John Herrera Anchors the Engaging, Tricky 'Medium at Large'

After extensive development in New York at the York Theatre and the Vineyard Theatre, the world premiere of the musical "The Medium at Large" took place Sunday afternoon, October 19, 2008, at the Village Players Performing Arts Center in Oak Park, Illinois, just over Chicago's western border. Starring Tony Award nominee John Herrera (Neville in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood") as the titular spiritualist, the show shows promise in negotiating a tricky premise and an even trickier payoff. The theater artists George Furth, Jack Hofsiss, Max Showalter, Bruce Pomahac and Randall Myler, among others, are mentioned in the show's program as inspirers and encouragers. And now that the show is on its feet, hopefully its creative team can continue its development to the point of the script and score having legs as well.

The musical's writers, Julia Cameron and Emma Lively, choose to not name who writes what. Whether Cameron, the author of the bestseller "The Artist's Way" and its numerous spin-offs, wrote the book, and Lively, a former composition student at the Juilliard School, wrote the music (both on lyrics?) is a matter of conjecture, as the pair are a joint writing team of ten years running whose next work is reportedly Rue McClanahan's one-woman show, "My First Five Husbands."

As one instinctively knows that the writing should be held to a higher standard than the acting, the orchestrations and the execution of the design concept in a production of modest means, I will proceed on that basis. Luckily, as a piece of writing, "The Medium at Large" has numerous strengths. Interestingly, the second act plays better than the first, and is about fifteen minutes longer. The songs are a varied lot and for the most part reveal character and mood, and the story kept my attention, not the least because it seems to negotiate several tightropes without falling off of any of them. And, whether in the writing or the direction (by Carl Occhipinti), this production fascinatingly weaves projected film into transitional moments and some musical numbers as a way to impart a more vibrant feel for Manhattan of 1938, the show's setting (I spotted either Cary Grant or Robert Taylor in one brief shot, I think!). 

Herrera, as Bruce, the somewhat reluctant medium who happens to be gay and who can't quite connect with his late "friend," John, in the same way that he connects with countless other spirits, is a warm and authoritative presence. (A portrait of John hangs prominently throughout the evening.) Herrera sings with a ringing high register and a soothing low one, and brings order and ideas to the story of two twentyish sisters whose deceased parents want the best for them (especially romantically), and yet the parents can't quite make it happen from the other side of death without Bruce's assistance.

Have no fear! The show is subtitled, "A Spirited New Musical Comedy," and there are no séances, reenacted murders or hidden ventriloquists to be seen. There are plenty of jokes, up-tempo numbers and charm. All ends touchingly and  happily, too, despite the temporary threat of suicide and the constant spectre (pun intended) of loving someone who is ghost, whether you can see them or not. The deceased characters, three main ones and a modest singing and dancing chorus of four, wear all white formal wear (some with tatters hanging down, some not) and sometimes appear behind a large scrim, the same one where the film segments are projected (costumes by Anna Glowacki, sets by Bill Jenkins and video designs by Karen Gerbig). Downstage right and left are the apartments of Bruce and the young woman, Ruth (the sweet-faced, sweet-voiced Kendall Lester), with lovely period properties credited to Cassandra Soliday & Linda Miles. 

Two ideas which came to me as necessary to make the show (particularly the first act) stronger are these:  First, Ruth owns two marionettes, you see, and they are used to really quite good effect during the scene of her budding romance with a young Episcopal minister, William (called "Billy" in the program), played by the shot-of-fresh-air actor Tyler Dean.  Their number together was quite sweet and effective. And yet the marionettes hung in full view and were constantly mentioned during the first act, during Ruth never went anywhere near them, much less touched them. Hopefully something can be crafted to give her some interaction with them in the early going. The omission seemed odd. 

And secondly, despite the clever title, "The Medium at Large," it must be noted that Bruce never goes outside his apartment building in the whole show!  He may have gone stage left once or twice, but most of the time he is in his stage right apartment. He isn't agoraphobic or anything, but everyone comes to him and he hosts.  I desperately wanted him to go to the park or the theater or walk down the street once or twice. A number in the first act depicting him in the open air (does he work??) would have been lovely, and would have solidified him as the show's lead character, which is not at all as clear as it should be, given all the romantic problems that come Ruth's way. Just a thought.

That said, Herrera's opening and closing numbers are true highlights of the production.  Among the other cast members, Tim Grover, as the recently deceased Harry, is quite manly indeed in his wooing of both Ruth and her more beautiful sister, Libby (Laurie Marchese). (You were afraid I was going to say her name was Eileen, weren't you?  Plain sister Ruth, Manhattan in the 30s, musical comedy...........Hmm!!) Marchese is certainly lovely, and came into her own as the show progressed, though I was worried she was cast solely for her looks. (I think she was not.)

As Ruth and Libby's spirited parents, Guy Klinzing (Osgood) and Lorraine Freund (Clare) were having a blast, meddling and arguing, romancing and dancing, haunting and regretting. Freund reminded me of a older, taller and more glamorous version of Mary Martin, though her singing voice is not what it once was. The members of the ghostly ensemble acquitted themselves well, lending a shot in the arm to the first act finale and some genuine teariness to the end of the second. Kirsten Lendyke's choreography and Seth E. Reinick's lighting were fine, though one wished they had more actors to work with.

A special mention should be made of young Tyler Beattie's work as musical director and orchestrator. I'm not quite sure how many instrumentalists were back there, but they were a tight ensemble and played a full evening's worth of songs, dances and underscoring with a modern Broadway touch and a lyrical period flair. Keep your eye on Beattie for the future.

At the show's final curtain, there are four loving couples on the stage, including four live people and four dead people.  And yes, there are "mixed" couples, if you know what I mean. If this sort of fluffy-yet-serious musical comedy isn't for you, or if you want flying green grrls or sassy mobsters turned into pop music icons, then you know where in town you should be headed. But if you want a subtler kind of visual feast, a show that's off the beaten path and likely to remain so, and an evening that really does make you think about who you love, who you've lost, and what's its all about, then "The Medium at Large" is for you.

I think this show will always be an acquired taste. But if you think you might be moved by it, then you probably will be.  For those with an open mind and heart, this show will stay with you, and it might even bring someone else a little closer to you. Laughs and tears, music and emotion. Sounds good to me.

"The Medium at Large" runs from October 19-November 23, 2008 at the Village Players Performing Arts Center, 1010 Madison St. in Oak Park, Illinois. Show times are 8:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 3:00 pm on Sundays. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. More information is available at www.village-players.org or 866-764-1010.

Production photos courtesy of DavidTurnerPhoto.com.  From top: John Herrera and Kendall Lester; Tyler Dean and Lester; Lester and Tim Grover; Herrera, Guy Klinzing, Lester, Lorraine Freund and Grover.