Tonight: The 39 Steps!

“Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have…(mystery chords!) Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS, Broadway’s most intriguing, most thrilling, most riotous, most UNMISSABLE comedy smash! The mind-blowing cast of four plays over 150 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining ad venture.”

May 19 – May 30, 2010

More information at BroadwayinChicago.com

“Days of Late”- Sinnerman Ensemble

Much of the life of people in their late twenties and early thirties resembles theatre or a sit-com, particularly the part  that has to do with relationships. Currently running at the Viaduct space, the Sinnerman Ensemble’s production of “Days of Late” is an endearing ensemble piece that takes aim at these moments and encounters.

It’s one of those plays in which all the characters are connected. Arthur is in love with Avery, who is the secretary to Dale, who tries unsucessfully to have a tryst with Sascha, who’s a brilliant artist who happened to have dated Max, who’s dating Nina, who runs an art gallery where Sascha is having a show. The art gallery is also staffed by Miyoko, who has relations with Dale.  In addition, Max and Arthur are brothers. In between this, there’s a lot of fast-paced intelligent dialogue about love and life and knowing who you are.

What really sells the show is the talent and energy of this attractive cast. Shane Kenyon is adorably nebbish as Arthur, the Public radio host who lacks self-confidence enough to tell his best friend he’s been in love with her for years.  As Avery, Sue Redman reads as a combination of Ellen Page and Kristen Stewart (which I mean as a compliment, Twilight-haters.) Ebony Wimbs and Douglas Tyler do great things with some difficult material, and never let their characters become cliches, which would be all too easy in the hands of lesser actors.  Brett Lee is great (if underused) as Sascha.  Christine Lin struts around with confident sexuality as Miyoko, looking sensational at every turn.

Writer/Director Braden LuBell has a keen eye for such encounters.  However, the main fault of the play is that (like life itself sometimes) it’s just too much. At nearly three hours long, the show could stand to be trimmed down to a more  effectively streamlined piece. (A Suggestion: Though actress Arianne Ellison delivers all the anxiety and stress of Chrissey – the trying-too-hard perfect wife -  the character as a whole seems pointless, and much of the interaction between her character and her jerky lawyer husband could be trimmed.  A scene where she talks to her Mother on the phone while running on a treadmill seemed particularly pointless.)

Also, a few plot points need to be cleaned up for the audience’s sake. While I’m sure the producing team has read and discussed the play enough to get it without thinking, myself and nearly the entire group of friends I attended the show with assumed something was going on in the play that wasn’t (who the sender of a threatening email was), which caused some confusion for a while in the first act.

However, despite those issues, I found the whole thing to be professionally-done, engrossing, and highly amusing at times. There are some genuine laughs. (Witness Sue Redman washing her dishes in the bathtub to see what I’m talking about.)

The show plays until May 22nd. Check it out to see the debut of an exciting new company in the Chicago scene, and to see some really fantastic actors doing good, solid work.

(Tickets are totally available on Goldstar, too!)

Tomorrow night! Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale

Though we’re super busy, Eric and I are not people to mess around when free tickets to events we’re interested in seeing come floating into our inboxes. From back in the day when I was theatre-people, I occasionally still get invites to attend performances and opening nights around the city.

So, tomorrow night we’ll be in attendance at the opening of the re-mounting of the Lookingglass Theatre Company’s production of Hephaestus.

Here’s what I know:

Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale
Created by Tony Hernandez
Story and Directed by Tony Hernandez and Heidi Stillman
In association with Kerry Catlin and Rick Sims

“The world’s elite circus performers, including veteran members of the Wallenda Family, Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey and Cirque du Soleiil, return to Chicago for Hephaestus. A Silverguy Entertainment and Lookingglass Original sold-out hit in 2005 and 2008, Hephaestus is a must-see circus theatre event. Evocative storytelling, amazing athleticism and the very highest levels of circus artistry bring the ancient Greek myth of Hephaestus to the high wire in this death-defying circus retelling created by renowned circus artist Tony Hernandez and Lookingglass Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman.

According to Greek Myth, Hephaestus was born weak, disfigured and crippled. Displeased by the sight of her son, Hera cast Hephaestus from the heavens, and he fell for an entire day before landing in the sea. On Earth, Hephaestus became a great artist, fashioning metal into beautiful works of art. Combining elements of circus, theatre, live music and dance, Hephaestus follows the god of the forge as he encounters sea nymphs, creates men out of steel and falls in love with the most beautiful goddess of all.”

I’m excited.

lookingglasstheatre.org – more information.

Vanishing Points @ Point of Contention

“Vanishing Points” is not a happy play.

I mean, when the tagline begins with the phrase “A Gruesome act of violence..” I’m not spoiling anything by saying that.

It’s a play about death and grief, so don’t go in expecting tap routines and comedy numbers, and you’ll be all set.

Martin Jones’ script is based on the real-life, still unsolved murder of the Peak family of Grand Island, Nebraska in 1972.  The script, though I’ve no doubt was written with the best intentions, is far from perfect.  It’s a bit jumbly, with fantasy sequences and asides that sometimes seem to come from nowhere, such as a sequence where Beth remembers her mother brushing her sisters hair. As the mother goes off in revelry about how Beth’s sister, Barbara, has beautiful hair, I found myself thinking.. “Okay, and?” My only true complaints with the whole production are script-related, in fact.  Jones likes himself a cliche. Kudos to the talented and hard-working cast for being able to rise above a couple of doozy lines such as “Will this hurting ever stop?” and “From the doom and gloom in the room I don’t have to guess what you’re talking about.”  When the dialouge isn’t Lifetime-movie-esque, the production really shines.

But I get it, you know. Martin Jones was going for something dark and honest, yet metatheatrical, and I get it, even if he didn’t quite get to the level he aspired to.

Point of Contention’s production of this script helps the show immensely.

Largely because director Dan Foss knows how to cast a show, and his actors for “Vanishing Points” are all right on the mark.

Stacie Hauenstein gets the daunting task of playing moody artist Beth, our main character and one of two surviving Peak sisters.  As the girl who by all rights should have died along with her family (had she not been bratty and off for a motorcycle ride with her stoner boyfriend instead of getting ready for church like her parents and little sister), Beth is obviously wrecked by guilt for most of the play. Hauenstein manages to convey this without ever seeming annoying or overwrought, and that’s saying something.  In the wrong hands, Beth could be a much harder leading lady to like. 

As the other surviving Peak sister, Fran, Morgan Manasa is delivering a wonderful performance. Manasa is incredibly natural onstage and totally believable as the suburbanite wife and mother also struggling with the loss of her family, in addition to her unstable marriage. Fran is a grounding presence in a show which could easily turn to the metaphorical and the melodramatic. It’s Fran’s character (and Manasa’s performance) that keeps it anchored to the ground.

Annie Silvinski and Rick Levine play Beth’s salt-of-the-earth parents, but also double in other roles.  While Silvinski is a tad grating as Beth’s mother Carolyn (probably due to the script never portraying her as anything other than incredibly nagging) she’s warm and lovely as can be as Peg, the owner of an artists colony in the desert. Levine is endearing as both Beth’s father, Walter, and as her Uncle Cliff, who is obsessed with solving the case. Cliff has a long monologue about his discovery of the bodies, and as Levine delivers it, it’s a powerful moment.

I would be remiss in talking about this show and not mentioning the huge contribution made by Victoria Bucknell, who plays both Beth’s bratty little sister Barbara and beach-dwelling vagabond Vicki. In a show this heavy, you need comic relief, and that’s where Bucknell comes in and shines. A character the audience can openly find joy in is needed, and dear, hilarious, Vicki is precisely that. Armed with tattoos, bracelets, and a beach chair she uses to great effect, Bucknell allows the audience a moment to come up for air in a sea of grief. She’s also adorable as Barbara, the stereotypical little sister. This girl is an exciting talent, and one to watch.

Chris Sanderson, Mark E. Penzien, and Tony Gasbarro also make solid contributions to the show in their various roles. Sanderson, in particular, does well as Beth’s vaguely unsavory pot-smoking boyfriend.

Foss’s direction keeps things moving, and tries to make sense of the senseless – both of the randomness of the murder at the heart of the story and also of some of the odd asides in Jones’ script. The set is kept simple, as this show covers a wide range of locations (Nebraska, New York, Evanston), and things move fluidly from one location to another.

Brandon Baisden’s sound design is effective in most places, though the constant use of a jazz refrain gets a bit overdone in the first act. Erica Hohn’s costumes fit the period of the show without ever becoming distracting.  The light design – by Jess Harpeneau – is a bit dark in places, but then again – so’s the play. (There may have also been a burned out light, and since I know diddle about lighting design, take my comments with a grain of salt, please.)

It doesn’t seem right to say I loved this show, as it’s a hard story and a hard reality to love. However, art comes from darkness as well as from love and joy, and I commend my friends at POC for taking a chance on this brave show.  Much like life, it’s not easy and there aren’t any hard answers.

Visit www.pointofcontention.org for more information.

“Every Little Step” (2008)

]Though I may be on theatrical retirement, the history of the Broadway musical will always be fascinating to me. And when it comes to the history of Broadway, there aren’t many shows as revered and held tightly to as “A Chorus Line.” This musical, about dancers auditioning for a Broadway musical, personalized the naneless dancers in the chorus while proving once and for all the genius of the late, great, Michael Bennett and making a legend out of the hyper-talented Donna Murphy.

In 2008, a little documentary was released called “Every Little Step.” This documentary, by filmmakers Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern, followed the process of casting the new Broadway revival of this theatrical masterwork – which had not been revived since it’s original production.

I’d been meaning to see this movie since it’s release, but never managed to. Finally, today, I got to see it – and I’m sad I didn’t see it earlier.

First of all, as a fan of Broadway musicals, it’s neat to see performers I know of in the actual audition process.  Many familiar names are present and working hard at these auditions: Charlotte D’Amboise, Natasca Diaz, Rachelle Rak, Nikki Snelson (of “Legally Blonde”) , Tony Yazbeck, Deidre Goodwin, and the whole audition is presided over by Broadway legend Baayork Lee (the original “Connie,” who did the musical re-staging for the revival.) I also noticed Rick Faugno, who I saw starring in “Jersey Boys” in Las Vegas, among the auditioners who don’t get cast.

Some of the performers seem to show up and get the role – like Mara Davi, who blows the room away with the high notes in “At the Ballet.” In other battles, like theatre veteran Nikki Snelson vs. newcomer Jessica Lee Goldyn (who go head to head for the role of Val) it comes down to the wire.

(Goldyn wins the role, and deserves it. Nikki Snelson would later go on to tour as Cassie in the show, and bring down the house. It’s all about the day, you know? Then, Goldyn went on to be the final Broadway Cassie in the revival. Small world, huh?)

(Snelson)

(Goldyn)

But more than all that.. it’s a tribute to Broadway. 

Broadway Gypsies are the backbone of the Broadway musical. Dancers who work in the chorus are a rare breed, a small world, and lead a life most of us can’t imagine. This documentary reveres them and puts names to faces, and it’s nice to see. You get to see the amazing kinds of auditions performers of this caliber can do, as best exemplified by Jason Tam, who wins the role of Paul after a powerful rendition of Paul’s big monologue which has the casting panel in tears.

I loved this movie. I wish it’d gone on longer.

(If you’re like me, you’ll be interested to know that it’s now streaming on Netflix. Just an FYI.)

Snoopy!!! @ Highland Park Players

I have had an insanely busy month, what with starting a new job (one that actually uses my brain and DOESN’T leave me with 8 hours a day to do nothing but surf the net and blog, which will help explain my lack of posts in recent weeks), diving headfirst into being a grad student, and with any free time left – planning my wedding, which happens in 56 days.

Whew.

It’s been crazy, and has left me with barely any time to see theatre.

This morning, I trekked out to Highland Park with some friends to see the talented and lovely Mr. Brent Walker in the Highland Park Players production of SNOOPY!!! The musical, and had a totally delightful time. Other than being obviously familiar with the legendary characters of Charles Schultz, I was unfamiliar with this musical adaptation of his work. (I’m mad familiar with the other version – “You’re a good man, Charlie Brown.”)

I found the show to be adorable, and completely charming. For being a non-professional production, the actors were terrific and the show was just right. Brent Walker (Snoopy), Brad Kisner (Charlie Brown), Hannah Rose (Lucy), Gretchen Kimmeth (Peppermint Patty), Bob Spidale (Linus), Becky Keeshin (Sally Brown), and Brittany Sazonoff (Woodstock) are clearly having a great time performing this show, and all deserve the applause they get.  Each of them gets a moment to shine, whether it’s Kimmeth channeling Carol Burnett in her rendition of “Hurry Up Face” or Sazonoff’s adorable Woodstock entrance dance. This is a cast who works really well together, as evidenced by such production numbers as “Edgar Allen Poe” and “Don’t be anything less than everything you can be.”

I have to give props to the shimmering musical direction of Hannah Rose.  Seven actors, backed by pre-recorded tracks, had some of the loveliest live-sung harmonies I’ve heard in a while. Also, Annie Jo Fishers sprightly choreography was a joy to watch.  The show was bright and colorful and very much evoked the familiar and lovable world of the Peanuts gang.

At a little over an hour long, it’s ideal for younger folks, but I’m 27 and enjoyed it.  There are only two more performances – tomorrow, February 28th, at 1 and 3pm.

Oh, AND – Post-Show, you can get autographs.    Snoopy signed my program. No joke. Don’t be jealous.

Goodman Theatre, stop calling me. Like you said you would.

Remember when Brian Dennehy starred in the Goodman Theatre’s Desire Under the Elms? With Carla Gugino? Directed by Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls?

Well, I do, because I bought tickets and attended the show.

I’ve been reminded of this a lot over the past few months, as apparently my number wound up on the Goodman Theatre’s call list, and now I get lots and lots of calls from them. Fortunately, I can’t answer my phone at work and miss most of them (though, wisely, I don’t answer calls if I don’t know the number. You can leave me a message, and I’ll call you back if it’s important.) so I’m spared the “send us money” spiel.

A month or so ago, I emailed them to take me off their list and was quickly responded to with an assurance that I would be removed from their call list. (I did this on the same day I emailed the CSO people to take me off their list, too.)

*Stupidly, I deleted this response email, assuming that was the end of it all.*

(Lesson Learned.)

Well, not ten minutes ago I’m sitting at my desk and my phone rings.

I have programmed the number to say “Goodman,” so I knew instantly who it was.

(I’m not alone in recieving these unwanted calls.)

So ticket buyers beware, you’re probably going to get a call or two. or four. or six. or more. 

Things like this are making me very hesitant to give out information anymore, which sadly may prevent me from buying tickets in the future to events at companies I have great respect for.  I’d love to have millions of dollars to donate to great artistic causes, but honestly – I don’t. So maybe all I can do is buy tickets and actually attend your show. Sorry if that’s not enough. Stop calling me.

Back Into the Woods

As a preteen musical theatre nerd growing up in Alpena, Michigan, there weren’t a whole lot of ways one could learn about musicals. This was pre-internet, mind you. My favorite ways of researching the art form I loved were through books at the Alpena Public Library, and through the small soundtrack section of the now-defunct Camelot Music store.

One of my favorite pieces of theatre back then (and heck, to this day) was Into the Woods, which I was fortunate enough to perform in at Thunder Bay Theatre in Alpena when I was a mere fourteen (fifteen? I was a freshman, that’s all I remember.) This was one of the rare cases where the original Broadway company had been recorded performing the show, and you could rent/buy the VHS and watch it in your very own home.

Needless to say, I watched it a lot.

Well, flash forward to this weekend and the realization that my beloved Eric had never seen the show in any form.

Thanks to the wonder of Netflix streaming, we sat down and watched the production last night from the comfort of our own couch, while eating take-out.

(Members of the Original Broadway Cast)

(Members of the 1996 Thunder Bay Theatre Cast – I’m in red.)

And it’s just as great as I remember it being. (Maybe even better, as now that I’m older I understand the deeper meanings of the show a bit more as opposed to just thinking it was fun and silliness and great songs.) The cast is still arguably one of the most fantastic ever assembled for a stage production, headed by the glorious, hilarious, and gorgeous Bernadette Peters as The Witch.  Say what you will about Bernadette, but she’s a force of nature and does splendid things with Sondheim songs. Joanna Gleason, as The Bakers Wife, still hands in the most realistic and honest portrayal of a peasant woman caught up in the wonder of the woods. I’d forgotten how simply enjoyable it is to watch Kim Crosby as Cinderella and Pamela Winslow as Rapunzel, as well as Robert Westenberg and Chuck Wagner as their respective princes…. and Danielle Ferland. Sigh, Danielle. How I adored you in my younger years as Little Red Ridinghood, and how I still think you’re beyond marvelous.

Eric enjoyed it a lot, though Chip Zien’s constant smiling annoyed him. As a whole, I’d forgotten how (Despite a fabulous voice) affected Zien’s performance was. It’s as if he couldn’t stand normally – ie, without a half squat or walking in 3/4 profile -if his life depending on it. And Robert Westenberg still makes weird faces when he sings.

Oh well – nothing’s perfect.

Revisit it, if you haven’t in a while. It’ll bring back nice memories.

If you’ve never seen it, you’re missing out. Straight up.

Please enjoy the wonderful cast performing at the 1988 Tony Awards.

Funny Girl @ Drury Lane Oakbrook

Barbara Streisand. Barbara Streisand. Barbra Streisand.

If you’re going to see “Funny Girl” ever in your life, be prepared for the immortal name of La Streisand to be invoked.

Yes, “Funny Girl” is the show that launched Barbra Streisand.  But, after seeing Drury Lane Oakbrook’s production of the rarely-produced 1964 musical, I hasten to say that Barbra may have been the reason the show is remembered. It’s a disjointed show that can’t seem to decide what it’s trying to say about Follies star Fanny Brice.  Was she a fool for falling under the spell of the smarmy Nick Arnstein? Was she a girl who was lucky to get famous despite being plain? Is it trying to say that the Funny Girl’s life wasn’t so funny after all? The book seems like it’s going in a million directions, and the score is messy, with songs that don’t really belong in places that don’t really make sense. Jule Styne has written a few legendary tunes, the most notable of which are “Don’t Rain on my Parade” (smartly repeated a few times in the course of the show) and “People,” both of which are welcome by the time they arrive.

All this said, Drury Lane’s production does everything they can with their hobbled material.  The set is lovely, the costumes are lively, and the dancing is so good you wish there was more of it. As it stands there are only three production numbers in the show, two of which seem far too short. 

The brightest move made by director William Osetek was to hire Sara Sheperd to play the role of Fanny Brice, a role who’s size and scope is simply massive. It’s a Mama Rose/Tevye/Max Bialystock of a role that necessitates a performer of massive skill and likability, and Sheperd is winning and in possession of a fine and powerful voice. She’s a charmer, and a perfect match for the role. From her brassy “Cornet Man,” to her powerful “The Music that Makes me Dance,” she simply delivers.

Opposite her as her shady husband (a character I’ve never cared for) Nick Arnstein is Paul Anthony Stewart, who – like the production – does what he can with a fairly one-note role. He’s good-looking and his chemistry with Sheperd is believable.  Stewart has a few pitchy moments in a few of his songs, but overall he’s fine.

More endearing is Jameson Cooper, who gets the thankless role of Eddie Ryan.  Sweet wonderful Eddie, who is a friend to Fanny all her life and gets a harsh dismissal and a few short chances to sing and dance in the show, is a role that could be thrown away, but Cooper makes the most of it with his bright smile and great voice. In a fairy tale musical, Fanny would have chosen the sweet and loving Eddie over the flashy and pathetic Nick, but alas this ain’t that kind of musical.

Also providing notable support are Catherine Smitko as Fanny’s Mother, and Marc Grapey as Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., though both – like Cooper – are stuck in thankless roles. Funny Girl is a show all about it’s leading lady, and everyone else is frankly just window-dressing. However, the supporting cast members and ensemble work hard and are giving their all.

If your only frame of reference for “Funny Girl” is the movie, prepare for some changes. Clearly, when the idea of putting the show on screen arose, the creative team took it as an oppotunity to improve the piece, adding additional songs that show Fanny’s rise to fame (which is rushed through in the musical) as well as more examples of the fact that this woman was a big talent and a big star. Fanny’s 11:00 number “The Music that makes me Dance” was replaced in the movie by the song “My Man,” which was a serious improvement. 

Apart from the exemplary work by Sheperd, and the production value of Drury Lane’s effort, I’d almost hasten to say you’d be better off renting the movie. It paints a more coherent portrait of Fanny Brice. 

Seeing the show onstage made me realize it’s flaws. 

The show made Barbra – and she, in turn, made it.

Visit drurylaneoakbrook.com for more information.

Ragtime on Broadway.

 

The current production of Ragtime on Broadway will close on January 10, 2010, and that’s a shame.

It’s astonishing.

Eric is awesome, and knew I was dying to see the show, so my Solstice present was tickets to the 1/2 matinee.  I am so grateful to him, and happy we went. I know I’ll never forget it.

Ragtime is a big show. It’s 2 hours and 40 minutes long, covers a decade in American History, features a cast of abut 40 people, and has an orchestra of 26.  Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s score is sung impeccably, the set is simple but endlessly moving and effective, and the costumes are down-to-the thread perfect.

Christiane Noll, in the central role of Mother, should get a Tony nomination (if not award) for her performance. Her shimmering voice, on songs such as “Back to Before,” is only the tip of the iceberg. This woman can act, too. Her Mother is both maternal and girly, a woman who longs to travel while being stuck at home while her husband goes sailing around the world for years at a time.  It’s Mother who is at the heart of Ragtime, and in Noll’s hands the show is steadfast.  Robert Petkoff, as Tateh, is captivating and a true showstopper.  He and Noll do a wonderful version of “Our Children” in the second act.  As Father, Ron Bohmer deftly avoids playing the bad guy aspects of his character and instead gives a completely sympathetic performance.  Quentin Earl Darrington, making his Broadway debut in the magnificent role of Coalhouse Walker Jr, could not be better. He’s dashing and sings like a dream, and as Coalhouse crumbles as the show progresses you feel his pain. Bobby Steggart gets the juicy role of Younger Brother, and knocks it out of the park.  There are a number of other great performances that could be called out (Savannah Wise as Evelynn Nesbitt, for one…) but I can only type so long, you know?

I loved this production. I’ve listened to the original cast recording more times than I can even begin to recall, and I was so riveted by this production a major plot point – that I knew of, mind you – managed to take me completely by surprise.

If you can, in the next 6 days, see this show.

If not, you’ve missed something grand.