Roy Berko - Page 35

When Dobama, Ensemble, Beck's studio theatre and convergence-continuum, venues, where each has a mission of producing innovative and forward-thinking plays search for scripts, they usually turn to recent Broadway and off-Broadway offerings. Every once in a while, they workshop new scripts in order to allow the authors to discover the strengths and weaknesses of their writing by exposing the material to selected audiences. This process allows the author to make changes before the work is presented to general audiences.

JOSEPH is one of my favorite escapist musical theatre scripts. I love the music, the creativity of taking a Bible story and making it into a pleasant family experience without getting preachy. The version now on stage at the Palace was not one of my favorite stagings of the show. Audiences will generally like it, but it could have been 'One More Angel in Heaven,' at least in show business firmament, but it wasn't.

Overheard at intermission of 'DEATHTRAP' at Great Lakes Theater: 'I never expected that to happen!' Response: 'I've seen this before and what's coming up in the second act is even more surprising!'

Roland Hayes, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson. While Robeson and Anderson are probably names that many Americans can identify, Hayes probably is not.

Bill Wade's INLET DANCE COMPANY uses dance to educate and enlighten. His proficient and creative dancers, and collaborative approach to performance, makes it one of the most exciting of Cleveland's dance companies.

In September, 1964, Broadway welcomed what was to become one of the major musical theatre events. With a score highlighted by 'Sunrise Sunset,' 'If I Were a Rich Man,' 'To Life,' and 'Matchmaker,' 'FIDDLER ON THE ROOF' opened to rave reviews, sold out houses, and unbridled praise. The path to that September day was not easy.

From the heavy beating musical sound at the start, through the exciting powerful opening dance, to the exposition presented in the song, 'In,' through the compelling story filled with well designed twists and turns, to the startling conclusion, 'CARRIE: THE MUSICAL,' now on stage at Beck Center, captivates the imagination and compels attention.

It might surprise many to find that the original 1935 Broadway production of 'PORGY AND BESS' ran only 124 performances. The reasons were many including the all Black cast, some of the overtones of the script were perceived by some to be 'too Negro,' the opera format was considered 'not Broadway,' while some railed that it 'had racial overtones.' Other suppositions were that the heavy dependence of a strong story line was not a familiar format during the era of escapist comedies, follies and vaudeville. Not to be overlooked was the fact that the production lasted four hours, with two intermissions.

Karamu, the nation's oldest African-American theatre, opened its Black History month celebration with 'CEREMONIES IN DARK OLD MEN' by Lonne Elder III. The play and its author are both noted for their strong place in the reflections of Blacks in this country.

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement which spanned the period from about 1919 to 1929. It was the literary era when members of the Great African American Migration, Negroes who had moved into the U.S. Northeast and Midwest, asserted themselves in art, poetry, literature and theatre. Participants included James Wendell Johnson, Cleveland's Langston Hughes, and Countee Cullen.

Of the three pieces in the 'ELEMENTS CYCLE,' 'AIR-WAVES' is the most message- clear. The CPT directors have seemingly come to terms with the need to add clarity of purpose to the devised theatre process. Though not as abstract as the two previous offerings, those wanting a traditional story line of clear beginning, middle, and end will still be somewhat frustrated.

Lakeland Civic Theatre's THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is a special night of musical theatre. To appreciate the show, the viewer must put aside any attitude of what a musical should look and sound like and embrace this creatively 'different' approach. I, for one, loved the story, the music and the production, and would declare it a MUST SEE!

When those with musical know-how think Carl Topilow, they conjure--Cleveland Pops Orchestra, multi-hued clarinets, a virtuoso who is equally at home in both classical and popular music modes, Cleveland Institute of Music, guest conductor of over 110 orchestras in the US, and such countries as Canada, China, England, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland and Venezuela. Yes, Topilow is a very talented and renowned person in the field of music.

Annie Baker, the 33-year old multi award winning author of THE ALIENS, now in production at Dobama, is considered by many theatre and literary critics to be one of the freshest and most talented dramatists of this decade. Baker, whose style mirrors that of Anton Chekov, one of the leaders of 20th century modernism, writes realistic characters who emerge in lines that lend themselves to subtle and thoughtful presentation.

When most young theatre geeks think of what they want to do in the world of entertainment, they picture themselves on stage before adoring fans. Not Lynda Lavin. The Mayfield High School class of '71 grad, who attended Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State, decided while working as a high school student at Musicarnival, the legendary Cleveland tent theatre, that being a stage manager was her ticket to a life in the theatre.

PHOTOGRAPH 51 is a bio-drama based on the life of Rosalind Franklin, a British biophysicist and crystallographer. Many think she should have been a Noble prize-recipient, but her standoffish personality, perfectionism, and some seemingly unethical actions by others, as well as the possibility of gender discrimination against her, got in the way.

The opening night audience for YENTL failed to give the standard Cleveland standing ovation. This might be construed as an omen that there was a disconnect between the viewers and the production. It's too bad. YENTL is an important script, which tells a fascinating story of a writer, ahead of his time, who weaves Jewish history with modern issues. I wanted so much to really be swept away by the production. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

'MENOPAUSE, THE MUSICAL' is a delightful portrayal of the 'Change, Change, Change' that women of a certain age go through, that consists of 'Hot Flashes,' as they realize that 'I'm No Babe,' and requires a 'New Attitude.' Do you have to be a 'mature' women to appreciate the goings on? No, but from observing the opening night audience, it helps! (Don't forget to bring a fan if you are in the 'change' age group.

What is it like to live much of your life perceiving that you have been born in the wrong body and then going through the process to correct this mistake of birth? That's the major issue exposed by Christine Howey in her one-woman, self-acted and self-written play, EXACT CHANGE, now on stage at Cleveland Public Theatre.

A touring company of the multi-award winning musical 'CHICAGO,' is now appearing at the Palace Theatre in PlayhouseSquare.