Penny Penniworth: Twisted Dickens

Strolling along Bleecker Street, I saw a long line of mostly twentysomethings snaking around the corner where once stood The Village Gate, the club that theatricals cherish as the home of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, and where I had indulged in such oddities as The Wonder Years, Mayor and something that I believe was called Strip!, which was sort of like A Chorus Line for ecdysiasts.  (As I recall, the first line of that show was, "I can't believe I'm going to take off all my clothes in front of all these people in the second act"; a speech I assume was designed to limit the number of intermission walk-outs.)  Contemporary music lovers now call it Le Possion Rogue, a venue that features attractions that carry labels like "world," "indie," "garage band," "fusion," "hip-hop," "electronic" and "funk," but never "showtune."

So imagine my surprise when the lights went down and standing in front of a mic was musical theatre charmer Kate Wetherhead belting Bob Merrill's 1967 Henry, Sweet Henry, showstopper, "Nobody Steps On Kafritz"; written by a man who composed music on a toy xylophone and whose best-selling song was "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window."  Next was stage and cabaret funnyman, Todd Buonopane making merry with that off-kilter tango from Subways Are For Sleeping, "I Just Can't Wait Till I See You With Clothes On."  Both were enthusiastically received and before the evening was over it was clear to me that in order to bring the young, hip audiences of today to Broadway, producers need to offer more scores by Jule Styne, Comden & Green, Kander & Ebb, Galt MacDermot, Maltby & Shire Alfred Uhry and the Stephens, Schwartz and Sondheim.

Okay, so maybe I'm stretching the truth a little.  The fact is that I knew darn well I'd be attending the third edition of If It Only Even Runs A Minute, the concert series created, produced and hosted by Jennifer Ashley Tepper and Kevin Michael Murphy, with music direction by Caleb Hoyer (all of them seem about an arm's length from their college commencement), that has musical theatre knowns and not-so-knowns celebrating the music and lyrics from shows that, as they say in baseball, stayed for a cup of coffee on Broadway.

To be clear, this was not one of those "Hit Songs From Flop Shows" events.  Nearly all the material presented was of the character developing/plot advancing ilk - far better appreciated in their proper contexts than on the radio - such as Hot Spot's "Don't Laugh" (performed with loveable, self-effacing humor by Samantha Martin) and Working's "Millwork" (sung with lovely folky sincerity by Francesca Garrard, accompanying herself on guitar),

Proving that children sometimes do appreciate their parents' music Jacey Powers was adorably self-conscious as a grade school tyke lamenting her fate in "Little Fat Girls" from Do Black Patent Leather Shoses Really Reflect Up?; a show she literally owes her life to since her father, John R. Powers (who wrote both the musical's book and its source novel) met her mother, actress JaNelle Meyers, in the original (and very successful) pre-Broadway Chicago run.  Alex Wyse was equally adorable as the little boy who helps her gain confidence simply by showing affection.

Sitting to the side throughout the evening, Tepper and Murphy provided tidbits of information about each show; like how the chorus of Subways Are For Sleeping included 20-year-old Valerie Harper and 19-year-old Michael Bennett, or how the producer of Working boasted that every member of the cast had experience in the jobs of the characters they were portraying, "except the prostitute."  Seated behind a laptop, they share photos from original (actually, only) Broadway productions with an infectiously cool geekiness.  This was especially apparent when chatting about the career of Russ Thacker, who appeared in six Broadway productions which totaled only 19 performances.  (Will Roland offered a very amusing rendition of the adolescent fantasy, "Floozies," which Thacker introduced in his biggest hit - 7 performances! - The Grass Harp.)

Tales of their first-hand experiences appearing in troubled musicals were humorously detailed by Frank Vlastnik (who understudied the lead in Big) and Krysta Rodriguez, (who understudied both female leads, not to mention the pivotal role of "Bikini Girl," in Good Vibrations).

 "There's nothing as cold as Detroit in January without a first act closer," explained Vlastnik, who sang from all four numbers that at one time or another were penned to lead to Big's intermission.  With her show, Rodriguez told how they couldn't come up with an ending.  Attempts included a bit where the entire company would maneuver a giant hula-hoop and a concept centered on throwing beach balls in the air in slow motion.  (Gravity kinda put an end to that one.)  Liz Larsen, with her usual showbiz moxie, revealed how she was involved with Starmites for ten years before its seven and a half weeks on Broadway; then regaled the crowd by socking it to the bad guys in "Superhero Girl."

Michael Rupert spoke warmly of his Broadway debut, playing the nephew of Robert Goulet and the grandson of David Wayne in The Happy Time, and of how an act of generosity on his part - offering his sheet music to an unprepared competitor - seemed so like something his character would do that it helped him win the role.  The nostalgic tenderness with which he sang the show's title waltz and its most poignant ballad, "Walking Among My Yesterdays," was truly beautiful.

"There are no bad musicals," Tepper explained.  "There are musicals that you love and there are musicals that other people love."  As one who counts Onward, Victoria, Dance A Little Closer and Charlie and Algernon among his happier times sitting in a Broadway theatre, I can understand the sentiment.  Hey, how about including numbers from those in If It Only Even Runs A Minute, editions 4 & 5?

Photos by Monica Simoes: Top: Kate Wetherhead; Center:  Kevin Michael Murphy and Jennifer Ashley Tepper (background:  Patti LuPone and Kevin Kline in The Robber Bridegroom); Bottom: Alex Wyse and Jacey Powers.

Click here to follow Michael Dale on Twitter.

Posted on: Sunday, September 12, 2010 @ 06:24 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 9/5 & Theatre Quote of the Week

"Of course I live in the past. If you had my past, so would you."

-- Robert Patrick

The grosses are out for the week ending 9/5/2010 and we've got them all right here in BroadwayWorld.com's grosses section.

Up for the week was: THE ADDAMS FAMILY (15.4%), CHICAGO (5.2%), AMERICAN IDIOT (4.7%), IN THE HEIGHTS (4.3%), ROCK OF AGES (4.0%), MEMPHIS (3.7%), COME FLY AWAY (3.4%), FELA! (3.2%), BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL (2.4%), MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (2.1%), A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (1.7%), NEXT TO NORMAL (1.2%),

Down for the week was: WEST SIDE STORY (-8.9%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-5.6%), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (-3.8%), THE LION KING (-2.8%), JERSEY BOYS (-1.9%), PROMISES, PROMISES (-1.5%), MARY POPPINS (-1.2%), MAMMA MIA! (-1.1%),

Posted on: Tuesday, September 07, 2010 @ 09:19 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

---

It Must Be Him: Left Coast Story

It's not shaping up to be a very promising season for alumni of The Carol Burnett Show.  Just like the recently closed Viagra Falls, Kenny Solms' It Must Be Him offers a terrific company of comical pros working hard to inject any mirth possible into ninety minutes of tepid material.

Gifted clown Peter Scolari rarely leaves the stage as L.A.-based writer Louie, whose passion for musical theatre (his home has cast albums of Take Me Along, Bajour, Redhead and Donnybrook! prominently on display) led him to early success penning sketches for television variety shows.  Now, in his 50s and struggling to find work, Louie spends nights cuddling with his Emmy Award when he's not trying to explain Kay Thompson references to his latest twenty-something himbo boyfriend, Scott (Patrick Cummings).

His agent and good friend, Russ (John Treacy Egan), wants him to revise the romantic comedy screenplay he's just completed into a gay male love story, thinking he can make it ring truer than the traditional straight version he's trying to sell.  While rushing to get the job done before that evening's informal reading, Louie has fantasy visits from his deceased parents (Alice Playten is his nurturing mom and Bob Ari is his gruff dad) and his nerdy first girlfriend (Stephanie D'Abruzzo).  Real life interruptions (and some legitimate laughs) are supplied by Liz Torres as his thickly-accented housekeeper, Ana.  Skilled at flat, drop-dead comic zingers, Torres feasts on even the most humorless exchanges, such as, "How are you, Ana?"  "Illegal."

By the time we get to the reading, Louis has filled his screenplay with much of the unfunny material we've just seen played out, only this time the role based on himself is being read by a bleached-blonde flamer described as "Rip Taylor without the confetti." (Edward Staudenmayer)

Desperate to make the story work, Louie next envisions the piece as a Broadway musical.  Composer Larry Grossman and lyricist Ryan Cunningham provide a musical montage highlighted by an witless S&M number ("Kick me in the nuts and call me 'Honey'") featuring Ryan Duncan and Jonathan C. Kaplan as sassy showboys.

Director Daniel Kutner actually does a fine job of pushing the sitcom-style text along at a clipped pace and the talented cast delivers the material so sharply that the evening does have its entertainment value.  But without a decent number of big laughs it amounts to little more than being kicked in the nuts without being called "Honey."

Photos by Carol Rosegg:  Top: Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Peter Scolari; Bottom: (above) Peter Scolari and Patrick Cummings (below) Ryan Duncan, Edward Staudenmayer and Jonathan C. Kaplan.

Click here to follow Michael Dale on Twitter. 

Posted on: Thursday, September 02, 2010 @ 02:34 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

---

Wife To James Whelan: The Man That Got Away

Though Teresa Deevy was arguably the world's most famous female playwright in 1942, the year she completed her class-conscious romance Wife To James Whelan, the new management of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, which had already produced six of her plays, turned it down.  The once-prolific career of the dramatist whose love for theatre began after being diagnosed at age 20 as incurably deaf due to Meniere's disease, skidded to a halt, making her name, at least on this shore, all but forgotten now.

All these circumstances, especially the part about her being all but forgotten, make Wife To James Whelan a natural selection for Artistic Director Jonathan Bank's Mint Theatre Company, those specialists in staging museum-quality productions of fascinatingly obscure works.  In a fine and engaging mounting directed by Bank, the play may seem rather quaint on the surface, but it's brimming with undeclared passion and painfully understated emotional conflicts.

In the first of the evening's three acts, James Whelan (Shawn Fagan) is an eager factory worker from Kilbeggan, willing to relocate to Dublin when a promising work opportunity arises.  Nan (Janie Brookshire), the girl who has his heart, prefers that he stay home, making light of his uppity ambitions and not making any promises when he asks for her to wait for his return.

Seven years later, he does return as the owner of a fledgling motor service company that quickly grows into a success.  Though he offers Nan - now widowed, broke and a mother - a good job, she, out of desperation, tries to take advantage of his kindness and he retaliates without mercy.  What makes their relationship interesting is that Fagan pulls off the tricky balance of making Whelan a cocky entrepreneur who does have a soft spot for Nan, but who also wants the woman who wouldn't wait for him to be continually reminded of what she turned down.  Brookshire is heartbreaking, playing Nan's cold acceptance of her poor situation as she stresses how the woman won't allow her pride to stand in the way of necessity.

While James Whelan may, in fact, be married to his career, there is no shortage of women in his life.  Liv Rooth makes for an appealingly flirty blonde trophy girl who notices his potential as a husband and Rosie Benton is delightful as the gregarious pal with which he can be himself.

Martha Hally's character-enhancing costumes and Nicole Pearce's textured lighting make for effective visuals, particularly on Vicki R. Davis' versatile unit set; a moody mixture of wood, stone and brick, representing the simple, unadorned life that Nan clings to and James yearns to break free from.

Photos by Carol Rosegg:  Top: Janie Brookshire and Shawn Fagan; Bottom:  Shawn Fagan and Rosie Benton.

Click here to follow Michael Dale on Twitter.

Posted on: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 @ 02:43 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

---

Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 8/29 & Theatre Quote of the Week

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."
-- Oscar Wilde

 

The grosses are out for the week ending 8/29/2010 and we've got them all right here in BroadwayWorld.com's grosses section.

Up for the week was: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (6.0%), PROMISES, PROMISES (1.8%), JERSEY BOYS (0.5%),

Down for the week was: THE ADDAMS FAMILY (-14.9%), MARY POPPINS (-10.9%), IN THE HEIGHTS (-8.2%), AMERICAN IDIOT (-7.6%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-6.6%), CHICAGO (-6.1%), MAMMA MIA! (-6.0%), FELA! (-5.4%), THE LION KING (-3.5%), WEST SIDE STORY (-3.3%), BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL (-2.7%), MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (-2.5%), MEMPHIS (-2.0%), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (-1.6%), COME FLY AWAY (-1.4%), NEXT TO NORMAL (-1.2%), ROCK OF AGES (-1.0%),

Posted on: Monday, August 30, 2010 @ 04:12 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

---

Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 8/22 & Theatre Quote of the Week

"Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves practically nothing unsaid."
-- Walter Winchell

 

The grosses are out for the week ending 8/22/2010 and we've got them all right here in BroadwayWorld.com's grosses section.

Up for the week was: COME FLY AWAY (9.7%), RACE (6.7%), MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (4.2%), SOUTH PACIFIC (3.2%), NEXT TO NORMAL (3.0%), THE ADDAMS FAMILY (2.5%), JERSEY BOYS (2.1%), A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (2.0%), THE LION KING (0.1%),

Down for the week was: PROMISES, PROMISES (-10.3%), AMERICAN IDIOT (-8.1%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-6.3%), MEMPHIS (-5.9%), CHICAGO (-5.7%), MARY POPPINS (-4.8%), ROCK OF AGES (-4.5%), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (-3.4%), BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL (-2.8%), WEST SIDE STORY (-1.8%), MAMMA MIA! (-1.5%), FELA! (-1.3%), IN THE HEIGHTS (-0.5%),

Posted on: Monday, August 23, 2010 @ 04:08 PM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

---

The Punishing Blow: Rope A Dope

"I should have taken the jail time," moans the solo character in Randy Cohen's The Punishing Blow, not quite under his breath.

The annoyed college professor, known only as Leslie, has taken his lecturing skills to the small auditorium of the Orange County Public Library, thanks to a creative judge who gave him the option of community service to make up for his behavior after a drunk driving incident.  It seems that after smashing his car into a gingko tree, Leslie came to jump onto the roof and spew out an anti-Semitic tirade.

Thus, the prof (played by Seth Duerr, who also directs) has been assigned to give a free lecture on any member of author Michael Shapiro's list of "The 100 Most Influential Jews of All Time."  It's never explained why he chooses #82, 18^th Century English boxing champion Daniel Mendoza; it's even made clear that he has no interest in sports.  Perhaps he figured there's be less work involved than if he chose #81 (Arthur Miller), #83 (Stephen Sondheim), #2 (Jesus Christ) or #1 (Do I have to tell you?).

Mendoza's story is certainly an interesting one.  Despite being only 5'7" and weighing a mere 160 lbs., he was able to defeat much bigger and stronger men using speed, precision and strategy.  In the late 1700s, boxing was a bare-knuckled brawl consisting of two combatants battering each other at a close distance.  Mendoza introduced defense to the sport; blocking punches and moving about to avoid them while planning specific attacks.  Not only did he change the sport of boxing, he changed the way the English saw Jews, paving the way for leaders like Benjamin Disraeli (#21) to follow.

Armed with a lectern, a dry-erase board and some slide projections, Leslie's talk does little more than offer the basics of Mendoza's life without offering much insight.  Though it's believable that the professor might offer the minimal amount of work necessary to satisfy his required service, it doesn't make for interesting theatre.

What isn't believable, and it seriously hurts the play, is Leslie's unchecked animosity towards Jews and towards his audience.  Though he pleads the obligatory, "I'm not an anti-Semite," he is continually making wise-cracks like referring to The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame as, "an organization that inspires more mirth than reverence," and reinforcing a stereotype about Jews being money-hungry.  When explaining how established boxer Richard Humphries took Mendoza under his wing as a mentor, he snickers at the possibility that "Danny and Dickie" might have been more than just friends.  As far as his library audience is concerned, he seems convinced from the start that he is standing before a room full of dullards; at one point talking down to them by impulsively changing a reference to Shakespeare to one about Star Wars.  It seems impossible that his fictional audience would just accept his rudeness without one or two of them voicing an objection, or at least several of them walking out.

While there are hints that Leslie eventually begins to admire Mendoza, and the he makes some sidetracks into details of his own marriage, there is no growth in the character, nor much to stimulate interest in his situation.  Duerr makes an admirable effort and is quite good at presenting the disgruntled professional trying to get his assignment done as painlessly as possible, but the faulty text conquers his skills by a technical knockout.

Click here to follow Michael Dale on Twitter.

Posted on: Monday, August 23, 2010 @ 03:27 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

---

Power Balladz & Freud's Last Session

Lovers of the hair bands of 70s, 80s and 90s who find Rock of Ages just too intellectually complex shall rejoice at the arrival of Power Balladz, the show that puts the "z" in "rock anthem."  I'm just not certain where exactly it puts it.

Written by Mike Todaro (who directs) and Dan Nycklemoe, both of whom co-conceived with Peter Rothstein, Power Balladz is essentially an arena concert boiled down to a cabaret act.  We're at a performance of an unnamed cover band which is sponsored by the Council Of Creative Knowledge (figure out the acronym for yourself) and by Slanket, "the original fleece blanket with sleeves."  Fronted by chums since 9^th grade, Dieter Bierbrauer and Scott Richard Foster (the characters take on the names of the actors playing them), the band's repertoire includes hits by the likes of Journey ("Faithfully"), Guns N' Roses ("Sweet Child o' Mine"), Whitesnake ("Here I Go Again"), Poison ("Every Rose Has Its Thorn") Aerosmith ("Dream On") and Queen ("We Are the Champions").  I understand they also know some Damn Yankees but I don't recall hearing anything by Adler and Ross.

The between song patter includes a lecture on what elements combine to create a power ballad, a lesson on how power ballads brought down the Berlin Wall, a rock history trivia quiz, a lyric challenge and shooting blasts from "The Frickin' T-Shirt Cannon" into the audience.  In a history-making moment, we get to watch the taping of the first-ever music video for Styx's "Come Sail Away."

In the sliver-thin plot, it turns out that the girl who broke Dieter's heart in high school (Mary Mossberg) is in the audience.  Since she's also a power balladeer (who can change her hair "from Plain Jane to Lita Ford" in 30 seconds), the boys invite her to join in the festivities, making our hero contemplate a second chance at romance.  But with lead-ins like, "I'm thinking cowboy... I'm thinking outlaw... I'm thinking sexy... I'm thinking... Bon Jovi!!" (to introduce "Wanted, Dead or Alive") and "Speaking of Heart..." ("Alone"), there are, thankfully, no attempts to force the songs into the story or to make them illuminate the characters.  It's just lighthearted, nostalgic fun and the audience was lapping it up the night I attended; more and more of them singing along as the evening progressed.  (Something I wouldn't recommend for A Little Night Music or Next To Normal, but it seemed acceptable here.)

While there's a lot of good-natured silliness in Power Balladz, the three charismatic, strong-singing leads and the on-stage musicians (Conductor Karen Dryer on keyboard, Jason Bozzi and Sean Driscoll on guitar, Mark Vanderpoel on bass and Brad Carbone on drums) play it straight for the songs; performing with straightforward passion for the genre.

Early arrivals are entertained by various bits of trivia ("Is it Meatloaf or Meat Loaf?") and discussion questions ("Has your opinion of Ronald Reagan changed since the 80s?) flashed on video screens and those who stay after can join the company in live band power ballad karaoke.  Song choices include "Paradise By The Dashboard Light," "Hotel California," "Somebody To Love" and "Always."  The latter is noted as being by Bon Jovi, for those of us who might be wondering why a lovely Irving Berlin tune would be classified as a power ballad.

Photos by Carol Rosegg:  Top:  Dieter Bierbrauer, Mary Mossberg and Scott Richard Foster; Bottom: Dieter Bierbrauer and Scott Richard Foster.

*****************************************

"Did it really happen?" That's what some audience members may wonder after taking in Mark St. Germain's clever and engrossing two-hander, Freud's Last Session, which depicts a visit between the aging atheist Sigmund Freud and the young, newly-Christian C.S. Lewis, who had satirized the famed psychiatrist in The Pilgrim's Regress.

Most likely not, but thankfully good theatre such as this helps fill the gaps that history overlooks.  Set in the study of Freud's London home (recreated in elegant classic details by Brian Prather), the playwright places their theological discussion on a date where thoughts of death loom heavily for Brits.  It is September 3^rd, 1939; the day that Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain reluctantly announced over the radio that Hitler had ignored his demand to withdraw German troops from Poland, forcing England to declare a state of war.  All of London is braced for the bombings that will eventually follow.  On top of that, Freud himself is very near death; the cancer in his mouth letting off such a foul smell that his own dog avoids him.

Nevertheless, St. Germain and director Tyler Marchant keep the 75-minute piece lively, interesting and frequently funny, with the respectful young scribe doing his best to defend his positions on the existence of God, the morality of suicide and the necessity of pre-marital chastity against the impish and wry-humored elder.  ("No sex before marriage?  It's not only naive, it's mindless cruelty. Like sending a young man off to perform his first concerto with an orchestra when the only time he's ever played his piccolo was alone in his room.")  And yes, there is the inevitable mini-session on the couch.

The two actors have excellent chemistry and are individually splendid.  Martin Rayner is handed the juicier lines as Freud and plays them with the amusing self-satisfaction of a man who is delighted with his own brilliance and celebrity, despite his continual pain and realization of his own mortality.  As Lewis, the tall and chiseled-faced Mark H. Dold is nicely full of reserve and manners; a passionate thinker who is continually absorbing the thoughts of others.  Watching the bond between them thicken into real affection, despite their disagreements, is what gives the play an engaging heart.

Photo of Martin Rayner and Mark H. Dold by Kevin Sprague.

Click here to follow Michael Dale on Twitter.

Posted on: Sunday, August 22, 2010 @ 05:22 AM Posted by: Michael Dale | Leave Feedback

---

Next 10

About Michael: After 20-odd years singing, dancing and acting in dinner theatres, summer stocks and the ever-popular audience participation murder mysteries (try improvising with audiences after they?ve had two hours of open bar), Michael Dale segued his theatrical ambitions into playwriting. The buildings which once housed the 5 Off-Off Broadway plays he penned have all been destroyed or turned into a Starbucks, but his name remains the answer to the trivia question, "Who wrote the official play of Babe Ruth's 100th Birthday?" He served as Artistic Director for The Play's The Thing Theatre Company, helping to bring free live theatre to underserved communities, and dabbled a bit in stage managing and in directing cabaret shows before answering the call (it was an email, actually) to become BroadwayWorld.com's first Chief Theatre Critic. While not attending shows Michael can be seen at Shea Stadium pleading for the Mets to stop imploding. Likes: Strong book musicals and ambitious new works. Dislikes: Unprepared celebrities making their stage acting debuts by starring on Broadway and weak bullpens.