well?  Ted Ford is an amusing homeless eccentric, as her love interest, but is not the urbane, suave, continental roué that Simon wrote.  Frank Schierloh is funny and empathetic as the telephone man.

    Director Nolan has left the play securely in the 1960s.  We see an actual telephone repairman, and the apartment only costs $125 a month.  There is also a good deal of drinking with the audience encouraged to laugh at drunken staggering and antics.  This has fallen out of favor today, but it was a mainstay of comedy since the days of Charlie Chaplin.  In some ways we see that the play is ever more relevant: the culture of narcissism so prevalent today makes the play’s conflicts seem more valid and less like a sitcom.

    Envision production has designed a workable but monochrome set (off-white walls with beige furniture), and costumer Tara Bowers makes some attempts to capture the period.  The skylight effects, lit by Mike Cristella and Max Redman, nevertheless, are great.

    The Candlelight Theatre also survives as a tribute to bygone days: Dinner Theater.  Major cities used to have three or four venues that served busloads of retirement communities dry roast beef and salty potatoes.  This writer is old enough to have experienced such “classics” as Gale Storm in Forty Carats, Neal Newman in Six Rooms Riv Vu, and Tom Poston in The Odd Couple.

    Candlelight, however, does the tradition proud.  The food is excellent (unless you are on a limited diet), the servers (usually members of the ensemble) are friendly, and the people you meet, in last night’s case at least, are experienced theatergoers who have seen a variety of area productions.

    The ticket price is low and the quality is high.  Welcome to the wonderful past.

    Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with two intermissions.

    Barefoot in the Park at Candlelight Theatre

    Barefoot in the Park plays through Sunday, August 27, 2017, at The Candlelight Theatre – 2208 Millers Road, Wilmington, DE.  For tickets call the box office at (302)-475-2313 or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘2017 Summer One-Act Bonanza’ at Old Academy Players

    Review: ‘2017 Summer One-Act Bonanza’ at Old Academy Players

    Ten-minute plays are a modern phenomenon. Some critics refer to them as “theatrical fast food” or “audience sound-bites” but this type of play demands a writer who can present exciting ideas in the shortest, most direct way possible, and actors who can create striking first impressions. Audiences enjoy the challenge of seeing many plays in one evening. After all, if one offering isn’t to your taste, the next one is only minutes away.

    The Old Academy Players has presented a “Summer One-Act Bonanza” of world premieres since 2009. The format is simple. No designers are employed, and the settings are minimal, usually a table and chairs (dinner tables and restaurants are popular locations). The settings are changed quickly as the director tells what drew him/her to the play. The eight plays are comfortably presented in two hours.

    This year’s plays offer roles for 27 actors and there are eight directors. Leading area performers (such as the always-excellent Michelle Loor Nicolay and Norma Kider) enjoy appearing in these short but challenging appetizers.

    Here are some thoughts on the offerings that this critic liked best.

    Michelle Loor Nicolay, Jim Golden, Marc Johnson, and Kellie Cooper in I Just Want to Say Hello. Photo by Mike D'Angelo.
    Michelle Loor Nicolay, Jim Golden, Marc Johnson, and Kellie Cooper in I Just Want to Say Hello. Photo by Mike D’Angelo.

    I Just Want to Say Hello by Nancy Frick (directed by Sarah Labov) is set in a conference room in a swank co-op building. The board is upset with Bennett (Jim Golden) who has a habit of saying “Good morning” and striking up conversations with fellow tenants. Since this invades their privacy and interrupts their cell phone experience, the tenants want him removed. The board members (Kellie Cooper and Marc Johnson) offer their complaints as they search their phones. Only the older board member (Michelle Loor Nicolay) is capable of a simple conversation. The play is quick, sharp and has a lot to say about the isolation that modern life is forcing upon the human race.

    Nolan Maher, Gabi Singh, and Natalie Bonacci in Surprise. Photo by Mike D'Angelo.
    Nolan Maher, Gabi Singh, and Natalie Bonacci in Surprise. Photo by Mike D’Angelo.

    Surprise by Mark Harvey Levine (directed by Mark Rohland) finds Peter, a nerdy young man (Nolan Maher), in a café, about to be dumped by his pretentious girlfriend (Natalie Bonacci). But there is a Twilight Zone twist. Peter is psychic; he can read minds, but only two minutes into the future. This gives him the annoying habit of knowing what his girlfriend will order and finishing her sentences. Once the idea is explained, comedy ensues. At one point he receives a towel seconds before he is doused with water. The writing and performances are direct and to the point.

    Crossroads Bar by Jillian Bosmann (who also directed) has the reunion of two high school best friends (Natalie Bonacci, Nolan Maher) who have lost touch. The audience expects her to discover that he has come out as gay. Wrong! He has always been straight. What happens next makes hilarious comments on the confusion of modern life and relationships, which is pretty clever for ten minutes.

    All eight of the plays have resourceful ideas that provided the audience and performers with a rewarding evening. Each viewer will have a different favorite, which is what the ten-minute experience is all about.

    Running Time: Two hours, with an intermission.

    2017 Summer One-Act Bonanza plays through Sunday, July 16, 2017 at Old Academy Players – 3544 Indian Queen Lane, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 843-1109, or purchase them online.

     

  • Review: ‘The Nerd’ at Bucks County Playhouse

    Review: ‘The Nerd’ at Bucks County Playhouse

    The summer stock experience has nearly passed away. Half a century ago it was a vacation custom to visit a picturesque village and, after a day of sightseeing complemented by great food, stop by a local playhouse for a fun evening. These theaters sometimes featured young artists practicing their new craft or famous stars in package tours of old favorites. Changing tastes and financial realities have ended many of these summer theaters, but a taste of that bygone era remains at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pa. This converted mill, which still has a waterfall next to the front door, features a charming and relaxed patio, pre-show musical offerings and an excellent performance of Larry Shue’s The Nerd.

    Gavin Lee, Joe Kinosian, Grant Shaud, and Zuzanna Szadkowski. Photo by Mark Garvin.
    Gavin Lee, Joe Kinosian, Grant Shaud, and Zuzanna Szadkowski. Photo by Mark Garvin.

    This is the sort of play (think Butterflies Are Free or Shue’s The Foreigner) that summer stock thrived on. It’s funny, offers actors fine roles, and even a little food for thought. The wonderful Equity cast features many favorites recognizable from film and television roles.

    You know The Nerd is an actor’s dream when you peruse the character list, all possessing hilarious names. There’s Willum (Kyle Cameron), a shy young architect who is more a wimp that a nerd. Everyone can relate to Willum’s commitment phobia and fear of asserting himself. His second act speech about people not being able to get along gets classic treatment from Cameron. Willum is in love with Tansy (Clea Alsip), who is fond of him but knows he “lacks gumption.” She is about to achieve the lifelong dream of becoming a TV weather girl, which will probably end the relationship. Willum’s other friend is Axel (Gavin Lee), who offers acerbic, jocose comments on the events. Unsurprisingly, such a fellow is a drama critic, the kind who writes his mean-spirited reviews prior to seeing the play. Willum’s haughty boss Warnock Waldgrave (Grant Shaud) shows up with his family Clelia (Zuzanna Szadkowski), a teacher who specializes in “slooooow lerrrrrners”, and their terrifying son Thor (Avey Noble), referred to as “the poster boy for Planned Parenthood.”

    Grant Shaud, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Gavin Lee, Clea Alsip, Joe Kinosian, and Kyle Cameron. Photo by Mark Garvin.
    Grant Shaud, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Gavin Lee, Clea Alsip, Joe Kinosian, and Kyle Cameron. Photo by Mark Garvin.

    Just bringing these absurd folk together would make an amusing evening, but we soon encounter the only character with a realistic-sounding name, Rick Steadman, whom Willum has been hoping to meet since Steadman saved his life years ago in the war. Steadman turns up, dressed as The Fly (don’t ask), and turns out to be a human being totally lacking social ability. He is absolutely unaware of his effect on people around him, and immediately becomes the insufferable bore who plans to stay forever and ever. He even looks like a nerd – he has the standard shirt pocket penholders, pink pants (excellent costumes by Annie Simon), and a physicality that seems to be made of balloons and rubber bands. His idea of artistic expression is learning to play “The Star Spangled Banner” on the tambourine. Shrewdly played by Joe Kinosian (the co-creator of the Off Broadway hit Murder for Two), Rick flings himself into absurd postures on the furniture, uttering irksome platitudes, until the second act, when the friends plot to have the guilt-ridden Willum throw Rick out of his house.

    Directed at a lightning pace by Marc Vietor, the comedy speeds to a hilarious and surprisingly complex finale. TV sitcoms supply premium training for this sort of play, and the cast works the audience with superlative skill.

    The Nerd is not only funny but asks questions about the difficulty of human relationships. Every character has difficulties relating, including the boss and his wife who boisterously argue about differing parenting practices (“treat him like an adult!”). Like it or not, being alive with other people is a tricky business.

    Thom Weaver contributes perfect comedy-bright lighting, while Maruti Evans’ set has lots of wit and invention. The living room is not only based on an architect’s blueprints, it looks like blueprints – complete with handwritten adjustments, and also features a blueprint front curtain and background cyclorama.

    When you see The Nerd, be certain to make a day of it, to enjoy the complete New Hope Experience.

    Running Time: Two hours, with an intermission.

    Joe Kinosian and Kyle Cameron. Photo by Mark Garvin.
    Joe Kinosian and Kyle Cameron. Photo by Mark Garvin.

    The Nerd plays through July 15, 2017 at the Bucks County Playhouse – 70 South Main Street, in New Hope, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 862-2121, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘The Roses in June’ at Seagull Productions

    Review: ‘The Roses in June’ at Seagull Productions

    June 1967. What memories does that bring? Sgt. Pepper, The Rolling Stones, bell bottoms, assassinations, the conflict with ’50s conformity, trouble in the Middle East? This is the era summoned by Timothy M. Kolman’s play The Roses in June, which is now receiving its world premiere at Plays and Players Theatre in Philadelphia. If you are too young to remember the above, projection designer Olivia Sebesky and sound designer Megan Cully offer an excellent overture of film, slides and music to set the scene.

    Kirsten Quinn, Ian Agnew, and Tyler Brennan. Photo by Mark Garvin.
    Kirsten Quinn, Ian Agnew, and Tyler Brennan. Photo by Mark Garvin.

    The play’s themes could not be more contemporary: the plight of refugees and the attitudes of the countries that take them in. Rather than address these issues directly, the playwright delves into his past and creates a historical pageant that is all the more powerful because it is unique.

    Kolman’s personal journey is a fascinating one. He is a well-known Philadelphia attorney who grew up in England, the son of Kindertransport Jews. His parents sent him to a proper English school (where bullying was a cherished tradition) in the hope he would gain the British identity their German accents could never allow them to achieve. Kolman is a combat veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, and insists that the play is not totally autobiographical.

    The play’s Rose family (their name is anglicized from the German original) is financially successful in London, and sends their son, Paul, to an uptight established institution. The atmosphere is so conformist that the headmaster (Bob Heath) rails against hippie clothing and haircuts, while a teacher tells the boys that a proper Englishman would never say “I can’t get no satisfaction” but rather “I remain dissatisfied despite my best efforts.” The school, rather unwillingly, admits Jews and Muslims under a strict quota system. When racial violence breaks out, the headmaster’s only concern is for the school’s – and his own – reputation.

    The play features a star performance by Kirsten Quinn as the mother who holds her Jewish family together. As a successful refugee, she still misses the home country and language, despite the fact that friends and relatives are dead. But what are the choices? Return to Germany, where they would still be unwelcome; remain in Britain so their son, who hides his Jewish identity, can become a true Englishman; or move to Israel, where the Arabs will any day “drive the Jews into the Sea”? Similar problems face immigrants today, but the uniqueness of Kolman’s story, set at the moment of the Six-Day War, creates a challenging theatrical event highlighted by Quinn’s sincerity.

    Bob Heath and Kyle Fennie. Photo by Mark Garvin.
    Bob Heath and Kyle Fennie. Photo by Mark Garvin.

    The cast is all first-rate. Heath and Kyle Fennie convey the proper stodginess as the teachers. Ian Agnew touchingly portrays the conflicted father, with Tyler Brennan as the son who suffers beatings from assailants he refuses to name. “In Nazi Germany,” the mother reflects, “everyone was willing to talk.”

    The second act balances the equation with a potent scene involving Pakistani refugees. This family’s father, a successful doctor (played by Eric Cover), not only discovers that his son Abdul (Jay Romero) has instigated racial violence but is gradually becoming radicalized. Each one cites The Koran as inspiration. This is an argument that continues word-for-word in our modern world. Susanne Sulby is the dialect coach that keeps all of these worlds clearly delineated.

    Seagull Productions has given the play a fine mounting. Rebecca Dwight’s costumes balance the stoic school with the hipper outside world. Designer Sebesky has created an impressive two-story monument to conformity that resembles a gothic cathedral, and also serves as a screen for the many projections. However, the floorplan has some problems, as a stairway and a rarely used bedroom take up half of the limited stage space, while the most used location, the Roses’ living room, is too tiny for director Allen Radway to stage scenes in comfortably. Hopefully future productions will correct this.

    And there should be future productions, which should refine some of the rough edges in Kolman’s play. The play’s dialogue is sometimes repetitious and scenes could be effectively condensed. There are many changes of location, but the conflicts often fail to build properly to an effective curtain line for the many scenes. And we need to better establish a relationship between the two families, perhaps by giving us more scenes between Paul and Abdul; currently they only appear together once, in a confusing flashback.

    But the unusual location, story and characters are solid. This world premiere is highly recommended.

    Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with an intermission.

    Jay Romero and Tyler Brennan. Photo by Mark Garvin.
    Jay Romero and Tyler Brennan. Photo by Mark Garvin.

    The Roses in June plays through Saturday, July 1, 2017, and is presented by Seagull Productions, performing at Plays and Players Theatre – 1714 Delancey Place, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call (866) 811-4111, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Shakespeare in Hollywood’ at the Stagecrafters Theater

    Review: ‘Shakespeare in Hollywood’ at the Stagecrafters Theater

    A good American farce is as rare as a diamond. If you can write a crazy comedy that will keep audiences laughing, regional and community theaters will beat a path to your door. Ken Ludwig, oft-produced creator of Lend Me a Tenor and Crazy for You, has outdone himself with Shakespeare in Hollywood. Here is a satiric farce that you will remember fondly tomorrow morning.

    Jim Broyles, Jeff Ragan, and Patrick Cathcart. Photo by Sara Stewart.
    Jim Broyles, Jeff Ragan, and Patrick Cathcart. Photo by Sara Stewart.

    Ludwig obviously knows and loves his Shakespeare. Half of the play is quotes (or near-quotes) from the bard. The other half is the crackling, speedy barbs of 1930s screwball comedy. Only a brilliant farceur could combine these two.

    The setting is Hollywood in the mid-thirties. Warner Bros. Studio, famed for their backstage musicals and gangster films, is making A Midsummer Night’s Dream, not with experienced Shakespeareans, but with contract movie stars such as Dick Powell, James Cagney, and Mickey Rooney. Directing this sure-to-flop oddity is the greatest and most famous European stage director, Max Reinhardt. The most ridiculous part of all this is that it actually happened.

    Enter Ken Ludwig. As he tells it, Jack Warner, head of production, is forced to produce Dream because his sexy actress/mistress demands a “prestige” picture. Since Shakespeare’s play is filled with magic, Ludwig adds his own. Puck and Oberon, the fairies of the play, find themselves not in Athens, but on the Hollywood set of the film. After discovering the wonders of such modern delights as Coca-Cola and waffles, they are seduced by the “hot chicks” and extravagant lifestyle, not to mention the money and celebrity that comes from something called “movies.” Antics ensue, including those magic flowers, mistaken love potions and all the lunacy of Shakespeare’s play.

    What sets Shakespeare in Hollywood above the average farce is the satire. The fatuous and grotesque Louella Parsons (skillfully played by Rhonda Goldstein) is surprised when she interviews the appropriately dour Max Reinhardt (Joe Tranchitella).

    Parsons: What brings you to the United States?

    Reinhardt: … is funny story. There is a man in my country named Hitler who is killing people.

    When Jack tells the other Warners that he is producing Shakespeare, they demand to know when this new guy will show up to do rewrites. This continues for a delectable two hours.

    Jim Broyles and Neena Boyle. Photo by Sara Stewart.
    Jim Broyles and Neena Boyle. Photo by Sara Stewart.

    Director Yaga Brady has fielded a cast equally skilled in screwball and Shakespeare. The poetry is beautifully handled by Jim Broyles (as Oberon), Joshua Keiter (Puck) and Neena Boyle (Hermia). They are ready to step into any play by Shakespeare anytime. As for screwball, we have Geremy Webne-Behrman (as Dick Powell), Patrick Cathcart (Joe E. Brown) and R.O. Scott (James Cagney), who are befuddled by this assignment and eager to return to their more popular genres. T.J. Deluca (as Jack Warner) is a lusty, cigar-chomping megalomaniac, while Anna Pysher adds the hot sauce as his available girlfriend.

    This production is not filled with impersonations; the actors capture the essence of Cagney and Brown without the mannerisms. But there is one brilliant exception. Jeff Ragan seems to have stepped off the Vitaphone screen with his dead-on Will Hays, the former postmaster elevated to the exalted position of Hollywood censor. He is the villain of the piece, as he demands that Dream be stripped of all traces of “bestiality.”

    Shakespeare in Hollywood at StagecraftersThe required acting style of Shakespeare in Hollywood is “overplayed sincerity,” which director Brady has obtained from the entire cast.

    Set Designer Scott Killinger creates a backdrop that entirely captures the feel of the original film, while Jennifer Allegra’s costumes resurrect the overblown Germanic style of the Reinhardt originals. Steve Brady’s sound design provides the exact music, thunder, and enchantment. Gilbert Todd’s quick-change lighting creates the proper wizardry, and special thanks to whomever created Puck’s wig.

    The laughter came hardest from my side of the house. Farce, satire and Ken Ludwig can’t be beat.

    Running Time: Two hours, with an intermission.

    Shakespeare in Hollywood plays through Sunday, June 25, 2017 at The Stagecrafters Theater – 8130 Germantown Avenue, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 247-9913, or purchase them online.

  • Review: ‘Morning’s at Seven’ at Old Academy Players in Philadelphia

    Review: ‘Morning’s at Seven’ at Old Academy Players in Philadelphia

    Alone.
    Lonesome.
    Free.

    These three words appear often in Paul Osborn’s classic Morning’s at Seven, now on view at Old Academy Players in East Falls. This play has become a staple of regional and community theaters, as it offers brilliant comic/serious roles for mature performers.

    Rich Geller, Susan Triggiani, and Susan Blair. Photo courtesy Old Academy Players.
    Rich Geller, Susan Triggiani, and Susan Blair. Photo courtesy Old Academy Players.

    The story is Chekhovian in structure. There are four sisters and three husbands who live in close proximity in a small Midwestern town. One sister is an “old maid” (this is 1938) who lives with one of the couples, and there is also a 40-year-old son and his fiancée/girlfriend. The three words mentioned above figure powerfully in the interactions.

    First some history: Osborn’s play opened on Broadway in 1938 in a production directed by Joshua Logan starring Dorothy Gish. Critics dismissed the comedy as too cute for words and the play closed a few weeks later. Morning’s at Seven was then ignored for decades until a regional production transferred to Broadway in 1980, with a cast performing with such depth of character and feeling that the word “cute” was forgotten. Since then, the play is often revived and is now considered an American classic.

    The “quaint” quality is still apparent in the Old Academy Players production, but the experienced cast, directed by Loretta Lucy Miller, is well on the way to the required complexity.

    Rich Geller, Susan Triggiani, Robert Toczek, and Jennifer Sivers-Roberts. Photo courtesy Old Academy Players.
    Rich Geller, Susan Triggiani, Robert Toczek, and Jennifer Sivers-Roberts. Photo courtesy Old Academy Players.

    Osborn’s writing gives ample time in the spotlight to each of the cast members. Best of all are the always excellent Susan Blair, as Arie, the sharp-tongued unmarried sister who never found a man good enough for her, and Jennifer Sivers-Roberts as the pathetic girlfriend, Myrtle. Blair nails the humor in the first act and the tragedy of loneliness in the second, while Sivers-Roberts effectively agonizes as she embodies the plight of the neglected girlfriend of twelve years.

    Linda Palmarozza brings laughs as the oldest sister, Effie, whose husband banishes her to the upper floor of their mansion for the crime of visiting friends and relatives. Susan Triggiani captures the pain of Cora, who is forced to share her living space with a younger and thoughtless sister. Her husband Thor (Rich Geller) is a lovable if dim fellow, while Mike Mogar suffers panic attacks as a husband who wishes he’d taken a different fork in the road of life.

    Morning's at Seven at Old Academy Players.Lawrence H. Geller is appropriately supercilious as the fired college professor who feels everyone is a moron. And while Kimberly Hess (as Ida, the loyal wife whose husband is contemplating leaving her for a roommate) and Robert Toczek (as Homer, the conflicted son) don’t quite deliver comedic star turns, they are well on the way. Director Miller has proven herself a strong director in past productions, so this one should grow nicely.

    Set designer Scott Killinger succeeds in the unhappy task of cramming two backyards onto a shoebox stage. Osborn was a typical ’30s writer and imagined all of his plays on a Broadway size platform. The limited playing area creates problems for the director, who really needs a good deal of space to stage the play. Jane Jennings’ costumes epitomize the period and the characters, and the lighting by Jesse Friedman, Carla Childs, and Sarah Labov effectively illuminates the differences between evening and morning.

    The humor in Morning’s at Seven can’t help but feel a bit twee at times. Still, Old Academy Players’ production boasts some fine performances, and the deeper the performances get, the better they will be.

    Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with an intermission.

    Morning’s at Seven plays through Sunday, June 25, 2017 at Old Academy Players – 3544 Indian Queen Lane, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 843-1109.

  • Talking With 16 Year-Old Amir Randall on Playing Trayvon Martin in ‘The Ballad of Trayvon Martin’ at New Freedom Theatre

    Talking With 16 Year-Old Amir Randall on Playing Trayvon Martin in ‘The Ballad of Trayvon Martin’ at New Freedom Theatre

    “Without these people, I would just be another black boy passing on the street”

    “The Ballad of Trayvon Martin by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj and Thomas J. Soto is a poetic docudrama inspired by the death of teenager Trayvon Martin inside a private gated community in Florida. Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a white neighborhood watch volunteer. With Florida’s now famous “Stand Your Ground Law” in place, Zimmerman was unsurprisingly acquitted in the murder trial. Trayvon was clearly not the dangerous thug that the shooter made him out to be. Instead of a gun, he held a bag of Skittles. His dream was to one day become a pilot. Instead, it is his legacy to be known by millions of Americans as a symbol of just how tough it is to be a young black man in this country.” –Neal Newman, in his DCMetroTheaterArts review of The Ballad of Trayvon Martin

    Henrik: You are only 16 and already starring in a major production at the New Freedom Theatre, Pennsylvania’s oldest African American theatre. Tell us about the influences that inspired you to pursue acting and keep moving forward in a tough world—both in the streets and on theater stages. 

    Amir:  Seeing people like Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier, symbols of the African-American culture and movements in the United States, made me very fond of theatre and the arts. Being able to portray stories, characters, and lessons gives me a sense of purpose that inspires me to appreciate and take part in theatre and a new sense of the world.

    Director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, right, leans on actor Amir Randall, who plays Trayvon Martin after a rehearsal for 'The Ballad of Trayvon Martin' at the New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia. AP Photo/by Matt Slocum.
    Director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, right, leans on actor Amir Randall, who plays Trayvon Martin after a rehearsal for ‘The Ballad of Trayvon Martin’ at the New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia. AP Photo/by Matt Slocum.

    You grew up in a non-traditional family with your grandmother and great-grandmother, both of whom seem to have influenced you as a young person and an actor. Tell us about the first time you realized that you liked acting and how those two women shaped your life. 

    When I was around ten, my grandmother randomly rode me to a sample class at Freedom Theatre in about 2010. I was very hesitant to take part in the class and open myself up to acting, but once they let the students on stage, it was an instant love. Being on such a powerful and historic stage gave me that sense of purpose that drives me to be an actor. My grandmother and great-grandmother have always supported me in whatever I pursued, so I had an extra push in my art that allowed me to be steps ahead and really appreciate acting.

    You said that the predominately African American New Freedom Theatre helped you excel as an artist. Could you give some examples?

    Being around so many beautiful, spiritual, and talented people of the same color as me gave me a humongous sense of belonging. There is such an intimacy and family-like aura that surrounds you when talented black performers come together in one of the last African-American theatres in America to expose their great art to the world and especially the community. It always feels like you’re united as the vision of your ancestors who have endured years of struggle, injustice, and prejudice. I have always held this knowledge close to me and accredit it to one of the many instances that have made me the actor I am today.

    Could you describe the training that you experienced in the process of working on The Ballad of Trayvon Martin? What did you learn about yourself?

    While not directly taught during the rehearsal process, just listening and watching the many talented actors taught me so much. The ambition of these people around me to really project the life of Trayvon Martin was staggering. People that have more experience than me felt like family and people I could consider great friends, mentors, and teachers.

    The play itself taught me to cherish every moment of my life, for it can be taken away at any moment. Life is not fair, so I know now that I have to put my lessons and wisdom into the world whenever I can.

    Amir Randall in ‘The Ballad of Trayvon Martin.’ Photo by www.ethimofoto.net.
    Amir Randall in ‘The Ballad of Trayvon Martin.’ Photo by www.ethimofoto.net.

    We saw you on stage as a child, a teenager, a member of a group of friends playing ball, a frightened young man facing George Zimmerman’s gun, a victim, a visitor in the place of the dead, and as a polished speaker, delivering an impassioned and sophisticated concluding speech to the audience. Describe the shifting mindsets of Trayvon Martin that you presented and the processes you had to go through to portray such a multi-faceted character.

    It is most definitely a challenge. Having to drop into the role every night and grip the deep places inside of me to make the performance give as much justice to Trayvon, takes a lot out of me. I usually relate the actions and scenes of Trayvon to similar situations I experienced in my life. This makes it so surreal and a time for me to reflect on myself as a teenage boy.

    How did any of the scenarios that Trayvon experienced in his life relate to aspects of your own life, especially against the backdrop of all the many young people of color that have been killed in the U.S. over the last few years?

    Being the same age as Trayvon, it really affects me. It makes me sick that people still in this day and age, judge by what someone wears or where he is from. As a nation and a society, we must overcome this mental disposition of putting people in a box. As a united world, this cannot be something carried on as it is dangerous and limits the intellect and potential of so many black and minority kids today.

    What are your goals for your future?

    For a very long time my goal was to study Aerospace Engineering or Military Science and then join the military as an officer, and then pursue a career as an FBI SWAT member. Yet, after going through the experience of portraying a powerful message through The Ballad of Trayvon Martin, theatre has been passing my mind as something I would like to pursue. When the time comes, I will use my discretion to choose my path, depending on the opportunities that arise and what will be the most beneficial for myself and the messages I want to convey.

    If you had the opportunity to address black teenagers who may be angry, especially toward authority figures such as parents, teachers, and police officers, how would you tell them to express their thoughts and feelings in such a way that they don’t endanger themselves in one of the most deadly societies for minority members in the Western world?

    Trayvon Martin and his father.
    Trayvon Martin and his father.

    I would tell them, “Listen! Understand that racial division is just that, a division. You can’t protest with Black Lives Matter and then continue the next day as if nothing had happened. If you are angry, let your lifetime goal be to make the world understand what you believe in your own way. If that way would be writing, protesting, performing, or whatever is right for you, put your frustration into that. Anger can be beautiful or horrible. It is up to you how you use your anger.”

    Is there anything else you would like to share?

    I would just like to thank my role models like [rapper] Kendrick Lamar, [football player] Antonio Brown, [actors] Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington—and all the major influences in my life, especially my grandmother and great-grandmother. These people do what they can every day to empower those who struggle and find passion in what they do. Without these people I would just be another black boy passing on the street.

    Running Time: Two hours and 15 minutes, with an intermission.

    TRAVONMARTIN_Slider-New

    The Ballad of Trayvon Martin plays through this Sunday May 22, 2016 at New Freedom Theatre-1346 Broad Street (Broad and Master), in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets call the box office at (888) 802-8998, or purchase them online.

    LINKS:
    The Ballad of Trayvon Martin reviewed by Neal Newman on DCMetroTheaterArts.

    Watch a TV interview with Amir Randall and Playwright and Director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj.