Tag: Musical

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Once Upon a One More Time

Here is yet another jukebox musical about female empowerment.  The theme is certainly welcome but when it comes in repetitive wave after wave, the redundancy becomes numbing (not to mention the box office cannibalization).  Some of these shows are very good (& Juliet).  Some are not (Bad Cinderella).  Once Upon a One More Time is a mixed bag but I enjoyed myself immensely.

The concept takes the Britney Spears catalog and attempts to reposition historical fairy tale female stereotypes.  Those characters include Cinderella (again!), Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Princess Pea and the Little Mermaid.  They have a reading club (really) so they’re not just pretty!  The underdeveloped book (Jon Hartmere) bizarrely places these empowered women as less central than those who dominate them.  If you can move on from the slight storyline, major fun can be had.

The show is a cavalcade of hits which sound arena loud and are well orchestrated.  Keone and Mari Madrid are the husband and wife team who directed and choreographed this production.  The dancing is fresh, exciting and energetically staged.  Having seen many Broadway jukebox shows over the past five years, these two creatives bring something new and visual interesting to savor.  I might even call it a TikTok sensibility and far more up-to-date than most mainstream offerings.

There are some excellent performances.  The notorious scene stealing Jennifer Simard portrays the Stepmother.  She is “Toxic”.  That Act II number – and her deadpan delivery – is one of this musical biggest highlights.  Adam Godley’s Narrator is an evil delight as he tries to keep the rebelling ladies acting as originally conceived.  Brooke Dillman’s O.F.G. (Original Fairy Godmother) is a hoot.

The home run hitter in this musical is Justin Guarini as Prince Charming.  Apparently all these princesses have figured out that there is only one of him and many of them (wink, wink The Book of Mormon still running).  His role is large, his singing and dancing are excellent and his self-absorbed male egotism is unctuously smarmy.

Some of the ladies are quite good and I enjoyed Briga Heelan’s quietly transformational take on Cinderella.  A few others, however, fall short of the mark but not helped by so very little to say and do.  As a result, the feminist theme is off kilter.  Referencing Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique book from 1963 is likely a head scratcher for most of the audience.

Of course this being today’s Broadway there is a gay subplot tossed in.  You can probably guess that princesses come in many varieties.  This addition is like many others where there is a perfunctory nod to shoving a gay couple onto the stage with almost no real context.  Oops, they did it again.

Once Upon a One More Time is a big, splashy, colorful spectacle.  Drinks are recommended as this one’s a party.  I don’t listen to Britney Spears’s songs often so I found them to be a nostalgic treat.  One of the best moments in the show is a fabulous “Circus”.  The prince  brags “all eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus”.  Like the fairy tale sources they want to escape, these princesses are kinda second fiddle once upon a one more time.

www.onemoretimemusical.com

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New York, New York

I have experienced boredom in the theater before.  New York, New York is not necessarily a bad show.  Nor is it a particularly good one.  The first act is akin to sitting through a marathon.  If you go, standing at intermission will be a glorious relief.  Is the second act better?  Not enough to change the headline:  Boring!

This musical is somewhat based on the flop 1977 film starring Liza Minelli and Robert DeNiro.  The title song has since become a well-known classic.  Here it is the final number and is a rousing finale.  There are also other moments to enjoy in between the uninspired dullness of a very expensive Broadway production.

All the principals in this cast were enjoyable.  Their storylines in David Thompson and Sharon Washington’s book are a mishmash of Big Apple dreams in post-WWII New York City.  There are too many of them, they don’t coalesce into a cohesive whole and everything is flat.  You enjoy the performers because they are good.  You don’t care very much about the predictable story arcs which unfold.

The star-crossed lovers are Jimmy Doyle (Colton Ryan) and Francine Evans (Anna Uzele).  He’s a musician and she’s a singer.  A Star is Born is the blueprint.  There’s a producer (Ben Davis) with mischief on his mind which causes a very hard to believe conflict in Act II.  Will love between this surprisingly well-handled interracial relationship prevail?  Start spreading the news.

The Diaz family are the immigrants in this melting pot.  Mom Sofia (Janet Dacal) is married to an abusive man (Leo Montezuma).  There is a par for the course gay subplot concerning their son (Angel Sigala).  A Jewish violinist progidy (Oliver Prose) wants to go to Julliard.  Will Madame Veltri (understudy Wendi Bergamini in the performance I saw) take him on as a student while she deals with her own traumas?

More characters fill this overstuffed melodrama.  Jimmy’s sidekicks help him focus, including a memorable Clyde Alves as his best friend.  Ensemble member Jim Borstelmann plays a slew of funny minor characters.  Director and Choreographer Susan Stroman gives her large cast lots and lots people to play.  Towards the end of this slog a pregnant woman and her husband cross the stage.  There are millions of stories in the big city.  Most of them are on this stage.

Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design won a Tony.  The skyscraper scene is incredible both visually and contains the show’s most exciting number.  The set contains many backdrops and voluminous scene changes.  That may be one of the issues contributing to the boredom factor.  Little dribbles of filler are everywhere connecting the not overly interesting storylines.

New York, New York is not bad just very, very boring.  I enjoyed the entire cast, especially the leads.  Mr. Ryan’s quirky and varied character was particularly fun to watch.  The Kander and Ebb score from the film was supplemented by songs from their catalogue as well as an assist from Lin-Manuel Miranda.  “Let’s Hear It For Me” from Funny Lady was a nice surprise.  I remembered that movie as I was listening.  That is not ideal.

www.newyorknewyorkbroadway.com

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Days of Wine and Roses (Atlantic Theater Company)

Once in a while you are fortunate enough to see something in a theater which is so stunningly performed that you cannot help but allow the magic to envelop your soul.  Such is the case with the musical adaption of Days of Wine and Roses.

Craig Lucas adapted the book for this show from the original teleplay and well-known film.  Adam Guettel, his co-creator of The Light In the Piazza, supplied the brilliantly complex and interesting music and lyrics.  The material is about two people who spiral into full blown alcoholism.  The songs let the characters open their minds and channel their feelings, no matter how ugly they may be.

Kelli O’Hara (The King & I, Bridges of Madison County) stars as Kirsten Arnesen.  She sings in fourteen of the musical’s eighteen numbers, seven of which are solos.  Her vocal prowess is well-known.  Here she is in glorious form.  The music seems complicated to perform and her mellifluous renditions of each and every one are utterly entrancing.  Hearing such an exceptionally sung score by one of our theater’s leading actresses in a small off-Broadway house is a treat worth savoring.

Her acting chops are equally fine from the initial teetotaler to a plunging descent into a motel room bender.  That scene was vividly staged and conveyed the horrors of this addiction so completely.  This is not a feel good story despite all efforts by the two principals to keep trying to feel good.

Brian D’Arcy James (Something Rotten, Shrek) is her drinking buddy Joe Clay.  He is already a business man party boy when the show commences.  His aggressive ensnarement of Kirsten is another one of the show’s brutal honesties.  That she follows him down so dark a path is inevitable due to beautifully paced storytelling.  Mr. James is excellent, as usual, in a role which, as written, is far more developed than Ms. O’Hara’s.

This show does not leave you humming.  That is not its intent.  There are songs that stand out such as “Evanesce” which contains the memorable rhyme “to just say yes and evanesce”.  Dropping out of normal existence aided by an abundance of alcohol is where these two will go.  The story is heartbreaking with a father and daughter as witnesses to the searing tragedy unfolding in their lives.

The entire show is essentially written for the two leads but these additional characters allow us to immerse ourselves in the collateral damage.  Byron Jennings and Ella Dane Morgan excel as family members who see the truth but are unable to truly change the situation.  That’s not possible when our central couple wants just “a wee little dropsy” when falling off the wagon.

Director Michael Grief confidently steered the ship and the storytelling was in sharp relief amidst a hazy fog of sadness and despair.  My one slight negative was Lizzie Clachan’s set design.  The modernistic lighted panels felt too contemporary and distracting for what is essentially a chamber piece.  That’s a quibble, however.  The riveting greenhouse scene was an outstanding theatrical moment both visually and crucially to display the extent with which alcohol can subsume all control.

I do hope there is a recording of this unique musical.  This one’s likely not heading to Broadway anytime soon.  The material is far too dark for audiences looking for the familiar and a good time.  Days of Wine and Roses exists for the rest of us who will gladly support massively talented artists with room to create challenging and exceptional art.

Days of Wine and Roses is running downtown at the Atlantic Theater Company through July 16, 2023.

www.atlantictheater.org

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In Corpo

 

Corpo is “pleased to offer you a coffee tablet”.  This futuristic new musical is for people who prefer their dystopian science fiction whimsical and often silly.  In Corpo takes place in a world where climate change has devastated the land.  Inside from the cold and working for Corpo is the road to happiness and fulfillment.

The plot is a mash up of a bunch of literary sources.  Kafka’s The Castle contributes heroine K’s name and her struggle against arbitrary control.  A Herman Melville short story informs the Bartleby character who prefers not to do his job assignments.  If you consider the band Devo as a literary source (and I do) there is definitely a commandeered aesthetic enhancing this zany, slightly undercooked show.

K’s father sends her a message to come to Corpo.  Navigating inside with her non-network device she discovers her father is missing.  He was the nominal leader of section 13-G employees, a combination of humans and robots.  The set up is fun and the many offstage voiceovers amuse.  One robot comments “my banter plugin is still in the beta stage”.

Things proceed along quirkily as the existing employees try to figure out what to do since the boss is missing.  A probational promotion without training access leads Bendemann (RJ Christian) to singing hysteria with his big vocals.  This show really takes off in the middle of the first act.  “Movement Mandatory” is a scheduled dance break to rejuvenate and empower forced team happiness.  “No interoffice” work can occur during this important time.  The choreography by lisa nevada is a spasmatic delight.

Storytelling is secondary to environmental commentary.  There is a plot to fix the system.  There are so many packets to process and the workload is overwhelming.  Good efforts result in being awarded “flavor essences” such as avocado.  “Yes!” is the hilarious exultation.  The little asides drive the enjoyment of Ben Beckley and Nate Weida’s creative conception.

As in many sci-fi stories, detailed background information is not served.  We don’t really know much about how the world got this way nor what Corpo does.  That is perhaps the point here.  In the future, after the climate has been trashed, the corporate state will keep people engaged in busy work so they don’t have the time or energy to think for themselves – or upset the status quo.  That possibility is certainly not farfetched.

The creative team hit a few bullseyes with this effort.  Kate Fry’s costumes are waggishly Devo-esque.  The memorable Scenic Design by Nic Benacerraf is strikingly inventive and brilliantly conveyed this figurative world.  Mary Ellen Stebbins lighting added bursts of color filled with variety as the scenes unfold.  Sound Design (Asa Wember) was notably excellent.  If you pay attention, there are many tiny noisy details and they were exceptionally well executed.

The “electro-folk-funk” score was tuneful and appropriate but the songs were a mixed bag.  A game cast maintained a straight face throughout.  Zoe Siegel’s K was rock solid and believable.  The HR representative Pepi (Jessica Frey) displayed a good balance between corporate speak and not so hidden urges.  Austin Owens Kelly was a standout as Bartleby.  His movement, facial expressions and line readings had us all talking at intermission.

In Corpo is an Off-Broadway musical which entertains with far more imagination than a lot of the copycat offerings currently taking up space on Broadway.  This story could also be a play and certainly be upsized as a television show.  We have not had an imbecilic follow-up to a Lost In Space type sitcom.  Perhaps that is overdue.  Then we can all cheer for smiling robots since “Everybody Needs Assistants!”  In Corpo is simply good fun.  Grab your favorite flavor essence and enjoy.

In Corpo is running at Theatre Row until July 8, 2023.

www.bfany.org/theatrerow

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Something Rotten (Old Town Playhouse, Traverse City, MI)

“Welcome to the Renaissance” is the opening number from the inventively fun musical Something Rotten.  In under three hours there will be romance, disguises, Shakespeare adoration (and hate) along with a learned and supremely ridiculous treatise about how musicals were invented and by whom.

I caught the final weekend of this show at the Old Town Playhouse in Traverse City.  This is my first visit back since I was wholly impressed with what they did with Young Frankenstein in 2018.  I was very interested to see how this amateur theater troupe would handle such a large and wildly broad comedy.

First, some context.  I saw the Broadway show multiple times including on Opening Night.  I was a very minor angel investor in that production.  This was the first time I recall a single number (“A Musical”) blew the house away so completely it received a mid-Act standing ovation that went on and on.  It is a very meta theater song and I was curious how that would translate outside the roar of the greasepaint crowd.

That number is indeed still a showstopper if slightly muted here given the choreographic demands of this phenomenal theatrical mash up.  Many other songs hit their mark and then some.  Stephen Prechtl’s Shakespeare was less sexpot egomaniac than Christian Borle’s original Tony winning characterization.  His hairstyle and demeanor amusingly suggested a divinely better-than-thou Jesus walking on water while lamenting that it’s “Hard to Be the Bard”.

Shakespeare is the thorn in the Bottom brother’s sides.  A winning Brian Jackson (Nick Bottom) seeks out Thomas Nostradamus (Eric Ranke) to figure out how to compete against the iambic pentameter stud.  Naturally “A Musical” is the answer.  Cue the hijinks, sit back and enjoy.

Portia (Emily Anderson) is a local beauty who lives under the puritanical rule of her secret-hiding father (Steve Ford).  She loves poetry.  Brother Nigel Bottom (Olivia Novarro) writes poetry.  Is love in the air?  Absolutely.  The pairing of Ms. Anderson and Ms. Novarro was ideal.  Their scenes and songs were supreme highlights.  This particular subplot stood out for me in this incarnation more than the original.

Watching Nigel’s facial expressions made me laugh hard.  Ensemble members also had their chance to take focus away from the talented principles, with especially notable turns from Kendall Kotcher and Aaron Wright.  The joy expressed on stage by the entire cast was palpable.

Director Katie Clark kept this large cast moving swiftly through the funny and silly scenes.  The choreography from Kate Botello nicely managed a large cast on a small stage with the added bonus from the requisite and well-performed tap dancing numbers.  Heather “daMomma” Lockwood’s Set Design was spot on for the period with seemingly simple and extremely effective transitions.

Nostradamus belts out the true reason we go to see musicals.  They are a “big and shiny / Mighty fine-y, glitter, glitz, and chorus line-y /
Bob your head and shake your hiney” American invention.  A $28 ticket price compels mandatory attendance for theater (and omelette) lovers everywhere.

www.oldtownplayhouse.com

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Funny Girl

I had never seen a professional production of Funny Girl.  When the reviews came out last year I decided to pass.  The original show was inferior to the heights achieved in the movie version as happens occasionally (see Cabaret and Hair, to name two).  The backstage drama within a failing revival hit the news.  Lea Michelle (Spring Awakening, Glee) was tapped to take over the lead.  Overnight the show turned into a hit.  Definitely now is the time to take a peek.

Fanny Brice was a huge comedic star in the Ziegfeld Follies, musical recordings and early radio days famously playing her long-running signature character, Baby Snooks.  This musical is a fictionalized biography centering around her rise to fame alongside a tempestuous relationship with her real-life second husband.

Jules Styne and Bob Merrill penned the still famous score.  The cavalcade of excellence in Act I include “I’m the Greatest Star”, “His Love Makes Me Beautiful”, “People” and the spectacular first act closer “Don’t Rain On My Parade”.  What blew me away was how much I enjoyed the silly “You Are Woman, I Am Man”.

That number is successful because of the chemistry between Ms. Michelle and Ramin Karimloo (Les Miserables) who portrays the flawed Nick Arnstein.  Not only do sparks fly, the laughs all land.  Having a strong male voice sing the role is a wonderful upgrade as well.  The love affair is palpably rendered and the story is richer.

All of the principal roles are expertly performed.  Tovah Feldshuh provides depth to Fanny’s mother.  As her friend Eddie, Jared Grimes has showstopping tap dance numbers.  His characterization is highly memorable and his love for Fanny lurks effectively in the background.  The acting across the board is so good that even numbers like “Who Taught Her Everything She Knows” are top notch.

Is this revival of Funny Girl a classic then?  Unfortunately no.  The production looks cheap.  The neighborhood where Fanny grows up looms large on the stage.  When it is time for the Follies, however, a central section opens up for the pageantry.  There is nothing Ziegfeld Follies about the moment except for a headdress or two.

Costumes are a mixed bag.  Fanny has great ones.  There is a scene in Act II with the chorus girls at rehearsal.  They are wearing flower headpieces.  The outfits worn were nearly all ill-fitting or badly wrinkled.  I’m not buying any defense that these were intended to be that way.  When lead performances are this good – and ticket prices this expensive – all details should be up to their level.

Act II of Funny Girl is definitely weaker than the first.  I have to admit that I had a great time watching this old chestnut.  I knew Ms. Michelle would sing the hell out of songs made famous by Barbra Streisand.  Her embodiment of the character throughout the stages of Fanny’s journey is the proverbial icing on the cake.  The songs were certainly sung well but the entire performance brightly shined.

Broadway has waited a very long time to revive this well known show.  There was some tinkering with the book by Harvey Fierstein but I’m not sure how.  Stepping into Barbra Streisand’s shoes is not easy for anyone.  How nice then to revisit Funny Girl sixty years later and have a grand, if imperfect, night at the theater.  If you have any interest at all, now is the time to live, not sit and putter.

www.funnygirlonbroadway.com

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The Golden Cage (Streaming Musicals)

Streaming Musicals is a network dedicated to “creating, capturing and presenting new, original musical theatre content, working with artists in bringing the magic of theatre to international audiences”.  The Golden Cage was filmed during its spring 2022 run during the CreateTheater Series presented on Theatre Row.

Boris (Christopher Isolano) is a red plumed bird who begins the show soaring in the air.  He sings about “the feeling as you sail into the sky”.  From an early age he dreamed about finding the Golden Cage.  His quest is earnest as he floats along the winds across the wide world.

Alphea (Maddie Allen) is trapped in a “living” room of sorts.  “Everyday’s the same” when you are alone “500,000 feet up in the air on the edge of a granite cliff”.  She is going stir crazy in this lonely prison.  I saw a jittery Johanna (from Sweeney Todd) locked in a place where songbirds, like larks, never happily sing when they’re captured.  Will anyone teach her to be more adaptive?

A noise on the window ledge leads to these two divergent souls interacting.  On one level this is a tale of “the grass is greener on the other side”.  One sees prison while the other sees paradise.  The plot considers the import of stories on childhood development and their impact on future aspirations.  “Everything I’ve ever dreamt I was told as a child” is the standard under evaluation.

Deborah Henson-Conant is the playwright and composer of The Golden Cage.  An operetta style mixes with traditional musical comedy containing some amusingly silly lyrics such as a  “couple of drinks with the Sphinx”.  A rhyming of sign and brine precedes “I’m in a pickle”.  An “incantation” leads to an “outcantation”.  The word play is fun and underscores the book’s fable-like simplicity.  Snippets of scores from her influences are enjoyably additive.  (Two of us watching heard hints of “The Beanstalk” from Carmel Dean’s exquisite Renascence whether or not intentional.)

This musical is geared toward all ages and meant to encourage thought and discussion about life’s choices.  The show directly addresses the limitations we can experience within the cages of our own minds.  After eighty minutes we will have learned the secret of how to escape a locked cage of our own creation.

Director R. Lee Kratzer keeps the tone nicely whimsical despite its brief descent into mild darkness.  The effective scenic design by Tyler R. Herald hits all the notes, suggests the various locales and remains secondary to the two performers.  Tim Maurice’s orchestrations enrich the production as well.

Both Ms. Allen and Mr. Isolano made their solid Off-Broadway debuts in this musical.  Their characters are well-inhabited, comical yet earnest and nicely sung.  Theatricality is important when staging a fairy tale.  This show has an element of pastiche which requires, and receives, an appropriate level of magnification to communicate its messages to an audience with a wide range of ages.

I have watched many online streaming performances from tiny off-off Broadway festivals to massive productions produced by the National Theater of London.  The high quality filming and camera work here draws you into the action while also reminding that you are watching a live entertainment.  The Golden Cage can be recommended for a family night event.  Vocalists who can perform challenging scores in regional theaters should be equally interested in taking flight.

www.goldencagemusical.com

www.streamingmusicals.com

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The Golden Cage will be streamed for free on GoldenCageMusical.com through May 1, 2023.  After that the show can be rented or purchased on the Streaming Musicals website.

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Shucked

In Cob County “we love Jesus but we drink a little”.  Shucked plants its corn firmly and relentlessly.  The result is more laugh out loud jokes per hour than perhaps any musical I have ever seen.  Robert Horn (Tootsie) has slathered Broadway with lip smacking butter.  Escapist entertainment is very rarely this delicious.

Superstar country music songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McNally have written terrific character driven songs.  The music and lyrics match the tone of the book, are exceedingly tuneful and refreshingly different than other shows currently running.  This musical comedy is confidently oddball.  Jack O’Brien’s direction encases the show in a relaxed professionalism in which every line, song and character are given a brilliant chance to shine.

Why is the corn dying in Cob County?  The overtly dumb and happy locals do not know.  This community is surrounded by cornfields.  No one alive has seen the outside world.  They don’t feel any reason to do so.  Small town gal Maizy heeds the call to find a solution.  An outsider will enter this insular world.  Cue the shenanigans.

A perfectly cast show reaps a bumper crop of pleasures.  The seven principals all have spotlight moments.  Two storytellers (Ashley D. Kelley and Grey Henson) energetically set the tone and narrate the action.  Maizy (Caroline Innerbichler) and Beau (Andrew Durand) are the town’s popular sweethearts.  Beau’s brother Peanut (Kevin Cahoon) is an agreeable idiot.  What comes out of his mouth is imbecilic and gut busting hilarity.

Maizy’s best friend is Lulu (Alex Newell), an experienced gal in the matters of men.  “Independently Owned” is her perfectly performed show stopper.  Lastly, John Behlmann is the unctuous conman Gordy.  All of these performances are lovingly portrayed caricatures.  Each actor nails their well written and developed characters so the whole is significantly greater than the sum of very excellent parts.

Is there more to love?  Yes.  Sarah O’Gleby adds inventive choreography.  All of the creative designers unify the rural theme.  Every facet makes sense and the rustic nature of the setting adds to the merriment.  The sensibility fully supports the story being told.  All the elements in Shucked are impressively balanced.  That these elements are all truly excellent makes this one a must see.  Ebullient and phenomenally corny, Shucked is “farm to fable” at is zenith.

www.shuckedmusical.com

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Some Like It Hot

The classic Billy Wilder 1959 movie is generally considered one of the greatest films ever made.  Some Like It Hot was also groundbreaking in its time for featuring gender ambiguity.  The movie was released without approval from the Hays Code due to its content.  The Code disappeared in the mid- 1960s in part due to this movie’s huge success.

A Broadway environment where gender acceptance is a major theme in nearly every musical makes revisiting this material timely.  The pedigree of the creative team ensures success.  Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) wrote the tunes.  Matthew López (The Inheritance) and comedienne Amber Ruffin penned the book.  Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone, Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!) directed and choreographed.  That is a enormous pile of hits.

This adaptation is built to be a big showy Broadway musical comedy filled with eye filling dance numbers, costumes and sets.  There are numerous pleasures to be savored.  The production falls short of greatness probably because it is oddly less edgy than the original.  Some lines do hit the mark:  “we sat alone just fingering our scales”.

Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne are confidently played by the reliably hilarious Christian Borle and  a wonderfully transformational J. Harrison Ghee.  Their early tap duet “You Can’t Have Me (If You Don’t Have Him)” is a winner, establishing the tone of what will follow.  You likely already know they have to escape the gangsters.  They skip town crossdressing as women before joining a traveling all-girl band.

Raena White is a boisterous Sweet Sue who attempts to keep her girls in line.  Kevin Del Aguila undeniably steals the show as Osgood, the wealthy Mexican bachelor who woos Daphne.  Everything he does is quirky and magnetic.  All the villains are cartoonishly mean, fun and ridiculous hams.

The all-girl band is a mixed bag.  Two veterans (Angie Schworer and Jenny Hill) outshine the younger chorines by an incredibly obvious amount.  They look gorgeous and are beamingly alive on stage.  The others, in comparison, are distant and flat which deflates some of the group numbers.  Just watch the “old” ladies.  They are awesome throughout.

Adrianna Hicks (Six) has the unenviable task of inhabiting Sugar, one of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic roles.  Her voice is very nice and she exudes chemistry with Mr. Borle during the yacht scene.  The overall characterization is pretty ingenue rather than oft jilted, slightly damaged goods.  Waving a flask around doesn’t hide the disappointing tameness.

A Casey Nicholaw show always contains in-your-face entertainment and immense production numbers.  You can count on that here.  “Tip Tap Trouble” near the end of Act II is justifiably a show stopper.  You cannot possibly watch it without smiling.

Some Like It Hot balances messaging with entertaining well.  The world has progressed immensely since 1959 and, despite some pathetically self-righteous conservative prudes, most people support the idea that people should be their authentic selves.  I assume the classic ending line from the film was eliminated as a result of changing times.  I missed hearing it but, after all, nobody’s perfect.

www.somelikeithotmusical.com

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Godspell (Art4, South Bend, Indiana)

I have a long relationship with this show and, in my mind, its memorable tunes.  Back in the days when I harbored some religious beliefs, Godspell was performed quite often.  I’ve seen friends perform in it on stages and on altars.  I saw the frenetic and misguided Broadway revival in 2011.  The 2020 production at the Berkshire Theatre was the first post-Covid equity musical in America.  It made national news and was my first post-Covid show as well.

With all that baggage unloaded I decided to check out the version presented by Art 4 after having enjoyed their successful The Last Five Years in the fall. There are inevitable comparisons one makes when you see a show you know extremely well.  This experience was similar to attending the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street last week.

The early productions of Godspell often mimicked the off-Broadway smash hit with the electric fence crucifixion and other trademarks.  Over time things evolved.  The plastic partitions between the performers during Covid was certainly novel (and Actor’s Equity approved).  What I especially appreciated about Director and Choreographer Mark Albin’s vision were some fresh and inventive updates to the material.

The show opens by considering the concept of truth.  Various historical figures wearing identification sashes gather.  Then Judas (Zach Wilkeson) arrives and prepares ye the way of the Lord.  Parable storytelling here was mostly effective with a notably inspired Prodigal Son.  Jesus was portrayed by Laurisa LeSure, a black woman in a nicely modulated performance filled with gentle wisdom and necessary gravitas.  The entire cast was dialed in and entertaining to watch.

Lingo is tossed in frequently by the young cast.  “Go Master, it’s your birthday”.  Trump is referred to as “you crazy comb over man”.  That logically occurred amid the “no man can serve God and money” scene.  Pictionary and Charades are employed in the storytelling.  “Occupy Library” was a funny bit as the show is housed in the South Bend Public Library’s auditorium.

The jokes continued.  When asked “do you know what the seed is?” one guessed “the stimulus package?”  Songs were nicely performed with an especially fine “Bless the Lord”.

For a fifty year old show, there’s quite a bit of seriousness acutely relevant to today’s environment.  Some lines and lyrics land hard.  “They say one thing and do another”.  “Everything they do is for show”.  “This nation, this generation shall bear the guilt of it all”.  Thankfully a solution is proffered:  “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with love”.

At intermission I was considering the changes made to this show over time.  I recalled a play which blew my mind when I saw it in 2013.  Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play begins with a group of survivors retelling an episode of The Simpsons after a global catastrophe.  Two subsequent acts present versions passed down and revised in later years.  I won’t be around 75 years from now but Godspell will likely be.  Hopefully creative people will continue to interpret, revise and celebrate this enduring and warm hearted American musical.

Godspell concluded performances on March 26 , 2023.  Art 4’s season will include Spring Awakening in July and The Lightning Thief in November.  I saw the former’s original Broadway cast and the latter’s national tour.  Both should be worth checking out and could benefit from a different point of view.

www.art4sb.com

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