I love this. Bravo to you for writing about this fantastic stage
manager [Lynda Lavin]. I will be sharing this with my (33) young students who work as
stage managers here at Akron School for the Arts.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Carl Topilow conducts "THE LEGACY OF MARVIN HAMLISCH for The Cleveland Pops
When those with musical know-how think Carl Topilow, they conjure--Cleveland Pops Orchestra, multi-hued clarinets, a virtuoso who is equally at home in both classical and popular music modes, Cleveland Institute of Music, guest conductor of over 110 orchestras in the US, and such countries as Canada, China, England, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland and Venezuela. Yes, Topilow is a very talented and renowned person in the field of music.
His reputation, in part, is based on his unique approach to pops programming. He is noted for his openness to such factors as audience involvement and approaching the selection of programs with an open mind to innovation.
His creativity will be on display when the Cleveland Pops Orchestra presents “THE LEGACY OF MARVIN HAMLISCH: ONE SINGULAR SENSATION” on February 21 at Severance Hall. The program will feature Broadway legends Donna McKechnie, Jodi Benson and Doug LaBrecque. The trio, along with Topilow will not only perform, but share their past experiences with the recently deceased Hamlisch.
In an interview, Topilow shared that the concert will contain a medley of the music of Scott Joplin, which Hamlisch incorporated when writing the music for the movie “THE STING.” Included will be “The Entertainer” and “Easy Winners,” which will feature Topilow as clarinet soloist, and “Solace,” which will be a piano solo.
Hamlisch is probably best known for composing the score for the legendary musical, “A CHORUS LINE,” including “What I Did for Love,” and “At the Ballet.” Hamlisch also wrote such memorable songs as “The Way We Were,” “Through the Eyes of Love,” “Nobody Does it Better” and “They’re Playing Our Song.” All of these will be heard at the concert.
Hamlisch, according to Topilow, wrote many lesser known songs which will be played in the concert, including such songs as “Ordinary Miracles,” “One Song,”, “Smile,” “Disneyland,” and “Dreamers.”
The conductor was fortunate to have met Hamlisch when Topilow served as his designated driver when he was in town for an engagement.
He also shared that, in contrast to most Cleveland Pops concerts, “The majority of the commentary and audience interaction will come from our guest vocalists, rather than from me.”
When probed about how he handles all of his assignments, he indicated that the major skill is “organizing, figuring out what to do.” “Most people think of the responsibility of the conductor to be standing in front of the orchestra and indicating what should be played and when. Not true,” shares Topilow. He “organizes the performances and all aspects of the programs….dancers, choruses, guest performers, video…working for balanced programs.”
To see Topilow and the Cleveland Pops in action: “MARVIN HAMLISCH: ONE SINGULAR SENSATION,” February 21, 2014 at 8 p.m. in Severance Hall. For tickets, which range in price from $2 to $82, go to the Severance Hall box office, or call 216-231-1111 or online at http://www.clevelandpops.com.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Thought provoking THE ALIENS at Dobama
Roy Berko
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)
Annie Baker, the 33-year old multi award winning author of THE ALIENS, now in production at Dobama, is considered by many theatre and literary critics to be one of the freshest and most talented dramatists of this decade. Baker, whose style mirrors that of Anton Chekov, one of the leaders of 20th century modernism, writes realistic characters who emerge in lines that lend themselves to subtle and thoughtful presentation.
Her style is that of a slow pace, not choppy, but insightful, with pauses for thought, and silence for introspection. Lighting and smoking of a cigarette, sitting and looking at nothing, strumming a guitar, are all devices to allow for meaningful thought. She develops ideas through subtlety, not screaming or excessive drama.
Baker has written five praised plays in 6 years. She has won Obie and Drama Desk Awards.
THE ALIENS, like most of Baker’s works is more character study than plot driven. The concept centers on a pair of thirty-somethings who seem to exert little effort to move through life. KJ, who still lives with his mother, is a college dropout, has had psychological problems and needs to stay on his meds. Jasper graduated from high school and has been sliding along since then.
The duo are “slacker dudes,” who find little of society to their liking, but don’t seemingly have the energy to take action. Both are unshaven, probably because the act of shaving might require more energy and focus than they can expend. They aren’t lazy, just haven’t found anything to motivate them.
They sit on a park bench or old plastic patio chairs behind a coffee shop, choosing not to interact with the patrons inside, sharing random thoughts only with each other. The duo commiserate about music, philosophy and Charles Bukowski, a confessional poet, who is considered the father of Dirty Realism.
Like Bukowski, they think about writing, alcohol, relationships with women and the drudgery of work. KJ periodically scribbles ideas for a book. They formed a band, couldn’t agree on a name, kind of settling on the name, “The Aliens,’ but are still pondering that “almost” decision. Until they do so, they can’t act. They are aliens, not in the other world sense, but in their being alienated.
Into their private world enters Evan, a high school junior who is a new employee at the coffee shop. Evan, a shy, sexually and unworldly naïve youth with the teenage angst. Slowly, they decide to teach him all about the world from their perspective as they adopt him as their “club mascot.” He becomes so attached to them that they are labeled by him as, “my best friends.”
Dobama’s production, under the focused direction of Nathan Motta, is completely true to Baker’s script and insights.
As the Artistic Director of Dobama said in his opening night, before-curtain talk, “This is a delicate piece.” “Not a word is wasted.” “ It’s effect not only centers on what is said, but how it is said.” “This is a script filled with compassionate meditation.” “From one-third to one-half of the stage time is filled with silence.” “The audience has to work, you can’t just sit passively.” “These are two isolated outcast thirty-year olds that are identifiable to people their age…we [the Silent Generation, also referred to as Generation Z] all know guys like this.”
Alexander V. Thompson (KJ), Matt O’Shea (Jasper), and Joseph Dunn (Evan) are each superb. They create real people, not portraying the characters, but experiencing these guys. It would be difficult to cast a more perfect trio. They assume the needed pace with a fervor, making sure that each needed pause, each over-extended act of lighting a cigarette, each introspective glance, is perfectly perceived.
CAPSULE JUDGMENT: In spite of the quality of writing and superb production, THE ALIENS is not a play for everyone. As Motta said, "experiencing this play takes work. It is not exciting." There is only one incident of high drama. The laughs are few. (It was interesting that on opening night, the only emotional reactions came from a scattering of Generation Z’ers.) If you attend, let the play simmer in your head and see what emerges. It’s worth the effort.
THE ALIENS runs through February 23, 2014 at Dobama Theatre. Call 216-932-3396 or http://www.dobama.org for tickets.
Former Clevelander, Lynda Lavin, professional stage manager extraordinaire
Lavin, who admits to being a “good organizer” and possessing “fine management skills” worked as the stage manager for the 1978 national tour of “ANNIE.” As she indicated in a recent interview, “I got hooked on being an off-stage star.”
What does a production stage manager do? According to Lavin, “I sit in on rehearsals, work with understudies, and watch each performance, keeping an eye on the production time and insure that the performances stay true to the vision of the story. My job is to maintain the artistic integrity. I’m a maintenance person, a jack of all trades. I work with the sound, lights, load in, manage the crew, coordinate all the departments. I’m a little bit of a psychologist and mentor.”
One of the highlights of the “ANNIE” tour was the show’s run at the Hanna Theatre. Coming “home” gave her an opportunity to visit her brother who lives in Geauga county, and to hook up with other family members who live in Ashland and Columbus.
A highlight of coming back to Cleveland with a show is “being able to work in the Playhousesquare complex.” As she said, “I was here when everything was all closed up. I’m thrilled to come back to see what has happened in the area. Its such a joy to have a city and community make it work. Actors and production people look forward to coming to the complex. These buildings are theatre palaces. Not many of those are left in this country.”
Spending months and months living out of a suitcase fits her personality and desired life style. “Touring, being away from home, is a way of life for me. I don’t need a lot of stuff. I’m not a collector of things, not a shopper. When I need a break, I go home to my place in Las Vegas. This life style isn’t good or bad, it’s just different. It’s opened opportunities to travel. I’ve been in every state in the U.S. and spent time in Japan, Australia, Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East.”
She was in Dubai just before she came to Cleveland with the touring company of “CHICAGO,” which recently played the Palace Theatre.
The challenge of a touring show is making sure that everything gets where it’s supposed to be in time to open the show. For Cleveland’s showing of “CHICAGO,” the cast had to fly16 hours. They arrived on Sunday afternoon for a Tuesday evening opening. Some replacement cast members had to be integrated into the show. The set and everything from post-it notes to computers to musical scores had to get here. It was Lavin’s responsibility to organize all of this and make sure the show remained fresh. (It was. For a review of the production, go to http://www.royberko.info
What’s the best way to learn the skills of stage managing? Lavin says that she gained her skills by contacting stage managers of touring shows, ask them for advice, and watch them call the shows. She says, “Education is important, but real life experience is necessary.”
How does she find her jobs? “I do a lot of networking. I meet other stage managers, follow the Broadway season, connect with production managers, let shows know that are going to tour to contact me. I go to NY once a year and put in bids.“ Fortunately 35 successful years in the business has made her a commodity who is sought after.
Her response to her being mistaken for the “other” Linda Lavin (Linda with an “i” rather than a “y”), the famous television and theatre star, included tales of gaining from the similarity of names. She laughed as she said, “I get nice hotel rooms, it helps in making dinner reservations in LA and NY, gets me through to deal with secretaries and theatre people.” Ah, what’s in a name.
Life is never dull for Lavin. She likes it that way!
For more information on this dynamic woman go to: lyndaalavin@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Local youth showcase talent to benefit Cincinnati boy struck by lightning
Local youth showcase talent to benefit Cincinnati boy
struck by lightning
Twelve-year-old Ethan Kadish was enjoying playing frisbee
last summer at a camp in Indiana when he was struck by lightning with no
warning. Ethan has suffered severe brain damage. He is now 13, and his
situation is still very serious. His brain is struggling to make new connections,
and he has a very long road ahead. He is fighting to regain the ability to walk
and talk.
Friends who know Ethan and his family and many others touched
by this random tragedy wanted to find a way to help. Alex Berko, a Solon High
School senior who was born in Cincinnati and whose family has been friends
with the Kadishes for many years; and Greg Davidson, a Solon High school
freshman who has spent many summers at Goldman Union Camp Institute, the same
camp Ethan attended, wanted to do something concrete to help Ethan's recovery.
Ethan loves music and theatre and was featured in MUSIC MAN last school year. The boys decided that they could honor Ethan's love of music and put their own talents to good use and engage many of their friends.
Ethan loves music and theatre and was featured in MUSIC MAN last school year. The boys decided that they could honor Ethan's love of music and put their own talents to good use and engage many of their friends.
Alex will be playing piano and singing in a quartet. Greg will be leading a sing-along of some of his camp favorites and singing a song from MUSIC MAN. Other friends who love the stage will also be lending their voices to this cause. These include: Ally Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Jessie Pollak, Charlotte Fallick, Brett Castro, Elliot Lang, Kyle Fisher from Solon High School and Alexa Askari from Orange High School.
Many others friends will be joining the group to help
orchestrate the program, including Dylan Seigler, a Solon resident and
University School student who was a cabin mate of Ethan’s last summer; and Sara
Schwalberg, an Ithaca College sophomore who was one of Ethan’s unit counselors
at Goldman Union Camp Institute last summer. Cantor Laurel Barr will be
providing accompaniment.
The event will take place Sunday, February 9, 2014at Anshe
Chesed Fairmount Temple, 23737 Fairmount Boulevard at 7:30pm. The
concert is free to attend but donations are strongly encouraged.
Ethan’s family learned that his yearly medical expenses could
top $1 million. To assist with the immense task of financing uninsured
therapies, home modifications and other injury-related expenses, a fundraising
campaign in Ethan's honor has been established with HelpHOPELive (http://www.helphopelive.org/.)
All contributions are tax deductible and will support HelpHOPELive, part of the
Great Lakes Catastrophic Injury Fund, a non-profit organization that is helping
Ethan's family.
To learn more about Ethan, visithttp://jointeamethan.org.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Fine script and acting bring PHOTOGRAPH 51 into focus at Actor's Summit
PHOTOGRAPH 51 is a bio-drama based on the life of Rosalind Franklin, a British biophysicist and crystallographer. Many think she should have been a Noble prize-recipient, but her standoffish personality, perfectionism, and some seemingly unethical actions by others, as well as the possibility of gender discrimination against her, got in the way.
Franklin, who was born into an affluent and influential British Jewish family, was responsible for making critical contributions to the understanding of the double helix, thus defining the molecular structures of DNA, RNA and viruses. Her brilliant career was brought to a close when she died at age 37 of ovarian cancer.
Anna Ziegler’s script was not developed in a traditional manner. The play, which was presented at the 2011 World Science Festival in New York, was originally developed by The Ensemble Studio Theatre under the sponsorship of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science and Technology Project. Yes, a play developed with the aid of an organization which is noted for sponsoring scientific achievement, not the arts.
Franklin’s tale is complex and shows a smart woman, operating in a field dominated by men. It highlights the 1953 era when Franklin and several male scientists are on the verge of discovering what they called, “the secret of life—the DNA double helix.”
We observe Franklin both trying and avoiding forming any type of relationship, professional or personal. We watch her struggle with her being concise, impatient, and directly confrontational, which irritates and unnerves her male co-workers.
We observe her being ahead of the pack in discovery, but not writing the needed journal articles or the building of models, which eventually leads to her ideas being usurped and published by Francis Crick, James Watson and Maurice Wilkins. This resulted in the trio winning the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine.
Supposedly, Franklin was omitted from Nobel recognition because she had died, and the deceased are not allowed to receive the award. In reality, she had been eliminated from consideration when the trio “stole” her work, tweaked the findings, and published it without noting her contributions.
The Actors’ Summit production is exceptionally well done. The one-hundred-ten minute play, under the focused direction of Neil Thackaberry, moves swiftly. The script is strong and, in spite the fact that this is a “talk” rather than an action play, the production grabs and holds attention. The acting is generally of a high level.
Sally Groth inhabits the role of Rosalind. We are caught up in her inner anguish, her obsessive personality, her struggle to move beyond her lack of social graces. This is a woman on a mission, but makes some tactical decisions that deny her deserved fame.
Keith Stevens creates in Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind’s supposed research partner, a clear person who has a love/hate relationship with her. Kenneth Leep is outstanding as Don Casper, the American who admires Rosalind’s work and has romantic feelings toward her, which she rejects. Zach Griffin is wonderful as Ray Gosling, Rosalind’s put-upon assistant, who provides some comic relief.
Capsule judgement: PHOTOGRAPH 51 is a well written script which gets a very strong production. The play is a must see for anyone who wants to be exposed to what, for most, will be a venture into the complex world of science that is presented in a meaningful way, by a cast that makes the lesson fascinating.
For tickets to PHOTOGRAPH 51, which runs through February 2, call 330-374-7568 or go to www.actorssummit.org
Review of the Reviewer's review of YENTL: Joel Arndt
Roy,
I have to agree with you on this one. You summed it up perfectly. We saw the production Saturday night and it was disappointing. Again, no Cleveland standing ovation along with only one curtain call which speaks volumes. My answer to someone who asked me how it was was "our dinner after the performance was more memorable". It's a shame because I feel the overall subject matter has a relevance to what's happening today. I'm just glad the tickets were a gift.
Best regards,
Joel Arndt
Friday, January 17, 2014
WINTER/SPRING CLEVELAND AREA DANCE, 2014
February 13
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland
Inlet world premieres a work based on the Museum's newest exhibit, Nature's Mating Games: Beyond the Birds and the Bees in a concert of nature inspired works! Ticket information and time to be announced.
DANCE CLEVELAND
January 25-26 (Saturday 8pm, Sunday 3 pm)
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Ohio Theatre -PlayhouseSquare
Making their Cleveland debut, 16 classically trained dancers integrate ballet with contemporary forms. $20-$50. Tickets: 216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org
March 8—8 PM
Trisha Brown Dance Company
PlayhouseSquare - Ohio Theatre
Last chance to see the legendary Trisha Brown Dance as the company embarks on its final year of touring and public performances.
Tickets: $20 - $70 Tickets: 216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org
April 12th--8:00 PM
Jessica Lang Dance
PlayhouseSquare - Ohio Theatre
The innovative company features contemporary dance that goes hand-in-hand with the music, opera and mixed media compositions that she collaborates with.
Tickets: $20 - $45 Tickets: 216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org
OHIO BALLET THEATER
March 22
Dancing with The Stars Gala
Oberlin Inn, Oberlin, Ohio
May 9 &10
Hall Auditorium, Oberlin, Ohio
For information go to: http://ohiodancetheatre.org
VERB BALLETS
February 22
The Breen Center
2008 W. 30th Street, Cleveland
The program includes a world premiere ballet by William Anthony of Denmark choreographed to Bach music. Then, the choreography is repeated to African drumming led by Linda Thomas Jones. Also, on the docket is the world premiere of a work by Richard Dickinson set to a country western theme. $28 and $23, student discount with ID. Tickets: 1-888-71-Tickets
DANCING WHEELS
JANUARY 31—8 PM
MOCA
11400 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
DANCEWORKS '14
April 10 - May 3
Gordon Square Theatre--7:30pm
6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland
Four weeks of contemporary dance as companies premiere new works and revive celebrated performances at CPT's annual showcase.
April 10-12—Inlet Dance Theatre
April 17-19—Travesty and Double Edge
April 24-26—Anteaeus and Shen & Bones
May 1-3—Verb Ballets
Tickets: cptonline.org or by calling 216-631-2727
Thursday, January 16, 2014
YENTL disappoints at Cleveland Play House
The play had a short Broadway run in 1975, but the story is best known to the general public because of the film version, which was written, produced and directed by and starred Barbara Streisand.
The tale centers on Yentl, a girl whose father, a learned Orthodox Rabbi, defies religious custom and teaches his daughter to read and debate Jewish law and theology. When he dies, she is at a loss as to how to continue to learn, to achieve. She cuts off her hair, dresses as a young man, enters a “yeshiva” (a religious training school), and lives as a man.
Her unusual friendship with Avigdor, her study partner, and marriage to Hadass, Avigdor’s former fiancé, sets the story on a track of intrigue.
To truly understand “YENTL,” requires a knowledge of Orthodox Judaism as practiced in the shetls (villages) of pre-World War II eastern Europe, as well as Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Orthodox Judaism centers on the belief in one, all knowing God, and adherence to a strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah. The belief system in Eastern Europe, before the Holocaust, intertwined religious laws with traditions, mysticism and superstitions. These beliefs carried over into patterns of daily life and influenced such things as the foods eaten, the patterns for birth and marriage and death, the clothing worn, and the role of males and females.
Singer lived for much of his formative years in a Polish/Russian shtetl, and was well trained in all aspects of Orthodox Judaism.
The winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Singer, like his greatest literary influences, Chekhov and Maupassant, is a realist and writer of personal morality. He is noted for his stark depictions of innocence crushed by circumstance. His characters often are traumatized, desperate and caught up in intra-familial strife. His writing often depicts Jews having personal religious conflicts.
His modern thoughts led to his writing about what he referred to as “female homosexuality” and “transvestism.” He considered the latter to be one of the driving forces in, “YENTL THE YESHIVA BOY.” Yentl’s assertions that she is “neither one sex nor another” and “has the soul of a man in the body of woman” leads to the assumption that she could well have transgendered tendencies. In addition, Yentl’s true love for both Avigdor and Hadass, and their returning of that love, blurs the lines between love of women for women, women for men and men for men.
In contrast to Sholem Aleichem, Singer’s rival for being the voice of the now gone life pattern of the Eastern European Jewish people, Singer was serious in his writing, seldom using, as Sholem Aleichem did, humor and playful irony to gain his point.
It is the consideration of this last issue, that leads to awareness of one of the weaknesses of the Cleveland Play House production. Director Michael Perlman shows a carefree hand in developing the script. From the onset, there seems to be a desire to lighten up the proceedings. The cast mingles with the audience before the production starts, joking, interacting. They are in costume, but ignore Jewish tradition of men not touching or hugging women, setting a confusing tone. The before curtain remarks are done jokingly in Yiddish and English. The idea is clever, but doesn’t set the right tone for this script. YENTL is not a comedy. If taken as such, much of the intended meaning disappears.
On the positive side, Therese Anderger as Hadass, Ben Melh as Avigdor and Rebecca Gibel, as Yentl are all excellent. They develop clear characterizations. Dorothy Silver adds the proper tone as Yachna. (BTW...for the uninitiated, Yachna, and the other women sometimes spit three times through forked fingers when they are discussing a positive action, such as a marriage or a birth. This is an old superstitious action to ward off the “meesa meshina,” the evil spirit.)
But, production questions abound.
Depending on which area a person comes from, pronunciations differ. But the Hebrew pronunciations should have been uniform to represent that these people are from the same place. Why the great variance of Hebraic sounds?
Most of the cast speaks in standard English, representing commonality of language, but one cast member uses an indefinable accent and overplays his part for laughs. Why?
A general air of superficiality invades the production. Why? Unless done with reality, the play loses its “tam” (Yiddish for taste), fringes on mockery of the way of life being depicted, and weakens the accomplishment of the author’s purpose.
Robin Vest’s scenic design, risers to depict multi-settings, with its symbolic “chuppah (a canopy, in this case covering the home of action for the play) generally works, but the set for the important “mikvah” (ritual bath) scene lacks clarity and realism.
Potential audience members should be aware that there is both male and female nudity in the production.
CAPSULE JUDGMENT: The opening night audience for YENTL failed to give the standard Cleveland standing ovation. This might be construed as an omen that there was a disconnect between the viewers and the production. It’s too bad. YENTL is an important script, which tells a fascinating story of a writer, ahead of his time, who weaves Jewish history with modern issues. I wanted so much to really be swept away by the production. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
YENTL runs through February 2, 2014 at the Allen Theatre in PlayhouseSquare. For tickets call 216-241-6000 or go to http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
"MENOPAUSE, THE MUSICAL" heats up the Hanna Theatre!
Yes, that about sums up the show, which centers on four women, wandering the many floors of Bloomingdale’s Department Store in New York, as they sing about menopause and its many manifestations.
The quartet sings 25 songs, all parodies of well known vocals, in the ninety-minute show which is staged without an intermission.
“My Guy” becomes “My Thighs,” a lament of the addition of heft to the upper legs as one ages. “Puff, the Magic Dragon” is transformed into “Puff, My God, I’m Draggin’.” “The Great Pretender” laments the loss of memory and how women come to fake that they can’t remember an acquaintance’s name. “A Sign of the Times” becomes “A Song of the Times” which recounts the startling fact that in middle age, a woman realizes she has become her mother.
Take-offs on “SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER,” Cher, girl groups of the ‘50s and ‘60s, and the popping of Prozac, a woman’s coping choice of that age, highlight the era of these women.
Complaints about stress, nerves, bladder control, wrinkles, flushing, not sleeping, chocolate binges, and night sweats, had the largely middle-aged female audience hysterical. (A quick count found about 10 men in the assemblage. Most males looked bemused by the howls of the women and confused by the references.)
“MENOPAUSE, THE MUSICAL” opened on March 28, 2001 in Orlando, Florida. An Off-Broadway production opened in 2002 and ran for 1500 performances. Then the show hit the road, not only in the US, but had companies in Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand and the U.K. It’s been seen by over eleven million people.
As the producers state, “MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL” encourages a healthy dialogue about issues of aging and women’s health and provide a unique opportunity to raise awareness with female audiences.”
This is the second production of the show in Cleveland. The first was staged in the now closed 14th Street Theatre. That venue, which found the audience up-close and personal with the performers, made for an intimate setting. The Hanna’s proscenium stage, where the show is now running, caused a slight disconnect between the audience and the singers. This was somewhat compensated for by having the cast wander into the audience for some of the numbers.
The cast, Dyan Bender (Iowa Housewife), Donna J. Huntley (Professional Woman), Paula Kline-Messner (Soap Star) and June Lang (Earth Mother) are all show veterans. Some were in the original Cleveland cast, some appeared in various other productions.
The entire cast was excellent. Zaftig June Lange, who handles most of the self-deprecating laugh lines, was an instant audience favorite. Huntley has the most trained voice and used her vocal sounds well. Each had at least one highlight song.
Capsule judgement: “MENOPAUSE, THE MUSICAL” is a delightful portrayal of the “Change, Change, Change” that women of a certain age go through, that consists of “Hot Flashes,” as they realize that “I’m No Babe,” and requires a “New Attitude.” Do you have to be a “mature” women to appreciate the goings on? No, but from observing the opening night audience, it helps! (Don’t forget to bring a fan if you are in the “change” age group.
Tickets for the show, which runs through February 2, 2014 can be ordered by calling 216-241-6000 or going to http://www.playhousesquare.org
Sunday, January 12, 2014
EXACT CHANGE
What is it like to live much of your life perceiving that you have been born in the wrong body and then going through the process to correct this mistake of birth? That’s the major issue exposed by Christine Howey in her one-woman, self-acted and self-written play, EXACT CHANGE, now on stage at Cleveland Public Theatre.
To understand Richard Howey’s dilemma (that was Christine’s name before he transitioned), requires an awareness of human sexuality. An individual’s gender is usually identified at birth by their biological sex--male or female. This determination is made by an examination of a person’s sexual paraphernalia (vagina or penis). As a person develops there is a personal growing awareness of sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual) and gender identity (the way a person perceives their biological sex).
In Howey’s case, the awareness of gender identity occurred early, probably around the age of three. Early on, he wanted to be a girl, dress like a girl, play with the girls, be called a girl’s name. What followed was a life of conflicted feelings, marriage, parenthood, and then an awareness of the need to be true to his/her needs and identification.
EXACT CHANGE, an adaptation of Howey’s earlier work, LIKE A DOBERMAN ON A QUARTER POUNDER, a one-act play presented at CPT during last year’s season, the new play is ninety-minutes of intense emotion, humor and revelation.
The evening begins with Howey’s poems, monologues and dialogues, all highlighting various levels of the human condition, but not necessarily leading up to Howey’s own emotional and physical conflicts. Howey expounds upon how Beowulf deals with breakfast, the dilemma of why the “k” is silent at the start of words when immediately followed by “n” (e.g., knife), and the thoughts and actions of William Randolph Hurst.
The second part of the presentation turns personal, as Howey shares her journey from Richard to Christine.
Howey is a master of words, and her talent is well illustrated in the beginning segment. She is a member of the Northeast Ohio Slam Poetry Team and has done many solo poetry readings, as well as being a multi-award-winning theatre reviewer.
The author, who for many years acted and directed at Dobama, is also a skillful actor. Those skills were recognized by her receipt of a 2012 Times Theatre Tribute award for performance excellence for LIKE A DOBERMAN.
Throughout, Howey grabs and holds audience attention with her compelling vocal and physical expressions. This is a tour-de-force performance well deserving of the heartfelt concluding standing ovation.
The script is a work in progress. The author might want to ask whether her tale of Richard to Christine is the major focus or whether it is the multi-talent of the writer/performer.
If the former, then elimination of the starting poetry and expansion of the life story would help. Questions abound. We know Richard was married. We know that he was the father of a daughter, Noelle, the author of DRESS CODES, a story of three girlhoods—her mother’s, father’s and hers. These facts are not well fleshed out in the staged version. We lose, to some degree, Richard’s expressed motivation to transition, the coming out process, and his desire to go through the sex change procedure.
This change of focus would flesh out the personal story and make it open to more productions, and hopefully an off-Broadway run.
Howey is supported by Scott Plate’s direction, Danny English’s original music, and Jeff Herrmann’s scenic design.
Capsule judgement: EXACT CHANGE is a fascinating evening of theatre, which is a must see for anyone interested in the real human condition, an awareness of gender dysphoria, fine writing and compelling acting. Bravo!
EXACT CHANGE runs through January 26, 2014 at Cleveland Public Theatre. For tickets call 216-631-2727 or go on line to www.cptonline.org.
Thursday, January 09, 2014
Review of the Reviewer--Bill Wade
Hi and happy new year! I
was on the fence about seeing this show (again--saw it a few yrs ago),
but after reading your review I want to see it again! Congrats on being
"upgraded" in your reviewing theatre for the News-Herald.
Bill Wade
Founder and Executive/Artistic Director
Inlet Dance Theatre
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
CHICAGO, the musical
Roy Berko
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)
A touring company of the multi-award winning musical ‘CHICAGO,’ is now appearing at the Palace Theatre in PlayhouseSquare.
‘CHICAGO,’ the John Kander (music), Fred Ebb (lyrics and book) and Bob Fosse (book) show, is set in the razzle-dazzle decadent era of the 1920s, when “gangstas” and corruption ran wild. It centers on a Windy City story of Roxie Hart, a married, free-love housewife and nightclub dancer, who murders her lover after he threatens to walk out on her. She, along with fellow inmate, Velma Kelly, both long for fame and turn to Billy Flynn, Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer, to get them out of jail and into show business.
The original 1975 production highlighted the dynamic choreography of Bob Fosse. The 1996 revival starred Cleveland’s Joel Grey as Amos, Roxie’s husband. A version of the show is still running, making it the longest running on-Broadway American musical and has the third longest run in Big Apple history. (What is number one? It is PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, with THE FANTASTICS as the longest off-Broadway show.)
The wonderful jazz score lends itself to blockbuster production numbers. Outstanding are “All That Jazz,” “Roxie” and “Razzle Dazzle.”
The touring show is dynamic. The stage explodes with powerful dancing, strong choral singing, a well-tuned orchestra, and strong lead performances.
The buff male dance chorus, who also double as singers and actors, are outstanding. They know Fosse’s difficult signature moves, such as dipping shoulders, fey hands, single bent knee, spread fingers, turned ankles and head snaps, and carry them out to perfection.
Having the orchestra on stage adds to the flamboyance of the show as do the sensual costumes, creative lighting and minimal sets.
The freshness and energy of the production is enhanced by the knowledge that many in the cast just arrived on Sunday after a 14-hour flight from doing the show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Bianca Marroquin, a youthful Mary Tyler Moore look-alike, is outstanding as Roxy. She sings, dances and acts with fidelity. Ron Orback wins the audience over as Roxie’s nebbish husband, whose rendition of “Mister Cellophane” is tenderly appealing. C. Newcomer, as the reporter, Mary Sunshine, does a fun gender-bender switch at the end of the show, that fooled many members of the audience.
Terra MacLeod, who has a well-trained singing voice and strong dancing abilities, was fine as Velma, but could have been a little more hard-edged. Carol Woods, makes for a first-rate Matron “Mama” Morton. Her “When You’re Good to Mama” was delightful. John O’Hurley could have been a little more snarly as Billy Flynn, the slick lawyer, but his singing voice and Silver Fox good looks made him an audience pleaser.
The show’s stage manager, Lynda Lavin, is a 1971 Mayfield High School graduate.
My award-winning composing 18 year-old grandson, Alex, formerly known as the “kid reviewer,” who had never seen the show before, was blown away by the music, the quality of the orchestra, the singing, the encompassing storyline, but most of all by the dancing. After the show, he, and a group of his theatre-smart friends, were all raving about the experience.
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: The touring company of ‘CHICAGO’ presents an audience pleasing production. It will “razzle dazzle you,” and give you a feeling that you’ve seen “all that jazz.”
Tickets, for the show that runs through January 12, 2014, can be ordered by calling 216-241-6000 or going to www.playhousesquare.org.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
TIMES THEATER TRIBUTES--2013
Only shows performed in 2013 which I reviewed were considered. With the exception of Best National Touring Production, selections were limited to locally produced stagings though actors, directors and technicians who were imported by local theatres for their productions were considered. No community or educational theatre recognitions are included. Actors are separated by gender, but not equity or lack of union affiliation, or leading or supporting roles. Names are listed in alphabetical order, not in rank order.
2013 BEST NON-MUSICAL PRODUCTIONS
COCK, Dobama
FREUD’S LAST SESSION, Actors’ Summit
GOOD PEOPLE, CPH
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, GLT
ON THE LINE, none too fragile
RICHARD III, Great Lakes Theater
THE ICEMAN COMETH, Ensemble Theatre
THERE IS HAPINESS THAT MORNING IS, CPT
TIME STANDS STILL, Dobama
TWELVE ANGRY MEN, Blank Canvas
VENUS IN FUR, Cleveland Play House
WHITE PEOPLE, none too fragile
2013 BEST MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Porthouse
NEXT TO NORMAL, Lakeland Civic Theatre
SPAMALOT, Beck Center
SWEENEY TODD, Great Lakes Theater
2013 BEST DIRECTOR OF A NON-MUSICAL
Beth Wood, THERE IS HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS, CPT
Corey Atkins, COCK, Dobama
Joel Hammer, THE BIG MEAL, Dobama
Laura Keply. GOOD PEOPLE, Cleveland Play House
Laura Keply, VENUS IN FUR
Nathan Motta, TIME STANDS STILL, Dobama
Patrick Ciamacco, TWELVE ANGRY MEN, Blank Canvas
Sean Derry, ON THE LINE, none too fragile
Sean Derry, WHITE PEOPLE, none too fragile
Sharon Ott, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Great Lakes Theater
2013 BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Eric van Baars, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Porthouse
Martin Friedman, NEXT TO NORMAL, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Scott Spence, SPAMALOT, Beck Center
Victoria Bussert, SWEENEY TODD, Great Lakes Theater
2013 BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A THEATRE PRODUCTION
John Crawford, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Porthouse
MaryAnn Black, SOUTH PACIFIC, Porthouse
Martin Céspedes, ANNIE, Beck Center
Martin Céspedes, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Great Lakes Theater
Martin Céspedes, SPAMALOT, Beck Center
2013 BEST PERFORMANCES BY A MALE IN A NON-MUSICAL
Andrew Gombas, COCK, Dobama
Brian Zoldessy, FREUD’S LAST SESSION, Actors’ Summit
Chris Richards, SONS OF THE PROPHET, Dobama
Jonathan Wilhelm, SORDID LIVES, convergence continuum
Lynn Robert Berg, RICHARD III, Great Lakes Theater
Matthew Wright, THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS, Cleveland Public Theatre
Robert, Branch, ON THE LINE, none too fragile
2013 BEST PERFORMANCES BY A FEMALE IN A NON-MUSICAL
Christine Howey, LIKE A DOBERMAN ON A QUARTER POUNDER, Cleveland Public Theatre
Derdriu Ring, THERE IS HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS, Cleveland Public Theatre
Dee Hoty, RICH GIRL, Cleveland Play House
Heather Anderson Boll, TIME STANDS STILL, Dobama
Kate Hodge, GOOD PEOPLE, Cleveland Play House
Liz Conway, SORDID LIVES, convergence continuum
Tracee Patterson, MEDEA, Mamaí
Vanessa Wasche, VENUS IN FUR, Cleveland Play House
2013 BEST PERFORMANCES BY A MALE IN A MUSICAL
Chris Cowan, SWEENEY TODD, Great Lakes
Chris McCarrell, NEXT TO NORMAL, Beck Center/BW
Dougfred Miller, SPAMALOT, Beck Center
George Roth, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Porthouse
Gilgamesh Taggert, ANNIE, Beck Center
Hershey Felder, MAESTRO: LEONARD BERNSTEIN, Cleveland Play House
2013 BEST PERFORMANCES BY A FEMALE IN A MUSICAL
Aimee Collier, NEXT TO NORMAL, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Aimee Collier, SHE LOVES ME, Beck Center
Anna Barrett, ANNIE, Beck Center
Miche Braden, THE DEVIL’S MUSIC, Cleveland Play House
Rebecca Pitcher, SHE LOVES ME, Beck Center
Sara M. Brunner, SWEENEY TODD, Great Lakes Theater
2013 BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A NON-MUSICAL OR MUSICAL
Linda Buchanan, RICHARD III, Great Lakes Theater
Patrick Ciamacco, Andy Dudik and Noah Hibek, WORKING, Blank Canvas
Russ Borski, HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, Beck Center
Todd Krispinsky, THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNINGS IS, Cleveland Public Theatre
Trad Burns, NEXT TO NORMAL, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Wilson Chin, RICH GIRL, Cleveland Play House
2013 BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION
Jennifer Korecki, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Porthouse
Joe Korecki, THE DEVIL’S MUSIC, Cleveland Play House
Larry Goodpaster, SHE LOVES ME, Beck
Nancy Maier, NEXT TO NORMAL, Beck/Baldwin Wallace
2013 BEST SOUND DESIGN IN A NON-MUSICAL OR MUSICAL
Dana Duke, Big Twig Studio, Brian Caiazza, Brett Keyser, video/sound/photography, STRUCK, CPT
Shane Cutlip, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Porthouse
2013 BEST COSTUME DESIGN IN A NON-MUSICAL OR MUSICAL
Charlotte Yetman, SWEENEY TODD, Great Lakes Theater
David Kay Mickelson, BELL, BOOK and CANDLE, Cleveland Play House
Esther Haberlen, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Great Lakes Theater
2013 BEST LIGHTING DESIGN IN A NON-MUSICAL OR MUSICAL
Marcus Dana, COCK, Dobama
Trad Burns, NEXT TO NORMAL, Lakeland Civic Theatre
2013 BEST NATIONAL TOURING PRODUCTION
Matthew Bourne’s SLEEPING BEAUTY
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Trad Burns for continued excellence in scenic and lighting design
Cleveland Critics Circle for creation and support for Clevelandtheaterreviews.com
Roe Green for continued financial and participatory contributions to the Cleveland area theatrical scene (Cleveland Play House, Kent State University, Cleveland Critics Circle)
Sean Derry/none too fragile, continued excellence in selection of small format, thought provoking, well staged scripts
Miles Sternfeld and Sean Szaller for THE WHO’S TOMMY, Broadway Fights AIDS fundraiser
If any names are spelled incorrectly or there are errors in identifications please let me know so I can change the permanent record on www.royberko.info.
If you would like to read any of my reviews for the year, please go to www.royberko.info, enter the blog and click on “2013 Reviews” or click on the name of the producing theatre and scroll through their performances. Reviews from previous years may also be accessed.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
"Alas For You," GOODSPELL is at Blank Canvas
The show is perceived to be the creative child of Broadway super-author and composer Stephen Schwartz, the conceiver of such hits as PIPPIN and WICKED. ‘Taint so. Schwartz was a late-comer to the project.
The story goes that in 1970, while attending college in Pittsburgh, John-Michael Tebelak went to church on Easter Sunday. A theology student before he decided he wanted to be a theatrical director, he found the service to be devoid of feeling. Afterward the long-haired Tebelak was stopped by a policeman and searched for drugs. (Remember, this was the era of student protests, hippies, draft card burning, and those “dangerous” peaceniks.) Tebelak confided that this experience provided him the inspiration for GODSPELL. He produced the show as his senior project at Carnegie Mellon University.
The original score consisted of a song written by a cast member and old Episcopal Hymns, played by a rock band. To this point, Schwartz had nothing to do with the project.
John Michael left school without graduating. The show was eventually staged at the off-Broadway Cafe La Mama Theatre. A producer saw the production and said he would finance it if it had a new score. Enter Stephen Schwartz, who wrote all the songs in 5 weeks. (The only tune to remain from the original production is "By My Side"). The newly conceived show opened Off-Broadway on May 17, 1971. Tebelak was 22 years of age! GODSPELL moved onto Broadway where it ran for 2,124 performances. Hundreds of professional and amateur productions of the show continue to be done.
Besides the Schwartz connection to the project, another fact that is generally overlooked is Tebelak’s Cleveland connection. He is a Berea product. As related by Bill Allman, the former producing director of Berea Summer Theatre, “John-Michael cut his theatrical teeth at Berea Summer Theatre where he acted, designed scenery and directed. In 1980 he returned to his roots when he directed a revival production of GODSPELL.”
The show’s other connection to the area is that in August of 1971, before it became a mega-hit, GODSPELL was produced at Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, the predecessor to Great Lakes Theatre Festival, which, at the time was housed in Lakewood High School’s auditorium. The show’s director was non-other than Tebelak, himself.
The show is not without controversy. It has been called blasphemous. Religious leaders have stated, “Surely no Christian who believes the Bible would approve of the perversion of GODSPELL.” The Wexford Pennsylvania School Board banned a production of it after “complaints about its religious message.”
Any director of GODSPELL has a number of choices to make. First, there is no script for the show. Everything is part of the score and there are no stage directions for staging the show. It has been done as a series of segments in which comic characters are the center of attention. It was staged as children in a Sunday school class. It has been done as a religious sermon in a church setting. Pat Ciamacco, Blank Canvas’s director, has opted for a dream sequence.
Another issue is the tone of the piece. Should the production center on the religious message, forsaking the humor or take Tebelak to heart and make this a production of joy. Ciamacco tends to lead toward the serious side, overlooking many of the comic elements, though not forsaking all of them.
Usually Jesus is garbed in a Superman t-shirt and his followers clothed to fit the humor theme. True to his more traditional theme in this production, Jesus is garbed all in white, his followers in various clothing, randomly picked off the costume rack. He has updated some of the language and nonverbal gestures.
All in all, this is an acceptable production that avoids the peachiness that can come from the song and story development. It conveys the message to “be careful not to make a show of your religion before man.” It also invokes thought as to why some followers of Christ preach hatred against others instead of following the dictum, “Ye shall love thy neighbor as thyself.”
The cast is mixed in their vocal and acting abilities. Especially effective was Eric Thomas Fancher whose “Light of the World” was dynamic and the strongest vocal solo. Kate Leigh Michalski, she of mobile face, did a nice vocal in “Learn Your Lessons.” Shane Patrick O’Neill did a good interpretation of the meaning in We Beseech Thee.” The vocal blends were often quite good.
Noah Hrbek has the handsome good looks of many of the paintings of Jesus. He has a pleasant voice, but failed to develop the charisma that would be necessary to reap fanatic followers. His “Save the People,” had a nice musical sound.
Isreal Spain failed to ignite the pivotal character of John the Baptist and often lacked clarity of idea development.
Lawrence Wallace’s musical direction was excellent, playing backup rather than drowning out the singers.
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: It’s been done time and again, but with a good production ‘GODSPELL’ can still be a fine theatrical experience, even if you aren’t into the religious message. Blank Canvas’s production isn’t a sure winner, but it will hold your attention and expose the audience to the quality of Tebalk’s creativity and Stephen Schwartz’s music.
(Thanks to John Nolan, theatre buff extraordinaire and a member of the 1980 Berea Summer Theatre “GODSPELL” cast for background material used in this review.)
The show runs through December 21, 2013 in its west side theatre, 1305 West 78th Street, Suite 211, Cleveland. Get directions to the theatre on the website. (My GPS was of little help). Once you arrive at the site, go around the first building to find the entrance and then follow the signs to the second floor acting space. It’s an adventurous battle. For tickets and directions go to http://www.blankcanvastheatre.com
ANNIE again lights up Beck Center for the holidays
ANNIE, the redheaded comic strip heroine, is back at Beck Center. The musical, which was showcased in the past at Beck, is making yet another appearance in Lakewood.
The show gives us cute orphans, a dog, a funny orphanage director, con-men, a billionaire, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Christmas. And, yes, lots of memorable songs including Tomorrow, Hard Knock Life, Little Girls, I Think I’m Going to Like it Here, N.Y.C., Fully Dressed, and I Don’t Need Anything Else But You.
It must be realized by parents that this is not a show filled with prat falls and the awe factors that will hold the attention of little ones. Most children have never seen an ANNIE comic strip, there is no ANNIE TV program. They know little about orphans and orphanages or the depression. The show is filled with references well beyond the level of the children, and many adults. Al Capone, J. Edgar Hoover, Gandhi and Calvin Coolidge are all 1930s personages. The new deal, Communism, and politics aren’t part of a kid’s world. Many of the words to the songs aren’t kid friendly. No prince and princesses here, or fast action. This was clear with the amount of crying and restlessness of the youngsters during the Sunday matinee I attended.
ANNIE, with book by Thomas Meehan and lyrics by Martin Charnin, is based on Harold Gray’s LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE comic strip. The strip debuted in 1924, became a radio show in 1930, films in 1932 and 1938, and a Broadway musical in 1997. It was reprised this year and is running parallel to the Beck production. The comic strip was cancelled in June of 2010.
The musical centers on eleven year-old Annie who was left at the Municipal Girls Orphanage in New York by her depression-poor parents. The orphanage is run by the alcoholic Mrs. Hannigan. Annie longs for the return of her parents. She runs away, saves a dog (Sandy) from the animal warden, is caught by the police, is returned to the orphanage, is taken to the home of billionaire Oliver Warbucks for a Christmas visit, the two develop a loving relationship, she has a scare when her “real” parents show up, but, as happens in all good musicals about kids, a dog and billionaires, they all live happily ever after.
For the show to work requires an adorable Annie who can sing, dance and act, and a cast who can play comic strip characters. The Beck production stumbles a little on the comic book level, but, fortunately, the production, under the guidance of Scott Spence, is blessed with performers who can pull it off.
Anna Barrett, who has played the role before at Beck, has a nice singing voice, dances and moves well, is adorable and totally natural as Annie. Riley-Marie Haley is delightful as Molly, one of the orphans. Elise Pakiela, Jade McGee, Maggie Devine, Erin Eisner, and Natalie Welch all are cute as mature orphans.
Lenne Snively has a wonderful time playing Mrs. Hannigan, as does the audience watching her. Molly Huey is fine as the airheaded Lily St. Regis, Rooster’s sidekick. Matthew Ryan Thompson has calmed down his previously much overly exaggerated performance as Rooster, creating a more acceptable persona. Sometimes actors must realize that more is not always best and subtlety can work.
Gilgamesh Taggett is picture perfect as Daddy Warbucks. Caitlin Elizabeth Reilly sings well and gives the right air to Grace, Warbucks’ assistant. Leslie Feagan does a fine FDR imitation.
The highlight of the show is the dancing. Choreographer Martin Céspedes integrates tap, probation era steps, stylized hand moves and air punches to accent Charles Strouse’s jazzy music. He has upgraded the well-conceived Easy Street and Hard Knock Life, insuring that each would be a sure show-stopper.
Larry Goodpaster’s band, especially the horns, had some difficulties with the overture, but did well backing up the singers.
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: As corny and overdone as ANNIE is, with a good performance it can delight. With its tuneful music, strong cast and super choreography, Beck’s production makes for a nice theatrical experience, but maybe now it’s time for the theatre to move on and find a new holiday show.
ANNIE is scheduled to run through January 5, 2014 at Beck Center for the Arts. For tickets and information call 216-521-2540 or go to http://www.beckcenter.org
Monday, December 09, 2013
Compelling THE BIG MEAL @ Dobama
Nicole is a waitress in a non-descript restaurant someplace in America. Sam enters, they interact, go on a date in which she informs him that she isn’t into commitment and “I don’t really wanna’ know about your life, and I don’t want you to know much about mine.”
Things quickly happen. In less than five minutes of stage time, Sam produces a wedding ring, the non-commitment becomes a bonded relationship, they form a family. We are set into a pattern of flow in which five generations of a family are revealed, from a flirtation to a final goodbye, in one setting…the restaurant in which Nicole and Sam originally met.
The play is an extraordinary story of an ordinary family whose tale turns out to be events to which others can easily identify. It’s pretty hard to watch without thinking of your family’s meals, who was there, and what went on.
The eight actors play all of the reincarnations of members of the family that ultimately grows from the union between Sam and Nicole.
The average theatre-goer usually knows little about the format for scripts or the challenges that directors face in staging certain plays because of the dictates of a play’s author. Usually, this maters little. In the case of THE BIG MEAL, now on stage at Dobama, having this knowledge adds to the appreciation of what director Joel Hammer and his talented cast confronted in performing the play.
Play scripts are usually vertical pages onto which the name of a character is printed followed by his/her lines. Then another character’s name, followed by her/his lines. The format continues throughout the script with the assumption that one line will follow another. That works for most plays. It doesn’t work for THE BIG MEAL. LeFranc has two, three or more characters talking at the same time. That’s a normal life pattern, especially at mealtime. The flow here is not one speaks, another speaks. It’s usually lots of people talking at the same time.
The problem for LeFranc was how to indicate these constant overlaps on paper to clue the director and actors. A man of the 21st century, he turned the page on the side, used a spread sheet, and had the names of the characters along the top of each column and their lines below. Sounds easy? Yes, to format, but the challenge for director Joel Hammer was, “How do actors know when to speak, how to react to the cacophony of words, how to convey that they are often a person who in one scene was a daughter or son and is now the son or daughter or mother or father of the person he/she just was?”
Hammer and his cast miraculously found the key. The process is so natural, so well conceived and developed, that the play becomes a series of reality scenes rather than theatrical stagings.
Hammer also needed to clue audiences as to when one character died without having death scenes. He eliminated the use of all food, except in rare instances. The “angel of death” delivers real food meals only to a person who is about to die.
The cast is universally excellent. Bob Goddard is exceptional portraying all the older men. He is especially effective as Sam, now in advanced stage dementia, staring off into space with blankness on his face and unresponding eyes.
Anne McEvoy clearly develops each of the older women. As the aged Nicole, we emotionally experience her meeting her newest great grandchild before succumbing to life’s final stage.
Tom Woodward is clear in his two incarnations, texturing each to make for clarity of characterization.
Ryan Vincent and Emily Kenville each are given the difficult the task of portraying all of the children…from young, through tweens and teens. Each does so with complete professionalism and realism.
Derdriu Ring portrays each of the mid-range women with conviction and clarity of character.
Geoff Know and Llewie Nuñez, the original Sam and Nichol, transfer personages effectively making it clear that they have taken on new personas.
Scenic designer Laura Carlson’s restaurant set works well. Rob Peck’s lighting design helps isolate scenes and helps move the plot along.
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: THE BIG MEAL is one of those special theatrical events when the script, the directorial concept, and the acting effectiveness all blend together to make for a “must see” theatrical experience. BRAVO!
THE BIG MEAL runs through January 5, 2014 at Dobama Theatre. Call 216-932-3396 or http://www.dobama.org for tickets.
Sunday, December 08, 2013
Wonderful WICKED wows 'em again at the State
It’s 2014 and the kid reviewer is an 18-year old multi-award winning composer. His evaluation of this, the 2nd National Tour of WICKED? He gave it a solid 9.75! Yes, he thinks it was even better than when he saw the show “as a kid!
‘WICKED,’ an alternative view of the ‘WIZARD OF OZ,’ tells the “true” story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch. It has all the elements of the original tale, but packages them in a different way. We find out about how the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin man came to be. How Dorothy got the red (in this version silver) slippers. And, most importantly, what really happened to Elphaba. (Ah, yes, in a quirky ending, there is a happily-ever after story.) We also become aware of the power of gossip and rumors.
The music and lyrics, by one of my favorite theatre composers, Stephen Schwartz, includes such beautiful and delightful songs as “Popular,” “I’m Not That Girl,” “Defying Gravity,” “As Long as You’re Mine,” and Alex’s favorite, “For Good.”
The production qualities of this touring show are outstanding and impressive. There is a dragon hanging over the proscenium arch that has a wingspan the same as a Cessna 172 airplane. They use 200 pounds of dry ice every show for smoke effects and enough power in a single production to supply twelve houses with electricity. There are 175,000 pounds of scenery. This is not a stripped-down touring show, it’s a full-blown Broadway extravaganza.
The cast is strong. No, it’s not the unbelieveable Idina Menzel (Elphaba), Christine Chenoweth (Linda) and Clevelander Joel Gray (as the Wizard), but, realistically, who can top that amazing trio? (BTW—Menzel is on the way to Broadway in IF/THEN, which I saw in an-out-of-town preview in DC. The show needs cutting, but Menzel is her usual mesmerizing self).
In the touring production, Jennifer DiNoia glows gloriously green as Elphaba. She hits the vocal high notes with ease and creates a clear characterization. Haley Podschun is properly bubbly as the “popular” Glinda. She sings beautifully and carries the role well. David Nathan Perlow is excellent as the self-centered Fiyero, who falls in love with Elphaba. BTW…did you know that Adam Lambert, the AMERICAN IDOL runner-up and actor on GLEE was the understudy for Fiyero in the Los Angeles production of WICKED?
Alex Wyse is character-right as Boq. If the name sounds familiar, it should. Wyse is a very talented Clevelander who showcased his talents on local stages for many years.
Talking about Clevelanders, besides Gray and Wyse, the name ARACA on the program should ring some bells. ARACA, (http://www.araca.com) the theatrical production company founded by Michael and Matthew Rego and Hank Miller, all Clevelanders, are the producers of WICKED.
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: When asked what I should write in my capsule judgement Alex said, with enthusiasm, “Tell them if they didn’t see WICKED yet, go see this show! If they did see it before, “Go see it again, it’s that good!” Grandpa totally agrees!!!!
WICKED runs through January 5 2014 at the State Theatre in downtown Cleveland. For tickets call 216-241-6000 or go to www.playhousesquare.org
Friday, December 06, 2013
A CHRISTMAS STORY somewhat disappoints at Cleveland Play House
I not only did the interview, but stood in as an extra on Public Square with fake snow being sprayed because the real stuff didn’t fall in the two weeks of filming in this area, was a grouchy man on the porch of a house on Cleveland Street (really West 11th) a couple of addresses down from what is now known as “The Christmas House,” and took Peter (Ralphie), his mother and Scott Schwartz (Flick) on a tour of Cleveland because the producers of the film hadn’t made any arrangements for anything for the kids to do between shooting their scenes.
The front porch scene was left on the cutting room floor, and after a dozen viewings I still can’t find myself in the crowd scenes, but the memories remain and the interview was aired.
Like so many other Clevelanders, I consider A CHRISTMAS STORY to be “our” film. In reality, most of it was shot in Canada, the city in which it is set is in Indiana, and the house and backyard which have been created into a shrine, was only used for a couple of outside shots. But, who cares. The weakly reviewed film has become a movie classic and when friends come in from out of town, they ask to see where Ralph almost shot out his eye, and where his friend’s tongue got stuck to the pole.
Who am I to break the illusion? It’s part of Cleveland lore, like the mayor who set his hair on the fire, the river that went up in flames, and the horrors of being a local sports fan.
Unless you don’t have a television which displays the movie version over and over this time of year, you know the tale of A CHRISTMAS STORY.
A newly envisioned stage version of A CHRISTMAS STORY is now at Cleveland Play House’s Allen theatre. A new cast, set, and director are on display.
Based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author, story teller and radio personality, Jean Sheperd, the movie, play and musical are based on his book IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH, along with some ideas from WANDA HICKEY’S NIGHT OF GOLDEN MEMORIES.
Narrated by “grown up” Ralph, we revel in the story of nine-year-old Ralphie, who dreams of getting a “Red Ryder BB Gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.” It’s in the era before television, computer games, smart phones, ipods and ipads, which might be a culture shock to the children who attend.
Ralphie sets out to convince the world that the bb gun is the perfect gift. But, along the way he runs into opposition from his parents, his teacher and even good ‘ol Santa Claus. We meet little brother, Randy, who oinks like a piggy when he eats, the school bully, Scott Farkas, The Old Man, a pack of wild dogs who hound poor old dad, clinkers in the furnace, and new-old cars that don’t start. We are exposed to the “triple-dog dare!,” learn why Ralphie should “drink his Ovaltine,” why he loathes lifeboy soap, and what happens when he realizes the consequences of, “Only I didn’t say ‘Fudge.’ I said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the F-dash-dash-dash word!”
It’s a cute story filled with childhood nostalgia for those of the “mature” generation, and a chance to experience the “olden days” by the younguns.
CPH’s production, under the direction of John McCluggage, doesn’t quite have the charm and dynamics of past stagings. It’s just “too Hallmark bland,” lacking the needed texturing and farcical overtones. The Old Man isn’t as angst filled. Scut Farkas isn’t as fearsome as could be. Even Schwartz getting his tongue caught on the metal pole isn’t drama-filled. Randy’s wails that he has to go “wee-wee” aren’t pathetically funny.
Everything is okay, but the missing edge that makes the whole thing farcically funny isn’t there. Overplay, rather than underplay is needed to make the production zing along on its merry way.
Especially disappointing is the Higbee’s Santaland set. With all the attention being given to the flexibility of the Allen’s new stage, the cheaply assembled igloo, without the visible long slide and Higbee holiday trees and decorations, just doesn’t cut it. A bucket of coal to scenic designer Robert Mark Morgan. He seemed so obsessed with playing with his revolving stage, that he forgot the needed visual wonderment of the pivotal Santa scene.
The cast is pleasant. Jeff Talbott is spot on as Ralph, showing the right levels of enthusiasm and nostalgic recreating. Matthew Taylor is cute as Ralph, Carisa Tanner is adorable as “love struck” Esther Jane, Cameron Danielle Nelson is a proper know-it-all as Helen, Cole Emerine is the strongest of the boys as the much maligned Flick, and Maggie Lacey does a good imitation of a bland Donna Reid as Mother.
Michael Hentzman is acceptable as The Old Man but needed to overplay rather than underplay the role in order to get the farcical responses. Laura Perrotta is fine as Miss Shields, but could have used a little more school-marmish dynamics. Cute Lee Greene needs to project more as Schwartz as most of his lines were left at the edge of the stage.
CAPSULE JUDGMENT: A CHRISTMAS STORY holds a special place in the hearts of many Clevelanders. The present staging, under the direction of John McCluggage, while engaging, misses out on some of the farcical and endearing dynamics needed to make this a totally wonderful holiday present. It’s not bad, just not everything that it could be or has been.
A CHRISTMAS STORY runs through December 22, 2013 at the Allen Theatre in PlayhouseSquare. For tickets call 216-241-6000 or go to http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
Monday, December 02, 2013
2014 WINTER/SPRING CLEVELAND THEATER CALENDAR
CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
216-241-6000 or go to www.clevelandplayhouse.com
Jan 10-Feb 2—Allen Theatre
YENTEL
Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story YENTL THE YESHIVA BOY it is a tale of a young woman who defies convention and the laws of her people to fulfill her dream.
February 14 - March 9--Allen Theatre
BREATH AND IMAGINATION
Based on the life of African-American tenor, Roland Hayes, this musical tale of faith, hope, and family traces a remarkable journey from rural Georgia to Carnegie Hall and Buckingham Palace.
March 21 - April 13--Allen Theatre
CLYBOURNE PARK
A follow-up to RAISIN IN THE SUN, this feisty and funny play asks, “Neighborhoods change, but do people?”
April 25 - May 18--Second Stage, Thrust Configuration
INFORMED CONSENT
Based on a true story, the play takes us into the personal and national debate about science vs. belief and whether our DNA is our destiny.
May 30 - June 22--Allen Theatre
MAURICE HINES IS TAPPIN' THRU LIFE
Tap dance legend Maurice Hines stars in this celebration of his life as the premiere tap dancer of his era.
DOBAMA
216-932-3396 or dobama.org
Jan 24 – Feb 23
THE ALIENS
A modern day WAITING FOR GODOT, this award winning play is a compassionate meditation on art, friendship, loss, and a generation of young Americans trying to find their place in the world.
March 7 - April 6
MADE IN AMERICA
Esther, a savvy sales rep, and Barry, a buyer for a manufacturing company, finally meet to “seal the deal” after months of negotiating over the phone. They begin a cat and mouse game that falls into dangerous territory.
April 25 – May 25
KIN
Traveling great distances and spanning many years in the lives of its nine characters, KIN is a love story between Anna, an Ivy League poetry scholar, and Sean, an Irish personal trainer – an unlikely but somehow perfect match.
PLAYHOUSESQUARE
216-241-6000 or go to www.playhousesquare.org.
Jan 7-12—Palace Theatre
CHICAGO
The “All That Jazz” award winning Kander and Ebb musical about the Prohibition age, with such songs as “Me and My Baby,” “Mr. Cellophane,” and “Razzle Dazzle.”
Jan 14-Feb 2—Hanna Theatre
MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL
A musical parody, with tunes from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s of four women at a lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black lace bra, memory loss, and host flashes.
Jan 17-Feb 1—Second Stage Theatre
LAST CALL CLEVELAND
The sketch comedy troupe with a terrible name brings their unique mix of live and taped sketches, songs and audience interaction back to Playhouse Square.
Jan 24-25—The Palace
ROCK OF AGES
A five-time Tony winning feel good story which features 28 classic rock tunes in a show about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on!
Feb 4-16—The Palace Theatre
PORGY AND BESS
This re-envisioned Broadway production of the Gershwins' classic operetta includes such legendary songs as "Summertime,: "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "I Got Plenty of Nothing," played by a 23-piece orchestra.
March 4-16-- Palace Theatre
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
Retelling the Biblical story of Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colors, this magical musical is full of unforgettable songs including “Those Canaan Days,” “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door.”
March 5-15—The Helen Theatre
TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD
Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program’s production of G.B. Shaw’s tale of a rich young woman who catches a pair of burglars in her bedroom and takes them on a course of self-discovery.
March 14-15—Ohio Theatre
CS LEWIS’s THE GREAT DIVORCE
A dantesque celestial journey from hell to Paradise is filled with funny characters and wit and wisdom.
March 19-22--
NOT BY BREAD ALONE—Ohio Theatre
Direct from Israel, eleven deaf-blind actors take the audience on a magical tour of the districts of the inner world, the world of darkness, silence and bread.
March 27-28—The Palace Theatre
TYLER PERRY’S HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED
Tyler Perry’s newest play centers on his belief that, “You can’t score a woman and think you’ve achieved accomplishment.”
April 1-13--Palace Theatre
FLASHDANCE
Tells the inspiring and unforgettable story of Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and bar dancer by night with dreams of one day becoming a professional performer.
May 6-18--State Theatre
JERSEY BOYS
The story of how four blue-collar kids became THE FOUR SEASONS, one of the greatest successes in pop music history.
BECK CENTER
216-521-2540 or http://www.beckcenter.org
Feb 7-March 9
CARRIE, THE MUSICAL—Main Stage
(In collaboration with the BW Musical Theatre Program)
A gripping tale of Carrie, the product of an overprotective mother, who is a misfit at school. She discovers she has a special power and, if pushed too far, she is willing to use it!
March 21-May 4
‘NIGHT MOTHER—Studio Theatre
Marsha Norman’s 1983 Pulitzer Prize play will star Dorothy Silver and Laura Perotta. It explores the last hours of the life a woman who has decided that life isn’t worth living.
May 30-June 29
SEMINAR—Studio Theatre
A biting comedy in which four aspiring novelists sign up for a writing class that results in their fighting over their writing, their relations and their futures.
ACTOR'S SUMMIT
330-374-7568 or go to www.actorssummit.org
Jan 16-Feb 2
PHOTOGRAPH 51
Biology, ethics, women’s equality, anti-Semitism…all play a role in this true story about Rosalind Franklin who may have missed receiving the Nobel Prize because her standards were too high.
Feb 20-March 9
BUS STOP
William Inge’s tale about a group of travelers who seek shelter in a diner in the middle of a snow storm.
March 27-April 13
HANDLE WITH CARE
A new comedy about a young woman from Israel, who, while desperately trying to find her grandmother, finds love.
May 1-May 25
RING OF FIRE
Johnny Cash’s life story, his songs, and struggles are played out with “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” and, of course, “Man in Black.”
CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE
216-631-2727 or go on line to www.cptonline.org
January 9 - January 25
EXACT CHANGE
A one-person staging of the personal story of noted Cleveland actor, journalist, and theater critic Christine Howey (formerly Dick Howey).
January 30 - February 15
AIR WAVES (Part Three of the Elements Cycle)
Explores the powerful effect humanity has had, and can have, on the very air we breathe.
March 6 - March 22
TITUS: A GRAND AND GORY ROCK MUSICAL
Shakespeare rolls over in his grave as his bloodiest, most horrifying script gets a total makeover as a rock musical.
March 27 - March 29
SISTERS (workshop)
A workshop/reading that envisions Shakespeare's witches before they encountered "The Scottish King."
April 10 - April 26
A KILLING GAME
A staging by Dog & Pony DC, a quickly rising ensemble company from Washington DC, known for their quirky and wild productions that involve everyone in the fun.
April 17 - May 3
THE DROWNING GIRLS
Alice, Bessie and Margaret surface from the still waters of their bathtubs to deliver their post-mortem testimony and tell how they were wooed, wed, insured, and murdered.
May 2 - May 3
DECONSTRUCTING KURT WEILL: THE AMERICAN SONGS
When Kurt Weill fled Nazi Germany and settled in New York City in the early 1930s, his American musicals proved nearly as provocative, tackling the most serious of social and political issues. (Co-produced with The Musical Theatre Project)
May 15 - May 31
THIS IS NOT THE PLAY
Imagines a black playwright trying to write a play about white people. The problem is that the characters seem to have minds of their own.
May 15 - May 31
LEFT IN INK
A devised documentary performance about people who have memorial tattoos for suicide victims.
May 22 - June 7
ANCESTRA
Tells stories of heritage, sisterhood and overcoming adversity by combining traditional and original songs with spoken-word poetry and movement to remind of those who came before and the power of possibilities for the future.
ENSEMBLE THEATRE
216-321-2930 or http://www.ensemble-theatre.com
January 31st - February 23rd
KNOCK ME A KISS
A fictional account inspired by the actual events surrounding the 1928 marriage of W.E.B. Du Bois’s daughter Yolande to one of Harlem’s great poets, Countee Cullen.
April 18th-May 11th
BEYOND THE HORIZON
This winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama explores what happens when two men love the same woman and the compromises each will make to have her.
GREAT LAKES THEATRE
http://www.greatlakestheater.org or 216-241-6000
Feb 21-March 16—Hanna Theatre
DEATHTRAP
When a Broadway playwright struggles to overcome a dry spell that’s resulted in a string of flops his fortunes turn when one of his students shares a brilliant new script. He conceives of a trap to snare the script and take credit for its creation.
April 4-19—Hanna Theatre
AS YOU LIKE IT
Shakespeare’s romantic comedy in which a clandestine, gender-bending courtship results in changing unexpected lovers in this timeless and transcendent romantic comedy.
none-too-fragile
www.nonetoofragile.com or 330-671-4563
February, 2014
LOVE DRUNK
Delves into the combative nature of seduction between strangers, age and the lies people tell themselves and others.
March/April, 2014
IN A FOREST DARK AND DEEP
Neil LaBute unflinchingly explores the dark territory beyond "the lies you tell yourself to get by."
May/ June, 2014
GIDION'S KNOT
Plunges the audience into a deceptively simple situation -- a parent teacher conference. However, this encounter is anything but simple.
KARAMU
www.karamuhouse.org or 216-795-7077
Jan 31-Feb 23
CEREMONIES IN DARK OLD MEN
Lonnie Elder’s poignant story of a family in 1950s Harlem.
March 14-Apirl 6
THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY
A serious-minded comedy about wrestling, geopolitics and raisin bread.
May 23-June 15
THE COLOR PURPLE
A revival of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel and 1985 film, is an inspiring family saga of a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity.
BLANK CANVAS
440-941-0458 or www.blankcanvastheatre.com
TBA
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