Chaplin

     Charlie Chaplin seems to be a figure whose life and career would be ripe for a musical. Previously seen out in California as Limelight, the new musical Chaplin has set itself down over at Broadways Barrymore Theater. This show, while problematic, succeeds overall.

     Chaplin the musical has more than it's fair share of cliches. The central metaphor at work is the circus. The show opens with Charlie high atop the tight wire. With the other characters (whom we shall meet later) asking him "What ya gonna do when it all falls down?". This melody and this life is a circus metaphor are used quite often in the two and a half hour production.

        We're first introduced to Chaplin the man as a child in the Lambeth section of London in the late 1800's. His mother is a singer and his father is a philanderer. It is from these humble roots that Chaplin the star was born, and in these humble London surroundings that he first started performing in stage productions as a comic.

     The show progresses through Charlies start in Hollywood pictures, his many marriages, and his eventual fall from grace. It's a long story, and the authors have chosen to take us through his whole life in one evening. This can make certain moments feel rushed and jarring. For example, his last wife (whom he was with the longest, only gets perhaps 25 minutes of stage time even though they were married for 30 years). Also, no mention of is made of his co-founding United Artists studios, which is still in operation.

     Rob McClure is wonderful as Chaplin. He imbues the character with many shades of grey. We see him as Charlie Chaplin the man, and Charlie Chaplin the little tramp, as well as the womanizer, the director, the perfectionist, and the egotist. Whenever Rob McClure is center stage the play is at it's best. Due to the rushed nature of the book many of the other characters get glossed over and lost in the shuffle. Jenn Colella (who must be glad to be in a Broadway show that has run longer than two months) makes the most of Hedda Hopper. Christiane Knoll also makes an impression as Hannah, Charlies mother. Though she haunts Charlie a bit too often for my taste, her material is some of the best in the show.

      Set Designer Beowulf Borrit has created a wonderful "old Hollywood movie" feel to the set, with everything being in "mostly" black, white, and grey. It really gives the feel of 'the silver screen'. This theme is carried over by Martin Pakledinez and Amy Clark (Mr. Pakledinez tragically died before the show opened) in the costumes.

   Warren Carlyle who is serving as both director and choreographer has done a slick job in making sure that the evening flows smoothly. He is a very talented choreographer and his work here is excellent. Unfortunately everything is weighed down by the mediocre score by Christopher Curtis. Most of the music is wonderful, it's the lyrics that sometimes make you scratch your head. The book (which is also by Curtis) has been helped along by Thomas Meehan.

     Despite it's tepid reception (and mostly thumbs down reviews from professional critics) Chaplin has been doing moderately well at the box office and recently extended it's stay on Broadway into the month of June. If it's still running I would expect it to be nominated for some Tony Awards (particularly Rob McClure and Jenn Colella). So far, it is one of only two new musicals to have opened this season (the other being Bring it on which is better IMO).

  Overall the show is entertaining. Despite it's few problems I would expect that most people will leave the theater humming the tunes and singing the praises of the talented star. Though you may forget the tunes you were humming the next day, you are sure to remember the performance of the exuberant Rob McClure long after you've left Chaplin.

Bring it on: The Musical

       If you are product of any generation there are certain films that define you, as a broad generalization. If you were in high school in the late 90's early 2000's one of those movies is the original Bring it on, which starred Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku. It has everything a teen comedy needs to be successful. An underdog story, good music, and quotable comedic lines that make it into the everyday lexicon. Now, it's no clueless, but I digress.

      A few years ago it was revealed that Andy Blankenbueler, the Tony award winning choreographer of In The Heights, was developing a musical based on the franchise. It was later revealed that the story would be completely fresh, and have no characters or situations from any previous installment of the Bring it on franchise.

      The first thing I thought to myself is - that'll never work. As more details were announced, including a very talented creative team, I became a bit more optimistic. The show has had a lengthy gestation period "out of town". It first appeared at The alliance theater in Atlanta before embarking on a national tour. The writers have had a LOT of time to prepare the show for New York audiences. I'm happy to say that that time has payed off.

       Bring it on: The Musical is a wonderful time at the theater. I walked in with great trepidation, expecting to like some of it, but hate most of it. The experience was thrilling as well as musically rewarding. The score by Tom Kitt, Amanda Green, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is fresh, modern, and fun to listen to in addition to being well crafted.

       The cast is a group of young dancer, singer, actors most of whom are making their Broadway debuts. Ryan Redmond in the supporting role of Bridget is particularly spectacular. Adrienne Warren as Danielle, and Gregory Haney as La Cienga also turn in memorable performances.

        This show does not thrive on it's individual performances though. Bring it on: The Musical shines most during it's many ensemble numbers. This talented group of kids dance, and execute very exciting Cheer leading moves with great aplomb. In fact if you are sitting in the first few rows, it seems more likely you'll have a person falling into your lap than over at Spider Man.

    Bring it on: The Musical will be closing on Broadway on December 30th 2012. There are rush tickets available on the day of performance for $35 each. Do yourself a favor and get to The St. James before time runs out! You wont be sorry that you did!

Harvey

    With the close of the 2011-2012 season, comes the start of 2012-2013 season. The new theater season got off to an early start this year with the opening of The Roundabout Theater Company's production of Harvey at studio 54. This Pulitzer prize winner starred The Big Bang Theories Jim Parson's, as well as Jessica Hecht, and Tracee Chimo. They were joined in excellent supporting performances from Charles Kimbrough, Larry Bryggman, and Carol Kane.

   I decided upon the initial casting announcement that I would take my mother to see Harvey because she is a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory. Of course I waited until absolutely the last minute to get tickets, (two weeks before the show closed) and saw the show the day before it closed.

     My husband Matt and I are members of the Roundabout Theater company's wonderful Hiptix program, which offers $20 tickets to anyone under the age of 36 who registers online. There is a "Gold" version which costs $75 a year, entitles you to side orchestra seats instead of side mezzanine seats, and also to buy two tickets instead of one. This still left us 1 ticket shy so on the morning of the show I got myself up at 5am (after having already gotten up at 5am the day before to get tickets for the Public Theaters production of Into the woods, but that's another blog), and hauled myself up to the studio 54 box office to wait in line for rush tickets.

   Due to the slow weekend train schedule, I arrived to the B.O. at around 7am. There was only 1 other person ahead of me, so I felt pretty damn good about my chances. Three hours to go until the box office opened, I read some, ate some, napped some, and chatted some. More people showed up behind us. The box office finally opened at 10am, and we were told that there were no rush tickets, that the show was completely sold out, but we were welcome to wait in the cancellation line. What is a cancellation line? It's a line people without tickets stand in, in hopes that somebody with tickets will return or cancel them.

    I wasn't left with much choice. We already had two tickets, I had already waited 3 hours, and there was only one other person ahead of me. Within 10 minutes of opening the person in front of me received a ticket for the 2pm show. An hour later, another ticket became available - for the 2pm. I needed a ticket for the 8pm.

   During my time in line I got to chatting with the people in line with me about various other shows, where people were from and the like. The closer it got to 2pm the more people behind me got tickets. The more people behind me got tickets the more confident I became that I, too, would be able to purchase a ticket for that evenings performance.

   2pm came, everyone of my line buddies had gotten a ticket for the afternoon show. Even people who showed up at 1pm hoping to get a seat. Fifteen minutes after the curtain went up and I went to the window. and asked about the evening show. There were still no seats available. The woman at the window (with whom I had also had a few discussions during the course of 4 hours I had been waiting in the lobby) felt bad and told me to go get something to eat. Upon my return at 3pm, as luck would have it, an orchestra seat had become available. Granted it cost $100 more than the rush seat I had planned to buy that day, I happily purchased it.

     After making my way back home and taking a much needed nap, we all three made our way back to Studio 54. My mother sat in the orchestra seat and Matt and I sat up in the Mezz. The show was very funny. Jim Parsons is excellent on stage (as I already knew from his sassy portrayal of Tommy in The Normal Heart). The play is a bit dated in it's depiction of psychiatry and mental illness, however it still stands the test of time as far as comedy and writing are concerned.

    Even though I was deliriously tired after a long weekend, I still thoroughly enjoyed the play. We all got to see the show, and even got a few autographs afterwards (though not Jim Parsons). Mom had a great time, and she got to sit 10 feet away from Dr. Sheldon Cooper. All in all it was worth it.

Leap of Faith

        With this post - I finally finish off the 2011-2013 theater season! There are still some shows that opened last season that I haven't yet seen (Once and Nice Work) and shows that unfortunately had to miss (The Mountaintop, Bonnie and Clyde, and William Shatners Solo show). The last show to open in the previous Broadway season was Alan Menken, Glen Slater, Warren Leight, and Janus Cercone's Leap of Faith.

       Leap of Faith is based on the Steve Martin film of the same name. They story concerns a faith healer who comes to a small Midwestern town with big promises so long as the local residents open their hearts and minds (and wallets) to the lord. This show got a really bad rap, and some not so great reviews when it opened April on the final day of Tony eligibility. It was certainly not the best musical I've ever seen, but it was still a great show with some wonderful music. So, why didn't people like it?

     Leap of Faith seemed troubled from the start. There was a long gestation period before the show finally had an out of town tryout in LA in 2011. After that initial tryout, many changes were made both to the show, and to the creative team. A new director and choreographer were brought on board, as well as new design elements. In addition, the lead female role was combined with one of the smaller male roles - and other minor characters were dropped or refined as well.

    When American Idiot vacated The St. James sooner than anyone had thought they would, the producers of Leap of Faith jumped on the chance to get the show in before the close of Tony voting season. This was a mistake because the show wasn't ready for Broadway yet. The initial plan had been to come in during the fall of 2012 after another New York area reading of the revised material. This would have given the show a bit more time to find it's footing.

   Then there is the fact that Leap of Faith was never any ones favorite Steve Martin film, or film in general for that matter. The movie was a box office flop when it premiered in the early 90's. All that meant was that there was a lot the authors could improve upon.
     
       In a smaller, more intimate house the show also may have played better. The St. James seats over 1600 people, and if you are in the rear mezz or the balcony, you are mighty far away from whats happening. This is fine for a big show (like The Producers, which played the St. James for over 5 years). A smaller, more intimate story like this one, however, may have connected better with audiences in a theater that was only maybe 1200 seats.

   The cast was, for the most part, wonderful. Raul Esparza was great as Jonas Nightingale. Kecia Lewis-Evans, Leslie Odom, Jr.,  and Krystal Joy Brown were all fantastic in their roles as well. Jessica Phillips was fine as the sheriff/love interest Marla McGowan, and Kendra Kassebaum was underwhelming as Sam Nightingale, Jonas's sister. The chorus of townspeople/gospel singers was absolutely superb.

   Leap of Faith did manage to get a Tony award nomination for Best Musical, and I think that there ticket sales may have improved from their Tony award performance (had the show been open at the time of the broadcast) but unfortunately the show had already closed by that time. Someday there may be a cast album released of the show. I doubt that it will work it's way much into the public lexicon of oft produced shows. The score is worth a listen though, and if an album ever exists with the original Broadway cast, it's worth hearing for the great performances by the aforementioned company members.

    Leap of Faith closed on Broadway at the St. James Theater on May 13, 2012 after 19 performances. I look forward to the 2040 City Centers Encores! concert staging!

Don't Dress for Dinner

   This is another entry in the "Shows I thought I wrote about but discovered I did not" category. A few seasons ago, there was a hugely successful Tony Award winning revival of Marc Cammoletti's Boeing-Boeing. I saw that revival, and it was funny, fresh, and farcical as you can imagine it being. I'm sure The Roundabout Theater company had the best of intentions when it decided to revive the sequel, Don't Dress for Dinner but those good intentions did not transfer into a good production.

    The play centers around the two leading men of the previous play. You don't need to have seen Boeing Boeing to appreciate Don't Dress for Dinner and it's probably better that you haven't, because due to the fact that there are many different translations of each play the characters names are different in each production. Roundabout chose (or perhaps didn't have a choice?) to use different names from the previous revival of Boeing Boeing. If you HAD seen the aforementioned revival, you might be a tad confused at the onset.

   Moving on from that point, this play is not as well written. As most sequels seem to go, Don't Dress for dinner is mostly a rehash of what we have already seen in the original. The cast is mostly serviceable. Ben Daniels and Adam James are underwhelming in the two male lead roles. They seem to not have very much chemistry with each other or the women they are playing against.

    The shining light of this play is Spencer Kayden who plays Suzette, the cook who gets mistaken for the mistress. She exudes charm, humor, and her dead pan is to die for. Jennifer Tilly also does well as Suzanne - the mistress mistaken for the cook. She overplays at times, but for the most part is spot on.

    The set design  by John Lee Beaty is wonderful (is his work ever not?). The costumes by William Ivy Long are also fantastic. John Tillinger has done a decent job as director, though some times his staging is confusing. A farce can be dangerous if not played properly, and Mr. Tillinger has staged the physical comedy exceptionally well.

    Don't Dress for Dinner is certainly nothing to write home about. As you can tell from my writing, it wasn't the best of productions, which may have made the play look worse than it is. It would be interesting to someday see both plays in repertory together. I can see this play being done quite a bit in stock or community theater productions.

   Don't Dress for Dinner closed on Broadway at The American Airlines Theater on June 17, 2012 after 61 performances and 32 previews.

Venus in Fur

      Ok so, this post is exceptionally late. In fact, the reason it's so late is because I thought that I already wrote it. In fact, I'm still convinced that I DID in fact write about this show, I just don't know what happened to it. Perhaps somewhere in the back of my brain I thought I would see the play again when it transferred from MTC to the Lyceum, and that I would write about it then.

     David Ives Venus in Fur is a two person play that shows us an audition that turns into a game of cat and mouse between the writer/director of a new play and the young actress who comes in to read for the lead role. The play within the play (and the play of the title) are based on a novel entitled Venus in FurS which was first published in 1870 and is credited with giving us the term Masochism.

    The characters in the play we are watching explore the nature of the characters in the play they are putting on, and it all becomes very interesting as the balance of power shifts between auditioner and auditionee. Interesting questions about the nature of feminism, dominance, and control are raised. This play was published centuries before 50 Shades of grey yet it has similar themes and relationships.

    Hugh Dancy and Nina Arianda (who eventually won a Tony Award for her performance) had a tangible chemistry together that oozed from the stage out over the proscenium and into each audience member. Walter Bobbies direction was crisp, with a sharp intensity that kept the action flowing but also lingered on after it's passing.

   This is an incredibly well written play that, due to it's minimal set and cast requirements is sure to be a favorite at colleges and regional theaters. If it comes to a theater near you see it. It will entertain you, and also give you a lot to think about.