Porthouse Theatre’s SCHOOL OF ROCK proves that “the show must go on!”

What happens when a musical film earns over $131-million on a $35-million-dollar investment?  If you are Andrew Lloyd Webber, you buy the rights and turn it into the stage musical, SCHOOL OF ROCK, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and book by Julian Fellowes. 

 

What happens when a lead actor experiences an accelerated heart beat mid-production and can’t continue in the show?  In the case of Porthouse Theatre, you pause the show, ask the audience if there is a medical person in attendance, then 20-minutes later, following the old theater adage, “the show must go on,” continue the staging with another actor, script in hand, acting and singing to the delight of the audience and wonderment of this reviewer!

 

So, what’s it all about? 

 

The musical starts with a performance by the No Vacancy Band.  Dewey Finn (Douglas F. Bailey II), who has an ADHD-type personality, has difficulty pulling back his exuberance and keeps upstaging the lead performer.  Enough is enough, and he is kicked out of the group.

 

With no income, he moves in with and mooches off Ned (Morgan Thomas-Mills), his long-time easily manipulated college band buddy, and part-time teacher, much to the irritation of Patty (Kiara Sylvie Durbin), Ned’s domineering girl- friend. 

 

When a call comes for Ned to substitute at Horace Green, a prestigious prep school, Dewey accidentally answers the phone and sees a chance for some much-needed money by posing as Ned. Despite the doubts of Rosalie Mullins (Audra Casebier), the uptight principal, he gets the gig.

 

The kids are wary of him, especially the uber-organized Summer (Parker Towns).  He also has to confront the problems of Tomika (Ava Kimble), the extremely shy daughter of gay men, who turns out to be a superstar singer; Zack (Elliott Wancata), the son of an uptight businessman who doesn’t realize his son is a musical prodigy; Lawrence (Josh DiSantis), who has no confidence, but is a keyboard wizard; Freddie (Axel Schmidt) who everyone thinks is intellectually slow, but once he gets a pair of drum sticks in his hand, he shows how talented he really is; and Billy (Mason Cooper Brosch), who is flamboyant, has an interest in fashion design, but is not appreciated by his macho father.  Each of the other kids also has untapped talent which the creative Dewey brings out through non-traditional means.

 

Dewey decides to enter them in the Battle of the Bands.  They get to the tryouts after sneaking out of school, but they arrive after the deadline time to play in the qualification round.  Summer, the brainiac, tells the casting director that all the children have an illness called “stickittothemanis,” pleads for some mercy. The manager lets the kids perform. 

 

What follows is a series of manipulations, implausible coincidences, and some out and out stretching of dramatic license.  The result?  Farce running wild and the audience having a heck of a good time.

 

Do they win the Battle of the Bands?  That’s not important.  What is significant, is that Dewey and the kids find love and self-respect and new parental understanding for these geeky kids.

 

The musical score, which includes iconic songs from the film, adds well-crafted additional theatrical melodies.  Among the show stoppers are, “You’re in the Band,” “Stick it to the Man,” “Math is a Wonderful Thing,” and “School of Rock.”  Throw in “If Only You Would Listen” and “Time to Play,” and you have the makings of a solid score.

 

A positive staging of SCHOOL OF ROCK requires adorable music-talented kids, an uninhibited slacker dude to portray Dewey, an on-point rock band, and creative staging. 

 

Fortunately, theater director Terri Kent and choreographer Martin Céspedes have found most of the right ingredients.

 

In the original production, most of the kids played musical instruments to the awe of the audience.  In this staging only four of the munchkins actually play, with Jennifer Korecki and her off-stage band providing back-up. 

 

Considering how hard it is to find 5^th graders who can proficiently play musical instruments, it is an acceptable method of meeting one of the scripts challenges.

 

Even with this needed solution, begging the question, why?, several of non-instrumental kid cast members are way too old to be elementary students, and some of the Ensemble are too young to be playing the parents of the kids.

 

Douglas F. Bailey II did the role of irrepressible Dewey in excellent production of SCHOOL OF ROCK at Cain Park several summers ago.  He was “slacker perfect” in that presentation.  Therefore, I was a little off-put in early scenes when he dialed down the broad farce in this production.  Now I realize why the characterization was somewhat off when, during the second act the show was halted and we eventually found out that Bailey was ill and couldn’t continue to the final curtain. (Morgan Thomas-Mills, did the last scenes, sing and acting” with script in-hand.  (BTW…he was quite good and, if the director hadn’t wanted to have a look-alike of Jack Black, who played Dewey in the film version, Thomas-Mills would have creditably played the role.)

 

Special kudos to Josh DiSantis, Parker Towns and Ava Kimble for well-crafting their roles and to all the rest of the kids in the cast for their nicely textured performances.

 

As is usually an issue at Porthouse, due to the open walls of the tent-like theatre, the sound was an issue.

 

The last scene where the kids and Dewey really break loose should have found them in funky rock costumes, not in assorted garments which looked like they were scarfed together.

 

In the long run, at-least not on the rain-filled Sunday matinee, where many of the audience brought bouquets of flowers to give their children after the standing ovation curtain call, did anything matter except for the fact that the show went on.

 

Capsule judgment:  SCHOOL OF ROCK is a fun-filled show with a moral message. The Porthouse production was nicely done, in spite of some age-casting problems and a mid-production medical issue. The music rocked.  The cast entertained.  It’s the kind of show that audience’s love.  

 

SCHOOL OF ROCK runs through August 3, 2024 in the Porthouse Theatre on the grounds of Blossom Music Center.  For tickets call 330-672-3884 or go online to www.porthousetheatre.com.

 

 

 

KIMBERLY AKIMBO—a pleasant theatrical experience at the Connor Palace

 

Offerings of the musical theater cover a vast array of topics.  There is the tale of the young prince who wants to find his “Corner of the sky” (PIPPIN), the flower girl who wants to be a lady (MY FAIR LADY), and the dairy man who has a life ruled by tradition (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF).   Then there is KIMBERLY AKIMBO, now on stage at the Palace Theatre as part of the Broadway series, in which the title character suffers from a rare, fatal disorder that also causes accelerated aging.  KIMBERLY AKIMBO is a 2023 Tony Award-winning musical with lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanie Tesori.  The show's premiere production opened Off-Broadway on December 8, 2021.  It moved to Broadway on November 9, 2022.  It won five Tony Awards. The reviews stated that, “While some will find the show deeply moving and funny, others feel it falls flat with generic songs.” “KIMBERLY AKIMBO is a show that elicits strong opinions, with many praising its unique concept, strong performances, and heartwarming message, while others will find issues with its pacing, music, and uneven tone.”  And, “It seems to be a show that resonates deeply with some audiences while leaving others feeling underwhelmed.” The story starts at an ice-skating rink in Bergen County, New Jersey.   We are quickly introduced to Kimberly Leveco (Carolee Carmello), an obviously lonely “teenage girl” who has a disease which causes her to age four and a half times as fast as normal, thus trapping her inside the physical body of an elderly woman.  We also meet Seth (Miguel Gil), an employee of the rink, a tuba player, and a quirky outsider.  Also present are Delia (Grace Capeless), Martin (Darron Hayes), Teresa (Skye Alyssa Friedman) and Aaron (Piece Wheeler) a quartet of high schoolers who are members of their school’s show choir, but seem like fringe members of the general school society, who cling to each other for security.    Further into the tale we meet Kim’s alcoholic father (Jim Hogan), her neurotic pregnant mother (Laura Woyasz) who has numerous imagined real physical and psychological illnesses, and her delinquent Aunt Debra (Emily Koch), a schemer who is always just one step ahead of the law.   Kimberly not only has to handle her being the new kid in town with no friends and her illness, but navigate the world of her neurotic mother, drunkard father and felony-prone aunt.  In spite of it all, she is determined “to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side.” She is befriended by Seth, and her life changes for the better.  In what might be identified as a book weakness, the reason for his attraction to her is not revealed, as are many other actions and character traits in the story, but, this is a fantasy musical tale, so we just accept the issues as author’s license.  Of course, problems develop.  Aunt Debra talks the teens into joining her in stealing checks from the Postal Service, altering and cashing them.  Dad promises to stop drinking and doesn’t.  Mom develops yet another illness.  Kim tells Seth about her illness as part of a class Biology assignment.  Her illness catches up to Kim and she is hospitalized and it looks like she will never get to find happiness before she ages out. An affair between mom and the next-door neighbor is revealed.   Kim and Seth steal the family car and the money fleeced from the check kiting and go off in search of happiness but are thwarted by a hippo and other animals.  (Yep, that really happens!) The touring company cast is excellent.   Miguel Gil is adorably charming and geek-right.  Emily Koch has the right “mafia-light” touch. Laura Woyasz is correctly neurotic.  Jim Hogan switches moods and personas with ease.  The quartet sings well and develops clear characters.   Though Carolee Carmello develops a clear character and sings well it might be wonderful, since she is definitely not a teenager, and displays bodily movments of the age of a mature women, if a younger actress would be more appropriate in the role. The set is rather skimpy.  The music is well performed.  The sound system is poor.    With its small cast, easily performed music, and need for little scenery, don’t be surprised to see this script, after it is released for amateur productions, to see it being staged by numerous little and community theatres.   CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  The script will never be compared other teen-centered musicals such as WEST SIDE STORY or DEAR EVAN HANSEN or even HAIRSPRAY, but the story is interesting, the touring-show is well performed and all-in-all, it makes for a pleasing evening of theater. Tickets for the show which runs through Sunday, August 3, 2025,  are still available for all performances and can be purchased by calling 216-241-6000 or online at playhousesquare.org.

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN ”kind ‘of” misses the mark on Porthouse stag

 

Few realize that when reading a Peanuts comic strip, watching a television show based on the writings of Charles M. Schulz, or seeing the theatrical YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN, a version of which is now on stage at Porthouse Theatre, that they are being exposed to the author’s religious sensibility.

Schultz, a conservative Protestant, believed that only through “sharing of burdens and triumphs and fears and joys a person could navigate the immense challenges of life.” 

An examination of the five decades' worth of Peanuts comic strips, inspired Robert L. Short’s to write a series of books of "popular theology", “The Gospel According to Peanuts” and “The Parables of Peanuts.”

YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, opened off-Broadway) on March 7, 1967, staring Gary Burghoff (who went on to be Radar on M*A*S*H) as Charlie Brown.  It ran 1,597 performances. 

The show was revived on Broadway in 1999. This production, with additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and dialogue by Michael Mayer, attempted to add a playfulness which, according to the producers, was not fully developed in the original script. 

 It also introduced audiences to Anthony Rapp (Charlie Brown), who went on to originate the lead role of Mark Cohen in Broadway’s RENT and Kristen Chenoweth (Sally Brown), who went on to originate the role of Glinda in the 2003 musical WICKED.
 
What’s it all about?  Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts gang explore life's great questions as they play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs, swoon over their crushes and celebrate the joy of friendship. 

Through brief vignettes, spanning the months from Valentine’s Day to Beethoven Day, from wild optimism to utter despair we watch as bossy Lucy who is hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder who doesn’t give her the time of day, as perfectionist Sally mocks blanket-toting Linus, as Snoopy on his doghouse, and the “blockhead,” himself, Charlie Brown, who is in love with the “little red headed girl” all blunder through life. 

Shultz’s bottom line is that persistence wins out.  “Charlie Brown often lost, failed at much, but he never gave up. Even though he knew Lucy was going to pull the football away before he could kick it.... even though he knew the tree was going to eat his kite…he persists.”  When he watches as Lucy “teach” her little brother, Linus the “truths” of life, such as “You can also determine a young elm tree's age by counting its leaves,” “snow comes up out of the ground like grass  and the wind blows it around to make it look like it's falling,” and “the way grass grows involves insects tugging seedlings to the point that they grow to their adult state,” he responds by beating his head against a tree, which, according to Lucy, “will loosen the bark and make the tree grow.”

The difficulty of staging a show like YAGMCB is not apparent.  It has a small cast, little orchestra, one simple set, no costume changes.  Easy, huh?  Nope!  Adults, even young adults, often have difficulty being children.  Simple songs can have complex meanings.  The music must have an underplay of youthful joy.

The Porthouse production, under the direction of Amy Fritsche, is pleasant enough but, in spite of clever choreography and some fun schticks, it lacks the child-like wonder, emotional happiness, and emphasis on the joys of life that makes a script like this grab and hold the emotions of an audience.
 
The most of the cast acts at being children, not being children. They don’t really live in each of their character’s worlds, they pretend to be their characters.

From its opening notes, the music is played way too seriously and there is a lack of child-like wonderment of life. This is not PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Highlight numbers include “My Blanket and Me,” and “Beethoven Day.”  

The most realistic performances are given by Cole Stellato as Schroeder and Drew Fitzgerald as Linus.

The set design, which is wisely decorated in crayon primary colors, causes problems for the audiences seated extreme left and right.  They can’t see into the hollowed-out center of the backwall, so the actions that take place in that area can’t be seen.

Capsule judgment:  YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, in spite of its appearing to be an easy script to stage, is quite complex.  The Porthouse production is pleasant, but misses out on creating some of the joy of childhood and the textured realities of the Peanuts gang.

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN runs July 4-12, 2024 at Porthouse Theatre, on the grounds of Blossom Music Center.  For tickets call 330-672-3884 or go online to www.porthousetheatre.com.  (Note that this is NOT a children’s show.)
 
NEXT UP AT PORTHOUSE:  SCHOOL OF ROCK, July 18-August 3, 2025.