Guest Review of ONE NIGHT WITH FANNY BRICE

Oh! What a past.

A Guest Review of

“ONE NIGHT WITH FANNY BRICE”

at the 13th Street Repertory Company

November 10, 2014

How does one bring Fanny Brice back to the stage? The inspired insanity of her comedy departed with her. The ornate and riotous reviews in which she performed are a long gone memory. All that is left are very few films, some recordings and broadcast transcriptions of her “Baby Snooks” radio show. In ONE NIGHT WITH FANNY BRICE, Author Chip Deffaa realizes that attempting to minutely recapture that unique side of Fanny Brice would do no favors to either the subject or the actress who would have to make the attempt. To be sure ONE NIGHT WITH FANNY BRICE provides a good framework with an impressive song list that illustrates and comments on Fanny Brice’s life and career. The show even manages to invoke brief flashes of her stage presence and humor. But it is her life story backstage and out of the theater that drives this play. And what a story Fanny shares with the audience! She guides us along her girlhood start in the vaudeville amateur nights, works her way through the burlesque circuit and then makes her name as a star on Broadway and finally in radio. At the same time Fanny must copes with her dysfunctional but fascinating personal life. A lot is revealed – much of it surprising – that show what a complex woman Fanny Brice was, but Mr. Deffaa focuses largely on her relationship with Nicky Arnstein. This makes sense as Arnstein – gambler, swindler and lothario – was the love of Fanny’s life and so much has been romanticized about their love affair and marriage that part of the fun of the evening is having Fanny set the story straight. Still the glimpses of her dealings with her stage associates – producers such as Florenz Ziegfeld and friends like W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor and Gypsy Rose Lee – or the rather offhand description of her final marriage with Billy Rose, offer up the promise of so much more that Fanny ought to be able to tell. But as the Show Business saying goes; always leave them wanting more.

Ms. Chloe Brooks gives an outstanding and memorable performance. Her Fanny Brice really comes to life in Mr. Chip Deffaa’s play; chatting with her audience and taking them through her life as if she is sharing their amazement and amusement on how it all happened. We see Fanny re-enact a crucial episode of the past, first as herself and then another person and then, in the middle of it all, toss an observation to the audience that really defines the situation. This Fanny Brice truly relishes a good story – including her own. Ms. Brooks also understands that an impression is better than a slavish imitation and if she only occasionally slips into the phrases and accents that Fanny was known for, it is because Fanny is telling her story – not giving a performance in a Ziegfeld production. It is the same for the singing as well: in ONE NIGHT WITH FANNY BRICE Fanny is using the songs to tell her story – not telling her story to sing the songs, and in Ms. Brooks’ hands the songs are nicely delivered whether with an amused detachment as in her burlesque number “Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee” or using “My Man” both seriously and ironically to punctuate how her biggest hit song capitalized on her troubled relationship with Nicky Arnstein. Ms. Brooks’ singing is adeptly aided by Music Director Richard Danley who deserves high praise for his skilled and delightful piano playing.

A good deal of credit for this exceptional presentation must also be shared with Director Rachel Hundert. She paces the proceedings extremely well, making it hard to believe that this is a nearly two hour performance of a one actor show. Every scene and number flows onwards believably even when Fanny is being Fanny imitating the other people who are talking to Fanny.

As Producing Artistic Director, Ms. Sandra Nordgren created a very simple but highly effective stage setting that always kept the focus on Fanny and perhaps it is she who provided Ms. Chloe Brooks with the costuming that allowed her to span Fanny’s life so effectively.

If anything significant was missing from ONE NIGHT WITH FANNY BRICE it was the way Fanny often used an exaggerated Yiddish accent in her sketches and songs. Perhaps there was fear that the ethnic side of her comedy might not play so well and needed to be diminished but it was an essential part of Fanny’s career. Now Ms. Chloe Brooks does give some idea of Fanny’s inflections in performance, but I think that had she been given the opportunity, Ms. Brooks would have marvelously captured Fanny Brice’s wonderfully incongruous onstage mixing of the Yiddish and the Uptown.

But even with that deficiency, this is still very much a fascinating telling of Fanny Brice’s story, but even more, it is truly Ms. Chloe Brooks’ show and should not be missed.

One Night with Fanny Brice
Monday, November 24, 2014 at 7:00PM

Tickets available here


13th Street Repertory Company
50 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011
The theatre is located between 5th Ave and 6th Ave.
Take the 1, 2, 3, F, M train to 14th Street; A, C, E to West 4th Street; 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, W to Union Square; L to 6th Avenue.
 
One Night with Fanny Brice Written and Arranged by Chip Deffaa Starring Chloe Brooks Directed by Rachel Hundert Musical Direction by Phillip Cheah The legendary Fanny Brice–whose life inspired Funny Girl–rose from poverty to become America’s highest-paid singing comedienne. ASCAP award-winning writer Chip Deffaa has crafted a solo show featuring songs Brice made famous, from Second-Hand Rose to My Man. “Deffaa has distilled Fanny Brice’s busy life and career into a well-paced two-hour show.” The Associated Press. This show “delves deeper into Brice’s story than Funny Girl ever did” The New York Times.

About the reviewer:

I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

Guest Review of Encores! “THE BAND WAGON” at New York City Center

Off the wagon.

A Guest Review of Encores!

“THE BAND WAGON”

at New York City Center

November 8, 2014

THE BAND WAGON is an energetic celebration of the music and lyrics of Messrs. Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz. Based on the 1953 MGM film THE BAND WAGON, Mr. Douglas Carter Beane uses the original screenplay by Ms. Betty Comden and Mr. Adolph Green to provide a workmanlike pastiche of scenes in which to launch the songs; many of which had originally been created for the 1931 Broadway review of the same name. And what a lovely score there is, with fun numbers like “I Love Louisa,” the wistful “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan,” and the intense “Dancing in the Dark” to name but a few. All are played with the flair and obvious pleasure that has come to be a hallmark of the Encores! Orchestra which is led for THE BAND WAGON by Mr. Todd Ellison. Indeed there is such a wealth of beloved songs that the couple behind me had a lovely time quietly singing along with the music onstage and I had not the heart to turn around and ask them to stop.

The plot is simple: Hollywood Screen Idol Tony Hunter is slipping at the box office and in hopes of revitalizing his career Tony has accepted the invitation of British Thespian Jeffrey Cordova to star in a new Broadway show. Tony arrives in New York only to learn to his reluctant surprise that the show is going to be a musical that Jeffrey will direct – his first musical to be precise. Adding more to Tony’s hesitation is the fact that his former friends Lily and Lester Martin – who aren’t exactly thrilled to be working with Tony again – are supposed to supply the book and score to this new production. Toss in Paul Byrd, a self-important choreographer, and his girlfriend Garielle Gerard, a former member of the Tony Hunter fan club and you know that there are going to be complications, hijinks, tantrums and spur-of-the-moment decisions of such significance before they make it to Broadway, that I wondered why they didn’t simply resort to Judy and Mickey’s barn – actually someone DOES ask that same question in the show.

The cast works very hard to flesh out the cinematic shadows they are saddled with. Mr. Brian Stokes Mitchell gives a pleasantly light performance as Tony Hunter that is in keeping with the “aw shucks” 1950’s ambiance. In fact he’s a somewhat more entertaining but slightly flawed “Father Knows Best” figure; trying to marshal his troupe to a successful first night and at the same time renew his career and inspiration. But there was very little Tony Hunter for Mr. Mitchell to work with so I took Mr. Mitchell at his word that this was his role and just enjoyed watching him try to make the best of it. Song and dance-wise he was simply delightful.

The Great British Dramatic Actor Jeffrey Cordova is a theatrical babe in the woods who is such a good sport and so eager to take up the latest half-baked idea that he would be absolutely impossible to believe as a character had not Mr. Tony Sheldon had so much fun playing him with a wink and a nudge. Jeffery is unreal, but Mr. Sheldon makes him amusingly good company.

Complementing Jeffrey Cordova is his devoted right-hand man Hal Meadows. Hal is down to earth and often keeps Jeffrey from running off the rails. As the show proceeds Hal is often the one who is there to keep things moving forward for everybody. Mr. Don Stephenson plays Hal with wonderful understatement often providing an ideal counterpoint to the more volatile “creative” people.

Speaking of volatile, Mr. Michael Berresse is the egocentric choreographer Paul Byrd. Byrd is something of the heavy of the piece – determined to have an advanced ballet produced in the show at all costs (Boo! Hiss!). Thankfully Mr. Berresse remembers that this is a MOVIE version of Broadway and NOT “A Chorus Line” and if he does not quite twirl a moustache and mutter “Curses,” he does exude a villainous single-mindedness to his plot to inflict his interminable ballet upon the public, even at the expense of the show.

It is surprising that Paul Byrd has a girlfriend as talented and idealistic as Gabrielle Gerard who clearly seems to overshadow him. There is something of a blushing “Gee Whiz” demeanor in Gabrielle that Ms. Laura Osnes makes believable. Here is a sweet and likable young lady who has something of a full story to tell us. Better still Ms. Osnes makes us root for her.

Lester Martin is another incompletely drawn character; he is there to sit at the piano and push his music while worrying about losing his wife Lily to Tony Martin. Somehow Mr. Michael McKean brings him sweetly to life and makes us care for this man who knows that his wife had settled for him after Tony left for Hollywood.

Indeed I too was in love with Ms. Tracey Ullman’s Lily Martin. Lily is not glamorous nor does she have any major dance number, but she is the most three dimensional and sympathetic of all the people trying to bring this musical to a successful Broadway opening. Here we have a successful woman who was deeply in love and only married her best friend Lester because she could not have Tony. She has to work out her feelings for both men while trying to keep the show from closing out of town. Watching Ms. Ullman’s superb portrayal of Lily, I thought, “What an amazing musical there might have been had Lily Martin been the focus of THE BAND WAGON – not Tony Hunter.”

The rest of the ensemble do their best to be believable city people and show folk, not even cracking a smile during the most ludicrous of Paul Byrd’s dance excesses.

The problem with adapting a well-known and beloved film into another form is that the original is a ghostly presence that haunts whatever new version is created. In the case of THE BAND WAGON an exorcism would have been a good idea. Mr. Douglas Carter Beane’s book does not want to risk alienating the audience who remembers the original – like the musical duo I mentioned before – but at the same time he often forgets that the speedy development of the plot points that might work in a movie may come across as incomplete onstage. Interactions that can mean a lot in close-up need more fleshing out when on a big stage. Matters that should be detailed are merely relayed to the audience in a second hand way, sometimes with minimal exposition: Who really cares about Tony Hunter and his bad movie making decisions?

Director and Choreographer Kathleen Marshal has to make the most of the uneven script but she cannot get beyond some of the moments that are staged for the sole purpose of setting a song that has no logical place in the script. She tries to interest us in these musical numbers that are often part of the Broadway bound show in a show but beloved as some of these scenes are in the movie (like “Triplets” and “Louisiana Hayride”) it might have been better just to assemble them as some sort of independent entre-act rather than waste time in a painful attempt to make them integral. Again, I have to hearken back to Mr. Beane’s adaptation. I understand that this BAND WAGON is based on Hollywood’s take on Broadway, but the creaky conventionalities (commercial entertainment versus ART, the comeback of the has-been, etc…) and the hackneyed theme of the Lester and Lily Martin’s plot for the Broadway Bound show are either a spoof or a lousy script.

Even when there are departures that seem promising, everything is firmly buried in what Mr. Beane assumes are the Hollywood conventions of the day. Mr. Beane claims the script was a tribute to Ms. Comden’s and Mr. Green’s work as a writing team. As an admirer of the duo, I had this sinking feeling that they’d have demanded a rewrite Happily when the musical numbers get going they are a lot of fun to hear and watch. Ms. Kathleen Marshal does know how to make performers move and some of the staging is memorable such as for the song “I Love Louisa.”

Mr. Derek McLane’s excellent sets and Mr. Peter Kaczorowski’s lighting followed and highlighted the action smoothly, while Mr. William Ivey Long’s costumes were very much of the 1950’s and he allowed himself a sly joke of dressing some performers in the show within the show as recognizable characters from other musicals of the era. But little point: Ms. Osnes please tuck in ALL of your hair for “Triplets” – it just spoils the point when the three babies sing about how they are all alike when one of them is sporting long flowing curls down past her shoulders. Then too in “Triplets”, Mr. Brian Ronan’s sound design is either muffling some of the lyrics or amplifying the performers’ mumbling of them – and not only in that number.

I feel like a grump writing down all these criticisms – especially as the audience seemed to be having a whale of a time. And I enjoyed THE BAND WAGON too for what it was: a pleasant diversion that entertained in spite of its story – not because of it.

  • Cast & Credits

    Book by Douglas Carter Beane
    From the screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
    Music by Arthur Schwartz
    Lyrics by Howard Dietz
    Based on the classic MGM film
    Produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures
    Featuring The Encores! Orchestra
    Guest Music Director Todd Ellison
    Directed and Choreographed by Kathleen Marshall

    Starring Brian Stokes Mitchell, Tracey Ullman, Michael McKean, Tony Sheldon, Laura OsnesWith Michael Berresse, Don Stephenson, Lawrence Alexander, John Carroll, Joyce Chittick, Jason DePinto, Ericka Hunter, Dionna Thomas Littleton, Gavin Lodge, Erica Mansfield, Brittany Marcin, Paul McGill, Kaitlin Mesh, Jermaine R. Rembert, Brandon Rubendall, Jennifer Savelli, Eric Sciotto, Samantha Zack

  • An Encores! Special Event

    The Band Wagon

    • Mainstage
    • Nov 6 – 16, 2014
    • Tickets start at $30 available here:

About the reviewer:


I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions. I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

GUEST REVIEWER: ON THE TOWN – Lyric Theater – October 21, 2014

Bringing up Gabey.

A review of the revival of
ON THE TOWN
At the Lyric Theater

October 21, 2014

by Moshe Bloxenheim, Guest Reviewer

When the house lights dimmed in the Lyric Theatre on 42nd Street and the audience hushed expectantly, no strains of Bernstein rose from the orchestra pit – instead we heard the stately notes of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Ours was doubtless not the first performance where everyone looked at one another in confusion, but soon enough all rose from their seats, hand over heart, and began to join in singing the National Anthem – first unsure of themselves but finishing the first stanza in full. It was only then that the curtain – itself a large US flag – rose and the show began.

A cynical scheme to make sure no one could hate this show?

No, we are traveling back to 1944 and wartime when New York was truly part of the Home Front and all theater performances started off with this tribute to our embattled country before taking the audience away from the grim realities of battle news, casualties, blackouts and rationing.

Happily there is no rationing or actor shortage in this revival of ON THE TOWN. Nicely cast, cleverly staged and lushly orchestrated, the new production is an enthusiastic valentine to a bygone New York City: a glorious eyeful and earful that goes far to please the audience.
The premise of ON THE TOWN is simple: Ozzie, Chip and Gabey are three US Sailors who have 24 hours leave in New York City before they ship out. As they ride the subway from the Navy yard, Gabey sees a picture of the latest month’s “Miss Turnstiles” and longs for the exotic young lady who has been so honored by the New York City Board of Transportation: Miss Ivy Smith. The three young men agree to split up and use clues from the Miss Turnstiles poster to locate her. As they search, Chip meets the delightfully direct ex-cabbie Hildy Esterhazy and Ozzie encounters a soul-mate in the volatile anthropologist Claire de Loone. But poor Gabey must endure many more obstacles before he can meet the Ivy Smith of his dreams.

Jay Armstrong Johnson, Tony Yazbeck and Clyde Alves

Jay Armstrong Johnson, Tony Yazbeck and Clyde Alves

These three young men and three young ladies may be the lead roles, but the starring spot is reserved for the setting of ON THE TOWN itself; the big, confusing, often tawdry New York City that even in wartime offers a magic wonderland that beats the organized, rational happiness of Disneyland hollow.

To populate such vibrant metropolis, the company has to be large by necessity and many performers play multiple roles: exiting as one citizen of the fair city and reentering the scene as another different character, each one with his or her own story to tell, be they sailor, cop, schoolgirl, commuter, lover or employee of Mr. Godolphin. Such careful delineations are certainly due to the efforts of the director and the choreographer, but a long and hearty ovation surely must go to these actors who never devolve into walking stage properties.

One of these many-faceted players is the very talented Mr. Stephen DeRosa. He plays a motley series of individuals and the spectator is hard put to recognize the tired shipyard worker, wise guy bill poster, harried professor, hackneyed club hosts, etc., as one and the same person even though Mr. DeRosa often adds his own funny touch that makes the most of each individual.

Mr. Phillip Boykin is another skillful actor who adds to the multitude, with his warm booming voice and the ability to go from the sleepy worker who memorably opens the show to the campily shrill announcer for the Miss Turnstiles contest and finishes off as a gritty Coney Island carny.

Megan Fairchild and Jackie Hoffman

Megan Fairchild and Jackie Hoffman

If other actors are giving us a remarkable parade of the New York public, Ms. Jackie Hoffman gleefully rounds up her various personalities to show how many people can be a singular pain in the neck. Whether she is a crotchety Old Lady who objects to our heroes or becomes each of the various club singers who must moan the most inconveniently depressing of songs, Ms. Hoffman is hell bent on demonstrating how ruining everyone else’s fun can be a grand activity, especially when she is playing the chief obstacle between Gabey’s and Ivy’s meeting: the dipsomaniacally mercenary singing teacher Maude P. Dilly.

Though Mr. Michael Rupert only inhabits one role –Judge Pitkin W. Bridgework – he makes the most of this slowly building gag who is Claire’s relentlessly understanding fiancé. For the good Judge, realism is not worthy of a hearing.

Just as gratifying in her small, but vital part is Ms. Allison Guinn as the definitive drip and third wheel, Lucy Schmeeler.

So what of our sailor’s and their ladies?

Jay Armstrong Johnson and Alysha Umphress

Jay Armstrong Johnson and Alysha Umphress

The cutely handsome Mr. Jay Armstrong Johnson definitely gets a merit badge for his performance as the boy-scoutish Chip, who wants to see the big city but is there for his pals. One can easily see why Hildy is determined to get this Sailor away from his guidebook. Not that sensible Chip can resist Hildy for long, and who can blame him? The marvelously named Ms. Alysha Umphress provides a deliciously voluptuous and direct young lady who knows what she likes and is happy to let us all in on the secret. Vocally Ms. Umphress belts her numbers with a wonderfully knowing air that makes her singing “I Can Cook Too” one of the highlights of the evening.

In direct contrast to Hildy is Claire de Loone: she also knows what she wants, but is trying to make do with what she believes would be better for her – such as her fiancé Judge Pitkin W. Bridgework. But deep down Claire knows that better isn’t always best. She is a healthy mademoiselle who tries desperately to maintain a cool, intellectual facade only to give way to vigorous explosions of enthusiasm as she amusingly explains in the whimsical song “Carried Away.” Unfortunately Ms. Elizabeth Stanley never quite strikes the balance between a vessel of simmering passions about to hilariously blow her top or a cartoonish basket case who is dangerously close to putting her carefully manicure index finger to her rosy lips and going Bliblbliblblibl… Still, when avoiding the outright caricature, Ms. Stanley’s Claire can be quite a girl.

Ozzie might get carried away too, but the excellent Mr. Clyde Alves keeps it all in fun and avoids psychiatric undertones. Here is a likeable fellow who might get a bit full of himself but his reaction to the overwhelming Claire shows that he has a thing or two to learn.

Tony Yazbeck

Tony Yazbeck

As a farm boy from the Midwest, one might think the innocent Gabey would have a LOT to learn, but in spite of all his friend’s advice, Mr. Tony Yazbeck’s sweet and boyish Gabey does better relying on himself. From the moment he falls for Miss Turnstiles’ poster, Gabey has everybody rooting for this heart-struck young man. A one dimensional character would be hard put to convey the helpless loneliness of “Lonely Town” or the jubilation of “Lucky to Be Me,” let alone bring the audience along in Gabey’s nightmarish fantasy search of “Imaginary Coney Island.” Yet, Mr. Yazbeck makes it all feel real.

Megan Fairchild and the cast of On The Town

Megan Fairchild and the cast of On The Town

Happily for Gabey, Ms. Megan Fairchild’s Ivy Smith is just what he needs – a nice and pretty girl who is far from the exotic creature that was conjured up by the Miss Turnstiles campaign. Ms. Fairchild can soar in a fantasy ballet and do a Miss Turnstiles strut, but her Ivy is a likeable down-to-earth person who is more than a little bewildered by everyone else’s expectations for her and she proves a droll foil for Ms. Hoffman’s conniving Maude P. Dilly.

Such a big cast could easily engulf a less carefully thought out stage, but Mr. Beowulf Boritt provides a mix of sets, curtains, moving panels and projections that is well worth seeing on its own merit. Under the expert lighting of Mr. Jason Lyons, streets rush by, clubs spring up, subways hurry through a fantastic city that can seamlessly expand to handle the show’s biggest dances and contract to focus on the most intimate moments. This is ON THE TOWN’s native environment and everyone and everything involved seem to belong here and take sheer joy in the energy and motion of the show – even the Status of Liberty’s torch, which would have been blacked out during the war years, beams approvingly over the goings on.

If Messrs. Borrit and Lyons provide the world of 1944 New York, then the costumes, hair and makeup designs of Mr. Jess Goldstein, Ms. Leah Louks and Mr. Joe Dulude II do a fine job of filling the streets with believable 1944 New Yorkers, strikingly imaginary people for the dream ballets, eye-catching carnies and lots and lots of handsome sailors.

On the whole the direction is quite good with Mr. John Rando effectively keeping the development of the characters and their situations flowing smoothly and enjoyably. Unfortunately Mr. Rando does not always know where the fine line lies between the believably funny or the flatly cartoonish. There are, of course, downright caricatures like Judge Pitkin W. Bridgework and Maude P. Dilly where any degree of actuality would ruin the fun, but I somehow wondered if Director Rando had something to do with poor Claire de Loon’s operatic excess. Also Hildy’s speedy moderation of her initial “Duh Bronx” accent with its “Youse” and “Dese” inflections to a more pleasing enunciation show how much this was just a sloppy and unnecessary gimmick to establish character.

But I thought Mr. Rando’s staging had one misstep which went beyond funny-papers “haha” to downright crude: When the Announcer of the Miss Turnstiles competition struggles to relieve the unwilling Ivy of her crown at the end of the month, he looks like he is ripping it off her hair.

It is unfortunate that such lapses are there for both the actors and the audience to endure, but they are happily outnumbered by Mr. Rando’s better choices, Adding to the plusses, Conductor James Moore, the orchestra and the singers clearly appreciate Mr. Leonard Bernstein’s music and (Assisted by Mr. Kai Harada’s subtle sound designs) give it a glorious sound. Ms. Betty Comden and Mr. Adolph Green provided the lyrics as well as a fun book and, along with Mr. Bernstein, convey their own youthful enthusiasm for New York and life and optimism about the future. The songs are gems and more than a few are classic hits starting with the unforgettable “New York, New York (a helluva town).” From the blissful “Lucky to Be Me,” to the endearingly raunchy “I Can Cook Too,” to the sweeping ballet pieces, and the heartfelt “Some Other Time” it is clear that even in their twenties Ms. Comden and Messrs. Bernstein and Green could cover emotional and dramatic ground with a skill that seems harder and harder to find in modern musicals.

ON THE TOWN is a show that was inspired and in part developed by the legendary Mr. Jerome Robbins. Choreographer Joshua Bergasse understands this heritage, giving us a city where dance inhabits every onstage motion without any air of “art for culture’s sake”; it is often funny, frequently beautiful and more than one moment brings a lump to the throat.

With all the people and sets that must pass on and off the stage in such a smooth and continuous progression, it would be ungrateful not to offer up an extra round of applause to the Production Stage Manager Bonnie L. Becker. I bet her backstage work with its split second timings of cast and properties would be another fascinating performance to behold.

At any rate what is offered on stage is a true jewel of Musical Theater. It may not be a flawless pearl, but ON THE TOWN is still to be valued and delighted in.

————————————————————————-

Leaving the theater I was left with an interesting question; how many people below a certain age would now see ON THE TOWN as anything but three goofy sailors who have left their ship for a day?

When ON THE TOWN opened in 1944, the musical had dramatic undertones that were felt by everyone whether onstage or in the audience: At the end of their 24 hour leave, these three sailors who had already undergone combat would be shipped off once more to a possibly dangerous destination from which they may never return. Additionally, the three girls were discovering themselves in a world changed by war and no one knew what the outcome would be even at home. Even after 1945, further unrests in the world and the possibility of the draft must have lent the show’s final moments poignancy that I fear many of today’s younger people must miss – living as we now do in a compartmentalized world where the US can be fighting wars that have far less affect back at home than they once might have had. Who would have the nerve these days to talk of a home front or ask anyone to make sacrifices for our nation’s good?

I began my review by mentioning how the show attempted to evoke 1944 by the singing of the National Anthem. Perhaps the sense of those uncertain times could have been enhanced by the addition of one more lighting effect to the dazzling array of projections: a discreet image of World War II news sliding across the Times Square News Ticker.

One more notion: Although it might ruin a desired measure of surprise for the show, I think it would be a little more respectful to both the audience and the National Anthem if everyone had fair warning that the “Star Spangled Banner” was imminent before they got to their seats. It just isn’t something one ought to spring on people.

————————————————————————-

On the Town Tickets

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About the reviewer:


I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.

Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

REVIEW: Encores! concert revival of IRMA LA DOUCE – New York City Center – May 11, 2014

Giving La Douce her due

A review of Encores! concert revival of IRMA LA DOUCE

New York City Center – May 11, 2014

by Moshe Bloxenheim, Guest Reviewer

IRMA LA DOUCE is a fairy tale of Paris:  a very adult and amoral fantasy set in the underworld of Le Milieu where everyone has a descriptive name, socializes around a zinc bar and assumes a happily cynical sang-froid about the seamier side of life.  This shady place is brightened by the optimistically down-to-earth Irma La Douce, who is the carnal and emotional outlet for all the men of le Milieu.  That is until a young law student by the name of Nestor-Le-Fripe (or Nestor-the-Shabby) falls passionately in love with sweet Irma.  Jealously Nestor tries to keep Irma to himself, adopting the disguise of Monsieur Oscar an alleged elderly millionaire who hires Irma exclusively.  Meanwhile Irma’s boss Polyte-Le-Mou and his associate the Police Inspector do not care for Nestor’s upsetting of their financial and sexual applecart and would be delighted with any pretext to remove the young student from the scene.  Of course the young man supplies them with a reason, when, tired of being his own rival, Nestor decides to have Monsieur Oscar disappear and everyone assumes that he has murdered the wealthy man in a fit of lover’s rage.

 Like the storyline, the credits for IRMA LA DOUCE are a bit complicated having an original French book and lyrics by Monsieur Alexandre Breffort and an English adaptation by Messrs. Julian More, David Heneker and Monty Norman.  This was then adapted for the Encores! stage by Mr. John Doyle who also directed the current revival.

The music by M. Marguerite Monnot is a delight in any language whether proudly sardonic as in “Noble Sons of France” or giving us a defiantly sentimental finale with “Christmas Child.”  Under Conductor Rob Berman, the Encores! Orchestra certainly makes the most of Mr. Andre Popp’s orchestrations (augmented by Mr. Robert Ginzler).

All the same the Encores! revival of IRMA LA DOUCE seems to me to be at something of a loss on how to effectively juggle the many requirements of a story that often demands point blank acceptance from the audience.  While I appreciated the gleefully raffish presentation of a bourgeois underclass that gave a sort of Gallic “3-Penny Opera” flavor to IRMA LA DOUCE, I could not enjoy the show with the same zest experienced by several discerning friends of mine: I kept feeling that something vital is missing.

 For the most part I cannot blame the cast for this.  The denizens of the underworld are as amusing a group of charmers as one could desire.  Polyte-Le-Mou (‘Le Boss”) might be a bluff bully and the Police Inspector is as corrupt as they come, but excellent Messrs. Chris Sullivan and Stephen DeRosa keep them well in the realm of make-believe villains who can be unnerved by words of legal Latin or brought to tears by the slap of a working girl.  Even more enjoyable are the likably comic cutthroats Jojo-Les-Yeaux-Sales, Roberto-Les-Diams, Persil-Le-Noir and (I kid you not) Frangipane.  These fellows, played with wonderful enthusiasm by Messrs. Zachary James, Ken Krugman, Ben Crawford and Sam Bolen respectively, are both delightfully self-serving, yet charmingly familial.

Living respectably on the wrong side of the law as they do, it would take some doing to disturb such a crew’s peace of mind.  So it is all the funnier to see Mr. Rob McClure’s Nestor-Le-Fripe naively wander into Le Milieu and turn their world upside-down.  Mr. McClure exhibits a gee-whiz sort of sensibility that would usually be found in a character who puts on shows in a barn or rises to the top of a corporate ladder by following a paperback manual.  And what with delivering numbers like the romantic “Our Language of Love” with Irma or Nestor’s hilarious lament to a double life “Wreck of a Mec” it is only natural for this Nestor-Le-Fripe to win over the girl, the gang and the audience.  But Mr. McClure doesn’t stop there.  As the bearded elderly Monsieur Oscar, Mr. McClure is wickedly droll, playing the self-created rival of Nestor and soon the jealous competitors are practically acting each other off the stage – not a bad feat for a single actor to carry off.  Yet Mr. McClure never forgets that Nestor is a man truly torn by love and jealousy and his eventual separation from Irma rises touchingly above the farcical complications and comic turns.

With the storybook nature of the show, it would be quite right to have a Narrator who keeps everyone and thing in order and Mr. Malcolm Gets performs this vital role of Bob-le-Hotu, the proprietor of the Bar des Inquiets in which the story unfolds.  Mr. Gets gives the air of one who has seen it all and who knows what has to be done, whether he is introducing characters, setting up a scene or handing over props.  Perhaps Mr. Gets is being low-key, but I just wish he would be a little more amused and invested in the world he offers us.  After all, the opening song “Valse Milieu” is not a song sung by a man who is losing his taste for dance.

But what of Irma, the sweet one, herself?

Ms. Jennifer Bowles is a singing, dancing powerhouse who is an admirable part of the ensemble.  Her bouyant rendition of the big number “Dis-Donc” and her sweet performance of “The Letter” are highlights of the show.  But to me, Irma’s being one of an ensemble is a problem.  I understand the rightness of Irma being very matter-of-fact in the aspects of her life (being both a hooker and a nice girl), but Ms. Bowles and Director John Doyle seem to forget that Irma is the title character – the only female lead – with her own streetwise rules and standards.  In a show where several chairs placed atop bar can become a ship or we can delight in the hallucinated Arctic ballet, why can’t this Irma completely impose her vision of the world on the audience: whether to convincingly demonstrate her prerogative to buy a man a drink or to maintain her faith in the reality of Monsieur Oscar (even if it is just Nestor in a beard)?  I think Ms. Bowles could be far more effective if she would remember that Irma is supposed to be the Princess of this Fairy Tale: the déclassé Darla Hood to this mature Our Gang Comedy.

The rest of the Ensemble well earns their praise as they roam and cavort across the stage in the persona of various low-lives, officials, and clientele and so on.

 Mr. John Doyle’s direction is often very good.  Whether we are in the lowest dive or watching prisoners in Devil’s Island, Mr. Doyle always keeps it on an endearingly cartoonish level so that the brutal reality never intrudes on the whimsy and romance of the tale.  His staging of Nestor’s murder trial is a delightfully flippant depiction of judicial corruption and breaks Nestor’s heart as effectively as would the most sinister indictment of the legal system.  But as I have said before, something seems to be lacking with Irma and I wonder if Mr. Doyle could not find a satisfactory balance between the wholesome, healthy girl and the ma’amselle of the streets on which he could root Ms. Jennifer Bowles’ performance.  Whatever the reason, I feel that Irma deserved to be stronger and the show itself better.

Still Mr. Chase Brock’s choreography is very imaginative and makes for some wonderful moments on a stage evocatively set by Mr. John Lee Beatty to be the all-encompassing Bar des Inquiets.  With Mr. Paul Miller’s clever lighting and Mr. Scott Lehrer’s sound designs, Messrs. Doyle and Beatty are able to let the audience leave the bar and travel around Paris and even across the world.

Ms. Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes are nicely atmospheric with the gentlemen looking quite understated in their scarves, trench coats, sweaters and suits (save for Polyte-Le-Mou who contrasts with them nicely in the checked jacket and saddle shoes that seem appropriate for a small time boss).  Irma’s red dress with its heart-patterned bodice is both suitably alluring and amusingly reputable.

I am always grateful when Encores! gives me the opportunity to discover a show I know nothing about.  But by the final curtain of IRMA LA DOUCE, I was left wondering why I felt so unmoved after so much effort and imagination had been expended.

About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.

Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

REVIEW: Encores! concert revival of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA

That’s Amore!

A review of Encores! concert revival of
THE MOST HAPPY FELLA

At New York City Center – April 6, 2014
by Moshe Bloxenheim, Guest Reviewer

Within the first few minutes of the overture of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA, the strings, horns and cymbals of the overture joined in a musical
exclamation that sent a thrill up my back which pretty much stayed there until the final notes of the evening, when we all began to shuffle out of City Center feeling that we had just witnessed something truly great.
Yet the plot is a simple one, focusing on everyday people; their problems and joys. Mr. Frank Loesser’s book of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA – based on the play THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED by Mr. Sidney Howard – features no villains or changing epochs. Set on and around Tony Espozito’s ranch in Napa Valley, California, THE MOST HAPPY FELLA shows how two ordinary people can pick themselves up from the wreck of their dreams and build something newer and better. Insecure about his age and looks, the Italian-born farmer Tony encloses a picture of his handsome young foreman Joe in a letter to the young lady he has been wooing by mail. When the romantically dubbed Rosabella actually arrives at the farm to meet and marry the farmer she has been writing to for so long, she is tragically disillusioned; not merely learning that her wooer isn’t the handsome young man she had anticipated, but that she also must deal with the crumpled and battered body of the much older Tony who has had a serious accident on his way to pick her up from the train. In shock and yielding to the pleas of the badly injured Tony and his friends, Rosabella marries him. On this tragic wedding night, Rosabella is unable to cope with the total overturn of her expectations and gives herself to the thoughtless but responsive Joe. It is then up to Tony and Rosabella to truly discover each other and try to make some sort of life for themselves. That they triumph so wonderfully and believably in this production is a tribute to both Mr. Loesser and the Encores! company.
If I had to point out the true star of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA it would be Mr. Frank Loesser’s sweeping and amazingly varied score. There are some very beloved standards in this song book; “Standing on the Corner”, “Joey, Joey, Joey” and of course that love song to Urban Texas “Big D.” However, it isn’t just that there are some wonderful tunes. Mr. Loesser’s music and lyrics carry the listener along, unfolding the action and expressing the emotions of the performers. This isn’t drama simply accompanied by song: it is all of one piece. Perhaps that is one reason why there is a tendency to call THE MOST HAPPY FELLA ”operatic.” The developing love of Tony and Rosabella is a simple and beautiful thing to behold, but when they express their joyful desire for one another in the number “My Heart is So Full of You” the show was well and truly stopped by the cries and applause of an audience that was deeply moved.

Excellent music and drama alone was only a part of the sensation that was Encores! THE MOST HAPPY FELLA. The cast sounded great and acted brilliantly. The man of the title, Tony Esposito is a truly good man who wants to achieve something better than he has – marriage, a family, a loving wife. Mr. Shuler Hensley was a very likeable Tony, whom we can easily sympathize with even when he makes the fateful photo switch. Mr. Hesley made it clear that throughout the show that Tony always had that bad deed in the back of his mind and he made us feel for the poor man and root for him as well. Musically, Mr. Hensley acted his songs with intensity rather than trying to be a perfect tenor. Indeed, he was able to use his body mike to great effect, taking moments that might have sounded technically fine in other hands but used a whisper here, an outright shout there or a breaking voice to bring drama and emotion to this rustic farmer. Happily as well, Mr. Hensley’s Tony may not have been the carelessly handsome Joey, but he had a rough-hewn attractiveness too, making Rosabella’s eventual love for Tony on both a physical and emotional level very believable.
Just as convincing was Ms. Laura Benanti’s Rosabella. This character is pretty enough to have men appreciate her, but also smart enough to know that she is one of many attractive waitresses and that she ought to find something better while she has the chance. Ms. Benanti knew how to exhibit both the good humor and fear of a woman who may have seen more of the world than she would have liked to. Rosabella can discover and eventually love the goodness in Tony, and like Tony she is a nice person who makes a mistake that she has to live with. In Ms. Benanti’s characterization, we wanted this heroine to be happy and feel deeply for her when things go wrong. Rosabella was already touching in her songs like “Somebody Somewhere” but once she meets Tony, Ms. Benanti musically met Mr. Hensley on equal terms of emotional power and dramatic skill.
I overheard someone describe Mr. Cheyenne Jackson’s Joey as “detached,” but is that a bad thing for this drifting foreman? Handsome and sounding better than ever, Mr. Jackson showed someone who wants to keep to himself free of any complications. When Joey feels that he is developing roots he pulls up and moves on. Mr. Jackson clearly understood that somebody like that would avoid emotional investment in the people around him. He was at his most emotionally open when he wistfully sang about leaving in the memorable “Joey, Joey Joey.”
Another isolated soul is Tony’s spinster sister Marie. Marie has long been Tony’s caregiver and support. She does not want to be hateful but she does not want her brother and Rosabella to be husband and wife either. So Ms. Jessica Molaskey had a difficult task as Marie: how could she show a woman who wants to break up our hero and heroine without making her an out and out villainess? Ms. Molaskey presented a very frightened woman who fears a future she cannot imagine. Even with her verbal digs at Tony and her concern over Rosabella we could feel sympathy with Marie who is seeing the life she worked so hard at getting changed beyond recognition. Indeed, Ms. Molaskey’s Marie made me wish that we might have seen more of her feelings and interactions. As it was, this Marie clearly had a story and a life outside of the play we were watching.
Only one person seemed to actually dislike Marie and in the number “I Don’t like This Dame” Ms.Heidi Blickenstaff’s Cleo brought the house down with her feelings, all the while politely acknowledging Marie’s doubts about Tony and Rosabella. Of course, Ms. Blickenstaff brought down the house with happy frequency. Cleo is the classic “second lead,” the one that the hero and heroine rely on to let them express thoughts that would otherwise be monologues and who points out destinies that might not be so easily seen. In life this is usually called “a best friend” and Ms. Blickenstaff made Cleo a supremely marvelous and credible pal to Rosabella… and who doesn’t love a buddy who pulls out a belly laugh with the same facility as she can generate cheers?
A perfect match for Cleo was Herman, the young ranch hand who “…likes ev’rybody.” Mr. Jay Armstrong Johnson played Herman as a truly sweet and amusing man who can never imagine the worst about anyone: If someone plays a trick on Herman, well; it makes them happy and hurt him none. Mr. Johnson carried this off with a real innocence so that even though Herman may be laid back and naïve, he was never an imbecile. Together with Messrs. Ryan Bauer-Walsh, Ward Billeisen and Arlo Hill, Mr. Johnson performed the wistful “Standing on the Corner” creating one of the most delightfully memorable moments of the show.
Mr. Kevin Vortmann was highly praiseworthy as the Doctor – a sincere medical man with a surprisingly fine sense of humanity as we discover in the superb “Love and Kindness” and the warming “Song of a Summer Night.”
It would be wrong not to mention other brief but vital contributions to THE MOST HAPPY FELLA: Mr. Wayne Prentlow as the Postman and Messrs. Zachary James, Bradley Dean and Brian Cali as Giuseppe, Pasquale and Ciccio who truly gloried in “Abbondanza” and kept right on going.
The rest of the cast was just plain delightful whether singing and dancing up a storm or lulling us along with a quiet ensemble piece.

If the company and material did a lot for the success of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA then Director and Choreographer Casey Nicholaw’s efforts were just as significant. Using the respectful concert adaptation by Mr. Bill Rosenfeld, Mr. Nicholaw made a rather lengthy show feel as if it ended all too soon. It is a tribute to him that the combined second and third acts of the show moved along as effectively and smartly as the first. Not only was the pacing well done, but even the smaller roles seemed to fill out and add to the vitality onstage. His staging of the dances was just as commendable, creating a “Big D” number that really packed a punch . Yet Mr. Nicholaw excelled at the smaller intimate moments too – from the already mentioned “My Heart is So Full of You” showstopper to heartbreaking moments between Rosabella and Tony that generated audible sobs from the audience.
Alas, not all the directorial decisions were perfect. While I actually liked the idea of Marie’s reconciling with the fact of Tony’s and Rosabella’s being together in the final scene of the show, I thought Mr. Nicholaw’s staging messed up the relationships between Tony, Marie and Rosabella and removed the purpose of Cleo and Herman’s number “I Made A Fist”:

· If Tony was not shown as lame anymore, why did Marie’s keeping hold of his cane (which he hates using) prevent him from going after Rosabella and triggering the final outburst?
· Once Marie and Tony resolved their issue, he never went offstage to get Rosabella as a man determined to keep his wife ought to. So what was all the fuss with that cane in the first place?
· Tony and Marie remaining onstage distracted from Cleo and Herman celebrating Herman’s willingness to fight for Cleo (a moment clearly intended to let Tony go offstage to get Rosabella back as well as ease the overall tension before Tony and Rosbella have their final quiet moment). So Cleo and Herman now just seem to be in the way and their number looks badly placed.
· After all this, Rosabella walked back onstage as if she was wondering where everyone was and Tony did not have the physical chance to show how he was going to go and bring her back.

With everything else so wonderful, this was just too bad and too late in the performance to be ignored; on the other hand there is nothing I could say to criticize the glorious sound of the augmented (38 pieces!) Encores! Orchestra under the musical direction of Mr. Rob Berman and using Mr. Don Walker’s original orchestrations. The only disappointment I’d have there would be if the company did not get back together to at least record this extraordinary music.

Like all of Encores! Musicals in Concert, there may be a full – in this case fuller – orchestra onstage, but Mr. John Lee Beatty cleverly set the remaining part of the stage with enough suggestions of place to keep anyone from ever missing full scenery. He was helped in this by Mr. Ken Billington’s very evocative lighting.
Naturally the cast’s clothing also set the location and Costume Designer Gregg Barnes went to town on the farm, defining the actors most convincingly and attractively.
Sound Designer Scott Lehrer clearly knew how to keep everyone sounding their best, but it was when Mr. Shuler Hensley made the best use of the amplification to add impact to his songs that I began to really appreciate what miking can do in a theater.

What with the narrow stage and all the sets, props and people, I can only express admiration at how Production Stage Manager Ms. Karen Moore and her crew always keep things running so smoothly and so well.

I am just sorry that the run of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA is over now. Would I see it again?

Happily, and repeatedly.

Still, there is something about these limited runs that make them very special: I feel mighty grateful when Encores! gives some of the lesser works a well-deserved chance to shine, but even more so when FRANK LOESSER works are shown.

About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.

Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

REVIEW: Encores! Concert Revival of LITTLE ME

On whom the Belle told…
A review of Encores! Concert Revival of

LITTLE ME
little me poster

At New York City Center

February 9, 2014

A wealthy, well-connected celebrity decides to share “Her Inspiring Life Story” with the world.  This is the basis for Patrick Dennis’ classic camp novel LITTLE ME which in turn formed the book for the rollicking vaudeville of a musical with the same title.  In bringing LITTLE ME to New York City Center, Encores! has spared nothing in their new concert production:  great performers, superb choreography and excellent staging, all of which set off this tuneful and happily silly show to the best advantage.

Mr. Neil Simon was clearly mining comic gold when he adapted LITTLE ME for the stage and Mr. Jack Viertel’s concert version does not tarnish the show one whit.  Miss Belle Poitrine has decided to dictate her memoirs to the fascinated author Patrick Dennis and give the world “the Truth” of her start as a dewy, well-proportioned lass from the wrong side of the tracks who, due to heartbreak, rose to prominent wealth, culture and social position on the right side of the tracks.  She relates all the people who have helped her along through hardship, war, disaster, Hollywood and Monte Carlo beginning with her one true love and all the other men who happened along the way, bankers, performers, producers, princes and so on…

The company truly romps through the show, most of them even being without the scriptbooks that Encores! had everyone carry onstage as a constant reminder to one and all that this is a “show in concert.  Only one script is ever seen and it generates one of the best laughs of the evening.

There are performers who understand the virtue of facing farce with an absolute straight face and Ms. Judy Kaye is certainly adept at this high comic art.  She sails serenely through the most outrageous narratives never tipping her hand at the absurdity of a situation (and boy can they be fantastic).  As a result, Ms. Kaye creates an unforgettable contemporary Belle Poitrine: a woman with an outrageous – but heroic – past and who clearly not content to rest on her massive pile of laurels.  In doing so, Ms. Kaye wins the adoration of the audience and gets some of the best laughs of the evening.

Neck and neck with Ms. Kaye in capturing the admiration of the audience is the young Belle Poitrine (neé Schlumpfert) who bravely climbs her way out of highly emphasized poverty.  Ms. Rachel York’s Belle is sincerity personified whether she is taking poise lessons in a hotel room with a rich banker or personally comforting a prince who has the pressures of the kingdom on his frail shoulders.  Additionally, Ms. York shows each step of her character’s evolution rising from naïve innocence to sophistication maintaining a blatant nobility and intrusive purity that makes her presence onstage all the funnier and likeable.  Musically as well Ms. York can do no wrong and when she and Ms. Kaye join forces in the number “Little Me” they wreak considerable pleasure.

If there is anyone who can truly blight the irrepressible Belle’s life it is Mrs. Eggleston, a wealthy snob of the first rank and the mother of Belle’s one true love.  While Mrs. Eggleston’s oedipal control of her son is not complex, Ms. Harriet Harris’ starchily droll demeanor makes her the perfect cartoon villainess to root against.

If Belle cannot achieve her heart’s desire there are many, MANY other men who desire her, starting with Tony Yazbeck who plays the devoted and world-wise George Musgrove.  The handsome urbane George may not be the man who can assure “happily ever after” for poor Belle, but the charming Mr. Yazbeck makes it a close thing.  His rendition of “I’ve Got Your Number” is both a seductive call and a wink at the real Belle that George can see and still love.

Ah, but then there are a LOT of other men in Belle’s life: The stingy banker Amos Pinchley whom Belle converts to generosity; Monsieur Val Du Val, France’s rude answer to Maurice Chevalier, Deliveryman and Hollywood Director Otto Schnitzler and Princes AND soldiers and, and, and…  All of whom are portrayed by Mr. Christian Borle.

This is the gimmick.

Little Me 1And a worthy gimmick it is too, for the dynamic Mr. Borle never holds back on the fun, allowing full lunacy of expression whether he is a man toggling through on-and-off amnesia, a Prince calling on his loving subjects with some rather unfortunate news or the innocent nearsighted doughboy Fred Poitrine who rapidly weds and widows Belle.  Not only does Mr. Borle play his goofy roster of characters to the hilt, but he also carries their numbers quite admirably (“Real Live Girl” is a joy) – especially in the role of the ridiculously wealthy, hyper-educated true love of Belle’s life, Noble Eggleston.  As Noble, Mr. Borle has gotten the deadpan demeanor down beautifully, whether he is explaining the difference between a gift and charity to young Belle (charity is better) or training a rapidly sinking linerful of people how to swim before the ship goes under.  There is no doubt that Noble is something of a wet smack (even before the boat sank) but he is Belle’s drip and he loves her – which makes him kind of endearing.  We know he will always be forced to leave, but Noble somehow manages return to Belle.  It is commendable when an actor can carry off a constantly varying array of portrayals, but it is really something when he must also perform one consistent role that has to thread its way in between his other characters at the same time.  If Mr. Borle does not deliver absolute perfection in such a complicated tangle of personas, he does pretty darned well.

Following Mr. Borle through his ever changing personalities is the worthy Mr. Robert Creighton who capably does his share to shift from role to role, matching the scenes as he ranges from the stingy banker’s craven son to a preacher in World War I to a prince’s aide-de-camp and so on.

Naturally there are a whole host of others who make up Belle’s life:  Her mother Momma Schlumpfert, who, in Ms. Gealen Gilliland’s skilled hands, can make even the oldest profession seem naughtily respectable, the Buchsbaum brothers Bernie (Mr. Lee Wilkof) and Bennie (Mr. Lewis J. Stadlen) who memorably launch Belle into show business, Belle’s fascinated ghostwriter Patrick Dennis, played with amusing understatement by Mr. David Garrison and a delightful crew of talented ladies and gentlemen who range from the rag-tag denizens and highfalutin upper crust of Venezuela, Illinois to the various friends who flock around Belle at the close of her recollections.

With the changes in characters and the loosely linked scenes LITTLE ME is strongly reminiscent of the old Broadway review, Director John Rando firmly keeps the narrative focused and the action flowing, yet there is an improvised feel that is well in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the show.

Dance-wise too there is a sort of “why not?” atmosphere that matches well with the show’s air of intense parody.  Choreographer Joshua Bergasse covered a wide range of dance styles and never wastes a movement.  He and the cast were clearly having a ball with the material and their enjoyment is happily infectious.  Mr. Bergasse’s arrangement of the vaudeville number “Dimples” sung by Belle with her union-suit clad “police” backup was one of those hilariously outrageous moments of theater that will always be stuck in my memory.

This of course leads us to the songs with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and music by Cy Coleman.  How can one fault such an enjoyable score with numbers like “Be a Performer!” and the standard “I’ve Got Your Number,” especially when the music is performed by the Encores! Orchestra conducted by Mr. Rob Berman?  Under his baton, Mr. Ralph Burns’ orchestrations sweep over the audience with real energy.  Mr. Berman is definitely into “Little Me” and the musicians and singers certainly benefit from his enthusiasm.

The look of the show keeps in with Encores! tendency towards lavish simplicity.  Mr. John Lee Beatty is certainly a master at using the outline of a house to indicate a hometown setting or placing a set of tables and some small backdrops to create a busy nightclub scene.  His scenic designs for LITTLE ME certainly always highlight the action and never draw the focus away from it even when Mr. Beatty slips in his own small visual wisecracks (such as the Buchsbaum Brothers nameplates “BENNIE”, “& BERNIE”).  With all the praise I have been lavishing on LITTLE ME it is downright curmudgeonly to mention a fault now, but I really think that Mr. Beatty ought to remember that the people in the upper gallery cannot fully see the back of the stage; so even if his wonderful gag backdrops get a large laugh from the lower two levels of the theatre, there is an entire third level of spectators that he excludes from the jokes because of he did not consider the sight lines.  If this happened once or twice, I might have overlook such a problem, but such joke screens set off each major scene and leave the upper seats feeling somewhat gypped.

Still it is impossible to be resentful when we also have Mr. Ken Billington’s atmospheric lighting and Sound Designer Scott Lehrer efforts adding their own running gag to the evening by visually and audibly expressing – with some frequency – what true love means to Belle and Noble.

Mr. Paul Tazewell adds his own measure of deviltry in his costumes for LITTLE ME.  They may echo the periods in which each scene is set, but they are never museum pieces – unless they need to be.  Young Belle’s costumes alone are a skillful sartorial map of her advancement in the world and slyly remind us all to what her rise is attributed to.

 It is a shame that this past Sunday evening was the final performance because as done at Encores! LITTLE ME clearly deserves further exposure.  It is a solid, entertaining show that reminds us how wonderful it is to simply have a good time at the theater and walk out afterwards with a broad grin and a strong desire to buy the show’s album.

About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.

Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

  • Cast & Credits

    Book by Neil Simon
    Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
    Music by Cy Coleman
    Based on the novel Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen
    and Television/Belle Poitrine    , by Patrick Dennis
    Directed by John Rando
    Choreography by Joshua Bergasse
    Starring Christian Borle, Robert Creighton, David Garrison, Harriet Harris, Judy Kaye, Lewis J. Stadlen, Lee Wilkof, Tony Yazbeck, and Rachel York

    With Cameron Adams, Stanley Bahorek, Meggie Cansler, Gaelen Gilliland, Arlo Hill, Reed Kelly, Justin Keyes, Eloise Kropp, Josh Lamon, Jenny Laroche, Samantha Massell, Skye Mattox, Paul McGill, Jason Mills, Vivian Nixon, Lindsay O’Neil, Manuel Stark, Clay Thomson, Kathy Voytko, and Amos Wolff

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REVIEW: MURDER FOR TWO at NEW WORLD STAGE

Duet to the Death

A review of
MURDER FOR TWO
At NEW WORLD STAGE

January 11, 2014

MURDER FOR TWO is a cutely tongue-in-cheek musical parody of the classic murder mystery. Marcus, an up-and-coming police officer with a dark past is called to the scene of the crime. A well-known author has been killed and Marcus must deal with the throng of the victim’s loving relatives and friends all of whom have some sinister revelation and all of whom are portrayed by a second actor.

Therein lays the gimmick; the two man play with the cast of thousands!

This is a very self-referential operation that could easily collapse into an uncomfortable mess of rushing actors and weird impersonations – a party piece that goes on too long and wrongly. Happily the authors of MURDER FOR TWO, Messrs. Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair know how to charge the show with enough irreverence that even apparent weaknesses contribute to the fun and the sometimes groaning laughter of the evening.

The prime driving forces that keep this sustained sketch romping merrily along are the stars Brett Ryback and Jeff Blumentkrantz.
As Marcus, the eager young hero, Mr. Ryback exudes a rampant gee-whiz enthusiasm that makes one wonder if there is a barn somewhere for this attractive young lawman to put on a show in. Of course, his barn is the very home in which this murder most foul has occurred. Mr. Ryback understands that charm and smugness have to be applied with care and he usually knows when to turn them off. Whenever he forgets to, there is always the wonderfully capricious Mr. Jeff Blumenkrantz, who can bring him to total exasperation with a shift of characterization. Indeed, Mr. Jeff Blumenkrantz not only hurls himself into all the other roles, from matron to fireman to small choir boy with a change of prop, voice or demeanor, but he also knows how to deploy each recognizable persona as a comic weapon, whether he is annoying Marcus as a garrulous doctor or refusing to shift into the appropriate suspect at Marcus’ bidding.

Additionally, both Messrs. Blumenkrantz and Ryback perform their songs with flair and abandon. This is considerable achievement when one considers that the two gentlemen form the orchestra as well, using the music as accompaniment, a dramatic device and a way to push each other’s buttons.

Our duo do not, however, take tickets or usher in the audience, though I am sure they would be more than a match for those tasks as well, but even in their current range of duties, they practically crowd the stage with characters to the delight of the audience.

The score of MURDER FOR TWO is pleasant enough. With music by Mr. Joe Kinosian and lyrics by Mr. Kellen Blair, there are enjoyable and funny pieces, but as is often the case these days, very little in the way of memorable tunes to take out of the theater. Then again that seems part and parcel of MURDER FOR TWO’s amusingly tossed-off atmosphere.

If the actors take honors for their diverting performances, it is due to Director Scott Schwartz that the show moves along in a rollicking way. This is a piece that might wilt under too much critical examination and Mr. Schwartz makes sure that the audience is not left alone for a moment to indulge in such a fatal activity. He ensures that the comedy is always there and that the one-upmanship between the two actors keeps us grinning even when things are at their silliest.

While the set might appear to be a bare stage with only the essentials, Mr. Beowulf Boritt has created an ingenious design that, through his props and Mr. Jason Lyons’ creative lighting, supply everything that is needed to create havoc at the old homestead.

Ms. Jill BC Du Boff also contributes mightily with well applied sound effects and recorded musical bits. Still with such a small theater, why did the cast need not only body mikes but external microphones? Are people in the production SO insecure about being audible?

On the other hand, Ms. Andrea Lauer’s costumes seemed like nice enough street clothes but as the show moves forward these garments provide their own plot points and humorous diversions.

In all MURDER FOR TWO is an enjoyable 90 minute comic juggling act that is very much time well wasted.

MURDER FOR TWO is currently playing at
New World Stages / Stage 5
340 West 50th Street
Between 8th and 9th Avenues
New York NY 10019
Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission

Tickets are currently on sale through March 16, 2014
Please call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 for ticketing assistance.
More info at: http://murderfortwomusical.com/

About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.
Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

REVIEW: BECOMING DR. RUTH starring Debra Jo Rupp

The Doctor is in.

 A review of

at the WestSide Theatre

With all the of persona-driven notoriety that fills the media, Mr. Mark St. Germain’s play BECOMING DR. RUTH is a refreshing reminder of how a celebrity can actually have a real background of work and achievement behind their fame.  Indeed, the title character, Dr. Ruth Westheimer has lived and worked eventfully enough to provide for several life stories.  This is a real surprise for those people who had perhaps giggled immaturely at Dr. Ruth’s sex advice show (hey, I was in high school and sex was ALWAYS something to snicker at) as well as the newer generations who may recall her quirky grammarian persona – Dr. Ruth “Wordheimer” – on Public Television

 Mr. St. Germain’s funny and thoughtful script presents a very matter of fact lady who has seen it all: the rise of the Third Reich, the founding of Israel, student life in Postwar Paris and the challenges of being taken seriously in the academic world as a very petite woman.  Fascinating as this all may be, BECOMING DR. RUTH could have easily become one woman-one note biographical lecture.  Instead the playwright ingeniously frames the evening as a visit to Dr. Ruth’s apartment at a rather chaotic time in her life: we meet the good Doctor while she prepares to leave her home of thirty years.  What with the calls from movers, agents and family and surrounded by boxes and items to be packed, Dr. Ruth is more than happy to be distracted by some company – even a theater full of people.  Indeed, the media savvy Dr. Ruth is not above smashing the fourth wall if it will permit her to cut off an annoying phone call, make a point, or simply let her guests feel more at home.

 A one person show can be a daunting task for an actor and Ms. Debra Jo Rupp brilliantly meets the challenges of BECOMING DR. RUTH.  With never a moment’s respite, Ms. Rupp deftly goes from phone call to packing to recollection, never losing the audience while she spins out the thread of Dr. Ruth’s life touching on: the surprise marriage of her parents, the fears of escaping Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport, being a refugee in pre-Israel Palestine, trying to achieve a doctorate while seeking the right partner AND raising her children.  Ms. Rupp truly becomes the survivor and adoring mother and wife who is still surprised that her desire to help people with sex education has led to such great media fame as “Dr. Ruth.”  Yet even if Ms. Rupp shows the amazement and the often mischievous delight in the Doctor’s celebrity, she is also the little girl who still expects to return to the family she had lost.  Dr. Ruth may not wear her heart on her sleeve, but you knowthat she feels deeply.

It would have been all too easy to fake a tuetonic caricature of Dr. Ruth’s famed accent, but under the dialect coaching of Mr. Stephen Gabis, I think that Ms. Rupp’s enunciation truly adds to the sense of “Ruthfulness” without any sense of parody or stereotype.

Ms. Rupp’s virtuosity also allows Ms. Jennifer Moeller to avoid the shortcut of heavy makeup and chic suit.  Instead Ms. Moeller costumes the Doctor within what she probably wears in the confines of her own home: comfortable apparel, yet presentable enough should anyone drop in.

 The excellent Ms. Julianne Boyd is the director of this tour-de-force.  She truly understands the workings of Mr. St. Germain’s script on both an emotional and technical level and beautifully paces Ms. Rupp’s performance.   Never is the fascinating Dr. Ruth anything but perfectly natural and believable even at the play’s more theatrical moments.

 Scenic Designer Brian Prather has provided Dr. Ruth with a credibly home-like New York apartment living room that has been furnished with the items that are so essential in triggering each of Dr. Ruth’s memories.  Additionally, Mr Daniel Brodie’s impressive projections and Mr. Scott Pinkney’s valuable lighting designs permit the apartment to most effectively assist Dr. Ruth while she entertains her rather large crowd of guests.  Ms. Jessica Paz also ensures the intimacy of the visit with vocal levels and musical underscoring that are clear but never overwhelming: After all, in a New York apartment, Dr. Ruth would never risk annoying her neighbors by being too loud.

 Not being very much interested in contemporary celebrity histories, I must confess that I did not enter the theater with the greatest of expectations, but minutes into the first act I was delighted and amazed to discover an incredible play that is full of sly humor, surprising laughs and heartfelt emotion.  BECOMING DR. RUTH is not simply the story of a famous person, but truly a historical and inspirational life that is opened up for all to see and savor.

About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.

Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

Becoming Dr. Ruth is playing through Jan. 12 at
the Westside Theater, 407 West 43rd Street, NY
Tickets by phoning (212) 239-6200, or at www.telecharge.com
www.becomingdrruth.com
Running time:  90 minutes (no intermission).

Follow the Show here:
@BecomingDrRuth! http://on.fb.me/18WFZLH  @DJRupp @AskDrRuth
More about Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Westheimer

Editor’s Note:
I have also seen the show and cannot recommend it enough.
I laughed, I cried and I shared some life changing moments with Debra Jo Rupp as Dr. Ruth.
You will be amazed at how much life this larger than life figure has lived in her 85 years, and hear stories about her life, loves and fears that you never knew. It is truly a worthwhile evening of theater. I suggest you RUN to see it, and take the teens too.
Caution: There is some frank sexual terminology used.
-elli-

View a bit of the show here:

Grenade:Haganah EDIT.mp4 from Ryan Gielen (Believe, LTD) on Vimeo.

A Happy Healthy Sweet New Year
Dear Readers & Friends

I wanted to take this opportunity to with you A Happy Healthy Sweet New Year 5774 

The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Holiday greeting

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Rosh Hashanah/Shabbos Candle lighting schedule: Tonight 9/4 Light @ 7:06PM Thu 9/5 Light after 8:05PM (from an existing flame) Fri 9/6 Light @ 7:03PM NO LATER! (again from an existing flame) Sat 9/7 Shabbat Ends 8:01PM(End)

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May The Al-mighty grant you everything you need & a taste of what you want as well! iphone-ihoney-rosh-hashanah

Here’s a handy How To Guide for you! ow.ly/osvL2

And a Calendar of Jewish Holidays for the coming year: Jewish Holday Calendar 5744-2013-14

I’m glad to have you around! 1238067_551348721569113_1355998473_n

 ~Elli~

REVIEW: WELL-STRUNG at the ART HOUSE, Provincetown MA Aug 20, 2013

REVIEW: WELL-STRUNG at the ART HOUSE, Provincetown MA 7:30pm August 20, 2013

It has been said that the era of the boy band is well past its prime and while that well may be so the newest boy band to hit the scene completely breaks the mold.

WELL-STRUNG, a modern take on neoclassical music, now playing to packed houses at the Art House in Provincetown Massachusetts, may well
redefine what a boy band is.

51arUUnFT7L._SY300_ The strikingly handsome string quartet is made up of Edmund Bagnell (first violin), Christopher Marchant (second violin), Trevor Wadleigh (viola) and Daniel Shevlin (cello). But don’t let their good looks, muscles and boyish smiles fool you. These young men are exceptionally talented, well rehearsed professionals, devoted to performing beautiful music.

WELL-STRUNG is brilliantly directed by Donna Drake who daringly defies tradition with a non-traditional String Quartet staging. The audience is treated to thrilling new musical arrangements by David Levinson who gives us imaginative and creative semi-classical versions of current pop songs woven seamlessly into the immortal classics. Combine that with stirring stories of each young man’s journey and how they got here, we almost feel gypped that the show runs a mere 55 minutes, it most definitely could have been at least 90.

These are some extremely talented young men, I urge you to rush out and see them as soon as you can. You won’t be sorry.

Please look in the VIDEO INTERVIEWS SECTION for an upcoming live interview!

Written by Donna Drake, Mark Cortale. Additional Material written by Jeffery Roberson. Arrangements by David Levinson. Additional arrangements by Daniel Shevlin & Christopher Marchant.

WELL-STRUNG is now extended thru September 12, 2013 at 7:30 PM
The Art House
214 Commercial
Provincetown, MA 02657
CLICK HERE for tickets

For more info:
www.well-strung.com
https://www.facebook.com/wellstrungnyc
https://twitter.com/wellstrungnyc
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The evening’s set list was:

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART – Serenade in G Major aka A Little Night Music,
1st Movement
Mash-up with: KELLY CLARKSON – Since You Been Gone

BRITTNEY SPEARS – Toxic

THIRD EYE BLIND – SEMI-CHARMED LIFE

TAYLOR SWIFT- WE ARE NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER

JESSIE J. – WHO YOU ARE

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH – Prelude from Cello Suite #1

CARLOS GARDEL – TANGO

PINK – Just Give Me A Reason

Antonín Leopold Dvořák – American Quartet, 4th Movement

LADY GAGA – Edge of Glory

KESHA – Your Love Is My Drug

VIVALDI – Summer – The Four Seasons
David Guetta’s Titanium mash-up with Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin

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Mark Cortale is the Producing Artistic Director of The Art House. In his inaugural season in 2011, he founded the Broadway @ The Art House series with Seth Rudetsky, which this summer of 2013 will present Broadway superstars Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, Sutton Foster, Audra McDonald, Megan Hilty (of TV’s “Smash”), Megan Mullally (of TV’s “Will & Grace”), Christine Ebersole, Joanna Gleason, Sam Harris and Marilyn Maye in addition to other national-level music and comedy programming. He is currently producing Seth Rudetsky’s new reality series and other Broadway-themed entertainment that can be seen at www.SethTV.com. He also co-wrote and produced Well-Strung’s runs this past winter and fall at New York’s Marjorie S. Deane Theater. Mark produced the feature film “Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads,” which played the 2012 festival circuit with a screening at Frameline in San Francisco. Mark also premiered the Broadway @ series this season in New Orleans, in Australia with Megan Mullally, and on London’s West End last month with Patti LuPone at Leicester Square Theater, and will debut as well in Santa Monica, CA in fall of 2013.

Well-Strung is sponsored by the Anchor Inn Beach House, Ptown Bikes, Mussel Beach and SethTV.com