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Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Greg &
Suzanne Angeo

Jul 14 2012
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The Marvelous Wonderettes at 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa CA

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

“The Marvelous Wonderettes” by Roger Bean at 6th Street Playhouse – GK Hardt Theatre

 

From left: Ashley Rose McKenna, Katie Veale, Julianne Lorenzen, Shari Hopkinson

Photo by Eric Chazankin

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Too “Marvelous” For Words

Few decades in recent history had as much cultural turbulence as the one spanning 1958 to 1968, but for just a few hours, any social significance recalled from that era will just have to take a backseat to pure entertainment. “The Marvelous Wonderettes” at 6th Street Playhouse is an irresistible delight for the senses. It will please fans of classic pop music and anyone else who loves a good time. To coin a phrase, it’s cotton candy done right.
Although it’s loaded with girlish charm, “Wonderettes” cleverly manages to avoid the saccharine trap, with just the right touch of tartness to keep it light and refreshing. The story begins in 1958, about four high school chums who belong to their beloved school’s song leader squad. The Wonderettes, as they call themselves, have been asked to perform at their “Super Senior Prom”. They are terribly, terribly excited about it, and their stories begin to unfold with each new song. We are treated to gossamer confections like “Lollipop”, “Mr Sandman” and “Dream Lover”, among many others. The clever little gambits used to bring the audience into the action onstage keeps everyone fully engaged from the first moment to the last. But the music! It’s nearly non-stop and performed in such spectacular four-part harmony that the Wonderettes get you to wondering why they haven’t been signed to a record contract and taken their act on the road.
“The Marvelous Wonderettes” by Roger Bean has been a long-running hit and crowd-pleaser right from the start, when it first premiered in Milwaukee in 1999. The show was expanded into a longer version and ran at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles for two years beginning in 2006, receiving an Ovation Award. It also appeared off-Broadway in 2008, garnering a Drama Desk Award and running for nearly two years.
At 6th Street, each of the four cast members turns in a virtuoso performance with solidly crafted characters that play off each other like pinballs setting off flashing lights and ringing bells. Julianne Lorenzen (Suzy) and Katie Veale (Missy) are both standouts, possessing incredibly strong, beautiful soprano voices. Shari Hopkinson (Betty Jean) is brassy and bold in both vocal talent and style. Ashley Rose McKenna as the troublemaker Cindy Lou has perhaps the lightest vocal instrument of the four. But when these ladies join together in song, there’s nothing but good vibrations.
There is also exceptional teamwork between director Craig Miller, choreographer Alise Girard and musical director Janis Dunson Wilson, representing a true collaboration of creativity. Miller keeps our attention onstage with frisky staging and crisp dialog, without any slow spots so common in musicals. Girard, in her first full-length show, lends amazing expressive movement to the performers. She did extensive research on singers of the era, and designed it to look like choreography that high schoolers may have done themselves, but still striking enough for a truly professional-looking show. Wilson leads the backstage band unseen but most definitely heard, displaying wonderful musical insight into both vocal and instrumental sounds of the day.
Lighting Designer April George dazzles with special effects that include spinning stars and dramatic spotlights. Authentic costumes by Tracy Hinman Sigrist help establish and maintain the feeling of the era, with huge, stiff petticoats beneath swirling voluminous skirts. At one point the girls roll on the floor and reveal a glimpse of old-fashioned nylon stockings and garters of the 1950s. By the second act ten years have gone by and it’s their class reunion, with cute mini-dresses and go-go boots in day-glo candy colors bringing back the mod fashions of 1968.
The vocal talents of these four young ladies alone would be reason enough to recommend “The Marvelous Wonderettes”. But its bright, lively storyline and setting, and tremendous production values, makes it a must-see.

When: Now through May 13, 2012 
8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
8 p.m. Thursdays 
2 p.m. Sundays
2 p.m. Saturday March 24
Tickets: $15 to $35
Location: 6th Street Playhouse – GK Hardt Theatre, 52 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa CA 
Phone: 707-523-4185 
Website: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com 

Jun 23 2012
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“The Producers” by Mel Brooks at 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa CA

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Photo by Eric Chazankin: From left, Jeff Cote, Mark Bradbury and Matlock Zumsteg doing the Hop-Clop Dance

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

6th Street Scores Big With Hitler (and Mel Brooks)

Comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks has long understood the unique transformative power of comedy. Of tyrants Hitler and Mussolini he said: “If you can bring these people down with comedy, they stand no chance.” He’s absolutely right, of course. And during 6th Street Playhouse’s giddy presentation of “The Producers”, those trying to keep a straight face for even one minute will stand no chance, either.

Zany, boisterous and irreverent, “The Producers” was a smash hit on Broadway, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Actually, “smash hit” is quite an understatement. In April 2001 it opened to universal rave reviews and awe-inspiring box office. It went on to win a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards, sweeping the season. Its initial run alone saw over 2500 performances. The idea for this juggernaut of a show was first hatched in the late 1990s, when mega-producer David Geffen convinced Brooks to adapt his 1968 cult classic film into a Broadway musical. Inspired, Brooks composed the show’s music and lyrics himself, and wrote the book with Thomas Meehan. It was a gamble, but it paid off; he received Tony Awards for his work, and shared the Tony for the book with Meehan.

A complex musical satire of such formidable reputation would overwhelm many theatre companies, but the board members of 6th Street knew exactly what they were taking on, and knew exactly who they would call upon for their talent. They deliver a show with spectacular results in every element. It’s bright and raucously funny, loaded with fast-paced comic routines, iconic characters and truly delightful song-and-dance numbers. Timing between the cues for music, funny business and gag lines is flawless, so critical for a show like this to be a success. It’s the sign of a cast and crew that really knows their stuff.

The now-familiar story: It’s 1959 in New York City. A has-been Broadway producer, bombastic Max Bialystock (Matlock Zumsteg), is just about at the end of his rope. He hasn’t had a hit in years, and his last show flopped like a dead fish. One day, a local accountant, ultra-nebbish Leo Bloom (Jeff Cote), shows up to audit Max’s books. It soon becomes apparent that Leo is a basket case, but nonetheless he comes up with a brilliant scheme while musing over Max’s accounts. In between panic attacks, Leo suggests that a producer, under the right circumstances, could make more money with a flop than with a hit by raising a large amount of capital, putting on a show that closes after one night, and then pocketing the money. Max loves the idea and asks Leo to be his partner. Max says they can raise a fortune from his devoted investors – a coterie of rich, horny old ladies (who have a chorus number later on). When their show closes after the one performance, Max and Leo will run off to Rio with the loot and live happily ever after. What could be simpler? At first Leo refuses, but soon he succumbs to Max’s persuasive charms, quits his job, and together they begin their search for “the worst play ever written”. They finally find it, floridly entitled “Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden”. Madcap adventures ensue with Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind (Mark Bradbury), flamboyant director Roger DeBris (Larry Williams) and his equally showy assistant Carmen Ghia (Adam Burkholder). Max and Leo make an especially momentous acquaintance with Swedish bombshell Ulla (April Krautner), who becomes their “secretary-slash-receptionist”. But imagine Max and Leo’s dismay when their terrible play becomes a big, fat hit. Someone’s going to jail!

Photo by Eric Chazankin: Entire Cast
The entire cast is brilliant. Jeff Cote and Matlock Zumsteg create an unforgettable duo, playing off of each other with perfect chemistry. Adam Burkholder, April Krautner and Larry Williams, who were so fabulous in “The 39 Steps “ at 6th Street’s Studio Theatre early this year, are teamed up once again and dazzle onstage. It’s Mark Bradbury who steals the show, however, with his lederhosen, Hop-Clop dancing and robotic prop pigeons (complete with prop pigeon poop – Heil myself!). The ensemble cast joins with the lead players in rousing chorus numbers that would be at home on any Broadway stage.

The amazing Craig Miller has put his stamp upon yet another masterpiece. His professionalism, and his love of comedy – inspired by Brooks, Chaplin and the Marx Brothers, to name but a few – shines in every minute detail of his stage direction and sound design. Paul Gilger’s sets are very elaborate and spellbinding as they move back and forth, on and off stage on what must be hundreds upon hundreds of casters. Musical director Janis Dunson Wilson, Choreographer Vicki Suemnicht and Costume Designer Erika Hauptman all deserve special praise for making this show lively and fun.

“The Producers” closes 6th Street’s current season with a resounding bang. The only drawback: with a running time in the neighborhood of three hours (including intermission), by the end of the show you will hurt all over from laughing so hard, for so long. But your heart will be light. As Mel Brooks so famously said: “If you’re alive you’ve got to flap your arms and legs, you’ve got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death.” So get out and enjoy life, flap your arms and legs, and see some crazy jumping around onstage in one really extraordinary musical show.

When: Now through July 15, 2012
8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
2 p.m. Sundays
2 p.m. Saturdays June 30, July 7 and July 14
Tickets: $15 to $35
Location: 6th Street Playhouse – GK Hardt Theatre, 52 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa CA
Phone: 707-523-4185
Website: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

Jun 14 2012
Love0

“Souvenir: A Fantasia” by Stephen Temperley at 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa CA

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo
Photos by Eric ChazankinReviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Mary Gannon Graham
From left: John Shillingham, Mary Gannon Graham

Wonderfully, Awfully Good

“O would some power the gift to give us, to see ourselves as others see us!” 
  —From the Robert Burns Poem “To a Louse” 

Those with delicate ears and lovers of fine music be forewarned: there are many wince-inducing moments in “Souvenir”, but music is only the subtext of this magnificently comic and well-performed theatre piece. It takes the old “follow your passion, no matter what anyone says” advice and turns it right on its head. It also calls into question the very meaning of music itself, bringing to mind the cultural movement Dadaism, with its challenge of conventional art. “Souvenir” is exceptional, one of the smartest and funniest shows at 6th Street in a long, long time.
Conceived by contemporary playwright Stephen Temperley, “Souvenir” was first seen as a showcase production by an off-Broadway theatre company in 2004, with a Broadway opening in late 2005. It received nominations for Tony and Drama Desk Awards for best actress Judy Kaye. It has gone on to become one of the most-produced plays in the United States.
This true story follows the real-life ambitions of an early 20th Century socialite named Florence Foster Jenkins, who loved classical music, especially opera, with an undying love. She fancied herself a singer of operatic quality, no less than a Dramatic Coloratura Soprano. This type of natural voice is very rare, but “Flo” pressed on with delusional devotion, and soon was giving recitals in the Ritz ballroom in New York City for her loyal friends and club members who somehow couldn’t bring themselves to burst the dear lady’s bubble and tell her the grim truth: she was absolutely, frightfully awful. Insulated by her wealth, unable to see herself as she really was, she continued to perform, believing herself a true gift to the musical arts that just couldn’t be denied to the world. Next stop, and last: Carnegie Hall.
“Souvenir” shines the spotlight on a truly tour-de-force performance by Mary Gannon Graham as the pathologically tin-eared Flo. She plays her eccentric character with an endearing earnestness, steadfast in her belief that she is a true artist. Graham’s lovely soprano voice had to take a back seat to deliver Flo’s vocal atrocities, using special techniques and even enlisting the aid of a vocal coach to avoid damaging her splendid voice. John Shillington is equally spectacular as her accompanist and partner-in-musical-crime, Cosme McMoon, who serves as our storyteller. During his time onstage, besides driving the narrative forward, Shillington plays several early popular songs on the piano, singing with a fine, rich voice that offers sweet relief from Madame Flo’s discordant stylings. These two are the sole performers, both poignant and hysterically funny by turns. They are a theatrical match made in heaven, living their parts together onstage with convincing realism.
Fresh from his triumph with 6th Street’s glorious production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, director Michael Fontaine has given us, once again, a marvelous show, building the momentum for great things to come. His is a special talent, bringing together just the right cast and crew in a delightful collaboration of artistic endeavors. His staging is wonderful, his actors at the top of their game, with lighting, sound and costumes all transporting us away from the little Studio Theatre and into another world. Kudos is due to lighting designer April George, opera/voice coach Beth Freeman, sound designer Craig Miller, and costume designer Pam Enz. Together, they transformed the small stage and its performers to a variety of times and locales, ranging from a 1964 supper club, to the Ritz Carlton of the 1920s, to the Carnegie Hall of 1944.
“Souvenir” is sheer gratification, beautifully done, an intelligent, touchingly humorous biographical journey that ends with a standing ovation, the audience furiously clapping and cheering in a well-deserved tribute.

When: Now through May 27, 2012
8:00 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
2:00 p.m. Sundays
2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 26
Tickets: $15 to $25 (general seating)
Location: Studio Theatre at 6th Street Playhouse
52 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa CA 
Phone: 707-523-4185 
Website: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

 

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