Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle) and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Stagecrafters

Funny Business at the Baldwin

 

If your idea of a good time is watching gentlemen cavort onstage with their trousers around their ankles, ladies clad only in their (very pretty) underwear and seeing eight different doors slam at regular intervals, then “Noises Off” is for you.

You may have guessed that this show is intended to be a farce, but it is more than that. In its West End and Broadway beginnings in the early 1980s, it was a broadly-textured sophisticated comic spectacle that was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. On the Baldwin main stage, it’s a pleasant-enough comedy that, as one audience member put it, “has its moments”.

“Noises Off”, by English playwright Michael Frayn, uses the popular play-within-a-play theme. It tells the story of a less-than-competent troupe of actors who are struggling through the final dress rehearsal of a British sex farce called “Nothing On”. Opening night descends upon them in less than 24 hours’ time and it’s not going well. Lines are dropped, errant plates of sardines (yes, sardines) go AWOL and tempers flare between director and cast. Secret romances and wardrobe malfunctions abound.

There is a cast of nine, with six playing the actors in “Nothing On”. The others play the director (Jason Dilly), stage manager (Casey Coulter), and assistant stage manager (Brooklyn Nicole). Stagecrafters veteran Dilly delivers an intense and memorable performance as the wise-cracking, world-weary director Lloyd Dallas, who, as it turns out, has quite the active love life. Making a show-stopping entrance is Jeff Weiner as the eccentric senior actor Selsdon Mowbray, who also happens to be playing the Burglar in “Nothing On”. The rest of the cast is enjoyable in their dual roles, including Julie Fuller, Scott Welborn, Tara Makar, Kenyada Davis and Erica Gunaca.

The flexible set by Obie Burch is a marvel of moving parts. With some simple stagecraft maneuvering, It transforms from the audience-facing set of “Nothing On” to the backstage view of the same set, so we can observe the shenanigans from behind the scenes.

A key source of laughs is, or should be, watching the “Nothing On” actors swing wildly back and forth between  exaggerated histrionics during their rehearsal of the farce, and a more typical comic style when they are dealing with “real life” as they move in and out of character. This much-needed contrast seems to be missing much of the time, although most of the cast has a good grasp of basic comedy and carries it off well.

Director Vince DeRita and his assistant Tony Battle have made this show a simple comedy of errors and nonsensical silly bits, which is a lot of fun as it is. But it could have been more.

 

Stagecrafters is proud to partner with Gilda’s Club of Metro Detroit for the production of Noises Off. Gilda’s Club provides an environment of free support for men, women, teens and children living with cancer as well as their families and friends. Stagecrafters is collecting donations for Gilda’s Club throughout the run of Noises Off.

 

When: Through November 24, 2019

Tickets $23-$27

Where: Baldwin Theatre, Main Stage

415 S. Lafayette

Royal Oak, MI 48067

(248) 541-6430

www.stagecrafters.org

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (Member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle) and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Illustration by Chet Johnson

Photo by Sean Carter

All Aboard for Chills and Thrills on “Orient Express”

Even if you’ve seen any or all of the various incarnations of this story on film and TV, “Murder on the Orient Express”, Meadow Brook’s 54^th season opener, feels fresh and full of surprises, beginning with the frightening first scene. Acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig (“Lend Me a Tenor”) was commissioned by the Agatha Christie estate to write the very first stage adaptation of her iconic mystery novel especially for the McCarter Theater Center in Princeton NJ. It was presented in March 2017. As of October 2019, it currently has dozens of productions being presented in cities all over the U.S.

Meadow Brook’s production features breathless suspense and action onstage so engrossing that the intermission seems to arrive much too soon, and you can’t wait for the second act to begin. Ludwig’s compact script includes a cast whittled down to just 12 characters. Running at a brisk 2 hours, it chugs along at a breakneck pace, liberally infused with humor and silly bits. The pre-recorded score features the spellbinding “Dance of the Knights” from the opera “Romeo and Juliet” by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev.

It’s winter 1934, in Istanbul, and renowned detective Hercule Poirot is on vacation. He receives an urgent message to return to London immediately on the Orient-Express. Soon enough, a snowdrift is blocking the tracks, there’s a murder to solve, and every single passenger onboard could be the killer.

The cast in this classic whodunit performs well as an ensemble. Each one has their illuminating moment, all coming together at the end as the mystery is revealed. As Poirot, Ron Williams has an air of harmless eccentricity, walking with mincing, almost painful steps. He carries the role with restrained authority, although he underplays the part, lacking a certain inner fire. The character Poirot has always seemed to possess a burning intellect and curiosity barely contained by his obsessive need for control.

Stephen Blackwell delivers fine performances in dual roles as the sinister Samuel Ratchett and the passionate Scotsman, Colonel Arbuthnot. Ruth Crawford offers a commanding presence as the exiled Princess Dragomiroff, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Downton Abbey’s Lady Violet, but with a Russian accent. The irascible Princess trades snipes with brassy American broad Helen Hubbard, played with scene-stealing charm by Lynnae Lehfeldt. Craig Bentley is authentic and a steadying influence as Poirot’s longtime friend and railroad executive Monsieur Bouc. Also noteworthy is Cheryl Turski’s compelling performance as Countess Andrenyi. Rounding out the talented cast is Chip Duford, Hannah Niece, Sara Catheryn Wolf and Peter C Prouty.

Scenic Designer Brian Kessler’s set (except for the opening scene) consists entirely of two railroad cars: a sleeper car and a dining car, plus a caboose. The cars, with actors inside, rumble back and forth across the stage in a very realistic fashion.  While the slightly drab set fails to project the opulence and beauty of the real Orient-Express, it is nonetheless a compelling bit of stagecraft in motion. Costumes by Corey Collins effectively evoke the period, with a few really lovely dresses worn by upper-class ladies. Reid Johnson’s lighting, and especially Mike Duncan’s sound, are excellent complements to the proceedings. Falling snow is a nice touch – wonder who had to shovel it after the show?

Strong directing by Travis Walter is a testament to his skill, with taut pacing and creative tension in each scene. This is an especially challenging show to stage, because we must see inside the railroad cars, so walls have to be minimized or removed, calling on the audience’s suspension of disbelief even more than most productions.

 

 

When: Now through October 27, 2019

8:00 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays; Saturdays Oct 12 & 26

6:30 p.m. Sundays

6:00 p.m. Saturday, October 19

2:00 p.m. Wednesdays & Sundays; Saturdays October 12 & 26

Tickets $36 to $46

Where: Meadow Brook Theatre at Wilson Hall

Oakland University

378 Meadow Brook Rd

Rochester Hills, MI 48309

(248) 377-3300

 www.mbtheatre.com

 

Meadow Brook Theatre is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kresge Foundation, the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, the Shubert Foundation and the Meadow Brook Theatre Guild.

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association)

and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Stagecrafters

 

 

Dazzling, Daring “Ragtime” Arrives at the Baldwin’s Main Stage

 

The turn of the last century was the gateway to America’s modern era. Revolutions in communication, transportation, society and culture were happening almost daily. The musical “Ragtime”, one of the most important and ambitious shows Stagecrafters has ever presented, offers a unique perspective on our nation’s evolving struggles with income and social injustice during those turbulent times.

Gracing this spectacular show are rousing anthems, moving ballads, period jazz and that ever-popular ragtime, which was born in the 1890s in black music halls. The emergence of ragtime, a uniquely American musical form, at the dawn of the Twentieth Century represents the first time African-American music had such an impact on popular culture as a whole.

Based on E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 historical novel, “Ragtime” was adapted for the stage by Terence McNally and set to music by Stephen Flaherty, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. It premiered on Broadway in 1998 and received 13 Tony nominations, winning four awards, including Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. With its extravagant production budget, it was a popular success, but not a financial one, and received mixed reviews.

Doctorow spins an epic tale, spanning the years from 1906 through 1914, which takes place in New Rochelle, NY, Harlem and Atlantic City. The show’s first number sets the stage, putting you squarely in the context of the period. We are introduced to the celebrity sensations of the day, like magician Harry Houdini, artist’s model and showgirl Evelyn Nesbit, automotive magnate Henry Ford and leader Booker T. Washington. Note that McNally’s book takes creative license with some of the real-life characters to make them more entertaining for the stage.

An epic tale needs an equally epic cast. A total of nearly 60 performers take the stage, including the ensemble casts which represent three diverse social and economic classes: the New Rochelle Ensemble (privileged white upper class); the Harlem Ensemble (oppressed blacks); and the Immigrant Ensemble (struggling newcomers).

In one opening sequence, the different ensemble casts rotate around each other onstage, warily eyeing each other, to the lively syncopated rhythm of that newest music, ragtime.  The main storylines focus on individuals representing each group: for New Rochelle’s wealthy white enclave is a family known only as Mother, Father, Little Boy, Grandfather and Younger Brother; Harlem’s story is told through the eyes of ragtime musician Coalhouse Walker and his beloved, Sarah; the Immigrants are seen through the experiences of a widowed Jewish-Latvian artist named Tateh, and his young daughter, known only as Little Girl.

The entire cast is strong, yet there are standouts. Kaela Green as Sarah delivers gorgeous vocals, showcased in several numbers including “New Music”. She and Dez Walker, superb as Coalhouse, have hauntingly lovely duets in “The Wheels of a Dream” and “Sarah Brown Eyes”. Walker offers a compelling performance as the gifted, tragic, tenderhearted Coalhouse.

Sara Rydzewski offers a warm and compassionate performance as Mother, with a forceful, melodic voice. Hers is a pivotal role – a sort of loving bridge between the privileged whites and the blacks and immigrants who strive for justice. Her Younger Brother (Matthew Miga) shares her desire to offer a helping hand, as only those in power can. Her obstinate husband, played by Edmond Guay, eventually comes to see how harmful his attitudes are.

Newly-arrived immigrant Tateh, in a captivating performance by Patrick Lane, is a talented and creative man and father. Lane’s Tateh is upbeat, funny, caring and determined, the kind of guy America should want. But still he struggles, yet prevails in the end in one of the most endearing examples of fulfilling The American Dream.

Director Randall Wrisinger takes on this sweeping spectacle with sure-footed staging, no easy task with the largest cast ever to appear on the Baldwin stage. There are times when the energy seems to flag a little, but the overall effect is a triumph for the cast and crew.

Video projections onstage, skillfully guided by Michael Grice and Geoff Wrobel, and perfectly-timed sound effects by Bob Minchella are nice enhancements to the simple set by Tim Hughes. Good lighting effects by Matt Weber help lend texture and contrast to the ever-changing scenes. Valerie Mould’s choreography has some excellent moments, especially in numbers like “His Name Was Coalhouse Walker”.

There are over 50 songs, each with different performers. The 15-piece orchestra, conducted by Wrisinger and assistant conductor Jay Smith, handles the challenging score with assurance, with only a few pitchy spots that will hopefully be worked out.

The storytelling in McNally’s script itself is only partly successful. It can be cumbersome and hard to follow. But even though there’s a lot to take in and the message loses its focus at times, this powerful show remains relevant, engaging and appealing. A caveat: there are some truly dark moments onstage, and the wince-inducing racist language reflecting attitudes of those times can be hard to listen to.

Even though we’re looking back over 100 years ago, we know progress has been halting, and the lessons have not yet been completely learned. Every human being has value, and deserves equal respect and justice. We have come a long way as a nation, with a long way yet to go. “Ragtime” illuminates one stepping-stone on our ever-winding path.

Stagecrafters is proud to partner with Freedom House Detroit for the production of Ragtime. Freedom House is a temporary home for individuals and families fleeing persecution in other countries and seeking safety in the United States.  Freedom House offers housing and basic needs, onsite legal aid, and a full suite of social services to help their clients heal from trauma, prepare for life in the U.S., and win asylum.

 

When: Now through October 6, 2019

8:00 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays

2:00 p.m. Sundays

Tickets $23-$27; also discounts for Veterans and youth age 17 and under on Sundays and Thursdays

Where: Baldwin Theatre, Main Stage

415 S. Lafayette

Royal Oak, MI 48067

(248) 541-6430

www.stagecrafters.org

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association)

and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos by Bryan Clifford

 

Take a Chance on “Mamma Mia!” for Nonstop Fun

 

Sure, you’ve heard of “Mamma Mia!”, unless you’ve been living in a monastery in Nepal for the past 40 years. Since this crowd-pleasing juggernaut of a show opened in 1999 on London’s West End, it’s been seen by over 60 million people in 50 countries and grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. It’s also the longest-running jukebox musical in history.

How to explain its enduring appeal? The story is an irresistible mashup of soap-opera-meets-sitcom laced with hilarious high jinks, sweet romance and a few moments of serious reflection. The book is by British playwright Catherine Johnson, with music by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, who worked with the producers from the very beginning of the show. Many, if not most, of the superstar pop group’s biggest hits form the sparkly framework around which the gossamer-thin storyline is loosely draped. This show is a real love-fest and feel-good nostalgia trip for fans of pop music of the 70s and 80s.

You could say this is another version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, as told by single mom Donna, an independent-minded American who has lived for many years on a Greek island with her 20-year-old daughter Sophie. The two run a successful taverna that caters to tourists and scuba divers. Sophie’s wedding to the man of her dreams is coming up, but she has no dad to walk her down the aisle. After some snooping, she discovers three likely paternal candidates her mom had flings with – two Americans and a Brit – and invites all three to her wedding without telling mom. Big surprises, lots of drama and laughs ensue, all to the danceable beat of 25 ABBA tunes. It’s silly. It’s absurd. And it’s fun.

Director JD Deierlein keeps the pace fast and furious, richly textured with elements of slapstick and farce. Maritoni Harte’s choreography consists mainly of simple disco-style dance moves, with the possible exception of the dancing Flipper Men (!) which has to be seen to be believed. Costumes by Anne Curtis and Michelle Kaiser range from sleekly colorful to downright gaudy. The eight-piece orchestra led by Matt Kush is more than up to the task. There are also some interesting off-stage chorus effects, directed by Deierlein, that nicely complement the performers onstage. The set by Brad Holoday is spartan and consists of two revolving pieces made to resemble small Mediterranean guest houses. It depends on effective lighting by the many-talented Deierlein to help change the scenes.

The success of this show rests squarely on the capable shoulders of the cast, who display talents of varying degrees, but the result is nothing short of delightful. The real standouts are Tracy Murray as Donna and Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker as her snarky gal-pal Tanya. Also highly watchable: Salvatore Sbrocca as Sophie’s beloved Sky, Mackenzie McIlroy as Sophie, and Bill Davenport as Bill Austin, one of the would-be dads. Some of the better numbers include: “Chiquitita” and “Dancing Queen” (both featuring Pamela Plewa, Murray and Steinbrecher-Booker); “Lay All Your Love on Me” (with the dancing Flipper Men!); “Voulez-Vous” (ensemble cast, with some great choreography); “Does Your Mother Know” (one of Steinbrecher-Booker’s best moments); and the flashy finale, which has everyone on their feet.

Will we ever know who Sophie’s father is? Who cares? They are all having so much fun up there, and are so enthusiastic, and there’s something about the music and the story that just reaches out to the audience and invites us to join in the singing and dancing. Heads-up: Non-ABBA fans may be overwhelmed by the disco-pop and dizzying cuteness.

But there must be a lot of ABBA fans in Oakland County. The entire run of this show, through September 21, is sold out. There may be a chance for tickets if there are cancellations, so it’s worth a call to the box office.

 

When: Now through September 21, 2019

8:00 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays

2:00 p.m. Sundays

Tickets $22 – SOLD OUT – CONTACT BOX OFFICE FOR POSSIBLE CANCELLATIONS

Where: Avon Playhouse

1185 Washington Rd

Rochester, MI 48306

(248) 608-9077

avonplayers@att.net

 www.avonplayers.org

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC)

Photos by Eric Chazankin

 

The past is never dead. It’s not even past.

— From “Requiem for a Nun”, Act I, Scene III, by William Faulkner

 

 

Local playwright/wunderkind Dezi Gallegos was certainly off to a good start in his career. He knew even before he could write that he wanted to tell stories. And by his early teens he had accomplished what many writers can only dream of: he co-wrote an award-winning play that was published and performed off-Broadway, “Prop 8 Love Stories”. He’s perhaps best known to Sonoma County theatregoers for yet another award-winning original work, “Hamlet’s Orphans”, which he wrote while still in high school. For this, he received the inaugural Annette Lust Award for Potential and Promise in Theatre at this year’s SFBATCC Awards Gala.

 

Now 19 and a student at the University of Southern California studying film and TV production, he’s back at it with his latest, “Yesterday Again”. It’s a haunting, bittersweet love story with a brilliantly unique concept. This new effort has a “mini-rolling” world premiere at 6^th Street Playhouse’s Studio Theater in Santa Rosa, rolling on to finish its run at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center in Napa.Director Sheri Lee Miller (with a commendable assist from Gallegos and stage manager/co-producer Natalie Herman) makes good use of the vignettes that are so integral to the story. It centers on Eric and Bella, close childhood friends who lose touch with each other as very young teens after things get too hot and heavy between them and their parents find out. Circumstances lead them down separate but strangely parallel paths. The set by Vincent Mothersbaugh is divided into four distinct time capsules, with different actors representing each character as their past, present and future selves. Some of these temporal zones have the actors performing simultaneously in all three of the characters’ life stages, an interesting effect. And there’s a phantom in their midst, but we don’t know it until the very end – a very tasty red herring.

Lucy London and Jack Wolff play the tween-aged Bella and Eric with great charm and poignancy. Their college-age selves are capably portrayed by Olivia Marie Rooney and Isaac Jay. As the mature Eric, 6^th Street’s Artistic Director Craig Miller offers a touching, earnest performance. He’s joined by Alyssa Jirrels, noteworthy as Jamie, a young student he’s tutoring. Sharia Pierce is superb, displaying the bitter disappointment of Bella’s later years. John Browning gives a strong performance as Bella’s slightly creepy husband Mark. Barry Martin, co-founder of Lucky Penny Productions, delivers a vivid, heartbreaking Rick, her ultra-conservative and overbearing father, in sharp contrast to her weak and timid mother Lisa, played by Pam Koppel.

 

“Yesterday Again” is ambitious, with a complex story and characters dealing with very mature subject matter. It also has a lot to say. Like, the best of intentions can have bad consequences. Or, you don’t always know how important you are to someone until it’s too late. It also asks important questions: Are we predestined to keep making the same mistakes throughout our lives? Are we at the mercy of unconscious choices we make based on past experiences, or can we take control and change our direction?The show has good bones, with just a few ragged holes in the storytelling itself (unclear choices and motives, under-developed characters, uneven transitions). It occasionally wanders into soap opera territory but finds its way out again, sometimes with extraordinary results. It also was under-rehearsed in its opening weekend and remains a work in progress, but a little polish will make this diamond-in-the-rough a real gem.

When: Now through August 2 (6^th Street) & August 16 (Lucky Penny)

8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:00 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $15 to $25

Locations: Studio Theater at 6^th Street Playhouse (through August 2)

52 West 6^th Street, Santa Rosa CA
Phone: 707-523-4185

Website: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

 

Lucky Penny Community Arts Center (August 7 – 16)

1758 Industrial Way, Suites 204-209

Napa, CA

707-266-6305

www.luckypennynapa.com

 

 

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

(Photos courtesy of SRT)

 

A Dazzling New Look at Moliere Classic

The Summer Repertory Theatre festival, now in its 44^th year at Santa Rosa Junior College, is a popular summer escape for local theatre lovers. The repertory company draws dozens of the most promising theatre students from all over the United States. SRT’s 2015 program includes five plays and musicals performed at two professional-quality theaters on the JC campus – the 600-seat Burbank Auditorium, and the 198-seat Newman Auditorium. It’s in the smaller Newman venue where perhaps one of the most entertaining and original incarnations of a centuries-old theatre classic, Moliere’s “Tartuffe”, is being presented.

Bringing the setting of an old standard into modern times is nothing new in theatre. Recent presentations by Cinnabar Theater include “Falstaff” set in the 1950s and “The Marriage of Figaro” in the Jazz Age (both shows previously had similar stagings in New York City). But earlier this year, a review for a production of “Tartuffe” at Berkeley Rep may have provided a spark of inspiration. The reviewer suggested that this 17^th-century potboiler could be a reality TV show today.

Someone was paying attention. Through director Anne McAlexander’s innovation and skilled eye for both comic and dramatic timing, we do indeed get to see what the characters in “Tartuffe” would look like as reality stars. From TV monitors mounted around the stage, characters deliver their deepest, darkest confessions when asides to the audience are called for. Camera crews are in hot pursuit as characters scamper away. They may be holding smartphones, but the actors speak lines that are faithful to Richard Wilbur’s translation into rhyming couplets, which is great fun to hear.

There are some outstanding performances: Nancy Ross is fabulous as the ditzy Mariane; Albert Rubio has some great moments as pious family man Orgon; Craig Braunerplays the title role with farcical wit. The smooth-talking swindler Tartuffe is armed only with phony religion, used as a front to get sex and riches. Ross is especially good, playing a sympathetic, comical sexpot worthy of Marilyn Monroe.

The cast as a whole is an excellent working ensemble. Notable are Devin White (Damis), Lauren Hart (Elmire) and Andrew Cohagen (Valere). What the show needs is a stronger Dorine, the wisecracking, ever-present housemaid. The role is pivotal – she’s the family negotiator, conscience, scold, confidante and watchdog. Danielle Cohn is pleasant enough, but plays it a little too awkward, too soft and restrained when sharpness and force are called for.

Crazy little bits of business that are obviously not in Moliere’s script give jolts of surprise, propelling the action from beginning to end. The focal point seems to be the household cocktail bar, strategically positioned downstage center, where nearly everyone in the show stops for refreshment (some more than others). McAlexander uses the whole stage with impeccable, choreographic blocking that really enhances the effect of a piece like this, where timing is everything. McAlexander, who also happens to be a talented choreographer, saves some of her best handiwork for last, with a Bollywood-style dance number at the end of the show that rocked the house on a recent evening.

The controversy and salaciousness embedded in “Tartuffe” travel very well between centuries and lose none of their titillating appeal. Self-righteousness, religious hypocrisy and the seven deadly sins are all right there, fully intact and ready to be enjoyed. The deeper message, according to McAlexander: “…certain reality TV franchises hold a mirror up to the viewers, forcing us to reflect on our own shortcomings and actions. Heightened lifestyles and extreme circumstances allow us to maintain a safe distance from which to both be entertained and judge.” But who can judge Tartuffe? He readily admits, “I’m no angel nor was meant to be.” Just like all of us.

When: Now through August 2, 2015

Performances: Weekdays (except Mondays) and weekends

2:00 p.m. matinees, 7:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. evenings

(See www.SummerRep.com for details)

Tickets: $15 to $25

Where: Newman Auditorium at SRJC 1501 Mendocino Avenue (off Elliott Avenue in Emeritus Hall)

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

(707) 527-4307

 

Other shows being presented by SRT Festival at SRJC:

“Emma” by Jane Austen (Newman Auditorium)

“Peter and the Starcatcher” (Burbank Auditorium)

“South Pacific” (Burbank Auditorium)

“Little Shop of Horrors” (Burbank Auditorium)

 

Festival runs through August 8, 2015 www.SummerRep.com

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

Fresh and Lively “South Pacific” a Highly Watchable Kickoff to SRT’s 44th

The Summer Repertory Theatre Festival has been celebrated at Santa Rosa JC for 44 years now. For the uninitiated, the SRT festival features scores of theatre students, including locals and those from various universities and colleges across the country. It’s remarkable, but this is one of the few remaining repertory theatre companies in the United States. The company consists of stock actors, each having a role in multiple shows. This way, they are exposed to playing vastly different characters in different plays over the course of a season, a real learning experience and trial by fire for many. One of the most beloved musicals by Rogers and Hammerstein, “South Pacific”, is one of three festival shows being presented in the 75year-old 400-seat Burbank Auditorium on the JC campus.

First presented on Broadway in 1949, “South Pacific” was a smash hit, loosely based upon an anthology of short stories called “Tales of the South Pacific”, about island life during World War II, written by noted author James Michener. The story, released as a classic musical film in 1958, has become a long-time favorite that transcends the decades. Its sweet, gentle humor and social consciousness (unusual for the day) seems more timely than ever. And then there’s that music…gorgeous and highly singable, the kind of stuff you just can’t get out of your head, or your heart.

The production team under director James Newman really does justice to this wonderful piece. There are the usual suspects in local theatre – during the overture, the trumpets were a bit off-key – but overall, this is a remarkable achievement by triple-threat performers who hopefully will stay in the game and go on to even bigger successes.

The true standout and incandescent star of the show is Emily Kristen Morris as Ensign Nellie Forbush, the happy-go-lucky “Cockeyed Optimist” who finds herself in a risky romance. Morris is in fine voice, and has the acting and dancing chops to match. Nellie’s unfortunate love interest is Emile, a French expatriate who appears to be hiding something. Noah Weisbart’s portrayal often comes off a bit stiff, and while he possesses a quality baritone he may be singing below his range at times. Some awkward staging also obscures the chemistry between Emile and Nellie in their first scenes together, but they recover.

Noteworthy performances include a winsome Michaela Jose as Bloody Mary, who delivers a fresh, sincere interpretation of the role with songs like “Bali Hai” and “Happy Talk”; Riley McFarland plays Lieutenant Joseph Cable, whose romance with an island native girl Liat (played by talented dance captain AnnEliza Canning Skinner) underscores the racial tensions at the heart of the story. McFarland gets off to a slow start but grows into his role.

Snappy choreography by Anne McAlexander combines with orchestration by music director Nancy Hayashibara and ensemble vocals by the cast on some really memorable numbers: “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame”, the rousing, enthusiastic tribute to the female sex, is performed with great harmony by those Navy boys; “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out’a My Hair” is simply adorable, performed with klutzy, clownish delight by Morris and ladies of the chorus, joined by some of the guys for a laugh. But the high point of the show comes with the opening of Act II. It’s then that we are able to witness a true rarity on local stages – a tap dance number, done really, really well. Its high-energy stomping percussion is exciting to see and over much too quickly. More, please!

Of course, it’s always nice to watch attractive young people romping about onstage. But when their boundless energy and budding talent is this laser-focused on their performances, it becomes a joyful experience. Their lively spirit carries the show, rolling right over any opening-night jitters or stumbles of inexperience.

If you’ve only seen the film, you are in for a surprise, because there are striking differences from the stage production in the way the story unfolds. But with lots of great music performed by this kind of talent, there’s no way you can go wrong. SRT’s production of “South Pacific” is the perfect summer confection, presented with heart and soul.

When: Now through August 8, 2015

Performances: Weekdays (except Mondays) and weekends

2:00 p.m. matinees, 7:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. evenings

(See www.SummerRep.com for details)

 

Tickets: $18 to $25

Where: Burbank Auditorium at SRJC

1501 Mendocino Avenue

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

(707) 527-4307

 

Other shows being presented by SRT Festival at SRJC:

“Emma” by Jane Austen (Newman Auditorium)

“Peter and the Starcatcher” (Burbank Auditorium)

“Tartuffe” (Newman Auditorium)

“Little Shop of Horrors” (Burbank Auditorium)

 

Festival runs through August 8, 2015

 

www.SummerRep.com

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

Cinnabar’s Production of “Falstaff” a Pleasure to See and Hear

“Falstaff” is Verdi’s last opera, based upon Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor” with some snippets from “Henry IV”. It recounts the escapades of Sir John Falstaff, a well-upholstered knight all too fond of the pleasures of the table. It’s a comic tale of romance, deception and how completely our egos can blind us to our limitations.

Cinnabar’s production offers a warm and endearing performance in the title role by Jo Vincent Parks, a good resonant baritone. His Falstaff is the kind of guy you’d like to sit down and have a beer with. Falstaff, by all rights, should be seen as a scoundrel for scheming to get money by seducing married ladies. But since his chances of succeeding are just about zero due to his outsized girth, somehow his bad intentions seem only clownish, and thus, forgiven. Everybody knows this but him. He is defined by his big belly (“my paunch proclaims me”) and even bigger ego. With Parks, he comes off more like a loveable, beer-swilling teddy bear than a swindler.

The ladies he’s pursuing are played with generous measures of charm by Eileen Morris as Alice and Kim Anderman as Meg. Their voices, both rich sopranos, are exquisite, as is their comic timing. There are other opportunities for showcasing some extraordinary vocal talent. Scott Joiner as Fenton, the one true love of Alice’s own daughter Nannetta, reveals a beautiful tenor voice. Nannetta is performed by the wonderful Aurelie Veruni, who has great chemistry with Joiner. The giddy flower shop lady, Mrs., Quickly, is played with mad abandon by Krista Wigle in a delightful performance enhanced by her lovely voice. William Neely as Alice’s sly and wary husband delivers a noteworthy performance.

Under Elly Lichenstein’snimble stage direction, the setting is moved from Elizabethan times to the 1950s, a device used in the Metropolitan Opera’s presentation a couple of years ago. It’s a move that is not entirely as successful as Cinnabar’s recent presentation of a jazz-age “Marriage of Figaro”. The costumes are fabulous with those gaudy neon colors, and there’s a nod to the era when Falstaff’s underlings come in with a case of – what else? – Falstaff beer. But In the first few scenes, the story is a bit hard to follow. Relationships and the characters’ intentions are not established until later on. Some of the actors’ performances lack the spontaneity that makes them believable.

Even so, the last scene and finale emerge as pure fairytale enchantment that could be right out of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The flawless music direction by the always-brilliant Mary Chun (an SFBATCC 2015 award-winner) guides a spot-on orchestra of twelve. Overall, this may not be not one of Cinnabar’s better operas, but it’s a very enjoyable and entertaining family production.

When: Now through June 28, 2015

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

2 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $25 to $40

Location: Cinnabar Theater

3333 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma CA
Phone: 707-763-8920

Website: www.cinnabartheater.org

 

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

So Funny It Hurts

“The North Plan” at Main Stage West may just be a threat to national security. By acclaimed playwright Jason Wells, who has also acted in film and on television, it had its world premiere in Oregon at Portland Center Stage in January 2012. It’s a terrifying comedy, a lively and animated wild ride where the crassly profane collides head-on with the geeky arcane. It takes place sometime in the near future, in the aftermath of a major national emergency. The country is in turmoil, martial law has been imposed on the land, and all those black-helicopter conspiracy theorists are in full-throated frenzy.

The setting is a simple one: the jail in a small-town police station, with a cell on either side and a desk in the middle. A crazed, manic woman named Tanya (a brilliant Sharia Pierce) occupies one of the cells and is delivering a nonstop tirade to no one and everyone. We find out from her rant that she’s turned herself in for drunk driving and is mad as hell at her own little world, dropping F-bombs like hand grenades.  It’s obvious that she’s hopelessly, dangerously stupid, and this state of being, symbolic of a larger population, is like the sizzling fuse on a bomb.

In the other cell is one Carlton Berg (subtly portrayed by Sam Coughlin) who claims to be working for the State Department. He seems to know some pretty dangerous secrets about recent events and is frantically trying to be taken seriously. He’s the intellectual polar opposite to Tanya, and a heated exchange soon erupts like machine-gun fire between them. Sitting at the desk in the middle of it all is the station’s administrative officer Shonda (the charmingly funny Miranda Lawson), assigned to keep an eye on the two. She’s trapped in the verbal crossfire, in a jail cell of her own – it’s just not behind bars – and it’s a prison she’s desperate to escape. The flexible and ever-amazing John Craven plays the honest, straight-shootin’ police chief Swenson. He’s the equalizer that keeps things in perspective, the very soul of stability. Like Shonda, he finds himself caught in the middle of something much bigger than he could ever imagine. The future of Democracy could very well be in their hands.

The subversive Carlton’s presence, and his laptop full of names being held in the jail’s evidence room, draws the attention of two Men in Black from the “Department of Homeland Security”. Dale, played with comic menace by John Browning, and Bob, whose resentment at playing second fiddle to Dale is skillfully played by Jared Wright. They arrive on the scene armed with handguns, iPhones and plenty of attitude. At one point, Dale makes a call to an unknown authority, asking “Are we killing people?” Fun stuff that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and your sanity.

Main Stage West has consistently gone out on a limb, year after year, to take their delighted audiences on journeys into unknown territory. Productions of great political and social significance are staged with integrity and creativity. They are one of the very few theaters in the North Bay that produces such risk-taking forays into theatre. “The North Plan” is yet another example.

This is one tight show, with really fine performances by the entire cast, but especially Pierce as the loudly, proudly ignorant Tanya. “The North Plan” gleefully highlights the increasing polarization of our society today with skillfully-drawn, almost cartoonish characters. Director Rick Eldredge delivers ingenuity and breathless pacing, keeping the chaos under control and the black humor building to a positively insane crescendo.

When: Now through June 21, 2015

8:00 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays

5:00 p.m. Sundays

Tickets $15 to $27 (Thursdays are “pay what you will” at the door only)

Where: Main Stage West

104 North Main Street

Sebastopol, CA 95472

(707) 823-0177

www.mainstagewest.com

 

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys in Speedboats

The intimate space at the historic Belrose Theatre has seen many productions in its 50-plus years, but [Title of Show], produced by Marin Onstage, is quite possibly one of the best. Not your typical showbiz insider tale, this engaging, lively musical is a show all about itself, a true story about the quest for theatrical fame and glory.

Jeff, Hunter, Heidi and Susan – they’re all friends who share a love of theater, especially musical theater. They decide to write an original musical about themselves writing an original musical and submit it to The New York Musical Theatre Festival for consideration. Much to their amazement, they are selected. It premiered at the 2004 Festival and went on to a run off-Broadway and finally, to Broadway in 2008 and a Tony Award nomination.

It’s a pleasure to see talent that’s bigger than the stage it’s presented on. At the Belrose, each cast member is stand-alone star material: Phillip Percy Williams as Hunter, Fernando Siu as Jeff, Amanda Morando as Heidi (who also provides excellent music direction) and Abbey Lee as Susan. Piano player/accompanist Larry is played with joyful exuberance by Justin Pyne.

The high point of the show: a jazzy but sobering number, “Die Vampire Die!” explains that anything or anyone that says “you’re not good enough” are vampires that drain your creativity, but the biggest vampire of them all is the vampire of despair, the one inside your head. Truly moving stuff. “Find a Way Back to Then” is beautifully sung by Morando, a gentle ballad about returning to what really matters.

While director Carl Jordan was doing online research for a cabaret act, he happened across some songs from [Title…] and fell in love with the show; he knew he had to do it. He hand-picked the cast and turned down some really good people in his search. He was looking for, and found, four triple-threat performers with the skill to be leads and still have the ability to blend as an ensemble. Jordan’s meticulous direction leaves nowhere to catch your breath, with every moment filled with action.

The cast is chock-full of recent award-winners: Williams is fresh off his recent San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Principal Actor in a Musical for “Return to the Forbidden Planet”; Morando was featured in the ensemble. It was also directed by Jordan, who won the SFBATCC Award himself for Best Overall Production for that show. Another SFBATCC award-winner is Lee, who was recognized as Best Featured Actress for her gloriously spicy turn in “Victor/Victoria”. In a neat tie-in, Belrose Theatre founder and local legend Margie Belrose has also just received the SFBATCC Jerry Friedman Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Original video projections and vivid, animated graphics created by Robert Nelson contribute to the offbeat humor and keep the momentum building. Over the twelve briskly-paced scenes there are nice bits of off-script business. It’s an innovative, fast-moving and entertaining production. Each individual performer harmonizes beautifully; the well balanced arrangements are absolutely marvelous. The presentation shows true devotion to the actor’s craft, an honest presentation of a real-life story in song and dance.

Where: Belrose Theatre

1415 5^th Ave., San Rafael CA 94901

(415) 448-6152 – Marin Onstage

www.marinonstage.org

When: Now Through March 28, 2015

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturday Matinee at 2 p.m.

Tickets: $10 – $25