The Huntington Theatre Company presents the brilliant classic comedy Tartuffe by Molière, directed by Huntington Theatre Company Artistic Director Peter DuBois (Sunday in the Park with George), translated by Ranjit Bolt, and featuring actor and comedian Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman on the upcoming season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “Dinner with Brett Gelman” specials on Adult Swim) as Tartuffe and Tony Award winner Frank Wood (Side Man and August Osage County on Broadway and HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords”) as Orgon. Performances run from November 10 through December 10, 2017 at the Avenue of the Arts / Huntington Avenue Theatre.
“This production of Tartuffe is going to be everything you expect from Molière,” says Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois, “complete with a spin on period fashion and the brilliantly comic possibilities of staging this classic play for a modern audience. Boston is going to see 2017 alive onstage within the framework of a 17th century farce, and the result will be satirical, smart, and a gut-buster.”
Ranjit Bolt’s translation of Tartuffe premiered at the National Theatre in London in 2002. Many English translations of Tartuffe discard the rhyming couplets, but Bolt’s translation remains faithful to the way Molière wrote the French verse. For Bolt, verse provides a vehicle for examining the ridiculous; his imaginative use of language contrasts with the formal structure of the verse to create an explosively witty text. Audiences can use verse to “escape through anarchy into a surreal world,” Bolt says. “The joy of the verse is the contrast between the discipline of the form and the ludicrous nature of what’s being described.”
DuBois chose the Bolt translation because he thought it captured the energy necessary for his direction: free and loose while still clever and sophisticated. “I knew I wanted a translation that sang in the mouths of actors — that had rhythm and speed,” DuBois says. “Bolt’s translation reads well, but it sounds even better. He captures everything that is joyful and fun about rhyming verse across languages, never becoming rigid or stuffy.”
huntingtontheatre.org, 617 266 0800, Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston
New Repertory Theatre presents Man of La Mancha, December 1-24, 2017 in the MainStage Theater at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA. Music by Mitch Leigh, Lyrics by Joe Darion, original production staged by Albert Marre. Originally produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James. Directed by Antonio Ocampo-Guzman. Music direction by David Reiffel. Movement Direction by Judith Chaffee.
“It has become a New Rep tradition during the holiday season to present a play that invites audiences of all ages to revel in this celebratory time of year,” says Artistic Director Jim Petosa. “This year we dream the impossible dream as we present the Tony-award winning musical Man of La Mancha. This classic musical adventure recounts the boundlessly idealistic tale of Don Quixote, epitomizing our season’s theme of resilience. We’re thrilled to bring this spirited revival to New Rep this winter.”
“New Rep is pleased to welcome so many new faces to our stage for our holiday production of Man of La Mancha,“says Managing Director Harriet Sheets. “Besides those joining us for the first time, we welcome back director Antonio Ocampo-Guzman and long-time collaborator Maurice Emmanuel Parent in the role of Don Quixote. Maurice’s presence on our stage over the years has been a highlight of many seasons, so we’re excited that he’s able to join us once again in this starring role.”
Tickets may be purchased by calling the New Rep Box Office at 617-923-8487 or visiting newrep.org.
From Here To Eternity: A New Musical
The Ogunquit Playhouse
Reviewed by Bobby Franklin
James Jones was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He had enlisted in the U.S. Army before the war and was stationed in Hawaii in what seemed like a world away from the war raging in Europe that threatened to include the United States. Army life even before the war was not easy. Many of those who enlisted were living very difficult lives in Depression Era America and looked at the Army as being a way out.
Derek Carley and Company (Photo Credit: Gary Ng)
Jones wrote about his experiences during this time in the novel From Here to Eternity, which was later made into an Academy Award winning movie. The novel was a no holds barred look at Army life during that period. It was not pretty. The movie shows much, but not all, of what Jones wrote. Now, a musical play with lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Stuart Brayson, and book Donald Rice & Bill Oakes presents us with a work that is much closer to the original novel. It is a painful story but it is told with understanding and sympathy for those involved. All the characters are based on people James Jones knew while serving.
The set at the Ogunquit Playhouse is atmospheric. With large palm trees and multiple levels with lattice work that reaches to the ceiling the beauty of Hawaii is felt but with a dark overtone. Subtle set changes along with images being projected on the walls are used to set the different moods and they are used well.
Kevin Aichele and Company (Photo Credit: Gary Ng)
The score is outstanding and hits hard and fast with the opening number G Company Blues. The choreography is tight and very physical, conveying the hard life these men lived. Other songs such as Thirty Year Man, Don’cha Like Hawaii, and I Love The Army. Something In Return is an amazing number that was superbly done. It allows us to experience the hope and despair of those stationed on the island as well as the women who share this difficult life. These women include prostitutes and the wife of an ambitious and cruel officer.
Those familiar wth the book and/or movie will quickly recognize most of the characters. If not, they will quickly become known to you. The outstanding cast plays each as their own, and with their solid acting and beautiful voices make this a very powerful work indeed.
The story of cruelty and the misuse of power hardly seems the material for a musical but it works and works well here. With an outstanding cast led by Derek Carley as Private Prewitt and Kevin Aichele in the role of Sargent Warden the pain and struggles of these individuals is brought to life in a way that is both painful to watch but done with tenderness and compassion.
Robyn Hurder plays Karen Holmes the abused wife of the ambitious but weak Captain Dana Holmes played by Bradley Dean. They make the ugliness of such a marriage almost too real, but it is necessary. We do get to see the tender side of Karen in her scenes with Sargent Warden with whom she is having an affair. And for those who might be wondering how the famous beach scene from the movie is recreated, I will just say this is not a staging of the movie; however, the emotions from that iconic movie movement are captured here.
Michael Tacconi and Reed Campbell (Photo Credit: Gary Ng)
The wise cracking Private Angelo Maggio has been cast perfectly with Michael Tocconi in the role. His rendition of I Love The Army is heart wrenching. Reed Campbell returns to the Ogunquit stage after his outstanding performance in Bullets Over Broadway, and proves that he was no one shot wonder. He again shows his amazing talent as the sadistic Sargent Fatso Judson. By the time Judson gets what is coming to him there is nobody in the house who feels sympathy for him.
Jenna Nicole Schoen plays the prostitute Lorene that Private Prewitt falls for. She has a beautiful voice and is wonderful in her part. Ms Schoen captures in her character a loving woman who has had to turn her feelings off in order to survive in a hard world. Private Prewitt manages to break through the wall she has put up. Jodi Kimura as Sandra, the madame of the local brothel, conveys the combination of a jaded life along with
compassion and understanding.
The finale with the attack on Pearl Harbor is spectacular with slow motion sequences from the actors as well as magnificent use of the projection equipment that brings the audience into that infamous day. It also shows us how life has been transformed by world events and the tragic consequences of people who wield their power, no matter how small, over others with cruelty that result in such horrific consequences. The song The Boys of 41 which is reprised at the end of the play is poignant and moving as we see the names of those who gave their lives projected onto the walls of the theatre.
I do have to mention the amazing job Richard Latta has done with the lighting for this production. The subtle changes are so very effective in setting the mood for the different scenes.
From Here To Eternity at the Ogunquit Playhouse is truly an experience not to be missed. Artistic Director Brad Kenney has closed out the Playhouse’s 85th season in spectacular fashion.
Just a final note. This is not a play that would be appropriate for children. It does handle the serous themes in a tasteful way but I believe it could be disturbing for children.
From Here To Eternity: A New Musical
The Ogunquit Playhouse
Ogunquit, Maine
Through October 29
ogunquitplayhouse.org
207.646.5511
The Ogunquit Playhouse is honored to be part of the North American rollout of the new musical From Here to Eternity, on stage October 4 through 29. The musical is based on the acclaimed novel (which also became a multi-Academy Award-winning film), by James Jones with lyrics by Tim Rice, book by Donald Rice and Bill Oakes and music by Stuart Brayson. As part of its development path to Broadway, Sir Tim Rice is collaborating with the Ogunquit creative team to mount this compelling new musical set in Hawaii in the weeks before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. “The epic story by WWII veteran James Jones, From Here to Eternity, is one of the most searing, honest and romantic views of the men and women who served our country during World War II. The way in which this story had to be told more than 60 years ago due to censorship, softened some of the reality of military life at that time. Today, we are able to tell the story as it was originally intended, revealing the grit and intrigue of military life that Mr. Jones experienced. It has been a great honor to collaborate with Sir Tim Rice, Donald Rice, Brett Smock and our entire creative team on this new musical adaptation to tell this iconic American story in a new way,” said Ogunquit Playhouse Executive Artistic Director Bradford Kenney.
This epic tale follows the powerful story of two U.S soldiers, the soulful Private Prewitt played by Derek Carley and ardent Sergeant Warden, played by Kevin Aichele, as they embark on doomed and dangerous love affairs with the wrong women. The sultry wife of G Company’s commanding officer, Karen Holmes, is played by Robyn Hurder, and Lorene, the beautiful escort who is looking to make a better life for herself, is played by Jenna Nicole Schoen. As the infamous date of December 7th approaches, the claustrophobic world of the four lovers and the desperation of the soldiers of G Company splinter amidst an escalating war. The compelling story of men at war along with a fantastic new score is not to be missed.
Returning to the Ogunquit Playhouse is Bradley Dean as Captain Dana Holmes, commanding officer of G Company. Mr. Dean last appeared in 2016’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame as Frollo, for which he was nominated for an Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Best Actor in a Musical. On Broadway he has starred in numerous productions including Dear Evan Hansen, A Little Night Music, The Last Ship, Doctor Zhivago, Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Story of My Life, Evita, and Man of La Mancha.
Kevin Aichele (First Sergeant Milton Warden) most recently portrayed Warden in the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival production of From Here to Eternity. Some of his selected credits include, Sam in Mamma Mia!, Captain Von Trapp in Sound of Music, and Javert in Les Miserables. Derek Carley (Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt) regional credits include Ghost, Daddy Long Legs, Titanic, Big, and Gay Bride of Frankenstein, and he was in the first National Tour of Flashdance. Robyn Hurder (Karen Holmes) returns to the Ogunquit Playhouse after previously starring as Norma Cassidy in 2015’s Victor/Victoria. On Broadway she has performed in Nice Work if You Can Get It, Grease, Chicago, Wedding Singer, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Ms. Hurder starred in NYCC Encores! productions of The New Yorkers, and Paint Your Wagon, as well as Off-Broadway in Play It Cool. She was in the National Tours of A Chorus Line, Monty Python’s Spamalot, and Starlight Express. Jenna Nicole Schoen (Lorene) recently appeared in the National Tour of Jersey Boys. Her regional theatre credits include CATS and Monty Python’s Spamalot at Pittsburgh CLO, Theory of Relativity at Goodspeed Opera House, and La Cage Aux Folles at Theatre By The Sea. Michael Tacconi (Private Angelo Maggio) is reprising his role from the Finger Lakes production of From Here to Eternity, and recently portrayed Nick in New World Stage’s Bare. Mr. Tacconi has also appeared on television on ABC’s The Family, and LMN’s I Love You…But I Lied. Reed Campbell returns to the Ogunquit Playhouse as Sergeant James Judson. He was seen earlier this season in his critically acclaimed performance as the hit-man “Cheech” in Bullets Over Broadway. Mr. Campbell was Cookie McGee in the National Tour of Nice Work If You Can Get It, and performed off-Broadway in Important Hats Of The Twentieth Century at the Manhattan Theatre Club, in The Comedy Of Errors at The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, and regionally as Judas Iscariot in Stage 773’s The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot.
www.ogunquitplayhouse.org 207-646-5511.
The New Repertory Theatre Presents
Oleannna
by David Mamet
October 14 through November 5
Watertown, MA
“New Rep is proud to present this challenging play by one of its favorite playwright’s, David Mamet,” says Artistic Director Jim Petosa. “In the hands of director Elaine Vaan Hogue, the titanic talents of Johnny Lee Davenport and Obehi Janice will create a counterpoint of intensity that will bring the central conflict of this play into sharp focus.”
“New Rep is excited to welcome back both Johnny Lee Davenport and Obehi Janice to our stage,” says Managing Director Harriet Sheets.
“Johnny Lee returns after his masterful portrayal in our acclaimed productions of Thurgood and The Whipping Man and Obehi returns after her powerful performance in Lydia Diamond’s The Gift Horse last season. We hope New Rep audiences will enjoy watching these two powerhouse performers together in David Mamet’s classic drama.”
JOHNNY LEE DAVENPORT* (John) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Thurgood, The Whipping Man, and A House with No Walls. Other area credits include The Unbleached American (Stoneham Theatre); It’s A Wonderful Life, A Radio Play (Wheelock Family Theatre); Water by the Spoonful and Broke-ology/Elliot Norton Award, Best Actor (The Lyric Stage Company); Driving Miss Daisy and Master Harold…and the Boys (Gloucester Stage Company); and Invisible Man/Helen Hayes Award, Best Ensemble (Studio Theatre Washington, D.C. and The Huntington Theatre Company). Mr. Davenport has played more than 50 roles in 24 of Shakespeare’s plays including Richard III (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Pericles (Actors’ Shakespeare Project); and Richard II (Shakespeare & Company). Film credits include Ted, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, and Ascendants. He was named Best Actor in Boston Magazine (2011). johnnyleedavenport.com
OBEHI JANICE* (Carol) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in The Gift Horse and New Rep’s Next Voices New Play Reading Series. Recent credits include Love’s Labour’s Lost (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); We’re Gonna Die (Company One Theatre/American Repertory Theater); An Octoroon (Company One Theatre/ArtsEmerson); Mr g (Underground Railway Theater); her solo show FUFU & OREOS (IRNE Nomination, Best Solo Performance, Bridge Repertory Theater); Arabian Nights (Central Square Theater); It Felt Empty (Theatre on Fire); and Splendor (Company One Theatre). A graduate of Georgetown University, Obehi was named “Boston’s Best Actress” by The Improper Bostonian in 2014. Her comedic short, Black Girl Yoga, won the Reel 13/AfroPunk Film Competition (WNET/New York Public Media). American Theatre magazine named her one of “6 Theatre Workers You Should Know” in February 2017. She was also the TCG Fox Foundation Resident Actor at Company One Theatre from 2015-2017. Originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, she currently resides in Medford. obehijanice.com
ELAINE VAAN HOGUE (Director) is a director, actor, and teacher. Previous productions at New Repertory Theatre include directing Baltimore, The Amish Project, Imagining Madoff (Elliot Norton nominee for Outstanding Production), The Kite Runner, and co-curating the inaugural Next Rep Black Box Festival in 2014. Regional directing credits include A Disappearing Number (URT @ Central Square Theater); Metamorphosis (Boston Center for American Performance); Walking the Volcano (Boston Centerfor American Performance/Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); Crave (Nora Theatre Company); Thin Air: Tales from a Revolution (Kansas City); Infinity’s House (Majestic Theatre); Fen (New Theatre); The Penelopiad, Execution of Justice, Lizzie Stranton, The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, The Other Shore, Angels in America, Three Sisters, Pains of Youth, Polaroid Stories, Marisol, and many others (Boston University). As an actor she has performed in The Road to Mecca (Boston Center for American Performance); Creation: Mythic Weavings (Women on Top & Magdalena USA); When Jennie Goes Marching (Olney Theatre & Spontaneous Celebrations). She is a member of the Magdalena Project, an international network of women in contemporary theatre, and is a participant in an international cyber-performance group collaborating in All the Better To See You With (Odin Teatret), MagFest KISS (Amsterdam), trans-hack- feminist UpStage Jam (Eclectic Tech Carnival). Ms. Vaan Hogue serves as Program Head of Theatre Arts at Boston University. Originally from Los Angeles, she resides in Central Massachusetts.
New Repertory Theatre presents Oleanna, October 14-November 5, 2017 in the MainStage Theater at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA. New Rep Box Office at 617-923-8487 newrep.org.
Men On Boats looked to be an interesting, thought provoking, and even edgy play. Unfortunately, it was none of those things. The story based on John Wesley Powel’s 1869 expedition down the Colorado River to the Grand Canyon has a cast made up of non male actors in the roles of the explorers. It is an interesting concept and one I was looking forward to.
Author Jaclyn Backhaus is quoted in an interview when asked if she would call it a feminist play that “I would like it to be one, if only to piss off the six or seven old white men who walked out during the first half of this past run.” Well, as an old white man all I can say to Ms Backhaus is the only thing about this play that pissed me off was the extraordinary tediousness of it. I would have been happy to have been offended, challenged, or provoked by this production. I appreciate edgy work even if I don’t agree with it. However, this was far from provocative. It was simply a dreadful waste of 100 minutes. If she wants to make people angry, and that is a very legitimate thing to do with theatre, she needs to do better than this. I would much rather be offended than bored to death.
I have always admired the SpeakEasy Stage Company for its willingness to put on new and challenging works. And I have no doubt they will continue to do so. We are lucky to have such a company in Boston I think it is important they do that, and I must say I have been influenced by many of the fine productions have seen there. This just is not one of them.
Men On Boats
Through October 7
The SpeakEasy Stage Company
617.933.8600 speakeasystage.com
The Royal, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, this year’s season opener at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, is a fast paced work that doesn’t let up for a moment during its 80 minutes. Very loosely based on Jack Johnson’s fight against Jim Jeffries it is the story of Jay “The Sport” Jackson who is the first black man to challenge for the Heavyweight Championship of the World.
Toran White and Thomas Silcott. Photo by Meghan Moore.
Jay Jackson is played by Thomas Silcott who brings us into the ring with and into the mind of the confident but conflicted challenger. Playwright Marco Ramirez has given him plenty to work with in this thought provoking play, and Silcott has an amazing presence on the stage. The dialogue is crisp and sharp like an action filled boxing contest. Ramirez not only gives us insight into what a fighter is thinking about while in the ring, but also deals with the wider implications of of having a black man win the white dominated championship in 1910.
Silcott has an amazing presence on the stage.
This conflict is sharpened by a conversation Jackson has with his sister Nina played by Ramona Lisa Alexander. Nina warns Jackson that his victory could result in violence against blacks across the nation, and she suggests subtly that it may be better for everyone if he lost. She feels that things are moving too fast and questions if Jackson is putting his personal gain ahead of his people. It is an intense back and forth that has the power of a hard fought boxing match.
Toran White, Mark W. Soucy, and Thomas Silcott. Photo by Meghan Moore.
Mark W. Soucy plays the fast talking white promoter Max who also serves as reporter and commentator for the two boxing matches that take place in the play. His sharp dialog keeps the adrenaline flowing. As a ballyhooer he puts Don King to shame. You can feel the excitement build listening to him. He’s good.
Jeorge Bennett Watson as Wynton, Jackson’s trainer, and Toran White who plays Fish, Jackson’s opponent in the opening scene as well as his sparring partner for the big fight, are both excellent in their roles which are a bit lower octane but no less important. Wynton has been around the game for some time and seems a bit uncomfortable with the social implications of the fight. Fish is excited to be a part of such a great event but also is naive and is the character who elicits sympathy from the audience. Both actors are strong and very competent in their roles.
Lighting (Karen Perlow) and sound (David Remedios) are used very effectively. A scene where Jackson is hitting the heavy bag while his shadow is cast against the side and back of the stage is very powerful. Mr. Ramirez has said that he sees boxing as a percussive sport and incorporates a hip hop rhythm into the play. Something that works very well.
Ramona Lisa Alexander and Thomas Silcott. Photo by Meghan Moore.
The fight scenes are different in that instead of having the boxers throw staged punches at each other they face the audience and punch towards them while also using the noise of stomping feet and claps to represent punches. It is a novel and very effective way to stage a fight and the accompanying dialog along with superb lighting allows us to step into the minds of the fighters.
The Royale is a boxing play but it is much more. In these heavily politicized times I am always fearful that a playwright will, as they too often do, preach to the audience about how it should think. Mr. Ramirez instead choses to leave us with questions. This is far more effective in helping bring us together to find common ground.
Whether or not you are a boxing fan, The Royale is a play that you should not miss.
The Royale
Through October 8
The Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Lowell, MA
MRT.org 978.654.4678
The Huntington Theatre Company plans to produce all fifteen of Stephen Sondheim’s musicals. This year they have begun their season with Merrily We Roll Along, the Sondheim play with book by George Furth that had a very rocky beginning in 1981, closing on Broadway after just 16 performances. Sondheim and Furth revised the play in 1992, but not on Broadway. Twenty years after that Maria Friedman, who played Mary in the 1992 production, directed a new production that became a hit in London’s West End.
And now, thanks to Huntington’s artistic director Peter DuBois, Boston audiences have a chance to see this wonderful production with Maria Freidman directing. For a play that had such a rough beginning it has grown into a solid work.
Mark Umbers and Aimee Doherty Photo; T. Charles Erickson
The story about three friends, Frank, Charley, and Mary is told in reverse. The play begins as their friendship is coming apart in 1976 and works it way back to when they first got together in 1957. It is a story of the challenges facing friends as they move ahead in life and begin to define their values, which can often turn out to be much different as they experience life. There is no doubt audience members will find much that is familiar in the play.
As the play opens we learn of the tension between Frank and Charley who’s friendship had also turned into them becoming a song writing team and playwrights. Creatively they worked well together. The two had become quite successful, but each measures success in a different way, and this has caused much tension between them.
…a stage that is overflowing with talent giving us theatre that is a joy to watch.
Frank and Charley are played by Mark Umbers and Damian Humbley respectively. They are reprising their roles from the West End production and are marvelous together. Mary is played by Eden Espinosa who brings an honesty as well as a tenderness and wit to the role of Frank and Charley’s novelist friend who sees the destructive effects success is having on the friendship but is not able to do anything to stop it. She is also in love with Frank but never lets on to him.
Damian Humbley, Mark Umbers, and Rebecca Gibel Photo: T. Charles Erickson
In what is one of the musical highlights, Mr Humbley as Charley is positively superb when he encapsulates all of his misgivings about what Frank is doing wth the direction of their career. The number, Franklin Shepard, Inc, takes place during an interview at NBC studios and is a high octane piece that is a show stopper. The audience at the performance I attended loved it, as did I.
There is so much to enjoy about this show. The score has to be structured in an unconventional manner as the story is moving backwards. I would imagine Sondheim enjoyed playing with this musical timeline. Music Director Matthew Stern is in top form in his treatment of it. The Choreography by Tim Jackson is fantastic. Watching the company moving about the stage during “The Blob” set in 1962 is both very funny and brilliantly done. Other numbers include the touching but upbeat Old Friends, Not A Day Goes By performed beautifully by Jennifer Ellis, and the Vaughn Meader influenced Bobby And Jackie And Jack a comic musical takeoff of the Kennedy’s.
Eden Espinosa, Mark Umbers, and Damian Humbley Photo: T. Charles Erickson
Taking this ride back to where it all began is a fascinating journey. Along the way we go from the judgements we make of the characters having seen them after so much occurred to learning how they got that way. It is so interesting to observe as it reminds us how fragile friendships can be, and how what we value as individuals can create conflicts with those we love. It also reminds us of how hard it can be to frame our values when we are not sure of what it means to be successful.
Umbers, Humbley, and Espinosa are just fantastic. Add the remarkable Jennifer Ellis as Beth and Aimee Doherty as Gussie and you have a stage that is overflowing with talent giving us theatre that is a joy to watch.
Jennifer Ellis and Mark Umbers Photo: T. Charles Erickson
Many years ago a very successful man gave me a piece of advice. he told me not to chase success but to chase the idea. Success will follow. I believe by success he meant happiness is seeing your idea blossom. Charley understands this, while deep inside Frank does too, but just can’t allow himself to accept it. Mary feels the pain for both of them.
I recommend this play as it is not only so well done, but it will also leave you reflecting on your own definition of success and the value of friendship. You could do worse than to ponder such things. And, you couldn’t do better than to see this production of Merrily We Roll Along at the Huntington.
Merrily We Roll Along
Through October 15
Huntington Theatre Company
Boston 617.266.0800 huntingtontheatre.org
Gypsy at the Lyric Stage, Boston Through October 8th
Reviewed by Bobby Franklin
Lyric Stage Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos has found his Gypsy. In Leigh Barrett he has found an actor who can step into the iconic role of Mama Rose. Ms Barrett makes this her Rose and we get to see one who fully embraces the part with a powerful performance. From her first number, Some People, you know she is going to be very special. It has to be a daunting role to step into, but she’s got what it takes.
Kirsten Salpini (Photo Credit: Mark S. Howard)
He has found his Louise in the amazingly talented Kirsten Salpini who gives a perfectly measured Louise who goes from being the unsteady second fiddle to her sister and grows in confidence and the ability to stand up to her domineering, and it can be argued, abusive mother. With Ms Salpini we see that transformation occur seamlessly. It is not an easy part to play.
He has found his June in Kira Troilo who gives us the fair haired daughter who finally realizes she has to flee the smothering grip of her mother. She is the child who realizes that in order to become a woman she has to walk away from it all. At first her character seems very superficial, but Ms Troilo gives her a sensitivity and a humanity that allows us to respect June and leaves us knowing she will make a good life for herself.
And then there is Herbie. Spiro has found a marvelous Herbie for us in the ever so talented Steven Barkhimer. Mr. Barkhimer gives a character who could be taken for weak but has us see it is not weakness but kindness that inhabits this very decent man who has taken up with a very difficult woman. Having seen Mr. Barkhimer before I was not at all surprised to see how truly wonderful he is in this role, and it is such a pleasure seeing him practice his craft.
If you miss this production you are making a huge mistake.
Spiro has found all of this talent and more including the young June and Louise played by Margot Anderson-Song and Cate Galante who, accompanied by fabulous ensemble contribute so much to the very strong first act. They are very impressive.
Leigh Barrett (Photo Credit: Mark S. Howard)
And finally, he has found Director and Choreographer Rachel Bertone who pulls it all together for an amazing Gypsy. Ms Bertone gets it all just right in this scaled down but amazing production of what has been called the greatest of all Broadway musicals.
The six piece orchestra led by Dan Rodriguez coupled with a simple but poignant set make this a first rate work capable of rivaling any huge stage production. I would go as far as to say it is better. Seeing this in the intimacy of the Lyric Stage Theatre brings us close not only physically but emotionally to the story. A story that has been described as Lear-like and while filled with some of the greatest numbers in the history of Broadway musicals, it can be searing and painful to watch.
Stephen Barkhimer, Leigh Barrett, Kirsten Salpini (Photo Credit: Mark S. Howard
The score is timeless and simply great with music by Jule Style and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The songs are unforgettable, and it is all pulled together in the book by Arthur Laurents. Numbers such as Let Me Entertain You, Some People, Small World, If Mama Was Married, Everything Coming Up Roses, You Gotta Get A Gimmick, and my favorite Little Lamb, that Kirsten Salpini does with such tenderness speak for themselves. This is the stuff of legend.
Okay, so now I have to add something, and I know I am in a very tiny minority when I say this. I have seen productions of Gypsy before, and I have always enjoyed Act I. It is Act II that would leave me flat, or rather with the feeling the story is left unresolved and with an unnecessary cruelty. I feel the dysfunction of Mama Rose has been taken too far. In truth, I was not looking forward to seeing it again, Act II that is. This time was the exception as Director Bertone brings it all together thoughtfully at the conclusion. Yes, Rose is still flawed but something special happens. It may not be a Kodak Family moment, but it is real and it works.
As I said at the beginning of my review, Spiro has found a great Gypsy, with Barrett, Salpini, Troilo, Barkhimer, and company lighting up the Lyric Stage. If you miss this production you are making a huge mistake.
Spiro Veloudos has kicked off his 20th year at the Lyric Stage in great fashion. He has found something very special and is sharing it with all of us. Accept this gift from this wonderful man. He knows how to Light the Lights!
Gypsy
The Lyric Stage, Boston through October 8th
lyricstage.com 617-585-5678
Heartbreak Hotel
Ogunquit Playhouse
Through September 30th
reviewed by Bobby Franklin
The early years of Elvis Presley are too often overlooked. Most Presley impersonators portray the Elvis of the Vegas stage years wearing capes and sequined jump suits. At this later point in his life the drug use was really beginning to show, and the rock icon was becoming a tragic figure. The hard living would result in his untimely death at the age of 42. It is unfortunate it is this Elvis who is most often portrayed
Photo Credit: Gary Ng
While the Las Vegas Elvis fits into the much too often tragedy of a great talent taken down by his own success, the more interesting story lies in his early years. This is where Floyd Mutrux, the creator of the Tony Award winning Million Dollar Quartet, which played to sold out crowds at the Ogunquit Playhouse the past two seasons, has stepped in to tell the truly fascinating story of Presley’s early life.
Heartbreak Hotel is a prequel to Million Dollar Quartet and focuses on the Sun Records years of the young truck driver who would skyrocket to fame overnight.
The world premiere of Heartbreak Hotel is now playing at the Ogunquit Playhouse. It is an interesting production to watch as it is still a work in progress. The music is positively outstanding with all of the actors playing their own instruments.
Clendening captures the persona of the young Elvis.
Eddie Clendening who originated the role of Presley in the Broadway production of Million Dollar Quartet is not an Elvis impersonator. He brings much more to the stage than just imitating the rock icon. Clendening captures the persona of the young Elvis. Most impressively, he is able to rock out with the raw energy of Presley while always retaining that shyness that made him so charming. While ripping out on songs such as Good Rockin’ Tonight with hips swiveling and lip twitching we see that young boy who still seems just a bit uncomfortable in the spotlight even while he is thriving on it. Clendening really pulls this off and it is no easy task to do so. This is as close as you will come to experiencing the young Elvis, a paradoxical figure who was shy and yet craved attention.
Photo Credit: Gary Ng
The story is not just about Elvis but also about the era. It was an amazing and transformational time in music and there are cameos from many of the other great performers of the time. These include Wanda Jackson (Brenna Bloom) and Sister Rosetta Tharpe played by Terita Redd who deserves an Amen! for her amazing rock/gospel singing.
Geno Henderson nearly steals the show playing numerous greats including Chuck Berry and Nat King Cole. Mr. Henderson moves seamlessly through his parts.
The interplay between Colonel Tom Parker (Jerry Kernion) and Sam Phillips (Matt McKenzie) creates a tension with Parker seeing Presley as a product and Phillips recognizing him as a great artist. It leaves us wondering just what would have happened if Presley had decided to remain with Phillips.
Yes, this play is a work in progress with the musical numbers, the sets, the lighting, all outstanding. I don’t think this time of Elvis Presley’s life has ever been captured so well. Where the production is weak is in the book. The early life of this seemingly simple southern boy is a very complex story. It is a huge challenge to try to capture even a very condensed version of all that went on in those early years while still focusing on the music. What I saw on the stage in Ogunquit is a great start to what can be a wonderful and important story. It will be interesting to see how it all develops.
There are more than a couple of reasons to see Heartbreak Hotel. First, watching Eddie Clendening as the young Elvis is a truly great experience. He really gets it. Second, while this is a work that is still being developed it is fascinating to be a part of the process as I am sure the writer and director are taking the pulse of the audiences. It might not be a bad idea for them to have suggestion boxes placed at the exits. I know I would have contributed a few.
Heartbreak Hotel takes us back to one of the most incredible eras in the history of American music. It is just amazing when you realize how fast things changed. It was an exciting time that lives on in music through this day. It’s rather ironic that Colonel Parker chose to take Elvis to Hollywood and Vegas as he didn’t believe Rock N Roll was going to last. Sam Phillips knew better.
