CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE PRESENTS A HOLLY-JOLLY MUSICAL OF HOLIDAY CHEER

It’s that time of year again.  Yes, stores are all decked out in holiday decorations, the Allen Theatre lobby is filled with Christmas Trees, and local theatres are strutting their stuff doing holiday productions. Many of the venues have run out of fresh material so they are remounting scripts from the past or trying to conceive some new holiday cheer and eliminate mid-Covid angst.

An enterprising composer/writer could make a fortune writing some quality holiday shows.  The theatres could sure use them.  

The Cleveland Play House, after years of reprising THE CHRISTMAS STORY finally gave in this year and is trying LIGHT IT UP! which their advertising states is “a holly-jolly musical event that features original pop, rock, gospel, and jazz holiday tunes and new arrangements of traditional Christmas carols.” 

Co-creator Lelund Durond Thompson states, “Coming out of the last year with the pandemic where we have been isolated and where we’ve not had the opportunity to feel, inspire, connect – we really wanted to create a piece that spoke to the need for us to really enjoy living life.” 

Director Christopher Windom adds, “Where we are at this time in this moment in this year, I can’t think of anything that would be more meaningful than a dose of delight during the holiday season.”

The evening is a blend of new and old holiday songs sung by a very talented cast (Florrie Bagel, Kristina Gabriela, Matt Gittins, Brennyn Lark, Terica Marie, Gustavo Márquez, Benjamin H. Moore, Christopher B. Portley, Helen Marla White, Mariama Whyte).

The staging included “Light It Up” a rousing singing and dancing show opener, a joyous “Joy to the World,” a moving Yiddish version of “Maoz Tzurz” (“Rock of Ages”), and an inspiring “Santa Lucia,” among others.

The musicians were excellent, both as backups to the singers, as well as when they came center-stage and showcased their talents.

One might question why the decision was made to break up the wonderful singing with such trite devices as adding the Tinselville Players, playing unfunny audience participation games and faking a storyline.  Musical reviews, composed of only songs and some dancing have entertained for years.  There doesn’t have to be a story line, especially one that is so trite.  

Capsule judgment:  The cast sings well…let them sing!!!  The audience was lite up when the singing and dancing were being performed!  Cut out the trite tale and accent the positive! 

LIGHT IT UP!, which plays through December 22, 2021 at the Allen Theatre, was developed with support of the Roe Green Fund for New American Plays.

For ticket, which range from $15 to $95, call 216.241.6000 or go on line to  www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
 

Convergence-Continuum exposes gay entrapment in THE 20TH CENTURY

 

Convergence-Continuum exposes gay entrapment in THE 20TH CENTURY WAY

 

Roy Berko

(Cleveland Critics Circle & American Theater Critics Association)

 

California is noted as the home of liberal beliefs and a relaxed attitude toward sex.  That wasn’t always the case. 

 

In 1914, men were arrested during a raid of the 606 Club and the 96 Club, two gay spaces that had been on the police force’s radar for some time. The bust was huge, and one of the first entrapment schemes that garnered wide press. 

 

The Los Angeles Times and oth­er sen­sa­tion­al­ist news­pa­pers prin­ted the names of the ar­res­ted men.  The results of the arrests and trials were devastating.  Many lives were ruined and at least one life was lost.  John Lamb, a prom­in­ent Long Beach banker and Epis­copal Church of­ficer, killed him­self soon after he was ar­res­ted.

 

The scandal, among other things, led to an ordinance against “oral sodomy” in California.  That law was followed by similar laws in other states.

That tale of entrapment, and how it came about, is the basis for Tom Jacobson’s THE 20^TH CENTURY WAY, now on stage at convergence-continuum, Cleveland’s “we don’t do plays that any other local theater stages.” 

 

Yes, the artistic director of con-con, as it is referred to by its followers, prides himself on shocking his audience with his play choices. And, this play is definitely shocking.

 

The script tells the tale of how two out-of-work actors hired themselves out to the Long Beach Police Department.  Their goal was to entrap “social vagrants” (homosexuals) in public restrooms. Their motivation?  They got a fee for every “pervert” they exposed, as well as being able to play “real” policemen.

Jacobson uses a play within a play format in which the two characters are portraying trying out the entrapment roles they are to play as well as how the entrapments will take place. 

The author approaches the exposition using a Pirandello type concept in which each of the characters walks the fine line between “reality, sanity and identity.” 

In the script, Jacobson challenges the meaning of morality, explores sexual identity, and if it is possible to be honest and true to oneself.

The performers are required to quickly switch from being the actors who are going to do the entrapments, to being the many men who are being entrapped.  Their only devices are a few costume parts, vocal changes, non-verbal alterations and lighting changes. 

To make the play work requires the actors to seamlessly slip in and out of the characters.  They must be totally believable and the staging must be meticulous, leaving no doubt of the realness of these men.

Con-con’s production, unfortunately, proves to be too much of a stretch for both the actors and the director. 

The many line flubs broke the character development and did havoc on a lighting device that was intended to separate reality from role play.   Costume changes were often awkward.  The improvisational techniques, a requirement for this script, were seemingly not part of the tool chest of the cast.

Previous productions of the script have called the stagings “intriguing,” “fast-paced,” “a display of sexual tension,” “fun” and “a piece that makes us think.”  

Con-con’s staging lacked in being both intriguing and fast-paced.  The ninety minutes dragged into what seemed like hours.  Fun?  There wasn’t an audible laugh heard from the attenders.  There was no sexual tension between the performers.   The script did make one think.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  The topic of THE 20^TH CENTURY WAY, if, not the play’s production, should please con-con regulars.  The theme is intriguing and spotlights an important moment in US history that led to many bad laws being passed, gay men being persecuted and prosecuted, and great angst.  It took a late 20^th century Supreme Court decision to undue the horror.

THE 20TH CENTURY WAY plays through December 18, 2021.  For tickets go to www.convergence-contnuum.org

Next up at con-con:  The Cleveland premiere of DOG ACT by Liz Duffy-Adams (March 25-April 16).

ELF the musical

 Yes, Beck’s ELF “is tinseled in synthetic sentiment and instantly forgettable.” 

Each holiday season Beck Center presents a child-centric show.  The scripts are the likes of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LITTLE MERMAID, and SHREK.  These are selections that have audience involving stories, well-known music and lyrics, show-stoppers, farcical humor or dramatic intrigue, and the opportunity for choreographic creativity. 
 
This year’s offering is ELF, the tale of Buddy Hobbs, a young orphan who, one Christmas Eve, crawls into Santa Claus’ bag of gifts while the jolly old man is delivering presents.
 
When he gets back to the North Pole, Santa and the elves decide that Buddy, as they have named him, should be raised as an elf.  That would have been no problem, but the wee-little baby grows into a tall gangling man.  When Buddy realizes, after overhearing a discussion, that he is a human, and though his mother is dead, he does have a living father, he heads off to New York City in search of Walter Hobbs, his dad.
 
Dressed in his Elf clothing, Buddy runs into all sorts of conflicts with reality.  His father isn’t interested in another son as he already has one who he basically ignores. Buddy falls in love with a beautiful woman who isn’t interested in his affection.  The department store Santas don’t like Buddy exposing them as frauds.  But…in the end, of course, Buddy finds love and love and more love.
 
Sounds like it could be fun.  The movie version of the tale was a total farcical delight. 
 
Unfortunately, the pencil thin plot by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan sketched from the film, and the unremarkable music by Matthew Sklar, and bland words by Chad Beguelin, simply aren’t memorable enough to hold attention and get the audience fascinated in poor Buddy’s journey.  
 
As a reviewer of one of the short runs the script had on Broadway stated, “the production is tinseled in synthetic sentiment and is instantly forgettable. ”  
 
That review did say that the show was “performed with a cheer that borders on mania.”  If only the Beck staging was farcical, over-done, or filled with the slapstick of the movie or even the ill-fated Great White Way show, it might have some saving grace.  
 
The staging overlooked so many chances to go beyond the inane script and add some farcical fun to the goings on.  This show could be a hoot, or at least, fun-filled.
 
Martin Céspedes is one of the area’s most creative choreographers.  He can make almost any script shine. Unfortunately, because of the one-tone music, he doesn’t have the opportunity to reach into his bag of tricks and create fascinating visual delights.  The bland pacing of the show also limits him as the production numbers have to take their cues from the philosophy of the staging.  He can’t have razzle dazzle dancing while the rest of the production lacks pizzazz.  
 
That’s not to say that the cast didn’t put out full effort.  It did.  Lanky Tim Allen tries hard to make Buddy charming and likeable.  Unfortunately, he isn’t given enough “schtick” to have a holly, jolly time playing the role.  Young Owen Hill (Michael Hobbs), has a great singing voice, but the quality of the songs he is given to sing just doesn’t match his vocal qualities.  Merrie Drees (Jovie) and Lily Warner (Deb) have nice singing voices.    
 
The highlight of the show is Brittany Merenda’s creative visual projections in which the stage’s proscenium and inner prosceniums are a constantly changing display of holiday gift-wrapping designs.  
 
Larry Goodpasture’s large orchestra plays well and Beck’s finicky sound system is nicely tamed by Carlton Guc.  Steve Shack’s lighting design adds a warm comic quality to the stage.
 
CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  Beck’s ELF lacks the farcical quality and creativity of the movie on which it is based.  Part of the problem is the poor quality of the script.  The rest is the lack of creativity in the staging.   It may be a pleasant sit for some, but for others it will be a quickly forgettable experience.  
 
ELF runs though January 2, 2021 at the Senney Theater of the Beck Center for Performing Arts.  For tickets call 216-521-2540 X10.
 
Next up at Beck:  LIZZIE, a sexy, bloody American mythology set to a blistering score of hard rock. Produced in collaboration with Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program. It runs Feb 4-26.