Tag Archives: review

LITTLE orphan Annie…

Posted by TheatreBear on

Performance Date – 2 November 2012 Annie 2012 Show Logo

What do we want from an evening of musical theatre when we set off to take in a campy piece of fluff from the early 80’s? Escape, entertainment, energy… A myriad of words could describe the answer to that question yet in the current revival of the “hit” musical, Annie, those answers are not going to readily float to the forefront your mind. It seems that the artistic staff of this scaled-down 35 year old gem is relying more on the audience’s ability to transcend the years and remember a simpler time, one in which this show was originally performed, rather than actually taking the audience on that journey through storytelling.

There are, however, some fantastic performances by this rather small cast. Lilla Crawford, for one, in the role of the title character sings through the challenging score with the greatest of ease. Her stage presence is irresistible and she captures the wide-eyed optimism of the show’s anthem with the perfection that only a child actress can. “Tomorrow, you’re only a day away” after all. Her interaction with Sandy is memorable and adorable at the same time and her relationship with Daddy Warbucks (Anthony Warlow) is well developed even for a show like this. Some of her dramatic work in the scene where she refuses to believe that her parents are truly gone is a bit hard to swallow, but, hey… the rest of her performance is so honest and awe-inspired that we choose to forgive and forget. Anthony Warlow, is blissful perfection as the crass, loud-mouthed Warbucks. His ability to capture the audience’s attention amid the distractions of all that this show has to offer (the proverbial, nothing worse that working with children or animals on stage…) is truly some of the best work in this production. His vocals are sweet and fluid, his acting ability is at the top of the game and his arc throughout this story is absolutely wonderful to behold. Bravo to the producers for FINALLY bringing this Australian native across the pond to be a part of the New York Theatre scene (it’s his Broadway Debut).  Katie Finneran in the role of the tragically comic Miss Hannigan has to be one of the most anticipated performances in the current season of musicals. She’s great. Truly. That said, this reviewer believes that nothing she brings to the table is earth-shattering or makes one see the character in a new light.  That’s a bit unfortunate, because she is a very talented actress. Part of the problem is that she is truly stunning. She walks onto the stage and one takes her in as a sexy star… whom they have tried to dumb down with frumpy costumes. But she is beautiful. When she is attempting to seduce Mr. Bundles (a dowdy character), you just don’t believe that she has no other options at hand. Her relationship to the small troupe of orphans is believable. She handles the vocals of the role flawlessly and at every step of the way she takes control of the scene and delivers exactly what one would expect to see from an actress of her caliber.

One of the more troubling aspect of this production seems to be it’s lack of funding. 6 orphans, approximately 12 ensemble members and very few moments when the stage actually seems full is only accented by the minimalist scenic design and an over-abundance of over-choreographed scene changes and dance numbers. Yes, Andy Blankenbuehler, you are a very talented individual, but please, don’t over-think this. There are only 12 dancers on stage! Alternately, the costume design, by Susan Hilferty, is truly something to behold. Her pieces shine spectacularly in this production. Capturing both the styles and the rich colors that we associate with this time period in American History while at the same time, throwing in some very distinguished costumes that are so offset by the bleak scenic design they truly burn magically into your memory.

An interesting directorial decision was made with regards to the character of Lily St. Regis. The very talented J. Elaine Marcos is tackling this role and for some reason a choice was made to constrain her speech to a very thick asian accent in the first appearance of the character. In that extremely comedic scene, it truly seems as if Rooster has simply picked her up somewhere, perhaps in Chinatown on the way to the orphanage. But then one gets to thinking… how will they ever pull off the parental deception in Act II with any sort of honesty? That answer comes when the character simply loses the accent altogether and acquires a North American one. Bizarre. Nothing quite as bizarre as the finale where the trio is running loose through Warbucks’ scantily clad mansion with a single police officer chasing after them, only to see them meet their end by tap dancing in handcuffs out the door. To say that the direction of this production is misguided would be an understatement.

If you are to catch this Little piece of musical theatre history, best to do so tomorrow, because it just might disappear shortly after Christmas morning. There is not much chance of “getting a new deal for Christmas” for this production.

Katie Finneran and Lilla Crawford in Annie 2012

And Eve was Weak

Posted by TheatreBear on

Performance Date – 5 February 2012Carrie at the Lucile Lortel

The newly revised production of the musicalization of the Carrie story is alive and well at the Lucile Lortel theatre this winter.  Due to the immortal failure of the original Broadway production (1988 – played 16 previews and only 5 performances ), questions about this telling of the tale of  Carrie White have been replayed in the minds of  theatrical types for years.  Can it be revived? Can it be re-worked? Why was it such an infamous flop? These questions and more are answered in the current production that brings to the forefront the thematic element of School Bullying.

The title character as played by Molly Ranson in the current show is less schizo-weirdo (created by Sissy Spacek in the film version, 1976) and more a hopeless child-abuse case that is trying her best to make her way through that awkward phase known as High School. We feel true compassion for this character throughout the piece and even though the majority of viewers already know how this tragedy is to play out, we are drawn to root for this character and hope that she can succeed in getting out unscathed. Molly Ranson is a joy to watch as she weaves her way through this truly tiresome and difficult life split between her off-the-wall mother and the cruelty that can be inflicted by one’s peers.

Marin Mazzie, playing the role of Margaret, Carrie’s estranged mother, is flawless! She has all the cool collectiveness of a woman in her daily struggle to do what’s right and trudge through her mundane life while at the same time releasing her manic fits of derangement with such precision-timing and skill that you will almost question the actresses’ sanity at points. Her vocals are truly glorious in both aural pleasure and speaking for the character. This is glorious casting at it’s best. Her songs are, easily some of the best moments in the show and the tug-of-war between mother and daughter is a good example of great theatre within this sometimes “hokey” script and sub-par lyrics.

The producers of this version have decided to update the setting of the story to take place in current times, which is neither here nor there. No compelling reason was established, apart from the obvious strengthening of the School Bullying theme, which really is the apparent driving force in this particular re-write.  Albeit the costuming would be more interesting if it were to be set in the period in which the story was written. Another noteworthy change from the original Broadway is the addition of a narrative structure by one one of the characters, Sue Snell. It has been added, apparently to bridge the gap between audience and tale and ends up lending a very didactic approach to story-telling. This stage convention attempts to show us that this tragedy was not brought about in vain.

Awkwardly, not all of the songs in this production ring true. The writers, Dean Pitchford (lyrics) & Lawrence Cohen (music) could have done a bit more work to contemporize the songs in this production (although the arrangements are truly great) considering the artistic choice to update the script. There are moments when one sits there thinking, “why are they singing about this”? which is clearly not a good sign in Musical. Truly only a few numbers need re-writing in order to provide a viable “new version” that would be marketable in the current times. The title song, “Carrie,” in particular is unfortunately very weak, and about 3 verse/choruses too long. Which might not be so bad if it weren’t the second song in the show. A fan-favorite, “Unsuspecting Hearts,” made memorable by it’s inclusion on the album of duets by Alice Ripley and  Emily Skinner in their post Side Show collaboration (1998) is a melodic show-stopper as sung by the character of the school gym teacher, Miss Gardner who is skillfully portrayed by Carmen Cusak(originally played in the film by Betty Buckley who went on to play Margaret in the original Broadway Production). This is the best song in the show and one that many an audience member wishes would have been worked into the fabric of the entire score a bit better. Particularly the last moment in the show when the ensemble reprises some other not-so-great tune as a reflection on the events… we just wanna hear the good song again!

And for readers interested in “hot things beary” there is a special treat for you, one of the characters that is playing against Carrie throughout, Billy Nolan (played by John Travolta in the film) is played by relative newcomer Ben Thompson @B_ThompsonNYC .  Woof. We will definitely be seeing more of this beefy, beardy, big guy in shows to come. His vocals are great, his dancing is great and he has impeccable presence on stage. (Worth the ticket price).

This one doesn’t come around all that often, kids… they have recently extended the run til the end of April 2012… get down there and see it! It’s a piece of musical theatre history that’s playing here right now!

Carryin’ da Banner!

Posted by TheatreBear on

Performance Date – 2 October 2011 (Papermill Playhouse)Newsies at Papermill Playhouse

     I’m very happy to report that the first “official” version of the stage adaptation (Harvey Firestein) of this highly discussed new work  is in good shape and was very much worth a trip out to Millburn, NJ and the well-respected Paper Mill Playhouse.

The inspirational tale of the child labor work force of New York City in the late 1800’s which had a film adaptation in the early 90’s (scored by Alan Menken at the height of his craft) is often discussed by musical theatre aficionados around the world and many have anticipated the arrival of this production.  The story has all the makings of great theatre, struggle, uprising, characters on an emotional brink, a rowdy ensemble of “rough-and-tumble” street rats and the ever present battle between Right and Wrong.  The creative team of this production have made a great effort to stick to the film source material only adding in plot elements, characters and songs that are intended to push the story along all the while giving fans of the original film all the great ensemble numbers and moments that they expect to be a part of the stage adaptation.  That being said, there are still some kinks to be worked out before a successful Broadway transfer.

Overall, a few key elements were misfires in this production.  The vocals throughout seemed very weak, it was as if so much attention was paid to the very physical movement and dancing and very little attention paid to the overall sound that was to be the end product.  I am not a fan of a vocal “click-track” being used in a live production, but the utilization of pit singers never hurt a good dance number or two.  This would have helped a great deal, especially since there were some obvious attempts to improve the already fantastic vocal arrangements that were written 20 years ago.  Secondly, Mr. Firestein saw fit to add some elements and characters to this production, mostly all were very effective tools within the storytelling, but a few key scenes seem to be placed in awkward positions throughout the arc of the story (very reminiscent of SpiderMan 1.0).

To begin with, the artistic team has decided to utilize Jack’s theme song (“Santa Fe”) as a prologue, which I feel is somewhat inappropriate.  Not only does it serve a better function as character development and a possible bonding moment later in the script, but it doesn’t really give the audience any information crucial to the telling of the story.  The actual opening of the film (“Carrying the Banner”) is just that; an opening, and I feel that it sets the mood and driving action of the piece rather nicely without too much adjustment.  Another flaw in scripting comes with the first musical addition to the piece being sung by the character of Joseph Pullitzer.  “The News is Getting Better” is not a strong song, by any definition and a rather uncomfortable character for the audience to hear break into song in the second scene of the show.  Although the scene is necessary for the plot and to introduce some key characters, I just didn’t feel that it was the right song to convey the information.  The following scene is also somewhat disappointing.  Understandably, there is no female ensemble, but to attempt a “vaudevillian showgirl” number with only three showgirls on a more or less bare stage just seemed to fall short of what is expected from a story set in a time period cresting on the height of vaudeville. Also, I would like to point out that the character of David makes a speech in the theatre scene that seems to be far above what his character should be comfortable with at the time that he makes it.  A better arc for his character has to be established.

The ensemble does a great job of keeping the piece moving forward and keeping the audience interested in what is going to happen next.  Some great vocal moments are to be heard from the leads, Jeremy Jordan is clearly a rising star and one to watch for years to come, I’m assuming.  Katherine Plumber is knocking her role out of the park and adding a great deal of “heart” to this already heart-felt story.

I’m very interested to see what has been adapted from this production to the upcoming Broadway opening.  From all of us kids that started out in musical theatre by the help of this story… we wish you the best of luck on Broadway, NEWSIES!!!!

Newsies

Shakespeare in the Park

Posted by TheatreBear on
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Tuesday, 13 August 2007, 8pm
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William Shakespeare
Director : Daniel Sullivan
The Public Theatre in Central Park
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The Delacorte Theatre is really one of Manhattan’s most wonderful assests. A night of classic theatre in the middle of Central Park is truly a great way to experience a bit of summer in this city.

     This production seemed to be set in the Victorian era, and utilized quite a bit of “slight-of-hand” magic to tell the story. The fairies were clad in dark (and glittering) costumes and the ensemble of faires was comprised of children which gave an eerie “Black Plague” feel to their scenes. One just couldn’t shake the image of the children breaking into “Ring around the Rosie, Pocket full of Posies…”
     The standout performances were both from Martha Plimpton (Helena) and Jay O. Sanders (Nick Bottom). Both actors had impeccable comic timing and created completely believable and sympathetic characters within the world of the play that director, Daniel Sullivan had created. Another actor to note from this production is “…Spelling Bee’s” Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Francis Flute) whose onstage portrayal of Thisbe (from the play within the play) was really something to behold.
     If you have never been exposed to one of the Public Theatre’s productions of “Shakespeare in the Park,” this is an excellent one to go see first. The magic, costumes, acting, and of course the fact that it is a comedy make this production very accessible to a contemporary audience.