Review of "& Juliet"

What would happen if Juliet (of Romeo & Juliet fame) didn’t take her own life at the end of Shakespeare’s classic play but, instead, resolved to see the world and live life to the fullest?  That’s the general plot of the exuberant new jukebox musical, & Juliet.  The show takes its songs from the portfolio of songwriter/producer Max Martin who, over the years, has crafted more number one hits on the Billboard charts than anyone in history.  The score includes such million sellers as “Baby One More Time” (Britney Spears), “Roar” (Katy Perry), “As Long as You Love Me” (Backstreet Boys), “Since You Been Gone” (Kelly Clarkson) and dozens more.  The selected songs fit perfectly within the story, helping to clarify the plot and illustrate the characters.

The book by David West Read, an Emmy Award winning writer for TV’s Schitt’s Creek, is consistently funny, inventive and, with the skillful direction of Luke Sheppard, keeps the pacing brisk and entertaining.  The librettist, while keeping the tone light and daff, is able to riff on same sex relationships, commitment and personal self-discovery.

Lorna Courtney delivers a star-making performance as the intrepid heroine.  Her Juliet, bathed in female empowerment, is an amalgam of emotions - self-assured, anxious, and wishful.

The musical begins with Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, bemoaning the downer ending of his new work-in-progress, Romeo & Juliet.  She proposes a more ambiguous conclusion of letting Juliet live on to explore the world and seek enlightenment.  The Bard reluctantly agrees and so the star-crossed lover heads to Paris with her best friend, May, and nurse in waiting.  In the City of Lights, the threesome find new loves and contentment.  There are amusing twists cheekily inserted into the plot that keeps the action lively.  Shakespeare and his wife are part of the action, but also jump out of the story as they constantly produce rewrites.  The married couple’s interactions, the only “serious” moments of the show, provide a parallel to the journey of fulfillment and dedication the other characters seek.  In the end, surprise, surprise, happiness abounds with one unexpected curveball from Juliet thrown in for good measure.

The cast is superb, led by Lorna Courtney as Juliet. She is resolute with a frisky, playful presence as well as an endearing vulnerability.  The actress has a powerful belting voice and is one helluva dancer.

Stark Sands (Shakespeare) and Betsy Wolfe (Anne Hathaway) display great chemistry and merrymaking.  Their lighthearted sparring, witty quips and bon mots are a source of continuous comedic pleasures.  Justin David Sullivan makes a splashy Broadway debut as Juliet’s best pal, May.  The performer adds heart and soul to the production.  Ben Jackson Walker gives Romeo a beguiling swagger and sensitivity that creates a fully realized character.  Other notable cast members are Paulo Szot as the stern, but compassionate Lance; Philippe Arroyo as Lance’s diffident son Francois; and Melanie La Barrie as the doting nurse, Angelique.

Jennifer Weber’s choreography is wildly energetic and highly charged.  The dance moves blend effortlessly and distinctively within the pop songs of the score.

The other creative elements that go into constructing a large-scale Broadway musical are marvelously in sync.  They include Soutra Gilmour’s flashy and glittering Scenic Design; the trendy, Renaissance chic costumes designed by Paloma Young; Howard Hudson’s dazzling Lighting Design; and Andrzej Goulding’s pictorially tinged Video & Projections.  All mesh so well together, creating a sparkling stage production.

& Juliet, an electrifying and delicious jukebox musical confection.

Review of "Fences" - Playhouse on Park

For August Wilson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Fences, to work, the two lead characters need to be dynamic performers.  In the Playhouse on Park staging, running through November 20, the actor Jamil A.C. Mangan, as the volatile, resentful Troy Maxson and Yvette Monette Clark as his loyal, abiding wife, are superb.  There are some aspects of the play that undermine the show, primarily the portrayal of the small, but pivotal role of the youngest son, Cory.  Overall, however, if you have not attended one of the playwright’s ten-part "Pittsburgh Cycle" plays, this production is worth seeing.

August Wilson has crafted a very accessible, in some ways, straightforward story that examines race relations and racial discrimination.  It is also a somber meditation on lost dreams and hopes. The playwright, while incorporating extended orations, relies more on indirect threadlines to bring home his points on injustice, desperation and aspirations curtailed.

The plot revolves around Troy Maxson, a Pittsburgh garbage hauler.  He and his best friend Jim Bono (Eric Carter) have the same routine day in and day out.  He is frustrated at work because the Black employees do the heavy lifting while the White workers get to drive the trucks.  Home life is also routine - returning each night to his loving, supportive wife Rose - but feeling trapped by a life going nowhere and facing a house in need of constant repair. 

His two sons provide little help.  Lyons (Jerry Hamilton), married and a struggling musician, lives out of the home, but always seems to show up on Troy’s payday.  Cory (Khalfani Louis) a standout high school football player, is more concerned with impressing a college recruiter than his responsibilities at home.  In addition, there is Troy’s impaired brother Gabriel (Daniel Danielson), severely wounded in WWII, who roams the city seeing “hellhounds.”

Underlying Troy’s life is his intense resentment about not making it as a major league baseballer.  A star in the Negro League, by the time baseball integrated, he was past his prime, even though he believes he can still play.  His bitterness and agitation lead to family upheaval and turmoil that forever changes the fortunes and lives of each character.

Troy Maxson is a complex individual and the actor Jamil A.C. Mangan gives a soulful performance full of cynicism, angst, and heartache.  We all can relate, to some degree, to his reflections of “What If?”  Yvette Monette Clark’s portrayal of Rose is more measured.  The Ying to her husband’s Yang.  The actress is stoic and resolute, but shows her range when, at the end of Act I, she erupts with outrage and suffering.

A few of the featured players give highly satisfactory performances.  Their roles add more depth to the storyline in subtle, less overt ways.  Among them are Eric Carter as Jim Bono, Troy’s longtime friend and Daniel Danielson as Gabriel, Troy’s psychologically damaged brother.  The night I saw the production, the actor slated to portray Lyons, the eldest son, suddenly called out ill.  Jerry Hamilton, went into the role with little rehearsal, script in hand.  Under the circumstances, he gave a fine portrayal.  Khalfani Louis is disappointing in the small, but important, role as the young son Cory.  He brings too little shading or nuance to the performance.

Director Kenney M. Green smartly keeps the character of Troy Maxson center stage with the other cast members orbiting his sizable sphere.  There is a lot of speechifying, in Fences, but the Director deftly guides his cast, bringing passion, anguish and heartbreak to their monologues.  Working with Scenic Designer Baron E. Pugh, he convincingly creates the back of what appears to be a dwelling in a gritty neighborhood.

Fences, playing through November 20 at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford.  Click here for dates and ticket information.

Review of "Guys and Dolls" - ACT of CT

 I always judge a production of Guys and Dolls by the quality of the big 11:00 o’clock number, “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”  On this point, the staging of the Frank Loesser classic is a rousing success.  Not only does the character of Nicely Nicely Johnson (Izzy Figueroa), give a spirited rendition of the showstopper, but what elevates the scene is the synchronous movement of the cast along with Lighting Designer Chris Chambers’ atmospheric effects.  The cast members pulsate and sway to Sara Brians’ superb choreography, appearing as one amorphous legion of sinners wailing to the heavens.  

The musical, with a libretto by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, is based on a number of short stories from the writer Damon Runyon.  His tales are populated by such colorful characters as gamblers, nightclub performers, society folk and the regular people found in the environs of Broadway.

In Guys and Dolls there are two stories running side by side.  The primary thrust of the book is on Nathan Detroit and his associates who are frantically seeking a secure location for their floating crap game.  Complicating matters is his longtime girlfriend, cabaret star Miss Adelaide, who has been patiently waiting 14 years to get married to the man.  The other plot line is of big-time gambler, Sky Masterson and his pursuit of Save-A-Soul Mission member Sarah Brown.  

The show is enlivened by one of the great scores in musical theater history.  [An historical side note — the music and lyrics did not win the Tony Award that year, which went to Irving Berlin for Call Me Madam].  The songs in Guys and Dolls include such gems as the buoyant "A Bushel and a Peck," the delectable dizziness of "Adelaide's Lament," the lovable comedic duet of "Sue Me;" the lively "Guys and Dolls" and "Luck Be a Lady," and my personal favorite, the irresistible "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."  The 11-person pit band, led by Music Director Nick Wilders, delivers each number with gusto and a glossy sheen.

Director Daniel C. Levine and Choreographer Brians have teamed up to produce an energetic and wholly entertaining show.  Scene changes are fluidly executed, helped enormously by Set Designer Jack Mehler’s sliding paneled backdrops.  The non-musical segments lag somewhat, with jokes not always landing, but Mr. Levine still manages to attach a feisty and playful aura to the musical.  I do wish, however, he would have started the production directly with the traditional “Runyonland” opening as opposed to the meditative beginning he inserted.

The outstanding dance numbers make up for any sluggishness of the show.  The Havana outdoor cafe sequence is bold and sexy.  “The Crapshooters Dance,” which takes place at the underground gambling den, is vibrant and muscular.  The two nightclub routines - “A Bushel and a Peck” and “Take Back Your Mink” are charming, amusing, and totally captivating.  Both production numbers are highlighted by Costume Designer Claudia Stefany’s whimsical, brightly-colored and a tad risqué outfits.  

The four stars of the show are first rate.  As Sky Masterson, Matt Faucher is the essence of coolness.  The actor brings a confident, self-assured awareness to the role.  He can be tough as well as vulnerable.  Katherine Riddle is a bit too staid as Times Square missionary Sarah Brown, but she possesses one of the best singing voices I’ve heard on a Connecticut stage in some time.  Her rendition of “If I Were a Bell” is breathtaking.  Overall, Phil Sloves is fine as Nathan Detroit even though his rambunctious shenanigans could have benefitted with a more nuanced portrayal.  Donna Vivino, a veteran of many Broadway musicals, is pure joy as the hopelessly in love Miss Adelaide.  She sings beautifully, can stay step-to-step with her Hot Box dancers, and exhibits a vivacious comic flair.  The three sidekicks of Nathan Detroit - Nicely Nicely Johnson (Izzy Figueroa), Rusty Charlie (Herrera), and Benny Southstreet (Michael McGuirk) - provide humorous schtick throughout the show.

Guys and Dolls, well-worth catching at ACT of CT in Ridgefield, through November 20.  Click here for ticket information, dates and times.

Review of "From the Mississippi Delta" - Westport Country Playhouse

From the Mississippi Delta is an autobiographical play by Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland.  As stated in the program notes, “it is a story of one woman’s triumphant journey…a gripping tale depicting the resilience of the human spirit.”

It recounts her life growing up in the south.  Her stories are filled with poverty, racial injustice, and horrors.  “Cat,” as she was known, lived a life that was spiraling nowhere until the civil rights movement came to her town.  The demonstrations, rallies and her devotion to the cause changed her destiny.  She eventually moved to Minnesota and, after successfully passing her high school equivalency exam, went on to the University there to earn a B.A., M.A, and finally her doctorate.

Three actresses play multiple roles of the people in this remarkable woman’s life, most notably her mother, known as Aint Baby. a guiding force in the young girl’s upbringing.  They effectively bring out the angst, hardship, but also humor, in the production.  The most compelling of the trio is Erin Margaret Pettigrew (Woman 3).  Her portrayal, primarily of Aint Baby, is moving and inspirational.  Claudia Logan’s (Woman 1) main focus is on the high-spirited, always inquisitive Cat.  The actress gives a lively performance that can be raucously funny as well as heartfelt. Tameishia Peterson (Woman 2) is more the swing of the three actresses, tackling a variety of roles that could have used more distinction in their portrayals.

Dr. Holland’s play is structured as short vignettes in a non-linear format, which can sometimes be hard to follow.  The depictions, however, are enhanced with passionate spirituals, which bring strength to the characters and the action on stage.

Jason Ardizzone-West’s Scenic Design, with its multi-level, slatted wood set aptly portrays the dilapidated shotgun house the woman grew up in as well as the seedy town environs.  The problem for the show is the sheer size of the set.  It mostly overwhelms the actresses and intimate stories they are enacting.  This puts Director Goldie E. Patrick in a difficult position of balancing the relationships and characters within the play and the dominant set design.

From the Mississippi Delta, playing at Westport Country Playhouse through October 30.  Click here for ticket information.

Review of "The Mousetrap" - Hartford Stage

I’m a huge mystery fan and Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors of the genre.  In her best novels, she weaves together elaborately laden plots with a host of eccentric characters.  Her 1952 play, The Mousetrap, is the longest running show in theater history, still being performed today in London’s West End.  

Hartford Stage has chosen this venerable war horse to kick off their 2022 - 2023 season in what proves to be an unsatisfying and, in some ways, mystifying production.

The plot has a classic Christie setting.  Four guests and a stranger arrive in a blizzard to the guest house of Mollie and Giles Ralston.  We quickly learn a London murder is connected to their aged country establishment, Monkswell Manor.  Soon, the local constabulatory is on the scene and murder is afoot.  Let me stop here as not to inadvertently disclose any of the whodunnit’s clues and revelations..

The cast of The Mousetrap. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

The main problem with The Mousetrap is the play itself.  This is second tier Agatha Christie with almost no twists and turns..  She employs a nursery rhyme - Three Blind Mice - as a device to add a color to the story.  Christie is noted for incorporating children’s tunes in her novels.  The best known is Ten Little Indians (known also as And Then There Were None).  But, here, the introduction and usage of the sing-song refrain is rather pedestrian. 

The characters, for the most part, are uninteresting and many of them are perplexingly portrayed.  There has always been humor in Christie’s books, but Director Jackson Gay goes for broad laughs and elevated idiosyncrasies, making the young Christopher Wren (Christopher Geary) an overwrought twit and the mysterious Mr. Paravicini (Jason O’Connell) an inflated clown. The two female guests, Mrs. Boyle (Yvette Ganier) and Miss Casewell (Ali Skamangas) are bland and tiresome.  Major Metcalf (Greg Stuhr) is the archetype British army officer, which means he huffs and puffs and pontificates about nothing.  Detective Sergeant Trotter (Brendan Dalton) seems to be yelling all his lines.  Only the young couple, Mollie (Sam Morales) and Giles Ralston (Tobias Segal), come across as attractive and engaging portrayals.

Christoper Geary and Sam Morales (front) and Tobias Segal (back).  Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

The use of incidental music is not really required and proves to be more of a distraction.  Director Jackson Gay does a skillful utilizing the whole theater for the cast’s entrances of exits.  It opens up the production and, at times, feels like the cast is in the middle of a game of Clue - Mrs. Boyle in the Drawing Room, Major Metcalf in the library and such.

The real star of the show is Riw Rakkulchon’s Scenic Design.  Coupled with Krista Smith’s atmospheric lighting, they have gorgeously recreated an estate’s spacious Great Hall, The richly detailed interior includes a wall of animal skulls and another boasting an impressive array of large knives and swords.  Floor to ceiling windows at the back of the set, situated behind heavy drapery, opens to a view of a snowy landscape.  The peis de resistance is a large chandelier hovering ominously above the stage.

Sam Morales.  Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

The Mousetrap, playing at Hartford Stage through November 6.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.

Review of "Fun Home" - TheaterWorks Hartford

 

Fun Home, the award-winning Broadway musical, is receiving an impressive rendering at TheaterWorks Hartford.  The drama is full of disquietude, joy, and heartfelt emotion.  The show has been extended until November 6.

The musical is based on the 2006 graphic memoir by cartoonist Alison Bechdel.  It is a coming of age story, centering on the author’s childhood years through her college days.  The show focuses on her sexual awakening as a gay young woman and her complicated relationship with her closeted gay father and repressed mother.

Sarah Beth Pfeifer - Photo by Mike Marques

The Bechdel family is a quirky group.  Dad (Aaron Lazar) is opinionated and hot-tempered.  In the small Pennsylvania town where the family resides, he runs the area funeral home, restores old houses, and is a high school English teacher.  Mom (Christiane Noll) is quiet, thoughtful and undemonstrative.  She is involved in community theater, taking care of the family of five, and living a lie.  The couple’s three children, two boys, Christian (Myles Low) and John (Sam Duncan), and a girl, Alison (played at times by Skylar Lynn Matthews, Julia Nightingale, and Sarah Beth Pfeifer), grow up within this idiosyncratic world.  

The focus is on Alison as she maneuvers through the touchpoints of her life.  She is played by three very talented actresses, at pivotal times in her life—as a young tween, an Oberlin College undergraduate, and as a 43 year old woman. 

The book by Lisa Kron, an award-winning playwright, is tightly structured with well-defined characters lifted from the graphic novel.  The dialogue is expressive and never compromising.  Having the role of Alison played by three different actresses, enables a non-linear approach to the storytelling, which allows for a more expansive and satisfying drama.

The music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by Lisa Kron is full of passion, poignancy, and playfulness.  Ms. Tesori has done masterful work over the years with contributions to such divergent musicals as Violet; Caroline, or Change; Thoroughly Modern Millie; and Shrek – the Musical.  With Fun Home, the songs form a cohesive whole.  They are melodic and often introspective as they speak to the family’s life, the anguish Alison faces, and even the fun that can permeate the household.  The musical selections are splendidly wrought under Musical Director Jeff Cox.

Aaron Lazar & Skylar Lynn Matthews - Photo by Mike Marques

The cast of Fun Home sparkles.  Aaron Lazar gives a convincing portrayal of a proud man, nonetheless troubled and conflicted.  The actor handily shifts moods from caring father to belligerent parent to a narcissistic lothario.  He is a living and breathing conundrum.  Christiane Noll, who was cited by the Connecticut Critics Circle for her performance in TheaterWorks Hartford’s 2017 production of Next to Normal, once again demonstrates her acting prowess.  This time, she is more in the background, a woman who’s bottled up frustrations and distress finally explode with the unwavering, angst filled “Days and Days” near the show’s end.

The three actresses that combine to tell the tale of Alison are perfectly cast and furnish standout performances.  Their portrayals are crucial for the musical’s success.  Skylar Lynn Matthews, as the Young Alison, delivers a stunning performance well beyond her years.  She is at times impish, childlike, with a streak of independence and attitude.  Her rendition of “Ring of Keys” is mesmerizing.  Julia Nightingale, the Middle Alison, is the most complex of the trio.  The actress gives an assured and deft portrayal of a young woman whose initial ambivalence and awkwardness blossoms into maturity and self-assuredness.  Sarah Beth Pfeifer, as the older Alison, is an observer and commentator of the tableau being presented in front of her.  The actress is less demonstrative than the other two young women playing Alison.  Ms. Pfeifer’s portrayal finely balances the Alison character within the overall production.

Skylar Lynn Matthews - Photo by Mike Marques

Director Rob Ruggiero has crafted a polished production that is passionate, energized and sensitively mines the emotional depths of the musical.  He skillfully utilizes the small performance space to produce an intimate, yet impactful production.  He intelligently teases out the subtleties and complexities of the show.  The Director is aided by Luke Cantarella’s Scenic Design and Rob Denton’s Lighting.  The scenes, which consist of swiftly changing sets incorporating just one or two pieces of furniture, accentuate the minimalist feel of the production.  The slatted back of the stage referencing the older home where the family resides.  His use of Camilla Tassi’s Projection Design, though, is distracting as scenes are augmented by drawings and snippets of dialogue appearing on the stage walls.  In this case, less would have been better.

Fun Home, a musical well-worth catching, at TheaterWorks Hartford through November 6.  Click here for dates, times and ticket information.

Review of "42nd Street" - Goodspeed Opera House

Those marvelous dancing feet!  The timeless songs!  Sumptuous costumes!  Superb cast!  Do you get the hint? I thoroughly enjoyed the Goodspeed Opera House’s production of 42nd Street?

From the opening dance extravaganza, the musical is non-stop entertainment.  The story is simple and straightforward.  Small town girl, Peggy Sawyer, arrives in New York with the goal to star on Broadway.  She is cast as a chorus girl in legendary producer Julian Marsh’s latest show, Pretty Lady, which stars aging diva, Dorothy Brock.  The young performer overcomes a number of hurdles, including nerves, inexperience and, most noticeably, Brock’s dislike for Peggy.  Everything is set for a Broadway success until disaster strikes and the show has to close.  That is unless some talented actress can step in to save the day.  Calling Peggy Sawyer!

The libretto by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, based on the 1933 film of the same name, is uncomplicated.  An airy confection.  However, looks can be deceiving. There is an orderly structure to the book that propels the story forward.  There is also more depth to the character than you would think.  Much of that is due to the marvelous cast and skillful direction of Randy Skinner.

In some respects, 42nd Street

is a jukebox musical with compositions from the veterans Al Dubin and Johnny Mercer and music by Harry Warren.  They are presented with style and verve by Musical Director Adam Souza. The songs, culled from the 1930’s movie, along with other film scores of the era, include such classics as "Go into Your Dance," "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "We're in the Money," "Sunny Side to Every Situation," "Lullaby of Broadway," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo." and "42nd Street."  In short, you will be humming (just not too loudly) throughout this joyous production.

The cast is an outstanding mix of experienced Broadway performers, stars-in-the-making, and a bevy of tireless dancers.  Kate Baldwin’s Dorothy Brock is imperious and demanding, leading to the audience’s initial dislike of her character.  But the actress provides a more layered performance to stroke our compassions and, ultimately, our admiration.  Ms. Baldwin has numerous opportunities throughout the production to display her beautiful voice.  She’s also not a bad hoofer. Max von Essen brings a quiet intensity to the role of Julian Marsh.  The more understated characterization balances out some of the more (appropriate) over-the-top performances in the musical.   Carina-Kay Louchiey is an effervescent presence on the Goodspeed stage as the starry-eyed Peggy Sawyer.  She is a true triple threat - Ms. Louchiey can dance up a storm, has a gorgeous singing voice and is a talented actress.  Blake Stadnik is a boundless source of energy and radiance as Billy Lawlor, love interest of Peggy Sawyer.  He is a keen dancer and dynamic singer that jumpstarts the show whenever he is on stage.   Lisa Howard, another Broadway stalwart, gives the production a jolt of comic relief as producer Maggie Jones.

Director/Choreographer Randy Skinner has helmed many productions of 42nd Street and was an assistant to Director/Choreographer Gower Champion in the original 1980 Broadway production of the show.  As choreographer, Mr. Skinner has crafted an outlandish number of virtuoso dance routines, primarily tap, but also featuring an array of other dance styles.  In his Directorial role, he keeps the show fast-paced, creating grand moments that shine over and over.  He effortlessly blends in his choreographic numbers and skillfully melds in all the design elements to form a seamless production.  

The Scenic Design by Michael Carnahan is one of the strengths of the musical.  He incorporates traditional sets along with a well-integrated and executed Projection Design by Shawn Duan.  Along with Cory Pattak’s Lighting Design, the various creative components are in perfect visual harmony. The projections, in particular, open up the production allowing, for example, striking street scenes of New York City and a train terminus.  

Kara Harmon’s Costume Designs are elegant, sassy, and gloriously enhance the numerous large scale production numbers with a dazzling array of outfits.

42nd Street, a classic musical playing at the Goodspeed Opera House through November 6.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.