There’s just no tune
As exciting
As a showtune
In two-four…
For Jerry Herman, the lyrics of this early composition, “Showtune,” represent a kind of mission statement. In song after song, in Broadway hits like Mame, La Cage aux Folles and Hello, Dolly!, Herman has made it his goal in life to send people out of a theatre humming his tunes. And while some may dismiss his style as antiquated or unsophisticated, there’s no denying that, most of the time, his relentlessly upbeat and melodic songs do the trick.
The revue Jerry’s Girls takes a bunch of Herman’s best songs and fits them into a revue format. It’s not always a smooth fit, but it’s a lovely way to spend a couple of hours, thanks to a solid production and a terrific cast.
Barbara McCulloh, Rebecca Robbins, and Adrienne S. Wells. Photo by Mark Garvin.
Barbara McCulloh, Rebecca Robbins, and Adrienne S. Wells are the trio of performers doing justice to Herman’s songs. They do most of their songs together, singing in unison (on “Put On Your Sunday Clothes”) or Andrews Sisters-style harmony (on “Kiss Her Now,” from the 1969 show Dear World). But they each get a chance to shine on some of Herman’s more tender material: Robbins does an emotional solo on “If He Walked Into My Life,” Wells does the same on “I Don’t Want to Know,” and McCulloh scores on “Time Heals Everything.”
And other numbers offer cheery pleasures: McCulloh and Robbins sparring in the sure-fire comedy number “Bosom Buddies,” Wells putting a jazzy spin on the title number of La Cage, and Robbins using her sterling soprano to get laughs (from movie lovers of a certain age) with her Jeanette MacDonald impression on “Nelson.”
“Nelson” is part of a movie-themed medley that flows naturally through songs like “Movies Were Movies” and “Just Go to the Movies.” But as conceived by Herman, Larry Alford and Wayne Cilento, Jerry’s Girls doesn’t always give Herman’s material the support it needs. Most of Herman’s songs were written to fit the plots of his musicals, and they often don’t make sense out of context.
A prime example is my favorite Herman ballad, “I Won’t Send Roses” from Mack and Mabel: changing the singer from a man to a woman doesn’t work, and adding the conceit of having the woman read the lyrics from a letter supposedly written by a man is just plain awkward. Even the jaunty title tune of Mame doesn’t work well on its own (the lyric “You make the cotton easy to pick” demands some explanation), and attempts to link songs together via props rather than dialogue are inelegant.
Barbara McCulloh and Adrienne S. Wells. Photo by Mark Garvin.
But if Jerry’s Girls is a bit of a bumpy ride, Herman’s lovely melodies and sunny attitude make the show easy to enjoy. And Director Ellie Mooney’s production gives it an appealing sheen. There’s an easygoing chemistry between the performers, and the pace never lags. Mooney’s only major misstep is to allow the audience to see many of the costume changes onstage, with the ladies singing in their lingerie for long stretches. It feels invasive and uncomfortable, and it’s out of step with the dignified, well-mannered bearing of Herman’s songs.
Those costumes are impressive, though. Each performer goes through multiple costume changes, with Mary Folino’s costumes and wigs encompassing everything from 19th century elegance for the Dolly numbers to short skirts and fishnet stockings for the La Cage numbers. Roman Tatarowicz’s scenic design, with alcoves for each performer that serve as onstage dressing rooms, are both functional and decorative, though the limited space doesn’t allow much room for Mooney’s choreography. Shon Causer’s lighting design (making shrewd use of the steps and proscenium as light sources) adds a touch of class. And Musical Director Dan Kazemi provides solid support with his energetic flourishes on piano and percussion.
The ladies of Jerry’s Girls are major talents who you’ll enjoy listening to for a couple hours. You probably know many of the show’s songs, and even the songs you don’t know may somehow feel familiar, which is part of Herman’s genius.
Jerry Herman’s songs make you feel good, and so will the Walnut’s Jerry’s Girls.
Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes, including an intermission.
Barbara McCulloh, Rebecca Robbins, and Adrienne S. Wells. Photo by Mark Garvin.
Jerry’s Girls plays through July 2, 2017 at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3 — 825 Walnut Street, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 574-3550, or (800)-982-2787, or purchase themonline.
Green seems to be the everlasting black for the blockbuster Broadway musical Wicked, as its national tour returns to The Kennedy Center’s Opera House this holiday season to tell The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz for a limited three and a half week engagement.
Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, a prequel and partial sequel to L. Frank Baum’s beloved The Wizard of Oz and its 1939 movie incarnation, Wicked illustriously illuminates what happened in the Land of Oz years before Dorothy arrives, revealing a surprising tale of an unlikely friendship between the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba), and Glinda the Good (Galinda).
Jeremy Woodard (Fiyero) and Jessica Vosk (Elphaba). Photo by Joan Marcus.
Directed by two-time Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello, amplified with the thrilling musical score of Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz and Wayne Cilento’s dexterous musical staging, the juggernaut production recounts the odyssey of how Elphaba and Galinda first met as University sorcery students and, despite their initial rivalry, eventually evolve to become best friends.
Jessica Vosk (Elphaba). Photo by Joan Marcus.
Newcomer Jessica Vosk is sensational as the tragically misunderstood Elphaba. In spite of being shunned – even by her own father – her Elphaba is strong-willed, smart and spirited from the get go. A powerhouse singer, Vosk hits all the high notes with poise, power and passion, delivering “The Wizard and I,”“No Good Deed and For Good”(duet with Glinda) to an awestruck audience; her showstopping number “Defying Gravity” was chiefly compelling, garnering thunderous applause and exuberant cheers to the dramatic Act I finale.
Correspondingly, Amanda Jane Cooper is amusingly winsome as fantastically popular, stylish and perky G(a)linda. With her perfected giggle, unapologetic self-adoration and pronounced comedic physicality, which was memorably showcased in “Popular,” Cooper’s Galinda was reminiscent of Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods: enormously entertaining and endearing.
Amanda Jane Cooper (Galinda) and Jessica Vosk. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Each member of the ensemble (whose roles varied from flying monkeys, university students, denizens of Emerald City, palace guards and other citizens of Oz) and supporting characters were similarly outstanding: Jeremy Woodard was both bracing and earnest as a conflicted Fiyero; Chad Jennings was stately and dignified as the animal professor Doctor Dillamond; Broadway veteran Isabel Keating was commanding and brash as a cynical Madame Morrible; and TV and Broadway veteran Fred Applegate was amiable and charming as the ethically-challenged Wizard. Likewise, Andy Mientus was a loyal and stalwart Boq and Kristen Martin was keenly measured as Elphaba’s wheelchair-bound sister, Nessarose.
Staggeringly grand with eye-popping visuals, sparkling tunefulness, and finely-calibrated choreography, Wicked is a divinely magical production in every respect, well-deserving of its spell-binding success.
Running Time:Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
Wickedplays through January 8, 2017, at The Kennedy Center’s Opera Theater – 2700 F Street, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call (202) 467-4600, or purchase them online.
Have you ever wondered what happened before Dorothy’s arrival in the Land of Oz in the classic 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz? How did the Wicked Witch become so wicked? How did the Good Witch become so good? These and other questions are answered in a spectacular, high-flying prequel to the stories of that mythical land, as the National Tour of Wicked visits Baltimore’s beautiful and historic Hippodrome Theatre.
Carrie St. Louis (Glinda) and Alyssa Fox (Elphaba) in the national tour of ‘Wicked.’ Photo by Joan Marcus.
Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, this Tony Award-winning Broadway show features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwarz and book by Winnie Holzman. With just the right mix of comedy and drama, Wicked imagines the early lives of two very different girls who meet in a fantasy land and form a sort of “odd couple” friendship, and what becomes of that friendship when the forces of jealousy, bigotry, and political corruption take over.
The incomparable Alyssa Fox plays Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, and the remarkable Carrie St. Louis portrays Glinda who is dubbed as the Good Witch. With most of the story told in flashback, the play begins with Glinda arriving in a bubble to confirm the news that the Wicked Witch of the West is dead, as the citizens of Oz celebrate their good fortune. Then, Glinda starts to have memories of Elphaba’s unfortunate life. Conceived through an affair between the wife of the Governor and a mysterious stranger using a magical green seduction potion, Elphaba was born with emerald green skin. Glinda takes on a wistful sadness about her former friend even as the Ozians engage in the triumphant production number, “No One Mourns the Wicked.”
The flashback continues with Glinda and Elphaba becoming friends at school. If we ignore her green skin and budding mystical powers, Elphaba is a good and kind, bright but insecure teenage girl who wants to fit in, wants to be liked by her peers, and wants to fall in love and be loved in return. Glinda, on the other hand, is the quintessential confident, successful, “Popular” teenage girl, although a bit dim intellectually. She asks her professor, “Why don’t you just teach us history, and stop harping on the past?” Nevertheless, Glinda is also good and kind and willing to help Elphaba gain the acceptance she so desperately seeks. Later, in Jane Austen-esque fashion, their friendship is sorely tested as both girls become attracted to the wealthy, dashing, head-turningly handsome Fiyero, beautifully portrayed by Ashley Parker Angel. As if that weren’t enough, their friendship is tested again when they meet the Wizard (John Davidson) and each has to decide whether to “grovel in submission to feed your own ambition” or say, “I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game.”
Alyssa Fox’s performance is nothing short of amazing as she captures the complex layers of Elphaba’s personality and displays a thrilling and compelling vocal talent in such numbers as the hopeful, “The Wizard and I” and the despairing, “I’m Not That Girl.” But, the showstopper comes when Elphaba rises up and refuses to accept limitations in the dazzling and audacious anthem, “Defying Gravity.”
Ashley Parker Angel (Fiyero). Photo by Joan Marcus.
With a lovely soprano voice and skillful acrobatic dancing, Carrie St. Louis shines in the role of Glinda—a vain, shallow, almost criminally perky young woman who is used to getting her own way, but who grows to see the good in others. When she performs the novelty number, “Popular,” she is sweet, sarcastic, and hilarious—all at the same time. In his portrayal of the heartthrob Fiyero, Ashley Parker Angel provides a sometimes silly, sometimes sad, but always entertaining performance. And, appropriately cast as the Wizard, the legendary John Davidson of television fame gives a multi-talented portrayal of a surprisingly multi-dimensional character.
Led by Director Joe Mantello, with Musical Staging by Wayne Cilento, all cast members turn in bravura performances, especially in sizzling production numbers such as the rock ballet, “Dancing Through Life,” and flawless aerial work. Kudos to Music Director P. Jason Yarcho, Dance Arranger James Lynn Abbott, Music Supervisor Stephen Oremus, and Music Coordinator Michael Keller! And a special nod to the crystal clear Sound Design that helped to tell this amazing story.
Costume Designer Susan Hilferty provides a stunning array of colors and styles. Especially effective are the black and white costumes in a variety of patterns for members of the ensemble in “Dancing Through Life,” along with the brilliant green costumes in the Emerald City scenes.
Set Designer Eugene Lee uses a variety of circles of various sizes—gears, wheels, clock faces, and dials—as the main theme, along with the iconic dragon with eerie red eyes and a huge wing span, high atop the front of the stage. Kenneth Posner’s lighting design provides a near perfect complement with a clever combination of haunting fades and bright crayon colors.
Wicked has everything a theatre-lover could ask for, including witty satire, great music, and ultra-clever lyrics. And, there are many plot twists and references that will especially delight fans of the original Wizard of Oz film. Quite literally, Wicked soars to the heights and you won’t want to miss this transcendent theatre experience!
The cast of ‘Wicked.’ Photo by Joan Marcus.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 45 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
Wickedplays through April 26, 2015 at the Hippodrome Theatre at France-Merrick Performing Arts Center – 12 North Eutaw St, in Baltimore, MD. For tickets, call (800) 982-ARTS or purchase them online.
Bruce Dow is wowing DC audiences with his high-energy and funny performance of the slave Pseudolus in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Bruce Dow. Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Theatre Company.
Joel: How did you get involved with STC’s production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?
Bruce: I can’t remember the exact “who called whom first,” but I remember early last year speaking to Alan Paul, Associate Director at STC and director of Forum. I wanted to know if they were interested in my auditioning for the role – and Alan wanted to know if I was interested in doing the show with STC – which, of course, I was! As I recall it, we sorta called each other for the same reason and met in the middle of the telephone line!
You have played the role of Pseudolus before at the Stratford Festival. Tell us about that production and how this new production is similar and/or different. Have you played the role elsewhere besides Stratford?
Bruce Dow (Pseudolus). Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
The Stratford Production was re-imagining for director Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy, Big River) and choreographer Wayne Cilento (Wicked, The Who’s Tommy) of a production they had done together years before at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. For me, the honour was to be trusted by these two great men of the American theatre to carry a production they had loved for so long. While it was not a direct “re-mount,” there was a lot of things that had been worked out to fit the existing design of the piece – and, obviously, both men had very strong opinions about the piece – which was fine with me, as it was my first foray into this kind of material.
Alan Paul’s production at STC, choreographed by the marvelous Josh Rhodes (Cinderella on Broadway), is very different – in as much as two productions of the same piece by Shakespeare may be different. This production is elegant, glossy, and heartfelt. The previous one, while also heartfelt, was a bit more broad (in no way a bad thing!)
The joy for me has been to play with this new company, with Alan and Josh who brought nothing but love and respect to the material, and to question, change, and/or re-trust in the choices I had made before.
I’ve never done two productions of the same play in the same role before.
Why is Pseudolus so much fun to play? And what is it about playing this role that makes you want to play the role over again?
Fun? FUN!?!?! Ha! Of course, Pseudolus is fun to play – but it is a marathon, and a bit of an out-of-body experience for me. Pseudolus wants his freedom. That has to be real and true, throughout the madness. That’s hard to juggle. Pseudolus is often NOT the funny man – he is more often than not the straight man for the crazy characters around him. And, as with any “clever servant” role, he has to stay connected to the audience AND stay ahead of the other characters in a very fast moving, and complicated plot.
For me the play is a race-horse. I get to/have to jockey it through a steeple chase. And, hopefully, harm no one in the process. You may end up offended, but you won’t be harmed! Ha!
How do you relate to Pseudolus and how much of your own personality will we see in your own performance?
I could never go to the lengths and machinations that Pseudolus does throughout the play – I couldn’t do that to other people. But, then, I have never needed something as much as he has needed his freedom. When I remember that, the motivation is much less aggressive, to me, than it may appear on paper.
If I can bring any part of myself to this role, it is the love for the people around him. MY Pseudolus, as much as he wants to be free of them all, cares deeply about all of the characters in the play – it is never his intention to harm any of them.
I hope there is an element of compassion that might shine through the madness.
I know it is not necessarily how the role was written – I have to jockey some moments quite extensively – but, I think it makes for a closer connection for me to the role. I hope, too, that it makes him more understood by the audience. Slavery is no laughing matter.
Tom Story as Hysterium and Julie Johnson as Domina. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
How hard is it to work with a new director and a new production when you have played the role elsewhere?
I really wanted to come to this role anew. Alan gave me the chance to do that. Any difficulty that may have occurred only did so when I had to re-wire my thinking about the role – things that had become reflex needed to be re-worked physically and mentally.
To make a “new’ choice about a character you have already played is not always easy – but when you find it, it can be terribly rewarding.
What do you like the most about working with Alan Paul and the cast of Forum at STC?
Alan is a very gentle soul. He always asked all of us to return to “the truth” whenever possible. That was a joy. They say a director’s job is 90% casting and (present company excepted, ha!) Alan did an amazing job at assembling a great team for this piece. Masters of the craft like Julie Johnson (Domina), Danny Rutigliano (Marcus Lycus), Harry Winter (Erronius), and Steve Vinovich (Senex) just know their sh*t (sorry) so well – that it makes working with them and watching them a delight.
I love to learn, and I know I still have a lot to learn.
Working, too, with brilliant relative new-comers like Nick Verina, Edward Watts, and Lora Lee Gayer (they are hardly new-comers, but when compared to the rest of us old-farts, they are!) – these guys prove that the next generation of actors will be more than capable of carrying on the great traditions of this brand of comedy.
Then… sigh… there is Tom Story… sigh… Ha! While being of the younger-generation than I – he is my cohort, best buddy, and an admired colleague.
What scene that you and Tom are in together do you enjoy performing the most?
I love every scene with Tom. It’s like playing with a virtuosic musician. We almost breathe together. I love it.
There’s a reason he is so loved here and across the country.
What are your favorite lyrics from the songs you sing or do not sing, and what song is your favorite in the show?
My favourite songs in the show will always be “Love, I Hear” and “Free.” They are two of the finest examples of a classic “I want” song, and both come back-to-back – rare in a musical. “Love, I Hear” sets up Hero for the rest of the show. “Free” sets up, I believe, the thematic thrust of the whole show, not just for Pseudolus and his freedom – but for the freedom desired by each of the characters. Both are “baby” Sondheim at his very best. Complex, and yet, so true and endearing.
David C. Woolard has created some outrageous costumes for the show. Which ones are your favorites and if you could trade in your toga for someone else’s costume, what would you want to wear?
I love my own costume. To have someone design something that so well defines the character and the tone of the performance of that character – and yet, to have it still be the most comfortable thing I have ever worn EVER – is a miracle. Other faves are Phylia’s costume – the fabric is insane and almost glows – plus, Lora Lee in it is pretty glorious! And the Cortesans: which each have a contemporary, yet a tip of the hat to the original period of the show. Love them all.
How would you describe the score that Stephen Sondheim wrote for Forum?
Sondheim himself described it best when he said that it was his job to write, not songs in the Rodgers and Hammerstein vein that would move the story forward, but, rather write songs that act as a respite from the madness of the piece. Personally, I think he accomplished both. The songs move the story forward, or, at least do nothing to slow it down – and – they also let the audience get acquainted with each character as a real person – before any madness ensues.
The lyrics feel somewhat like “Sondheim under supervision” – I feel him wanting to break out the brilliance he showed later, but being harnessed a bit by the world-of-the-play. “Free” is about as complex a Sondheim lyric as you are going to see – and it’s the most complex ideas presented musically in the show.
The music is a brilliant young composer flexing his muscles and his understanding of pastiche, but, also exploring elements of a new tonality and rhythm for a Broadway show – a new sound.
You have done some work on television and in film. What does performing on the stage give you that working in these other mediums does not?
I have not done a lot fo work on television and film. Maybe I will do more some-day, given the chance, but I’ve been blessed to be working in the theatre most of the time – and film and TV can’t work around that schedule.
However, in my limited experience, the magic of the theatre happens somewhere in the air between the stage and the audience. And a live theatre is the only place that kind of energy/chemistry can happen.
Why do you think A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is still so popular 51 years after it opened on Broadway?
It’s popular because it’s funny. And it’s funny because what is funny in the show is what is true in life. It was true back in the days of the original source material by Plautus and Menander, and it remains true today. Human foibles never change. We all want to be free, to love, to make love, to eat, poop, and sleep.
Forum reflects the “human-family-comedy.” And it is so well constructed that you just can’t help but be taken under it’s spell.
Sure, there are some moments that feel slightly aged, and if you insist on wearing your “political correctness hat” – it’s not always going to please: but, I think girls have always been pretty, and smart, and sexy, and men have always been driven, and foolish, and loveable. Great things never change.
(and, personally, I think “political correctness” has done more to suck the life and progress out of the human experience than anything since the McCarthy era… We HAVE to be able to laugh at our own foibles. – I’m NOT talking about things that are hurtful – I’m talking about things that may embarrass us, but remain true nonetheless).
Steve Vinovich (Senex), Bruce Dow (Pseudolus), Tom Story (Hysterium), and Danny Rutigliano (Marcus Lycus). Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
What other roles from a Sondheim musical would you like to play in the future and why would you like to play these characters?
I have already played “The Baker” in Into The Woods. I’d love a chance to re-explore him, though, I doubt I would get a better production. It was very special. Someday I would love to play “Ben” in Follies; “Sweeney” in Sweeney Todd (though it terrifies me), also “The Beadle” in Sweeney Todd (I played Pirelli years ago, and loved that). Also, “Frederick” in A Little Night Music. Of course, I wanna play Mama Rose… but that ain’t pure Sondheim, that’s Jules Styne, too – and I doubt anyone will cast me!
What do you want the audience to take with them after watching you perform in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?
I just hope they would still talk to me after the show! If I get a smile and a glance, I’m happy!
Running Time: Two and a half hours, with a 15-minute intermission. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum plays through January 5, 2014 at Sydney Harman Hall at Shakespeare Theatre Company – 610 F Street, NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call the box office at (202) 547-1122, or purchase them online.
LINK
Anne Tsang’s review of Forum on DCMetroTheaterArts.
