WENDY'S PETER PAN Comes to Theatricum in June
by Stephi Wild
- May 22, 2024
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has transformed its uniquely beautiful outdoor amphitheater into the imaginary isle of Neverland for a magical production of Wendy’s Peter Pan. Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer directs her “retelling” of the 1904 play by J.M. Barrie, with performances running June 22 through October 4.
Interview: Steve Landes of RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES at Dr. Phillips Center on May 5
by Joseph Harrison
- Apr 25, 2024
When the opening chords of a familiar Beatles tune drifts out of the doors of the Walt Disney Theater on May 5th, guests might just think they stepped back in time 50+ years to the iconic eras of Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and all your favorite hits. And if they come see RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles presented by the Dr. Phillips Center, they might just succeed in that time travel. RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles, a show that has been called 'the next best thing to seeing The Beatles,' boasts a repertoire of nearly 200 Beatles favorites, ranging from such beloved songs as 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' and 'Hey Jude' to classic hits including 'Revolution' and 'Come Together.' Leading many of those familiar songs, in the iconic shoes of John Lennon is Steve Landes, and actor/singer/musician that has been performing Beatles-songs for most of his adult life and will be a part of the show when it arrives in Orlando. I had the privilege of speaking with Steve a number of years ago to learn a little more about his journey and our conversation still resonates today. Below is a re-sharing of our interview from 2009 (one of my first as a writer for BroadwayWorld!)
Review: FUNNY GIRL On Tour Is a Parade with Light Showers �" Dr. Phillips Center
by Aaron Wallace
- Dec 8, 2023
Early on, when Katerina McCrimmon breaks into “I’m the Biggest Star” — one of the beltier Brice numbers — it’s easy to think that lighting has struck thrice. There isn’t a note in the sweeping scale of this score that escapes her rangy, room-rattling voice. But when it comes time for the iconic “Don’t Rain On My Parade'...
AS YOU LIKE IT Comes to Long Beach Playhouse in September
by Stephi Wild
- Aug 22, 2023
William Shakespeare wrote As You Like it in 1599. Themes include class distinctions, family rivalries, love, forgiveness, envy, and gender. Much of it takes place in a place called the Forest of Arden. The show’s director Michael Hernandez-Phillips, adapted the play, moved the forest to Central Park in the 1950s.
Review: CLUE at Syracuse Stage
by Dan and Julie Izzo
- Jun 16, 2023
Syracuse Stage closes its 2022-23 season with the madcap farce, Clue. Based on the iconic 1950’s board game of the same name, Clue spoofs whodunit mysteries, film noir, 1950’s pop culture and gothic horror films. The play is adapted for stage from the 1985 film that was a critical flop but has since become a cult classic.
Set during McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, a time fraught with suspicion and accusation, the mansion owned by Mr. Boddy becomes the gathering point for six invited guests. These guests we find out are all guarded about their pasts, are all being blackmailed and are referred to by aliases that correspond to the famous characters in the board game. Each guest is then gifted one of the six murder weapons. In all, there are six potential murderers, six weapons and nine rooms in the mansion, 324 possibilities for who, what and where; as Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes agree, now “the game is afoot.” The gothic mansion, the dark and stormy night, the suspenseful reality of the play merge with Parker Brothers’ (now Hasbro’s) rule book and the characters become mashups of villains and game pieces. They punctuate the endings of scenes with comic confusion, mad scrambling and a kind of frantic skipping, like game pieces moving on a board after a dice roll.
Scenic designer, Czerton Lim, creates the perfect 3-D version of the original board game. Upon entering the theatre, the audience sees a classic gothic foyer, complete with crystal chandelier, mahogany woodwork, marble stairs and a tiled floor fashioned to replicate the spaces on a game board. As the play progresses, the set becomes a character in itself as it transforms into the rooms of the mansion required by both the game and the play. His design is beautiful and functional. It not only provides a setting but also helps establish the humor and tempo of the play. It always surprises and delights. Likewise, original music by Michael Holland and sound design by Todd Mack create a comically suspenseful mood and punctuate the zany exploits on stage. Along with lighting design by Jared Gooding, the cliché of a dark and stormy night permeates the atmosphere and heightens the tension and anxiety of this mock thriller. The production is at its best when the actors are highly choreographed and in tune with the music, sound and light cues. In fact, the funniest moment in the play is prompted by a single gunshot.
Director Benjamin Hanna establishes a fast pace from the very beginning of the play. It is so fast and furious that neither the audience nor the actors are allowed to get their bearings. The characters in Clue are obvious stereotypes but the portrayals all share the same frenetic quality without ever establishing basic, underlying traits and motivations. Characterization, for the most part, has been sacrificed to blatant silliness and camp. (There is nothing in the script that requires the beginning to move at such a pace.) Once the first murder occurs and the stakes are raised the speed can and should pickup through the end. For example, Plum is a stereotypical Professor, haughty and cerebral but cursed with an inflated libido. Beethovan Oden has a nice general feel for the character and indicates his personality traits, but he isn’t able to develop those qualities from the onset of the play. If he had, then as the pace became more frantic the audience could have enjoyed watching him first struggle then ultimately fail to keep his composure.
Clearly many of the actors are talented. John Taylor Phillips as Wadsworth has a natural presence on stage as well as crisp comic timing but never fully embodies the stereotypical reserved, unflappable and ultimately arrogant butler. Emily Berman as Miss Scarlet is also clean and precise. Miss Scarlet is a stereotypical Madame but the actress is not allowed to explore the cynism and sexuality of the character who should have a slower, more voluptuous pace than some of the others. Henry Woronicz’s Colonel Mustard vacillates appropriately between being doddering and demanding. He sketches out an interesting frame for his character but again seems to fall prey to the tempo of this runaway train. Claire Wilcher makes a strong acting choice to play Mrs. Peacock with the nervous energy of a bird. Her comedy is broad and eccentric while still grounded in reality. Even when she is in the background of the action, she is always in the moment. When given focus, she commands the stage and rate of action. As a result, her portrayal is very funny and very satisfying to watch. Her least successful moments occur when directed to do something out of character simply for a laugh. Less successfully, Eric Sharp’s Mr. Green and Emjoy Gavino’s Mrs. White just seem lost in the silliness and frenetic mayhem.
As lovers of farce and broad comedy, we were disappointed that more care wasn’t taken to create an underlying believability before descending into comic chaos. A stock character when presented by an actor still needs to have specificity. Silliness can be funny, comic bits enjoyable and a fast pace exciting, but they need to be balanced and well executed. By the end of the production, it felt like all 324 murder possibilities were explored, but few realities remained.
If you are looking for an evening of fast-paced silliness, screwball comedy and sight gags this production satisfies. As a farce poking fun at human frailty and foibles, Benjamin Hanna’s Clue misses the mark.
Clue runs through Sunday, June 25th. Tickets can be purchased by visiting SyracuseStage.org or by calling (315) 443-3275 or by visiting the box office at 820 East Genesee Street.
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