Water For Elephants

A bestselling book and a major movie have now been transformed into a wildly inventive Broadway musical. Circus aficionados step right up. Water For Elephants is stunningly well told, visually enthralling and jam packed with excellent performers of both the circus and musical theater varieties.

Sara Gruen’s book is well known. A young man flees his family trauma and hooks up with a failing traveling circus struggling mightily during the depths of the Great Depression. His veterinarian skills will be put to the test. An aged narrator looks back on his life story. Throw in a love triangle, a sadistic ringleader and a slew of memorable characters. This show is a sumptuous feast for the senses.

An extraordinary scene early on features Marlena comforting her prized horse Silver Star. The horse (and all the animals) are presented in the form of puppets, sometimes in representative pieces. This horse is injured and weak from being overworked. Marlena sings “Easy” to soothe her circus act star as only she knows how.

The imagery begins simply and becomes wonderfully evocative. You believe her, the horse and the pain. Then the emotion is added. The horse, or more precisely a performer (Antoine Boissereau), takes flight in an elegant Spanish Web spectacle using dangling white fabric. The aerial dance is beautiful and you can imagine the horse flying with joy though suffering through injury. As Marlena sings and pets what is essentially a head on a stick, remarkable theater magic is created. The whole show contains multitudes of images which astonish and, even more excitingly, propel the story and its underlying emotions and tensions.

Director Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo) deftly balances the awe-inspiring circus feats against a narrative which occurs both in the present and in the past. Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll’s choreography is impressively athletic and more vividly airborne than any other show on Broadway. Takeshi Kata’s scenic design includes the improbable live raising of a big top tent. The visual details of the entire creative team merge seamlessly and are smile inducing and jaw dropping in equal measure.

Darkness underlying this tale also takes center stage allowing the dramatic intensity to never fall away amidst the eye-popping splendor. Circus owner Augustus boldly inhabits his two faces as grinning ringleader and evil tormenter. Paul Alexander Nolan (Escape from Margaritaville, Jesus Christ Superstar) is devastatingly good in the role. We are asked to hate him but there is also an ability to recognize the pressures that made the man who he is.

Grant Gustin and Isabelle McCalla conjour slow burn chemistry that we and the entire circus company can see. There is no hiding from this love story despite her marriage to Augustus. Both of these actors shine. Mr. Gustin’s Jacob Jenkowski is likable and appropriately naive. Ms. McCalla is delicately touching but equally adept at navigating her fraught situation between choosing real love and managing a dangerous husband.

The circus characters are well developed personas given ample stage time for us to know and care about them. Stan Brown, in his Broadway debut at age 61, is superb as Camel, the hard drinking, long-time employee at the end of his career. Joe DePaul’s Walter is the dog owning clown with a big chip on his shoulder and is very funny indeed. Wade McCollum is exceptionally fine as the menacing henchman who gets his hands dirty and does Augustus’ bidding.

Theater veteran Gregg Edelman (City of Angels) is the elder Mr. Jankowski and he effortlessly and winningly tells his fascinating tale during an extended break from a nursing home prison. Marissa Rosen’s Sue is one of the most memorable Kinkers as the circus performers are known. The entire company, however, should be commended for an exceptionally fine display of acrobatics, musical theater song and dance, and tightly orchestrated yet seemingly fluid storytelling.

Much credit has to be given to Rick Elice’s book which clearly articulates the story and allows for so many excellent individual characterizations. Time period and carnival appropriate music and lyrics are by Pigpen Theatre Co. Their marvelously inventive 2012 Off-Broadway show The Old Man and the Old Moon is the reason I was inspired to see this show in a month of so many options.

And what about Rosie the elephant? She’s colossal in everyway imaginable with her five human helpers. For those of you who know how this one ends, prepare yourselves to be wildly impressed. Hop on the circus train to savor this underbelly slice of Americana; enjoy the nostalgia and marvel at the stagecraft. Water For Elephants is a wonder.

www.waterforelephantsthemusical.com

About This Reviewer - April 9, 2024

Little Shop of Horrors (2024)

I reviewed this production of Little Shop of Horrors in 2020 and noted that the show announced an extension through May. Other than the tiny inconvenience of a global pandemic this musical comedy gem has been eating bloody well every since. The reason to see it again? Category is: Jinkx Monsoon.

Drag superstar Jinkx is currently in residence in the role of Audrey. Since I’ve already commented on this production this review serves as a brief blog update. Jinkx is very good in the role as expected. The nod to her drag garners an extra big laugh in the song “Suddenly, Seymour”. When Seymour sings “you don’t need no makeup” her facial reaction is akin to horrified and everyone in the house erupted with knowing laughter.

This Audrey is a big galoot of a presence. The awkwardness of the kiss with Seymour is hilariously rendered, as clumsy as it is sweet. The length of the kiss might have caused overtime for the stage crew. The audience ate it up. As did Major Attaway as Audrey II in a memorably killer vocalization.

In the performance I saw understudy Jeff Sears portrayed Seymour. He was nebbishly enjoyable with a really nice voice to match the great tunes his character is blessed with. James Carpinello was a devilishly fun bad guy as well. Furthermore, Khadija Sankoh’s screeching turn as Urchin Chiffon was a howler, made even better with some highly entertaining audience ad lib.

I will say I worried a trifle at intermission as the first half seemed a little flat. Everything was fine but the energy level on stage felt muted. Perhaps I know the show too well? (I don’t usually have that issue, however. Referencing Merrily We Roll Along.) The second act, on the other hand, was high voltage from start to finish. The marvel that is the character and design of Audrey II remains remarkable with just the right amount of creepy meets campy.

Sales for this show skyrocketed when Jinkx was announced. Her turn last year in Chicago broke box office records (and she is back again this June). In New York, safe to say, it is always monsoon season. Someone (anyone!) let’s agree on a revival of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Pronto. Who else could slay as brothel owner Miss Mona?

Little Shop of Horrors is currently running at Off-Broadway’s Westside Theatre. Corbin Bleu is starring in the role of Seymour. Jinkx Monsoon will perform the role of Audrey through May before rejoining the Broadway cast of Chicago from June 27 to July 12, 2024.

www.littleshopnyc.com

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About This Reviewer - April 8, 2024April 14, 2024

The Fountain, TransMasculine Cabaret & Miss. Adventure (NYC Fringe, Part 1)

New York City Fringe (formally the FRIGID Fringe Festival) is an open, lottery-based theater festival that gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in an environment that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of the Indie Theater Community, 100% of box office proceeds go directly to the artists whose work is being presented.

The Fountain

Two men walk up to The Fountain. William is wearing a t-shirt proudly proclaiming Miss Fabulous. Diego dons a shield with a sword at his side. Cosplay? No. These men are from two different eras, the present and the reign of King Phillip in the 16th century. One sings about bottles of beer on the wall to pass the time. His travel companion would rather hear stories.

The two banter about this and that. William (Jordan Grzybowski) references Hot Pockets and other arcane details that are mysteries to Diego (Hugo Salazar, Jr.). He will hear about electricity and the consumers of that ubiquitous frozen sandwich (“the young, poor and drug-addled”). The pair are wandering inside a labyrinth with no clear idea how to get out.

Standing atop the fountain is a female Grecian stone statue (Larissa McCoy). There are coins and other treasures in the water. The statue speaks “offer your tribute”. It has to be something of value to the person giving the offertory. Wisecracking William seizes the opportunity to wish for material things. What about exit instructions for the labyrinth? Nah, everlasting health and wealth is more desirable.

When the statue does not grant any additional wishes William calls her a “water bitch” prior to his moving on. Diego enters into a long conversation with the statue and secrets will reveal themselves. Other people are in the labyrinth. Is William still inside? In answer the statue will channel his flamboyant physicality along with William’s voiceover.

Religion and truth are the themes explored in this thoughtful ode to the power of storytelling. Diego has faith and kills heathens for the king. “If you have faith then it is real?” is a question posed. Books tell us stories and we have favorites which stay with us. Are one of the similar, yet different gods in various books real or is the labyrinth which entraps all of humankind the inescapable trap?

My interpretation of this very interesting piece may be different than intended but this short, meaningful play definitely offers much to ponder. All three actors are engaging throughout, notable Mr. Salazar’s Diego which is the richest character written and developed. While I enjoyed the statue pantomiming William along with his voiceover, it might even be more fun letting her do the impersonation with vocals as well.

Amidst the spiritual ideas flowing through this “good and dark magic” are some truly funny moments. Diego asks the statue who she is. The reply kills. She cites many variations including Lady of the Fountain and Enchantress. Then the brilliant deadpan follows. “Most recently, water bitch”. Tony Patryn wrote and directed The Fountain which is making its debut at this festival.

TransMasculine Cabaret

Backstage and onstage are the two locations which are inhabited by Vulva Va-Voom, a trans cabaret performer. Quite a few warnings are announced up front. TransMasculine Cabaret will be “a total fucking bummer of a one man solo” and a “social bummer piece”. Tongue-in-cheek meets self-deprecating safety shield.

Soon thereafter the Billy Joel song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” will be rewritten as “we cannot warn for triggers”. Those triggers include strap-ons, jokes about sperm, ADHD and cuss words. The chorus: “I have tons of trauma and it’s in this drama”. Wearing such warned about strap-on, Mx. Va-Voom will assault the audience swinging her plastic weapon. Their butthole is like Waffle House, “only closed in case of emergencies”. There is a lot of blue humor and more than a few dildos.

A heckler (voiceover) shouts that he is “sick of this nonbinary garbage”. The show transitions from smutty cabaret to an exploration of Vulva’s incarnation as a performer and person inhabiting a gender which does not conform to traditional binary beliefs. This dissection will cover a wide swath of influences which speak to the difficulties and hurts experienced during a lifetime of accusations they have mental illness.

Vulva notes that the SNL character “It’s Pat” was the first one they encountered in mainstream media. Of course Pat was viewed as repulsive but at least there was representation. Their androgyny was “hideous” and “pitiable”. The script dives deep but generally pulls out to offer more clowning like the voiceover ad which advises “ask your doctor if being put in a hospital by bigots is good for your health”.

A meaningful story about a church intervention follows but the show frequently does not let us, or the performer, take a breath. The seriousness underneath the facade is too quickly buried. It is easy to understand how humor is evoked to deal with societal slights. In this case, the joke list and sight gags are crammed to overfill.

A little editing here and there might help focus a heartfelt storyline clearly aching to be heard. I might nix the heavy metal German housemates (also voiceovers) and slow down the serious parts. Letting the audience further in can only be good for all of us rather than simply classifying the show as a “bummer”.

Miss. Adventure

A multi-media musical comedy choose your own adventure is the promise. Early on the view is a bit hazy. “I don’t know if this is a show or just masturbation”. What follows is certainly at least a dream fever. Forty million cultural reference will be tossed about in under an hour. Maybe not that many but a ton of them.

Eating ice cream in bed leads to the appearance of Cherry Garcia who offers stoned advice. Channeling Frodo’s quest, our heroine is told to bring the magical NuvaRing back to its source. This stage musical is accompanied by a fairly elaborate film. That helps keep the proceedings on track as our sole performer leaves the stage quite frequently.

Beauty and the Beast enters the fray in both song and in the on screen persona of Sergey. Men are dogs is presumably the rant since he plays fetch with her tampon. The man in the moon sees all the “freaky stuff”. The eaten shoe line escaped me.

A talking mail box (“Mail Time!!”) reminded me of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Why is it named that? “If they called it a female box, (the mail) would never come”. Funny. So many zany things are tried which is admirable but I ultimately found it very hard to understand what this show was trying to do. A choose your adventure motif was the promise but it was not really realized in any meaningful way.

Miss. Adventure also has a tagline “Hop on the Magic Mushroom Bus”. There will be a bus ride with a version of the Frizz to a place where the humor is blue and the stay is prolonged. Rachel Pallante, our host on this adventure, is talented and can hold a stage (when not backstage). It’s the adventure that’s a bit of a missed opportunity.

The New York City Fringe runs through April 21, 2024 at three locations: The Wild Project, 14Y Theater and UNDER St. Mark’s. Most shows are also livestreaming.

www.frigid.nyc/festivals

About This Reviewer - April 7, 2024

The Human Dream Project (The Tank)

What do you dream about? Will you tell us? The Human Dream Project Hotline is run by artist Admiral Grey. Individuals call in to have their dreams recorded and collected. This accumulation is expressed as “becoming an international archive of human dreams from our time”.

Snake in the Boot is an experimental theater collective helmed by Mr. Grey, Chad Raines and Brandt Adams. They “create works that lie at the intersection of artifice and truth, poetical expressions that allow us to explore our messy prosaic realities”. Their production just began a month long run at the off-off Broadway arts incubator The Tank.

Recordings were selected of humans describing dreams they have had. The team illustrates these tales onstage using movement and puppetry, accompanied by a musical soundtrack and live percussion. A boatload of visual enchantments will appear.

A narrator puppet of sorts (pictured above) literally kicks things off. Other than playing the recorded dreams, there is no real dialogue employed by the performers. The puppets are varied, colorful, interesting, often abstract and generally lean more towards cute than scary. There is a lot of sensory creativity and amusing movement on display.

The high point comes early on. A woman dreams she is sitting at a window seat on a plane. Peering outside she notices a biplane is flying erratically nearby. A woman is standing on the upper wing. She looks like a “bad ass French movie star”. Blindfolded and smoking a cigarette the woman is certainly facing her doom as the plane is on fire.

Staging this dream includes puppets sitting in modern day airplane seats. A sizable red biplane hovers with a woman standing on the wing. A life sized version of her is reenacted on the floor for additional close up and emphasis. The imagery perfectly embodies the dream recording being spoken aloud.

How does this particular dream end? With the realization that “I’ll never be as free as that woman”. Not a dream about a witnessed horror as much as a dream about one’s inability to face life head on, fear be damned. If all of the dream recordings had such an arc followed by a thought provoking ending, this collection could be masterful.

Many of the dreams are more meandering affairs as befit the nature of such musings. A mother is a memorable red brick colored windmill. One attends a formal event in a big mansion and is “out of my league”. Her father will enter the story and who he is garners big laughs.

Another chucklesome entry is from the person who dreams that their teeth are loose and then falling out. In different ways and patterns every time. Reassembly is not ideally realized. Here is one of many examples where the live percussion is cleverly used to supplement visual gags.

Many of the segments end with a whimper rather than a bang. Think Saturday Night Live skit where you are enjoying the ride but it’s time to move on to the next skit. There is a lot of potential in this idea and it will be fun to see where this team takes this work next. In the meantime, observe the purple octopus’ tentacle dance. Decide if you should take a video with your phone or be alive in the moment watching the bizarre occurrence as it happens (another dream which considers a meaningful question).

At the end of this performance a woman turned to her companion and loudly exclaimed “I have a million questions”. We all laughed. According to the program the Human Dream Project is currently developing phone booth installations to be placed around the world for further collection. Perhaps the next show will elicit a billion questions.

The Human Dream Project is running at The Tank through April 28, 2024.

www.thetanknyc.org

About This Reviewer - April 5, 2024April 7, 2024

Dead Outlaw (Audible Theater)

Step right up folks. There’s a freak show story come to town as a musical no less. The real life misadventures of one Elmer McCurdy has been adapted into the outrageously fun off-Broadway show Dead Outlaw. Both the history of this man born in 1880 and his “life” are hilariously macabre and delightfully bizarre.

Elmer was a low level failure of a criminal. He begins life adopted by his aunt who protected his mother from the shame of an illegitimate baby. He finds that out and alcohol becomes a salve. Departing Maine, he travels through a series of jobs including coal mine worker before descending into incompetent bandit. He winds up shot dead as telegraphed in the title.

Elmer begins his story crooning a country and western ballad around a campfire. A train whistle blows. He then proclaims “all right boys, let’s go rob that fucking train”. Off we go to the wild west. Elmer will become another insignificant dead outlaw in the canon of violent American men fueled by alcohol, racism and bitter anger. (Sound familiar?)

In this case, however, laughter will be incorporated into the mix. Elmer will sing a drunken song about killing while stumbling all over the stage. Andrew Durand (Shucked, Head Over Heels) is great both alive and dead in a performance where he unforgettably spends half the show propped up in a wooden coffin.

As it happens, we are witnessing a musical about a nobody who actually became somebody after death. After being shot, he was embalmed with arsenic as a preservative since he had no next of kin to claim him. Thus begins a series of cadaver adventures including side show attraction. He gets lost to history until a 1970’s crew member from television’s Six Million Dollar Man discovers the body hanging as a mannequin on a California theme park ride. True story.

The writing and directing team from the extraordinary musical The Band’s Visit, along with Erik Della Penna, have taken this tale and run with it. Dozens of characters are portrayed by eight actors. One of many highpoints is the coroner (Thom Sesma) belting out a Frank Sinatra-esque ode to death inconceivably referencing Sharon Tate, amongst others. That we laugh speaks to the effectiveness of this team’s grasp of, shall we say, deadpan humor.

Obviously someone pieced together Elmer’s century long adventure and he is finally buried. At that moment Arnulfo Maldonado’s functional and fascinating set provides one of the show’s biggest guffaws. A western themed band equipped with a wry narrator, a damsel not in distress, various money-obsessed charlatans and an undereducated drifter. Dead Outlaw is one for the history books.

This show is the first musical commissioned in a new series by Audible which will eventually be available for listening. David Cromer’s direction is so good that I would miss the simply effective, creatively freaky display but the tunes will likely carry Elmer’s torch to his next incarnation: musical theater icon. Dead Outlaw is a blast.

Dead Outlaw is running through April 14, 2024 at the Minetta Lane Theatre downtown in Greenwich Village.

www.deadoutlawmusical.com

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About This Reviewer - April 4, 2024

The Who’s Tommy

The first half of Act I of The Who’s Tommy is a spectacular visual feast. A master class of storytelling, visuals, design, direction and choreography. At one point early on the audience audibly gasps. Then the show settles into extended excellence until the finale which blew my mind with its ferocious intensity and focused intent.

I can honestly say I’ve not listened to the record album straight through since the 1970’s. I vaguely remember the movie from 1975. Thirty years ago (30!!) this show won the Tony for Best Musical and I missed it. This incarnation made me fall back in love with this piece. I stood at my seat until the final post-curtain call notes were played prior to exiting the theater.

Director Des McAnuff (Ain’t Too Proud, Jersey Boys) places the action “in the future” and also “in the past”. Like many London artists who grew up jarred by the horrors of World War II, Pete Townshend’s work reflects that agonizing period. By show’s end Mr. McAnuff confronts all of us to face that reality. In addition I saw a pointed contemplation on history repeating itself. “Listening to you, I get the music” leads into “From you, I get opinion / From you, I get the story”. A rock version of Sondheim’s “Careful the tale you tell / Children will listen”.

Many of you will know that Tommy is a boy who is born deaf, dumb and blind. His familial relationships are explored at ages four and ten. Through his problematic Cousin Kevin he discovers that he can sure play a mean pinball. He grows into adulthood and eventually exclaims “I’m Free”. As in any concept album, there are blanks to be filled in both by the show itself and the observer. I was riveted throughout.

All of the creative design elements – scenic, projection, costume, lighting and sound – memorably support the thematic vision. A simple lit mirror is the reflection into Tommy’s unspoken soul. The florescent-like lighting reminded me of Dan Flavin sculptures. Here they shape shift, continually changing scenes and focal points. The color yellow is employed as a sunbeam of hope warming the despair locked inside the unknowable world of a deaf, dumb and blind person navigating an unimaginable journey.

Performances are, almost without exception, outstanding. In his Broadway debut Ali Louis Bourzgui brilliantly captures Tommy’s essence from insular wonder to “see me” rock star. He is ably assisted by Cecilia Ann Popp (age 4) and Quinten Kusheba (age 10). All three connect spiritually on stage and the impact is both heart wrenching and empowering. Their ability to act blind is astonishing.

Tommy’s encounter with the Acid Queen (Christina Sajous) is, believe it or not, satisfyingly understated. The result is a scene which demonstrates her afflictions in a gritty, realistic way rather than as a bright lights arcade spectacle. Ms. Sajous is, nonetheless, “guaranteed to break your little heart”.

Cousin Kevin is portrayed by the always terrific Bobby Conte (A Bronx Tale, Company). His wayward story arc encapsulates the unfortunately familiar tale of misguided, directionless youth influenced by the evils of peer mentality. Adam Jacobs, Broadway’s original Aladdin, believably inhabits the role of Captain Walker with his relentless desire to protect his son while also finding a cure for Tommy’s dilemma.

The very strong performance which disturbingly resonates is that by John Ambrosino as Uncle Ernie. In another smashing Broadway debut, this supporting role transcends more with physicality than with dialogue. This actor gives you enough access to fill in all the troubling blanks and read his mind. That this smaller character’s journey is so transfixing amid this production’s massive visual onslaught is a triumph thanks to Mr. McAnuff’s exquisite balancing between rock arena big and compellingly rendered details.

Another high point is the marriage between the direction and Lorin Latarro’s interesting and varied choreography which nicely conveys both the past and the futuristic themes. The ensemble is used purposely throughout and, unlike many other shows, does not needlessly distract from the central action. This talented group comes across both as real people and as faceless stereotypes as needed. Managing the costume changes backstage would probably be fun to watch.

I was enjoying Tommy so much that I became worried that the end might fizzle out given the cataclysmic senses overload I had already absorbed. How would the show reach a peak? By triumphantly facing ourselves, our humanity, our history, our failings and our hopes head on. The finale is breathtaking, measured, explosive and, like the rest of this fantastic musical, mesmerizing.

The Who’s Tommy is playing on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre.

www.tommythemusical.com

About This Reviewer - March 7, 2024March 7, 2024

Diva Royale (Purple Rose Theatre, Chelsea, MI)

A birthday present turned into an outing for a group of friends one Sunday afternoon. The location picked was near Ann Arbor, Michigan. The play selected was Diva Royale. The experience was divine.

Film, television and theater star Jeff Daniels founded the Purple Rose Theatre Company and has written twenty plays which have premiered here. He has been nominated for three Tony Awards as Best Actor. I am fortunate to have seen all of them: God of Carnage, Blackbird and To Kill A Mockingbird. Having created this local theater company with his impressive credentials is a blessing in a world where theater struggles to compete for your entertainment dollar and time.

This production of Diva Royale is actually a revival of a previously successful run. Mr. Daniels wrote and directed this imbecilic concoction of frivolous madcap fun. Laughter erupted frequently from this audience. Truth be told, the Sunday matinee crowd skewed elderly (and I’m no spring chicken). We sat in the round so viewing other faces was part of the joy. At first the idiotically silly and relatively tame innuendo humor seemed to shock and offend a few sitting close by. Even they, however, had to give in to the power of an iceberg which still haunts our collective minds today.

The plot imagines a gang of three married midwestern housewives with children who bond not only about their similar life experiences but also about their frightening obsession with the movie Titanic. They inform hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of viewings. Yes, that is scary and, yes, that is funny.

Celine Dion, the ballad queen of the movie’s soundtrack, is performing a concert in New York City and these ladies hatch a plan to adore her in person. Hijinks ensue of course as these “nice” moms confront the Big Apple. A mystery over one missing cellphone may be solved (or not) through an inspired blast of creativity. The audience roared.

The best parts of the play are the little asides about their lives with certain details (the underarm trap) bordering on unforgettable. In addition to the three travelers, there is a character named Generic Man. In the performance we caught, Connor Allston nailed every single character variation he was asked to play including Jack Dawson, the Leonardo DiCaprio role from the film. Generic Man is a great part and the direction and costuming was purposefully simple and wholly effective.

Caitlin Cavannaugh, Meghan VanArsdalen and Caitlin Burt embodied the Celine Dion obsessed gal pals with Ms. VanArsdalen hilariously imagining herself as the heroine Rose. Each actress had their moments as the plot careened from self-involved oversharing to surviving the onslaught. By that I do not only mean Ms. Dion’s bombastic vocals but also the mean streets of the big city. This being a full throttle comedy, a happy ending is assured.

I continue to be amazed at the impact Celine and this film have had on a generation. The theater has been paying tribute for years now. There is the side-plot character of Dionne Salon, a Canadian pop star, in the extraordinary and woefully underproduced musical Bedbugs!!! The colossal hit Titanique opened off-Broadway in 2022 and remains floating.

Along with Diva Royale, these homages embrace Ms. Dion’s over-the-top sensibility. They mock her mercilessly but there is ample evidence that such abuse is good-natured and filled with love. As Mr. Daniels notes: “Funny transcends politics, polarization and fear of the future”. Throw in a diva whose heart will go on and you will have a memorably daffy time escaping our current American reality of another looming iceberg.

Diva Royale recently completed its run at the Purple Rose Theatre. Next up is the world premiere of The Antichrist Cometh beginning March 22, 2024.

www.purplerosetheatre.org

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About This Reviewer - February 23, 2024

Dance Theatre of Harlem (Notre Dame, IN)

Last weekend I had the opportunity to catch the Dance Theatre of Harlem perform at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The troupe did two performances that day and I was thrilled to see that the evening one was a sellout.

There were three segments in this program. The first was a medley of Stevie Wonder hits titled “Higher Ground”. The messaging in the lyrics resonated strong emotions to match the dancing imagery. The first song demanded the audience “Look Around” and “you’ll see human history”. The next song chosen was written in 1974 and feels still relevant today. These lyrics are potent:

But we are sick and tired of hearing your songTellin’ how you are gonna change right from wrong‘Cause if you really want to hear our viewsYou haven’t done nothin’

The choreography is a mix of classical ballet and diverse dance disciplines so their style is modern and interesting. As the show progressed there was a notable lack of cohesion in group numbers particularly in the title song which closed this segment. When the soloists hit the stage in “Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away” everything improved dramatically.

From that point the first segment continued improving. “Village Ghetto Land” included a broken glass is everywhere ballet. “Saturn” featured a sweet duet with stimulating lifts and jumps while the words conveyed “people don’t even know what they’re dying for”. This tune from Mr. Wonders’ classic Songs In the Key of Life album had a ripped from yesterday’s headlines moment declaiming “We can’t trust you when you take a stand / With a gun and bible in your hand”.

A video opened the second section which gave context to the next dance. Hazel Scott was a Trinidadian jazz and classical pianist who had her own television show in 1950. She was the first black American to do so. I had never heard of her as some of the artistic directors of the troupe also noted. She was famous for being able to play two pianos at one time using two hands.

Ms. Scott was an outspoken critic of segregation and racial discrimination. Of course she had to testify at the McCarthy era’s House of Un-American Activities Committee. Her weekly show was cancelled one week later and she was essentially erased from what the video described as Beyoncé level famous.

As mentally engaged as I was after this introduction, the choreography honoring this woman was underwhelming. The progression took us from her “Trinidad” beginnings to a lacking passion “Harlem” followed by “Hazel Herself”. This particular song especially perplexed as the fast almost staccato like piano seem to have no connection to the movement of the dancer. A few more numbers followed in this recently premiered piece.

Thankfully the final section was a triumph and, not incidentally, showcased more dancers in solo pieces. “Black Works IV (The Barre Project)” by William Forsythe was an exuberant piece with an electronic composition by James Blake that was evocative, moody and nicely atonal. The choreography here was remarkable both for the ability of these dancers to count the complicated time structure as well as show off their excellent skills.

While the program as a whole was a mixed bag there was much to digest making the evening an emotional success. “We cannot advocate for people in other lands what we don’t have here”. Only those with blinders on cannot empathize with those words from “What America Means to Me”.

The Dance Theatre of Harlem is touring through May in various locations in celebration of its 55th anniversary season.

www.dancetheatreofharlem.org

www.perfomingarts.nd.edu

About This Reviewer - January 26, 2024

Appropriate

The setting is a former plantation home in southeast Arkansas. A family has gathered to deal with the estate of their deceased father. Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins riveting play Appropriate considers the multiple definitions of that word. The emphasis, however, is to take something for one’s own, typically without the owner’s permission.

Disrepair and old age have marred the former grandeur of this home. This family’s long history is evidenced by the graveyard of slaves on the property. Getting us to reflect on our current comprehension of America’s centuries long oppression for profit is only one level of this complex and fascinating study. The family itself is a combustible mess of anger, disappointment, feuds and regret.

Toni (Sarah Paulson) is the elder sister who is the self-appointed leader of the three siblings. She is organizing the estate sale. Her sullen teenager Rhys (Graham Campbell) is with her. Brother Franz (Michael Esper) arrives to get the job done quickly so her can return home with his wife Rachel (Natalie Gold) and two children. The youngest brother Bo (Corey Stoll), a colossal screw up and shameful embarrassment, shows up after a long period of incommunicado.

Cue the hoarding clutter that must be sorted out. I do not mean simply the overstuffed odds and ends that must be organized and sold off. There is a pile of emotional baggage rattling through this house and, in particular, through a very tautly wound Toni. The number one child and primary person who attempted to keep things under control is struggling mightily with the money grabbers jumping on a potential financial bandwagon. Where were they all these years?

Discovered objects lead to discussions, notably about the family history ensconced in a deep south plantation where there is no doubt slavery was a major factor in the family fortune. That economic glory is obviously long passed but the legacy of their past is a newly uncovered mirror. Peering in is not easy nor can the three agree on what they see in the reflection.

Was their father a racist or just an inheritor from a long line of people who prospered owning human beings? The latter is what the three from the current generation seem to be at the outset. What makes Appropriate so bitingly good is the wildly erratic moral compass this family uses to move through this experience.

Adding to that are seismic underlying familial tensions which come to the surface and sting. The siblings (and one spouse) go at each other like any family with deep seated animosity and steely protective barriers. Young Bo seems to be the most docile but his story is troubled and dark with a different maltreatment on his resume.

Bo arrives at the mansion with his hippy-dippy sage wielding girlfriend River (Elle Fanning). Their intent is not clear. Their motives are questioned and both are ridiculed. Knives are out as this family cuts into barely healed wounds. Amazingly, on top of these expressed minefields, the family tries to come to terms with their white ancestry from the period.

The play contains harrowing monologues and gut wrenching revelations. There are plot enhancing bombs which explode. The cast is, to a person, flawless in presenting these recognizably flawed individuals. Director Lila Neugebauer steers the play beautifully so that everyone is believably realistic yet theatrical.

There is a meaningful balance between bitterness and belly laughs in this play. We may recognize the dialogue from our own personal consideration of this American story. Mr. Jabob-Jenkins encourages us to glimpse our own personal reflections into the family mirror. I saw my mother telling me when I was a child that not all slaves had it so bad. Many worked in the homes not in the fields, she noted. Was that appropriate to tell a child? In how many “modern” American homes has this been said? It certainly explains her coming out of the racist closet made fashionable in the Trump era.

Does Appropriate have a resolution? Does America? Pair this one with Purlie Victorious (which I did over two successive evenings) for an immersive education in what schools are gleefully eliminating from their curriculum. History, like death, is often hard to face. Theater needs to challenge as well as entertain. This play embraces the cobwebs and, perhaps if we are lucky, takes another step in the direction of healing.

Appropriate is being presented by Second Stage at the Hayes Theater through March 3, 2024. Please note that seat discomfort in this theater is guaranteed and, as usual, other patrons were notably complaining out loud. Not exactly sure I understand why this situation has not yet been addressed.

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About This Reviewer - January 24, 2024

Gutenberg! The Musical!

Have you ever sat through a middling, unfocused and probably should have been cut from the telecast skit while watching Saturday Night Live? Well then I have a show for you. Gutenberg! The Musical! is all that, and sometimes less, at Broadway prices.

Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells play Bud and Doug in this two man show. Both are nerds who decide to collaborate writing a Broadway musical. Neither has experience or talent but the show must go on! They rent the James Earl Jones Theatre to stage an industry reading for potential investors. Not the worst idea for an insider’s skewering of the creative process.

The pair write a show about the 15th century inventor of the printing press. His name is featured in the title. Why was he chosen? There is scant information about him online so the material can be whatever they want. They described the show as historical fiction also known as “fiction that’s true”. A funny line appears now and then.

Due to limited funds they cannot perform the musical with a full cast so the two perform every part. Trucker hats with printed names let us know who the people are. Antisemitic flower girl is the edgiest. The printer’s love interest is Helvetica. “History tells us in olden times there were a lot of poor wenches,” we learn. Mr. Gad sings a song about her not being able to read.

The problems with the show are many. Long stretches of filler, no real attempt to create any semblance of story arc and overused ideas (the hats, repeated joke targets) bog this comedy down to a fairly dull, roll your eyes while wanting to laugh exercise in theatrical tolerance. I cannot recommend this underwhelming and overpriced revue to anyone.

All that said, both men are appealing performers who work very hard to put over this featherlight concoction. Both originated the leads in The Book of Mormon many moons ago and they have natural – and nicely opposite yet complimentary – chemistry. The audience was madly in love with them. Perhaps someone can write these gentlemen a musical miles closer to their level. Broadway theatergoers will likely flock to see them again based on the reception I witnessed.

In case you miss this show, here is my favorite joke. In the second act a reprise of a song is heard. These theater hucksters inform us that this particular moment is employing a “motif”. A motif is “when you use the same piece of music over and over and it’s not lazy”. That made me laugh amidst this sluggish slog of a wannabe smart and not silly enough show.

Gutenberg! The Musical! is running at the James Earl Theatre through January 28, 2024.