Anyone Can Whistle

Dan Folino and Katherine DeBoer make ANYONE CAN WHISTLE worth seeing

When Martin Friedman, Artistic Director of The Lakeland Civic Theatre, announced he was staging Stephen Sondheim’s ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, there were some raised eyebrows in the theatre community. Friedman is a Sondheimophile. He knows the master’s works well. Why would he even adventure into Whistle land, which is fraught with land mines?

Originally entitled, THE NATIVES ARE RESTLESS, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE was a resounding flop on Broadway. Classified as the first absurdist musical, it lasted just thirteen previews and nine performances in spite of a cast that included Angela Lansbury and Lee Remick.

The show was seemingly doomed from the start. It took thirty-three backers’ auditions to raise the money. The lead supporting male had a heart attack, one of the dancers fell into the orchestra pit and died, Angela Lansbury, in her first musical production, was so unhappy with her performance that they considered replacing her. The three act format, the last major musical written in this style, was too long and whacking away at it resulted in some of the best songs being cut. This is not the stuff hit musicals are made of.

Sondheim, himself, in his book FINISHING THE HAT, COLLECTED LYRICS (1954-1981) WITH ATTENDANT COMMENTS, PRINCIPLES, HERESIES, GRUDGES, WHINES AND ANECDOTES states, “The show suffered a number of indignities during the pre-Broadway tour in Philadelphia. The fault was not in our stars but in ourselves” (music and lyrics by Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents).

The show takes place in a small American town, which is a financial and physical wreck because its manufacturing base is a plant that makes a product which never wears out, and is the home of the Cookie Jar, an insane asylum. Cora Hoover Hooper, the town’s mayor and owner of the plant, comes up with a scheme to create a fake Lourdes-like miracle fountain. A nurse (Fay Apple) who covers up her identity by using a French accent and a red wig, a psycho (J. Bowden Hapgood)who is misidentified as Cookie Jar’s new assistant director, and three manipulating town employees create pandemonium.

The music is exceptional. Actually, some reviewers, in retrospect, call it Sondheim at his best. The album has a strong cult following and if the book was eliminated and the songs just sung, the choral concert might well have been a hit. Songs include There Won’t be Trumpets, Anyone Can Whistle, Everybody Says Don’t, and With So Little To Be Sure Of.

Lakeland’s production, under Friedman’s direction, is quite uneven. The leads are wonderful. Dan Folino, who left the area several years ago to take a position at Barter Theatre in Virginia, is back, and local theatre goers cheer his return. Folino has proven over and over that whether it’s comedy, drama or musicals, he is superb. His strong singing voice, ability to create real characters and dancing ability all add up to make his portrayal of Hapwood, a show highlight. Katherine DeBoer is fine as nurse Fay Apple. Good voice and a nice touch with the quirky. The duo has wonderful chemistry together.

Voluptuous Amiee Collier doesn’t quite convince as the mayor, but her singing and seduction scenes are well done.

The rest of the cast tries hard, but they don’t have a lot to work with and don’t always seem to understand how to create farce.

Larry Goodpaster does a nice job with the orchestra, supporting, rather than drowning out the singers. Trad Burns set design and lighting work well. Jennifer Justice’s choreography is fairly pedestrian. There needed to be more bizarre, let-loose joy from the cookies.

Capsule judgement: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE is a weak script which gets an acceptable production at Lakeland. It’s worth going just to experience Dan Folino and Katherine DeBoer in action.

Radio Golf

RADIO GOLF, Cleveland Play House’s Black History month production

Black history month means an explosion of theatre offerings in this multi-racial city. Ensemble has already performed A SONG FOR CORETTA and LOWER NINTH. Karamu staged THE BLUEST EYE, and though it will be beyond February they will stage GEM OF THE OCEAN from May 11-June 3. East Cleveland Theater is staging Wilson’s FENCES February 11-March 4, True North Cultural Arts will present THE PIANO LESSON from February 17-March 4 and Cuyahoga County Community College stages TWO TRAINS RUNNING at its Metro campus from March 29-April 7. The latter four scripts were written by August Wilson, as is the Cleveland Play House’s present production, RADIO GOLF.

RADIO GOLF is a seminal script. It was Wilson’s last work. He died in 2005, the year the play was published. It is the final chapter in his ten-play cycle which intended to chronicle African-American life in the 20th century.

The story centers around Harmond Wilks, a well-educated, wealthy real estate broker. He and Roosevelt Hicks want to develop the blighted Hill District in Pittsburgh. Wilks is also a candidate for the mayor of the Steel City. Problems arise when Wilks discovers that a house in the area was acquired illegally. Wilks attempts to buy the property from Old Joe, the tax delinquent owner, who is a vagrant with a questionable past, but Old Joe won’t sell. He has the backing of Sterling Johnson, a construction worker. Wilks decides to build around the house, much to the frustration of his partner, who has worked out a deal with a white developer to be his “black face” in several deals, including buying a radio station. On the day that the house is to be demolished, Hicks and Wilks have a falling out and Wilks goes to participate in a rally to stop the demolition, thus giving up his dreams of wealth, his political future, and possibly his wife.

RADIO GOLF is a true final play in the series, as it includes references and issues that Wilson discussed in earlier works. It centers on the question of what it means to be African America. The play asks whether it is possible for black culture to be preserved as it is integrated into mainstream white society.

Wilson focuses his vision on reality. He opens the issue of the differences in being a “negra” and a “nigger.” He asks whether there is a dissimilarity between the white’s and black’s definition of ethics and morality. He examines if progress is really good for black Americans. He uses the golf game to illustrate the alterations taking place in the African American community as they transfer from being denied privileges at golf courses, into playing the white man’s game.

The play won the New York Critic’s 2007 new play award.

CPH’s production, under the direction of Lou Bellamy, is generally effective. It’s long, especially the first act, which tends to get too caught up in exposition, thus slowing down the idea development.

Abdul Salaam El Razzac is both poignant and delightful as Old Joe. When he is present, he controls the stage with subtlety and character underplay. Terry Bellamy, as Sterling, develops a clear character as an advocate for Old Joe and a conscious for Harmond. David Alan Anderson is properly manipulative and smarmy as Roosevelt. He clearly illustrates he is out for Roosevelt, and Roosevelt, alone. Austene Van is properly aloof and self-centered as Mame Wilks, Harmond’s wife.

James Craven has the difficult job of developing a realistic Harmond. He does an excellent job early on. At the end, however, he starts screaming and swallowing his words. His breakdown would have been more effective with more intense internal emotion and less unbridled hysteria.

Vicki Smith’s set design, Karen Perry’s costumes, Don Darnutzer’s lighting design and James Swonger’s sound design all help enhance the production.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: RADIO GOLF, the last play in August Wilson’s monumental 10 play cycle, gets a very good, but not a great production at the Cleveland Play House.

Theatre calendar, Feb-March '12

Go to the theatre--a list of late winter theatre offerings

Here’s a partial list of what’s on the boards for March and April in some of the Cleveland area theatres.

Blank Canvas Theatre
1305 West 78th Street (78th Street Studios)
March 16th- April 1st (Friday-Sunday performances)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The classic tale of George and Lennie, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression.
For information and tickets: www.blankcanvastheatre.com
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Actor’s Summit
Tickets” 330-374-7568
103 High Street, Sixth Floor, Akron
A GIRL’S GUIDE TO COFFEE
February 23-March 11
Cleveland Playwright Eric Coble’s take on a barista whose creations elevate the humble bean to unknown heights.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
March 29-April 22
Oscar Wilde’s laugh filled comedy of manners that gave the world malapropisms and what it’s like to form an alliance with a handbag.
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convergence-continuum
The Liminis 2438 Scranton Rd. Cleveland
For tickets: 216-687-0074
THE HYACINTH MACAW
March 16-April 17
Mac Wellman’s portrait of America adrift. A sinister stranger announces what could be the play’s credo: “What’s real has no name. None. Whatever!”
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ENSEMBLE THEATRE
2843 Washington Blvd, Cleveland Heights
Tickets: 216-321-2930 or www.ensemble-theatre.org
DESTROYING THE NIGHT by Sasha Thackaberry
March 9, 15, 24, 30 @8 18@2 APRIL 1 @4
A modern reinvention of the myth of Persephone.

DANCING WITH N.E.D.—Tyler Whidden
March 8, 17, 23, 29 @ 8 March 11@2 April 1 @ 7
Claire has big plans for her 55th birthday, if only Peter would stop being a party pooper.

GROUNDS FOR DISMISSAL—Cindy Dettelbach
March 10, 16, 22 and 31 @8 March 25@2 April 1 @ 2
It’s the early ‘60s, an idyllic time to be a co-ed on the campus of a prestigious college. For roommates Sally and Nan ambition, creativity and a professional tryst signals the end of innocence.
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CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
Tickets: (216) 241 6000 www.clevelandplayhouse.com
RADIO GOLF
February 10-March 4—Allen Theatre
August Wilson’s last play investigates how a successful and idealistic entrepreneur aspires to become a city’s first black mayor. It’s the final chapter in his unprecedented 10-play cycle chronicling African-American life in the 20th century.
RED
March 16-April 8—Allen Theatre
Master American painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; but, when his young assistant gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the possibility that his crowning achievement could also be his undoing.
The Winter's Tale
March 7-17--Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre @The Allen Theatre
(A production of the CWRU/CPH MFA program)
William Shakespeare
’s epic in which King Leontes is consumed with jealousy, believing his pregnant wife Hermione has been having an affair with his childhood friend King Polixenes. He orders one be poisoned, another imprisoned and the baby exiled. What will become of the child as her true origins are revealed?
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PLAYHOUSE SQUARE
Tickets: (216) 241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org

MEMPHIS

February 28 - March 11, 2012
--Palace Theatre
From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes a hot new Broadway musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY
April 10-22—April 10-22—Palace Theatre
The weird and wonderful family leaps off the TV screen and printed page and comes to devilish life in song and dance.
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GREAT LAKES THEATRE
HANNA THEATRE
Tickets: 216-241-6000 or www.greatlakestheater.org
THE MOUSETRAP
March 9-25
Agatha Christie’s murder mystery masterpiece which examines what happens when a group of strangers is stranded in a guest house during a snowstorm and discovers that a murderer is in their midst. Whodunnit?
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DOBAMA
Ticket: 216-932-33906 or www.dobama.org
MIDDLETOWN
February 24-March 18
MIDDLETOWN is Will Eno’s moving and funny new play exploring the universe of a small American town.
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BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Tickets: www.beckcenter.org or call216-521-2540 X10
VELOCITY OF AUMUMN
March 23-April 29 (no performances on April 6-8)
The grand dame of Cleveland theatre, Dorothy Silver, portrays Lillian, an elderly woman with a wicked sense of humor, in this regional premiere of Eric Coble’s new script.
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Cleveland Public Theatre
Tickets: 216-631-2727 or www.cptonline.org
Antebellum
 by Robert O’Hara
February 23 - March 10
Two stories merge as a love affair between two men, one Jewish and the other African-American, bridges time, space and gender.

Darwinii: The Comeuppance of Man 
by Glen Berger

March 1 - March 17
Back by popular demand!
 Cristobal confesses to stealing the original manuscripts of Charles Darwin from rare book libraries around the world.

Poor Little Lulu
 conceived & directed by Matthew Earnest
March 8 - March 24
Chronicles the exploits of Lulu - a sexual outlaw in a society riven by lust and greed - who is tossed like a frisbee from man to man.

Rusted Heart Broadcast
 conceived and Directed by Raymond Bobgan
March 22 - March 24
This work-in-progress is about staying awake, surviving the apocalypse and championing one's own home.

Opera Per Tutti
March 23 - March 25
Cleveland's newest professional opera company is continuing its mission of "opera for all."

Dracula and Oher Love Stories

Ohio Dance Theatre brings love to The Breen Center

When the Cleveland San Jose Ballet left town, it left a void. There appeared to be no regularly performing company that presented ballet. Yes, touring companies came in. Raymond Rodriguez and Karen Gabay’s Point of Departure popped up on occasion and gave hope for a return of a company that would showcase ballet.

What was overlooked was Artistic Director Denise Gula and her Ohio Dance Theatre, housed in Oberlin. Regularly appearing at Lorain County Community College, where Gula was the school’s first dance instructor, and making some west side of Cuyahoga county performances, the company brings a unique presence to local stages when it performs. Many of its numbers are ballet. Yes, pointe shoes, classic lifts and story telling ballet.

In their latest appearance in the Cleveland area, appearing at the Breen Center, the company performed to a nearly full-house on a snowy February 10 evening. The balanced program touched on various types of love….love of country, dreamy love, passionate love, obsessive love.

A new work, THE DREAM, choreographed by Lisa Lock, found the red, black and white costumed dancers moving to Ekectrocutango and Elecrotango. Staged with contemporary ballet movements, a dreamer and her dream characters created a fine parallel to the Latin moods and rhythms.

CARMEN, danced to the sensual music of Georges Bizet, was a fast paced, melodramatic vision created by Gula. It featured rapid moves, nice lifts and carries, and a variance from the usual CARMEN done with capes and bullfighting. The costuming worked well, except one can only wonder why Morgan Stinnet (Jose) was dressed in black chino pants, which was out of character and seemed to cut off his free flowing movements throughout the evening.

An excerpt from DRACULA, with music by John Pryce-Jones/Alfred Schnittke,

found the dancers performing in a gated-cemetery complete with gravestones and mysterious lighting. It was somber, dramatic and well fit the foreboding music. Kyle Primous was a visually imposing Dracula and Juliana Freude was a tempting tidbit for the bloodthirsty being.

BEYOND COURAGE was a tribute to World War II veterans, some of whom gave their lives while others suffered emotional scars, for love of country.

Set to video footage from composer Stephen Melillo’s THAT WE MIGHT LIVE, THEN, NOW. FOREVER., a documentary in music, the performance piece showed the battles of Bataan and Corregidor. The battle which lasted 3 years, 8 months and 25 days, resulted in 31,095 people losing their lives. Visual images and vocal transcriptions were seen and heard as the dancers moved.

A little overly long, BEYOND COURAGE was filled with melodrama and flag waving. The first part was powerful, but after an oral letter quoting segment, the effect wore off as more and more emphasis was placed on visuals and less on dancing.

The program was nicely balanced by two impressive interludes of music performed by the Credo String Quintet, a product of the Oberlin Conservatory’s Chamber Music Program.

Capsule judgement: Ohio Dance Theatre’s DRACULA AND OTHER LOVE STORIES was a nice balanced program of music, ballet and contemporary dance.

Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, & Marriage

Miss Abigail’s feeble attempt to give advice now on stage at 14th Street Theatre

The 14th Street Theatre, nestled between such big venue spots as the Hanna Theatre and the major venues on Euclid Avenue, has a unique place in Cleveland theatrical presentations. It’s where the “little” acts go to play. We’ve had a nun teaching us the catechism, a cross-dresser talking us into buying Tupperware, and now an “expert” spewing out facts from books about dating, mating and marriage while being stalked by her on-stage Hispanic assistant.

The scripted/adlibbed presentation is dependent upon a dynamic and quirky presence as Miss Abigail, and a fun and sexy male assistant named Paco. Laurie Birmingham, who plays Abby, appears to be a nice woman, but isn’t a forceful presence. She doesn’t have the adlibbing ability to compensate for the poorly written script. Gabriel Gutierrez is quite charming, but lacks naturalness and the stud factor. Their interactions lack meaningful spontaneity. It’s almost like they are reading from prompt cards, and not doing that well.

Based on the ideas of real-life advice columnist and blogger, Abigail Grotke, the concept is to get the audience to enjoy themselves and share their views, participate from their seats and on stage, and hear many theories about dating, mating and marriage. They were also asked to fill out cards which were to be used to flesh out the script. Only a couple were used, and those seemed like planted questions.

Having an audience that is sloshed, willing to be played with, and can be excited by mildly sexual innuendoes, helps. Unfortunately the small opening night crowd, many of whom were woman out for a night on the town, weren’t quite drunk and raucous enough to help much.

There were “prizes” for participation including a stick of gum and cards with “Miss Abigail’s 10 Commandments for Couples,” “Miss Abigail’s ask the looking glass!,” and The Miss Abigail Dldow.” These are inscribed with such sage wisdom as: “Men, always greet her with a kiss, especially when other people are present,” “Is my hair brushed?,” “Order some Chinese food,” and “When in doubt get counseling.”

The set, which arrived so late that the original opening night performance had to be cancelled, consisted of some old couches, a poorly painted cloth backdrop, and a ton of books, from which Miss Abigail read the quotes of experts. This is a low cost tour, with seemingly low level expectations. One can only wonder what the producers were thinking when they decided to send it on the road.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: The show’s websites list “reviews” from viewers as they exited the show. One person wrote what turns out to be my view of the show: “The idea was good but script was so bad that I couldn't really laugh even though I wanted to.”

Grounworks Dancetheater 2/12

Groundworks presents compelling program at The Breen Center

David Shimotakahara’s Groundworks DanceTheater has received lots of awards and recognitions. They are well deserved. The artistic director and the company’s major choreographer continues to find fine dancers who are well-trained to continue the company’s tradition of having performers who are proficient, have fine body control, and can consistently perform at a high level. When one dancer leaves, he or she is replaced by another of equal or higher quality.

Though he didn’t choreograph a single piece in the company’s latest program

at the Breen Center, Shimotakahara’s perfectionist stamp was all over the performances.

Amy Miller, a former Groundworks dancer and presently the group’s Artistic Associate, left the area to move to New York, but returns to choreograph. Her VALENCE, was all Miller. Strong, powerful, controlled. The dancers moved with precision to a cacophony of sounds. The piece portrayed the capacity of one person or thing to react with or affect another. Like exploding atoms, the dancers ran, interacted and moved and affected each other. The two art forms of music and dance melded into a coherent purposeful piece. Dennis Dugan’s lighting well accented the actions.

CoDa, by Israeli choreographer Ronen Koresh, received its world premiere. It was danced to a variety of musical sounds and selections from such sources as Steppe, Seuls au monde and Invités sur la terre. Combining visual images from both Sephardic and Ashkenazy heritages, with moves of Hasidic and contemporary Israel, there was a heartiness, freshness and compelling presence to the dancing.

No story was told. Instead, it was a series of kinetic images that grab and hold an audience and was greeted by prolonged applause.

HINDSIGHT by Choreographer Lynn Taylor-Corbett concluded the exciting evening. Dancing to such songs as I’ll Stand By You, Hymn to Her, Rosalee, and Love’s A Mystery, the six-part piece, well used the dancers to create visual images that fit the music and created fine illusions.

Capsule judgement: Bravos to Felice Bagley, Sarah Perrett, Kathryn Taylor, Damien Highfield and Gary Lenington who effectively danced every number in the concert. Their abilities, along with fine choreography, made this a special evening of dance.

The Bluest Eye

Morrison play highlights Black History month at Karamu

At the start of the Karamu production of THE BLUEST EYE we hear the voice of Shirley Temple singing. Yes, Shirley Temple, the cute Caucasian child movie star with the curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. That song harbors what is to come.

Toni Morrison, the author of the book, THE BLUEST EYE, which was the basis of the play by the same name, is a Nobel Prize winner. She was brought up in Lorain, Ohio, a blue collar city to the west of Cleveland, a city mainly populated by African Americans, Puerto Ricans and Hispanics who worked, for many years, in the steel mills, ship building yards, and auto plants. A city which in 1940, the year of the play, was still segregated. Where Lakeview Park, a city facility on the shores of Lake Erie, banned blacks.

THE BLUEST EYE was Morrison’s first book. It was written in 1970 while Morrison was teaching at Howard University. Ironically, because the novel deals with racism, incest and child molestation, there have been numerous attempts to ban it from schools and libraries. In the 1980s, when I served on the Board of Education in Elyria, a neighboring community to Lorain, a group of ministers had this title on the list of books it wanted to be eliminated from the school curriculum.

The story centers on one tragic year in the life of a young black girl. We find eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove verbally abused and the victim of childhood incest. She is continually being told and reminded by her mother of what an “ugly” girl she is. She blames her horrible existence on her dark skin and brown eyes. If only she could have blue eyes, like Shirley Temple, love would follow. For part of that year she lives with a neighborhood family whose two daughters, Claudia and Frieda, tried to make a difference in her life, but the scars were just too deep.

In the afterword to a 1994 edition of the novel, Morrison said, “The book, doesn't effectively handle the silence at its center: the void that is Pecola's 'unbeing.'”

Lydia Diamond, who adapted the novel into a play format, has helped flesh out some of the void by adding monologues for Pecola that make it clear how desperate she is for a warm and kind touch, a voice of encouragement. To a degree, this makes Pecola’s final flight into insanity much clearer.

Karamu’s production, under the understanding direction of Fred Sternfeld, basically gets all it can out of the script. While the play is filled with compassion, because it is mainly a spoken book, and not a play with visual elements of physical action and conflict, it’s difficult to get immersed. The silence Morrison talked about is still present. We are observers, not participants.

The cast is generally fine. Andrea Belser is compelling as Pecola. She rings all the right notes out of a scene in which she is unknowingly cajoled into poisoning a dog, a dog, much like her, who is the victim of fate. Corlesia Smith gives a textured performance as Frieda. Stephanie Stovall is properly obnoxious as the heartless mother.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: THE BLUEST EYE is a good selection as a Black History month presentation by Karamu. It is the work of one of the country’s finest African American women writers and a local celebrity. It gets a credible production.

Spring Awakening

Mesmerizing SPRING AWAKENING at Beck

On the way out of SPRING AWAKENING at Beck Center, my 16-year old grandson, known as the kid reviewer, said, “That was awesome. The singing, the acting, the music, the choreography, the staging, were all great!” Yes, Alex, you just experienced one of the finest theatrical works you may ever see.

SPRING AWAKENING, the Steven Sater (book and lyrics)-Duncan Sheik (music), folk-infused rock music drama, is based on a 1892 play by Frank Wedekind of Germany. The subject matter, which centers on teenagers on the road to self-discovery, portrays abortion, homosexuality, rape, child abuse and suicide. It was so controversial that its original source was banned for public view for over one hundred years.

The play is a powerful indictment against late 19th century Germany, where strict rules regarding right and wrong, and wide-spread hypocrisy were rampant. Sex wasn’t discussed, the reasons for actions weren’t revealed, and adults held strict control. It is relevant to modern day American where the religious right sometimes parallels the machinations of the adults in Wedekind’s script.

The play consists mainly of spoken and sung dialogues among the children, with an interspersing of voices of the adults. Wedekind has given the voices the ability to open our eyes, in gripping ways, to the joys and sorrows, hopes and despair, and struggles and the resulting tragedies. Tragedies in which the most promising children are sacrificed due a lack of appreciation and understanding from their teachers and parents.

We meet Melchior, intelligent, handsome and charismatic, who sees the corruption around him, but is powerless to change the events. There is Moritz, physically stronger but psychologically frail. He’s the product of a harsh father, and is pushed to near insanity when he fails an exam and eventually is led to suicide. Wendla is in love with Melchior, and naively becomes pregnant by him. Her fall from grace is based on her lack of knowledge about human sexuality, and still believing that “children are brought by storks.” She, too, becomes a tragic product of her culture’s rules. We also view Ilse, who runs away from a sexually abusive home, another product of the rules of the game of life.

We are left at the end of the epic with Melchior, his friends all destroyed, needing to find a reason to go on with his life.

This is a relevant play that has already, and should open additional eyes of the hypocritically blind to the need for sex education, understanding of the teenage mind and the hypocrisy of developing illogical and unbending rules for the sake of tradition.

The Broadway production won eight Tony Awards in 2007. The Baldwin Wallace-Beck Center collaboration, under the keen eye of Victoria Bussert, is as good as the professional shows I saw on Broadway and on-tour. This is Bussert at her best!

The staging is creative, encompassing, focused. The pacing is fine…slow when necessary, fast when appropriate. Ryan Fielding Garrett’s band, which is on stage during the entire production, expertly backs up, rather than drowning out the singers, the vocal blends are excellent, and even though several of the cast don’t have superb singing voices…they so well interpret the words of the songs, that it matters naught.

Zach Adkins, a young Brad Pitt look-alike, is compelling as Melchior. He displays a complete understanding of the mental and emotional workings of the role. As we see him standing alone at the end of the play we can only feel strong emotional bonding with the real person Adkins has created. His song All That’s Known is appealing, while Left Behind is emotionally revealing.

James Penca is spot-on as the conflicted Moritz. He develops a young man unable to fight off the power of his father and members of the school staff, who demand what Moritz is unable to give. His The Bitch of Living is a show highlight, as is Don’t Do Sadness.

Pretty Kyra Kennedy makes for a perfect Wendla. She creates a complete character who displays appropriate naivety and passion. Her Mama Who Bore Me was a strong curtain raiser and Those You’ve Known, a trio with Adkins and Penca, was tear-inducing.

The chorus was excellent, weaving in an out of the scenes with clarity and concentration.

Gregory Daniel’s choreography, Jeff Herrmann’s set and light designs, Richard Ingraham’s sound design, and Alison Garrigan’s costumes all make SPRING AWAKENING a special evening of theatre.

The show is advertised as 17 and older. When I asked Alex if he was uncomfortable, especially in the presence of his grandparents, he gave a, “no way” response. You have to know your teen, but the lessons to be learned from this script are great. In fact, if the characters in this play had known what they could have learned from being exposed to this material, there would have been no need for Wedekind to write the play.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: SPRING AWAKENING is an emotionally stirring, relevant, and well staged production. This is not a should see, it’s a must see presentation. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

Lower Ninth

Ensemble’s LOWER NINTH gives a snapshot of New Orleans following Katrina

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans. While the nation watched in horror, the event and the area were mainly ignored by then-President George Bush. When the President finally appeared on the scene, he praised the work of Mike Brown, his director of FEMA in spite of the ineptitude of the agency and their chaotic response.

The Lower Ninth Ward is the area within New Orleans downriver industrial canal, which is near the mouth of the Mississippi River. This area, mainly populated by African Americans, is still not rebuilt.

Beau Willimon’s LOWER NINTH gives a short glimpse of three men, two alive and one dead, who are stranded on the roof of a house following the storm. As the days and nights go past, a story is told of the relationships of these men. It also gives a glimpse of life before the catastrophe and maybe an insight into what is to come.

Willimon was the recipient of the Lila Acheson Wallace Julliard Playwriting Fellowship and the Lincoln Center Le Compte du Nuoy Award. He is best known for his play FARRAGUT NORTH which was adapted into the film THE IDES OF MARCH, which starred George Clooney.

LOWER NINTH is a she slice of life story which centers on Bible-quoting Malcolm, and E-Z, the son of the woman he lived with for many years. The duo are sweltering on a house roof waiting to be saved from the sea of contaminated water that surrounds them. Though their backgrounds are only hinted at, we gain a base understanding of each man. The connection seems to grow as they become more and more desperate. Also on the roof is Lowboy, a friend of E-Z’s, whose body was dragged out of the water in a failed attempt to save him.

The play, which is getting its area debut, does hold the viewers interest, but it is not extremely well developed. It is more a series of character studies rather than having a focused story with a beginning, middle and end. The themes are not clear, the motivations are only hinted at, and it is difficult to clearly state the play’s purpose.

Ensemble’s production, under the focused direction of Celeste Cosentino, is well paced, and the inclusion of visual images of clouds, sun and overcast skies, helps in building the tedious and sweltering mood of life on the roof. Steve Vasse-Hansell’s rooftop set gives a clear image of the isolation of the characters from the rest of the world.

William Clarence Marshall fully develops the role of Malcolm. He shows us a man who has found God, and transferred from a hinted-at history of abandoned accountability and social transgressions, to a person who has assumed his responsibilities.

E-Z, is a conflicted young soul, who appears to have had little male guidance and doesn’t really know who he is. He covers his insecurities with pseudo-macho mannerisms and ghetto language. J’Vaughn T. Briscoe fleshes out the role well.

Lowboy, was a drug dealer who had once saved E-Z from a school yard beating, thus earning life-long respect from the boy. Joseph Primes makes the most of a character whose motivations aren’t clearly etched.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: LOWER NINTH gives the viewer an insight into life in New Orleans immediately following Katrina. Though it gets a good production at Ensemble, it isn’t a well developed piece of theatrical literature. It’s worth seeing to gain an understanding of a topic that has not been showcased on stage.

In Arabia We`'d All Be Kings

IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS inaugurates Lab Theatre in Allen Complex

It’s been an amazing year for the Cleveland Play House. On Fall of 2011 they moved into their new Allen Theatre home, a beautiful and functional facility in the Playhousesquare complex. Last month they produced their first-ever theatre in the round production in their new Second Stage performance space. And, now, the Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre is open for productions.

The Lab Theatre is a flexible black box. For IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS, performed by the Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program, the space was set in a runway configuration. In this type of staging, the audience sits in parallel sections opposite each other, with the action taking place on a rectangular space between the seated groups of viewers. Think—the traditional high school football stadium—in minature.

The format worked well for the in-your-face writing of Stephen Adly Guirgis. The Irish-American/Egyptian Guirgis, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his THE MOHTERF* *KER WITH THE HAT, is one of America’s new breed of playwrights. IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS, like much of Guirgis’s writing, is gritty, free form, and uses the language of the streets. There is no sugar coating, no happy endings, no political correctness, just no-holds-barred realism.

The play is set in a Manhattan bar. It’s the kind of dive that most educated, suburban people, would walk out of as soon as they walked in. The place is sleazy, it’s inhabited by the “sociological sub-strata” which Guirgis seems to know so well. Among others, there is a recently released from jail thug, a prostitute, a junkie, and, a drunk whose entire life is spent sitting on his corner-of-the world bar stool.

The play is about a group of dysfunctional people who have formed their own community with their fellow bar inhabitants. These are people who live by their wits, often perpetuating violence and often are on the receiving end of it. These are the people who used to populate New York’s Hell’s Kitchen until the city cleaned up its act and closed their homes-away-from home. These off-beats who have nothing more to do than dream far-fetched dreams, living in the constant hope that things will work out for the better, and escape from reality through drugs, sex, liquor and talking, were left without their culture and way of life when the bars and flop houses were shuttered.

Guirgis’s dialogue is filled with language that might easily offend…racial and ethnic slurs, swearing, gutter slang. They say what pops into their often-confused minds. These are feeling, not thinking people.

On the surface, theatre-goers, who tend to be the type who have probably never come in direct contact with this urban underclass, might be repulsed by the motley group. Yet, as written about by Guirgis, there is audience understanding, compassion, a feeling of being sorry for and wanting to reach out to these misguided folks.

The playwright is an actor turned writer, and, as such, he gives his thespians the material to work with. He writes complete characters whose motivations are transparent. He sets forth language that is natural and real. The motivations that push the characters forward and the story are clear. He writes isolated scenes rather than the usual flowing script which has transitions from one segment to another. He doesn’t waste words…the viewer can fill in the blanks. Often he motivates stunned silence, at times he forces laughter, often out of embarrassment rather than a joke or a funny instance. This is heady stuff.

Ron Wilson’s direction is spot on. The action whips along, the characterizations are clear, and the staging creative. He is aided by a group of first year MFA students who show potential for making this a very special class.

Everyone in the cast is strong. Especially effective were Stephen Spencer as Skank, a spaced-out druggie, whose ability to live in a fantasy world is clearly etched. Spencer is Skank, Skank is Spencer! Christa Hinckley is appropriately pathetic as the needy, airheaded Christie, who will do anything, including prostituting herself, for drugs. Therese Anderberg (Demaris) has a wonderful touch with exaggerated comedy.

Tiffany Scribner’s scuzzy realistic bar and street corner sets visually take us where we need to be.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS gets an impressive production and is a perfect vehicle to open CPH’s new Lab Theatre. Due to its language and subject matter, it’s not a play for everyone, but those interested in having an up-front emotionally involving theatrical theatre experience, should definitely see this production.

Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company

Israeli dance troupe captivates audience

When Pam Young, the Executive Director of Dance Cleveland, went to Tel Aviv, Israel to attend the International Exposure in Dance, she had an ulterior motive. Young was looking for companies for future programs. There were 40 dance troupes from 30 countries present. Young was drawn to Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company, an Israeli group. She set her sights on bringing them to Cleveland. Young not only succeeded in getting them to come, but to open their 2012 United States tour at Playhouse Square’s Ohio Theatre.

Besides Dance Cleveland’s usual corporate sponsors, the logistics of bringing in the troupe was provided by the newly formed Cleveland Israel Arts Connection, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland, and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.

An Israeli dance troupe. That translates to Klemzer and cantorial music and Sephardic and Ashkenazi folk dances. Right? Wrong!

The Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company blew away the capacity audience with the one-act, hour-long production of OYSTER, an ingenious creation which gives the illusion of a circus-world of wandering street people whose intimate artistic vision speaks of truths.

The full-length work is filled with dreamlike qualities which reminds the viewer of the works of Fellini and Tim Burton. It is set to the music of Piazzola, Leoncavallo, Harry James, Yma Sumac and the Tuvan throat singers. The latter is a variant of overtone singing practiced by the Tuva people of southern Siberia. The effect is mesmerizing and lends itself to an almost mystic-like involvement.

The troupe has 13 dancers who range in age from very young to 75 years of age, and are of diverse nationalities and backgrounds.

OYSTER is a series of scenes which are done with amazing fluidity. The movements require great physical control. It is both dramatic and comedic. According to the choreographers, the presentation is constantly being updated through rehearsal, performance, polishing and cast changes.

It’s almost impossible to give a blow-by-blow description of OYSTER as it contains ballet, modern dance, gymnastics, mime, acrobatics, flying figures, illusion, dramatic lighting effects, shadow movements, and the unexpected, all blending into a fascinating whole.

The printed program contained a column entitled Dance Matters by former Plain Dealer dance critic Wilma Salisbury. It was an interesting discussion, not only of Pinto/Pollack, but of why dance is important.

Capsule judgement: It’s too bad that the Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company was only at the Allen for two performances. The positive word of mouth would have sold out many, many concerts. Let’s hope that Dance Cleveland brings the company back…sooner, rather than later.

Martin Céspedes: choreographer extraordinaire

Spotlight on Martin Céspedes: choreographer extraordinaire

And, the award for the Best Choreography for a Musical Theatre Production in the Cleveland area during 2011 goes to Martin Céspedes for his reinvention of the dancing and staging for JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Beck Center. This type of citation is not unusual for the
Westlake resident.

Céspedes has been the recipient of more than ten Times [newspapers] Theatre Tributes awards. He was nominated by Northern Ohio Live for their theater award in 2005, 2006 and 2009. He was named by Scene Magazine as Cleveland’s Best Choreographer of 2006. He was highlighted for his theatrical work by Bravo magazine. He was nominated for the award as Outstanding Cleveland Choreographer by Broadway World.com. (The results have not yet been announced.)



Born in New York, Céspedes is a first generation American. His mother, who was a professional singer, is Puerto Rican. His father is Spanish.



He started to gain his dance knowledge when, in fifth grade, he was selected to participate in the elite Jacques d’Amboise’s National Dance Institute in New York City’s PS 161 Program. He was active in that group until, after his parent’s divorce, he moved to Lorain, Ohio to be near his mother’s family.



During high school, he danced in and choreographed local shows and was selected to appear on Cleveland TV’s ‘DANCE FEVER’ and NBC’s ‘WEEKDAY FEVER.’ After graduation he continued his training as an apprentice at the Denver Dance Theatre. While studying there, he saw a casting call for a professional western area tour of ‘GUYS AND DOLLS.’ He tried out, was selected, dropped out of the Denver company, and his professional career was underway.



He went on to appear in the national tours of ‘MAN OF LA MANCHA’ with Jack Jones, ‘THE KING AND I’ with Hayley Mills, ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’ with Robert Goulet and ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ with Bebe Neuwirth. He danced in opening acts for “Earth, Wind and Fire” and the “Bee Gees.”



Céspedes worked as theatre impresario John Kenley’s assistant, running dance rehearsals during the legendary producer’s last several seasons in Akron. He served as associate choreographer and fight captain for the PBS production of ‘LE CID’ with Placido Domingo. He has also choreographed for Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland State University, Baldwin Wallace College, and The University of Akron Opera Department.


Céspedes considers himself to be a “hybrid director-choreographer in the mode of Jerome Robbins, Michael Kidd, and Bob Fosse.” Many in the Cleveland area would agree with him.

What’s in the future? Coming up are BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON and LEGALLY BLONDE, THE MUSICAL at Beck Center. Then, MY WAY, A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA and MAN OF LAMANCHA at True North Cultural Arts.

Having just been inducted into SSDC, the national union for directors and choreographers, Céspedes feels he is “at the point where I am ready to break out.” Does this mean he will leave Cleveland? Though locals may hope not, it is going to be hard to keep this talented man in the area if prestige venues call.



For more information about Céspedes go to www.martincespedes.com

Ten Chimneys

Cleveland Play House inaugurates Second Stage with TEN CHIMNEYS

Believe it or not, for much of the 20th century, Genesee Depot, Wisconsin, was considered the center of the U. S. theatrical world. The site houses Ten Chimneys, the home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, considered by many to be the king and queen of Broadway theatre. The likes of Helen Hayes, Laurence Olivier and Katharine Hepburn were guests. In 2003, Ten Chimneys was opened as a museum for theater, the arts and the art of living (www.tenchimneys.org).

The Cleveland Play House’s Michael Bloom directed, Jeffrey Hatcher written TEN CHIMNEYS attempts to introduce us to the life style, acting skills and personal relationship of Lunt and Fontaine.

The play had its world premiere last January at Tucson’s Arizona Theatre Company, which commissioned the piece. Since then, due to positive reviews, it has become a much sought-after vehicle.

TEN CHIMNEYS is not totally factual, but is based on Hatcher’s imagination and information he gleaned about the couple, their life style and choices. The author indicates that his interest in the project had three thrusts: he was in the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in New York the day Lunt died in 1977 and became curious about the man, his reading of Hagen’s book, RESPECT FOR ACTING, and a tour of Ten Chimneys.

The story is set in the late 1930s. Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne have decided to perform Anton Chekhov's The Sea Gull. They plan and rehearse the play at Ten Chimneys, their legendary Wisconsin estate, surrounded by actors, Lunt’s mother, step-sister and step-brother. When a young actress named Uta Hagen arrives, a romantic triangle begins to mirror the events in Chekhov's play about passion and art.

Lunt, who was generally recognized as his era’s finest actor, was so confident of his abilities on stage that he made a point of playing at least one protracted sequence with his back to the audience, conveying his character's emotions with his voice and body rather than his face. (A technique Donald Carrier does as well in playing the role.)

Fontanne, born in Britain, was noted for her comic skills, but also possessed the ability to play great drama.

One issue that has fascinated theatre gossips for years was the couple’s sexual orientation. A book about them, DESIGN FOR LIVING, recounts that, “Their marriage was almost certainly sexless. Passion was what they enacted on the stage.” As Fontanne herself said: ''We were friends right away. . . . I loved him utterly. We were in the same profession. We were like twins.'' Hardly sounds like a recipe for romantic love or sexual passion.

The play hints at Lunt’s life issues: an enmeshed relationship with his mother; a series of love letters from Ray Weaver, a life long friend and roommate; and, his close friendship with Noel Coward, who was such a frequent visitor at 10 Chimneys that he had his own bedroom.

The script is filled with witty lines, sarcasm and snappy comebacks. For example, when Sidney Greenstreet, who was a stage actor before becoming a movie actor in such classics as THE MALTESE FALCON and CASABLANCA, cuts down his on-stage performing, Fontaine asks him "but don't you miss acting?" The run-ins between Fontanne and Hattie Sederholm, Lunt’s mother light up the stage. For example, when Lynn learns a package has arrived and breaks into a run to get it, her mother-in-law says, “only a full-length mirror could cause her to move so fast.”

Unfortunately, there are places where the writing lags in keeping the action moving.

CPH’s production is audience appealing and filled with humor, but seems overly long due to some languid pacing.

Donald Carrier makes for a wonderful Lunt. He plays off others well and creates a finely honed character. Kelli Ruttle is appealing as Uta Hagen (the multi-Tony award winning actress). She does an excellent transition from young ingénue at the start of the play to mature actress at the conclusion.

Emmy Award winning Mariette Hartley is spot on as Lunt’s drama queen mother. She has a great time with both the satirical and manipulative scenes. Gail Rastorfer suffers wonderfully as Lunt’s put upon step-sister. Jeremy Kendall as Lunt’s step-brother Carl, gets all he can from his limited role. Michael McCarty not only has the Greenstreet girth, but hints at the real life person without doing an imitation.

Jordan Baker never seems to totally grasp the underbelly of Lynn Fontanne. This is a hard role to portray. It requires being the passionate Fontanne of on-stage life, while being the dispassionate Fontanne of real life. In addition, there needs to be precise timing in order to get laughter from the sarcastic lines. Somehow, in spite of some excellent moments, Baker just doesn’t give complete texturing to the role.

Set changes, musical choices which are era correct, and lighting effects are all quite good.

The Second Stage is a completely flexible theatre. For this production, the configuration is theatre-in-the square, meaning the stage is completely surrounded by the audience. Only 6 rows deep, there are no bad sight line problems seats. Be warned, however, that if you are not steady on your feet, that requesting front or back row seats is advisable. You can get to the ground row via an elevator by requesting help of the house manager. You enter the theatre, which goes down from the entrance, so anyone can easily get to the top row. (Sounds confusing, but once you get into the theatre you’ll understand.) In addition, the 19 steps down to the seating rows are quite narrow, as are the spaces between rows, resulting in some people expressing fear of falling.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: Even if it’s not of the same quality as the company’s first three shows in their new home, audiences should generally like CPH’s TEN CHIMNEYS. It’s very worth seeing.

Hair

No bombs greet this version of HAIR at Playhouse Square

Theatre is representative of the era from which it comes. Seeing a play that reflects a specific time period reveals the cultural attitudes of the people and society of that instance.

Seeing HAIR, “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” gives a vivid film clip of the 1960s and early 70s in the U.S. It was the era of the anti-war movement, rebellion against traditional societal patterns. It was the time of sit-ins on college campuses, hippie communes, flower children, pot smoking, tie-dye wearing, long hair, swearing and public nudity. It was a period of rage against the military-industrial complex. It was the time of a clear generational divide. If the young people could find a way to upset their elders, it was the “in” thing to do.

Written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, the show’s book was put to music by Galt MacDermot. Its slim story was based on the authors’ personal experiences. It centers on Claude, a member of the hippie community, who sells out and allows himself to be taken into the Army rather than burn his draft card or go to Canada. The play concludes with Claude laying in a death-like pose on an American flag.

When the show first opened, it engendered strong protest. In fact, on April 25, 1971, a bomb exploded in front of Cleveland’s Hanna Theatre during the Age of Aquarius show’s run at that venue.

HAIR broke all sorts of theatrical traditions. Members of the cast, known as the “tribe,” constantly jumped off the stage and interacted with members of the audience, invited patrons to dance with them, and they gave flowers and hugs to the unsuspecting. The U.S. flag was used as parts of costumes and burned. There was full-frontal nudity. Swearing, sexual acts, pot smoking, mocking of parents, a dance-in after the curtain call invited everyone to come forward and “be themselves.” There was an intentional ignoring of theater’s proverbial “fourth wall,” a separation of the stage actions from the audience.

This is not a well-written book musical. The plot meanders, the songs don’t fit into the story, often doing nothing to move the plot along. Again, a break from the traditional musical of the day. Though often referred to as the “grand daddy of the rock musicals,” its really a mélange of music and imagery. The music changes from rock to country to ballad to African American rhythms.

The show intends to incite strong reactions. How could a script which includes such lines as represented by signs carried during a protest which state “I saw god (note the small g) and she’s black,” “It’s a war that sends blacks to kill yellows for whites who stole their lands from the reds,” and “lay don’t slay,” not bring about reaction…especially in the 1960s?

The highlight of action centers on Claude’s hallucinatory drug trip in Act II where a series of horrifying visions, loaded with historical figures who are presented in the oddest contexts. It’s a microcosm of the whole show, which essentially unfolds like a tune-filled acid trip that gives HAIR its distinctive period edge.

So, how does the show wear over 50 years? The times they have changed. Reaction to swearing, smoking of pot, nudity, and protest are mundane by today’s standards. Many of the references are beyond the knowledge of the younger members of the audience. Unless you are an uptight conservative or an evangelical, who are not candidates to attend this show, the goings on won’t evoke much reaction. Only the wonder of “what was all the fuss about?”

Some of the music has lost its luster. Aquarius didn’t send me off onto a journey of effervescence. In fact, as sung by Phyre Hawkins, it wasn’t compelling. Hashish, in this age of rampant drug usage, is just a song. On the other hand, I Believe in Love, Easy to be Hard, and Good Morning Starshine, have held up. Of course, having the luminous Sara King singing them helped as did their themes which aren’t era bound. Other highlights were Manchester England, Black Boys/White Boys, Donna, and Where Do I Go?.

The cast is good. Handsome, charismatic Marshal Kennedy Carolan, who was substituting in the role of Claude on opening night, displayed a fine singing voice and made for a sympathetic character who gave in to the system, rather than standing with his “tribe.” Baldwin Wallace grad, Steel Burkhardt, was sensual, sexual and like a kid with ADD as he yelled, screamed and cavorted all over the stage and into the audience as he sang up a storm as Berger. Sara King mesmerized as Sheila. Will Blum was a stitch as a cross-dressing Margaret Mead. Ryan Link was effectively spaced-out as Woof.

The on-stage musicians, some of whom seemed bored after the long road tour, still produced an effective sound and underscored the singers, rather than playing a rock concert and drowning out the important words. The sound system made hearing words an easy task.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: HAIR is a classic musical, which entered the theatre into an era of reflection of the turbulent era of the 60s. For those who want to relive the era, or who want to discover what was going on during those times, it’s a good nostalgic trip. A little tired from a long road trip, this isn’t a great production, but it is entertaining.

A Song for Coretta

Ensemble’s A SONG FOR CORETTA points spotlight on the other civil rights King

The recent dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington, DC, draws further attention to the person credited with being the father of the African American civil rights movement. Often, the effect of his wife, Coretta, seems to be ignored.

Coretta Scott King was a leader, author, and the founder and former president of the King Center. She was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal and the Gandhi Peace Prize. Many also know that Mrs. King was a trained singer who was preparing for a career as a vocalist when she met a young preacher, Martin Luther King in the 1950s. Together they helped change history.

Pearl Cleage, in her play A SONG FOR CORETTA, now in production at Ensemble Theatre, explores the impact Mrs. King had on the lives of black women, and the connections they can build with one another through honoring her memory and legacy.

It’s Atlanta, Georgia, on a rainy afternoon in 2006 in front of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the body of Coretta Scot King is lying in state. She has died at age 78 after battling ovarian cancer and the effects of a stroke.

A bench center stage is emblazoned with a sign stating, “A seat for those who walked in Montgomery in 1955.” The march that, along with the bus strike that brought Rosa Parks to fame, and the restaurant sit-ins, resulted in breaking the back of segregation in the U.S.

The play centers on five women who are in line to pay their respects to the woman who many think of as a saint of the black community.

Fifty-seven year old Helen, a pious, up-tight, and proud Negro woman, met Mrs. King several times when, as a child, her parents took her to civil rights activities. She rode on the Montgomery bus the day the transit company gave in and let Blacks sit wherever they wanted in the vehicles.

Helen knows her civil rights history and is concerned with the decline of young peoples' values and their lack of interest in the history of the struggle for equal rights. Her fears are confirmed when she meets Gwendolyn, a 17 year old, who has just left an abortion clinic where she had gone to void herself of her second pregnancy. Lil Bit, Gwendolyn’s nick name, knows the words to rap music, but is unaware of any civil rights songs or the purpose or impact of the movement.

Zora is a 22-year-old journalism student who hopes her interviews with people waiting in line will be aired on National Public Radio.

Mona Lisa, a 40-year-old artist who survived the destruction and human horror of Hurricane Katrina, lost almost everything, and lives in her car.

Gwen is a traumatized Iraq war veteran, who is questioning the purpose of the war and the folly of service to her country.

Their serendipitous meeting brings them together and helps each to gain some understanding of how their lives are intertwined and have been influenced by Coretta Scott King.

Taylor’s script is purposeful and filled with the educational material that makes it a good choice for Black History month. It consists mainly of dialogue, with little action. There is some humor mixed in with history lessons and drama.

Ensemble’s production, under the direction of Margaret Ford Taylor is quite acceptable, but sometimes lacks the proper pacing and character development to bring out the impact of the script. In general, the actors stay mainly on the surface, feigning emotion and meaning, though there were moments of depth of motivation. Generally, however, they present characterizations rather than becoming the people they portray. It’s sometimes hard to feel the pain each of these women feels because our emotions aren’t stimulated.

We needed more of the emotional involvement displayed by Sonia Bishop (Gwen), when she exposes us to the horrors she experienced in the middle east.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: A SONG FOR CORETTA sets its focus on CORETTA SCOTT KING. It’s worth seeing Ensemble’s production to gain the seldom exposed tale of this important American history icon.

Steel Burkhardt....Berger in Touring Company of HAIR

The Steelman of HAIR, a BW product!

He has a superman inked logo on his arm with flashes of fire shooting out around it. He devotes huge amounts of energy working out at the gym. He spends a lot of time in public with either no clothes on or clothed only in a loin cloth. Fans are drawn to his charisma. Is he a super hero? No, he’s Steel Burkhardt, who plays the role of Berger in the touring production of HAIR, which is going to be playing at the Palace Theatre in downtown Cleveland from January 17th through the 29th.

Burkhardt, whose nickname is Steelman, is from Union, New Jersey. His local claim to fame is his attendance and graduation from Baldwin Wallace College.

How did he get from the Garden State to tiny Berea, Ohio?

During a recent phone interview, Burkhardt indicated that when he started his search for the “right” college, he was drawn to BW because of it’s ranking in the top five college musical theatre programs. During his first visit he instantly fell in love with the beautiful campus with places to ride his bike, the curriculum’s emphasis on self-empowerment and self-growth, the supportive rather than competitive nature of the program, and the quality of instruction.

He praises such faculty members as voice professor, Timothy Mussard, one of America’s most distinguished Heldentenors; Janeice Kelley-Kiteley, the dynamic, now retired dance instructor; Dr. Ellen Posman, Associate Professor of Religion; and, of course, Victoria Bussert, the heart of the music theatre program.

Bussert returned the admiration when she said of Steel, “I loved having him as a student -- always fun, generous and grounded.”

Burkhardt found that the BW stress on a music background, classical training and a balanced program allowed him to soar. It allowed him to present himself to potential agents and casting directors when he performed in the 2007 Senior Showcase in New York. It was from this experience that he got his agent and eventually was cast in the Central Park production of HAIR, which was followed by his performance in the revival of the show on Broadway, the London production, and now, the lead role of Berger in the touring production.

Ironically, Brukhardt’s introduction to HAIR was when he appeared in the show at BW.

Answers to questions he’s asked about the touring production:
•Yes, the famous nude scene, which caused bomb threats and pickets during the NY and touring show, climaxed on April 25, 1971, when a bomb exploded in front of Cleveland’s Hanna Theatre during the Age of Aquarius show’s run. Cast members are encouraged but not required to take off their clothes.
•The long tresses he displays on stage are his own…no extensions or a wig. He washes his hair once a week and just shakes it out and he’s ready to go.
•The show is Claude’s journey through free love and is personified by his love affair with Burger, which is implied but never really acted out on stage.
•The dance party at the end of the show when the audience members are invited up on stage to rock away is always energizing and is a celebration of life which encourages audience members to be “who you are.”
•The tour ends, ironically, in Cleveland, and then Burkhardt is back to New York to try out for hopefully a major role in another show.

An online bio summarizes Steel Burkhardt and HAIR. “Once upon a time Steel graduated from a school called Baldwin Wallace. He was shy in a small concert, then got naked in Central Park, was nude on a Broadway stage, then bared it again on the West End. Now he is ready for America…then perhaps the World!”

Special note: For a enlightening backstage tour of HAIR conducted by Steel Burkhardt go to: http://www.broadway.com/shows/hair/buzz/157333/hair-star-steel-burkhardt-invites-you-on-an-exclusive-backstage-tour/

Review of Reviewer's reviews--Stuart and Joyce Wallaced

Thank you for your continuous marvelous reviews.

Stuart and Joyce Wallace

Baldwin Wallace College/A source for Broadway Talent

Cleveland’s Baldwin Wallace Musical College a source for Broadway Talent

There are many music theatre programs in the country. One of the repudiated “top five” is tucked away in tiny Berea, Ohio, a southwest suburb of Cleveland.

Yes, Baldwin Wallace College is exploding with talent that it unleashes upon the professional theatre world. There are a double digit of BW grads performing in, or getting ready to open in Broadway shows. Numerous others are running theatre companies, appearing in various professional theatre productions around the country, appearing on London's West End, and are trodding the boards on cruise ships and theme parks.

It’s the goal of the BW Music Theatre program to prepare students to compete successfully, and to sustain careers, as performers on national and international stages. The program offers an Intensive Conservatory-style training in Music (theory, solo & ensemble voice, and instrumental performance), In addition, Acting (for the stage and on-camera), and Dance (ballet, jazz and tap) help comprise the core performance instruction. The program has a very competitive entrance procedure, a limited enrollment, and strong academic rigor. Besides the Music Theatre major there are dance and Arts Management tracks.

The BW program has partnered with Cleveland’s PlayhouseSquare in both performance and arts management, as well as with the Beck Center for the Arts in suburban Lakewood.

The 2011-12 theatre season has seen or will see these BW grads on stage: Steel Burkhardt - HAIR (starred last summer on Broadway and is currently the lead in the National Tour); Kyle Post – SPIDERMAN; Hillary Elk – MEMPHIS; Cassie Okenka -- BONNIE AND CLYDE; Corey Mach – GODSPELL; Libby Servais - WICKED and LYSISTRATA JONES; Kevin David Thomas --REBECCA (opening in February); David Cameron Anderson – REBECCA; Trista Moldovan - PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (took over as the primary Christine on Broadway, December 9, 2011); Jen Noble -- GHOST, JR Bruno--national tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON; and Jill Paice--DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY.

Victoria Bussert serves as the Director of the Music Theatre program. She is also a Resident Director at Great Lakes Theatre, while Scott Plate is the Department Chair.

Times Theatre Tributes--2011

TIMES THEATRE TRIBUTES--2011

Greater Cleveland is blessed with a vital theatre scene. It is the purpose of the TIMES THEATRE TRIBUTES to recognize theatrical experiences that, in the mind of this reviewer, were excellent and deserve recognition.

Only shows performed in 2011 which I reviewed were considered. Selections were limited to locally produced stagings, so none of the professional touring shows are recognized, though actors, directors and technicians who were imported by local theatres were considered. Actors are not separated by gender, equity or lack of union affiliation, or leading or supporting roles.

2011 BEST DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS:
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
RACE (Beck)
THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)

2011 BEST MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS:
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
CHICAGO (Porthouse)

2011 BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION:
Céspedes, Martin , JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Beck)

2011 BEST PERFORMANCES IN A THEATRICAL PRODUCTION:
Mitchell, Lizan, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Kendall, Jeremy, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Caraballo, Daniel, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Hart, Dana, ST. NICHOLAS (Ensemble)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION:
Roe Green for her major contribution and underwriting of the Fusion Festival at the Cleveland Play House.

The staff, Board of Directors and management of the Cleveland Play House for their farsighted move to Playhousesquare.

Gina Vernaci, in working with New York’s Dodger Productions, to bring the developmental project, THE FAT CAMP to the Hanna Theatre.

Cleveland Play House, PlayhouseSquare Center, Cleveland State University for the re-creation of the Allen Theatre.

Jeremy Paul, Theatre Ninjas, for continued creativity in development of new and creative theatrical presentations.

Celeste Cosentino for giving new life to Ensemble Theatre.

Thanks to the following for making the 2011 theatre scene in the Cleveland area stimulating and memorable:

PLAY/MUSICAL
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
CHICAGO (Porthouse)
COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
DARWINII (CPT)
DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Beck)
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (CPH)
PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
RACE (Beck)
RENT (BW)
THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
THE MIRACLE AT NAPLES (congruence-continuum)
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actors’ Summit)

DIRECTOR
Bobgan, Raymond, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Bussert, Victoria, PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
Bussert, Victoria, RENT (BW)
Caird, John, DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
Cesear, Greg, TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
Céspedes, Martin and Spence Scott, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR
DREAMCOAT (Beck)
Cosentino, Celeste, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Douglas, Timothy, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Edwards, Michael Donald, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Hammer, Joel, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Hoffman, Geoffrey, MIRACLE AT NAPLES (congruence-continuum)
Kent, Terri, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Kepley, Laura, MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (CPH)
May, Sarah, RACE (Beck)
Paul, Jeremy, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Paul, Jeremy, THE EXCAVATION (Theatre Ninjas)
Sternfeld, Fred, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
Sternfeld, Fred, COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
Thackaberry, Neil, WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actors’ Summit)

PERFORMER
Anderson Boll, Heather, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Arnold, Curt, VALPARAISO (convergence-continuum)
Bergeron, Ryan, JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA (Beck)
Bestic, Tricia, TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
Black, Maryann, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Brault, Pierre-Jacques, DR. DOOLITTLE (Mercury Summerstock)
Bredeson-Smith, Lucy, VALPARAISO (convergence-continuum)
Bruner, Sara, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (GLT)
Caraballo, Daniel, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Carthens, Kyle, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Cataan, Ursula, COMPANY (FPAC)
Cleveland, Adrianna, DREAMGIRLS (Cain Park)
Colerider, Glenn, TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
Culver, Tim, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Domingue, Nina, YA MAMA! (CPT)
Eckstrom, Brittany, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Emeka, Justin, RACE (Beck)
Emerick, Sandra, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Esposito, Scott, ASSASSINS (Lakeland)
Farrell, Diana, JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA (Beck)
Floyd, Aric Generette, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Gehlert, Rachel, TIGERS BE STILL (Dobama)
Gorell, Andrew, PRESENT LAUGHTER (CWRU/CPH AC)
Grandillo, Sean, big, THE MUSICAL (FPAC)
Hammer, Joel, THE SEAFARER (Dobama)
Hancock, Robert Adelman, DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
Hart, Dana, ST. NICHOLAS (Ensemble)
Holsinger, Holly, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Hudak, Zac, FIVE BIRDS (convergence continuum)
Hudak, Zac, THE MIRACLE AT NAPLES (convergence continuum)
Kelly, Kevin Joseph, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Kendall, Jeremy, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Keyster, Brett, DARWINII (CPT)
Kline-Messner, Paula, BECKY’S NEW CAR (Actors’ Summit)
Koesters, Nick, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Lawrence, Rod, PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
Leach, Andrea, RENT (BW)
Learned, Brint, ASSASSINS (Lakeland)
Lee, Heather, BACKWARD IN HIGH HEELS (CPH)
Little, Kristi, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Mackay, Donald Sage, SOMETHINGS AFOOT (CPH)
McEvoy, Anne, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
McGinnis, Meg, DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
Mitchell, Lian, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Morgan-Moyer, Cerris, LEGACY OF LIGHT (CPH)
Nehring, Larry, THE SEAFARER (Dobama)
Patterson, Tracee A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
Patterson, Tracee, COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
Pedlow, Amelia, LEGACY OF LIGHT (CPH)
Perrotta, Laura, CABARET (GLT)
Plate, Scott, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Ratell, Dylan, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Scerbak, Erin , GRIZZLY MAMA (Dobama)
Sage, Donald Mackay, THE GAMES AFOOT (CPH)
Scott, Aungelique, RACE (Beck)
Seibert, Chris, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Simon, Clyde, THE BOYS IN THE BAND (convergence continuum)
Stump, Tina, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Taylor, Myra Lucertia, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Thompson, Matthew Ryan, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
(Beck)
van Baars, Eric, HELLO DOLLY (Porthouse)
Violand, Greg, THE UNDERPANTS (Beck)
White, Jon, RENT (BW)
Whitworth, Paul, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Woodson, John, CABARET (GLT)
Woodward, Tom, RACE (Beck)

Composite cast
A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
MONSTER PLAY (Theatre Ninjas)
MY BARKING DOG (CPT)
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (CPH)
THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
THE MIRACLE AT NAPLES (convergence continuum)
THE GAME’S AFOOT (CPH)
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actor’s Summit)

TECHNICIANS
Borski, Russ, costume design, DREAMGIRLS (Cain Park)
Burns, Trad, lighting design, JERRY SPRINGER, THE OPERA (Beck)
Burns, Trad, lighting design, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
(Beck)
Burns, Trad, set design, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
Conway, Daniel, scenic design, THE GAMES AFOOT (CPH)
Gantose, Benjamin, light design, MONSTER PLAY (Theatre Ninjas)
Gould, Richard, set design, RACE (Beck)
Horvitz, Joan, set design, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Ingraham, Richard, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Metheny, Russell, set design, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (GLTF)
Mitchell, Joseph, set design, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Needham, Ben, scenic design, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
Richards, Matthew, light design, LEGACY OF LIGHT (CPH)
Studley, Christopher, lighting design, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Tucker, Craig, costume design, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)

MUSICAL DIRECTION
Anderson, Michael, WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actors’ Summit)
Garret, Ryan Fielding, PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
Goodpaster, Larry, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
Krol, John, ASSASSINS (Lakeland)
Swoboda, Jonathan, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Swoboda, Jonathan, COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
Swoboda, Jonathan, HELLO DOLLY! (Porthouse)
Webb, Matthew, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (GLTF)
Williams, David, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)

CHOREOGRAPHY
Black, Maryann, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Céspedes, Martin, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Céspedes, Martin, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Beck)
Crawford, John, HELLO DOLLY! (Porthouse)
Daniel, Gregory, RENT (BW)
Daniels Greg, DREAMGIRLS (Cain Park)
Reilly, Caitlin Elizabeth, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
Robertson, Pandora, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Weinberg-Katz, Bebe, COMPANY (FPAC)

If any names are spelled incorrectly or there are errors in identifications please let me know so I can change the permanent record on my blog.

If you would like to read any of my reviews for the year, please go to www.royberko.info, enter the blog and click on “2011 Reviews” or click on the name of the producing theatre and scroll through their performances. Reviews from previous years may also be accessed.

NOTE: THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE A CERTIFICATE ATTESTING TO THEIR RECOGNITION SHOULD E-MAIL ME @ royberko@yahoo.com. PLEASE INCLUDE THE ADDRESS TO WHICH THE CERTIFICATE(S) SHOULD BE MAILED!