Seventy years ago today on March 31, 1943 the first musical written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II opened on Broadway. That show, Oklahoma! would run for over five years on Broadway, which a run that long was unprecedented at that time when most shows barely ran a year.
The show was based on a 1931 play called Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs and was originally called Away We Go! when it premiered pre-Broadway in New Haven, Connecticut in early March 1943. Focusing on the rivalry between a cowboy and a ranch hand for the hand of a farm girl in the early 1900's, Oklahoma! is a somewhat simple story. However, it is also set across a sweeping landscape of settlers and the various social events that take place in their simple lives. Those events included a barn raising and a social dance that provided director Rouben Mammoulian and choreographerr Agnes de Mille plenty of big and elaborate stage moments to counter the more intimate and dramatic romantic ones surrounding the love triangle between Cowboy Curly, farm hand Jud and farm girl Laury.
What was somewhat ground breaking was how Rodgers and Hammerstein used the songs as extensions of the characters and the dialogue and thus a way to further the plot of the show. Before Oklahoma! the majority of musicals had songs that were stand alone and didn't organically grow out of the story around the music. This changed musicals forever. There were also no stars in the show, something that was almost unheard of at the time as well as an elaborate and lengthy act one ending "dream ballet" staged by deMille to portray Laury's idea of the nightmare that might happen if she ends up with Jud. In a less polished production that long ballet would have stopped the show cold. But as presented here elevated the show into a groundbreaking success that would run for 2,243 performances in its initial Broadway production.
The Tony Awards did not exist in 1943, but I'm sure if they did Oklahoma! would have swept them. Rodgers and Hammerstein did receive a special Pulitzer Prize for the show. Several famous songs came from the score including the opening number "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin,' "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" the romantic duet "People Will Say We're In Love" and the showstopping title song. The cast recording was the first to receive a complete recording as up to that time most shows received truncated recordings due to the space limitations of the discs or the recordings featured studio recording artists and not the original cast members.
A successful film version premiered in 1955 starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones and Rod Steiger and winning three Academy Awards. The show has had three Broadway revivals with the most recent one in 2002 that starred Patrick Wilson as Curly and Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller. This revival was based on a 1998 production in London that starred Hugh Jackman as Curly.
Four songs from the 1955 Movie version:
"The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top" from the 1979 Broadway revival:
Hugh Jackman sings "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" from the filmed version of the 1998 West End Revival.
A new play based on a classic novel is something that rarely succeeds. If you include the fact that the classic novel was already turned into an extremely famous and popular play then your chances of success would seem slim to none. However I'm happy to report that Victoria Stewarts's new play Rich Girl which is based on the Henry James novel Washington Square, that was already turned into the classic play The Heiress, is an inventive new play that updates the story and plot of the novel to modern times in a successful fashion. The play had its world premiere at the George Street Playhouse this month before moving to the Cleveland Playhouse next month.
Dee Hoty
Directed by Michael Bloom and with an excellent cast, Rich Girl tells the story of 26 year old Claudine, a "rich girl" who reconnects with the handsome starving artist Henry from her school days and falls head over heals in love with him. Claudine's mother Eve is a Suze Orman type of financial guru/ tv celebrity, who has her doubts about Henry. Is he just using Claudine to get to Eve's money? Does he really love her? Does he even find the plain Jane and somewhat klutzy Claudine attractive? While these questions are ones we've heard before, Stewart has crafted a winning and inventive take on the James novel that includes fine honed dialogue that is not only realistic but meaningful as well.
Liz Larsen and Crystal Finn
The Henry James novel as well as The Heiress, told the story of a New York City doctor who questions the advances of a suitor for his daughter. While both the novel and that play were more serious and melodramatic, Rich Girl is more of a romantic comedy with serious overtones. And while I'm a huge fan of The Heiress, Stewart doesn't shy away from the romantic intrigue, plot twists and deceptions that were present in the previous novel and play and therefore the addition of comedy only heightens the more dramatic moments.
It is a story of women and men and the various ways that money screws up those relationships. It is also extremely clever with the use of modern technology. I not only liked how Stewart changed the over protective father figure of the James novel into a wealthy overprotective mother, and all the nuances that mother/daughter relationships bring with them, but how she also made the role of Eve into someone not only knowledgable about finances but a specialist on financial security, especially for women. I also really liked how Stewart changed the part of the Aunt into Eve's assistant Maggie, who also appears to be Eve's only close friend as well as a confident of Claudine. By making the part of the aunt into someone who isn't a blood relation, but is still treated like a family member, it adds a whole other dimension of relationship analysis into the mix as that character is now someone who is actually getting paid to be there.
Crystal Finn and Tony Roach
The cast couldn't be better. Dee Hoty and Liz Larsen are the two seasoned professionals here, both with numerous Broadway credits and several Tony nominations between them. Hoty is Eve and Larsen is Maggie. Hoty has no problem in getting across the serious nature of her concerns, and while she is very cold and calculated as Eve, we also know that she is only that way due to her being a victim of her own teachings and the fear that someone can easily come along and take away her hard earned money. Larsen gets most of the jokes in the play, and expertly delivers them. She also has no problem getting across the serious nature of the play as well. Crystal Finn is Claudine and perfectly plays the klutzy young girl who grows into a self sufficient young woman. Tony Roach is Henry and easily wins us over just like he did with Claudine.
Creative elements are sensational with an elaborate set design by Wilson Chin for Eve's expensive Manhattan apartment and costumes by Jennifer Caprio that couldn't be more clear in portraying the characters. I especially liked the wig designs that changed throughout the show to accurately show the passing of time.
Rich Girl is a play not to be missed.
Rich Girl runs through April 7th at the George Street before moving to Cleveland for a run from April 19th to May 19th.
Jarrod Spector racked up an impressive run of over 1,500 performances of playing Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys on both Broadway as well as the stop of the National Tour of the show in Chicago. But for all of his Broadway performances he will be the first to admit that he isn't a big musical theatre buff. So it is no surprise that his solo cd and concerts that he has performed across the country don't have really any showtunes in them but instead focus on rock and pop hits from the 60's to today. With a rocking band and two backup singers, Spector proves a hip and modern throwback to the entertainers that he idolizes, especially Bobby Darin.
The majority of songs he performed at the McCarter theatre in Princeton come from his recent solo cd "Major Fall, Minor Lift." This wasn't Spector's first stop at Princeton as this Philadelphia native actually also went to school there.
The show was highlighted by several rocking medleys of classic pop/rock songs including an opening sequence that included a rousing version of Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" and a medley of 60's songs that included a stirring take on Buddy Holly's "Everyday." There were some nice versions of songs that most people love to hate including the Hall and Oates song that was number 1 on the charts the day Spector was born, "Kiss On My List," and the Barry Manilow hit "Even Now." Spector sang both with conviction and no apology at his love for the material.
While Spector frames the show around his life story, telling us about his stint on Star Search when he was just a very young kid to the breakdown he had when he was in college, he could use a little bit of firming up the point he is trying to get across and editing the story a bit, in order to better connect with the material and the audience. But the songs he sings and the voice he has to sing them with more then make up for the lack of theme and how his life story relates to the songs he sings.
His sequence around his Star Search experience included a fun take on Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash." Other highlights in the set included a rocked out version of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" and a stirring take on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." It was a varied evening for sure, but never once did any of the songs seem out of place, which is something to say when you have hits from Led Zeppelin, Hall and Oates and Barry Manilow almost following right after each other.
A pairing of two Billy Joel songs "Lullabye (Good Night My Angel)" and "River of Dreams" brought the concert to an inspired finish. Two encores followed including a soft but soaring take on "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables (Spector appeared as Gavrouche in the Broadway production when he was very young) and the only Jersey Boys song in the concert, a lovely version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You."
All in all, Spector knows how to entertain and his soaring voice and excellent band combined for an excellent concert. Not sure if he's doing any more concerts in the future but if you're a fan of classic pop/rock try not to miss him if he comes to your town.
Adam Pascal rose to prominence due to his break out role as Roger in the original Broadway cast of Rent. That role earned him a Tony nomination and while he has also starred in the Original Broadway cast of Aida, as the final replacement Emcee in the Cabaret revival and more recently took over in the lead male role in Memphis, Pascal seems to really consider himself a singer/songwriter and not just a musical theatre Broadway star. After having performed in bands from his teenage years, he was able to use his Rent success to obtain a way to release several solo cds that feature his original songs. Over the years he has performed at various venues across the country and we caught a solo gig he gave at the 54 Below cabaret club. It was interesting not only due to Pascal's excellent musicianship but also because just right above us was where he gave one of his most favorite performances when he starred in Cabaret at Studio 54.
And while the evening included only a few show tunes, none of which Adam has ever actually performed in an actual production of the show it comes from, it was the passion that he has with the music and the connection he has to it that really came through. I can't imagine that anyone who was expecting him to sing his big Rent song "One Song Glory" not at all disappointed in the least that he didn't sing that or any songs that he performed on Broadway.
The concert didn't really have an overall theme or focus but instead was just Adam singing some of his favorite songs and telling us stories of his past, including several humorous ones from his pre-marriage Rent days that included his partner in crime and Rent co-star Jesse L. Martin. The solo acoustic show included just Adam, center stage, playing his guitar.
Some highlights of the show included a soaring, heartfelt version of "Mama Who Bore Me" from Spring Awakening and a stirring version of "Memory" from Cats that while it got a few laughs when he started singing the song, mainly due to how unexpected it was, turned into an excellent version of this somewhat over performed song with some excellent guitar skills from Pascal. A touching version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" found Adam connecting with this 80's pop classic in an introspective way.
Adam's own songs comprised about half of the evening with Adam singing songs from his various albums including "Beautiful Song," "Turn The Lights On," "Something of Ours" and a touching version of "I'm With You." His set also included pairings of two of his own songs that featured a brief bit of the Paul McCartney hit "Let Em In" and one that even featured him segueing into Sondheim's "Johanna" from Sweeney Todd. An encore of Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" was a nice end to the evening.
Adam's voice has such strength and passion and when combined with the honesty and directness of his guitar playing make pretty much anything he performs special. If you're a fan of music and musical theatre don't miss Adam if he comes to a town near you.
Former Texas governor Ann Richards was a firecracker with a larger than life personality. Actress Holland Taylor briefly met Ann and was later inspired to create an autobiographical play based on interviews she conducted with people who knew Richards. After several regional theatre productions of the play, Ann opened on Broadway a few weeks back.
Richards was born in 1933 and worked her way up through local Texas politics to become the state treasurer of Texas in 1982. She came to national attention due to the famous speech she gave at the 1986 Democratic convention. Her popularity from that speech led to her narrow victory in the 1990 race for the governor of Texas. She became only the second woman to ever hold that office.
Holland Taylor is Ann Richards
While the play is an interesting one woman show it is actually more a character study of Richards, presenting her journey to the governor's office framed around a graduation speech she gives, more so then a regular dramatic play. The speech itself and Ann's interaction with the audience, as if we are in fact the graduating class she is speaking to, are both impressive with Taylor firmly getting across the humor and directness in Richard's delivery as well as her no holds barred approach to politics. However, it is a bit jarring to go from the opening sequence where Richards is giving the commencement address, full of her wit and wisdom, to the large set piece of Richards' office when she was governor and where she is now interacting with the off stage voice of her secretary as well as watching Richards go about her crazy day to day schedule as the governor. The momentum that Taylor has created in the well crafted earlier sequence comes almost to a dead halt during the first part of the office scenes. It might have something to do with the many phone calls Taylor includes in the office scenes to better portray Ann's busy schedule as well as to show the many odds she was up against. But during those calls we only hear her side of the many phone conversations which after awhile becomes very repetitive with the many silent moments when she is listening to the other side of the conversation. And while Taylor is great as Richards, never once dropping the Texas accent and we do hear Julie White's pre-recorded voice as her secretary, it is hard to have a one woman play that interacts with so many people when none of them are actually present.
Taylor in the Texas Governor's Office set
The ending is also a bit abrupt, with Taylor talking about her time after she lost her reelection bid, her office she set up in New York City right around the September 11th attacks and her subsequent death from cancer. This is also all delivered to the audience as if it is the final part of her commencement speech and while it is a nice way to tie up Richards' story it doesn't exactly make sense in relation to the opening part of the commencement speech where it seems that this is one that Richards actually gave. Are we supposed to beleive that this is a speech that Richards gave from heaven? I think it would have been a better play if Taylor had a co-writer to help her better frame her ideas and how to get across the points about Richards that she wanted to highlight. It isn't a horrible play at all, but could have been great if more attention had been paid to better playwrighting.
But Taylor's performance as Richards is really the reason to see this play. She is simply amazing and while a lot of the illusion of her as Richards has to do with the wardrobe and wig design it is Taylor that has to pull everything together and hold the stage by herself for over two hours. At that, Ann definitely succeeds.
The new Broadway musical Kinky Boots is an infectious, fun and upbeat crowd pleaser. And while it is yet another musical based on a movie just like the show we saw the week before, Hands on a Hardbody, Boots is based on a small independent film and not on a well known Hollywood blockbuster. The fact that it is based on a film that not a lot of people have seen makes it actually come across as completely original which is another asset going for it.
Kinky Boots tells the story of two men in England, Charlie and Simon (aka drag queen Lola), who are from very different backgrounds and who come together for a common cause. That cause is to save Charlie's family owned shoe making business. The idea to save it is to stop making traditional shoes, which are forcing the business into bankruptcy and instead make kinky boots, the type of outrageous shoe ware a drag queen extraordinaire like Lola knows intimately. Can Charlie and Lola put aside their differences to work together and create the right style of kinky boot in time to make it to the big shoe show in Milan and save the business? While you think you might know the answer to that question, the fun way the show gets to the upbeat and energetic ending is a simple joy to watch and be a part of.
Stark Sands and Billy Porter
It is a show with a fairly simple plot and a fairly contrived chance meeting between the two lead characters who only meet up due to a brief incident on the street. That moment, when Charlie believes he needs to save Lola from an attacker outside of the club she performs at, is what brings these two men together, however what sets them off on their journey is their realization that they aren't so different and need each other to succeed. The fact that they are both trying to prove themselves by standing up to their basically non existent fathers might seem somewhat odd, especially considering that Charlie's father passes away right after the opening number. However, there is plenty of humor and drama along the way to keep the relationship between these new friends fresh and real as they work together to become better men and hopefully save the shoe factory.
Annaleigh Asford and Stark Sands
The creative team behind the show is very impressive with direction and choreography by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell and a book by multi Tony winner Harvey Fierstein. However the big news here is the score by pop diva icon Cyndi Lauper. While Mitchell's direction and choreography and Fierstein's book for this show are all in line with what you'd expect from these two award winners, Lauper has written some infectious showtunes, including some stand out ballads, comical songs and toe tapping anthems. It is hard to believe this is her first attempt at a Broadway score. Her act one duet for the two men "Not My Father's Son" is an emotional tear jerker on par with some of the best Broadway ballads. And her "Sex is in the Heal" and "The History of Wrong Guys" are in line with some of the more comical Broadway songs with Lauper providing some truly clever lyrics.
The cast of Kinky Boots is also top notch. Stark Sands as Charlie and Billy Porter as Lola are a powerhouse couple with Porter delivering a star making performance. Don't be surprised to see Porter and possibly even Sands with Tony nominations come May with Porter a clear front runner to win the award. While Sands is given the straight man part to play, in more ways then one, he manages to instill a sense of seriousness, urgency and realness to the part. And while Porter as Lola is larger than life, it is when he is out of the drag and playing the soft spoken and somewhat shy and nervous Simon that Porter really shows you what he is capable of. The fact the two men played these parts in the pre-Broadway Chicago tryout last fall has only strengthened the bond between them. They've created an amazing relationship but one with warts and issues, just like you'd imagine would exist in a relationship with a straight man and the drag queen who he becomes friends with.
Billy Porter and the "angels"
Annaleigh Ashford is giving a great supporting performance as the factory worker who finds herself falling in love with Charlie. Her solo turn with "The History of Wrong Guys" affords her the opportunity to not only win over the audience but deliver a comical performance that will hopefully be remembered come Tony time. Besides these three actors, the majority of the rest of the cast is a well oiled ensemble playing various parts but Daniel Sherman is a stand out as the rugged factory worker who has a problem with Lola and drag queens and gay men in general. Sherman manages to not come across as the stereotypical bigot and Fierstein's book gives him some nice dramatic as well as comical moments to provide his character with some nice layers. The rest of the ensemble is extremely hard working with special attention necessary for the hilarious and beautiful six men in the cast who play Lola's "angels" who perform at the club with her.
the cast and the imaginative factory set design
At the preview performance we saw there were a few odd moments that will hopefully get worked out before opening night. One of these moments in act one included Lola performing a magic act at her club that is weaved around a scene with Charlie at the factory. The stopping and starting up of the song and magic act and while Lola is even performing a magic act since before and after we never see her doing anything magical again don't make any sense and only slow down the plot. It is also a little unclear if Lola owns the nightclub she performs at or what and the character of Nicola, Charlie's girlfriend, seems to have had her part cut down so much that we aren't exactly sure why Charlie loves her and why they stick together. I think Fierstein made too many cuts in the first fifteen minutes of the show to get Lola introduced that he gave short shrift to the backstory of Charlie as well as some of Lola's past. Hopefully the preview period will afford Fierstein the time to clarify some of these items.
Creative aspects are superb with an impressive and imaginative set design by David Rockwell that includes a beautiful factory setting, a revolving center set piece that functions as several locations and the use of conveyor belts as a choreographic element. Costumes by Gregg Barnes are simply amazing with some of the most outlandish dresses for Lola and her Angels as well as some of the most impressive boots you've ever seen.
While Kinky Boots isn't the greatest musical out there it is a well crafted "feel good" show with several break out songs and makes for a very good night out. The two big stars of this show are Billy Porter and Cyndi Lauper's Broadway song writing debut. Kinky Boots officially opens on April 4th. Official Show Site
Rehearsal clips from the show and Cyndi talking about her score:
Scenes from the show -unfortunately some spoilers about the ending are included:
In order for a musical to be successful many things have to come together. At minimum you need a good story, good music and a talented cast. Creative and appropriate sets, costumes and lighting are also appreciated, though I have seen my share of good shows that had minimal creative aspects. So, what can I say about the new musical Hands on a Hardbody? It is a show with an interesting premise, a hard working cast and the creative use of a life sized truck on the stage, but also a show with an only serviceable score, characters that you don't get the chance to identify completely with and a repetitive nature to the proceedings. But it is a memorable musical due to the characters and plot and the creative use of that truck.
Based on the 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical follows ten down on their luck people as they enter an endurance contest at a Texas auto dealership to see who can keep their hand on a truck the longest, with the last person standing who still has one of their hands on the truck winning the auto. It is a competition that goes on for several days and focuses on characters that you rarely see on a Broadway stage. They are all financially strapped Americans, desperate to win the "hardbody" truck in order to change their lives for the better. It is nice to see a musical based on a movie that is about real people for a change. This production with the same cast was produced at the La Jolla Playhouse last Summer and with some changes is opening on Broadway on March 21st.
Hands on a Hardbody is the clearest example of an ensemble show all due to the fact that throughout the entire show you always have several people on the stage with their hands firmly planted on that truck. And while each of the characters gets their moment in the spotlight, the musical wisely focuses more on just a few central characters. Keith Carradine and Hunter Foster are the two "names" in the cast, and their characters have more to do then the others, though there are plenty of times when the two of them, like the rest of the cast, are standing in the background with their hands on the truck while another member of the cast is the focus of the scene or song. Both Carradine and Foster are up to the challenge of blending in with the ensemble and not stealing the focus from the other characters and both are given plenty of material to show off their acting chops and vocal abilities. It is nice to have Carradine back in a Broadway musical after the great job he did in creating the title role over twenty years ago in The Will Rogers Follies. Foster is playing the only real villain of the piece, the man who won the competition previously and is willing to do what he needs to do in order to win again, even though he has plenty of demons of his own he is having to deal with. I liked how both men created characters that you were able to identify with very easily.
Keala Settle, Hunter Foster and Keith Carradine
Other highlights in the cast include Keala Settle as the religious lady who believes God is working through her and wants her to win the truck. Settle gets one of the big showstopping songs that starts off with her uncontrollable laughter, segues into an impromptu drum session where the truck is used by everyone as their personal drum set and ends with some soaring vocals. I also like Allison Case and Jay Armstrong Johnson as two young kids who find a mutual connection during the contest and who share a extremely well choreographed dance on top of the truck as it moves and spins around the stage.
And the truck itself is pretty spectacular. It is on casters so the cast is able to easily move it anywhere on the stage they need to, whether by all ten members of the contest in the early stages of the competition up to just a few people as the competitors start dropping out. The direction by Neil Pepe and musical staging by Sergio Trujillo focuses squarely on not just having the truck sit center stage throughout the show, but to find an effective way to move it around and bring the individual characters into focus. And while this was very creative for the first half of the show, including several moments when the truck and cast are spinning almost uncontrollably around the stage, after awhile it becomes more of a gimmick and less of an intelligent creative decision. I guess I wanted to see different ways to bring the characters into focus then just having the truck move around the stage over and over again.
With a book by Doug Wright, music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green and lyrics by Green, the show has it's heart in the right place and the dialogue and songs that are in a folk/soft country style fit the Texas characters fairly well. However, I could have used less focus on the two people who run the car dealership and the issues they are having with their inventory and more focus on the participants in the contest. As every time the car dealership office set glided on to the stage it seemed to stop the momentum of the story with yet another unnecessary scene or song that wasn't about the people hoping to win the truck. We are rooting for the participants in the contest, not the people who work at the dealership, but I guess the creators wanted to show that even those who work at the dealership have issues of their own. I just think a "less is more" decision would have worked better for those two characters.
While overall I found this show entertaining and moving in parts, it is also somewhat repetitive with almost every character's big solo immediately preceding their elimination from the contest. So repetitive that after awhile you know that as soon as someone starts signing a song that gives you a part of their past and allows you to connect with them that they will almost surely be exiting the stage as soon as the applause for their song ends. And while I had no trouble sympathizing with the majority of the various characters, some of the dialogue and lyrics don't exactly fit the music for the show, and as such, don't exactly fit the characters.
And while the show is somewhat depressing, the final song is uplifting and one that will be playing in your head for days after seeing the show, while almost every other song in the score will be forgotten almost as soon as they end. So, I'm kinda on the fence with this show- good cast, some creative direction and staging choices, some good songs but not an overall completely great show.
It is hard to believe that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical Cinderella has never actually appeared on Broadway until now. After three different tv versions of the musical and numerous regional, community and high school productions, the closest Cinderella has ever made it to Broadway has been a couple of productions at New York City Opera and the National Tour that stopped at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. So after first premiering on TV back in 1957 it is nice to see Cinderella finally making it to Broadway.
The interesting thing about this production of Cinderella is that it is very different from the tv versions and all of those productions that have been performed before. While the main story is still intact, this production includes an updated book by Douglas Carter Beane as well as including songs that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote for but that were cut from other musicals and movies. This updated book provides multiple layers to almost all of the characters in the show, turning them from what were previously fairly one dimensional and almost stereotypical characters into more realistic ones. Beane's book also includes a good amount of humor as well.
Santino Fontana and Laura Osnes
While the main focus of the story is still on the budding relationship between Cinderella and the Prince, there is now a larger focus on the other members of the fairy tale land. Cinderella shows the Prince the injustice that is happening to those around him and introduces him to the less fortunate members of his kingdom. In doing so, Beane has interestingly crafted a story that transforms this somewhat simple fairy tale into one of social injustice as well as the battle of cruelty verses kindness. Several new or beefed up characters add a new dimension not only to the story but also help us see, along with the Prince, what is happening around him.
As Cinderella, Laura Osnes once again proves her keen ability to tackle a Broadway leading role. After turns as the female lead in both Bonnie and Clyde and in the replacement cast of the recent revival of South Pacific, Osnes has found another role that she easily makes her own. I believe this is the role that will allow her to have a spectacular Broadway career and I wouldn't be surprised to see another Tony nomination come her way for her performance. Her natural ease at handling the part and not come across as too saccharine or sweet is as much a tribute to her abilities as it is to Beane's updated book.
Victoria Clark
In the part of the Prince, Santino Fontana easily tackles the task at hand, portraying someone who at first seems to have no care in the world but also someone who becomes a man more in touch to the reality that is happening around him. This is the fourth or fifth Broadway or Off Broadway show we've seen Fontana in, and like Osnes, he is clearly at the top of his game, not only in his ability to make this at first very one dimensional character into something much more than he first appears, but also to belt out some of the most romantic songs in the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalog. His performance of 'Ten Minutes Ago" and "Loneliness of Evening" are simply stunning.
Beane has beefed up the part of Cinderella's fairy god mother into a more commanding role, one which provides Victoria Clark two very different characters to play, both of which she expertly handles. Her connection with Osnes is also lovely and her soaring ballad in act two, "There's Music in You" is a nice touch that really rounds out the part. As Cinderella's wicked step mother, Harriet Harris once again shows why she is the perfect comic foil, venomous when necessary, adept at tackling and landing any joke she's given but also perfectly suited to deliver a song when required.
Ann Harada, center, and the female ensemble
In smaller parts both Ann Harada and Marla Mindelle were perfect as Cinderella's two step sisters, with Harada hilarious and Mindelle sympathetic to Cinderella, which was a really nice change that Beane made to the book of the show. Greg Hildreth as the new character Jean-Michel added a nice amount of depth to the story, and I also liked how both Hildreth and Fontana both don't either have your typical leading man looks or builds but are both playing them on Broadway. Peter Bartlett and Phumzile Sojola portray the Prince's closet members of his staff and Bartlett is the male equivalent of Harris in his ability to get across any joke he is given. Sojola has a soaring voice which he is able to show off several times during the show.
Direction by Mark Brokaw is perfect, with the show moving along at a fast paced but also with plenty of times that it slows down when required. Josh Rhodes provides a nice and varied amount of choreography including some spectacular dance sequences at the ball where he also ensures that Fontana and Osnes are front and center, including several moments of Fontana lifting and twirling Osnes in tune with the ensemble.
I also really liked Beane's updated book and how he managed to tweak a few things that we all take for granted in this fairly tale especially with how Cinderella leaves behind the glass slipper. As far as the songs that have been added to this production, "Loneliness of Evening" and "Now is the Time" were both cut from South Pacific and "There's Music in You" was written for the film Main Street to Broadway and also included in the 1997 tv version of Cinderella that starred Brandy and Whitney Houston.
Creative aspects of the show are simply amazing with truly magical costumes by William Ivey Long, including several that transform into other costumes and an inventive and creative set design by Anna Louizos that includes a multitude of trees that move and set pieces that rotate. The lighting design by Ken Posner is extremely effective in seamlessly moving us from one locale to another as well as in perfectly portraying various times of day. The magical moments, of which there are many, are masterly handled and result in many gasps and rounds of applause from the audience.
I believe this show is gonna be a big hit, not only with families and young theatre goers but with those of us that appreciate a fresh and updated take on an old favorite and anyone who is thrilled by the magic that can happen in the theatre. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella officially opens next week on March 3rd.
Ben Vereen is so grateful for what he's been allowed to do on stage and screen and that joy he feels pours out from him in his concerts. Now in his mid sixties, Vereen has been through a lot, including a pretty horrific accident where he was walking on a street and hit by a car. And while his voice may has lost some of the luster it once had, Vereen has such a nice personable connection with the audience that it outweighs any vocal issues he has to deal with. His recent concert at the McCarter Theatre was a magical evening of story and song.
While the majority of his concert was included in the live cd he released in the Spring of 2011 (which I reviewed here) there were plenty of other material that wasn't on that cd, so I'll focus on talking about the material that I already didn't speak of in that review.
His connection with two composers, Stephen Schwartz and Andrew Lloyd Webber goes back to his early days on Broadway when he appeared in the original casts of Schwartz's Pippin and Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. His medley of songs from those shows was nice but what I thought was even better were two songs from Wicked that he performed in slightly slower versions to really focus on the lyrics "Defying Gravity" and "For Good." Both became personal stories for him much like Lloyd Webber's "Memory" from Cats set up the entire section about his past.
His connection to Bob Fosse, in both Pippin and the film All That Jazz was also brought center stage with Vereen talking about how electric Fosse was and how honored he was to have been included in not only Pippin but the film that basically was an autobiographical detail of Fosse's life. Other highlights include a lovely Frank Sinatra medley and a section devoted to Sammy Davis Jr. where Vereen mentions how he was his understudy when the musical Golden Boy went to London and how connected he felt to Sammy and how Sinatra broke down racial barriers for him.
While the majority of the Sinatra and Davis, Jr material is on the cd I mentioned above, there was still plenty more that wasn't. Vereen had a top notch trio playing with him and he did a lovely job in spotlighting them that included solos for each of them including a smashing "Misty" and a lovely "Your Song."
The song "Here's To Us" has become something of a staple for performers in the AARP demographic with both Barbra Streisand singing it during her recent concert tour and Barbara Cook performing it at the concert we saw her perform last Fall. Vereen somehow manages to make the song his own due to the stories he tells throughout his show and the ups and downs he documents for us. It was a lovely end to a lovely evening.
David Lindsay-Abaire's Tony nominated play Good People is a contemporary play that portrays a slice of life that touches upon the modern day class cycle and how the loss of a job can force someone to do some things that they might not have done otherwise. It is also the story of a life that none of us would hope to ever live.
Ellen McLaughlin, Zakiya Young and John Bolger
The play is set in South Boston or "Southie," a working class neighborhood where Margie, a single mother in her late 40's, is about to be fired from her cashier job at the local dollar store. She's a minimum waged employee who's been fired because she has been late too many times. But she has an adult daughter at home who's caretaker was late getting to her, so Margie has a good reason for why she's been late to work. But it doesn't matter, she is let go anyway. You like Margie, she's had a tough life and has tried to make the best of it, living within the lines and rules she's been given. She barely complains and is desperately trying to find a job, any job, that will help her pay her rent and care for her daughter. A chance meeting with Mike, a former high school boyfriend who is now a well off Doctor, sets in motion the plot of the play which focuses not only on Margie hopefully finding a job but to also get some answers about what would have happened if she and Mike hadn't broken up.
Marianne Owen, Ellen McLaughlin
and Cynthia Lauren Tewes
It is a play about the choices that people make and how they ultimately effect the people around them as well as the friends who become our family and life support system when times get bad. It is extremely funny and moving as well. I don't want to say much more about the plot as there are plenty of twists and revelations in it, but Lindsay-Abaire has written an interesting story that while it may come across as a bit like a soap opera, it has such rich characters and realistic dialogue and situations that you can imagine that there really are people like Margie and Mike out there who are living through similar situations.
The title refers to how we often say that someone is "good people" to say that they have good character and upbringing. But by the end of the play we realize that even people who we might think are "good people" may not be and that has to do with the way that Lindsay-Abaire has made almost all of the characters into both villains and heroes. It is a fascinating choice but correct in dealing with a modern story as it accurately shows how everyone of us has a good side as well as a bad one. I especially liked how even the smaller role of Stevie, the young man who has to fire Margie, that we don't really like, comes back in the play in an important and positive way at the end.
Lindsay-Abaire also has his characters accurately portray the constantly changing roles that people assume in the various scenes including one where Margie comes to visit Mike at his office. She is desperately hoping he has a job for her, even willing to do janitorial work in his office, but the tables turn with Margie using her wit and words in getting the upper hand in the conversation and an invitation to his upcoming birthday party where there might be job opportunities from his friends that will be there. The scene ends with Margie assuming control, even sitting in Mike's office chair. It is an effective scene like every other one in this production that is well directed by David Saint.
Ellen McLaughlin and Eric Reidmann
The cast for this production is top-notch with Ellen McLaughlin simply amazing as Margie. She breaks your heart with her desperation. Her ability to get across Margie's way of using non-stop talking to get out of any situation is perfectly played as well as her sense of pride. Margie is "good people" for sure. McLaughlin also has a perfect use of comic timing for Margie's sense of humor that Margie never loses through it all and she also pulls off an impressive Boston accent.
John Bolger as Mike is the villain of the story, or is he? Bolger first comes across as the cocky guy who got out of the neighborhood to make something of himself and we believe he doesn't really want anything to do with Margie or really try to help her get a job. But we soon realize we may not exactly be correct in the way we think about Mike, though once Margie pushes him his sense of fear and anger comes forth. Bolger does a good job in balancing the various layers of the character with his controlled sense of anger especially effective. Zakiya Young as Mike's younger wife also is excellent in getting across this woman who is very interested to talk to Margie and learn more about Mike's past, a past she seems that he has kept much of it from her. She welcomes Margie into her home with open arms, including forcing wine and cheese on her but she quickly defends her family once Margie starts to reveal some truths about Mike's past in the hard Southie neighborhood. Again, Young gets across the hero and villain aspects of every character.
Three members of the cast are from the Seattle area, due to this being a co-production with the Seattle Repertory Theatre. All three are excellent, which goes to show the calibre of actors working in regional theatres. Marianne Owen is Margie's friend who gets Margie thinking about how she can use Mike to her advantage and Cynthia Lauren Tewes is Margie's landlady and caretaker of her daughter. Both have great comic timing and have no problem navigating the quick witted dialogue while maintaining perfect Boston accents. Eric Reidmann is the Dollar Store manager who fires Margie, and his soft spoken delivery is perfect for this character who seems almost as lost as everyone else in the play.
James Youman's set design is extremely effective, not only with a fairly elaborate set for Mike's house but also through the effective use of sliding panels and moving projections that give us a sense of traveling to the various locations within the Boston area. David Murin's costume design couldn't be better, with Margie's party attire that includes an outdated leather skirt and a tear in her stockings pretty much summing up Margie to a t.
This is another excellent production from the George Street and Artistic Director David Saint.
This production of Good People runs at The George Street through February 24th before moving to Seattle for a March 8th to March 31st run.
Much like the movie The Queen of Versailles that I just reviewed, Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize winning play A Delicate Balance, which is receiving a lovely production at the McCarter Theatre this month, has at its center a wealthy family that isn't immune to the fates of those less well off. But unlike the Siegel family in the Versailles film, this family isn't impacted by financial issues but by the sheer terror that waits in the darkness of every one's life. A terror that affects even an Upper Class family.
The fact that the "terror" that is mentioned in the play is never actually specified makes this drama into something even greater then if it was spelled out. You see, there is just something out there that forces the best friends of the main couple of the play to show up on their doorstep one night, declare that they are "frightened" and move in as if their friend's house was their own.
On the surface this may seem like a somewhat forced and ludicrous plot point, but in the skilled hands of Albie he turns the entire element of the unknown terror as well as the other things that haunt and trouble us all into an interesting study of the modern family. This study includes the notion that we all have various "rights" in our relationships with each other and "roles" that we all must live within. Various other themes are present including the idea that we will all eventually start to lose our minds, how the death of a child can affect the parents in completely different ways, how siblings and children take a toll on a family and how the events of the past never go away but combine with other things to make every day an uneasy existence for those involved. When combined with the element of the unknown terror and an ongoing consumption of alcohol by all of the characters, Albie creates a play that is both unsettling and thought provoking.
Kathleen Chalfant and John Glover
Agnes and Toby are an upper middle class married couple in their late fifties who try to maintain the balance in their home. A home where they are always dressed up as if they are ready to host a cocktail party at any time but also prepared for the arrival of unexpected guests. Agnes' sister Clare lives with them, and the two sisters are polar opposites with Agnes preferring order and control and Clare basically saying whatever she wants to and someone who couldn't be bothered with social moors. Clare is also a self stated "drunk" not an alcoholic but a drunk. Harry and Edna are the friends of Agnes and Toby who show up on their doorstep, declare they are scared and terrified and move in with them at the same time that their daughter Julia is coming back home to stay after the end of her fourth marriage. The unexpected house guests upset the balance of Agnes and Toby's house and the already strained relationship between Agnes, Toby and Clare.
Direction by Emily Mann is perfect with a lovely balance between drama and comedy that this play requires. Mann also gets an impressively nuanced and layered performance from John Glover that includes a riveting story about his childhood cat who stopped liking him and what he does to the cat because of that as well as a third act performance where he not only puts his cards on the table about the way he feels about his relationship with his friends but also the pain from when he gets the truth about how Harry really feels about him. Kathleen Chalfant at Agnes is also perfect in her delivery of the woman who is trying desperately to keep the balance within her household and her life even while confronted with her ever present sister and the un-invited visitors. Agnes is a hard part to play since it requires an almost constant sternness but Chalfant pulls it off easily.
The part of Clare is definitely the livelier of the parts in the play and Penny Fuller is having a grand time playing it. She easily gets across the part of a lady who has seen it all but has nothing to show for her experiences since she is living with her sister and brother in law now. While she has good relationships with her family she also is always at odds with her sister and has a secret about her brother in law that she seems ready to reveal at any time. Fuller perfectly captures the drunken lady who is quick witted, always ready to fight, speaks her mind but is also extremely lonely and desperately needs the people in her life to keep her balanced.
The rest of the cast is fine with Roberta Maxwell especially good as Edna. Maxwell walks the balance between the frightened lady and the woman with "rights" in her friend's house perfectly. James A. Stephens is Harry and Francesca Faridany is Julia and they are both fine in the parts.
Some other interesting observations about this play: The way that Harry and Edna just assume they have rights in the house, even more so than Julia due to the fact that they are her godparents, and the way that Edna speaks to Julia easily portrays the element of rude behavior that happens when one claims a perceived role that has rights that come with it. While Clare is the so called "drunk" of the group, just about everyone else drinks just as much if not more then Clare does. Also, the fact that the play ends with a similar conversation between Agnes and Toby that we heard in the beginning of the play makes you believe that the events of the play aren't over, that they will be repeated again and again and that the "terror" that is out there will never go away.
John Glover, Penny Fuller, Kathleen Chalfant,
Roberta Maxwell and James A. Stephens
This production is top-notch all around, from the performances, the direction from Mann and the creative elements including a perfectly designed set by Daniel Ostling where everything is balanced and in its place. And while it might not match the unforgettable Broadway revival in 1996 with Rosemary Harris and George Grizzard as Agnes and Toby and Elaine Stritch as Clare, it comes pretty close.
Is the terror of the play the fear when a couple realizes after being together for so many years that they have nothing left but an emptiness between them? An emptiness that Agnes and Toby fill up with the constant presence of Clare, their friends, their daughter and the never absent alcohol? Is this what Harry and Edna saw before them one evening that forced them to pack up and come to live with Agnes and Toby? Albie isn't exactly clear, and I like that he isn't clear as there are plenty of themes and situations happening in A Delicate Balance to make you think. And as much as we all want to believe that we will never end up like any of the characters in this play, we all also know that deep down we just might, and that is the scariest part of all.
A Delicate Balance runs through this coming weekend, February 17th.
In 2008 David and Jacquie Siegel were at the top of the world. David made millions from starting one of the largest timeshare businesses in the US and with his second wife Jaqueline they were in the middle of building the largest single family house in America. Modeled on Versailles in France, this dream house was a 90,000 square foot mansion in Orlando with over 30 bathrooms, 10 kitchens and a view from the top balcony of the nightly fireworks over nearby Disney World. Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield began a film to document the Siegel's, their life and the building of their mansion when the financial collapse of 2008 happened. That event, and it's impact on the Siegels, their business and their "Versailles" turned Greenfield's film and the Siegel's lives into something different all together from what they'd originally planned.
David Siegel made millions with his Westgate Resorts, a group of time share properties across the US. He married Jacquie and while she may seem like a "trophy" wife since she is thirty years younger than the 74 year old David, they had seven children together and on the surface, at least in the beginning of the film, it seems like they have a stable relationship.
Over two years of filming, Greenfield manages to first show how the Siegel's dream of building their "Versailles" is almost coming to fruition. Jacquie takes us on a tour of the half completed house and is almost giddy with excitement about showing us around the place. But then the floor droops out and the film becomes a document of the personal impact of the real estate bubble and the impact it has on the time share mortgage game. That game, where the monthly payments from timeshare owners fund the entire sales operation and how when those payments stop coming in, as more and more people are impacted by the economic downturn, the Westgate business starts to crumble.
Jacquie and her kids
However since David seems to always be working, even before the economic downturn, the cameras mainly focus on Jacquie and life around their current Florida mansion, hence why the film is called the "Queen" of Versailles. David is featured, with a couple of his scenes that are both shocking and sad as well as focuses on David's son from his first wife who runs the Vegas Westgate office, an office that quickly turns upside down after the market drops.
David's credit dries up and when you've mortgaged just about everything for your future it means even the rich billionaires like David have huge set backs. It is one of the best "riches to rags" stories you will ever see, especially because you feel that everyone in the film is being up front and honest about what they are going through. It is also a cautionary tale of how money problems can possibly affect a marriage.
And while Jacquie may at first appear to be your stereotypical dumb blond, she isn't. She is smart, just uneducated in the ways of the world and her heart is in the right place. She cares for her children and her husband and has faith that he will be able to turn things around. Jacquie says that when she met David "he said 'trust me' and I put my trust in him" and you see how David knows how many people are holding on to the hope that he can figure out a way to turn things around.
an aerial view of the 90,000 square foot "Versailles" outside
of Orlando about half way through construction
There are many moments that you'll remember for a long time after the film ends, these include the elaborate Christmas party where David tells his fellow party goers how he was able to buy back his outstanding $18 million dollar loan, that the bank wasn't willing to write down for him, via a third party for $3.5 million. This shows not only how skilled David believes he is at business deals but also how the banks, the economy and the entire financial system were so far upside down they were willing to make deals just not a deal with the original owner of the loan. Ironically, things don't go as well after Jacquie's trip back home to the small town in New York where she grew up. That trip affords her the opportunity to reconnect with one of her best friend's from her teenage years. That friend's house is going into foreclosure and even a $5,000 check from Jacquie that more than covers the amount owed on the mortgage isn't enough to reverse the foreclosure.
And David's frustration over the door to the house being left open and the number of lights that are left on in the house is something anyone can relate to where there was an argument over a high electricity bill. The fact that none of the people in the house wants to step up and say that they will make sure the door is shut or that the lights are turned off if not needed, says a lot about the way these people live in an alternate world even when faced with the hard truth about their finances. Jacquie's spending at first seems to be out of control as well, including buying Christmas gifts for her kids that include new bikes, when they already have a garage full of them, but the film also shows Jacquie's attempt to sell off some of her possessions at low prices to families who are really in need to give back to the community.
Lessons learned include: don't take anything for granted and live within your means. Don't mortgage everything you have and most definitely, always plan for your future.
The film was nominated by the DGA for outstanding directorial achievement and is definitely worth a Redbox rental or adding to your Netflix queue.
Trailer for the film:
Interview with Director Lauren Greenfield as well as clips from the film:
