White Christmas - Music Theater of CT

White Christmas, based on the classic 1954 film, is receiving a bravo production at the Music Theatre of Connecticut.  The musical, stuffed with Irving Berlin classic tunes – “Happy Holidays,” “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun,” “Blue Skies,” and, of course, the iconic title song – also includes the best musical production numbers I have ever seen at the theater.  We’re talking large-scale, tap-dancing extravaganzas by a talent troupe of performers.  What makes the choreography, helmed by Mallory Davis, more impressive is the incredibly small staging space at the Norwalk theater.  Diane Vanderkroef’s Costume Designs richly enhance many of the dance routines.

Josh Powell and members of the cast of White Christmas.

Director Kevin Connors keeps the show bustling with the actors and actresses busily entering and exiting from all sides of the stage.  He effortlessly transitions dialogue-laden scenes into the razz-ma-tazz dance numbers.  April Bartlett’s Scenic Design is appropriately simple and unadorned – you don’t want to keep moving the furniture to make way for the ample choreographic achievements. 

Derek Luscutoff and Josh Powell of the cast of White Christmas.

The book by David Ives and Paul Blake, a faithful adaptation of the movie screenplay, has former Army buddies Bob Wallace (the Bing Crosby role) and Phil Davis (the Danny Kaye character) become big-time entertainers after serving in WWII.  Wanting to add a new act for their upcoming stage show, they scout the Haynes Sisters, nightclub performers Judy (the Rosemary Clooney role) and Betty (Vera-Ellen in the film).  After the floor show, the four have drinks.  Phil and Judy hit it off immediately, while Bob and Judy start out on the wrong foot.  The men ask them to come to Florida where they’ll begin rehearsals.  The women, however, have a gig in Vermont.  Through a bit of deception, courtesy of Phil and Judy, the foursome end up at a cozy hotel in the Green Mountain state.  Unfortunately, there’s been no snow.  Cancellations are piling up and the entertainment is being scratched.  But just a minute!  Bob and Phil concoct a plan to bring their show from Florida to Vermont to rehearse and, more importantly, fill the rooms with paying customers.  The owner, who just happens to be their former commander in the Army, is not too pleased at first, but is convinced by his housekeeper, Martha, and granddaughter Susan.  By showtime, Phil and Betty are engaged.  After a number of bumps in their relationship, Bob and Judy realize they love each other.  Oh, yes, it snows just in time.

Elena Ramos Pascullo and Elissa DeMaria of White Christmas.

The acting corps is first-rate, led by Josh Powell (Bob Wallace) and Derek Luscutoff (Phil Davis).  Powell has been featured in a number of Connecticut musicals this past year (Mystic Pizza at Ivoryton Playhouse and Grumpy Old Men at Seven Angels).  This is his first starring role and he brings the prescribed stuffiness and cynicism to his performance.  His deep singing voice enriches such songs as “Count Your Blessings, Instead of Sheep” and “Blue Skies.”  While in perfect harmony with his other on-stage partners, he could be a little less irritable and grouchy.  Derek Luscutoff is a true triple threat with his acting, singing and, especially, hoofing.  His constant smiling and carefree attitude makes him the ideal foil for his stodgier colleague. 

Hillary Ekwall, Derek Luscutoff, and Sarah Warrick of White Christmas.

Elissa DeMaria’s Judy Haynes is lovely, perky and enlivens each of her musical numbers.  She and Elena Ramos Pascullo (Betty Haynes) make for a beautiful sisterly duo.  Ms. Pascullo’s Betty Haynes instills the requisite levelheadness and aloofness for her character.  She is a highly satisfying counterpoint with her “sister.”  As with her fellow performers, her singing and dancing are superb.

 

Kristi Carnahan, a Broadway veteran, imbues Martha with a brashness and acerbic wit that steals the show every time she’s on stage.  Her solo, “Let Me Sing and I’m Happy,” was a joy to behold.

 

White Christmas, playing at the Music Theatre of Connecticut through December.  Many of the final shows are sold-out.  Click here to check ticket availability.

The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical - Playhouse on Park

The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical, receiving its East Coast premiere at Playhouse on Park, is a loosely structured, silly, over-the-top holiday show that is big on audience interaction. 

Jef Canter, Cheron Whittley, Michelle Jennings and Marcel Werder in The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical.  Photo by Meredith Longo.

The premise – employees at American Regalia Uniforms are awaiting their Christmas bonuses.  There is Cheryl (Michelle Jennings), the perky, positive thinking HR Director; Doug (Marcel Werder), a childish flirt; Niles (also played by Werder), a stylish influencer; Charlie (Jef Canter), a soon-to-retire member of the team and Kelli, Cheryl’s daughter and Misty, the staff intern (both portrayed by Cheron Whittley).  Unfortunately, the president of the firm has secretly sold the company to a German conglomerate and absconded with the proceeds and, more importantly, the staff’s bonuses.  To compound matters, the tyrannical new boss, Olga (Lara Yen Solito) wants to close the company.  What can save the day?  Coming up with a line of, can you believe, ugly sweaters!

Cheron Whittley in The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical.  Photo by Meredith Longo.

What follows are songs, a smattering of lively choreography from Darlene Zoller, bad jokes, and a heaping spoonful of audience interaction for ticket holders wearing, you guessed it, ugly sweaters.  The book, co-written by Dan Knechtges and Megan Larche Dominick, comes across as a slapdash effort amplified by Suzu Sakai’s mishmash Scenic Design of holiday decorations and Kevin Cronin’s haphazard direction.  The cast of performers are game for whatever shenanigans in the script are thrust upon them.

Cheron Whittley, Jef Canter, Michelle Jennings and Marcel Werder in The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical.  Photo by Meredith Longo.

The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical, playing at Playhouse on Park through December 22.  Click here for dates, times and ticket information.

She Loves Me - Long Wharf Theatre

She Loves Me, one of the classic musicals of Broadway’s Golden Age, is receiving a rapturous production at the Long Wharf Theatre.  The show is based on the 1937 play Parfumerie (and the basis for the 1940 film, The Shop Around the Corner; the 1949 movie, The Good Old Summertime; and 1998's You've Got Mail).  She Loves Me has one of the most melodic and tuneful scores ever written for the stage and the cast deliver the songs with powerful and luxurious voices.

 

The plot centers around Maraczek’s, a parfumerie boutique in 1930’s Budapest.  The employees, under the proprietorship of Zolton Maraczek, are a tight-knit group.  There is Georg Nowak, the hard-working, determined assistant manager; Steven Kodaly, an urbane, rascally womanizer; Ilona Ritter, a disillusioned clerk looking for love; Ladislav Sipos, a long-time, sullen staff member; and Arpad Laszlo, a young, eager delivery boy.  Enter Amalia Balash, who finagles a position at the shop, much to the chagrin of Mr. Nowak.  The two bicker and are quarrelsome.  However, we quickly learn, and unbeknownst to each other, have had an ongoing pen pal relationship where they met through a lonely hearts ad in the newspaper.

 

Their letters are the precursor to what could be an eventual meeting and romantic relationship.  The question – will they or won’t they?  And, how will the goings-on at the shop effect their amorous rapport?

 

The music by Jerry Bock is lustrous, combining delicately structured ballads, heartfelt numbers, and comedic gems.  Under the direction of Musical Director Miles Plant, with a Sound Design by Alex Neumann, the four musicians, give the songs a joyous, lively delivery.  The lyrics by Sheldon Harnick are elegantly written, conveying unfeigned emotions.  They are tightly structured, providing well-appointed chronicles of the character’s everyday lives.  The following year their partnership reached its zenith with the musical Fiddler on the Roof.

 

Director Jacob G. Padron, who also serves as Artistic Director of the Long Wharf Theatre, applies sure-handed guidance to the production.  The pacing proceeds at a fluid pace, either with a few performers or with the entire cast.  His work is helped immensely by Scenic Designer Emmie Finckel’s moveable display counters that allows for a swift transformation of the small-sized performance space.

 

Long Wharf Theatre’s new mission is to take theater to different locales in the Greater New Haven area.  Last year, their award-winning production of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge was set at the Canal Dock boathouse overlooking the Thames River.  For She Loves Me, Finckel has converted the gymnasium at the The Lab at ConnCORP in Hamden, CT into a gorgeously rendered, jewel-box sized theater.

 

The acting corps is superb, led by Julius Thomas III.  His low-key, sometimes baffled demeanor perfectly captures the deportment of  Georg Nowak.  Alicia Kaori’s portrayal of Amalia Balash is sometimes too petulant, but her singing is exquisite, which is rewarding for the audience since many of the best songs in the show are sung by her character.  Graham Stevens’ Steven Kodaly is suitably knavish.  Mariano Torres imbues her character of Ilona Ritter with just the right amount of flirtation and umbrage.  Danny Bolero as the dour clerk, Ladislav Sipos; and Felix Torrez-Ponce as the delivery boy Arpad Laszlo, provide the most gratifying portrayals of the show.  Raphael Nash Thompson is satisfying as Mr. Maraczek.  Special acknowledgement goes to the four-person ensemble that enlivens every scene they are in.

 

Jiyoun Chang’s Lighting Design adds a festiveness to the production, especially the constantly changing colored globes above the stage.  Sarita P. Fellows Costume Designs are beautifully executed and period appropriate.  And those shoes!

 

She Loves Me, a show to be embraced, playing through December 30.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.