Beck’s THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM encapsulates pseudo-violence, desire, innocence in blue-grass and farce    Like the old tale, my lord: "it is not so, nor `t was not so; but, indeed, God forbid it should be so."   The intimate Beck’s Studio Theatre is a perfect venue for meeting and greeting THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM a blue-grass, farcical musical with a book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman.    The story is based on the 1942 novella by Eudora Welty, which is based on a German fairy tale by the Brother Grimm.      This is a tale of a wealthy businessman, his shrewish second-wife, his beautiful spoiled daughter, a handsome but dastardly polite bandit and a bunch of legendary figures, some real and some invented by Eudora Welty, that takes place in the Natchez Trace.  (Yippie, do-da day!) The first Broadway production, which was directed by Lorain, Ohio native Gerald Freedman, who later headed the Great Lakes Theater, opened in a limited engagement on October 7, 1975.   It ran for 14 performances and 1 preview before setting out on a one-year US national tour. Its success on the road convinced the producers to mount a revamped Big Apple production with an extended book and expanded, heavily bluegrass-tinged score. The music, deemed "country and southern" was arranged for guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass and banjo. (Yah, that there twangy sound!) This second Broadway production opened on October 9, 1976 where it ran for 145 performances and 12 previews.  The tale starts with Clemment Musgrove, the wealthiest planter on the Natchez Trace arriving in town only to have all of the townsfolk trying to steal his money. He finally makes it to a hotel. Little Harp, a largely unsuccessful robber, plots with his brother, Big Harp, who is only a head that he keeps in a briefcase, about how they can steal Musgrove's money.  (You think two heads are better than one?) The duo eventually devisies a plan in which they will  kill him in his sleep. (Owww...scary!) Jamie Lockhart, rescues Musgrove from the Harps by tricking Little Harp into thinking that he killed them and their ghosts attack him. Grateful, Musgrove invites Jamie to his home for dinner and for the chance to meet and woo his greatest treasure, his daughter, Rosamund. (Daddy...the matchmaker.) Farce is difficult to do.  Many parts of the Beck production, directed by Scott Spence, which has great choreography and musical staging by Lauren Marousek, are nicely set up for the telling of the ridiculous, melodramatic tale of overwrought and unbelievable love and lust.  Others are missing.  It features a fine, though, at times overly loud enthusiastic orchestra (Evan Kleve, David Nicholson, Jesse Hogson, Michael Simile and Jason Stebelton), which sometimes drowns out the words of the songs, under the direction of Larry Goodpaster.   Standout cast members are Nic Rhew as Jamie Lockhart, the Gentleman Robber, who possesses a fine singing voice, and, as required, is tall, dark and handsome, Izzy Baker, as the blonde, beautiful, air-headed femme-fatale Rosamund, the daughter of the wealthy Clemment Musgrove, and Jordan Potter, as Musgrove, the wealthy planter.  Seth Crawford, he of slight body and puppy-dog eyes, over-does, much to the audience’s delight, the roll of Goat, the “dumb boy” who is enlisted by her step-mother Salome (Ruby Moncrief-Karten) to carry out her ill-planned scheme to kill Rosamund.  Too bad others didn’t take Crawford’s lead, or weren’t directed to let totally loose. Trad A Burns must have cleaned out all of the antique shops in Lakewood in order to build the marvelously ambitious rustic set! Capsule judgement:  THE ROBBERBRIDGE GROOM is a farcical, nonsensical piece of blue-grass musical theatre fluff, which gets a” funish” production at Beck. The show runs through June 29, 2025.  For tickets call 216-521-2540 or go to beckcenter.org Next up at Beck:  7/11-8/10—CHORUS LINE—The dance centric musical that changed the American musical theatre.  Picture a bare stage, and all the dreams of Broadway performers lay before you. This time, you “gotta get it,” in honor of the 50th anniversary of this Broadway favorite.   (A classic that must be seen and reseen!)   A BELATED CONGRATULATIONS TO EDWARD GALLLAHER ON HIS APPOINTMENT AS PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE, LARRY GOODPASTER AS VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, and JULIE GILLILAND, VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCMENT AT BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

Preview of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Porthouse

 

At the age of fifteen Solomon Rabinovich adopted the pseudonym  “Sholem Aleichem,” a Yiddish variant of the Hebrew expression meaning "peace be with you" and used as a greeting.   As an adult he was a European “folkshrayer” (a folk-story teller) who wrote over forty volumes in Yiddish thereby becoming a central figure in Jewish literature, best remembered for his fictional confessions, letters, and monologues.   In spite of the success of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF today, Sholem Aleichem was not a successful playwright in the US in his lifetime.  When he came to the US, near the turn of the 20th century, his plays were not well received because they were “old fashioned” and about experiences the newly arrived immigrants wanted to forget.    Success came three years after his death, when the Yiddish theater actor, Maurice Schwartz, did an adaptation of Aleichem’s TEVYE DER MILKHIKER, which consists of 8 of his tragic-comic stories.   Each of the tales had a farcical plot, employing stylistic humor, with a serious under-belly.  In a classically rabbinic manner, Tevye, the main character, tells stories about his village of Anatevka and life with his wife Golda and his five daughters.  He asks questions of God and sprinkles his speeches with “biblical verses.”  Some of these are mangled and others are just made up.  Of the eight Tevye stories, five were later woven into the script of the musical, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, which became a Tony award winning musical.   Mistakenly, many believe FIDDLER is a translation of a play written in Yiddish (Jewish).  It is not!  The musical was written in English and is based on a compellation of Aleichem’s stories. It was not until 2018, when the National Yiddish Theatre, Folksbiene, mounted a Yiddish adaptation entitled FIDLER AFN DAKH that FIDDLER was spoken and sung in Jewish.   The musical takes place in Tsarist Russia in 1905.  Tevye attempts to maintain traditions while outside influences encroach upon century-long patterns.  His three older daughters each make life changing decisions, which moves them further from customs of their faith, and an edict from the Tsar, that evicts the Jews from their village, further destroys life as Tevye has known it.   When Joseph Stein, Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock joined forces to write FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, now recognized as one of the greatest of American musicals, they did so in order to create an homage to their heritage.  A heritage which included hundreds of years of Jews in eastern Europe, whose life style and lives had been destroyed by pogroms (uprisings), forced evacuations, and ultimately by the “final solution,” the Holocaust.     Traditions are the guts of the life of these people, for, as Tevya, the central character indicates, "A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no. But in our little village, you might say everyone is a fiddler on the roof. You might ask, 'if it's so dangerous there, why do we stay up?' Because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: Tradition!”    The original Broadway production, which opened in 1964, was the first run of a musical to surpass the 3,000-performance mark. In spite of original doubts that it would only be of interest to Jewish audiences, the show has been extraordinarily financially profitable and well-received.  The original production was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, spawned four Broadway revivals, a film adaptation, and countless international, community and school productions, one of which is now on stage at Porthouse Theatre. It may surprise many to know that FIDDLER almost didn’t make it to Broadway. The show’s out-of-town tryouts were met with many of the audience walking out of the theaters before the final curtain.   When Jerome Robbins came in as the new director the problem was unearthed.  He asked what the show was about.  The usual answer was “a dairyman and his marriageable daughters.”  It’s is recounted that Robbins said, “No, no, no, that’s no good.” Someone said, “It’s about the dissolution of traditions, a way of life.”  Robbins responded, “Yes, that’s it.  We have to establish the traditions at the beginning and then the audience will see how they’re breaking down.  That’s the show!  The song has to set up the major theme of the villagers trying to keep their society running as the world around them changes.  It sets the show on a clear journey and the audience’s bought into the tale.”  Instead of walking out, they started to give it standing ovations and a clear path to Broadway and beyond.                          The song “Tradition” (“Traditsye”) replaced the original opening, “We’ve Never Missed a Sabbath Yet” which showed the frantic preparations for the Sabbath but not clearly enough to understand what was to come, which is a requirement for an opening song of a musical.     Robbins added the circle entrance, holding hands, introducing the unity of people of Anatevka.  He then enhanced the theme by adding lots of ferocious dancing, including the bottle and bar dances, to express Jewish robustness and resilience.   It may surprise many that the now famous bottle dance is not a Jewish wedding tradition.     Robbins did “field research” for Fiddler by attending Orthodox Jewish weddings and festivals where he was thrilled with the men's dancing.  He observed one man entertaining the participants by tottering around with a bottle on his head pretending to be drunk.  Research revealed that what the man was doing a traditional Paraguayan dance.  Robbins combined that idea with Klezmer music and the now famous bottle dance sequence came to life.  (“To life, to life, l’chaim.”)   The script went through many titles including TEVYE, A VILLAGE STORY, TO LIFE, ONCE THERE WAS A TOWN, and WHERE POPPA CAME FROM.  Finally, the producers settled on the painting "The Fiddler" by Marc Chagall, one of many surreal paintings he created of Eastern European Jewish life.  The fiddler is a metaphor for survival, through tradition and joyfulness, in a life of uncertainty and imbalance.  Chagall’s art was also the inspiration for the original sets for the show.   The story is carried through not only words, but significant and meaningful music and lyrics.  The score includes such classics as “Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life,” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”   Confession:  Inadvertently, I came to the show the night of the preview performance, a no-no for reviewers.  The comments which follow must be tempered by my not giving the performers and musicians the opportunity to properly prepare for being reviewed.   The role of Tevya will normally be played by Porthouse favorite and Kent State faculty member, Tom Culver.  His understudy, Baldwin Wallace University vocal performance major, Aiden Eddy, performed the role at the preview.  Eddy has a powerful and well-trained voice.  He is a loving Tevya, much in the pattern of Broadway’s Luther Adler and the film’s Topol.  Though there were laughs, he does not play for them through exaggeration as Harvey Fierstein and Zero Mostel did when they played the role.  The scenes where Tevya’s resolves are tested are well-interpreted with sincerity and emotional confusion.  If it was not announced that he was understudy he would have been more than accepted as the “for-real” Tevya.)   The production started with a twist on the norm:  a Hebrew blessing, which was entirely appropriate, set a perfect tone for cuing the audience to the serious underpinning of the tale.  The perfectly pronounced and cantorial sound of Noam Siegel, the recipient of the Dr. Roy Berko Endowed Commemorative Scholarship, was inspiring.   Tevye’s older daughters’ Tzeitel (Marianna Young), Hodel (Ellie Stark) and Chava (Chloe Lee Hall) were all excellent.  Stark’s character development and her vocal rendition “Far From the Home I Love” was a show highlight.   In most productions, the Fiddler appears at the beginning and end of the tale.  Not so with Terri Kent’s inventive direction.  Fiddler Jared Morisue-Lesser, was intertwined within the tale, thus highlighting the importance of continued adherence to tradition throughout the show.     This bowing to tradition was also displayed in actors’ touching the mezuzah (a prayer scroll placed on the doorpost of a Jewish homes) and then kissing the fingers in respect to God, the appropriate wearing of prayer shawls and male head coverings, the kissing of a prayerbook when it was picked up after it was dropped on the floor, and the conservative women’s clothing.   The show’s highlight is Martin Céspedes’s inventive choreography.  Every scene sparkled with meaningful movement.  Mazal tov!   Many of the cast needed to keep in mind that there is a cadence to the way Yiddish, the language of the residences of Anatevka, is spoken.  It is not an accent, but a rhythm.  Accents need not be used, but the cadence is necessary to help create the “tam,” the taste, of the script.   Jennifer Korecki’s large orchestra was cantorial and klezmer-correct, but, at times, needed some work on the blending of sounds.  This should come as the group plays the run-of the-show.   CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  Reviewing a preview performance of a show is a disservice to the director, choreographer, musicians and cast.  Usually this is the first chance to perform before and get used to an audience’s presence.  But, seeing a preview, I did, and I was pleased that Director Terri Kent and choreographer Martin Cespedes’s FIDDLER, was generally set and ready, only needing little polishing needed in vocal cadence, keying and waiting for laughs, and some musical blending.     FIDDLER ON THE ROOF runs until August 11 at Porthouse Theatre, on the grounds of Blossom Music Center.  For tickets call 330-672-3884 or go online to www.porthousetheatre.com.   NEXT UP AT PORTHOUSE:  YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, a musical based on the “Peanuts” comic strip.  (Note that this is NOT a children’s show.)

PREVIEWS: I'M PUTTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND PUTTING IT ON THE ROAD & CHURCHILL AT WAR

 

I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD 

 
Gretchen Cryer (Book and Lyrics) and Nancy Ford (Composer), whose I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD which will soon be locally staged by The Musical Theater Project, are known for their “firsts.”  They were the first female writing team in the history of American musical theater and the duo’s NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD MEN (1967) was the first anti-war musical of the Vietnam era.  
 
Their family revues for American Girl—two surveys of strong young women against the backdrop of American history—played over a 10-year period in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Another saga celebrated a free-spirited female teenager, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, was based on Lucy Maude Montgomery’s 1908 novel.  Other creations include ELEANOR: A MUSICAL FANTASY (about Eleanor Roosevelt), STILL GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER,
 (the sequel to their 1978 show), and HANG ON TO THE GOOD TIMES (a musical revue). 
 
As a musical theater historian once pointed out, what makes the Cryer-Ford collaboration unique is that “they have always brought an intensely individual voice to all of their works. They have never been, nor are they ever likely to be, creators who can adapt themselves to concepts other than their own; their songs and librettos have all shown marked originality in both subject matter and viewpoints, as they have consistently reflected the collaborators’ mutual attitudes and deep concerns.”                           
 
I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD, which is a look at sexual politics, was an international success.  It had a three-year, 1,000-performance run, in New York and was a milestone in the integration of pop-rock and musical theater. 
 
Generally considered a feminist vehicle, I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD, which was a controversial sensation in the late ’70s, is the story of a 39-year-old singer-songwriter who is making a comeback, throwing out “the crap of the past” – her commercial sex kitten image – in order to forge a new identity, writing songs that express how she really feels and who she really is. Her manager (a former lover) is appalled. He likes her the way she used to be and says he can’t sell this new woman. They battle it out to a bittersweet  conclusion.

The score includes such compositions as “Smile,” “In a Simple Way I Love You,” “If Only Things Were Different, ““Lonely Lady, “Old Friend” and ‘Dear Tom.”

Original reviews of the show called it “Brash, funny, very agreeable… it touches a special emotional chord for our times” and “The lyrics, and the music, are effortless.”  
 
The performers in The Musical Theater Project production, which will take place on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, June 29 at 3 pm, are: Joe--CHRIS RICHARDS, Heather--NATALIE GREEN, Alice--MARIAH BURKS, Cheryl--JENNIE NASSER, Jake (Acoustic Guitar) --BENSON ANDERSON, Piano--NANCY MAIER, Keyboard/Synthesizer--DANIEL MAIER, Electric Guitar--MICHAEL SIMILE, Bass--JASON STEBELTON and Drums/Percussion--JUSTIN HART.
 
Tickets are $50 (plus fees) per person for assigned seating. To purchase tickets, go to musicaltheater project.org.   (For a 50% discount on reserved tickets insert the word BERKO on the order form.)

The performances are at Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118. The building may be accessed from the back parking lot, the front of the building facing Lee Road, and by the pedestrian bridge over Lee Road. Be aware that the pedestrian bridge is only open during the Heights Library operating hours. Please visit the Library website for specific hours. The theatre may be accessed by stairs or by a public access elevator.
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World Premiere of CHURCHILL AT WAR at Actors Summit

The world premiere of CHURCHILL AT WAR is being staged by Actors Summit.  
 
The 90-minute one-person show, which is written by Neil Thackaberry, will star Peter Voinovich.
 
The tale, which is a tribute to one of the world’s greatest leaders, takes the audience deep into the early military experiences that shaped Winston Churchill’s leadership, along with the stirring speeches and sharp wit that defined his legacy. The play paints a vivid portrait of a man whose words and courage changed the course of history.
 
The staging, which will be directed by Thackaberry, will be performed on June 20-29 at Greystone Hall, 103 S High Street in Akron.  Performances are scheduled at 7:30 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with additional Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM.
 
 Tickets at actorssummitproductions.com or 234-817-8414

GLTF’S NOISES OFF leaves many delighted, others running for the aisles

As I stood outside the Hanna Theatre, after seeing a matinee performance of NOISES OFF, the woman to one-side were overheard saying, “That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”  Her companion looked askance and groaned, “That was stupid!”   I’m sure the interactions on their ride home would have been an interesting experience to overhear. 
 
Yes, Michael Frayn’s NOISES OFF is that kind of script.
 
Two aspects are important in understanding why people often react diametrically to the play.   First is that it is a British farce.  It is not intended to carry a social message.  It is not a Shakespeare drama or tragedy.  It is, aimed to delight. It is not meant to teach history or expand knowledge.  It is British low comedy, “humour” intended to probe improbable situations, in the vein of Monty Python and Joe Orton. It is trouser-dropping and door-slamming with a vengeance.
 
Secondly, it is British farce.  It leaves no prate-fall, tumble down the staircase, repeated ridiculousness after repeated ridiculousness unturned.  The British know how to create the right pictures in subtle, laugh-with me, not at me ways.  It is as natural to them as Borscht-belt comedy is to Jewish entertainers or musicals are to Americans.  There is a way to do it!  Unfortunately, Americans generally over-do British farces.  
 
I’ve seen this script produced three times.   First, in London, where I literally left the theatre with sore stomach muscles from having laughed so hard.  Its West End production was dubbed, “the funniest farce ever written."  Yes, the Brits know their farce and do it well.  

Second time was on Broadway, where I found the American premiere lacking subtlety, as did some of the other reviewers.  The next was a Canadian production, where those lovely people up north, where the Brits live in exile, can pull of the Limey timing.  And, now the GLFT version.

In the Great Lakes production of NOISES OFF there is nothing natural or subtle about the staging.  The schticks are obvious, not natural.  
 
Director Christopher Liam Moore has his cast well-primed to get the laughs.  Every slap, door slam, tumble down the stairs is choreographed.  None of it just happens naturally.  All the gimmicks are groomed.  The result is laughing by those willing to be told, “laugh,” and they do as they are told.  Others, who see through the manipulations, are not taken in.

So, what’s the farcical epic about? 

Act One is set at the technical rehearsal at the (fictional) Grand Theatre in the English hinterlands.  It is very late on the night before the first performance and the cast is hopelessly unready. Baffled by entrances and exits, missed cues, missed lines, and bothersome props, including several plates of sardines, they drive Lloyd, their director, into a seething rage.

Act Two shows a Wednesday matinée performance one month later at the Theatre Royal in another Brit village. In this act, the play is seen from backstage, providing a view of romantic rivalries, lovers' tiffs and personal quarrels that lead to offstage shenanigans, onstage bedlam and an occasional attack with a fire axe.

Act Three depicts a performance near the end of the ten-week run. Relationships between the cast have soured considerably, the set is breaking down and props are winding up in the wrong hands, on the floor. The actors remain determined at all costs to cover up the mounting chaos, but it is not long before the plot has to be abandoned entirely and the characters are obliged to ad-lib towards the chaotic final curtain.

The GLTF cast works very hard.  They must be totally exhausted following each performance, especially Jeffrey C. Hawkins (Gary) who spends his time madly running around the stage, slamming doors and falling down the steps. 

Nick Steen (Frederick) plays the dumb leading man with an air of confusion, looking handsome while, wiping up red stage goo from his many bloody noses.  

Jennifer Joplin (Dotty) proves she is queen of misplaced sardines, David Anthony Smith spends his time in a mad search for booze, while Kinza Surani (Brooke) shows off her curves while appearing mainly in her undies.  

Topher Embrey displays frustration as the frustrated Director, Lloyd who tries to balance love affairs with two members of the company and reign-in the chaos.  
Zoe Lewis-McLean (Poppy) and Domonique Champion (Tim) help in putting out emotional and theoretical pandemonium.

Jeff Hermann’s dual sided set is a creative masterpiece.  Jason Lynch’s lighting and Patrick John Kieran’s sounds aid in highlighting the turmoil.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  The GLFT proves the old saying in theatre that performing drama is easy but doing farce is hard.  At the end of the performance, half the audience was on its feet cheering, while the rest were in the aisles running for the exits.  Didn’t hate it, but I was caught in the stampede.

NOISES OFF runs through May 18, 2025.  For tickets go to greatlakestheater.org or call 216-241-6000

One-liners, playful puns, rapid-fire jokes and hoedown music=delightful SHUCKED @ Connor Palace

Cobb County loves its corn. Or, so we are told by the storytellers in SHUCKED, the Tony nominated musical, now on stage at the Connor Palace Theatre, as part of the Key Bank Broadway series.

SHUCKED, with music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and book by Robert Horn, opened on Broadway in April of 2023 and ran through January 14, 2024, popping 327 performances. 

The Great White Way production garnered generally positive reviews and went on to receive nine Tony nominations. 

Reviews tended to praise the show's high energy comedy, acting and the vocal and the choreographic talents of the performers. 

Its music was generally noted as good but not stand-out as there are no songs that will inspire audience members to sing their way out of the theatre. 

After its opening, the show launched a marketing campaign with country singer Reba McEntire as its spokesperson. Since that superstar is one of the show’s producers, her role as spokesperson makes good sense. 

The show was also hailed because cast member Alex Newell became one of the first openly non-binary performers to be nominated for and win a Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Musical. 

The production starts with a sprightly, foot-stomping opening number, “Corn.” Two tale-tellers relate the tale of Maizy and Beau, a couple who are planning their wedding, but because of the sudden corn crop dying, a sign of bad luck, the marriage is called off. Maizy leaves, hoping to find a cure for the curse on the corn, and seeking a life away from Cobb County. For some unexplainable reason she winds up in Tampa, gets involved with a scammer, and brings him back to Cobb. 

Since this is a fantasy the ending is obvious…the corn crop is saved, Maizy and Beau get hitched and her cousin, Lulu, the town distributor of corn moonshine, and the scammer make woopy! 

Sound like a fantasy? It is. A delightful fantasy that has laughs galore, lots of corny jokes, and wonderful characters. The touring show, under the direction of Jack O’Brien and choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby, is an emotional joy. The singing, dancing, acting, comic timing and preposterous storytelling, all work well. 

Tyler Joseph Ellis and Maya Lagerstam are endearing as the narrators. Danielle Wade has a well-trained singing voice and nicely develops the character of Maizy. Her song, “Holy Shit,” had the audience gasping. 

Jake Odmark is studly right as her beau, Beau. His version of “OK” was more than okay! 

Cecily Dionne Davis, a fill-in for Miki Abraham, who normally plays the over-sexed, Lulu, was “zaftig”-right as Lulu. She has a great flair for comedy. Her “Independently One” was poppin. 

Mike Nappi, as Beau’s eccentric brother, delighted the audience with every stage presence. His was a Tony Best Supporting role performance. The rest of the cast was Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shoppe gourmet popcorn fine! 

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: “Holy Shit,” I “Do Believe” that seeing the fun-filled musical farce, SHUCKED, will make you feel more than “OK!” Get away from the stresses of life. GO! LAUGH! ENJOY! 

SHUCKED is at the Connor Palace through Sunday, May 11th, 2025. Tickets are currently still available for all performances and can be purchased by calling 216-241-6000 or online at playhousesquare.org.

TWELFTH NIGHT (or WHAT YOU WILL) delights many at Great Lakes Theater

In 2023, stating that it “encouraged homosexuality” because of its cross-dressing characters, a New Hampshire school system banned a production of William Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT, sub-titled:  WHAT YOU WILL.

The romantic comedy, which contains the honored lines of the Bard, including ““Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em,” and “Why, this is very midsummer madness,” is a play that, though it contains no references to or scenes of Christmas, was supposedly commissioned for production at the end of that holiday season. 

The play centers on “the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck on the coastline of Illyria.

Viola (disguised as a page named 'Cesario') falls in love with the Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her, thinking she is a man.”

Sounds farcical?  It contains many segments which, as Shakespeare oft did, was filled with humor and melodramatic opportunities. 

“Some modern scholars believe that TWELFTH NIGHT, with the added confusion of male actors and Viola's deception, addresses gender issues "with particular immediacy".  They also accept that its depiction of gender stems from the era's prevalent scientific theory that “females are simply imperfect males.”

Yes, TWELFTH NIGHT does explore gender identity and sexual attraction, having a male actor play Viola enhanced the impression of androgyny and sexual ambiguity.  It also, as was the custom of the day, that the role of young men and boys would be played by males.  Homosexuality?  No, a little cross-dressing, yes!  

“In the comic subplot, several characters conspire to make Olivia's pompous steward, Malvolio, believe that she has fallen for him. This involves Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby Belch; another would-be suitor, the squire Sir Andrew Aguecheek; Olivia's servants Maria and Fabian; and Olivia's fool, Feste. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew engage themselves in drinking and revelry, disrupting the peace of Olivia's household.”
 
GLT’s production, under the direction of Sara Brunner states in her program notes, “Our production illuminates how grief and joy are not opposites but rather are intimately linked.”
 
She accents the dramatic and comic, and throws-in some farcical interludes.  Not as many as is common in other productions of the script, thus cutting down the chance for hysteria.  This restraint may account for the polite, rather than screaming standing ovations that often conclude other stagings.
 
Courtney O’Neill’s curving levels, which create the illusion of continuous water movement, works well.  It is enhanced by Rich Martin’s lighting.  Mieka van der Ploeg’s ageless perky costumes work well.
 
The cast is universally strong.  Grayson Heyl (Viola/Cesario), and Nic Scott Hermick (Sebastian) are believable as the twins.  James Alexander Rankin makes a perfect fool of himself as squire Sir Andrew Aguecheek.  Dar’Jon Marquise Bentley well fits that role of Sir Toby Belch.
 
CAPSULE JUDGMENT: TWELFTH NIGHT gets a pleasing production at GLT.  It could have been enhanced by broader farce and more joyous attitude.  As might be said of the New Hampshire Board of Education that banned the play, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” (AS YOU LIKE IT)

TWELFTH NIGHT continued at Great Lakes Theater, in performance at the Hanna Theatre through April 6, 2025.

Next up at GLT:  NOISES OFF, the uproarious backstage farce, from April 25-May 18.

For tickets to GLT shows go to greatlakestheater.org or call 216-241-6000.

CVLT’S JERSEY BOYS --” Oh, What a Night”!

 

A juke box musical consists of pre-existing songs which are melded into a script to tell a story.  The songs, in contrast to lyrics and music, which are specifically integrated into a traditional musical’s story, don’t always smoothly transition into the juke box tale.  
 
The songs can be by one specific artist or songwriter, for example MAMMA MIA features songs by ABBA and WE WILL ROCK YOU features tunes by Queen.  On the other hand, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICALfeatures a score primarily composed of the material of many artists. 
 
JERSEY BOYS, which is now on stage at Chagrin Valley Little Theater features songs by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons.

There is a special aura about New Jersey, excuse me, “Nu-joisy.”  “De joisy guys” talk different. “Dey” have an “add’e’tude dat” which reeks of testosterone (even the women), and find glee in being “in-ya face.”  They live by “der own ruhls.”  This combination of being and doing flows onto the stage in JERSEY BOYS.  
 
It supposedly is the tale of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the America’s biggest pop music sensations. They supposedly wrote their own songs. They invented their own sound and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty.

You’ll note in the last paragraph I wrote “it supposedly is the story” and they “supposedly wrote their own songs.” There is some controversy over how much the script’s writers, Marshal Brickman and Rick Elice, deviated from the real story. There is also some question about whether Bob Gaudio, in fact, did write all of the songs. 
 
Be that as it may, the show is filled with hummable after hummable song.   As evidenced at intermission, almost everyone was singing, humming or bopping down the aisles. There is no question about the entertainment value and the wise choice of staging of the tale. 

The Broadway version opened in November of 2005. It won four 2006 Tony Awards including Best Musical.  It has become a staple for productions at community and little theatres.  
 
The score features the group’s four early smash hits, “Sherry, “Big Girls Don’t Cry,’” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Oh What a Night.”  After those four are presented, the audience is screaming for more!
 
The biggest difficulty of doing a show about real people, who sing and dance, is the necessity of the cast sounding and looking like the originals.  This production has the vocal sounds down pat, it’s the looking alike that is difficult.  But, if you can overlook that yo’ll have a fine experience.

This production includes Nathan Park as Tommy DeVito, the founder of the group.  DeVito’s ego-centrism and wild way of living, his spending and gambling, caused the quartet problems and eventually was the reason for its break up.  He sings and moves well and is properly obnoxious.

Ian Ward portrays Nick, Tommy’s brother, who was basically along for the ride. Ward fits well his part and sings effectively.

Patrick Jalbert, not only looks like the real Bob Gaudio, but has the right boyish charm. Portraying the “intellect” of the group, wraps himself in the role and is completely believable.

The star of the evening is Eric Mortenson as Frankie Valli.  His falsetto is perfection!  Wow!
 
David W. Coxe and his musicians are excellent.  They are right on key and support rather than drowning out the performers.
 
The boy-band choreo by Jennifer Justice is excellent.
 
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Go, go, go see ‘JERSEY BOYS.’ You will have one hell of a time and feel like “The Big Man [or Woman] In Town” as you go out of the theatre humming, “My Eyes Adored You.”
 
The show runs through April 6, 2025 at 40 River Street, Chagrin Falls.  Be aware that parking is extremely difficult in the area.  Your best plan is to go very early, go to dinner at a restaurant that has valet parking.  It’s worth the cost.  For tickets to the show 440-247-8955 call or go to www.cvlt.org
 

 CPT’s thought-provoking, SHOWIN’ UP BLACK, focuses on a view of the Black family seldom seen on stage

 

Roy Berko

(Member:  Cleveland Critics Circle and American Theatre Critics Association)

 

In a recent email Cleveland Public Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director, Raymond Bobgan stated, “At Cleveland Public Theatre, we believe in the power of art to transform, heal, and build community. In these times of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and division, we remain steadfast in our mission to center diverse voices, to celebrate bold and courageous storytelling, and to open space for those who seek refuge in creativity and expression. As we reaffirm our commitment to nurturing compassion and raising consciousness, we believe our collective imaginations can provide comfort in times of darkness and spark the light for ways forward.”

 

The theatre’s present staging, SHOWIN’ UP BLACK, which is getting its world premiere, banners that commitment.

 

“The tale centers on the eve of their daughter's cotillion, the Hopegoodes, an affluent African American family in Cleveland, see their plans for the perfect debutante ball collide with a Black Lives Matter protest. As the protest gets nearer, secrets and competing desires get shaken loose, tearing at the fabric of the family, challenging what, exactly, it is to be Black.” 

In contrast to most of the plays about Blacks which illustrate the moving into white neighborhoods, attending all white schools, fighting to get out of bad neighborhoods, or dealing with gangs, playwright Jeanne Madison places the spotlight on a well-to-do, influential, professional black family, their honor-student daughter and her MIT-attending boyfriend.

Jeanne Madison, a member of the Dramatist Guild, is the 2022-23 Nord Family Foundation Playwright Fellow at Cleveland Public Theater (CPT), which includes a mentorship with prolific Cleveland Heights award-winning playwright, Eric Coble. 

 
Jeanne holds a BA, and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University. She recently completed Scene Study and Playwrighting Master Classes at The Cleveland Play House. After many years in the corporate, and non-profit sectors, during which she lived in Chicago, New York City, and Washington DC, Jeanne now makes her home in Cleveland where she finds inspiration for her writing.

 

The script is generally well-structured and written, though, at times it has some forced and soap-opera-like scenes.  The language is authentic but in some scenes uses written rather than oral language and leaves the actors sometimes sounding like characters in a book.

 

The CPT production, under the direction of well-respected local director, Jimmie Woody, moves along at a nice pace and has balanced performances.

 

Ashley Aqulla, portraying Claire, the college educated mother, has a nice touch with both drama and humor.  Tamicka Scruggs, is delightful as her side-kick, Marie.  Darryl Tatum, is believable as the lawyer/father who has carved a political-oriented path of influence and wealth.  Highlight performances are given by Makayla Smith as Evie, the daughter who finds herself caught in the world of Black cotillions conflicting with her need and to express her independence as a young adult and Drew Pope (Kwan), her MIT black activist boyfriend.  Both create believable and realistic characters.

 

Capsule judgement:  SHOWIN’ UP BLACK gives a thought-provoking view of a non-traditional Black family.  Though there are times when the script writing seemed forced, the over-all effect is positive.  It is a production worth seeing.

 

SHOWIN’ UP BLACK February 20 through March 8, 2025.  Tickets can be purchased at www.cptonline.org through the theater’s Choose-What-You-Pay option which allows patrons to pay what they’d like with no handling fees.

 

BWU’s WAITRESS delivers a tasty treat at Beck Center for the Arts

 

BWU’s WAITRESS delivers a tasty treat at Beck Center for the Arts   Roy Berko (Member:  Cleveland Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association)   WAITRESS, which features an all-original score of music and lyrics by singer-songwriter-actress Sara Bareilles, which is now on stage at the Beck Center for the arts, in a production by Baldwin Wallace’s Musical Theatre program, is unique in that, when it opened on Broadway in January, 2010, it featured an all-female production team.      Also distinctive was that, in order to immerse audiences, real cinnamon loaded pies were warming in special ovens creating the aroma of a pastry shop.  Slices of pie were sold before the curtain rose and at intermission.     The musical opened to mixed reviews, with much praise for Bareilles score and some questions about Jessie Nelson’s book.  It ran 1,544 performances, was closed by Covid, and reopened for a short run when Broadway once again went live.   Based on the 2007 film of the same name, it tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a baker and waitress, who is in an abusive marriage.  She works with a group of supportive and delightful waitresses and waits on some eccentric customers.     After Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she finds that her former female doctor has retired and has been replaced by a young and attractive man.  A relationship develops between Jenna and Dr. Pomatter, her new doctor, unraveling further her already trauma-filled life.    Looking for ways out of her troubles, Jenna learns of a pie baking contest with a large grand prize that could give her the financial means to get out of her marriage.  She is stopped from participating when her daughter is born early and her sleezy husband finds the stash of funds that she has been hiding to finance her trip to the contest.     A surprise knight in shining-armor gives her the needed funds, allowing Jenna, much to the delight of the audience, to kick her husband to the curb, open her own pie shop, and, in tradition of the American musical, live happily ever after.  (Or, so we hope.)   The production, under the focused direction of Victoria Bussert, has the right balance between pathos, humor and angst.  And, as should be expected from students in BW’s much-praised program, the vocals were well-sung and the farce nicely keyed.   In spite of the excellent musical sounds, the audience is not going out of the theatre singing any of the songs.  Though it plays well on stage, this is not a catchy score…no top ten songs here!  And, the rom-com script, as the Broadway reviews clarified, is not epic.  This is definitely not the tales of DEAR EVAN HANSEN, NEXT TO NORMAL, HAMILTON or WEST SIDE STORY.   In spite of those weaknesses, the production is an audience pleaser.  They cheer for the good lady, boo the scum-bag abuser, delight at the farce, and are entranced by the Shirley Temple cutie (Emilia Menotti) who appears briefly as Jeanna’s daughter.   The show is double cast.  I saw the Apple Pie Cast so these comments concern only those performances.   Sophia Edwards, a BW junior, has a strong singing voice and develops a believable put-upon Jenna who doesn’t have the wiles to get out of a dangerous and degrading relationship.  Her “She Used to be Mine” was well conceived.    Jacob Anderson was appealing as Dr. Pomatter.  The Jenna-Pomatter duet, “Bad Idea” was well sung and showcased a nice emotional bond between the performers.    Matthew Wright nicely honed the role of a cantankerous old guy.  His “Take It from an Old Man” was a show highlight.    Aamar-Malik Culbreth, as the ADHD tightly wound Ogie, the love interest of Dawn (Kat Magocsi), the shy waitress, quickly emerged as the audience favorite.  His “Never Getting Rid of Me” stopped the show!  He has a wonderful feel for farce and is Broadway ready to play any nerdy part.  “I Love You Like a Table,” sung with the Magocsi was delightful.  She, too, is ready for the Big Apple.  Anyone who is going to reprise HAIRSPRAY should immediately cast her as Penny.   Kechanté, as Becky, the third of the trio of waitresses, has a strong singing voice and well uses her sassy personality, “attitude” and flashing eyes.  Her scenes with Marc Dalmau (Cal), the cook, were sensually-filled delights.   Matthew Webb’s orchestra nicely underplayed the score, supporting, not drowning out the singers.    Jeff Herrmann’s scenic design generally worked, but the constant dragging of the pie and ingredient racks on and off-stage became tedious after a while.     For those concerned that Bussert and her staff moving from BWU to Oberlin might signal a break of her talented students appearing at Beck, need not fear.  According to Beck’s Artistic Director, “When asked if Beck Center would join them on this journey, we couldn’t help but say yes.”   Capsule judgement:  WAITRESS is the kind of production that audience’s love.  Though the script is shallow, the plot obvious, and there are no memorable songs, it matters little.  In the hands of the talented and well-directed cast, the standing ovation was well-deserved.  Go, see emerging young talent which will soon be featured in Broadway shows, and enjoy yourself!   Tickets for the production, which runs through MARCH 9, 2025, are available and/or via 216-521-2540 or http://www.beckcenter.org (7:30p.m. evenings, 2:30 p.m. matinees).   Upcoming at Beck:  4/4-5/4—UNDER BASEBALL SKY-- From José Cruz González, author of American Mariachi, comes a new play about baseball’s deep roots in the Mexican American community.    5/30-6/29—THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM-- A sense of justice for the average person compels us to seek out Robin Hood type heroes. This fairytale is set to bluegrass music - the perfect soundtrack setting for the intimate Studio Theater.

 Dobama stages the first local production of THE HOT WING KING, the 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama

Roy Berko

(Member:  Cleveland Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association)
 
Since THE ROPE DANCERS, the first play it produced over 60 years ago, Dobama has been known for staging alternative works that would not otherwise be seen in Cleveland. 

Their stages have been lit up by such plays as TRUE WEST, CATCH 22, ROOTS, GOD OF CARNAGE, 4000 MILES, THE FLICK, AN OCTOROON, HAND TO GOD, and the first professional area production of ANGELS IN AMERICA.

Cleveland’s off-Broadway theatre is now presenting the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama THE HOT WING KING.

Though the Katori Hall script received mixed receptions in early stagings, the Pulitzer recognition citation described the play as "a funny, deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived, filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family.”

When I think of Pulitzer Prize winning plays, such classics as OUR TOWN, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, DEATH OF A SALSESMAN,’night Mother, PROOF and WHAT THE CONSTITUION MEANS TO ME come to mind.  Though it has some poignant moments, THE HOT WING KING is not a script of that quality.

The play follows Cordell (Wesley Allen), his boyfriend, and their friends in Memphis preparing for the annual "Hot Wang Festival.”  Cordell’s kitchen is a flurry of activity as his boyfriend, Dwayne (Corin B. Self), their close friends Isom (Charles Mayhew Miller) and Big Charles (Syrmylin Cartwright), are busy marinating, frying, and carrying on in a bid to make him a winner of the annual hot wing competition. 
 
When Dwayne’s nephew, TJ (Prophet Seay), the son of his sister who died of an overdose, shows up, the subject of Cordell’s marriage to a female and his two sons come-forth, it becomes a recipe for angst.

“I am thrilled to further the conversation around what makes a family in Northeast Ohio, especially in the black queer community,” says Director Sheffia Randall-Nickerson. “Navigating my own blended and chosen family these several years made the story behind THE HOT WING KING especially compelling!”
 
Dobama’s production is basically well-conceived…many performances are on-point.  The emotional levels, especially in the dramatic scenes when Cordell and Dwayne clash over their relationship, and the subject of whether they will allow TJ to move into their house comes up, the play hits its emotional peaks.  
 
Other times there is almost a begging for laughs.  Part of this is the cause of the uneven script, other times overdone flamboyance takes over and takes away from the script’s message. 
 
Cameron Caley Michalak’s realistic whole house set is meticulously designed and executed.  Vanessa Cook did an outstanding job of acquiring the many authentic props.  
 
As is often the case at the extremely long and narrow Dobama acting space, speeches were lost due to the lack of consistent projection.
 
CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  The 135- minute play, with intermission, is filled with many moments of laughs and angst, enough to hold the audience’s attention.  In spite of this, the sometimes soap opera-like script just doesn’t garner the quality to be expected from a Pulitzer Prize winning script.  Go, see, but realize that ANGELS IN AMERICA this is not!  
 
Performances are Thursdays through Sunday from January 24-February 16, 2024. Evening performances are at 7:30pm and matinees at 2:30pm. For a complete performance schedule, ticket prices, and reservations, call the Dobama Theatre box office at 216-932-3396. Ask about the "pay-what-you-can" performances.


Some forthcoming area productions include:  
 
2/14-3/9—Beck Center--WAITRESS-- Baldwin Wallace Music Theatre Program Collaboration directed by Victoria Bussert.  The story of Jenna, the titular waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage.
 
2/7th-23—Ensemble--HENRIK IBSEN’S ‘ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE’ A RUSTBELT ADAPTATION-- What inspires people to action? Can scientific discovery mobilize outcomes when economic opportunities are at stake and fear is pervasive? Will a scientist sacrifice everything, her job, her friends, her family--for the truth? Or is she just the enemy of the people?

2/7-3/2—Great Lakes Theater--PETER AND THE STARCATCHER— Set sail to explore the Neverland you never knew with this Tony Award-winning prequel that charts a course through Peter’s untold escapades. A dozen actors portray over 100 unforgettable characters in this high-flying adventure bursting with imagination and ingenious stagecraft.

2/6-3/2—Ohio Shakespeare Festival--ROMEO & JULIET--Two dignified households, two star-crossed lovers, and one famous balcony.
 
2/4-23—Key Bank Series--PARADE-- The Tony Award-winning musical drama is based on the true story of the trial and lynching, in early 20^th-century Atlanta, of Jewish factory manager, Leo Frank, who was accused of murdering a teenaged factory girl the day of the annual Confederate Memorial Day parade.
 

“Electrifying PARADE pays homage to the pain of prejudice!

 

PARADE, which is now on stage at the Palace Theatre as part of the Key Bank Broadway series, is a musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown.   It is a dramatization of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching, of Jewish-American Leo Frank. But the story goes well-beyond what appears on stage.  Besides encapsulating the pain of American history, and paying homage to a man convicted and murdered for a crime he did not commit, it lays forth the tale that reinvigorated the Ku Klux Klan and brought about the birth of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish international non-government organization based on civil rights law and the defense against the defamation of Jewish people. The musical premiered on Broadway in December, 1998, and won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score.   The show was Brown's first Broadway production. The show’s music, has been noted as, "subtle and appealing melodies that draw on a variety of influences, from pop-rock to folk to rhythm and blues and gospel.”  The intriguing sounds and words are one of the most superb story-telling blending of melodies and compositions yet created in the dramatic tales presently being highlighted on theatrical stages.   Like such modern classics as RENT, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, CABARET, A CHORUS LINE, NEXT TO NORMAL, COME FROM AWAY, RAGTIME and HAMILTON, PARADE uses the art form to tell a tale of significant importance.   While other musical dramas take-on mental health, historical events, social causes, and sexual orientation this script confronts the modern-day angst of prejudice. PARADE takes the audience from the events which lead up to, and then through the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a New York-native who is the superintendent of a pencil factory in Atlanta, who was convicted of the murder of a 13-year-old girl.   With Frank convicted in the first act, the second act takes us through the appeals of the verdict and his ultimate murder.    When, in 1915, Frank's death sentence was commuted to life in prison by the departing Governor of Georgia, John M. Slaton, due to his detailed review of over 10,000 pages of testimony and possible problems with the trial, Leo Frank was transferred to a prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, where a lynching party kidnapped him. Frank was taken to the victim’s hometown of Marietta, Georgia, and hanged from an oak tree.  The musical's story implies that the likely killer was the factory janitor Jim Conley, the key witness against Frank at the trial. The other villains of the piece are the ambitious and corrupt prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (later the governor of Georgia and then a judge) and the rabidly antisemitic publisher Tom Watson (later elected a U.S. senator). The touring company, a follow-up to the show’s recent Broadway revival, is meticulously staged by Tony Award winning director, Michael Arden.   He has taken the rewritten script and added his own interpretation of the staging concept. Shaker Heights native, Max Chernin, is nothing less that astounding as Leo Frank.  He does not portray the character; he inhabits his persona.  His up-tight, hand-wringing, Yankee frustration with Southern tradition, especially the Jewish southern attitudes, is encompassing.  He does not give a copy of Ben Platt, who recently played the role in the 2023 Broadway revival, he presents his own impressive interpretation.  His vocals "How Can I Call This Home?" and "It's Hard to Speak My Heart!" were spell-binding. Though, at times, it seems like Talia Suskauer, who plays Franks wife, Lucille, shows little depth of love for her husband, her powerful “You Don’t Know This Man,” is a show highlight. The rest of cast forms an excellent support for the tale, with strong southern values and loyalties.  The vocalizations are all excellent. Dane Laffrey’s set, which uses every inch of the stage, seems too busy, large and overly decorated for the space, giving an almost a cluttered feeling.  Capsule judgment:  In the present era of rising antisemitism in this country, PARADE stands as a vivid reminder of the past history of such hideous actions.  The touring company, headed by local actor Max Chernin, is a compelling production that deserves respect and accolades by paying homage to the pain of prejudice. PARADE continues through February 23, 2024.  Tickets are currently still available for all performances and can be purchased by calling 216-241-6000 or online at playhousesquare.org