A visit to Broadway with the BWU senior class with some time for reviewing

OnStage’s 2018-2019 rankings of musical theater programs ranked Cleveland suburban Baldwin Wallace University' as number 1 in the nation, indicating that it was the “top destination for any student wanting to study musical theatre."

The OnStage research team was impressed that the BW program "has produced six regional premieres in partnership with Playhouse Square [the country's largest performing arts center outside of New York] and received national attention for academic premieres of Broadway productions."
 
The program, which is headed by Victoria Bussert also has strong professional theatre ties to Beck Center, Great Lakes Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.
 
Bussert, is supported in developing the students’ talent by Gregory Daniels, Dance Program Coordinator and Matthew Webb, Music Director. 

Many BW grads appear on Broadway, in touring companies, in regional theaters and on cruise ships.   Last year at least 25 were in Broadway runs and touring shows.
 
The students’ training reaches its crescendo when the senior class travels to New York in April to perform before agents, casting directors and other Great White Way luminaries. 

Last year, all of the BWU class of 2018 grads got agents, many having multiple offers.  Besides agents, at least a half-dozen were offered tryouts in present, upcoming, touring and soon-to-be touring shows. 

As I did last year, I attended rehearsals at BW and went to New York with this year’s seniors.  Members of the class are Amy Keum, David Holbert, Noa Luz Barenblat, Joshua Regan, Kelsey Anne Brown, Zach Landes, Matthew Henry Pitts, Emmy Brett Jake Salter, Gilian Jackson Han, Courtney Hausman, Sam Columbus, Warren Egypt Franklin and Tia Karaplis.

All four of the workshops, which were performed at New World Stages, were packed. 

According to Bussert, “The class had over 150 requests with 9 of them called in for Broadway auditions.” 

Want to see the group before they hit the Broadway stages?  The class will perform as a unit at Cleveland Heights’ Nighttown on April 29.  For tickets and information, go to www.nighttowncleveland.com

Besides attending the showcases, I saw some shows.  Here are capsule judgments of what I saw.  To read the complete reviews go to www.royberko.info and scroll down to find the show.

What:  FIDLER AFN DAKH ongefelt mit Yiddisha traditsye un veytik
     (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF filled with Jewish tradition and pain)
Where: Stage 42
Capsule judgment:   The Yiddish version of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (FIDLER AFN DAKH) is not the FIDDLER of old, with a new set and costumes.  It’s a more emotionally moving story and less entertaining.  It is more fitting in the telling of what was, but is no more. The authenticity created by using the “real” language of these people adds to the tale filled with Jewish tradition and pain.

What:  THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is a farcical delight!
Where:   New World Stages
Capsule judgment:   Like any well-written farce, the quality of the ridiculousness is only as effective as the cast and director.  In the case of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, all of the needed elements are present and hysteria reigns. 

What:  MEAN GIRLS, a musical for youth of the 2019s
Where: August Wilson Theatre  
Capsule judgment:  MEAN GIRLS is filled with music, characters and Tina Fey satire that will appeal to young audiences.  It is a show that will do very well on tour (it will be on stage at Cleveland’s Connor Palace from December 3-22, 2019) and will be performed by every community theater and high school in the country when it is released for amateur production.  Go. Enjoy.

What:  Exquisite, delightful, MY FAIR LADY captivates at Lincoln Center
Where:  Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Capsule judgment:  My Fair Lady has deservedly been called "the perfect musical" and the Lincoln Center revival will do nothing but increase the respect level.  The staging is glorious. The stage pictures exquisite.  The performances universally enchanting.  “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” if all Broadway shows could reach this pinnacle of writing, staging, performance and musical excellence?

MEAN GIRLS, a musical for youth of the 2019s

In 1958 there was BYE BYE BIRDIE.  1960 brought HAIR.  1971 showcased GREASE.   1980 gave us CARRIE.  Then in 1990 there was 13 (MUSICAL).  2016 saw DEAR EVAN HANSEN exploding on the scene.  Now, there is MEAN GIRLS.

What do all these Broadway musicals have in common?  They placed the spotlight on teens and their angst.

OMG!  Think back to high school, specifically the cafeteria, at lunch time.  Horror of horrors!  There was the table of math geeks.  Another of drama kids.  The testosterone-laden jocks held out over there and the cheerleaders were right next to them.  Then there was the queen bee and her small swarm of drones.  The mean girl and her attack team.  They are perfectly coiffed, expensively dressed, spoiled, lacking in empathy, anorexic, and share one leaf of lettuce for their midday meal. 

With that in mind, you are now ready to immerse yourself into MEAN GIRLS, the stage-show with music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and a book by the queen of television comedy, Tina Fey.

The musical is based on Fey’s popular 2004 film which was inspired by Rosalind Wieseman’s book, “Queen Bees and Wannabes.”

Fans of the movie should be releaved that nothing important has been purged from the story.   Those who went through the horrors of slam/shame books, hazing, verbal abuse and general “hell” at the hands of the mean girls at their high schools will be happy to know that, in the musical, the queen and her swarm get their stingers removed.  (Yeah, revenge for the high school “odd balls.”)

In the musical, Cady, fresh from a life in Kenya, is a new girl in town.  She is taken on a tour of her now educational institution, an Illinois high school, and exposed to the ways of its pecking order, by “good guys,” Janis and Damian. 

The J and D duo have taken the attitude of not being affected by self-selected school royalty and nasty-girl Queen Bee Regina George and “the Plastics” (Gretchen and Karen), her lackey hanger-ons.  They caution Cady to be careful in deciding where she belongs in the school’s social fabric.

And, wonder of wonders, for an unexplained reason, Cady is invited to sit with “the Plastics” on a one-week trial.  (Hmm…what do the terrible trio have in mind?)

Everything goes well for Cady until she meets “dreamy” Aaron in honors math class.  She falls for him.  But, horror of horrors, Aaron has recently broken up with Queen Regina.  (You know this is going to make life for Cady a horror show.)

In order to “keep” Aaron’s interest Cady plays dumb, turning to him for “extra” help.

 A bus accident, a Burn Book which slams students by commenting on their weight (“hips like a Hippo”), parents’ infidelities (“the only reason he made the team is that his mother slept with the coach”) and eating habits (“Vegan freak”), Cady taking over Regina’s place as Queen of the plastics, Cady being elected Spring Fling Queen and her surprising act of sharing the crown, all lead to a happy-ever-after feel-good ending.  (Hey, this is a Tina Fey written high school Broadway musical, what did you expect?)

Though it received 15 Tony nominations, MEAN GIRLS, as evidenced by the fact that it won no statues, is not a great musical.    This is definitely not DEAR EVAN HANSEN quality.

It is, however, enjoyable and, as evidenced by the screaming teens in the audience, it has caught on and has developed its cult following.

On Broadway, the teen-laden audience, mostly composed of girls, whether from their knowing the story from the film, or having attended previous performances, knew what was coming, both plot twists and songs, and constantly screamed their approval.

The serviceable score, the Tina Fey sharp tongued satire and one-liners gave a positive vibe to the goings on.

“Where Do You Belong” stopped the show.

The cast is strong.  Grey Henson was delightfully endearing as the flamboyant Damian.  He was nicely balanced by Barrett Wilbert Weed’s Janis, his side-kick, the outspoken bud.  Their opening song, “A Cautionary Tale,” set the right mood for what was to come.

Erika Henningsen transitioned from curious newcomer to Queen Bee with charm and appeal.  Her reprise of “Fearless” was well sung, as was “Stupid With Love.” “More is Better,” sung with heartthrob Kyle Selig (Aaron), had the female teens and tweens pining for more.

Taylor Louderman, Krystina Alabado and Kate Rockwell are character-perfect as “the Plastics.”

Capsule judgment:   MEAN GIRLS is filled with music, characters and Tina Fey satire that will appeal to young audiences.  It is a show that will do very well on tour (it will be on stage at Cleveland’s Connor Palace from December 3-22, 2019) and will be performed by every community theater and high school in the country when it is released for amateur production.  Go. Enjoy.

WHAT:  MEAN GIRLS
WHERE:  AUGUST WILSON THEATRE
WHEN:  OPEN RUN

FIDLER AFN DAKH ongefelt mit Yiddisha traditsye un veytik (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF filled with Jewish tradition and pain)

Solomon Rabinovich was a leading Yiddish author and playwright from Ukraine.

At the age of fifteen he adopted the pseudonym “Sholem Aleichem,” a Yiddish variant of the Hebrew expression meaning "peace be with you" and typically used as a greeting.

He was a “folkshrayer” (a folk-story teller) who wrote over forty volumes in Yiddish, thereby becoming a central figure in Yiddish literature, best remembered for his fictional confessions, letters, and monologues, all written in the voice of the simple religious Jew.

In 1905, as pogroms swept through southern Russia, Sholem Aleichem attempted to settle in New York City.  Despite his great popularity in Europe, his lot in the US was not as good.  He was forced to take up an exhausting schedule of lecturing to make ends meet.

In spite of the success of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF today, Sholem Aleichem was not a successful playwright in the US in his lifetime.  His plays were not well received because they didn’t offer an object lesson in the social questions of the day.  They were “old fashioned” and about tales that the newly arrived immigrants wanted to forget.

Success came three years after his death, when the famous Yiddish theater actor, Maurice Schwartz, did an adaptation of Aleichem’s TEVYE DER MILKHIKER, which consists of 8 tragic-comic stories.  

Each of the tales had a farcical plot, employing stylistic humor.  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. 
 
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, is a tale of tradition.  It a snapshot of hardship of Jewish life in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia during the early nineteenth century after the death of the tolerant Czar Alexander III and the ascension of the anti-Semitic Nicholas II (Nicholas the Bloody).
 
The story centers on Tevya and his attempts to maintain his religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon the family's lives.  “He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters, who wish to marry for love – each one's choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of their Jewish faith and heritage – and [finally]with the edict of the Czar that evicts the Jews from their village.”
 
The musical was an instant hit when it opened in 1964, becoming the first musical in Broadway history to surpass 3,000 performances.
 
The road to success was not an easy “miracle of miracles.” 
 
Rogers and Hammerstein considered writing the script, but abandoned the idea.  Even when Bock, Harnick and Stein succeeded in writing a book and music, investors were concerned that it was “too Jewish.”  

Early on it was described as “shtetl kitsch.”  Some complained because the selection of stories from TEVYE DER MILKHIKER didn’t include the “real ending” in which Tevye is left alone, his wife dead and his daughters scattered, traditionalists might be upset by the new final scene. 
 
The biggest problem was that in out-of-town tryouts, the musical just wasn’t working.  It wasn’t until Jerome Robbins came in as the new director that the problem was unearthed. 
 
Robbins 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 “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, and introducing the 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.

Yes, the story was about a dairyman and his marriageable daughters, but oh, how much more.

The four-hour opening night length was shortened, but the story remained the same, just became more focused.

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, though some disagree with this part of the tale, the image created by Jewish painter Marc Chagall of a fiddler on the roof, which also became the visual image of the production.

In spite of the fact that the show had no overture, no flirty chorus girls, no reprises, no simple plot line, no show stopper, no happy denouement/ending, it became a smash hit, considered by many to be one of the classics of American musical theater.

Because of the humorous elements in his writing, Sholem Aleichem is often thought of as a comic writer, but there is an undeniable darkness to his work which is obvious in the Yiddish revival.  Maybe it is the authenticity of the language or that many don’t understand some of the subtle humor because they are not Yiddish-literate, so they miss some of the laughs.  Whatever, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF IN YIDDISH carries a deep meaning and sense of purpose.

The Yiddish version, FIDLER AFN DAKH, with Yiddish translation by Shraga Friedman, under the direction of Cleveland native Joel Grey, with Jerome Robbins’ choreography, and new staging and choreography by Stas Kmiec, is captivating in a very different way than the English version.  It’s a more emotionally moving story and less entertaining,  more fitting in the telling of what was, but is no more.
 
FIDLER AFN DAKH marks the first time that the Tony Award-winning musical is being performed in Yiddish in the United States, and only the second time in history. A Yiddish version ran in Israel in 1965.
 
The Yiddish production, as produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene played at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. It was originally scheduled for an eight-week run, but due to audience demand, it was extended four times. It has moved to Stage 42 with continued success.
 
In FIDLER AFN DAKH “the actors sing about joy and hardship, and argue about the importance of tradition, in the language their characters would have spoken in the Old Country.”  Are the cast Yiddish speakers? No. “Before rehearsals, the majority of them had no experience with the language. Of the 26 cast members, only three spoke Yiddish fluently.”
 
The truth is that, “as part of the auditions for Folksbiene’s production, actors had to prove that they would be able to learn Yiddish quickly. Those called in for auditions were given 24 hours to memorize a recording of a song in the language. From the 2,500 applications, 26 actors were chosen for the production.”
 
“Once the cast was chosen, each member received a recording of his or her lines and songs in Yiddish in addition to private language coaching.”
 
Do you have to understand Yiddish to appreciate the production?  Not really.  Translations are printed in English and Russian on side curtains.  If you are familiar with the story and music, just taking in the happenings on stage are enough to carry the meaning. 
 
The featured actors and the chorus are all strong storytellers, singers and dancers.

Broadway actor Steven Skybell is Tevya.  This is not a Zero Mostel Tevya.  This is a much deeper, more realistic Tevya.  Yes, there are laughs, but the tale is more important than making funny faces, milking for laughs and providing entertainment.

Jennifer Babiak is a strong matriarchal Golde.  Emmy Award nominee Jackie Hoffman is appealing and delightful as Yente, the matchmaker. 

Pint-sized Ben Liebert is endearing as the nebbishy Motl Kamzoyl.  His “Nisimlekh-Veniflo ‘oys” (“Miracle of Miracles) is charming.

Stephanie Lynne Mason (Hodl), Rosie Jo Neddy (Khave) and Rachel Zatcoff (Tsaytl) are character correct as the three older daughters.   

Studly Cameron Johnson is convincing as Fyedke, as is Drew Seigla as Pertshik.

The set and costume designs, the lighting and sound all add to the quality of the production.

Capsule judgment:   The Yiddish version of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (FIDLER AFN DAKH) is not the FIDDLER of old, with a new set and costumes.  It’s a more emotionally moving story and less entertaining.  It is more fitting in the telling of what was, but is no more. The authenticity created by using the “real” language of these people adds to the tale filled with Jewish tradition and pain.
 
What: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (FIDLER AFN DAKH)
Where:  Stage 42

Exquisite, delightful, MY FAIR LADY captivates at Lincoln Center

What do Rogers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Frank Loesser and Cole Porter all have in common?  Yes, they are all composers of American musicals, but they are also just some of those who attempted, and failed, to make George Bernard Shaw’s classical PYGMALION into a musical.

At one point, Shaw had given permission to transform his DEVIL’S DISCIPLE into the musical operetta.  The resulting CHOCOLATE SOLDIER was not to his liking and he stated, “Nothing will ever induce me to allow any other play of mine to be degraded into an operetta or set to any music except its own.”  This was especially true of PYGAMLION, supposedly his favorite work.  He was immovable on the point until he died.
 
After his demise, and the proclaimed barrier was lifted, many tried but failed to transform PYGMALION.

The problems were great.  Foremost, from the time of Rogers and Hammerstein’s smash hit OKLAHOMA, which ushered in the Golden Age of the American musical, certain “rules” of writing the book for a musical were set.  Included in this format was that there would be numerous settings, a B-level plot with a supporting couple, a chorus, dance numbers, and that it be about a romance.  (Think CAROUSEL, CAMELOT and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN.)
 
PYGMALION didn’t have any of those elements.   Basically, the plot centers on “two old gentlemen who meet in the rain one night at Covent Garden. Professor Higgins is a scientist of phonetics, and Colonel Pickering is a linguist of Indian dialects. The first bets the other that he can, with his knowledge of phonetics, convince high London society that, in a matter of months, he will be able to transform the cockney speaking Covent Garden flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a woman as poised and well-spoken as a duchess.”

“The next morning, the girl appears at his home on Wimpole Street to ask for speech lessons, offering to pay a shilling, so that she may speak properly enough to work in a flower shop. Higgins makes merciless fun of her, but is seduced by the idea of working his magic on her. Pickering goads him on by agreeing to cover the costs of the experiment if Higgins can pass Eliza off as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party. The challenge is taken.” 

This is not the “stuff” on which traditional musicals are made.

Mainly, there is no love story.  The plot is a reflection of Shaw’s attitudes about the rigidity of the British class system and his strong stand against the view that a person cannot shape his or her own destiny.

A look at the ending of PYGMALION clearly illustrates this lack of a romantic tale.  In the play Eliza leaves Higgins after a quarrel, and Higgins remains onstage alone, in what Shaw describes as “a highly self-satisfied manner.”
 
When attempts were made to give his tale a “happy ending,” Shaw fought back.  He even added a postscript essay, “What Happened Afterwards,” to the 1916 print edition of the play in which he explained precisely why it was impossible for the story to end with Higgins and Eliza getting married [or having a romantic relationship]. 

Another problem with making the conversion from play to musical is that, in contrast to many other such adaptations, the play is so tightly written that any attempt to shoe-horn songs or dance numbers destroys that language and flow of ideas. 
 
It wasn’t until Lerner and Loewe realized that “the lyrics and music have to be an extension of Shaw’s dialogue,” that the classic masterpiece of straight theater could be reimagined as one of the greatest of all musicals.
 
Other problems needed to be confronted before MY FAIR LADY became a staged reality.
 
Shaw was specific that Eliza be eighteen.  Mary Martin, who was decades older than being a teenager, wanted to play the lead, but was too old for the role.
 
Legend has it that Rex Harrison, who was cast as Henry Higgins, was insecure of his “singing” ability.  He also seemingly had difficulty working with the young and non-classically trained Julie Andrews.  In fact, legend has it that the duo never really got along.  As recounted in one discussion of the two “There was chemistry on stage, but they were never close off-stage.”
 
Then there was the issue, whether caused by Harrison or her youth and lack of self-worth, that Andrews didn't consider herself to be the star of the show until the musical’s director, Moss Hart, convinced her of that.
 
The original script played out at four and a half hours in its early development.  Technical problems were also encountered when, for the first time on Broadway, twin turntables were used causing balance and coordination problems for the cast and crew.
 
In spite of the issues, the show did open on Broadway on March 15, 1956 to critical raves and resulting long lines at the box office.  The production set a record for the longest run of any show on the Great White way up to that time.  It was followed by a hit London production, a film, and many revivals.

The 2018 Broadway revival opened on April 19, 2018.  The Bartlett Sher direction and Christopher Gattelli choreographed reimagining has breathtaking scenery by Michael Yeargan and equally astounding costumes by Catherine Zuber.  The reconceived orchestrations add depth to the actions, as do the clear characterizations and fine staging. 
 
This is a work of beauty and creativity. 

Laura Benanti gives her own slant to Eliza.  She gives us a bright young lady, caught in the British societal system that has cast her as a “prisoner of the gutter,” but who has the grit to rise above her surroundings.  The performance makes clear that her “I want” desires, as expressed in “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?,” are destined to be accomplished.  Achieved not by Henry Higgins, but by Eliza’s own gumption.  

Harry Hadden-Paton is no Rex Harrison clone as Doolittle.  He gives a sensitive, if somewhat obtuse image to the role.  He doesn’t disdain others.  He just doesn’t even consider them as being important.  His universe has the world revolving around his wants, desires and needs, as clearly set out in “A Hymn to Him.”  Eliza has no role in “his” success of turning her into a lady.  It is all his talent that accomplished the task.  Of course, he did it.  Even in his singing of “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” the character, as interpreted so well by Hadden-Paton, doesn’t have the slightest understanding of why Eliza is not going to continue to be his puppet.  As the Brits would say of Hadden-Paton’s Higgins, “Good show!”

Danny Burstein delights as Alfred P. Doolittle.  His “With a Little Bit of Luck” and “Get Me to the Church on Time” are show stoppers.  His transformation in becoming a “gent” is a smile inducer.
 
Normally, “On the Street Where You Live” is a wistful song, showing a love-struck Freddy blindly enamored by Eliza.   The song becomes an audience entrancing anthem when sung by Christian Dante White, he of outstanding voice and consuming presence.  This is one talented young man.
 
Rosemary Harris (Mrs. Higgins), Allan Corduner (Colonel Pickering) and Linda Mugleston (Mrs. Pearce) are all excellent, creating nicely textured roles.
 
Capsule judgment: My Fair Lady has deservedly been called "the perfect musical" and the Lincoln Center revival will do nothing but increase the respect level.  The staging is glorious. The stage pictures exquisite.  The performances universally enchanting.  “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” if all Broadway shows could reach this pinnacle of writing, staging, performance and musical excellence?
 
What: MY FAIR LADY

Where:  LINCOLN CENTER, 
VIVIAN BEAUMONT THEATRE

When: OPEN RUN

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is a farcical delight! (Broadway)

In 1923 there was THE TORCHBEARERS.  In 1982 the stage was filled with hysterical disasters during NOISES OFF.  Now there is THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, the zany Laurence Olivier Award winner.

All three farces are plays about plays in which everything that could go wrong does, and then some!

Even before the performance officially starts, the audience quickly knows that things are not theater-normal. 

Members of the cast crawl over and under auditorium chairs and ask the audience to help them find a lost dog that is needed for the show, but has escaped from backstage.  A member of the audience is dragged up on stage to help mend a broken mantelpiece while techies try and repair pieces of scenery with masking tape.  (Yes, this looks like a disaster in the making.)

The “director” of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, tells us about the group. He explains their financial problems and their productions of such economic-stagings of JAMES AND THE PEACH and CAT.   

No wonder with their financial problems the set for THE MURDER AT HAVERSHAM MANOR, which we are about to see, looks like it is about to fall down.  (Woops, plot revelation alert!)

As the “program” states, “Sanford Meisner (an acting teacher who developed an approach to acting instruction that is now known as the Meisner Technique in which the emphasis is on the reality of doing) once said, ‘Acting is behaving truthfully,’ so we immediately changed all the names in the play to our own names and cut the murder, the manor house setting and any other element that we hadn’t personally experienced.”  That, in and of itself, should prepare everyone who reads the creative Playbill of what idiocy is to come.

THE MURDER AT HAVERSHAM MANOR is a 1920s murder mystery and…

What we soon realize is that we are viewing a play within a play and even the playbill is that of two different shows.
We also learn that our original observations were right and the play within the play is going to be plagued with numerous disasters.  

In the process of the production, doors jam, windows fall out, set pieces fall off, a platform collapses in a series of slow drops with members of the cast perched on it. Chaos reigns.  

There are line flubs, late entrances, cast members are knocked out by doors which are opened at the wrong time, misplaced props, missed cues, repeated, wrong liquids drunk, mispronunciations, cast substitutions, physical violence between actors and the eventual collapse of the entire set.  

The production of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG opened on Broadway in April, 2017, following a long London run.  The play then moved off-Broadway in February of 2019.
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is farce at its highest level.  Director Matt DiCarlo, who directed this production (Mark Bell directed the original Broadway show) pulls out all the stops.  Shtick, prat-falls, fisticuffs, double-takes, thrown glass vases, and a swordfight complete with swords that break, are all included. 

Oh, and then there is the dog.  Well, much as the rabbit in HARVEY, an imaginary dog who plays a vital role in the plot.  (Come on now, could I make this up?)

The beauty of the whole production, and the resulting hilarity, is that the director and the cast know how to do farce well.   The audience laughs at the lines and the actions, not over-acting, which is often the trait of farce gone-bad.

According to the play within the play program, Chris Bean not only plays the leading role of Inspector Carter, but he also directed, designed the set and the costumes, as well as making the props, managing the box office, doing the press and public relations, and acting as the voice coach.  (Oh, what a man!)

The “real” cast, Ryan Vincent Anderson (Trevor), Matt Harrington (Chris), Chris Lanceley (Jonathan), Brent Bateman (Robert), Bartley Booz (Dennis), Ashley Reyes (Sandra), Matt Walker (Max) and Bianca Horn (Annie) form into a unit that plays off each other to create a symphony of hysteria.  

No one can be singled out, as the interaction between the group, as they face boundless obstacles, is a perfect blending.

 

Nigel Hook not only designed a set that works perfectly, but must be a mechanical genius to have devised all the set disasters. 

Capsule Judgment:  Like any well-written farce, the quality of the ridiculousness is only as effective as the cast and director.  In the case of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, all of the needed elements are present and hysteria reigns.  

What: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

Where:  New World Stages

When: Open-ended run

A Cleveland reviewer goes to Broadway with the BWU senior class

Several times a year I go to review some of what’s on stage on Broadway.  This year, I expanded the experience by accompanying the Baldwin Wallace University Musical Theatre program’s fifteen seniors.

During this season, about a dozen Baldwin Wallace University grads (Berea, OH, a Cleveland suburb), which recently was named as one of the best musical theatre programs in the country, are/were appearing in the Big Apple. 

All of the BWU class of 2018 grads got agents, many having multiple offers.  Besides agents, at least a half-dozen were offered tryouts in present, upcoming, touring and soon-to-be touring shows. 

Side note:  Watch for my in-depth article on the BWU Musical Theatre program and the Class of 2018 which will be written after the total results of their showcase, signing with agents, tryouts and casting are all in.

On the business side, CLE’s Matthew and Michael Rego and Hank Unger, of The Araca Group, are one of the producers of the present running “SpongeBob SquarePants” and also the record-breaking “Wicked,” (Honesty disclosure:  Mike, Matt and Hank met when they were involved in a production of “The Music Man” which I directed some years ago.)

Here are capsule judgments of shows I saw.  To read the complete reviews go to www.royberko.info and scroll down to find the show.

What: “Hamilton”
Where:  Richard Rogers Theatre, 226 West 46th Street
When:  Open run
Capsule judgment:  The question asked by many who see “Hamilton” is whether it is worth the investment of time and money.  This reviewer’s answer, “Absolutely!”  I can’t wait until it comes to Cleveland this summer to see it again!  (And, hopefully more than once!)

What: “SpongeBob SquarePants The Broadway Musical”
Where:  Palace Theatre—47th and Broadway
When:  Open run
Capsule judgment: “SpongeBob SquarePants The Broadway Musical” is a wonder of neon psychedelic delight starring a character-perfect lead surrounded by a fun-centered cast which should delight adults and children of all ages!

What: “Once on this Island The Musical”
Where:  Circle in the Square, 235 W. 50th Street
When:  Open run

Capsule judgment:  The enchanting “Once On This Island” is a tale well conceptualized and told sharing the power of love and tradition as it reveals that “our lives become the stories that we weave.” 

Other shows I saw, but did not review were “Come From Away A New Musical” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” which are both on the Key Bank 2018-19 season, and are very well worth seeing, and “Three Tall Women.”  I was scheduled to cover “Mean Girls,” but the morning of the show I was informed that the lead female would not be in the cast and they didn’t want me to review the understudy.  Oh well, that’s show business.

A Cleveland reviewer gets to evaluate whether “Hamilton” lives up to its advanced billing

Some musicals change the very nature of the genre.  “Oklahoma” gave birth to the book musical in which story, dance and lyrics blended together perfectly.  “Chorus Line” brought the concept of the dance-centered musical.  “Hair” encouraged societal topics and mores to be probed.  “Rent” introduced the stage to 21st century ideas and issues.  Then, along came “Hamilton” which opened the door to singing, rap and movement blending into fine-tuned story telling.   The color-blind casting brought a new stage image to Broadway.

“Hamilton” was inspired by the 2004 biography, “Alexander Hamilton” by historian Ron Chernow.  It has book, music and lyrics by Lin Manuel Miranda, who perfectly honed each element to clearly represent our Revolutionary fathers. 

The script and production have been called, “exhilarating,” “a theatrical watershed,” and “sublime.”

After a successful off-Broadway run which opened in February, 2015, it moved to a Broadway stage in August of that year, and set unprecedented multimillion-dollar advanced box office sales.  Even after numerous cast changes, including the departure of Miranda, the show still over-sells nearly every performance.   

Tickets for the Broadway version can go for many hundreds of dollars. (The people sitting next to me in seventh row center paid $625 for each of their seats).  Why?  It’s “Hamilton.”  No more needs to be said!

The script tells the tale of Alexander Hamilton, who was born out of wedlock in the West Indies.  He comes to the American colonies at age 19 and seeks out revolutionary patriot, Aaron Burr, who advises the young and enthusiastic youth to “talk less; smile more.”  This is advice Hamilton did not take, and helps set the stage for a life-long set of philosophical battles between the men.

The people of Hamilton’s life, the Marquis de Lafayette, the Schuyler sisters, George Washington, Charles Lee, James Madison, and John Jay, flow by in song, rap,  movement, and spoken words. 

The story of the Revolutionary War, the birth of the nation, Hamilton’s developing the country’s financial system, the death of his son in a dual, and his own demise in a dual with Aaron Burr, all transpire in compelling fashion, under the adept direction of Thomas Kail and precision choreography and movement by Andy Blankenbuehler.

Too bad history classes don’t so successful tell such tales.

Tickets are hard to get, but despair not.  The show is running in Chicago, and touring versions are now wending their way across the country.  These productions are duplicates of the Broadway staging, complete with the original choreography and concentric turntables. 

It is also running in London and will be performed, with Manuel in the leading role, in Puerto Rico beginning in January, 2019.

Still want to see the show on Broadway?  Hamilton, like other Broadway musicals, offers a ticket lottery before every show, allowing a very limited number of those in line to purchase tickets for one Hamilton ($10) each.  You may, if you are standing near the theatre before curtain, be exposed to “Ham4Ham” shows, mini-performances which allow lottery participants to experience a part of the show.

Capsule judgment:  The question asked to many who see “Hamilton” is whether it is worth the investment of time and money?  This reviewer’s answer, “Absolutely!”  I can’t wait until it comes to Cleveland this summer to see it again!  (And, hopefully more than once!)

What: “Hamilton”
Where:  Richard Rogers Theatre, 226 West 46th Street
When:  Open run

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND an enchanting legend revived

Yes, as the advertisement’s banner says, “Our lives become the stories that we weave.” 

In the revival of the one-act “Once on This Island The Musical,” that weaving takes place on Circle in the Square’s rectangular, seat-encircled stage, which has literally been transformed into a sandy island in the Caribbean.  (Over 5 tons of sand were trucked in to accomplish the effect).

Yet another destructive hurricane has struck the forsaken place.

Stray goats and chickens run wild, palm fronds, plastic bags, knocked down huts and random laundry litter the landscape.  Water laps at the shore.  People, out of habit, go about the task of trying to clean up. 

The musical, based on the novel “My Love My Love” by Rosa Guy, which has book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, first opened in 1990 and received eight Tony nominations.  A London production garnered the 1995 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.   This newest version recently opened.
The encompassing and entrancing Caribbean-influenced music, played by traditional musical instruments, are supplemented by storm-dropped “found objects,” including trash bins, flexible piping and wooden boxes.

A young girl cries out in fear.  Story tellers, stirred on by the unrelenting winds and rain, tell her the tale of Ti Moune, a native girl in love with a young aristocrat, who is sent on a journey by the gods.  The story, like many oral history folk tales, uses the customs and mores of the area to paint a story of love and loss, faith and hope. 

The tale concerns the land, four gods: Asaka, the Mother of the Earth, Agwé, god of Water, Erzulie, the goddess of Love, and Papa Ge, the Demon of Death, and the people who worship them. 

The island is populated by peasants, the people as “black as night,” and the lighter-skinned descendants of the French planters and their slaves.  Each lives on their own side of the island, segregated from each other. 

As tradition tells, one day a terrible storm flooded the island, wiping out many people and dwellings. The gods place Ti Moune, an orphan girl, in a tree high above the flood’s waves, thus saving her.   She is found and adopted by Mama Euralie and Tonton Julian.  

Years pass, and the now grown-up beautiful Ti Moune, prays to the gods to set her on a path so he can find her purpose, establishing why she was saved from the storm.

Though they are amused by her wish, they arrange to have the car of Daniel, a light-skinned “grande homme” crash during a storm.  Ti Moune saves his life and restores him to health.  She falls in love with him and assumes he loves her as well.

Ti Moune follows Daniel when he returns to his side of the island. She finds out Daniel is engaged to Andrea, the daughter of family friends. 

Ti Moune is distraught, but when given the opportunity to kill him she will not do so, proving that love is stronger than hate. 

Erzulie takes Ti Moune to the ocean where she drowns peacefully and is taken to shore by Asaka who transforms her into a tree which eventually becomes a celebration of life and love.  As the tree grows, it cracks open the gates of the hotel, allowing those of all social statuses to become one.

And, as in all good folk tales, there is a happy ending as Daniel’s son, playing in the branches of the tree meets a peasant girl.  As the custom of separation of the groups has been eliminated, we are left to believe that love will conquer all.

As the musical ends, the frightened little girl from the beginning of the tale starts to retell the story herself, thus ensuring its continued significance in the history of her people.

The musical, under the direction of Michelle Arden, is enchanting.   Dane Laffrey’s setting, Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer’s lighting, Peter Ramos’s costumes, and Peter Hylenski’s sound all enhance the story development and the esthetic effect. 

The cast is outstanding.  Hailey Kilgore is award-worthy as Ti Moune.  She has an air of vitality that well fits the story and a lovely voice.  Her vocal, “Waiting for Life” is well interpreted.  Isaac Powell nicely develops the role of Daniel.

The gods, Asaka (Aurelia Williams), Agwé (Quentin Earl Darrington) , Erzulie (Lea Salonga), and Papa Ge (Rodrick Covington) all are convincing in their role interpretations.

“Once On This Island” will launch a North American tour in the fall off 2019.

Capsule judgment:  The enchanting “Once on This Island” is a tale well conceptualized and told sharing the power of love and tradition as it reveals that “our lives become the stories that we weave.”  

What: “Once on this Island The Musical”
Where:  Circle in the Square, 235 W. 50th Street
When:  Open run

SPONGE BOB, with its non-stop creativity, is a visual delight

Some present-day musicals, such as “Dear Evan Hansen” and “A Bronx Tale” shine their spotlight on societal issues.   Others like “Hamilton,” and “Come From Away” concern history.  “SpongeBob Squarepants” has its own vision…to entertain in a psychedelic underwater world of neon colors.  No strong message, but there are child-friendly hints of the value of friendship and of overcoming fear! 

From its reconfigured auditorium space, to its quirky set and creative costumes, non-stop showstoppers, over-the-top farcical acting, and funky television storyline, everything points to escapist enjoyment.

The musical was conceived and directed by Tina Landau.  It has songs by such artists as Sara Bareilles, Cindy Lauper and Rob Hyman, Lady Antebellum, John Legend, David Bowie and Brian Eno, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

It is based on the characters and themes of the “SpongeBob SquarePants” animated children’s television show, which was created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg.  It takes place in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom.  

The stage version opens as SpongeBob SquarePants wakes up one morning, in his usual wide-eyed happy mood, ready to face another wonderful day with his pet snail, Gary.  He wanders through Bikini Bottom, greeting various people including his best friend, Patrick (a squid) and Sandy Cheeks (a human who lives in a bubble-like dome and possesses great scientific skills). 

As the day progresses a violent tremor rocks the town.  A television news report relates that a nearby volcano is about to erupt.  Oh, what to do?  Stay and be destroyed?  Flee?  Find a way to save the city by neutralizing the danger.   

Hey, this is an escapist farce.  There has to be a plot device that contains danger, a bad guy and a happy ending to fulfill the formulaic story requirements.   So, off to climb the volcano, get rid of the danger (thanks to an invention by Sandy), and defeat an evil villain.  And, of course, our hero has to be the title character—SpongeBob.

The process of saving the town is filled with lots of singing and dancing and visual delights including a couple of Rube Goldberg devices mounted on the side walls of the theatre to the right and left of the proscenium arch, climbing the walls of the volcano which are created of entwined and moving scaffolding, electronic graphics, flying characters, skateboarding rockers, and lots of properly overdone farcical acting. 

All in all, there is visual and entertainment overload which, if the kid in front of me, who bounced in his seat, waved his arms until he was exhausted, is any indication, pleased the audience—adults and kids alike.

The cast is truly in tune with the right attitude for farce, and have the tap dancing, contemporary movement, and special skills needed to carry off the creativity of the director and choreographer.

Every once in while an actor and a role so meld together that forever the two are linked.  Think Yul Brenner in the “King and I,” Carol Channing in “Hello Dolly” Julie Andrews in “My Fair Lady,’’ and recently, Ben Platt in “Dear Evan Hansen.”  
 

Add Ethan Slater to that list.  The talented young man “is” SpongeBob!  He delights in his singing, dancing, line interpretation and character development.

Danny Skinner, as the chunky Patrick Star, has some wonderful musical moments in “BFF” (with Slater), “Super Sea Star Savor” and “(I Guess I) Miss You.”

Gavin Lee is wonderful as the multiple-legged Squidward Q. Tentacles, whose “I’m Not a Loser” brought prolonged audience applause.  

Fine performances were also given by Lilli Cooper (Sandy Cheeks), Brandon Espinoza (Patchy the Pirate) and Brian Ray Norris (Eugene Krabs).

A special nod of approval to the Electric Skates (L’ogan J’ones, Kyle Matthew Hamilton and Curtis Holbrook) for their exciting skateboard routines.

Both David Zinn’s costumes and scenic design are Tony-nomination worthy!  Peter Nigrini’s projections help flesh out the visual aspects of the dazzling production.  Christopher Gattelli’s choreography adds to the delight, and director Tina Landau’s creativity shines through.

Of interest to 216ers:  With “Spongebob,” the Araca Group, Cleveland natives Matthew Rego, Michael Rego, and Hank Unger, add to their ever-expanding list of Broadway hits, which include such smashes as “Urinetown,” “Wicked,” “’ night mother,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “Rock of Ages.”

Capsule judgment: “Spongebob Squarepants The Broadway Musical” is a wonder of neon psychedelic delight starring a character-perfect lead surrounded by a fun-centered cast which should delight adults and children of all ages!
What: “SpongeBob Squarepants The Broadway Musical”
Where:  Palace Theatre—47th and Broadway
When:  Open run

A Cleveland reviewer goes to Broadway at Tony time, 2017 (capsule summaries)

Several times a year I go to review what’s on stage on Broadway.  This spring, at the time the Tony Award nominations were announced, I had the chance to see some excellent nominees. 

Seeing local talent on stages on the Big White Way adds to the excitement.   During this and last season about twenty Baldwin Wallace University grads (Berea, OH, a CLE suburb), which recently was named as the best musical theatre program in the country, were appearing in the Big Apple.  Many of them are still on stage, as well as some newbies. Included are Caitlin Houlihan, “Waitress,” Steel Burkhardt, “Aladdin,” Shannon O’Boyle and Kyle Post in “Kinky Boots,” Cassie Okenka, “School Of Rock,” and Colton Ryan, “Dear Evan Hansen.”

In addition, the talented Chagrin Falls native Corey Cott, A Carnegie Mellon grad, has the lead in the Cleveland-centric “Bandstand.”

On the business side, Matthew and Michael Rego and Hank Unger, of The Araca Group are one of the producers of Tony nominated “Groundhog Day.” They formed their very successful production team in 1997 and have been involved with such hit shows as “Urinetown,” “Wicked,” “’night mother,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and “Rock of Ages.”   (Honesty disclosure:  Mike, Matt and Hank met when they were involved in a production of “The Music Man” which I directed some years ago.)

Here are capsule judgments of four new shows, all of which received Tony nominations.  To read the whole review of each, go to http://www.royberkinfo.blogspot.com/, scroll down to find show of choice.

What: “Groundhog Day”
Where:  August Wilson Theatre, 245 West 52nd Street
Capsule judgment:  Though it doesn’t reach the comic levels of the film version of the tale, “Groundhog Day The Musical” delights.  It’s the kind of show that will entertain Broadway audiences and be a hit when the sure to come national tour hits the road. 

What: “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.”
Where:  Imperial Theatre, 249 West 45th Street
Capsule judgment:  The total effect of “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” is breathtaking.  The traditional music, dress, stylized acting, and Josh Groban’s booming voice add to the over-arching effect. Yes, this is more than a musical, it is a spectacle of enormous proportions. 
 

What: “Bandstand—The New American Musical”
Where:  Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th Street

Capsule judgment: “Bandstand” isn’t a great musical, but the well-conceived production has the music, story line, dancing and patriotism to make the show a touring company favorite when it hits the hinterlands.  In the meantime, it deserves a healthy run on the Great White Way.

What: “Sweat”
Where:  Studio 54, 254 West 54th Street
Capsule judgment: Theater represents the era from which it comes, and “Sweat” clearly and shockingly tells the depressing tale of what went on during the financial downturn of this country and the resulting hysteria and desperation by a group of people who felt they had been disenfranchised by big business, betrayed by their government, and sold out by their union and political leaders.  It is an important play which fulfills the educational obligation of the arts.  It’s a script that is sure to be produced by many theatres as soon as its Broadway run concludes.

The much Tony nominated “Falsettos” which opened last spring, opened too late for the 2016 recognitions, but you can read its review on my blog.

Other new multi-Tony nominated shows which I did not see, but deserve attention are: “Come From Away,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Oslo,” “Indecent,” “War Paint,” “Anastasia,” and “Doll’s House Part 2,” as well as the revival of “Hello Dolly” (starring Bette Midler) and “Miss Saigon.”

“Groundhog Day The Musical” delights on Broadway

“Groundhog Day The Musical” has had a somewhat rough path to Broadway.  The show, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and book by Danny Rubin, which is based on the hit 1993 film by Rubin and Harold Ramis, opened in 2016 in London and all went well.  Reviews were good, attendance was solid, and it seemed like the legend of Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who holds the secret of whether those in the eastern US will have a short or long winter, was going to have smooth sailing into its Broadway burrow.

That prognosis was wrong!  The first scheduled preview in New York had to be stopped because of technical difficulties in getting the revolving stage to work.  Then, on the April 14 preview night, Andy Karl, who was reprising his leading man role from the English production, tore his anterior cruciate ligament during one of the show-stopping numbers.  He hobbled through the rest of that performance with the aid of a cane and was replaced by his understudy for the rest of the previews.  Rumors ran rampant that the show would close before it opened.  But, true to the old adage, “The show must go on,” Karl returned on opening night to positive reviews. 

Things seemed to right themselves after that and the musical, which has been praised as “So much fun it should be illegal,” has gone on to garner seven 2017 Tony Award nominations, including one for Karl as the Best Performance in a Musical, as well as recognition for best musical, book, direction, original score, choreography and scene design.

“Groundhog Day The Musical” basically follows the plot of the Bill Murry, Andie MacDowell hit movie which, in 2006, was added to the United States National Film Registry as the #8 in the top ten greatest films in the fantasy genre.

The story centers on weatherman Phil Connors (Andy Karl).   Phil, he of good looks, an attitude of self-importance and unbridled egotism, finds himself assigned, by his Pittsburgh based TV station, to go to Punxsutawney, PA to do a special report on the annual Groundhog Day Ceremony. 

He reluctantly arrives, checks into a B&B, and goes to bed.  From there on any semblance of normality in his life ends! 

Phil wakes up the next day, drinks some terrible coffee, goes to Gobbler’s Knob, where the ceremony is to take place, and meets Larry (Vishal Vaidya) the cameraman and Rita (Barrett Doss) his newbie producer.  He does his lack-luster recap of the event, goes to eat lunch, finds out that a snowstorm is blocking his return to Pittsburgh, and stays the night at the B&B.  The next day turns out to be a duplicate of yesterday, and the following day turns out to be the same as the day before, and the following day . . ..  Phil is caught in a time warp, with no escape.    

As happens in all romantic fantasy musical comedies, Phil and Rita fall into lust and love.  A transformation takes place when he becomes a nice guy helping townsfolk, does a positive promo about the town and its festival, and even though the route has finally cleared to return, he spends the day with Rita and watches the sun rise on the next day.  As one of the show’s songs states, “There Will Be Sun.”

The show, under the astute direction of Matthew Warchus, who has directed such Tony award winning shows as “Art,” “Boeing, Boeing” and “Matilda,” delights with imaginative staging.

One of the shows highlights is a car chase in which a car is built before the audience’s eyes, then transforms into a mini-remote control auto which dashes around the stage.  The audience reaction was explosive delight.

The cast is strong, singing and dancing and performing with great skill. 
 

Andy Karl lives up to his advance billing as Phil.  Still operating with a leg brace due to that rehearsal injury, he surprisingly moves and dances freely.  His voice is strong and sense of comic timing excellent.  His displays of self-love are hilarious, and his double takes, charming.  His Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical is well earned.
 

Barrett Doss inhabits the role of Rita.  She sings, dances and performs with certainty and believability. 

It’s always an added treat when, as a Cleveland-based reviewer, there is a CLE connection to a Broadway production.  In the case of “Groundhog Day,” the hook is Matthew and Michael Rego and Hank Unger, The Araca Group (www.araca.com).  They formed their production team in 1997, producing shows, selling theatrical merchandise and staging live entertainment and theatrical events on Broadway and around the world.  They have been involved with such hit shows as “Urinetown,” “Wicked,” “’night mother,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and “Rock of Ages.”   (Honesty disclosure:  Mike, Matt and Hank met when they were involved in a production of “The Music Man” which I directed some years ago.)Capsule judgement:  Though it doesn’t reach the comic levels of the film version of the tale, “Groundhog Day The Musical” delights.  It’s the kind of show that will entertain Broadway audiences and will be a hit when the sure to come national tour hits the road. 
THE FACTS:
What:  GROUNDHOG DAY THE MUSICAL
Where: August Wilson Theatre, 245 West 52nd Street
Open ended run
Matinees: Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday
Evenings:  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

“Sweat” tells an emotional tale of the fall of the American working middle class and its effect on the nation

In 2011, steel industry-centrific Reading, Pennsylvania topped the national census’s poverty list.  The city’s residents were battered by the closing down of rust belt industries as companies packed up and moved to countries with lower worker wages, and low-cost steel from China’s government-subsidized plants flooded the market.

Economic inequality and economic insecurity raised their ugly heads, not only in PA, but other industrial states, resulting in a surprise election result as the usual Democratic voters became desperate for scapegoats and easy cures for their woes. 

Lynn Nottage, who has been called “as fine a playwright as America has,” started to craft “Sweat” in 2011, just before the height of the national malaise, but not before Reading and similar areas were hit by layoffs, plant closings, and general angst.  The playwright honed in on the national problem and succeeded in writing a raw, disturbing and illuminating script that won the 2017 Pulitzer for Drama.

Most of the eight-year story takes place inside and outside a bar in Reading, where the employees of the nearby steel mill hang out. 

In the early segments, the bar visitors are in a positive mood.  Hours, pay, and working conditions are good.  One of the women, an African American, is promoted to a management position and there is general pride in her advancement.  Then downsizing and a strike to protect wages takes place.  The bartender warns, “You could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico.”

As his prophecy becomes reality, as de-industrialization takes place, attitudes of the “friends” change.  Inner group squabbles emerge, hatred toward scabs who cross the picket line become strong, as scapegoats for the changing economics are needed, racial and ethnic differences become causes for arguments and physical abuse.  Matters get even worse when the plant closes.  

The script clearly reveals the frustration of the white blue collar middle class, who, in their desperation to regain self-respect and hope for financial stability, are willing to put aside their respect for truth and start to believe “alternative facts,” to replace logic with acceptance of emotional shim-sham, and accept that they need to make America “white” again as a combination of Hispanics, blacks and Asians have become the majority population.  Slogans and insults became their truth and they became Trump voters.

The script is effective, though the first act could lose about ten minutes and not endanger the exposition that leads up to the compelling second act.

The explosive drama is nicely directed by Kate Whoriskey.  It is well-paced, the dynamics finely keyed, and the characterizations well-etched.

The acting is top-notch.  Lance Coadie Williams (Evan), Khris Davis (Chris), Carlo Albán (Oscar), Michelle Wilson (Cynthia), James Colby (Stan), Alison Wright (Jessie) and John Earl Jelks (Brucie) all create nicely textured and fleshed-out characters. 

 

Will Pullen (left in photo), who epitomizes the angry white male who has lost not only his financial base, but self-respect, excels as the explosive Jason.  

Tony nominee for Best Featured Actress in a Play, Johanna Day, effectively creates Tracey into the model for the woman who has lost all as a result of the economic whirlwind that hit Reading and much of the industrial heart of the country.

“Sweat” received two 2017 Tony Award nominations: Best Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Capsule judgement: Theater represents the era from which it comes, and “Sweat” clearly and shockingly tells the depressing tale of what went on during the financial downturn of this country and the resulting hysteria and desperation by a group of people who felt they had been disenfranchised by big business, betrayed by their government, and sold out by their union and political leaders.  It is an important play which fulfills the educational obligation of the arts.  It’s a script that is sure to be produced by many theatres as soon as its Broadway run concludes.

THE FACTS:

What: “Sweat”

Where: Studio 54, 254 West 54th Street

Open ended run

Matinees: Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday

Evenings:  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday