SHREK THE MUSICAL brightens up holiday season at CVLT

 

When theatre-goers think of the color green, many automatically recall Elphaba of WICKED.  Yes, she is definitely green, but she’s not the only musical character of that hue.  Besides the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West there is Shrek, an also misunderstood emerald-shaded-being.  (And, let’s not overlook his lady-love, Princess Fiona).     As Elphaba flies around in the newly released movie, WICKED:  FOR GOOD, Shrek and Fiona are on stage at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre.   The stage show, often dubbed the "I'm a Believer" musical, based on the show’s song which was originally played as the audience left the theatre.   Due to the tune’s popularity, it was incorporated into the score on October 2, 2009, and is now sung by the entire company during the curtain call.   SHREK is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film of the same name.   The Broadway production of the show received eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.  It ran 441 performances. At the time, it was one of the most expensive musicals to open on Broadway, at an estimated $25 million.  It has gone on to be one of the most produced community theatre and high school scripts, as well as having numerous international productions and touring companies.   The tale starts with “two ogre parents sending their seven-year-old son Shrek out of their house and into the world to make his living. They warn him that because of his looks, he will be shunned by the world. Some years later, an embittered, grown-up Shrek is living contentedly alone in a swamp.  However, his solitude is disrupted when a refugee caravan of fairy tale creatures show up on his property. They explain of their banishment from the Kingdom of Duloc, by order of the evil Lord Farquaad (a dwarf with short legs and a nasty disposition), who banished them for being “freaks,” under penalty of death if they ever return. Shrek decides to travel to see Farquaad and try to regain his swamp.”   And, thus, we are thrown into a fantasy which includes coming in contact with a donkey with a twisted sense of humor, a band of fairy tale characters including Pinocchio, the Pied Piper, Peter Pan, the Cheshire Cat, the three bears, the Ugly Duckling, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Big Bad Wolf, a lot of singing and dancing, and high antics.  And, of course, since this is a fairy tale, a happy ending!   In attending a CVLT production, don’t expect a professional staging.  There is not an Actor’s Equity member in the cast.  These are amateurs who are performing for the love of theater, interest in developing some experience and entertaining an audience.     The cast is enthusiastic, the score outstanding, and the musicians, under the baton of Heidi Herczeg, outstanding, and Chris Bizub’s directing keeps the action rolling right along.    Highlight musical numbers include “What’s Up Duloc?”, “I Know It’s Today,” “Who I’d Be,” “When Words Fail,” “Build a Wall,” “This is Our Story,” and “I’m a Believer.”  The choreography by Lauren Stepanski is ambitious. The settings and projections designed by Steven M. Savanyu, nicely conceived.     Strong performances were given by Tom Jones as Shrek, Caralyn Steck as Princess Fiona, Kaity Poschner as Donkey and Cameron Zona as Lord Farquaad.   CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  SHREK THE MUSICAL is a green-tastic script, with a strong score. It’s moral is to accept others for who they are, rather than judging them by their appearance.  It teaches self-acceptance, finding your own true self, and the importance of friendship and love that embraces your quirks and imperfections.  Be aware that this is a stage show and children who have seen the movie may be expecting more gimmicks than will appear on stage.   SHREK THE MUSICAL runs through December 14.  For tickets go to CVT.org or call 440-247-8955.

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
 

THE PROM, a musical with a contemporary social message @ CVLT

 
In 2010 a gay Mississippi high school student was banned from going to her senior prom by the school’s Board of Education because she wanted to bring her girlfriend as her date.  She challenged the ruling, which resulted in the cancellation of the prom.  The student and the ACLU sued the district.  The federal court found the school district guilty of violating the student’s first amendment rights and said the prom must be held.  

The board reinstated the prom, but local parents organized an alternative event to be held on the same night, but kept the event and its location a secret so the gay student and the media would not know.  
  
That event was the impetuous for Jack Viertel’s concept musical, THE PROM, which is now on stage at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre.
 
The stage version builds on the real story and expands it to center on four frustrated Broadway actors, at a failure crossroad in their careers, who contrive a way to get attention by traveling to the very conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help Emma, a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to the high school prom.
 
The Broadway production was critically greeted with such comments as, "such a joyful hoot,” “with its kinetic dancing, broad mugging and belting anthems, it makes you believe in musical comedy again," and “with a tuneful score, a playful book, and performances that remind you what Broadway heart and chutzpah are all about." 
 
The story, though possessing the quality of a TV sitcom tale, has a meaningful purpose, is tightly written and keeps attention throughout.  
 
It is the purpose of community and little theaters, such as Clague Playhouse, Greenbrier Theatre, Brecksville Little Theater and Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, which has been producing shows for 94 seasons, to give local audiences exposure to theater and give non-professional actors and community members a chance to create and perform.  Audiences should not attend expecting the shows to be “better than Broadway.”  That’s the purpose of the Broadway touring shows and the local professional theaters. 
 
THE PROM is a perfect community theatre show. It has a message, a well-written script, good music (especially “Dance With You” and “Jazz”), can be done with less than professional actors, has a fairly easy set to build, and lots of parts for performers of all ages and talents.
 
The show’s song, “We Look to You” banners the good theatre does for performers with its declaration, “We need a place to run when everything goes wrong, when the answer to each problem is to burst into a song, and standard rules of logic just don’t simply apply, when people dance in unison and no one wonders why.”
 
The same song tells why people come to the theatre, stating, “We look to you in good times and bad—the worlds you create make the real ones seem less sad.  The curtain goes up, and every now and then, it feels as if we’re coming home again.”
 
The CVLT show has some good performances including that by Brooke Hamilton who has a nice singing voice and good acting chops as the lesbian, Emma, who is thrust on the national scene as a role-model when all she wants to do is dance at the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa, who is well-acted and sung by Maela Mazzone. 
 
Jessie Pollak (Kaylee) and Kelly Scott (Shelby) were appropriately nasty as the mean girls and Eric Oswald, as Principal Hawkins, who did a great rendition of “We Look to You.”
 
Nina Takacs (Dee Dee Allen) and Dan Knepper (Barry Glickman) belted out “It’s Not About Me,” and over-acted to the delight of the audience who roared at the over-exaggerations, while accepting the predictable and often awkwardly presented choreography. 
 
David W. Coxe’s orchestra was excellent as were the electronic media insertions.
 
CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  THE PROM is an old-fashioned musical which tells a contemporary tale with a moral and gets a good community theatre staging at CVLT, It is worth seeing.
 
THE PROM continues on the Chagrin Valley Little Theater stage through August 10, 2024.  For tickets, call 440-247-8955 or go to CVLT.org

Audience-pleasing 9 to 5: The Musical at CVLT

 

 
9 to 5:  The Musical is a theatre piece based on the 1980 hit film, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick.  It is now on stage at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre. 
 
In spite of many awards, and positive audience reaction, the show’s Broadway production was brief.  After 24 previews, it only ran for 148 performances.  The 2010 national tour, in spite of a very shallow and predictable story, was generally well received.
 
The rock musical tells the story of three women, who have finally had it with their overbearing, sexual abusive and egotistical boss.  They kidnap him, reform their office, and, as in all good farcical fantasies, revenge the male-dominated business, and, much to the delight of the women’s lib movement lovers, take over the operation. 
 
At the end of the “regular” storytelling, The characters deliver epilogues about what happened after the events of the story.  The boss, Hart, we are told, “was captured by natives in the jungles of Bolivia and was never seen or heard from again.”  One of our heroines, Roz, found a new love - Hart's wife.  Violet and Joe, the plays young lovers, “have been together for the past 30 years and are very happy together.”  Doralee, the second of our winners, went to Nashville and became a successful country and western singer. Judy, the remaining female avenger, stayed single and became a regular guest on “The View” after writing a bestselling book, Life Without Dick.
 
Though there are no songs from the score, besides the title tune, which became hits, several get strong performances in the CVT production.  “I Just Might” gets a fine interpretation by Violet (Tara Corkery), Judy (Stephanie Malfara), Doralee (Marybeth Knode) and the Ensemble.  “Portion Notion” is cutely presented by Corkery, while “Let Love Grow” is presented as a fine duet by Joe (Isaac Siemer) and, Violet, his lady love.  “Get Out and Stay Out” is a fine solo by Stephanie Malfara.
 
Director Brenton Cochran, seems to know his audience well, stressing the comic aspects of the show and giving the amateur performers the opportunity to over-act, pull-off many overdone double-takes, play with the audience and perform over-done actions, to the delight of those in attendance.  There are few shticks and gimmicks that Cochran doesn’t pull of out his bag of tricks.
 
Music Director David W. Coxe has his musicians well-tuned.  Jennifer Justice’s often over-enthusiastic choreography, which mainly consisting of straight line, synchronized movements, is a challenge for some of the cast.  In spite of that, the audience met every dance number with enthusiastic applause.
 
The crew deserves a special hurrah for their smoothly moving set pieces and furniture so smoothy and effectively.
 
Capsule judgment:  9 to 5 is not a great script nor does it have sublime music, but it is a fine vehicle for a community theatre.  It has many opportunities for actors to let loose and delight the audience, and, delight the audience is exactly what the CVLT cast, crew and musicians do!  
 
9 to 5 runs through April 13, 2024 at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, 40 River Street, Chagrin Falls.  For tickets go to CVLT.org or call 440-247-8955.
 

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at CVLT is amateur theatre at its funny best

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 on stage does, and then some!
 
Even before the performance officially starts, the audience quickly knows that things are not theater-normal.  
 
Members of the cast wander the stage, working on the set, 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 shoddy 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-restricted stagings as JAMES AND THE PEACH (without the peach) and CATS (yes, without a 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!)

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, line repetitions, wrong liquids drunk, mispronunciations, cast substitutions mid-play, physical violence between actors and the eventual collapse of the entire set.  

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 and is still running.

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is farce at its highest level.  Shtick, prat-falls, fisticuffs, double-takes, thrown glass vases, and a swordfight complete with swords that break, are all included.  
 
Director Michael J. Rogan must have had a blast directing this and didn’t have to be concerned that he was directing an amateur cast.  It is a perfect show for amateur theatres, as really good acting would run the whole premise.

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 cast, Julian Kruyne (Trevor), Christopher Bizub (Chris), Brandon Paul Ferris (Jonathan), Greg A. Smith (Robert), Kevin Derrick (Dennis), Laura Telepak (Sandra), Miron Gusso (Max) and Bekah Neubecker (Annie) form into a unit that plays off each other to create a symphony of hysteria.  

Kudos to the backstage crew, who actually make the whole thing work:  Victor Bernardo, David Bruney, Kaitlyn Hope Poschner, Sarah Dellinger and John Telepak.

Tom West not only designed a set that works perfectly, but must be a mechanical genius to have devised all the set disasters. 
 
Steven J. Madden choreographed some terrific stunts.
 
Capsule Judgment:  Like any 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 laughter reigns.  Go! Laugh! Forget the angst of the world.  HAMLET this ain’t!
 
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG runs through June 18, 2023 at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, followed by KINKY BOOTS from July 21-August 12, 2023.
 
For tickets call 440-247-8955.

Endearing ELLIOT AND ME pinpoints brotherly love

 

There’s a lot of brotherly love, some good songs, professional actors, and an appealing story going on at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre!   ELLIOT AND ME, a slight but charming script by Steven Willensky and Scott Coulter, with music and lyrics by the late Elliot Willensky, is based on the real-life experiences of Steve and his older brother, Elliot.   The script and life reveal that Elliot was a classic Zodiac Leo, “radiantly joyful, loving, living life to the fullest rather than taking responsibility, being self-centered, creative, loving to be obsessed over, a lover who loves to love for the sake of loving, and often a drama queen.”   Elliot, a brilliant but undisciplined student, graduated who from Boston University with a degree in biology. He undertook post-graduate studies and worked as a research scientist of the National Institutes of Health. He suddenly left his medical degree studies, much to the chagrin of his over-bearing mother, to become a songwriter.  Elliot's most well-known work is "Got to Be There" which was Michael Jackson's first solo hit and reached number 4 on the R&B singles chart in 1971.  The song reached number 5 on the R&B chart again in 1983 when it was covered by Chaka Khan. The song has also been covered by The Miracles in 1972, Boyz II Men in 2007, and an instrumental version by jazz guitarist/singer George Benson in 1993. Willensky continued his affiliation with the Jackson family into the 1980s, writing the noted Jermaine Jackson and Whitney Houston duet, "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful," which appeared on Jermaine's 1986 Precious Moments album.  He also wrote for Smokey Robinson. He composed the music for the 1999 off-Broadway musical ABBY'S SONG and served as the music coordinator for the Tony Orlando and Dawn variety show on CBS. Elliot died from complications of a stroke in 2010, at the age of 66.   Steve, on-the-other hand, is a Zodiac Cancer, who fits perfectly the definition as being “devoted; fond of their loved ones, often to an unhealthy degree; placing a high value on family and close friends; who often go to great lengths to defend them, no matter the price.”  Yes, Steve is a classic enabler, a softy for, as the script reveals, Elliot’s many appeals for a loan of money.  Yes, Elliot, the successful musical composer, had no ability or desire to manage money, much to the chagrin of Steve.   Now a Clevelander, Steve, a Brown and Northwestern graduate, is a successful “retired” businessman, and has been uber involved in the community.  He has served as a Board member of such organizations as The Menorah Park Foundation, The Cleveland Sight Center, and Intelligent Mobile Support, as well as being the Chief Executive officer of the Woodstock Theater Group, and a business development advisor.  Among his many recognitions was being cited as an “Everyday Champion” by WKYC-TV for “making high school students shine” and being selected as National Trustee of the Year by the Association of Jewish Aging Services.   As the CVLT program states, “In the early 2000s, Elliot and Steven began talk about fulfilling a lifelong dream—creating a show to feature Elliot’s song catalogue with family stories sprinkled in between the musical numbers.”     ELLIOT & ME, after 11 years of development, had its stage debut in 2021, at the Hudson Theatre Works in NJ.  It consisted of 8 original numbers and includes “I’m My Brother’s Keeper, ““We’ve Got Forever,” “The Singer,” “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful” and “Got to Be There.”   As the sometimes slowly moving production develops, with a blend of Borscht-belt comic standup skits, song interludes, verbal snapshots of a typical New “Joisey” Jewish mother and compassionate laid-back father, and heartwarming and frustrating interludes, we gain an understanding of strong and meaningful brotherly love and connection.   The local production, which is basically the same show that appeared on the Hudson Theatre Works stage, is directed by Michael Bias, with musical arrangements by Michel Holland, musical direction by Mathew Dolan, choreography by Amanda Whitford Grundy and Lighting by Valerie Hughes.     The two-person cast, who play not only the leads, but many supporting roles, consists of Equity actors Eric Briarley and Drew Seigla.     The duo take-on the actual aura of the brothers.     Briarley, who has a great singing voice, is loose-limbed, laid back and totally dynamic and undisciplined.  His Elliot is spot-on!   Drew Seigla, slightly chubby, and up-tight, creates a Steven that is true to form.  He has a nice singing voice and mumbles and stumbles in all the right ways.     The production works on many levels.  If it is to be performed again, the powers that be might consider having the boys, at least early on, have “Joisey” accents.  Since the play is stylized, prop tables, one on each side of the stage, in view of the audience,  instead of the small boxes which caused difficulty in finding items needed to flesh out characters, and two “mother” wigs, would eliminate breaking the flow of the show.  Since the production is already using electronic media, adding clips of Michael Jackson and others singing Elliot’s songs would add a needed alternate dimension.    Capsule judgment:  ELLIOT & Me is a “hamisha” (warm/comfortable) show that makes for an enjoyable evening of theatre.  It’s the kind of script that could be comfortably performed by community theatres and maybe even off-Broadway.   ELLIOT & ME runs through June 25 at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, 40 River Street, Chagrin Falls.  Free parking is available adjacent to the theatre.  For tickets call 440-247-8955 or visit CVLT.org