"Miraculous" ANNIE wraps up the season at Porthouse Theatre

Terri Kent, the Artistic Director of Porthouse Theatre, Kent State University’s summer home on the grounds of Blossom Center, states in her program notes for ANNIE, “I believe the arts have the power to transform lives and I believe in miracles.”   Kent, therefore, chose to end the venue’s “Miracles! Season” with the tale of an orphan named Annie, who, through guts, gall and cuteness charms herself, in miracle-like fashion, into the life of Oliver Warbucks, the mid-depression billionaire, and, in the process outsmarts the conniving orphanage matron Miss Hannigan, and her dastardly brother, Rooster.   ANNIE, the musical, is loosely based on “Little Orphan Annie,” which was a daily comic strip created by Harold Gray.  “The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and it made its debut on August 5, 1924, in the New York Daily News.” With its commentary on politics, American life and depression angst, the strip, in contrast to many of the escapist writings and illustrations of the comics genre, attracted adult readers, rather than children.   If you were a reader of the comics version of the story, don’t go expecting any strip you’ve read in the newspapers, as Meehan used only the characters of Annie, Oliver Warbucks, and Sandy in his plot, and wrote an original story, with new personae. The Meehan tale is set in New York during the downbeat Great Depression. The author stated that he saw “the character of Annie as a 20th-century American female version of the titular orphan characters created by Charles Dickens in works such as Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, with the mystery of Annie's abandonment and unknown parenthood as consistent with a strand of mysteries in Dickens' tales.” It's “1933 in New York City, eleven-year-old Annie is housed in an orphanage. When six-year-old Molly wakes up from a bad dream, Annie comforts her by singing about her own parents; even though they abandoned her at the orphanage as a baby, she holds on to the hope that they will come back for her.” Annie decides to escape to search for her parents, but is caught by Miss Hannigan, the alcoholic, nasty matron of the institution.   Annie finally does sneak out of the orphanage, wanders the streets, finds a dog which she names Sandy, is caught and brought back to Miss Hannigan, is chosen by Grace, Mr. Warbucks’s aid, to be a guest at Warbucks’s home as a guest-orphan for the Christmas holidays.  And, as we all know will happen, she charms the man, his staff, President Roosevelt, and the audience, is adopted and becomes a non-orphan.  “Leapin’ lizards!” Ah, to live in the world of comics and miracles! ANNIE opened on Broadway in 1977, won seven Tony Awards, including for Best Musical and ran for nearly six years.  It spawned a national tour, international productions and numerous community and little theater productions. The musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life" are among the most popular tunes of Broadway. THE Porthouse production, under the focused direction of Terri Kent, with Artistic Collaboration and choreography by Martin Céspedes, gets a warm and comfortable staging.  The negative thoughts of the script are minimized and the positive is stressed.  Even Miss Hannigan’s obnoxious ways are down-played.  This approach minimized some of the humor, but left the “miracle” aspects present. First and foremost, the role of Sandy, the stray dog is played by Bean Kent (Kent?  Oh, yes, the director’s own sandy colored poodle, who had its own director—AB Dog Training). Bean’s entrance was deservedly met with appropriate “uhhs and ahhs!” The obedient animal was well-behaved and seemed to relish the attention! Parker Towns, who is double cast with Ava Kimble, made for an adorable and winsome Annie, the day I saw the production.  (Ava Kimble plays the role when Kimble plays July.)  She has a strong singing voice and developed a consistent characterization.  (But, where were the head of ringlets and signature Annie dress?) Dante J.L. Murray, who recently lit up the Porthouse stage as Pontius Pilate in “JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR,” has a big voice and was convincing as Daddy Warbucks. Courtney Elizabeth Brown was charming as Grace Farrell.   Amy Fritsche was properly obnoxious as Miss Hannigan, as was Matthew Gittins as her brother Rooster, though I would have liked for each to have played the roles with more exaggerated farce. The orphans were delightful.  Martin Cespedes’s choreography, a little more subdued than his usual work, was filled with his signature creativity.  Capsule judgment:  There is no “Maybe” about it, since “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without Smile,” get down to Porthouse theatre, today, not “Tomorrow” to see the “Little Girls” [and the rest of cast] of ANNIE, do their thing! ANNIE runs through August 4, 2024 at Porthouse Theatre on the grounds of Blossom Center.  For tickets go to http://www.porthousetheatre.com or call 330-929-4416 or 330-672-3884.

 

Sensational MJ explodes with amazing dancing, rockin’ music and powerful visuals at Key Bank State Theatre!

 

Confession:  I am not a big fan of Juke Box musicals, the now popular Broadway vehicle which is a genre of American Musical Theatre in which pre-written songs are woven, mostly with no real reason, into an often soap-opera-like story.   Reality:  MJ, now on stage at the Key Bank State Theatre as part of the Broadway series, is a Juke Box musical. Confession:  I am not an avid fan of disco/hip-hop!   Reality: MJ mostly is disco/hip hop with some pop. Confession:  Though I have heard his music, and know some things about his life story, I am not a Michael Jackson fan and have never attended any of his concerts.   Reality:  MJ is a tale based on some of Jackson’s life told through his songs and a so-called series of interviews and observations while Jackson and his cast members were preparing for his Dangerous World Tour.  The revelations include the discovery of his profound singing and dancing talents, the sadistic and often physical and emotional abuse by his father, which thwarted his rise to manhood and aided in his often child-like vocal and lack of reality-views of the world, and his personal physical and psychological issues.  Final reality:  I was totally blown-away with the dynamism, creativity and showmanship of MJ, and was on my feet, along with the rest of the screaming stomping and clapping audience at the conclusion of this sumptuous show!  (Make sure you stay for the ear-shattering, visually over-load of a curtain call!   In contrast to most Juke Box musicals which are written by the subject of the show or someone who doesn’t know much about theatre, MJ is blessed with a book by two-time Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage, who undertook the daunting task of delving into the man-boy who did few interviews, was very private, and was often referred to as the “man behind the mirror.”  (A constant device used in the staging and choreography.)   Yes, his volatile relationship with his demanding often fearsome father, his use of pills to escape reality, his hypochondriac-like illnesses, his face-bleaching and surgeries to change his appearance, are all there, but, as it should have been, most of the spotlight was on his singing and dancing! “Many things have been said about Michael Jackson, both during his famed life and after his untimely death. Some have been substantiated, some not — but two things are undeniable. Jackson’s music was groundbreaking, tying ’60s Motown to ’70s disco, hip-hop, and of course, pop, of which he was labeled the King. His popularity forced the music industry to integrate, breaking down barriers for Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and a slew of rap performers. It wasn’t just his sound. Jackson’s choreography — executing sexually suggestive moves with innocent abandon — thrilled audiences.”   And, all that is on-stage in MJ: The Musical. “Over a four-decade career, his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture. Jackson influenced artists across many music genres. Through stage and video performances, he popularized street dance moves such as the moonwalk, which he named, and the robot.” MJ, opened on Broadway in February 1, 2022.  It is still playing. and is running at about 91% of audience capacity.  It has earned over 200 million dollars, making it one of the highest grossing musical theatre productions of all time.   These totals are surprising since the show opened to divided critical reviews.  While Nottage’s book was noted by one reviewer as having “bland, exposition-heavy and often trite dialogue,” another noted that he “left the theater entertained, but not convinced I had seen the man in the smoke and mirrors."  To counter these negatives, a critic stated that the show was "visually and sonically ravishing," while another claimed that the show was "beautiful to experience throughout, which one almost never can say about jukebox musicals."    I am, with a few caveats, on the side of the latter! The show received 10 Tony nominations, winning four, including a well-deserved one for director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon.  The choreography is outstanding.  It’s a blinding blend of Wheeldon, Bob Fosse and a mélange of other hoofers and dance creators.  Wow! Locals should be interested in knowing that the Broadway cast contains three grads of Baldwin Wallace’s famed Musical Theatre program and the touring company also has a BW representative. The touring cast is strong.  Roman Banks creates a believable Jackson.  Unfortunately, he sometimes, in his attempt to duplicate the soft-spoken MJ, fails to project, so some of his speeches can’t be clearly heard. The same is not true of his singing, which is loud and clear, nor his dancing, which is compelling. Jackson’s other selves, Brandon Lee Harris and Bane Griffith (the night I saw the show) are excellent, displaying solid singing and dancing skills.  Devin Bowles is nastiness incarnate as Joseph Jackson, Michael’s self-absorbed, abusive father. The singing and dancing chorus are superb.  They must be totally exhausted after each performance as they are on-stage constantly moving!  Bravo! CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  MJ, the Juke Box musical, puts a spotlight on a segment of mega star Michael Jackson’s career and conflicted life.  The show gets a powerful production featuring exciting electronic graphics, dynamic musical arrangements, superb choreography, some strong performances and exciting choral work and dancing, encased in an acceptable story. MJ runs at the KeyBank State Theatre in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square until August 11, 2024 as part of the Key Bank Broadway Series.  For tickets call 216-241-6000 or go to playhousesquare.org

Audience-pleasing BEAUTIFUL, THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, lights up Beck Center stage!

 

 
BEAUTIFUL, now on stage at Beck Center for the Arts, is a Juke Box musical loosely based on the life of Carol King (aka Carol Joan Klein), one of America’s most prolific songs writers, arrangers and entertainers.
 
As with all musicals of that classification (e.g., MAMMA MIA!, JERSEY BOYS, MJ THE MUSICAL), the songs, which were not written specifically for the show, are shoe-horned into a script.  The music doesn’t always fit smoothly, but the importance is not the literary development of the tale, but the fact that the character, performer or person, who is the center-piece of story, has connection to the songs.  
 
BEAUTIFUL, shows the development of King, a young Jewish Brooklyn girl, with a dominating divorced mother, who has little self-confidence, but a strong drive to write music and succeed in the stressful business, growing from a modest song scribe to a popular and confident writer and performer of songs.  It spotlights a conflicted person within the reluctant star, who emerged as a leader in her field and also in politics and the women’s movement.
 
The audience is taken on a journey of her relationship with her husband, and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, to her career’s development, divorce and close friendship and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
 
The musical opened on Broadway on January 12, 2014 and ran through October 27, 2019.  The 60 previews and 2,418 performances made it, at that time, the 27th longest-running musical in Broadway history.
 
One of the highlights of the run was that King attended the April 3, 2014 performance and appeared on stage at the curtain call, singing "You've Got a Friend" with the cast. 

As is often the case with Juke Box musicals, when the show opened on Broadway, it was criticized for the weakness of the book.  As one reviewer stated, the musical does not have the "dramatic coherence of book bio-musicals.”  Another stated, while the musical "doesn't hang its songs on the greatest or most suspenseful story ever told, it has enough bounce and Broadway show glitz to keep you in your seat."

The near sold-out Beck audience, however, wasn’t in their seats.   At the conclusion, they leapt to their feet, clapping and yelling their appreciation. 

BEAUTIFUL is a difficult musical to produce.  Not only do you have the “Carole King” sound that is familiar to many, but there are also the groups, The Shirelles, Drifters, Righteous Brothers, each of whom has a recognizable sound and movements.  To do the script service means for the director, choreographer, music director and cast to be familiar with all of these elements, or the authenticity of the show is lost.

In the main, the Beck production, which is the local premiere of the piece, is on track.  While some of the acting was superficial, most of the material was well-conceived. 

Reese Henrick (as Cynthia Well) and Jordan Potter (as Barry Mann) were delightful.  They had a wonderful physical and emotional connection, displaying a keen sense of comic timing.  Her “Happy Days” and their duet “He Sure the Boy I Love,” were show highlights.

Elsie Carlisle displayed a fine singing voice and an understanding of Carole King, while Mikhail Roberts was appropriately tortured as Gerry Goffin.

There are well-known synchronized movements identified with each boy or girl group.  In some, in this staging, the choreographic timing was off.   It was especially obvious in “On Broadway,” the song made famous by the Drifters.   More time was need for each of the quartets to watch videos and getting the styles down pat, with fine tuning by choreographer Lauren Tidmore Marousek.

Chris Richards, he of dead-pan comic face, developed a fine Donny Kirshner.

Cheri Proguh Devol’s juke box set was ingenious.  Inda Blatch Geib effectively used yards and yards of fabric to create the era-correct costumes.

Capsule judgment:  BEAUTIFUL, THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, though there were some acting and choreographic stumbles, and the script is more soap-opera than quality musical theater writing, gets an audience pleasing production at Beck.  The music is wonderful. The cast sings with gusto. There is lots of dancing. It is well-worth a look-see!

BEAUTIFUL runs through August 11 at Beck Center’s Senney Theater.  For tickets call 216-521-2540 or go to beckcenter.org.

NUNSENSE delights audience at Porthouse

Musicals are born from many sources including books, movies, plays and comic strips.  None, however, has a more intriguing past than NUNSENSE, which is now on stage at Kent State’s Porthouse Theatre, on the grounds of the Blossom Center.  
 
NUNSENSE, with book, music, and lyrics by Dan Goggin, originated as a line of greeting cards which depicted nuns making nasty, snide and sarcastic comments.  The cards were a sensation.  
 
Goggin, ever the creative entrepreneur, expanded the concept into a cabaret show that ran for 38 weeks off-Broadway, and eventually into a full-length musical. “The original Off-Broadway production opened December 12, 1985, running for 3,672 performances and became the second-longest-running Off-Broadway show in history.” The show eventually spawned six sequels and three spin-offs.
 
It is estimated that more than 25,000 women have played in NUNSENSE productions worldwide, including such classical ladies from the “mature generation” as Edie Adams, Kaye Ballard, Phyllis Diller, Sally Struthers and JoAnne Worley.
 
The tale concerns five of the surviving Little Sisters of Hoboken, a one-time missionary order that ran a leper colony on an island south of France.  Upon returning to the convent one evening, after a wild game of bingo, the quintet discovers that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally killed the other fifty-two residents of the convent with her tainted vichyssoise.
 
Unfortunately, the Sisters have limited funds and can’t afford to bury all of their now-dead members.  How are they going to get the corpses out of the freezer and into the ground? 
 
Hey, this is a farce, so no logical rules are expected.  In fact, the more ridiculous, the more the audience will be entertained!
 
Mother Superior has a vision in which she is told to start a greeting card company to raise funds for the burials, along with vaudeville shows and passing the hat (literally).
 
And, so, we enter into a series of incidents in which the “holy” women, which includes a ballerina nun, a wack-job novice, a streetwise sister, and a childlike member of the group, who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head, take us on a journey of solos, dance routines and an audience quiz.  (Ridiculous?  Remember it’s a farce meant to entertain!)
 
The Porthouse production, under the guidance of director, Eric van Baars, does the work proud.  The audience was laughing and clapping throughout, enjoying the ridiculousness. 
 
The cast, Sandra Ross, Colleen Longshaw, Theresa Hall, Lara Troyer and Becca Bailey, along with a surprise “guest” whose identity not to be revealed as it will run a clever schtick, all create clear characterizations.  They have good singing voices and carry out their farcical interpretations well.  
 
The audience was especially delighted with “Turn Off That Spotlight,” the first act concluder in which the Mother Superior, “accidentally” gets stoned. 
 
Musical director Jonathan Swoboda and his on-stage musicians are in good tune, Joe Burke’s lighting design aided in setting the right moods.  It is difficult to set the sound levels in what is basically an open-air theatre, so that all can hear the song lyrics, but there seems more of a problem in this production than past experiences at Porthouse.  (Maybe it was because I was seated in the last row in the extreme corner of the audience.)
 
Capsule judgment:  Great theatre this is not, but the sold-out audience was totally delighted, and that is the goal of this type of show.  If farce is your thing, go, see, enjoy!  (BTW---it can get hot in the covered outdoor theatre so be sure to hydrate!)
 
NUNSENSE runs through July 13, to be followed by ANNIE from July 19 through August 4.  For tickets go to porthousetheatre.com or call 330-672-3884.