theatre review NEWSIES, Broadway, July 17

The Broadway musical Newsies is a crowd pleaser in the truest sense.  It has an exuberant cast, an engaging David vs Goliath story, several highly effective and tuneful songs and some of the most infectious and thrilling dance numbers to grace a Broadway stage in many years.  Having seen the pre-Broadway run of the show last Fall at the Paper Mill Playhouse we decided to revisit the show to see what was changed and how the show plays on the Great White Way.  It was well worth the second trip.
 

I won't go into the story of the flop movie that this musical is based on or talk about the real life turn of the century struggle that this show musicalizes, since I already wrote about those things in my earlier review that you can read here.  Instead I thought I would spend a few paragraphs to talk about the changes that have been made for the show, all of which are for the better.


Tony winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman have replaced a few of the newer songs from last Fall's production with even newer ones.  And while none of the new songs is as good as the ones used from the film, or the one knockout new song "Watch What Happens," they are all better then what was heard at the Paper Mill.

Kara Kindsay and Jeremy Jordan

The recasting of the only supporting female character in the show Medda Larkin with Capathia Jenkins was clearly a good decision. Not that the woman who played the role at Paper Mill wasn't good in the part, it's just since the part is a small one having someone with the high wattage stage presence of Jenkins made the part more than the sum of the small amount of stage time it receives.  She also had a great time with her one solo song.

The Nederlander Theatre is the perfect venue for the dance centric show with the Mezzanine so close to the stage that I'd recommend sitting there instead of in the orchestra.  The three tier set also is more accessible from the mezzanine, especially since several scenes are played out on the second tier of the set.

Jeremy Jordan as the male lead Jack Kelly is now a Tony nominated actor and is still delivering an honest, rousing performance.  Kara Lindsay as the female lead and love interest is also still exhibiting a natural and strong take on this woman who is slightly ahead of her time.  Many of the supporting characters are played by actors carried over from the Paper Mill run with those delivering great work at Paper Mill like Ben Fankhauser, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Ryan Breslin and Ryan Steele still delivering the goods.

Not much more to add except to say to go see this show if you're looking for a rousing, fun big Broadway show.

Newsies Official Website

Highlights from the show:

2012 Tony Awards performance:

cabaret review REBECCA LUKER, 54 Below, July 6

Composer Jerome Kern was a major influence on the beginning of Rebecca Luker's Broadway career as Luker's first New York show was a concert in 1985 of Kern's Music in the Air at Town Hall.  After getting noticed at that concert, Luker recorded several Kern tunes on some studio recordings and after appearing in the original Broadway casts of The Phantom of the Opera and The Secret Garden she received a Tony nomination for her performance in the Kern/Hammerstein 1994 Broadway revival of Show Boat.  So it is no surprise that for Luker's debut concert at the new cabaret spot 54 Below it was an evening dedicated completely to Kern.

Directed by Luker's husband Danny Burstein, the concert was a perfect balance of Luker's lush soprano voice combined with stories about Kern that included a bit of his history as well as information on the shows he worked on and lyricists he worked with.  And while many of the songs were lesser known Kern tunes, there wasn't one misstep, false note or moment that Luker didn't completely own.  Her voice was clear, bright with perfect punctuation, making each and every lyric clearly understandable.

"Can't Help Singing" is a lovely song that set the tone for the evening, Luker was here to sing and nothing was going to stop her.  The comical tune "Saturday Night" is a humorous patter song with a funny tune to match the lyrics and Rebecca had no problem alternating between the serious songs and the comical ones in the set list like this one.  A phenomenal pairing of Show Boat's "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" was simply stunning.  The comical song from Sweet Adeline "My Husband's First Wife" provided a very humorous moment in the evening.  Luker followed this with the jaunty and jazzy "The Folks Who Live on the Hill".  "I'm Old Fashioned" and "The Way You Look Tonight" are two of Kern's most well known songs and Luker's performance of both was spot on.  Roberta's "I'll Be Hard to Handle" gave Luker another chance to wrap her stirring soprano voice around some witty lyrics by Otto Harbach set to a lovely Kern melody. One of Kern's last songs, set to lyrics by Dorothy Fields many years after his death, "April Fooled Me " gave Luker another chance to show her impeccable skills and her interpretation of the song was sweet, simple and a simply lovely end to the concert before Luker came back for two encores.  Those encores included a soaring version of "Why Was I Born?" and a vibrant "All the Things You Are."

Pianist and Musical Director Joseph Thalken was joined by Dick Sarpola on Bass and together they provided the perfect compliment to Luker's lush voice.

The acoustics at 54 Below are so clear and the setting so intimate that I can't wait to go back again to see another Broadway performer in an evening like the spectacular one that Luker gave us.

Rebecca's official website

54 Below website

theatre review CLOSER THAN EVER, Off Broadway, July 5

Musical revues aren't usually my cup of tea.  A series of songs with no story to combine them just doesn't work for me.  However, I've always been a fan of the cast recording of the 1989 Off Broadway review Closer Than Ever so I didn't want to miss the new production being staged at the York Theatre Company on the Upper East Side.  I guess the main difference between this review and most others is that the songs that Richard Maltby, Jr and David Shire have created are story songs that can easily stand alone but when combined together make the entire show into something actually greater than the sum of the individual songs.

Maltby and Shire have actually never had a hit together on Broadway.  They were behind Baby and Big, both of which had very short Broadway runs.  Now Maltby did conceive and direct another Broadway revue Ain't Misbehaven which he won a Tony for as well as directed Fosse and provided lyrics to Miss Saigon and Song and Dance and Shire has written many film scores including winning an Oscar for his song for the movie Norma Rae.  So, they have had successes individually but never together on Broadway.   Another revue of their songs Starting Here, Starting Now was successful and, like Closer Than Ever, both shows include some songs that were included in or cut from some of the various musicals they've written together.

The songs in this show cover the multiple aspects of normal, everyday life - but lives that have been lived, this isn't a show that a 20 year old would quite understand since most of the songs are self contained stories that show the changes that each character has experienced or the personal feelings they have, told from the perspective of various characters in their late 30's to early 50's.  The songs tells the stories of mostly middle aged people as they reflect back on the choices they made and also touch on various other issues like the struggles of working couples, divorce, unrequited love and how close friendships change over the years.  The various group numbers in the show allow for some excellent harmonies.  These include the opening number "Doors," "Next Time" and the closing title number.  Shire's music is varied yet bright and simple but still completely memorable while Maltby's lyrics are poignant and sophisticated.

George Dvorsky, Christiane Noll, Sal Viviano and Jenn Colella

The four member cast brings considerable skill, charm and life lessons to the various roles they portray.  While all four are excellent, it is the women who truly shine.  Jenn Colella who has unfortunately starred in a couple of Broadway flop musicals is the stand out here.  She has a rich, strong and clear voice and easily handles the comical, sexual and dramatic beats of the characters she plays. Her "Miss Byrd" is exceptional and her duet with the bass player, "Back on Bass" is pure sensual joy.  Christiane Noll gets the more serious songs and her take on both "Life Story" and "Patterns" are gorgeous and heartfelt, but she also gets to show her humorous side with the comical gem "The Bear, the Tiger, the Hamster and The Mole."   Together they both bring a lovely touch and considerable depth to the act two duet of "It's Never That Easy" and "I've Been Here Before."

George Dvorsky and Sal Viviano are the two men in the cast and while they both get plenty of time to show what they're capable of, the songs for the men, while good, aren't quite as exceptional as the ones for the women.  Still Dvorsky and Viviano add a nice heartfelt touch, skill and personality to "What Am I Doin?" "One of the Good Guys," "Father of Fathers," and "If I Sing."

Matlby directed the production and he does an exceptional job of creating various different playing spaces on the small stage.   There is very little repetition of the staging which when you only have four singers, a pianist and a bass player and a small space says a lot of the creativity of Maltby.  Of course since he is also the lyricist that gives him a slight edge on ensuring that his lyrics are staged the way he wants the story he wrote to be told.  The cast isn't mic'd and even though the space is small it sometimes still creates a slight problem in being able to hear them clearly, especially if they turn slightly away from where you're sitting. This is really my only downside to this lovely production.

The run has been extended again through August 25th, though Noll and Colella will only be with the production for a couple more weeks as they are both in the new Broadway musical Chaplin that begins performances on August 21.

A cast recording has been made and will be released shortly.  This production of Closer Than Ever is one not to be missed.

Official York Theatre Site

theatre review HARVEY, Broadway, June 30

Casting an A list TV name in a Broadway show is something that has been going on for years.  Usually it is something that happens when a show is waning, ticket sales are down and the producers do whatever they can to get some buzz and lure in the tourist crowd.  So, it is refreshing that the producers of the Broadway revival of Harvey scheduled this production to coincide with Jim Parsons' down time from the hit show The Big Bang Theory.  I'm sure the fact that this is a not for profit limited run production from the Roundabout Theatre Company made it easier to work around his schedule, as it isn't like the run could be extended since he has to return to his tv show.  With a lovely performance from Parsons and an excellent ensemble cast it is just too bad that the timing of Parson's availability made it open after the Tony eligibility deadline as I'm sure this show would have received several nominations. 

Now Parsons did appear on Broadway last season in the revival of The Normal Heart in a small supporting role as well as lead the ensemble in a reading of the play June Moon at the Roundabout last Summer.  And while the central character of Edwin P. Dowd he plays in Harvey is just as eccentric and odd as the part he plays in The Big Bang Theory, Parsons brings the appropriate amount of charm, caring and love to Dowd which is an almost complete opposite of the tv role of "Sheldon" that has won him two Emmy Awards. 

Jim Parson and "Harvey"

Harvey was written by Mary Chase in 1944 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  Focusing on Dowd and his sister Veta and set in a small town, Elwood also has a seemingly imaginary friend Harvey who is, according to Elwood, a six foot tall rabbit.  Elwood feels the need to introduce Harvey to everyone he meets, and why shouldn't he? Wouldn't you introduce your best friend to people you come in contact with?  Of course Veta fears the embarrassment of this not just for herself but also for the reputation of her daughter Myrtle Mae who is at the marrying age.  So Veta decides the best thing for everyone involved would be to have Elwood committed at the local asylum and given a treatment to make him "normal."  The play is an interesting one as not only is it an expertly crafted comedy but one that touches on the serious theme of "what is sanity?" 

Parsons is giving an understated and perfectly measured performance as Elwood.  He lovingly captures the charm, passion and sheer happiness of this man who wants to have a connection with everyone he meets.  But we also believe that it is Harvey that has made him into this man, a man who wants to truly live life and while some may think he is crazy to believe his best friend is a giant rabbit we come to learn that it is most likely the death of his mother that triggered this new relationship in his life.  But maybe not as while Harvey seems only to be imaginary, we start to believe in him and when the play ends I believe most people in the audience would say he wasn't imaginary just invisible.

Charles Kimbrough, Jessica Hecht and Jim Parsons

Parsons is known for playing the outsider in his tv show but the outsider he plays here is one who desperately wants to be in, unlike Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory who would never want to be in that crowd.  And while the voice and mannerisms are similar between the two characters, after all it is the same actor playing both, the similarities end there.  Parsons has such warmth and compassion in this role that makes you not only wish he was your friend but that you could hang out with him and Harvey at their local bar some night. 

As Veta, Jessica Hecht has the appropriate range of emotions one would expect from a woman with a brother like Elwood particularly in the last act when she has to make a very important decision about Elwood's future.  Her crazy rants, rubber facial expressions and wide range of emotions are in perfect opposite to Parsons performance which is exactly what is needed and goes back to that theme of what is sanity and could the person we believe to be insane actually be the sane one?

Carol Kane and Jim Parsons

Charles Kimbrough is the head doctor at the asylum and when his wife played by Carol Kane comes to visit him the scene she shares with Parsons is touching, lovely and humorous.  Kimbrough starts to believe in the possibility of Harvey's existence even while trying everything he can not to and the scenes when he is trying to get away from Harvey are not only well crafted in how Chase wrote them but also staged and directed expertly with Kimbrough literally going insane in front of our eyes.  The asylum is staffed by Morgan Spector, Holly Fain and Duane Wilson and I especially liked Wilson as the orderly who tries to run the show in a brisk and brusque fashion and can't believe that the people around him start believing in the possibility of Harvey actually existing. 

Scott Ellis directs the production perfectly with the appropriate shades of comedy and seriousness but always with a focus on the craziness that the events of the struggle between the sane and insane can create.  David Rockwell has created a large and lovely revolving set design that perfectly combines the two sets and includes some great rabbit designs embedded into the wallpaper of Elwood and Veta's house.  Jane Greenwood's costume designs are top notch with crisp period perfect designs.

Harvey is a well crafted comedy and this production features a top notch ensemble cast with some great performances including Parsons, Hecht, Kimbrough and Kane.   It runs through August 5th and is not to be missed.

Official Roundabout Site

Clips from the production:

Broadway.com interview with Jim Parsons:

cabaret review BRIAN D'ARCY JAMES, 54 Below, June 29

Brian d'Arcy James has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and plays, including receiving two Tony nominations, as well as having roles on various tv shows including last season's Broadway themed series Smash.  However, after attending one of Brian's cabaret shows during his week run at the hot new cabaret spot 54 Below, it seems deep down he really wants to be an 80's pop star rocker.  Backed by an impressive 7 piece band and two back-up vocalists, Brian really rocked out and had his Broadway fan based audience in the palm of his hands throughout the 75 minute show -and he didn't even sing a single show tune.

Titled "Under the Influence," the theme of his show was all about the music of his teen years that he was influenced by.  In between songs he spoke about how these songs spoke to him and made him who he is today.  He also told many funny stories, including mentioning that he skipped a school basketball game, with his parents claiming there was a "family emergency" so he could attend his first stadium concert.  That Billy Joel concert with the combination of Joel and the size of the venue and the other pop songs of his youth that he heard either on 45's played in his basement or on cassette tapes he played in his car basically opened his eyes to the world.

Billy Joel obviously had the biggest influence on him and his delivery of three of Joel's songs “Worse Comes to Worst,” "Everybody Loves You" and a quiet, yet emotional “She’s Got a Way” were flawless.  But other bands and singers of that era also spoke to James including Steve Winwood, Squeeze, Genesis, James Taylor, Carly Simon and even Bobby Sherman.  He managed to make songs by those groups and singers his own with a sharp focus on the lyrics. 

The Winwood song "Take It As It Comes" opened the show and set the tone for the evening and I especially liked his take on the Genesis hit “That’s All" as well as Squeeze's "Tempted."   His crisp and clear delivery of the lyrics for these songs was especially effective in getting the message of the songs that spoke to him across. Broadway performer Julia Murney joined him for an inspired and extremely fun take on the Taylor/Simon hit "Mockingbird."  And even though Sherman's "Julie Do Ya Love Me"" is a 70's song that in my opinion should be left in the past, Brian had a fun time turning it into an audience sing along claiming "come on you know you want to join in" when he got to the chorus.

Brian rocks out at 54 Below

But Brian also noted that he was "down" with the songs of today and he gave a truly inspired performance of Adele's "I'll Be Waiting" which I thought was the highlight of the concert.  Another more recent artist, Gabe Dixon, was represented with the rocking "You and Only You." But he showed that rocking out wasn't the only thing he could pull off as his delivery of the solemn and soulfoul Kate McGarrigle "Saratoga Summer Song" that Brian saw McGarrigle's son Rufus Wainwright perform in concert was the perfect end to the evening.  

Jame's infectious enthusiasm and the power and drive of his voice propelled the material and with his personal interjections you really understood how this music made him who he is today.  The fact that the night we saw his show was also Brian's birthday added a nice personal touch to the evening that ended with everyone singing Happy Birthday to him as his wife and daugher joined him on the stage.   Another personal but very humorous moment in the show was when Brian told the story of how Matthew Sklar, the 19 year old assistant conductor for the Broadway musical Titanic at the time, told him one day how he had a dream about him the night before and how that dream was about Brian's theme song.  He said that over the past dozen years whenever he'd run into Sklar that he would always ask him to sing the theme song to him and how he decided to take the opportunity of his cabaret debut to actually let us hear it.  It was a truly inspired 30 second song that included Brian doing a very funny dance.  It was so inspired that when the audience wanted to hear it again, the band immediately jumped right in for an encore.

Dan Lipton led the power house band that featured impressive turns on guitar, saxophone and horns and Brian also sang a lovely and touching original song that he wrote with Lipton, "Don't Hold It Against Me." The back-up singers for his show were co-stars from Brian's former Broadway shows, Haven Burton who was in Shrek with Brian and Clarke Thorell who appeared in Titanic with him.  After the almost SRO audience and the joy and skill that James showed, it wouldn't surprise me to see Brian return to 54 Below later in the year with a new show.

And speaking of 54 Below, which just officially opened three weeks ago, the venue is the perfect place to see someone perform.  It is a large enough space to include a nice sized crowd but intimate enough to have a personal interaction with the performer with every seat in the room being less than 30 feet from the stage.  And even though there is a food and drink minimum on top of the ticket price, I found the food prices to be not too crazy and the portion sizes to be fine.   The quality of the food and the wait staff is on par with the high marks for the sound and lighting design in the space.   All of this combined in a glorious space makes 54 Below THE place to see a Broadway performer perform outside of an actual Broadway theatre.

Official Brian d'arcy James Site

Official 54Below Site

Rehearsal clip and interview for his concert at Below 54:

Brian talks about his Below 54 show:

cabaret review STEVEN ZUMBO, Don't Tell Mama, June 28

The New York cabaret scene is rather large, with a range of performers from Broadway names like Elaine Stritch, night club staples like Marilyn Maye and Andrea Marcovicci all the way down to the "starving artists" who perform at cabarets when they aren't auditioning for a Broadway show or waiting tables at a restaurant.  The scene also comprises clubs that seat around a couple of hundred patrons like Feinstein's at the Regency Hotel and the just launched club 54 Below to large venues where cabaret "names" sometimes perform that seat over a thousand people like Town Hall, as well as smaller clubs where virtually unknown people appear that seat around 50 people. 

But I believe that the biggest group of "cabaret" performers aren't any of the type that I mention above but just people who have day jobs but also a desire to perform.  So a couple of times a year they book a date or series of dates at one of the smaller clubs in town and perform their show for their friends and family and other fans they've collected over the years.  These types of performers are the staple of the New York cabaret scene.

One such performer is Steven Zumbo.  Steven isn't out their auditioning every week to land his big break on Broadway or looking for a recording contract, but is a guy with a day job who likes to sing, and over the past 15 or so years he regularly performs a set of shows about two or three times a year.  He also has gotten the attention of some "names" in the cabaret world like Julie Wilson, who I saw at one of Steven's shows last year. Now, full disclosure, Steven is one of my best friends, so I know a lot more about him and have a close relationship with him but feel I can review his show, just like I review everything else we see, with complete fairness. So here goes.

Steven is a naturally funny person but he also loves to sing ballads, which when not combined correctly can be a bit uneven and out of balance.  For about 10 years now, Steven has been performing at Don't Tell Mama's with his musical director Gerry Dieffenbach at the piano and under the direction of Helen Baldassare.  He had various musical directors and directors before then, but with Dieffenbach and Baldassare, Zumbo has found a perfect balance of tone between the comic and dramatic.  Steven often mentions at the top of his shows that he never uses a "theme" for his shows, preferring to be "theme less" instead and he often always says that the evening will be a combination of "hijinks and tomfoolery."  And while Steven perfectly captures the humor in the songs and there are often many comical songs and moments in his shows that Zumbo excels at, it is Steven's delivery of ballads that often make the most impact.

Zumbo started his show off with the humorous cabaret staple, "It's All About Me" which features some humorous lyrics and rhymes as well as a very funny ending that spoofs the succession of "for me's" in "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy.  He followed this with a song that I haven't heard in a long time, "That's Entertainment," and I was taken by how well the song is written and how specific the lyrics are, something I hadn't remembered from hearing this song so many years ago.  Steven had no problem with the delivery of the lyrics.

One of the highlights of the evening was the perfect pairing of "A Quiet Thing" from Flora, the Red Menace and "There Won't Be Trumpets" from Anyone Can Whistle.  While the message of these songs is about the same thing, that when something major happens in your life there aren't always fireworks or trumpets that blare when the event happens, the combination of the two songs was not only theatrical, but so simple and understated that it seemed completely natural that they should have always been combined.  Steven's quiet and direct delivery of the lyrics was the perfect compliment to the lovely arrangement.

For the past few years Steven has added in a "Broadway Backwards" sequence in his show when he sings songs from Broadway shows that are usually sung by women.  He mentions how songs like this are performed in a benefit every year by the Broadway community.   For his show he sang three songs that are usually sung by women (though the earlier pairing of "A Quiet Thing" and "There Won't Be Trumpets" could have also been placed in this section of the show since they are also sung by women in those shows.)  He first gave a song that is rarely heard, "When I'm Drunk I'm Beautiful" from the flop show Prettybelle.  Sung by Angela Lansbury in that show, Zumbo had no problem making this song his own.  He followed this with "I Got Lost In His Arms" from Annie Get Your Gun, and his understated delivery of the song was stunning and perfectly got across the message of the joy of finding the one you love.  He ended the sequence with "What Did I Have That I Don't Have?" from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever that had the perfect balance of internal monologue and full out Broadway belting with Zumbo nailing every moment from the simple and quiet beginning to the big belting notes throughout.

Zumbo is a funny guy and he and Dieffenbach are the co-founders of "ERQS" - Equal Rights for Questionable Songs - a group that really only exists to provide a moment in Steven's shows for him to sing hit songs from the past that usually have very funny lyrics.  For this concert the ERQS moment spotlights a trilogy of Cher hits that included "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," "Bang, Bang" and "Half Breed."   It was fast and funny with Steven making sure to stress the inane lyrics in the songs.   He also threw a little Cher impersonation in as well.  It is moments like this as well as the personal funny stories he tells which provide a natural humorous component to his shows which is more realistic and less forced then in the past when Steven would read funny emails between songs.

Many of the songs in this show were ones Steven had performed before including a lovely pairing of "Steady, Steady" and "I'm Old Fashioned" that features an arrangement that perfectly combines the two songs into one.  Two ballads he has sung before "I Don't Go Shopping For Love" and The Maury Yeston song "I Had a Dream About You" are both beautiful and Zumbo knows how exactly how to sing these songs, especially the Yeston piece which he sings in a lovely and quiet but direct way that stresses the message of the song.  The lovely "Circle Game" provided a nice duet moment for Zumbo and Dieffenbach.  A song that Steven has performed many times, the humorous "Shakespeare Lied" from the flop show How Now, Dow Jones is one that he knows exactly how to sing, milking the humorous lyrics and getting every nuance in the rhyme scheme to the fullest extent possible.  Steven brought back the Laura Nero anthem "Save the Country" that he sung in the past, this time as a rallying call to the Gay Marriage movement, but the repetition of the song's lyrics make it into a song that really goes nowhere and the arrangement fell apart toward the end with the repetition of the title lyric over and over again.  Fortunately this was really the only downside to the evening.

Steven ended the show with two new songs to his repertoire "Say Yes" from 70, Girls 70 and "Applause" from Applause.  Both of these songs are big, brassy and moving with simple yet specific messages and Zumbo delivered them with a drive and passion that he exhibits in all of his songs. 

Steven has a natural joy in the way he sings and that joy easily spreads to the audience. He has a lovely range as well from quiet, introspective songs to big and bold Broadway showstoppers.  His flexible voice and simple delivery make every song come across as natural and unforced which when all combined make him into a natural performer and entertainer.  The next time Zumbo appears at Don't Tell Mama's make sure you don't miss it.

theatre review DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER, Broadway, June 16

Farce can be a hard thing to pull off.  You need the right pacing, proper comic timing and the ability to not veer too far into the extreme otherwise it could come across as blatant mugging and scenery chewing. 

Last Saturday we saw one of the final Broadway performances of the French farce Don't Dress For Dinner and based on the reviews the show received I went in with low expectations.  I don't know if the cast has had more performances to work on those things I mentioned above or if it was just my low expectations but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome and the casts ability to pull off this play that included many hilarious moments. 

Adam James and Ben Daniels

Don't Dress For Dinner is a French play that was written by Marc Camoletti in 1987 and translated into English by Robin Hawdon.  It is actually a sequel of sorts to Carmoletti's earlier play Boeing, Boeing which just happened to be presented earlier this season at the Paper Mill Playhouse.  The play is your typical farce with plenty of misdirection, mistaken identities and many double entendres but with a minimal amount of door slamming when compared to other current farces like Noises Off and Lend Me a Tenor. 

Spencer Hayden, Ben Daniels and Patricia Kalember

Featuring the same two male characters from his earlier play, Don't Dress For Dinner is actually a better constructed play than Boeing Boeing due to the fact that the comical action starts within just minutes of the plays opening.    In Boeing, Boeing the craziness didn't really hit its stride until about twenty minutes in. 

Bernard and Jacqueline are a middle aged married couple who are both having affairs on the side. Jacqueline is supposed to be going out of town to see her mother so Bernard had arranged for his mistress Suzanne to visit for the weekend along with his friend Robert.  When Jacqueline learns that Robert is coming for the weekend she changes her plans as Robert is actually her lover and she figures that if she stays she and Robert can find some time to be together.  Bernard has also arranged a cook to come for the weekend to help out with things. So, when Jacqueline tells Bernard that she is not going to see her mother he tells her that Robert is bringing his girlfriend and convinces Robert to pretend that Suzanne is his girlfriend.  When Robert confuses the cook Suzette for Bernard's mistress Suzanne hilarity begins.  Things really get interesting when the cook begins to understand exactly what is going on and how to continually monopolize on the ever changing situation as the stakes get higher and higher.   The craziness doesn't stop for the next two hours. 

Spencer Hayden and Ben Daniels

This production is fortunate that Spencer Hayden is playing the cook. Not only is she great with the comic timing required but she delivers a humorous French accent as well as a lithe body that bends and flows around the furniture and the bodies of several cast members.  She so expertly handles everything required of her that it is easy to see why she received a Tony nom for her performance.  As Bernard and Robert, Adam James and Ben Daniels deliver on the requirements and Daniels, who is on stage more then anyone in the rest of the cast, provides some very funny bits including a fast and funny and very speedy monologue, but neither of them really sizzle in the sexuality of the roles.  The same could be said of Patricia Kalember who is playing Bernard's wife.  She is sensual and perfectly charming but this is a sex farce so a little more heat would have been nice from the three leads. 

The same can't be said about Jennifer Tilly.  Sure, she may come across as performing in a different version of the play then the rest of the cast due to her roughness and lack of any form of European accent but damn if she doesn't grow on you.  She provides a huge shot of sexuality as well to the otherwise prim and proper cast.   She has no problem letting it all hang out and her curves and flash of flesh add a nice bawdy element.  David Aron Damane has the right combination of fear and sweetness as Suzette's jealous husband and when he shows up late in act two he has no problem jumping right in with the rest of the cast and actually brings the zaniness to an even higher level.

Jennifer Tilly, Ben Daniels and Spencer Hayden

Director John Tillinger keeps the pace moving fast and the cast hitting the appropriate marks.  He has also contributed several clever and humorous comic bits like one including a phone cord as well as a lovely but still funny tango for a slightly drunken Suzette and Bernard.  Design elements are perfectly splendid with a lovely country house set design by John Lee Beatty, some gorgeous costumes by William Ivey Long that include formal wear as well as some of the most gorgeous pajamas I've ever seen and seemingly simple yet effective lighting by Ken Billington.  Overall Don't Dress For Dinner is a fun show with many hilarious moments, expert design elements, solid direction and a more than competent cast led by the bawdy Jennifer Tilly and the extremely talented Spencer Hayden. 

Video segment featuring the cast talking about the show and some clips of the production:

theatre review OLIVER! Irish Repertory Theatre Benefit, June 11

Most benefit concert performances aren't fortunate enough to have fully fleshed out production values, completely rehearsed casts and huge ensembles.  Fortunately, even with some of those shortcomings, the Irish Repertory Theatre's benefit concert of Oliver! this past Monday managed to deliver some really nice performances and pull off a fairly good production of this well known and well loved musical.

Based on the classic novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, the musical Oliver! with Music, Lyrics and Book by Lionel Bart, had a hugely successful run in London and a fairly decent one on Broadway in the early 60's.  In 1968 the film version of the musical won six Oscars including one for Best Picture.

The plot of the musical and novel follows young orphan Oliver Twist from his miserable workhouse life to being pulled unwillingly by a young teen "The Artful Dodger" into a life of crime, living and working with a group of juvenile delinquent pick pockets.  That group is led by an older thief, Fagin, but Oliver eventually escapes and fortunately ends up reunited with his dead mother's family.  

While the original musical was an abbreviated version of the Dickens' novel, the benefit concert was even more abbreviated, running just under two hours.  Fortunately the concert included the majority of the Tony winning score and the wonderful performances of Brian Stokes Mitchell and Melissa Errico.  Stokes was Fagin, the leader of the gang and Errico was Nancy, the older female member of the gang who serves as a surrogate mother figure for Oliver.

The score of Oliver! has several well known songs and hearing Errico's glorious soprano wrapped around the music and lyrics of "As Long As He Needs Me," "I'd Do Anything," and "It's A Fine Life" and the rich baritone of Stokes singing Fagin's songs more than made up for some of the shortcomings of the evening.  Those shortcomings included numerous audio issues due to microphones not working correctly, strange costume choices and the use of spare narration to replace the huge chunks of book that were cut.  Ciaran O'Reilly, the Producing Director of Irish Rep provided the narration, and while I understand that cuts in the book were needed, but with no set to speak of, the narration should have been a little more descriptive.  I know there were some people in the audience who weren't familiar with the show or story and I'm sure they were somewhat lost during parts of the performance.

The use of actual period costumes for the main adult cast was effective but all of the children in the cast wore modern street clothes, most in logo t-shirts that was jarring against the period costumes.  The use of a boy choir was effective, and they were at least dressed in more standard consistent clothing, but they weren't very well directed as to what to do between the songs or even while they were singing their parts, some swaying as they sang, others remaining motionless.

Still, Errico, Stokes and the rest of the cast more than made up for those fall backs.  As Oliver, Zachary Maitlin was effective and able to hit most of the notes required.  Lance Chantiles-Wertz as Dodger was also charming and had a nice voice.  It should be noted that the two boys were the only members of the cast not carrying their scripts around to refer to, which is not usually the case at a benefit concert.  It's nice to see the two of them being so professional.  The cast also included James Barbour as Nancy's evil boyfriend Bill,  John Treacy Egan as Bumble, Nancy Anderson as Nancy's friend Bet, Kathy Fitzgerald as the Widow Corey, Malcolm Gets and Ann Harada as the Sowerberry's and Jim Broucho as Mr. Brownlowe.  The Keystone State Boychoir added a lovely youthfulness and rich sound to the boy ensemble numbers.

Barbour was extremely effective at getting the fear and danger of Bill Sykes across and his deep baritone voice was especially nice on his one solo song.  Treacy Egan's rich voice was simply lovely, especially during "Boy For Sale."  Anderson, Gets, Harada and Kitzgerald provided some nice comic bits and Broucho added a lovely emotional touch of caring and tenderness.  Also, Donna Kane provided an extremely lovely solo during the "Who Will Buy?" sequence.

As I said above, even with the shortcomings of this concert, the score of Oliver! has so many well known and well loved songs that hearing an A list Broadway cast sing the score more then made up for any of the drawbacks of the night.

Behind the scenes at rehearsals for the benefit:

theatre review ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, Paper Mill, June 9

The Paper Mill Playhouse is known for presenting big splashy productions of Broadway hit shows. So I was very excited to hear that their final show of the season would be a little seen musical that played on Broadway over twenty years ago. Once On This Island ran for over a year on Broadway after a successful Off Broadway stint but it hasn't been revived on Broadway and I don't recall any productions in the NY area of the show happening since the original Broadway run.  Having seen the show on Broadway and now at Paper Mill, I was reminded how great of a show it is and how tuneful the score is.  Wth a small cast, this is a show that should be easily produced by regional and community theatres.   


The show is based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy and has a book and score by that prolific team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who are most well known for writing the score to Ragtime.  Set on an island in the French Antilles, Once On This Island is a musical told as a story to a small girl who is frightened during a thunderstorm.  The story they tell her concerns a young girl, Ti Moune, a poor adopted girl who falls in love with a rich boy from the other side of the island.  With elements from Romeo and Juliet, the battle between the upper and lower classes and even a hint of the fairy tale The Little Mermaid, Once On This Island is a joyful musical with a Caribbean beat and a big heart.   

Ti Moune is a young girl who the Gods saved after the God of Water unleashed a flood upon the island. Found by an older peasant couple, Ti Moune grows up to be an active girl yearning for adventure, and as one song says "waiting for life to begin."   When she sees the rich boy Daniel driving by one day in his fancy car, the Gods who rule the island hear her plea and arrange a bet.  They want to see which is stronger, love or death, so one of the gods makes Daniel's car crash so Ti Moune can rescue him and fall in love with him. What happens next isn't exactly your typical Romeo and Juliet story but instead a musical fairy tale of hope, faith, love and yes, even sorrow. 


Syesha Mercado and Adam Jacobs

The star of the show is Syesha Mercado, best known as a semi finalist on American Idol.  She has a big powerful voice and brings a lovely realness and urgency to Ti Moune.  The entire cast is very good with standout performances from Kenita R. Miller and Kevin R. Free as Ti Moune's parents.  They both provided lovely and touching moments and both have voices that were more then effective in providing the right element of emotion to their songs.  Alan Mingo, Jr. as the god of death was extremely effective in adding the required element of fear to the show.  His singing and facial expressions were especially dark and deliciously scary.  Adam Jacobs as Daniel was a little wooden in his acting but has a rich and powerful voice that more then made up for his acting shortcomings.  Aurelia Williams as the Mother of the Earth, Darius de Haas and Saycon Sengbloh as the Gods of Water and Love all had nice solo moments to shine.


The score is simply excellent with many stand out songs.  Flaherty and Ahrens have written so many effective scores, with each one being in a unique style, that hearing this score, one of their earliest, only reminded me again how accomplished of a song writing team they are.  Ahrens also wrote the book, and while the majority of the 90 minute show is sung, there are many memorable and extremely effective and touching lines of dialogue as well.

Director Thomas Kail keeps the show moving along at a fast pace but also provides several appropriate times for the more quiet and emotional moments of the show to shine through.  Imaginative yet seemingly authentic choreography by Bradley Rapier only adds to the enthusiasm and joy of the show.  The highly creative sets from recent Tony winner Donyale Werle provide plenty of imaginative ways for the stage to become the various locales and props needed to tell the story.  While Werle's work here is very reminiscent to her Tony winning work for Peter and The Starcatcher, it isn't repetitive.  I especially liked the fluffy clouds, the use of masks and puppets as well as the lighting design from Kenneth Posner who created some effective storm sequences and the multi use costumes from Jessica Jahn.

Overall this is a joyful and exuberant show with a great cast.  For a rarely seen musical it is definitely a must see.   This production runs at the Paper Mill through June 24th.

Official Paper Mill site

Highlights from the Paper Mill production:

The Original Broadway Cast performs at the Tony Awards:

concert review BERNADETTE PETERS, NJPAC, June 2

We had the pleasure of seeing two time Tony winner Bernadette Peters perform with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at NJPAC in Newark a week ago.

The concert was split into two acts, with the first act featuring the NJSO conducted by Gerald Steichen playing various orchestral selections associated with Peters.  We saw the NJSO last year with Steichen conducting an evening of John Williams music and his conducting and comments between the songs was just as good here as it was for the Williams concert.  He added personal insight into the selections as well as interesting comments about Peters' career.  A rousing Mack and Mabel Overture started off the act followed by Selections from Annie Get Your Gun.  A lovely Suite of selections from A Little Night Music was followed by two songs associated with Bernadette from her movie days.  “Tonight You Belong to Me,” which Bernadette sang with Steve Martin in the film The Jerk was followed by “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” from Monte Carlo Ballet which Peters and Martin sang in the movie Pennies from Heaven.  The playing by the Symphony throughout both acts was as excellent as it has always been with lovely solos and stirring group work, especially by the violin and violas. 

  
The second act began with a lovely Overture comprised of songs associated with Peters.  An abbreviated and fast version of "Let Me Entertain You" from Gypsy had Peters sashaying around the stage and set up the point of the evening- Peters was here to entertain us.  Her between song banter was humorous, though the running joke about the real estate market being flat and her need to sell her vacation house was a little strange especially when she sometimes talked too fast or too far from the mic for the punch lines to land.  Fortunately her voice was in perfect shape.

Peters has a long association with composer Stephen Sondheim and the majority of the selections Peters sang were Sondheim songs, including her opening number which Sondheim wrote the lyrics for.  Her second selection was a slowed down "No One is Alone" from Into The Woods that focused on the lyrics and found Peters in fine form. "Nothing like a Dame" from South Pacific had a rousing orchestration that also slowed down the song and made it into a humorous event that included Peters coming out into the orchestra and singing to a make audience member. 

Bernadette's take on the Peggy Lee classic "Fever" was the highlight of the evening, maybe because I was impressed on she was able to fully deliver this song not just in her vocal delivery but also in her body movements as well.   She began the song sitting on top of the piano and the entire song included choreographed movement with at one point Bernadette lying on the piano.  The accompaniment for the song was simple and stylish.  "Some Enchanted Evening" also from South Pacific was almost spine tingling.  For a song that is usually delivered by a deep voiced man, Bernadette had no problem making the song her own and again, making sure the meaning of the lyrics wasn't lost. 

Peters association with Sondheim was highlighted with two songs she sang in the recent Broadway revival of Follies.   "In Buddy's Eyes" and "Losing My Mind" actually sounded better in concert than when she sang them on Broadway.  I'm not sure if this was because Bernadette was just more rested and her voice wasn't strained from having to perform eight shows a week or if it is due to the incredibly lush orchestrations played by an orchestra that is many times larger than on Broadway. No matter what, both songs and Bernadette sounded amazing.  Marvin Laird, Bernadette's long time conductor and friend, who not only conducted the second act but also several of Peters' Broadway shows expertly handled the orchestra.

Another Sondheim selection, “Johanna,” from Sweeney Todd, followed and while Peters delivery of the song was good the orchestrations were loud and somewhat overpowering.  Bernadette mentioned that she performed at Disney Hall in L.A. a few years ago where she premiered a medley of "dream" songs from Disney films.  That medley included “When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinocchio and  "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella.  It was a lovely medley with Bernadette in fine form.

Sondheim's “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” from Company was a little too forced and fast but the coupling of two more Sondheim songs “With So Little to Be Sure Of” from Anyone Can Whistle and “Children Will Listen” from Into the Woods was lovely.  Peters ended the concert with another Sondheim song from Company, “Being Alive,” which she nailed.

Bernadette did come back for an encore.  After speaking about her work for shelter animals with her "Broadway Barks" organization, she mentioned the book she wrote of the same name and then sang the song she wrote that is included on a cd with that book. “Kramer’s Song” is a lovely lullaby for a pet and was a perfect way to end a perfect evening.

Bernadette's Official Web Site

cd review ALFIE BOE, "Alfie"

It's been awhile since there's been an artist who's successfully made the crossover from Classical music to Musical Theatre and Pop Stardom.  English Tenor Alfie Boe might just be the next performer to make that leap.  Though it is far too early to see if he will have the success that other crossover artists like The Three Tenors had, Boe, who doesn't have as extensive an opera background as those other famous three tenors had, does already have some impressive credits. 

Boe has appeared in several operas as well as alternated as "Rodolfo" in Baz Luhrmanns' 2002 Broadway production of La Boheme.  He and his fellow cast mates received a special Tony award for their appearance in that production and thousands of people saw his performance as Jean Valjean in the 25th Anniversary concert performance of Les Miserables.  That concert was released on dvd and cd as well as broadcast on PBS stations across the US.  His performance of Valjean received high marks and Boe also played the role for a stint in the London run of the show. 

His latest solo cd "Alfie" is making it's US debut today after premiering in the UK last Fall in a slightly different version.  This month also sees a concert dvd release from Boe that will also be aired on PBS Stations throughout June.

The cd features 14 tracks.  It is an interesting yet eclectic mix of songs featuring some standards, several show tunes and a couple of soft pop hits from the 70's.  Overall it is an enjoyable mix that will appeal to his Les Mis fans as well as those who've seen him in his opera, concert and tv appearances.  Some downsides of the cd relate to Boe's diction and wording. You would sometimes think that Boe wasn't English born with the way that some of the words sound.  In fact, many times he sounds as if he's Italian and English is his second language.  I'm not certain if that is due to his opera training or what.   And while it never detracts from the overall outcome of the cd, it is something that Boe should focus on to gain more mass acclaim.

The cd starts off with "When I Fall in Love" which features a softly stated delivery of this well known song.  Boe's "Maria" from West Side Story is a stirring rendition of the song with Boe hitting and holding the high notes to great effect.  He perfectly gets the joy and excitement of the lyrics and music of the song as well as lovingly finds the quiet, serious moments as well.

"When You Wish Upon a Star" from the movie Pinocchio starts off a little rocky but Boe manages to sell the song and delivers a lovely ending as well.  "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a song that will forever be associated with Roberta Flack but Boe manages to hold his own and the arrangement for the song adds a nice element of emotion that compliments Boe's delivery of the lyrics.

Boe's forceful rendition of "It Was A Very Good Year" makes this song one of the highlights of the recording. It also has an excellent arrangement that soars in the right places but is also soft and quiet exactly when needed.  The use of strings is lovely. Boe perfectly gets across the message of the song, especially the last verse when he's in "the autumn" of his years, which is interesting considering he isn't even 40. 

Stephen Sondheim's "Being Alive" from Company receives a different arrangement than we've usually heard on the many other recordings this song has received.  Boe excels at hitting the emotional moments of the song and delivers an excellent ending note as well.  Martina McBride's "In My Daughter's Eyes" is the most recent song on this recording.  Boe delivers a touching version of the song, no doubt due to the fact that Boe has a young daughter. 

The next track is "Music of the Night" from Phantom Of The Opera and for a song that has been recorded many times it is nice to hear a different arrangement from what we're used to hearing with the excellent addition of a choir at the end.  It is also nice to hear an "operatic" voice on this song which works perfectly since the musical is set in an opera house.  Based on this version of the song I can safely say that Boe would make an excellent "Phantom" and be a welcome addition to either the Broadway or London productions of the show.

The Gershwin classic "Someone to Watch Over Me" is the only song that Boe doesn't seem to quite get the meaning of.  It might just be that an operatic voice doesn't easily fit with the simple lyric structure and light romantic yearning touch required.  Boe seems to be hitting every beat and note exactly as required in the sheet music which is what detracts from the song. It is more of a "scripted" delivery of the song instead of a real and personable one.  Fortunately it is the only song like that on the cd. 

"Who Am I" from Les Miserables is a song that Boe has sung many times and he perfectly delivers the meaning of the lyrics a well as hitting the correct emotional notes required.  On "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime, Boe's voice fits perfectly with the lyrics and soars throughout.  It is nice that for this song the arrangement is very close to the original Broadway one.  Though this version features the perfect addition of a choir at the end.  "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables is probably the one song that more people have heard Boe sing than any other song.  He nails it.

The recording also features two duets.  Rock legend Robert Plant joins Alfie on Tim Buckley's 70's hit "Song to the Siren" and Plant's voice is a nice compliment to Boe's.  When the two of them sing together it truly compliments the lyrics and message of the song.  "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Miserables features Boe with his Les Mis concert mate Nick Jonas on a lovely duet of the song.  Though Jonas is just a little stiff on the song, Boe's voice soars and when the two of them join together it is simply stirring.  On the UK release of the cd original "Marius" Michael Ball joined Boe on the duet.  I'm assuming the change to Jonas was to hopefully add an American name to the recording to stir some additional interest on this side of the Atlantic.

The UK release of the cd has a slightly different track order and also includes Boe singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as well as "Over the Hills and Far Away."  However the UK release doesn't include "Bring Him Home."  The cd features top notch technical skills throughout including some beautifully lush arrangements.  In fact, there isn't one arrangement that doesn't add to the song it is accompanying.

Boe may not be a household name just yet, but with this cd, his PBS concert set to air throughout June and an upcoming US tour in the Fall, he is doing what he needs to get his name and his voice out there.   This cd is a perfect addition to your cd library.

Alfie Boe's Official Web Site 

"Bring Him Home" from the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables :

"First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" -

"Music of the Night"