REVIEW: Next to Normal

Next to Perfection

A year and a half ago, I saw Next to Normal at Second Stage Theatre in New York—an off-Broadway theatre known for producing new, inventive works. Once it closed its off-Broadway run the show was reworked and opened at DC’s Arena Stage. After further re-working, the show has landed at the Booth Theatre on Broadway.

Having seen the show in each of its incarnations, Next to Normal has solidified its place on my list of all-time favorite musicals. It’s a haunting piece—disturbing at times and captivating throughout. It’s difficult to share much about the story without giving away the show’s secrets; secrets that are revealed at just the right moment. The first and most dramatic revelation is so well directed by Michael Grief that the audience gasps in unison. The precedent is set, and as the performance continues, we experience a series of shocks that suddenly alter the plot.

Next to Normal is about unconditional love, neglect, pain, sorrow, and relationships. It’s about finding oneself, losing oneself, and exploring the unknown. The small cast is brilliant. Three of them were Tony-nominated for their work in this show. Alice Ripley won the Tony for her amazing and convincing portrayal of Diana, the wife and mother who is struggling with mental illness. Her rendition of I Miss the Mountains gives us a glimpse into her world of emptiness. J. Robert Spencer plays her husband, Dan who is strong, angry, and committed to being there for his wife. Their daughter Natalie, played by Jennifer Damiano, is particularly brilliant as she sings Superboy and the Invisible Girl, a song in which she explains the pain of growing up in her brother’s shadow.

Kyle Dean Massey plays Gabriel, loving son and tormentor. His strong vocal ability and charismatic presence work perfectly in this role. The cast is rounded out by Adam Chandler-Berat and Louis Hobson, each exactly right as the stoner boyfriend and the prescription-writing doctor, respectively.

The creators of Next to Normal have pulled together a production so rich and layered that you must see it more than once. The subtleties along the way provide effective foreshadowing. It is extremely gratifying to reflect on what you’ve seen and to experience that amazing a-ha moment when it all sinks in. It is story-telling at its finest.

Next to Normal falls into the category of shows that make me long to be back in the theatre producing community. The music, the overall design—sets, costume, and lighting—all perfect. The staging, complex and simple as needed, is spot on. And the performances across the board are brilliant. It’s the kind of show I could see again and again. In fact, three times is just not enough—I can’t wait to see Next to Normal again.

REVIEW: Hair

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

There’s a whole lot of buzz about the current Broadway revival of Hair. Music, fun-loving hippies, drugs, sex, rock and roll—it’s loud, bright, and boasts full frontal nudity (both men and women). What’s not to love?

Well, let’s start with the plot – there just isn’t much of one. In fact, the entire show is really a collection of songs thrown together with the thinnest of connective anything. A few of the songs are standouts, Aquarius, Let the Sun Shine, Easy to Be Hard … hmm, that might be it. I’m sure there are other songs in the show, but they are just not very memorable.

But what’s weak in concept can be balanced out by a talented cast, right? At my performance, Gavin Creel (who usually plays Claude and has been heralded for his performance) was out. His understudy, Paris Remillard, was—I want to be as diplomatic as possible here—terrible. How do actors get cast in Broadway leading rolls (or even as understudies for leading roles) without the ability to sing on pitch? Remillard was consistently sharp throughout the show, sometimes painfully so. It was like he and his Tribal colleagues were singing in different keys.

The Tribe (aka chorus) could not have been less engaged in the show. At several points throughout, one member of the company was so into a private conversation with a co-chorister, that she practically forgot she had choreography. When she realized that other cast members were already doing their move, she quickly jumped in. Right after however, she was back to goofing with her colleague and together they constantly scanned the audience. Were they looking for their agents in hopes of getting out of their contracts?

OK, but did the design save the day? Mostly, the set is fine and the lights are bright. But near the end of the show, when Claude came out in his military uniform after being drafted into the military, I don’t know WHAT was going on with his hair. Yes, his long locks were gone, but he should have been in a perfect military cut. Instead, he was sporting his own contemporary cut, and had a big piece of black tape stuck to his forehead. I assume the tape was to hold his mic in place, but it was just bizarre. It was as if he was a last minute replacement for Creel and the production team didn’t have time to rehearse him (or his quick change into his final look). Was the tape intentional or just a wardrobe malfunction? Who knows!

And just to make sure that everything is balanced in this cosmic mess, the audience also misbehaved. About 45 minutes into Act one, a secret service-looking man appeared on the floor just to the right of the stage. On the other side, just to the left of the stage, a similar looking person appeared. Each had an ear-piece and was clearly very official. As the Act ended and the house lights came up, these two people, accompanied by two more who seemed to magically appear, rushed to the front of the audience and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please stay seated for just a moment.” And then they ascended on a couple in the third row and escorted them (and their video camera) out of the theatre. What were these people thinking? Even with a show espousing peace and love, I still hate people.

The production ends with an onstage dance party and “Be-In.” The audience is invited to go onstage during the curtain calls to dance. Unfortunately, any magic of seeing people dancing and enjoying the freedom of moment is marred by the jackasses who decide they are stars and fight their way down center to prance and mug for the rest of the audience as if to say, “This is my moment. Look at me, damn you.” Another reason I hate people.

I believe that the mind tends to shade everything we experience and help us filter out the bad memories. Maybe that is Hair’s secret. That dance party at the end is meant to leave us with a great feeling of joy and happiness. If we end up dancing and singing in the aisles we will only remember the high and not fixate on how bad the show is. For my money, I’d rather have a plot, some nice music, and a lead that can actually sing.

REVIEW: 9 to 5 — The Musical

The Caffeinated Musical

From the first downbeat, the stage at the Marriot Marquis explodes into motion. There are things popping up and down out of the floor, sets tracking on and off, huge scenic elements flying in and out, and a back wall that looks like one of those gigantic electronic signs in Times Square. Once the show starts, the set does not stop moving until after the bows. It creates the frantic pace and atmosphere appropriate for this java-buzzed musical.

9 to 5 is a fun show—it’s not great theatre, but it’s fun. The audience has a great time, and it seems that the cast is having a great time too. This show brings in a crowd equally fun to watch. I love that people refer to the show’s three stars by the names of the actors who played the same roles in the film version of the show. When they refer to Megan Hilty (who is phenomenal as Doralee), they don’t call her Megan or Doralee. Rather, they say, “That precious little girl who plays Dolly sounds just like her.” Or they say, “I just love the one playing Jane Fonda, and that gal playing Lily is wonderful.” But then again, these are the people that 9 to 5 was written and created for.

I saw a Wednesday night performance. My next-seat neighbors arrived in NY from their home in Tennessee on Tuesday and saw 9 to 5 that night. They saw both performances on Wednesday. After the show as we walked by an usher, they squealed, “We’ll see you tomorrow. We have one more.”

These are the same people who are devastated by the news that the show is closing and have made it their mission to trek to New York en masse to support it. Over and over, these folks lamented the show’s fate. I smiled as they said to each other (but loud enough for everyone to hear), “It’s almost a full house! Why are they closing it?” It was as if they were trying to convince the rest of us to join their crusade to keep the show running. Their dedication is inspiring.

By contrast, the people sitting on the other side of me, a girl and a boy (both late teens) clearly there with their parents, were so busy texting that they had no time for the show. Texting is annoying in general—but it’s even more so (not to mention illegal) in a Broadway theatre. Have I mentioned that I hate people?

The show’s director, Joe Mantello, has assembled a cast that looks and sounds great. The stars are perfect for their roles. Megan Hilty is the blonde with a brain. Stephanie J. Block brings down the house in her solo “Get Out and Stay Out” and Allison Janney is delightful as the want-to-be CEO. Mark Kudish is dastardly as Mr. Hart—the self proclaimed sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot. But the real star of this show is the ensemble who is put through an incredible workout at each performance by choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. Every office work-simulating movement—filing a file, delivering a package, typing a memo—is punctuated in syncopated perfection. The visual effect is exhausting and wonderful.

9 to 5 is a crowd pleaser, but not necessarily for the New York audiences. It is pure fun. There’s no great message, no high art, no deep meanings. It is entertainment and for that, it’s great. I’m not surprised that the show is closing in New York after the summer tourist season, and launching its tour in Nashville. I expect the show to be a huge, sell-out as it treks across the country.

I’ll bet those devoted fans sitting next to me will be first in line to buy tickets when 9 to 5 plays their hometown. Good for them!

The Color Purple: Shades of Mediocrity

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the National Tour of The Color Purple at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The highly-promoted tour stars Fantasia (who, from the title page of the program no longer needs her last name, Barino). Even though Fantasia gave a really solid performance that night, it’s taken me a while to write about the show. Honestly, it’s taken me a while to dissect my feelings about it.

To be fair, The Color Purple is not a bad musical—it’s perfectly fine. But in many ways, I think that mediocrity is the show’s downfall.

In the mid 80s, when I was in college at an arts conservatory in North Carolina, just down the road the legendary Stephen Spielberg was filming the screen adaptation of Alice Walker’s masterpiece, The Color Purple. This was particularly important because it meant an opportunity for art school students to appear in the Spielberg film as an extra. There was tremendous buzz on campus, and several of my friends and classmates ended up surviving the editing room floor and are forever immortalized in the film that made Whoopi and Oprah household names. The daily cafeteria chatter was the kind that defines film legends, “Yesterday, Spielberg stopped production for six hours waiting for the perfect cloud formation.”

Who knows whether or not the stories grew over time or even ever happened, but the thought that they might be true made Spielberg a genius in our minds. And the film version of The Color Purple did not disappoint. The film is lush, sweeping, touching, and beautiful. John Williams’ score mapped perfectly to every scene, giving real emotion and desperation to the characters and the setting.

This brings me back to the stage musical version of the same name. The Color Purple, the musical, is not lush and at times is not even melodic. The score is more forgettable and the book is a forced compilation of iconic moments, each reminding us of the same moment in the film. Every memorable line from the movie is here, but the context that strings these moments together is missing.

The worst offense is at the beginning of Act II with the representation of Africa. The scene looks like a moment designed to mock The Lion King—when the dead antelope is carried out, it looks like a Forbidden Broadway parody of The Circle of Life.

As I said, The Color Purple is not a bad show. But it should have been an amazing show. It should have been beautiful and touching. It should have captivated its audience and left not a dry eye in the house. It just didn’t.

I think the thing that disappoints me the most, is that The Color Purple is a marketing gift—with Oprah’s endorsement, the familiarity of the film, and Alice Walker’s powerful story, this show is packing in crowds of people who almost never go to the theatre. Here is an opportunity to introduce non-theatre goers to the magic of the stage—to get them hooked and coming back again and again. Rather than leverage this powerful property by producing a brilliant theatrical event, this audience is deceived into thinking that The Color Purple is theatrical genius. Everyone raves, and Oprah said that it’s good—therefore, it must be. The opportunity to educate, to inspire, and to introduce magic has been wasted.

I had a teacher at that North Carolina arts school who used to say, “There is no room in the arts for mediocrity.” Clearly, she hadn’t yet seen The Color Purple.

REVIEW: Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening, currently running at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre, provides a fresh perspective on teenage sexuality, masturbation, rape, faith, child molestation, physical abuse, and suicide—and those are the high-level themes. This extremely smart and inventive Tony Award-winning theatrical treat, with music by Duncan Sheik and book/lyrics by Steven Sater, is based on the 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind.

The music in this production is completely unique—part rock, part folk. When this show first premiered in NY, I couldn’t listen to the CD. I just couldn’t get into it; the sound seemed strange, forced in a way, and not at all melodic. However, once I saw the show the first time and had some context for the music, I couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s brilliant.

There are many things that make this show a standout, starting with the choreography. Thanks to Bill. T. Jones, the cast is put through a very demanding workout at each performance—body parts flying, feet stomping, awkward dance steps and movement that seems, at times, almost violent. We see the young characters take out their frustration and anger through movement, and the energy is phenomenal.

Director Michael Mayer, has masterfully pulled Christine Jones’ set design, Kevin Adams’ lighting design, and Susan Hilferty’s costume design together in a magical and deliberate way. The simple, abandoned church-like set, is full of surprises. There are relics strategically placed on the back wall which at first glance, mean nothing—these are simple stage decorations. But during the show, one by one, these relics become highlighted and take on a much deeper meaning. At times, this subtlety is as haunting as the dark secrets that emerge through the music and the story.

The show is filled with anachronisms, in a delightful way. It is late nineteenth century Germany, yet the characters talk about, “turning up the stereo” and sing lines like, “Get real Jose, by now you know the score.”

There are several bright talents in this cast, starting with Blake Bashoff who plays the troubled and tragic Moritz. Bashoff brings incredible life and energy to the role and his rendition of And Then There Was None is both chilling and foreboding. Later, Don’t Do Sadness, a duet performed with Ilse, brilliantly played by Steffi D, allows both actors the freedom to be completely expressive in a performance that feels almost out of control. The irony is that both actors are in complete control, and every spontaneous gesture is extremely measured and perfect.

Jake Epstein, as Melchior, shines in Totally Fucked. Epstein’s co-star Christy Altomare is an innocent and vulnerable Wendla. Together they become a sweet couple who explore love, pain, and each other.

Spring Awakening is extremely complex. Typically, when I see a show, I have tremendous recall for abstract elements—lighting cues, timing, the location of entrances and exits, how and when scenery moves, etc. I credit my years as a stage manager for being able to recall specifics about actor movement and choreography. However, with Spring Awakening, I am challenged and can only recall a few moments. Throughout the show my senses became so overwhelmed, my eye struggled to know where to focus next. But that didn’t matter much because anywhere I looked, I saw theatrical magic—whether it was an actor somersaulting across the stage, a student vigorously berating his teacher only inches from his face, or the person next to me pulling a microphone out of his vest pocket and becoming part of the action.

Spring Awakening is not for everyone. It can be vulgar, abrasive, raw and gritty. It can also be warm, innocent, and sweet. For me, the best of all theatrical events mixes all of these elements to touch its audience. Spring Awakening doesn’t just do that, it excels at it.

A Giant, a Princess, and a Queen … and other tales of the theatre

I’m back.

Sorry for the lengthy delay in new posts, but I’ve been busy! Since I’ve been renovating my house, I’ve had more than enough excuses to get out and see some theatre, but haven’t had the time (or energy) to write about them. I’m woefully behind in my reviews, so I’ll give you mini-reviews of the nine shows I caught in June. I’ll be back on track in July, starting with Spring Awakening at the Kennedy Center.

Giant – Signature Theatre (VA)
Giant, based on the 1956 film of the same name, was billed as a “Texas-Sized Musical.” It was a monstrosity of a production weighing in at almost 4 hours. This show is best described by the words of a friend who also saw it, “There was enough material in that show to make 3 bad musicals.” I couldn’t agree more—although, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected.

Turandot-Washington National Opera (DC-Kennedy Center)
Who decided it would be a good idea to ask opera singers (already known for overacting) to do a Kabuki-style Turandot? The result was a production with performances so over-the-top that is was difficult to watch, including a Princess who was just downright laughable.

Hedwig & the Angry Inch-The Warehouse (DC)
I had such high hopes for this production. The cast and creative team of this tale of this German “girlyboy” who suffers a botched sexchange, hails from my alma mater, the North Carolina School of the Arts. I expected the production to be wonderful—filled with talented new-comers. Maybe we would see the work of the next Joe Mantello or Mary-Louise Parker. Well … ok…maybe this was an off year for NCSA. This was not their best work. (Sorry Pickles.)

Arcadia – Folger Shakespeare Theatre (DC)
Outstanding. Never have I seen Tom Stoppard’s work take on so much life and energy. The cast including Holly Twyford was absolutely top-notch. Finally, after a run of a few bad shows in a row, someone hit one out of the park!

Looped—Arena Stage (DC-Lincoln Theatre)
Valerie Harper stars as Tallulah Bankhead. The show started strong—when she made her first entrance, the audience wanted to love her. But after an hour of witnessing a recording session where Tallulah is trying unsuccessfully to record her one line for one of her films, I was ready to give up on Looped. I really just wanted to go grab a drink and a snack with her sister, Brenda.

The Last Cargo Cult (DC-Woolly Mammoth Theatre)
Mike Daisey, the noted monologist was in town recently. I got to experience a rare treat. He appeared for one night only at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre to debut his newest work, The Last Cargo Cult. Daisey is genius and demonstrated his master story teller ability in this first telling of his new monologue. Woolly has announced that this piece will be in their next season—tickets are on sale now and I urge you to buy quickly. Mike Daisey has a huge fan base and the run will sell out.

Fever/Dream-(DC-Woolly Mammoth Theatre)
What a joy! This fast-paced romp through the ugly underbelly of corporate America was a theatrical treat. Everything about it—performances, direction, design—perfect. I absolutely loved it.

A Fox on the Fairway (VA-Signature Theatre)
It’s a rare treat to see a staged reading of a brand new play by a noted playwright, read by a first-rate cast, and directed by Tony Award-winning director. Such was the case when I saw the premiere reading of A Fox on the Fairway, by Ken Ludwig (Lend me a Tenor), as directed by John Rando (Urinetown). The experience was better than the play, which was read for an audience for the very first time. With some strategic edits, Ludwig will have another hit. I’m betting that Signature Theatre scores the official premiere.

Design for Living (DC-Washington Shakespeare Theatre)
Ugh … another drawing room comedy. This pointless story features uneven acting at best, and bad acting at worst. A lobby sign indicated the running time as 2 hours and 50 minutes. The performance started on-time, and nearly 3 and a half hours later we finally hit the curtain call. What a mess! The best part of this experience was the tapas and beer at Jose Andres’ Jaleo next door—and even that didn’t make up for having to sit through this show.

Now you’re up to date. Next up on the show list, Spring Awakening at the Kennedy Center.

REVIEW: Rent

Everything is RENT

No matter how many times you experience it, RENT is an American musical classic. In my case, seeing the new tour of RENT at the Warner Theatre meant experiencing the show for the 15th time. Seeing it this time however meant that, for the first time, I would see a performance with two of the original stars, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. Of course, both performers starred in the film version of RENT, but this would be my first time seeing them live onstage.

Honestly, I expected to be disappointed. I expected to see two actors playing characters far too young for them. After all, they were the originals in 1996—13 years ago. At that time, they were age-appropriate for Mark and Roger. How could they possibly still be right for these roles? Having recently experienced an aged Ted Neeley in his pathetic star turn in Jesus Christ Superstar at this same theatre, I had good reason to be skeptical.

I was surprised and delighted to see that Rapp and Pascal could still pull it off. They looked great, sounded great, and for the most part seemed completely engaged in the show. Only once or twice did Pascal appear to be exhibiting a “just get me through this” mentality. They seemed genuinely committed—committed to their roles, committed to the show, and committed to giving this rock concert-like (and capacity) audience a great performance.

Each time I see RENT, I see something different. The show is layered with content and subtext, the staging complex, and the subtleties rich. Tonight I realized that during the ballad Without You, Angel, Mimi, and Roger take turns on the hospital bed with an IV next to it—a brilliantly simple and effective demonstration of the never-ending and random hospital visits that someone with AIDS faces. And, when Mimi is trying to seduce Roger, she is parroting the same words from the HIV support group, “No day but today.”

This time, I took a friend who had never experienced RENT. She didn’t see it on Broadway or any of the tours to the DC area. She even managed to escape seeing the film. After the show, the first thing she said was, “Can we see it again?”

When RENT first hit the NY stage, I kept the cast recording in my car CD-changer for well over a year. I was completely obsessed with the music and it became a vital part of my life. Having seen the show several times on Broadway, many times in cities across the country, and even London’s West End production, it remains one of my favorite shows of all time. In fact, when the Broadway production announced its closing, I made the journey back to New York for one final visit with my friends in Alphabet City.

Seeing this tour was a sweet reminder of who these friends are. It made me realize again, how much I miss Maureen, Joanne, Roger, Mark, Tom, Benny, Mimi and of course Angel. They will be with me forever. And, the CD set is now back in my car.