Uneven PIPPIN somewhat disappoints at Baldwin Wallace University

In the Fall of 1971, while chaperoning a group of college students to New York, I saw PIPPIN, the Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics), Roger Hirson (book), Bob Fosse (director/choreographer) musical.  I had an instant love affair with the show!

The original production starred Jonathan Rubinstein as Pippin, while the Leading Player was portrayed by Ben Vereen.  Irene Ryan, of “Beverly Hillbilly “fame, played Berthe.  A 2013 revival featured BW grad Sierra Renee as the leading player.

PIPPIN uses the premise of a performance troupe, led by the Leading Player, to tell the “magical” story of a young prince on his search for meaning and significance. 
PIPPIN contains one of my most admired musical theater songs, “Corner of the Sky,” Pippin’s “I want” song, which not only tells us about the character, but reveals the major meaning for the script.  

Originally conceived by Schwartz when he was a student, it was performed by Carnegie Mellon University's Scotch'n'Soda theatre troupe.  Ironically, as the script evolved, Schwartz has said that “not a single line or musical note from that Pippin made it into the final version.”

An example of the evolution of the script is the "Theo ending," which is used in the BW show, was not conceived until 1998, when Mitch Sebastian collaborated with Schwartz in an alternative concept for the show.  The new ending was included in the 2013 Broadway revival.  The new ending, altered the meaning of the original show.

The original Broadway production was performed in one-act. The BW interpretation is performed in two-acts, which, in my opinion, breaks the flow of the show.

The magic aspect of the show is so important, that in its most recent Broadway revival, it was done as a Cirque de Soleil-like production.

Why director, Nathan Henry, decided to eliminate all of the magic tricks and effects, is a mystery.  Without them, much of significance and creativity of the show is eliminated.  He seemed to somewhat lack how to artistically develop the show to accomplish the intent and purpose of the writers.

Talking about questionable choices, the BW students have wonderful singing voices, but the vocal sounds are only part of the role development.  Most important, especially with Stephen Schwartz songs, is the meaning of the words.  Musical director Chase Kessler, seemed to forget that.  In several numbers, notably “Corner of the Sky” words rather than meaning were sung. 

On the other hand, Greg Daniels’ reinterpretation of Bob Fosse’s choreography was superlative.  Yes, the famous “jazz hands” were present, but there was an expansion of the original dance moves which was effective and wonderful.

For added educational experiences, the University’s musicals are often double cast.  (I saw the “Glory Cast,” so my comments only center on that group of actors.)  
Kris Lyons was superlative as the Leading Player.  She played the lines with meaning and style, working the audience well.  This young lady is Broadway ready.

Julia Martin, as Fastrada, was wonderful.  She milked the laughs showing a complete understanding of comedy, exaggeration, and character development! 
 
Jack Borenstein (Charlemagne) started each of his speeches and singing lines with emphasis and then faded into unintelligible endings.  He played for laughs, for the sake of farcical-reaction, sometimes ignoring that the spoken and sung lines had meaning.

Reese Henrick appropriately had fun as Pippin’s grandmother, Berthe, though she would have been helped if the traditional method of letting the audience see the chorus words that she invited us to sing had been projected onto a screen or printed in the program.

Jack Prisco had some fine moments as Pippin.  He has a nice singing voice.
Zach Mackiewicz was character and physically right as Lewis, Pippin’s dense half-brother.

Camille Brooks made a charming Catherine, Pippin’s love interest.

The singing and dancing ensemble were excellent.

Capsule judgement: When someone goes to a musical theatre production at Baldwin Wallace, they probably go with the knowledge that program is ranked as one of the best of its type in the country and the performers are of high quality. They should also be aware that these are students who are not only performing in a show, but are getting a learning experience.  The unevenness of the recently closed production of PIPPIN was not due to the talent of the students, but the decisions of the guest director and a student musical director.  As is, the show was enjoyable, but not of the usual high BW level of achievement.
 
(Full disclosure:  PIPPIN is one of my favorite musical theatre shows.  I’ve directed it and seen at least twenty different companies produce the show, including a previous staging at Baldwin Wallace.  “Corner of the Sky” is my favorite musical theatre song.)

TROUBLE IN MIND, is a rich experience that is disturbing and thought-provoking!

 

The late-Alice Childress, the author of TROUBLE IN MIND, now being staged by Seat of the Pants Productions, was an American novelist, playwright, and actress, who was acknowledged as the only African-American woman to have written, produced, and published plays for four decades.

Childress described her work as “trying to portray the have-nots in a have society.”

As she explained, "My writing attempts to interpret the 'ordinary' because they are not ordinary. Each human is uniquely different. Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously-intricate in thought and action. Our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne."

Billed as “a moving and heartbreaking look at racism, identity and ego,” TROUBLE IN MIND is a scathing indictment of racism in America and American commercial theatre.

It tells the story of Wiletta Mayer, an African-American actress cast in a supposedly “progressive” play about racism by a white male author.  

The script and the job turn-out to be anything but progressive, both in terms of its script and rehearsal environment.

TROUBLE IN MIND had a strange route to Broadway.  The original Off-Broadway production was sponsored by the Village Presbyterian Church and the Brotherhood Synagogue in 1995.  In 1957, a Broadway transfer had been planned, renamed SO EARLY MONDAY MORNING, but the production was cancelled when the author refused to subdue its content.

TROUBLE IN MIND finally made its Broadway debut on November 18, 2021. The limited run closed on January 9, 2022, after 58 performances and 20 previews. The production was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play.

“Set during rehearsals for a major Broadway production, TROUBLE IN MIND illuminates the inner life of a Black actress struggling with her career.  As Wiletta grapples with how she's treated, the role she's being asked to play, and what the production says (or doesn't) about race in America, her growing discomfort sets off a chain of events that reveal fissures within the acting company — and bring her into conflict with her director.”

Effectively directed by Jeannine Gaskin, the production takes lots of twists and turns, allowing the observer to examine their attitudes toward race, feminism, prejudices and white male privilege.  Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in states of repeated conflict not only by your feelings toward the characters, but by your own attitudes.

Cleveland Critics Best Actress in a Musical award winner, Nicole Sumlin, is superb as Wiletta. Her climax speech, in which she expresses the author’s strong beliefs on the way in which black people, especially African Americans, both women and men, are negated by attitudinal views, and how women, in general, must be all that men are, plus some, just to be viewed as equal.

Tom Woodward, who also has been lauded by the Cleveland Critics Circle, is so effective in his characterization of the “villainous white man” who is unaware of his bullying methods and strong prejudices, that there were times when anything less than hitting him over the head with a two-by-four wouldn’t have been enough to knock some sense into him.  

Strong performances were also presented by Elizabeth Domer (Judy), Andrew Knode (Bill), Madison Ledyard-King (John), Michael Montanus (Eddie), Zyrece Montgomery (Millie), Tom Stephan (Henry), and Darryl Tatum (Sheldon).

Costume design by Marti Coles, lighting design by Ayron Lord, props design by Mia Jones, sound design by Aria Smith, and scenic construction by Christian Sanko all enhanced the production.  The use of an electronic projection on the back wall, was especially effective.

Capsule judgment:  The company’s use of an intensive rehearsal period known as “process driven production method,” paid off.  There is no doubt of clear character development, smooth flow of action, and meaningful stage pictures.  All in all, the show makes for both a rich experience regarding evaluating yours and societal attitudes, as well as a fine theatrical experience!  This is must see theatre!

TROUBLE IN MIND runs November 3-19, 2023 (Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM / Sundays at 2:30 PM) @The Pivot Center, 2937 West 25th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113.  For tickets: https://seatofthepants.org/productions

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY of Key Bank Broadway Series is not a typical musical

 

David Greene, the Senior Vice President of Programming at Playhouse Square, informs theater-goers in his program notes for GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY that “it is a non-traditional musical which features songs by music legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bob Dylan.”  
 
He goes on to say, “[the songs] do not always sync with the story, rather they run parallel and expose something that we do not already know about a character or situation, a sort of peek into the subconscious.”  
 
You are there to listen to Bob Dylan music and not figure out why this song is being sung by that character and how it fits into the tale.
 
As Greene indicates, theatre-goers should not go to the show expecting to see a story-line musical.  This is not OKLAHOMA, DEAR EVAN HANSEN or RENT.  They shouldn’t even expect MAMMA MIA, JERSEY BOYS or MOULIN ROUGE, juke box musicals which, like GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, are a collection of pre-written music, jammed into a synthetic story line.  
 
Bob Dylan?  He’s Robert Allen Zimmerman, an 82-year-old American singer-songwriter, generally regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, who has been a major figure in popular culture for the 60 years of his career. 
 
Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" (1963) and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (1964) became anthems for the civil rights and antiwar movements. 
 
His lyrics during that period incorporated liberal political, social, philosophical, and literary influences, defying pop music conventions and appealing to the burgeoning counterculture.

Dylan was raised in Hibbing, Minnesota.  His grandparents emigrated from Russia and Lithuania following the pogroms in their native lands.  

He was brought up as part of a small, close-knit Jewish community,  went to college where he became involved in the Dinkytown folk music circuit, which is an area of Minneapolis near the University of Minnesota campus noted for being the center of student life, and began to introduce himself as "Bob Dylan,” supposedly after reading poems by Dylan Thomas. 

As he explained it, "You're born, you know, the wrong names, wrong parents. I mean, that happens. You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free."

In the late 1970s, Dylan converted to Evangelical Christianity and released three albums of contemporary gospel music during what is called his “religious” period.  “He returned to Judaism.” And . . . ? A recent quote seems to sum up his views: “I’m a man of contradictions, I’m a man of many moods. I contain multitudes…”
 
In 2016 he was awarded Nobel Prize for Literature, with the explanation that the committee was awarding Dylan "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." 
 
The award was not without controversy, and The New York Times reported: "Mr. Dylan, is the first musician to win the award, and his selection is perhaps the most radical choice in a history stretching back to 1901." 

Dylan was included in Time magazine’s “The 100 Most Important People of the Century.”   He was called "a master poet, caustic social critic and intrepid, guiding spirit of the counterculture generation."

In 2008, the Pulitzer Prize jury awarded him a special citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY has a book by Conor McPherson and premiered  at The Old Vic in London running from July 8 to October 27, 017.  It came to Broadway on March 5, 2020.  
 
The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Broadway theaters on March 12, 2020, the show resumed performances on October 13, 2021. It  permanently closed on June 19, 2022. 

The play with music takes place on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth in the winter of 1934 when America is in the grip of the Great Depression.

The story is narrated by Dr. Walker, physician to the Laine family. Nick Laine is the proprietor of a rundown guesthouse. The bank is threatening to foreclose on the property and he is desperate to find a way to save his family from homelessness. His wife, Elizabeth, is suffering from a form of dementia. Their children are Gene, who is in his early twenties, and their adopted daughter, Marianne, who is nineteen.

As the slight, soap-opera like “story” develops, we meet various residents of the guesthouse and locals, who share their backstories and present lives.

Late at night, during a storm, a self-styled reverend bible salesman and a down-on-his-luck boxer arrive looking for shelter. The arrival of these characters is a catalyst, changing everything for everyone in the house. 

Twenty-two Bob Dylan songs are performed. Songs include: “Went to See the Gypsy,” “Slow Train,” “Make Me Feel Your Love,” “True Love Tends to Forget,” “Is Your Love in Vain” and “Pressing On.”

Capsule judgment: The singing voices are strong, the music well-played, the technical aspects well done.  The sound system leaves much to be desired as spoken voices are not well-heard. Don’t expect the usual Broadway glossy set, special effects, fancy costumes, or electronic effects.  If you are a Dylan-fanatic, are into his music and/or want to sit back and listen to his songs, while paying a little attention to a slight story, this will be your thing!  Me?  I’m looking forward to FUNNNY GIRL and COMPANY, later in the season offerings.

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, which is part of the 2023-24 KeyBank Broadway Series at Playhouse Square, will play in the Connor Palace at Playhouse Square from Tuesday, October 31-Sunday, November 19. Show times are Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets for all performances are available online at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000.

Astounding CABARET compels at School of Theatre and Dance of Kent State

 

On a mid-December evening in 1966, as I walked down the aisle to my mezzanine seat in the third row of the Broadhurst Theatre in New York to see one of the first performances of the musical CABARET, I was struck by my image reflected by a huge convex mirror stage.  The closer I got to the stage, the more I was confronted by my grotesque-self getting larger, longer, and out of proportion.     Little did I know, at the time, that out-of-focus image was reflecting the concept of the era being depicted in the story. Yes, it was the time of the growth of the Nazi Party, the rise of Hitler, the creation of concentration camps, and the destruction of much of the Jewish/Gay/Gypsy/Communist/disabled populations of eastern Europe.   Yes, theatre, as is true of the arts, represents the era from which is comes.  And, CABARET, the John Kander (music), Fred Ebb (lyrics), Joe Masteroff (lyrics) musical, is a perfect reflection of the decadence and horrors of that time.     The musical, which in its first staging starred Cleveland-native Joel Grey, was not an instant success due to its perceived immoral content.  As Masteroff shares, “When the show opened in Boston there were a lot of walkouts; however, once the rave reviews came out the show was a success.”    The multi-award-winning script inspired numerous subsequent productions as well as the 1972 Emmy winning film.    “Set in 1929–1930 Berlin during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the musical focuses on the hedonistic nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around American writer Clifford Bradshaw's relations with English cabaret performer Sally Bowles. A subplot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor, Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub, and the club itself serves as a metaphor for ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany.”    American writer Christopher Isherwood's autobiographical tales is of his escapades when he came to Berlin to enjoy the city's orgiastic cabarets in hopes of finding a topic about which to write a novel.     Two weeks after Adolf Hitler implemented the Enabling Act, which cemented his dictatorship, Isherwood fled Germany and returned to England on April 5, 1933 and wrote GOODBYE TO BERLIN. (CABARET is based on the John Van Druten 1951 play I AM A CAMERA, which was based on the Isherwood book.) The script had a strong rebirth when in 1993 Sam Mendes directed a reconceptualization version in London.    The most significant change in the reimagined CABARET was in the character of the Emcee. In the original version the role, as played by Grey was an asexual character with rouged cheeks dressed in a tuxedo. Alan Cumming, in the Mendes-directed version, was highly sexualized, and the horror of the forthcoming Holocaust was emphasized.   The KSU production, using the Mendes interpretation, is under the creative and focused directing of Terri Kent and the ingenious choreography of Martin Cespedes, who also serves as Artistic Collaborator.  It is astounding.     The story is clearly told.     The characters are clearly etched.     Cespedes’ “Willkommen” opening number movements set a perfect pace  and image for the show.  The kick-line in “Married” had the audience screaming for more.     The orchestra arrangements often differ from previous productions.  “Cabaret,” Sally Bowe’s epic song, gets a character-developing “hard-assed,” interpretation by Madison Shannon, as does her interpretation of “Main Herr” and “Maybe This Time.” Hers is not a Liza Minnelli air-headed character-copy.   “Married” a duet by Tim Culver, as Schultz and Rebecca Poole, as Frau Schneider, has all the necessary delight, but has an added foreshadowing of the disaster to come.     “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” is powerfully engulfing.    “I Don’t Care Much” (Nicholas Bradley as the Emcee—he alternates in the role with Dominic Young) and “The Finale” (Anthony Ghali as Cliff and Bradley) sets the audience up for an emotionally-wrenching ending.   It is so tempting to explain in detail the powerful finale, but it would be a disservice to future audiences.  Just to say, it would have been made even stronger if the blackout at the end had been held even longer, letting the audience sit in darkness, deservedly uncomfortable, and then walking out in half-dimmed lights with no curtain call.   Jennnifer Korecki’s orchestra is right on key, but could have been tuned-down in some segments, where they drowned out the singers.   The sets (Gennie Neuman-Lambert), costumes (Michelle Hunt Souza), lights (David Bruns) and sound (Bella Brehm) designs were excellent.  The concept of using up-side down chairs as cells and cell bars was ingenious.   Capsule judgment:  KSU’s CABARET is one of the highest quality college performances this reviewer has ever seen.  Every aspect was well-conceived.  Terri Kent and Martin Cespedes are to be commended for their vision and execution and every person who participated in bringing this show to stage should be proud of their accomplishments!  Applause, applause, applause. CABARET runs through November 9.  Tickets can be purchased through the Performing Arts Box Office by phone at 330-672-2787 or online at https://kentstateticketing.universitytickets.com/w/default.aspx?cid=167. (Fairness factor:  I am a proud theatre/speech graduate of Kent State University (Class of 1955) and hold the distinction, while serving as Vice President of the Student Senate and All-University Social Chairman, of being the producer of FINIAN’S RAINBOW, noted as the first official musical theatre production at KSU.  This was long before the school had a Musical Theatre program.)

Artificial Intelligence trend makes CPH’S MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN even more thought-provoking!

 

 
With the recent uptake in information about Artificial Intelligence, the creation of a monster becomes more real and probably scarier than when Mary Shelley wrote her 1818 novel FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS.   
 
The tale tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment and the results of that creation. 
 
The real scare may well be that we now are faced with the reality of our ability to “play God” in creating a “life.”  Yes, the danger that lies in willful ignorance, when people neglect to consider the potential negative impacts of their actions.

Frankenstein has become a classic not only because of its of pioneering theme of reanimating the dead and/or creating new life, but also because of the interactions between its two main characters: the young scientist Victor Frankenstein and the creature that he creates, who remains nameless throughout the novel.  (Side note: Since the publication of the novel, the name "Frankenstein" has often been used, erroneously, to refer to the monster, rather than to his creator/father.)

A significant incident In developing her tale took place when, in 1815, Mary Shelley travelled through Europe.  She took a tour along the Rhine River in Germany, and stopping near the site of the Frankenstein Castle, where, two centuries before, an alchemist had engaged in experiments, and it was rumored he created a monster.

As the result of that travel, in 1816, when Mary, her husband Percy Shelley, John Polidori and Lord Byron had a competition to see who could write the best horror story, she imagined the story of a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made.  

The book, which she created from her contest story, is considered the first true science-fiction novel. It has had a considerable influence on literature and on popular culture as it has spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films, and plays.

The play, MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN, which is now on stage at Cleveland Play House, is a stage adaptation, by David Catlin, of Mary Shelley's book.

The plot centers on “Victor Frankenstein who creates a monster from human corpses. Once the Creature is brought to life, however, Victor is appalled by his creation's deformed appearance and flees in terror. The Creature wanders through the streets of Ingolstadt, lost and confused. Meanwhile, Gretel, a prostitute, is being assaulted in an alleyway and calls for help. The Creature frightens off her attacker, Gretel recoils from her savior, and a mob of villagers chase the Creature away. The next morning, the Creature sees the dawn for the first time and finds Victor's journal revealing the way in which it was created.”

And, thus we fall deeper into the tale of the horrors of the monster’s existence, lack of having true emotions and, therefore, the lack of being able to love.  In contrast to the book, in which Victor dies, at the end of the play he does not.

The CPH production, under the directorship of Michael Barakiva, is proficiently done.  The cast, Josh Bates, Madeline Calais-King, Ellen Grace Diehl, Gavin Michaels (Victor Frankenstein) and Koydè Soyemi (Creature) are all competent in creating the characters they portray.  

Lex Liang’s scenic and costume design, Jakyung C. Seo’s lighting, and Sharath Patel’s sound design all greatly enhance the staging.

Capsule judgment:  The production, though not as compelling as it could be, tells the tale as Mary Shelly intended it.  If you think of the Frankenstein tale as true horrifying and scary, the monster as epitomized by Boris Karloff in the films FRANKENSTEIN AND THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, or ridiculously humorous as portrayed in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN or HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, this is not it.  This is a straight-forth telling of the Shelly tale, with the ominous over-tones of what might be in this age of Emotional Intelligence.

MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN runs through November 12, 2023 in the Outcalt Theatre in the Cleveland Play House complex of Playhouse Square.  For tickets call 216-400-7000 or https://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/

Next up at Cleveland Play House…Langston Hughes’ BLACK NAIVITY, directed by Tony F. Sias and Erin Weaver, with musical direction by Dr. David Thomas (December 1-16, 2023) followed by the farcical THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, February 10-March 3, 2024.