Three-time Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and dancer Chita Rivera performs for one night only alongside music director and host Seth Rudetsky on Saturday, October 13 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA at 5pm and 8pm. Produced by Mark Cortale Productions, the performance is the first in the new “Broadway @ the Huntington” series.
The show is an unscripted mixture of music and intimate, behind-the-scenes tales of Ms. Rivera’s career, prompted by questions from Mr. Rudetsky, who hosts “Seth’s Big Fat Broadway” and “Seth Speaks” on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s “On Broadway” channel.
Ms. Rivera will perform hits from her vast musical theatre repertoire, which includes originating the roles of Anita in West Side Story (prem. 1957), Rose Grant in Bye Bye Birdie (1960), and Velma Kelly in Chicago (1975). She also has appeared in Broadway productions of Can-Can (1953), Bajour (1964), Merlin (1983), Jerry’s Girls (1985), and Nine (2003), as well as her autobiographical show Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life (2005). Ms. Rivera earned 10 Tony Award nominations and won Tony Awards for her performances in The Rink (prem. 1984) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She most recently originated the role of Claire and was nominated for a Tony Award in the Kander-Ebb-McNally musical The Visit, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Ms. Rivera received the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2018 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009.
Chita Rivera and Seth Rudetsky
“I’m delighted to welcome Chita Rivera, a true Broadway legend, to the Huntington,” says Artistic Director Peter DuBois. “Her career spans the modern Broadway history, and she has created so many iconic roles in the musical canon. This show is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear theatre history from a woman who, quite literally, helped make it.”
Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 5pm and 8pm
The Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts , 527 Tremont Street, Boston
Written By Jen Silverman and Directed By Spiro Veloudos
Runs Through November 18
Paula Plum and Adrianne Krstansky
Sharon, middle-aged and recently divorced, needs a roommate to share her Iowa home. Robyn needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. But as Sharon begins to uncover Robyn’s secrets while sharing music, books, and an occasional toke, she discovers a deep-seated desire to transform her own life completely.
It’s a subversive, absorbing comedy about what it takes to re-route your life –and what happens when the wheels come off.
Written by Jen Silverman, this production is directed by Spiro Veloudos.
The Roommate runs from October 19 through November 4.
Lyric stage, 140 Clarendon Street, Copley Square, Boston
Jersey Boys debuted in 2005 and was an immediate hit. I am probably one of the few people who had not seen it before taking it in at the Ogunquit Playhouse the other night. As the old saying goes “Good things come to those who wait”, and what I witnessed was beyond good.
Of course, being of a certain age, I was very familiar with the music of the Four Seasons. Their unique sound was something I grew up with and have never tired of hearing. That music is all included in Jersey Boys, along with the very interesting, and very 1950’s, story of how the group came to be. It is a story that takes us from the street corners of New Jersey to clubs, bowling alleys, the back seats of cars, recording studios, and the Brill Building. Disc jockeys, gangsters, loan sharks, and record producers are all part of the story.
Director Holly-Anne Palmer points out in the program that a Rashomon approach is taken to telling the story, with each member of the group taking a turn giving their version of events. The segments where each member takes over the narration are divided by season, with wisecracking Tommy DiVito (Matt Magnusson) starting things off in Spring. He is followed by song writer Bob Gaudio (Andy Christopher) in Summer, Nick Massi (Matthew Amira) bringing us Fall, and Frankie Castelluccio, make that Frankie Valli (Jonathan Mousset) ending with Winter. Each actor brings us the differing personalities of the four members of the group along with the varying views of events each had. It makes for a fascinating story, or perhaps I should say stories.
While the tale of the four young men from New Jersey who escaped from a criminal past and dealt with financial troubles, conflicts among themselves, and family tragedy, is told with much depth, emotion, and humor by these fine performers, it is the music that evokes a tremendous audience response. No, this is not a tribute band performance, and don’t get me wrong, the story is a major part of what makes this so good to see. The songs contain even more power when enhanced by learning how it all came to be.
I was very much taken with the constant energy displayed during the production. Set changes happened without a pause as props were moved on and off the stage without the action skipping a beat.
…a super high energy evening of music and theatre.
Nearly three dozen songs are performed and each one is enhanced by the amazing lighting and framing the production team has put together. The colors are amazing. Neon style signs, wonderful costumes, and terrific choreography add a strong touch of the spectacular to songs such as , Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, and Rag Doll. Jonathan Mousset really brought the house down with Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You. In fact, the audience leapt to its feet after many of the numbers during the show. I could feel the anticipation people had before each song began, and their excitement as soon as the first few notes were played. This is a super high energy evening of music and theatre.
Photo credit: Gary Ng
Jersey Boys brings us back to a different time without getting overly nostalgic or sappy. While the story is predictable, what works here is the way the actors give us the strong insight into each of the character’s personalities. By the end of the play you will have experienced how we all see things through our own individual lens. It is also interesting to see how people with so many differences can still work together to accomplish great things. There was a synergy between the cast and the audience that filled the theater with excitement all evening.
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons had a very original sound that has held up through the decades. While their music is in the “Golden Oldies” category, there is nothing moldy about it. Listening to it performed live reminded me of just how fresh and original it still is.
The Ogunquit Playhouse is closing out its 86th season, one of its best, in great form. Jersey Boys is not to be missed. You would be hard pressed to see a better production of this very exciting play anywhere. I do know tickets have been selling strong for this all summer. Fortunately, it runs through October, so you can take advantage of the off season rates if you want to stay in Ogunquit. Fall is a beautiful time in southern Maine.
When it comes to summer in Ogunquit Let’s Hang On To What We’ve Got! And there’s no better way to do that than with Jersey Boys.
The Lyric Stage Company in Boston has kicked off its 44th season with the rarely produced Kander and Ebb musical Kiss Of The Spider Woman. The play, with book by Terence McNally, is based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel and the movie that followed. The Tony Award winning musical first appeared in 1993. This production is directed by Rachel Bertone who helmed last years wonderful Gypsy at the Lyric.
The story, which takes place in an Argentine prison, revolves around Molina (Eddy Cavazos), a gay window dresser who has been imprisoned for “corrupting a minor”, and Valentin (Taavon Gamble), a Marxist revolutionary, who has been sent to jail for his political activities. Valentin is initially tortured and then tossed into a cell with Molina who nurses him back to health. Upon regaining consciousness, Valentin draws a line down the center of their shared cell marking of each’s territory (I Draw The Line). He clearly is not comfortable with the gay Molina.
Eddy Cavazos, Lisa Yuen, and Taavon Gamble
Molina has learned to cope with the horrific conditions of being in prison by escaping in his mind to the movies he used to see when he would accompany his mother (Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda) to the cinema she worked in. One actress occupies his mind, Aurora (Lisa Yuen), whose movies he replays over and over in his head. We meet Aurora in the opening number Aurora.The one role she played that terrifies him is when she played a spider woman who kills with her kiss. As we see Molina and Aurora, through his imagination reenacting scenes from her movies, the character of the spider woman reappears over again as the haunting kiss of death that the prisoners live with everyday.
While Molina is apolitical, Valentin sees in his life a mission to change society. The two learn from one another, with Valentin it is begrudgingly, and eventually form a bond that turns into love.
The set is provocative as it reaches out to the audience giving a feeling of bringing everyone into the prison. Lighting and shadows on the floor alternate between a spider web and the outline of prison bars. It is subtle yet effective.The off stage screams of prisoners being tortured is unsettling, as it should be, and adds to the feeling of hopelessness Molina and Valentin feel.
This was my first time seeing a production of Kiss Of The Spider Woman, and my take away is it is a work that is very dependent on having the right people in the roles in order for it to work. Eddy Cavazos is superb as Molina. His body language speaks as much to the audience as do his lines. He moves about the stage with a patience that proves very effective for conveying the depth of the character of Molina. Watching Molina as he copes with the misery and suffering around him, and that is inflicted on him, we also see how he learns to understand his value as a human being. This is a role that could easily be overplayed, but Mr. Cavazos resists that temptation.
Eddy Cavazos and Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda
Of course, this is not a one person show, and Taavon Gamble has his work cut out for him as Valentin, the angry young man who feels he will never get the chance to save the world. Valentin, who wants equal rights for all is confronted with having to face his own problems, now is having to share a cell with a gay man. Can he retain his masculinity while at the same time having feelings and caring for a gay man? It is where he learns we are defined not by what we are but rather by who we are. Mr. Gamble has done a marvelous job in bringing so many conflicting emotions to the stage in a way that we can understand them and share in his growing affection for Molina.
Lisa Yen is Aurora and she sparkles in numbers such as Aurora and Let’s Make Love. She is also haunting as the spider woman who is the ever present shadow of death. Ms Yen is joined by Katrina Zofia, who plays Valentin’s girlfriend Marta, on the song I Do Miracles.
Molina’s mother is played by Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda. Her rendition of You Could Never Shame Me is a touching and moving love song showing a mother’s unconditional love for her son.
Taavon Gamble, Eddy Cavazos, and Lisa Yuen
While Kiss Of The Spider Woman is a story with much darkness and horrific situations, the tension is broken in the same way Molina has learned to escape from his misery; through the imagining of Aurora’s performances and show tunes, which are excellent. These breaks are much needed and make the story bearable. It is also much in the tradition of Kander and Ebb to take such dark stories and make them palatable. We can witness the suffering and misery while not being overwhelmed by it. That enables us to try to understand it and find ways to prevent it, or at least get through the suffering in life.
Today, almost everything is viewed through a political lens, particularly in theatre, and this play is political. While many will look to find comparisons with what happens in the play with what is happening in our society, it might be a good idea to look a bit further away and a bit closer to where the play is set. In Argentina there is some good news, three decades of Kirchener rule may be coming to an end, while in Venezuela the Marxist government has left the once prosperous country in a state where people are now starving to death. Cuba is still very much a prison island lacking basic human rights. Perhaps Valentin will reconsider his Marxist views in light of all this. I hope so, as he has the drive to do much good.
Pulitzer Prize Winning Play Runs September 14 Through October 13
Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY is a dark urban comedy that explores, with both disarming tenderness and street-smart wit, the slippery nature of justice, and the grit it takes to move on.In an effort to hang on to one of Manhattan’s last great rent-stabilized apartments, ex-cop Walter “Pops” Washington does battle with a dazzling array of outlandish characters, each one a celebration of the glorious contradictions that make up human nature.
Mr. Guirgis is a member and former co-artistic director of LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City. His plays, which have been produced on five continents and throughout the United States, include Our Lady of 121st Street (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle Best Play nominations); Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award, Barrymore Award, Olivier Nomination for London’s Best New Play); In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (2007 LA Drama Critics Best Play, Best Writing Award); The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (10 Best – Time Magazine & Entertainment Weekly); and The Little Flower of East Orange. His Broadway debut, The Motherfucker with the Hat (dir: Anna D Shapiro), received 6 Tony Award nominations including Best Play.
Tiffany Nichole Greene will helm SpeakEasy’s production of BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY.
The cast for this New England Premiere production is Tyrees Allen, Octavia Chavez-Richmond, Maureen Keiller, Celeste Oliva, Alejandro Simoes, Stewart Evan Smith, and Lewis D. Wheeler.
BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY will run for five weeks, from September 14 through October 13, in the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End.
The multi-Tony Award-winning, international sensation that took Broadway and the world by storm, makes its Northeast premiere at the Ogunquit Playhouse, on stage September 5 through October 28. Jersey Boys takes audiences on an exhilarating journey behind the music of mega-stars Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The musical was penned by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. It follows the incredible story of four guys bound by one dream, who worked their way from the streets of New Jersey to the heights of stardom. Audiences around the world have gone wild over the electrifying performances of the golden greats that took these hometown boys from Jersey all the way to the top of the charts: “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Dawn,” “My Eyes Adored You,” and many more.
Jonathan Mousset
Starring as Frankie Valli, lead vocalist of The Four Seasons is Jonathan Mousset. He has performed in many regional theatres across the U.S. in such shows as Newsies, In the Heights, and Godspell. Mr. Mousset has also performed in concerts at New York City venues including 54 Below, the Times Center, and the Town Hall. Matthew Guy Magnusson makes his Ogunquit Playhouse debut as Tommy DeVito, lead guitar player of The Four Seasons. Mr. Magnusson has numerous regional theatre credits including Grease, Spring Awakening, American Idiot, and Ring of Fire.
Performing as Bob Gaudio, songwriter behind The Four Seasons is Andy Christopher. Mr. Christopher has performed as Buddy Holly in the National Tour of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and in many regional theatres across the U.S. including Bucks County Playhouse, Flat Rock Playhouse, West Virginia Public Theatre, The Muny, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Great Lakes CFA, Fulton Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre, Casa Mañana, and the Ogunquit Playhouse where he got his start in 2012. Returning to the Playhouse to star as Nick Massi, The Four Seasons bassist is Matthew David Amira. Mr. Amira was last seen at the Ogunquit Playhouse in the 2016 production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His many regional theatre credits include Madame Defarge, She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof, and South Pacific among others.
ArtsEmerson, Boston’s leading presenter of contemporary world theatre, proudly welcomes Dead Centre’s (Ireland) Hamnet, co-directed and co-written by Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd. Hamnet opens September 20 and runs through October 7. A multimedia theatre experience, Hamnetbrings Shakespeare’s only son, who died at age 11 without knowing his famous father, to the stage. A riveting performance carried chiefly by a solo young actor confronts what it means—and what it costs— to be great. ArtsEmerson and Dead Centre will provide Boston audiences a final chance to see Ollie West perform in the role of 11 year old Hamnet who The Guardian calls “riveting [and] completely poised”. The companies celebrate West’s farewell performance as well as welcoming the young and talented Aran Murphy to take over the role of Hamnet in the final week of performances at the Emerson Paramount Center.
“Hamnetis an entirely ArtsEmerson show in the way it upends convention,” shares ArtsEmerson Artistic Director David Dower. “It’s a completely surprising, and deeply moving, contribution to the world of Shakespeare. In focusing on his son, a whole new portrait of theman emerges. And it’s audacious, entrusting this emotionally complex story to the care of its young star. Dead Centre is a fresh and rising voice out of Ireland that is emerging on the world stage with this piece. It makes a perfect opening to our 9th season.”
Shakespeare’s only son takes center stage. William Shakespeare had one son: Hamnet. While William was away working in London, Hamnet died at 11 years old without ever knowing his famous father. How do our dreams impact our families? Do adults really have it all figured out? Or are we blind to what we could have done better until it’s too late? In Hamnet, a tour-de-force performance from a young actor confronts what it means—and what it costs—to be great, and how living in the shadow of that greatness can keep one in the dark. In this moving, meticulous, multimedia wonder, ambition clashes with family responsibilities in a way that rivals the stakes of a great Shakespearean tragedy. Running time: 60 minutes.
The production runs three weeks at the Emerson Paramount Center’s Robert J. Orchard Stage, located at 559 Washington Street in downtown Boston. www.ArtsEmerson.org, by phone at 617.824.8400, or in person at the box office.
Kiss Of The Spider Woman, written by Terence McNally with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, well run at the Lyric Stage, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston from August 31 to October 7. The hit Broadway musical won 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score.
Lisa Yuen as Spider Woman/Aurora
Fantasy and reality become tangled in a dark web in this smash musical by the songwriting team that penned Chicago and Cabaret. Kiss of the Spider Woman revamps a harrowing tale of persecution into a dazzling spectacle that juxtaposes gritty realities with liberating fantasies. Cellmates in a Latin American prison, Valentin is a tough Argentine revolutionary and Molina is an unapologetic homosexual serving eight years for deviant behavior. Molina escapes from the terrifying reality of prison life by sharing his fantasies about a mysterious 1940s movie star who takes on the role of a Spider Woman who can kill with a kiss.
The cast includes: Bernie Baldassaro, Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda, Eddy Cavazos, Arthur Cuadros, Taavon Gamble, Arthur Gomez, Ricardo Holguin, Diego Klock-Pérez, Davron S. Monroe, Luis Negron, Felton Sparks, Lance-Patrick Strickland, Lisa Yuen, Katrina Zofia.
Rachel Bertone returns to the Lyric to direct and choreographKiss Of The Spider Woman. Last season she directed and choreographed the Lyric’s hit production of Gypsy.
Brenda Braxton, Mark Jacoby, and Ed Dixon Photo by Gary Ng
The United States premiere of Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, based on the 1993 movie, is now playing at the Ogunquit Playhouse, and it is a show filled with lively music, funny lines, great scenery, as well as a touching story. In short, this is a play not to be missed. The music written by Neil Berg with lyrics by Nick Meglin is memorable, and Dan Remmes has done an excellent job of adapting the movie for the stage.
The story about neighbors John Gustafson (Mark Jacoby) and Max Goldman (Ed Dixon) who have been feuding for fifty years is peppered with one line insults, many of which you might want to jot down for future use. “I’d give you a dirty look, but I see you already have one”, is just one example of the shots these two take at each other. I won’t ruin the fun by giving away the others, but I can assure you they get even better. The two were childhood friends but became enemies when John married Max’s high school sweetheart. Both are now widowers with children of their own. Max has a son, Jacob (Kevin Massey) and John has a daughter, Melanie (Laura Woyasz).
Mr. Jacoby and Mr. Goldman are well paired in their roles as Gustafson and Goldman. These two really know their way around the stage and exchange their lines with perfect timing. They also convey how underneath all of the animosity there is still a bond between the old curmudgeons. I very much doubt that two people who hate each other as much as John and Max would have us believe they do could put so much feeling and energy into their insults.
The opening number Wabasha introduces us to the town and people of Wabasha, Minnesota where ice fishing is a popular pastime. There is the upbeat owner of the general store Chuck Barrels (Doug Eskew) the accident prone Harry (Blake Hammond) the mailman, and the ditzy but very lovable Punky Olander played by Ogunquit Playhouse favorite Sally Struthers.
Eric Jon Mahlum, Blake Hammond, Tony and Emmy winner Hal Linden, Mark Jacoby, and Doug Eskew Photo: Gary Ng
Hal Linden plays Grandpa Gustafson. On the number Way To Go, John, Max, Chuck, and Grandpa are ice fishing and we begin to see the direction the story will take as the four reflect on life. Do we stay stuck with our regrets or do we move forward and live?Mr. Linden brings a depth to this song that will have you taking stock of your own life.Ultimately, it is all about choices, and sometimes people don’t realize they have choices until something or someone comes along to open their eyes. In this case that someone is Ariel Truax (Leslie Stevens), a college professor who has inherited a house in Wabasha.
Ariel arrives on the scene riding a snow-mobile with her red hair blowing in the wind singing Heat Wave. This heatwave puts Max and John back into the love rivalry business as they both vie for her attention. Ariel likes to drop quotes from classic authors but she is no highbrow. She is a caring and insightful person, and Ms Stevens gives her character the depth that she deserves.
The book is great, the score is outstanding, the cast
is solid from top to bottom.
Tony nominee Brenda Braxton plays Sandra Snyder an IRS agent who has come to Wabasha in pursuit of unpaid taxes owed by John Gustafson. In Snyder Comes Along we see just how much she relishes her work. You wouldn’t want Ms Braxton showing up at your door to conduct an audit, but you will certainly enjoy watching her perform on the stage. There is a touch of the devil in her, but also a twinkle in her eye.
I loved the music in this production. Doug Askew’s Chuck touched everyone with Angel. His voiced filled the theater with warmth and richness. It is a powerful number well done. Our Friend Is Gone sung by the ensemble is sad but also reminds us to appreciate the blessing of friendship. Jacob and Melanie sing Parents and Paradise, a song that deals with their life choices and with the difficulty when those choices conflict with caring for parents.
Grumpy Old Men: The Musical has so much going for it. It is a pleasure to watch the strong cast perform. Sally Struthers’s role has Punky could have been written just for her. Her non-sequiturs are very funny and when she breaks into faux Swedish along with yodeling, well you just have to see her.
Hal Linden, best known for playing Barney Miller on TV, has also had a long career in music and on stage. He brings that experience to the Playhouse stage and it is a pleasure to watch such a master at work. When he says the line “Life is all about livin’” he is proof of it. Mr. Linden has amazing stage presence. You don’t want to miss him.
This musical really works. The book is great, the score is outstanding, the cast is solid from top to bottom. Every song is good and filled with meaning. It’s a feel good play that doesn’t get hokey. It’s also a play about choices, about how we can do that “livin’” Grandpa Gustafson is talking about, and age should not get in the way.
I would be very surprised if this production does not move on to Broadway. I recommend you see it now at the Ogunquit Playhouse while you have the chance,you won’t be disappointed.
As I have said, this play is about choices, and you have a choice; Head to the Ogunquit Playhouse and have a memorable evening or stay home and miss out on some very good theatre. I highly recommend Grumpy Old Men: The Musical.
Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” At The Reagle Music Theatre Of Greater Boston
Reviewed by Bobby Franklin
Mark Linehan and Cast: Ya Got Trouble
The other night I paid my first visit to the Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The Reagle stages productions of Broadway Musicals at the Robinson Theatre located in Waltham High School. Don’t be fooled by the location. The auditorium is a great venue with comfortable seats and a great view no matter where you are seated. More than that, the play I saw was a top notch production that included a full orchestra, something you rarely see today in regional theatre. That full orchestra really makes a difference and was extremely impressive.
The production currently playing at the Reagle is Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, one of, if not the, best musicals ever written. It is certainly a favorite of mine and I was skeptical that this would rate very high in quality. My doubts were soon chased away once the orchestra began playing the overture which led into the opening number, the onomatopoeic Rock Island, which takes place on a train. This train left the station and the audience was in for a wonderful ride to River City along with Professor Harold Hill, the flim flam man who would eventually be won over by the Iowa Stubborn folks he was trying to take with his scam about starting a boy’s band.
Mark Linehan, in his seventh production at the Reagle, had his work cut out for him in the role of Hill. Most audience members know Hill from the movie version of the play and have Robert Preston’s version burned into their memories. Mr. Linehan does not attempt an impression of Preston, but instead gives his own interpretation of the smooth talking traveling salesman. It doesn’t take long to embrace Linehan’s Hill and to appreciate what he does with the role. Ya Got Trouble, The Sadder But Wiser Girl, andthe rousing Seventy-Six Trombones are all classic Broadway musical numbers that Linehan delivers right on the mark.
Jennifer Ellis and Mark Linehan
It is also quite the treat to see Jennifer Ellis as Marion Paroo, the librarian with a heart like a lump of lead as cold as steel, but who eventually finds her way to allowing that heart to melt and opens her eyes to seeking her white knight. Ms Ellis puts her heart as well as her beautiful voice into Willson’s warm and touching numbers Goodnight My Someone, My White Night, Will I Ever Tell You, and Till There Was You. Was there ever a better score than this? I don’t believe so, and Jennifer Ellis was born to sing these amazing songs.
The Music Man has a huge cast and you might think a small company would pare it down a bit, but the Reagle does not. Director and choreographerSusan M. Chebookian goes all out to give a full scale production here. Using choreography based on the original by Onna White, the huge dance numbers in Seventy-Six Trombones and Shipoopi are a site to behold. Watching and listening to The Wells Fargo Wagon gives you the feeling of excitement the residents of River City have while waiting for the approaching delivery.
Ms Ellis and Mr. Linehan are superb, and they are backed up by a strong cast including Harold “Jerry” Walker as Mayor Shinn and Lori L’Italien as his wife Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn. Both have wonderful comedic timing and both are able to push their characters to the edge without crossing into caricature. They are real pros.
Shipoopi is a number that is sometimes knocked as not fitting into the play, but when you see see Daniel Forest Sullivan as Marcellus Washburn lead the cast in this more than lively number you won’t be able to imagine it not being included. Sullivan really kicks in on it.
School Board
Oh, such a large and wonderful cast. The School Board comprised of Louis Brogna, Matthew Gorgone, Antonino Ruggeri, and Tom Sawyer keep perfect harmony in their barbershop quartet numbers. Singing in counterpoint with Ms Ellis on Lida Rose/ Will I Ever Tell You it is a feast for the ears.
Jonathan Tillen, Marylee Fairbanks, and Jennifer Ellis “Gary Indiana.
I’ve always felt that the Mrs Paroo must be a dream role, and Marylee Fairbanks makes that dream come true as the mother of Winthrop and Marion. Strong and kind with her Irish determination and heart of gold. Ms Fairbanks’s Paroo has the twinkle in her eye and just enough skills at manipulation to push her daughter in the right direction.
Perhaps the real stars of this production are the children and young adults who worked endless hours preparing for their moments on the stage. Jonathan Tillen as the withdrawn Winthrop Paroo shows us the growth of the self conscious young boy with a lisp who has sunk into despair since the death of his father but now begins to find himself through Professor Hill. In both The Wells Fargo Wagon and Gary, Indiana we see him emerge and you can’t help but feel touched by young Tillen’s performance.
Jennifer Ellis and Cate Galante
Winthrop’s friend Amaryllis who prays for him every night is played by Cate Galante. Cate’s Amaryllis is full of life and love. Her feelings for Winthrop warm the heart. She sparkles on stage.
Ye gods! I can’t forget Isabelle Miller who takes on the role of Zaneeta Shinn, the Mayor’s daughter. Zanneta is quite taken with bad boy Tommy Djilas played by Bernie Baldassaro who saves the day, and Professor Hill’s neck, by putting a band together. Both performers are vibrant and interact well together.
The ensemble is large and in sync. It is quite something to see how they light up the stage in Waltham. Their energy is boundless. The Music Man has a short run at the Reagle in Waltham so you should plan on getting there soon. You don’t want to miss this one. A classic musical with a cast and director that gives it the treatment it deserves. Hop on board, River City next stop!
Meredith Willson’s The Music Man
Through August 12
The Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston
The Robinson Theater, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham
