Review of "1776"

There are many parallels between today’s United States Congress in Washington, D.C. and that of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia portrayed in the musical 1776.

Befuddlement and crippling stagnation are words that come to mind when referring to both institutions.  In the end, fortunately, the delegates from the 13 colonies, practiced the art of compromise so the Declaration of Independence could be forged and signed.  Their diligence and hard-work should be an example to the current occupants of the White House, House of Representatives and Senate, which are all too often subsumed by squabbling and partisan pontifications.

In 1776, receiving an uneven production at the Connecticut Repertory Theater, we are witnesses to history as acrimony and narrow-minded politics are eventually put aside to shape our nation.  Book writer Peter Stone has done a superb job crafting a show humanizing such historical figures as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson all the while giving the audience a primer on American history.  It can sometimes be a bit too talky (Broadway trivia fun fact—the musical has the longest interval between songs, 30minutes, of any show in Broadway history), but the combination of the interaction between characters and the machinations of a government in its infancy are effective and entertaining.

The score by Sherman Edwards, his lone theatrical effort, is glorious with nary a miss among them.   The songs add zest to the production and are performed with professionalism and aplomb.  The songs can be playful and humorous as with "Sit Down, John" and But, Mr. Adams;" outrageous and gleeful ("The Lees of Old Virginia"), but also moving ("He Plays the Violin") and solemn ("Molasses to Rum").  Adam Harrington’s rendition of “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,” an ode to fighting for conservative values, is one of the high points of the musical.

The cast, a mix of theater professionals and university students learning the craft, is led by Jamie LaVerdiere as John Adams.  While the actor is passionate and committed in his role, he comes across as described in the song “But, Mr. Adams,” a tad too “obnoxious and disliked.”  There needed to be a little more nuance to his portrayal, which weakens the overall strength of the character.

Other notable performers include Richard R. Henry as a well-rounded Benjamin Franklin, who delivers his witticisms with self-assured delight to friends and foes alike.  Gaelen Gilliland’s Abigail Adams does not spend much time on stage, but she makes the most of her appearance especially with her golden voice is such songs as “Till Then” and “Yours, Yours, Yours.”  Adam Harrington gives the Pennsylvanian John Dickinson a consistent, but layered feel.  While you may disagree with his viewpoints you cannot fault him for his unswerving convictions.  Will Bryant’s Thomas Jefferson comes across as being too much in the background rather then in the foreground.  While a supporting role, there should be more vigor in his time on stage.  Simon Longnight is too much the fool as Richard Henry Lee.  While his crowd-pleasing number, “The Lees of Old Virginia,” is a comic highlight of the show it’s played too much for laughs.

The Broadway veteran Terrence Mann, the new artistic director of CRT, guides the show with appropriateness and straightforwardness.  However, he sometimes relies on too much shouting by the characters to hammer home a point or having the actors bang their walking sticks on desks to put an exclamation to a highly-charged argument.  His casting of Equity actors and musical theater undergraduates from various programs around the country is problematic in a show where age and seasoning are important elements.

1776, ringing forth liberty and freedom in Storrs, CT through June 10^th.

Nominations Announced for 27th Annual CT Critics Circle Awards

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“Next To Normal,” “The Invisible Hand” Tops Connecticut Theater Critics Nominations

TheaterWork’s production of the musical “Next to Normal” led the nominations for the 27th annual Connecticut Critics Circle Awards event to be held Monday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart University’s Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts in Fairfield.

The show received a total of 10 nominations, including best musical. Westport Country Playhouse’s production of Ayad Akhtar’s play “The Invisible Hand” led the non-musicals, receiving seven nominations, including outstanding play.

Other outstanding play nominees are: “The Comedy of Errors” at Hartford Stage; “Mary Jane” at Yale Repertory Theatre; “Scenes From Court Life” at Yale Repertory Theatre and “Midsummer” at TheaterWorks.

Also nominated for outstanding musical are: “Assassins” at Yale Repertory Theatre; “Bye Bye Birdie” at Goodspeed Opera House, “Man of La Mancha” at Ivoryton Playhouse and “West Side Story” at Summer Theatre of New Canaan.

The awards show, which celebrates the best in professional theater in the state, is free and open to the public.

Three-time Tony Award-nominee Terrence Mann will be the master of ceremonies for the event. Mann joined the Connecticut theater community this year as artistic director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s Nutmeg Summer Series at the University of Connecticut at Storrs.

Last year’s top honorees -- Yale Repertory Theatre’s play “Indecent” and Hartford Stage’s musical “Anastasia” -- are currently on Broadway.

Also receiving special awards this year are James Lecesne for his work using theater as a way to connect with LGBT youths in works such as his solo show “The Absolute Brightness off Leonard Pelkey,” which was presented this spring at Hartford Stage, and Paxton Whitehead, for his longtime career in theater, especially in Connecticut

Receiving the Tom Killen Award for lifetime achievement is Paulette Haupt, who is stepping down after 40 years from her position as founding artistic director of the National Music Theater Conference at Waterford’s Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

Other nominees are:

Actor in a play: Jordan Lage, “Other People’s Money,” Long Wharf Theatre; Tom Pecinka, “Cloud Nine,” Hartford Stage; Michael Doherty, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s Nutmeg Summer Series; Eric Bryant, “The Invisible Hand,” Westport Country Playhouse; M. Scott McLean, “Midsummer,” TheaterWorks.

Actress in a play: Semina DeLaurentis, “George & Gracie,” Seven Angels Theatre; Emily Donahoe, “Mary Jane,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Ashlie Atkinson, “Imogen Says Nothing,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Vanessa R. Butler, “Queens for a Year,” Hartford Stage; Rebecca Hart, “Midsummer,” TheaterWorks

Actor in a musical: Robert Sean Leonard, “Camelot,” Westport Playhouse; Riley Costello, “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying,” Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s Nutmeg Summer Series; David Harris, “Next To Normal,” TheaterWorks; David Pittsinger, “Man of La Mancha,” Ivoryton Playhouse; Zach Schanne, “West Side Story,” Summer Theatre of New Canaan.

Actress in a musical: Ruby Rakos, “Chasing Rainbows,” Goodspeed Opera House; Christiane Noll, “Next to Normal,” TheaterWorks; Julia Paladino, “West Side Story.” Karen Ziemba, “Gypsy, Sharon Playhouse; Talia Thiesfield, “Man of La Mancha,” Ivoryton Playhouse.

Director of a play: Darko Tresnjak, “The Comedy of Errors,” Hartford Stage; David Kennedy, “The Invisible Hand,” Westport Country Playhouse; Marc Bruni, “Other People’s Money,” Long Wharf Theatre; Tracy Brigden, “Midsummer,” TheaterWorks; Gordon Edelstein, “Meteor Shower,” Long Wharf Theatre.

Director of a musical: Rob Ruggiero, “Next to Normal,” TheaterWorks; David Edwards, “Man of La Mancha,” Ivoryton Playhouse; Melody Meitrott Libonati, “West Side Story,” Summer Theatre of New Canaan; Jenn Thompson, “Bye Bye Birdie,” Goodspeed Opera House; Kevin Connors, “Gypsy,” Music Theater of Connecticut in Norwalk.

Choreography:  Denis Jones, “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Goodspeed Opera House; Chris Bailey, “Chasing Rainbows,” Goodspeed Opera House; Doug Shankman, West Side Story,” Summer Theatre of New Canaan; Patricia Wilcox, “Bye Bye Birdie,” Goodspeed Opera House; Darlene Zoller, “Rockin’ the Forest,” Playhouse on Park.

Ensemble: Cast of “Smart People,” Long Wharf Theatre; Cast of “Trav’lin’ ” at Seven Angels Theatre; cast of “Meteor Shower,” Long Wharf Theatre; cast of “Assassins,” Yale Repertory Theatre; cast of “The 39 Steps” at Ivoryton Playhouse.

Debut performance: Maya Keleher, “Next to Normal,” TheaterWorks; Dylan Frederick, “Assassins,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Nick Sacks, “Next to Normal, TheaterWorks.

Solo Performance: Jodi Stevens, “I’ll Eat You Last,” Music Theater of Connecticut; Jon Peterson, “He Wrote Good Songs,” Seven Angels Theatre.

Featured actor in a play: Jameal Ali, “The Invisible Hand,” Westport Country Playhouse; Andre De Shields, “Seven Guitars,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Cleavant Derricks, “The Piano Lesson,” Hartford Stage; Steve Routman, “Other People’s Money,” Long Wharf Theatre; Paxton Whitehead, “What the Butler Saw,” Westport Country Playhouse

Featured actress in a play: Miriam Silverman, “Mary Jane,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Rachel Leslie, “Seven Guitars,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, “Seven Guitars,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Mia Dillon, “Cloud Nine,” Hartford Stage; Christina Pumariego, “Napoli, Brooklyn,” Long Wharf Theatre

Featured actor in a musical: Mark Nelson, “The Most Beautiful Room in New York,” Long Wharf Theatre; Edward Watts, “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Goodspeed Opera House; John Cardoza, “Next to Normal,” TheaterWorks; Jonny Wexler, “West Side Story,” Summer Theater of New Canaan; Rhett Guter, “Bye Bye Birdie,” Goodspeed Opera House; Michael Wartella, “Chasing Rainbows,” Goodspeed Opera House

Featured actress in a musical: Maya Keleher, “Next to Normal,” TheaterWorks; Jodi Stevens, “Gypsy,” “Music Theater of Connecticut; Katie Stewart, “West Side Story,” Summer Theater of New Canaan; Kristine Zbornik, “Bye Bye Birdie,” Goodspeed Opera House; Kate Simone, “Gypsy,” Music Theater of Connecticut.

Set design: Colin McGurk, “Heartbreak House,” Hartford Stage; Michael Yeargan, “The Most Beautiful Room in New York,” Long Wharf Theater; Wilson Chin, “Next to Normal,” TheaterWorks; Adam Rigg, “The Invisible Hand,” “Westport Country Playhouse; Darko Tresnjak, “The Comedy of Errors,” Hartford Stage.

Costume design: Ilona Somogyi, “Heartbreak House,” Hartford Stage; Marina Draghici, “Scenes from Court Life,” Yale Repertory Theater; Fabio Toblini, “The Comedy of Errors,” Hartford Stage; Gregory Gale, “Thorough Modern Millie,” Goodspeed Opera House; Lisa Steier, “Rockin’ the Forest,” Playhouse on Park.

Lighting design: Matthew Richards, “The Invisible Hand,” Westport Country Playhouse; Yi Zhao, “Assassins,” Yale Repertory Theatre; John Lasiter, “Next to Normal,” TheaterWorks; Matthew Richards, “Comedy of Errors,” Hartford Stage; Christopher Bell, “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” Playhouse on Park, Hartford.

Sound design: Jane Shaw, “The Comedy of Errors,” Hartford Stage; Fan Zhang, “Seven Guitars,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Shane Rettig, “Scenes from Court Life,” Yale Repertory Theatre; Karen Graybash, “The Piano Lesson,” Hartford Stage; Fitz Patton, “The Invisible Hand,” Westport Country Playhouse.

DIRECTIONS: Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts,  at Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Ave., Fairfield. -- Just off Exit 47 on the Merritt Parkway

Review of "Ernest Shackleton Loves Me"

The new Off-Broadway musical Ernest Shackleton Loves Me is an inventive, multi-media creation that is at times exhilarating, comical, and always imaginative.  The two-person show centers on Kate, a sleep-deprived, 40-ish single woman with an infant son, a wayward father touring in a Journey cover band, and a life that both personally and professional is a mess.  After posting a video to a dating site the transmission is picked up through cyberspace by the long departed Artic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.  Is this a hallucination or a magical, mystical connection?  Or something more tangible?  Nonetheless, the two embark on the adventurer’s epic journey to cross the Antarctica’s waterway’s via ship, bouncing back and forth between her Brooklyn apartment and the frigid bottom of the world.  When disaster strikes the expedition, the star-crossed pair begin a battle for survival, a fight that takes on individual meaning for each, in the frigid wasteland of Antarctica. 

 

Wade McCollum and Val Vigoda in "Ernest Shackleton Loves Me."

The surreal book by the prolific Tony Award winning playwright Joe DiPietro (Memphis), is equal parts adventure, history lesson, and love story.  There is a nuttiness to the story that also shows flashes of wit and humor.  But the real accomplishment is how the audience is drawn into the real-life exploits of Shackleton’s 1914 voyage.  DiPietro’s telling of the exploits could not be realized without the superb and finely-honed rear screen projections by set designer Alexander V. Nichols.  Utilizing actual footage from the expedition, as well as other carefully culled photographs and video, he puts you in the center of the action with all its harrowing and life-threatening twists and turns.  The slightly elevated set is dominated by a large keyboard apparatus and other minimal props that Director Lisa Peterson, let’s call her the third key artist of the creative triumvirate, integrates into an absorbing and enthralling adventure.  She does a laudable job guiding the show from broad comedy to nerve-racking tension.

 

One of the superb projections by set designer Alexander V. Nichols.

The score by Val Vigoda and Brendan Milburn, both founding members of the musical group, GrooveLily (who’s theatrical piece Striking 12 is rapturous), convey the shifting moods of the musical, using a mixture of many styles and influences, incorporating jazz, show tunes, rock and classical compositions.  The songs add to the ambivalence of the characters as well as to the formidable struggles of Shackleton and his men.

The cast consists of Ms. Vigoda as Kat, a harried mother and a would-be composer of video game musical scores, as she tries to eke out a living in an unforgiving world.    The actress, a bundle of energy as she bounds across the small performance space, is convincing as a woman who’s life is in disarray.  She subtley, and slowly changes to a more take charge individual with the appearance of the Artic explore giving her, by the finale, a new outlook on her disconsolate life.  Ms. Vigoda is also is a masterful musician.  For most of the musical numbers, accompanied by her assorted high-tech equipment, she furiously lets loose on her trademark electric violin.

 

Wade McCollum and Val Vigoda from "Ernest Shackleton Loves Me."

Wade McCollum plays Ernest Shackleton, along with a number of other characters, with self-assurance and aplomb.  He, too, is an accomplished musician sometimes playing banjo or guitar alongside Ms. Vigoda.  He imbues Shackleton with an optimistic, can-do spirit, which was so prevalent among British explorers at the turn of the century.  The actor can be a rogue one minute, flirtatious the next, but also a leader of men.  His chemistry with Ms. Vigoda feels genuine.

Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, reaching across space and time through June 11^th.

Review of "Thoroughly Modern Millie"

Thoroughly Modern Millie, the first offering of the Goodspeed Opera House’s season, is thoroughly and enormously entertaining.  Possessed of plucky performances and energetic and creative choreographer, the musical is a lively and cheerful production.

 

“So beat the drums 'cause here comes thoroughly modern Millie now!” the cast of Goodspeed Musicals’ Thoroughly Modern Millie now playing at The Goodspeed through July 2.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

The story, based on the 1967 movie of the same name that starred Mary Tyler Moore, Julie Andrews, and Carol Channing, focuses on Mille Dillmount, a young woman just off the bus from Salina, Kansas looking to make her mark on New York City in 1922.  A self-described modern woman, she is seeking to marry a would-be boss for his money as opposed to love.  Within hours of hitting the streets of The Big Apple she, literally, bumps into Jimmy Smith, a brash, opinionated young man who tells her to go back home.   Their encounter goes as well as oil and vinegar.  Undeterred, she checks into the Hotel Priscilla, an all-women’s hotel populated by aspiring actresses, befriending one of them, Dorothy, a newcomer from California.   Unbeknownst to the residences the proprietress, Mrs. Meers, is running a white slavery ring, along with her two Chinese henchmen, from the establishment.  This sets into motion a series of frothy and frivolous hijinks that culminates in love and justice.

 

The cast of Goodspeed Musicals’ Thoroughly Modern Millie now playing at The Goodspeed through July 2.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Book writers Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan have crafted fully developed characters, along with a wholesomely silly plot, as they send up the jazz age with madcap delight.  Their non-stereotypical portrayals of the Asian lackeys give the show a less distasteful sheen.

The score by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan is always highly satisfying and tuneful, encompassing a number of different musical and rhythmic styles.  There are upbeat and jaunty tunes such as the title number and “Forget About the Boy;” the comedic gem, “They Don’t Know;” and yearning ballads that include “What Do I Need With Love” and “Jimmy.”

 

“Muquin” Christopher Shin (Bun Foo), Loretta Ables Sayre (Mrs. Meers) and James Seol (Ching Ho) in Goodspeed Musicals’ Thoroughly Modern Millie now playing at The Goodspeed through July 2.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

The cast, which exudes a youthful exuberance, is spirited, spunky and talented.  They are led by Taylor Quick as Millie Dillmount, a take charge woman who succumbs to the call of love over money.  She is high-spirited and fearless with a marvelous voice and dancing prowess to match.  Dan DeLuca has a winning bon vivant swagger as the loveable, carefree womanizer Jimmy Smith who inevitably falls for the dame.  Samantha Sturm is refined and daft as the wide-eyed, innocent Miss Dorothy Brown.  In the role of Mrs. Meers, Loretta Ables Sayre just about steals the show.  The theater veteran knows how to deliver a line or extend a scene to great comic effect.  Lucia Spina’s Miss Peg Flannery has a layered edge to her portrayal of the stern, matron of the steno pool with an underlying heart-of-gold. Edward Watts is suitably pompous and strait-laced as Millie’s boss Trevor Graydon III.  Ramona Keller has a knowing worldliness and down-to-earth manner as cabaret singer Muzzy van Hossmere.  James Seol (Ching Ho) and Christopher Shin (Bun Foo) provide extra comic relief as Mrs. Meers’ less than menacing gang.  

 

The cast of Goodspeed Musicals’  take “The Speed Test” in Thoroughly Modern Millie now playing at The Goodspeed through July 2.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Director/Choreographer Denis Jones is in his element with this bubbly, buoyant show.  As he demonstrated helming Goodspeed’s Holiday Inn two years ago (as well as its Broadway transfer this season for which he is nominated for a Tony Award for Best Choreography) musicals heavy on tap dancing and playfulness are his specialty.  As choreographer, he incorporates many types of dance routines into the production, but he excels when a full-throttled tap number is called for in the musical.  He shows his inventiveness during the scene at the office of the Sincere Trust Insurance Company when the office secretaries, seated at their manual typewriters, tap up a storm while at the same time paying homage to Busby Berkley movie musicals and Gilbert and Sullivan patter songs.

Director Jones keeps the pacing tight and the humor in high gear.  In his dual role, he seamlessly melds scenes from one mode to another. He also imbues each actor and actress with their own unique traits and mannerisms.

 

“My spirits are truly unruly, For I'm falling in love with someone” Edward Watts (Trevor Grayden) with Samantha Sturm (Miss Dorothy) and Taylor Quick (Millie) in Goodspeed Musicals’ Thoroughly Modern Millie now playing at The Goodspeed through July 2.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Gregory Gale’s costumes are stylish as well as lavish, evoking the flapper age of the 1920’s.  

Thoroughly Modern Millie, a sweet, summertime concoction to sit back and enjoy at the Goodspeed Opera House through July 2^nd.

Review of "Building the Wall"

Trump administrative policies, the Holocaust, and even the television show “24” reverberate through the talkative, sporadically, absorbing Off-Broadway play, Building the Wall.  Playwright Robert Schenkkan, who penned the Tony Award winning All the Way, that focused on President Lyndon Johnson’s struggles to enact the 1964 Voting Rights Act, once again addresses politics in his latest endeavor.

The time is the present.  The stage is a starkly furnished room-- a simple metallic table, two chairs and a water cooler--in some unnamed federal prison.  There, Gloria, a History Professor (Tamara Tunie) is preparing to interview a soon-to-be executed inmate, Rick (James Badge Dale) about the catalyst for a crime that has not yet been revealed to the audience.  The conversation, a back and forth, sometimes staccato-like question and answer, begins with the prisoner’s background and then encompasses his beliefs and motivations.  The exchanges conclude with, what turns out to be, a horrific offense reminiscent of the atrocities of the Holocaust.

There are times when Building the Wall can be thought-provoking and provocative but, for the most part, the dialogue is stilted and too studied.  The dramatic arc only becomes evident at the end of the production.  At first, based on the title, the audience may think the prisoner is some evil, malevolent individual steeped in the partisan and highly charged rhetoric of the Trump administration.  But as the 85 minute, intermission-less show progresses you realize this is simply a misled individual with confused morals caught up within a failed system that could have taken place anytime within the past 15-20 years.  His defenseless rationale dredges up the “only following orders” mantra from the Nuremburg Trials.

Schenkkan’s approach gives the show a meandering pace.  There is not a direct road map in Gloria’s line of inquiry.  It’s more like a faculty member’s lecture that constantly darts off into tangential streams of thought before circling back to the main point.  We also do not understand the motivation or interest in the professor’s presence.  While not totally necessary, the reasoning would add a better layer to our understanding.

Tamara Tunie is matter-of-fact as the cool and detached professor.  The all but emotional-less delivery serves its purpose of having her be a somewhat dispassionate observer and chronicler of Rick’s story, but it doesn’t allow for much nuance or shading to the role.

James Badge Dale, as Rick, initially, comes across as a menacing presence.  But he convincingly shifts his persona through the steady outpouring of justifications and confessions to become more of a pathetic, misguided individual.  His talk of shadowy government agents and rogue contractors seem credible and almost…almost evokes some degree of sympathy from the audience.

Director Ariel Edelson is moderately successful in presenting a modicum of liveliness.  There is not much in, what is essentially, a question and answer format to break-up the sameness of the play’s structure.  He partitions the proceedings with Rick’s frequent trips to the water cooler, but there is just so much hydration one can take.  Also, the earlier half of the show’s rat-a-tat deliver and response comes across as rather forced and unnatural.

Maybe it’s too early in the Trump Presidency to develop a stage production that dramatically and effectively processes some aspects of his policies, executive orders, legislative agenda, and his erratic and uncharacteristic Presidential behavior.  Building the Wall is a worthy, but flawed attempt, playing at World Stages Off-Broadway.

Review of "Bandstand"

In this jam-packed Broadway season of 13 new musicals where glitz, style, and innovation seem the norm, it is comforting to sit back and enjoy the more old-fashioned, yet still vibrant, musical Bandstand.  The show has a well-conceived story, endearing characters, and the always vigorous and original choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler.

Corey Cott and Laura Osnes and members of the cast of "Bandstand."

The libretto of the show follows a traditional, conventional path.  Returning World War II G.I. Donny Novitski (Corey Cott), a jazz piano enthusiast, can’t find work.  Still despondent over the death of his best buddy during the fighting and without luck finding a job tickling the ivories, he forms his own band, consisting of war veterans, to compete in a coast-to-coast music contest.  He convinces the wife of his former pal, Julia Trojan (Laura Osnes), to be lead singer, and they take on the nightclub scene in Cleveland by storm on their way to New York and the big-time.  Will they win?  Will he get the girl?  It’s not as pat as you think.

Rob Taylor and Richard Oberacker’s book of the show, while straightforward, seems fresh with a finely-honed cast of characters.  The backstories the two have created for each performer enriches the plot without weighing down the flow and pacing of the musical.  They have inserted bumps in the road, giving the story a more realistic ambiance.  While there is an overall, feel-good quality to the production, Taylor and Richard Oberacker deftly weave in the horrors of war and the very real, debilitating problems returning servicemen face.  This gives the musical more heft and seriousness as opposed to, for example, the frothiness of an MGM movie musical.

Members of Broadway's "Bandstand."

The score by Richard Oberacker and Rob Taylor pays homage to the jazzy music scene in post WWII America.  There are crackling numbers for the newly formed combo as well as heartrending songs that beautifully and achingly portray a country moving forward from the personal traumas of war.  All the actors play their own instruments.  The authenticity gives an added vibrancy and passion to the production.

The cast boasts one of the largest group of well-developed characters of any of the new Broadway musicals.  The two leads, Corey Cott as Donny Novitski, and Laura Osnes as Julia Trojan, are a winning and appealing twosome.  Cott, breaking free from the bon vivant role he played in his last Broadway role in the musical Gigi, is intense and earnest, giving his character multi-layered levels of emotions and feelings from rage to desperation to guilt to compassion.  You feel his angst and silently hope for his triumph.  He is well-paired with Ms. Osnes who starts off as a withdrawn, bitter war widow, but gradually gains new-found confidence to succeed as a singer and a person in love.  The actress, a waif of a woman, has a powerhouse vocal delivery and a radiance to light up any stage.

The cast from "Bandstand."

The supporting cast, all playing WWII veterans, is a colorful group, expressively drawn and dramatically rendered.  They are James Nathan Hopkins as the well-adjusted saxophone player, Jimmy Campbell; Brandon J. Ellis as the life-of-the-party, yet forlorn bass player, Davy Zlatic; Alex Bender as the hot-tempered, but dutiful trumpet player, Nick Radel; Geoff Packard as the OCD afflicted trombone player, Wayne Wright; and Joe Carroll as the seemingly TBI drummer, Johnny Simpson.  Beth Leavel gives an assured and mother-knows-best performance as Ms. Osnes’ stage mother, Mrs. June Adams.

Director-Choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, once again, demonstrates why he is one of the most innovative and creative forces on Broadway.  No one has a better feel for the movement of actors, whether on stage or moving them to and from the performing space.  There is a raw elegance to the way he positions and maneuvers the cast and ensemble members.  Individuals don’t just walk out front, but do so in a stylized fashion.  The simple undertaking of moving an upright piano on stage, for example, becomes an abstract representation of the pain and hardship the musicians face.

Bandstand, an old-time story accentuated with dynamism and inspiration.

Review of "Groundhog Day"

Stagecraft wizardry is on full display in the whimsical, and wholly satisfying Broadway musical Groundhog Day, based on the movie of the same name.  The question going into the theater was how the creative team would negotiate the endless loop of that certain February date being relived over and over.  Well, the artisans found a creative and inventive way to bring the story to life that echoes the humor and poignancy of the film.

Andy Karl and members of the cast of "Groundhog Day."

The story by Danny Rubin, the screenwriter for the movie, centers on Phil Connors (Andy Karl), a self-absorbed Pennsylvania weatherman who, year in and year out, is assigned to cover the irrelevant festivities surrounding whether the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow or not, which folklore states will predict six more weeks of winter or not.  On this occasion, a snowstorm traps Connors; his associate producer, Rita Hanson (Barrett Doss); and their cameraman in the small town. When he awakes the following morning in his well-worn bed and breakfast the events of the day, and the townsfolk he interacts with, begin to play out exactly like the previous day.  As does the next day.  And the next.  And the next.  The amount of days is never revealed, but suffice it to say there are enough weeks (months?) for Connors to learn to recite French poetry fluently and to learn to play the piano.  As time wears on, the shallow forecaster becomes more sanguine, agreeable, and even courteous.  His overtly flirtatious attempts to seduce Hanson become less blatant as the two settle into a genuine, caring relationship when suddenly and inexplicitly a new day dawns.  A new chapter begins.

Barrett Doss and Andy Karl from "Groundhog Day"

The cast is led by Andy Karl as Phil Connors.  The actor, a Broadway favorite that has appeared in many productions over the last few years (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Rocky, On the 20^th Century), finally gets to sink his teeth into a leading role in a hit show.  He is a charming, handsome cad that delightfully transforms from a chauvinistic rascal to a thoughtful, considerate gentleman.  Karl’s enthusiasm in the role is palatable and infectious.  Even a torn ACL before the show’s opening couldn’t stop him from bounding around the stage.  Barrett Doss as his love interest, Rita Hanson, brings a professional demeanor to her role.  She is independent, yet vulnerable as she tries to make her mark in a sexist world.  The chemistry between the two performers is not very strong, which does undercut the musical’s focus on their love interest.  Notable members of the supporting cast include John Sanders as the loveable, rather insistent insurance agent Ned Ryerson and Rebecca Faulkenberry as the misunderstood, somewhat gullible town beauty, Nancy.

The score by Tim Minchin, who performed the same duties on the hit musical Matilda a few years back, is not as tuneful or noteworthy.  The songs work well within the musical, but only sporadically burst forth into the quirkiness and humor the show calls for. 

The cast of "Groundhog Day."

Director Matthew Warchus, who has helmed such diverse productions as Matilda, God of Carnage and Boeing-Boeing, demonstrates his stagecraft expertise by successfully guiding all the varied components into a cohesive whole.  He is able to deftly make the replays of Pux’s everyday world seem fluid without becoming monotonous.  He cleverly weaves in some inspired lunacy as with the scenes where Phil Connors learns to play the piano and with his suicidal moments and timed-to-the-minute lifesaving episodes.  Together, along with some fancy sleight-of-hand, they all create theatrical magic.

Rob Howell’s Scenic Design is superb.  The various sets are imaginative and resourceful and, as in the coupling and uncoupling of the structural sections for the bed and breakfast, a mechanic tour de force.  He also shows his artistic inventiveness with the Act I car chase, the highlight of the production.  When coupled with Hugh Vanstone’s Lighting Design, the absurd daydream quality of the show becomes magnified.

Groundhog Day, the dazzling absurdity of the film brought winningly to the Broadway musical stage.