Review: SCORSESE AMERICAN CRIME REQUIEM Is a Killer at the Wallis Annenberg

For the Record: Scorsese American Crime Requiem/created by Anderson Davis, Shane Scheel and Jesse Vargas/directed by Anderson Davis/Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills/through October 16

For the Record is first and foremost an absolutely awesome show visually... and emotionally. The creative team of For the Record, namely Anderson Davis, Shane Scheel and music supervisor Jesse Vargas, began these amazing shows back in 2010 at Show at Barre on Vermont which turned into Rockwell Table and Stage. It's perfectly suited to a cabaret setting focusing on movie scenes and songs from a particular filmmaker. I first saw Baz Luhrman before it crossed country to great success; another big hit is the show about Quentin Tarantino. Now, in its debut, For The Record: Scorsese American Crime Requiem world premieres at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts through October 16. Scenes form Martin Scorsese films are mixed together with pop songs from the soundtracks of his films featuring a spectacular cast. The Annenberg is a bigger venue but suits Scorsese's over.the.top portrayal of violent crime in America to a tee.

As I listened to audience reaction on the way out of the theatre, I got the impression this was a first exposure to For the Record for many people. They were, of course, impressed with the tremendous singing/acting talent onstage. And let's face facts, America is enamored of Scorsese. Who better than he to typify crime, violence, sex and filthy language onscreen? He's to movies what David Mamet, playwright of Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo fame, is to the theatre. The openly aggressive behavior of big city interracial street gangs provided the background that would always stay with him. These kids lived and grew up in the streets; it was a hard knock life and they learned quickly how to be as tough as possible in order to survive. When you think of Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver as the vigilante killer, you are mesmerized by the scene in front of the mirror "Are you talking to me? I'm the only one here." A bold man of the streets takes it upon himself to rid the world of sleaze bags by killing them, crime fighting crime. It's horrendous, disgusting...and audiences are blown away and just eat it up. So why not glorify Scorsese's contributions, revered worldwide and that speak volumes about the role never-ending violence plays in America? Plus Scorsese's cinematic masterpieces provide sweep, lush vistas to admire as well as people who are bigger than life, theatrical. It also gives the actors playing them a chance to go all the way with their emotional instruments.

The glory of For the Record is these actors not only pull out all the stops dramatically but also sing their hearts out on various scores' songs which the creators cleverly position within the scenes. To hear Ginger, the Sharon Stone role from Casino (Carmen Cusack) sing "I'm Sorry" after cheating on her husband Sam, the De Niro role (John Lloyd Young), is quite riveting, and familiarity with it provokes a laugh, as one is so used to hearing husky voiced Brenda Lee on record... and it matches the insincerity of Ginger's momentary emotional plea. Cusack also dynamically delivers "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" toward the end as witness to her demise through prostitution in Hollywood. Young scores big time directly before this with "Stardust", as he watches with passionate pity his wife's decline.

Both actors are simply great in their various scenes in Casino and Goodfellas, which receive most of the attention in the company of Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The Departed and The Wolf of Wall Street. Other impressive performances come from James Byous as bartender Travis, Jason Paige so alarmingly electric and funny as Frankie, B Slade singing just about anything at the piano or elsewhere, Lindsey Gort as Iris, Pia Toscano as Karen, Doug Kreeger as Jake, Dionne Gipson as Diane, Olivia Harris as Teresa, Zak Resnick as Henry and Justin Mortelliti as Jordan. Bravo to one and all for their spectacular singing and acting!

Kudos as well to director Davis, to choreographers RJ Durell and Nick Florez, to Steve Mazurek for his vibrantly colorful costumes, to Matt Steinbrenner and Kyle Courter for the lavish nightclub set on three tiers and to Dan Efros and Michael Berger for lighting design and to Ben Soldate for sound.

For the Record is a true ensemble piece where everyone gets a chance to shine. For sheer artistry in front of and behind the scenes you cannot beat it. This Scorsese American Crime Requiem is particularly impressive when you look at the big picture. It offers a shrine to the big, bold approach and nonstop brazen execution of violent acts, which, whether we like it or not, are a huge part of our culture. Visually at times it resembles a nightmare in all its lurid details. No one has mastered and converted crime into an art form better than Scorsese. Go see for yourselves through October 16 only, at the beautiful Annenberg theatre.

www.thewallis.org

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