There is a celebration in town—a revival of sorts—a celebration of heritage, faith, and symbolism.
Each night, at Washington, DC’s legendary Lincoln Theatre, six women and one man unite to create a rafter raising performance of Regina Taylor’s Crowns.
As part of Arena Restaged, a two year multi-venue festival of American Voices, Arena Stage brings us its fourth mounting of this Washington, DC favorite. And I have to confess, even through four mountings, this is my first experience seeing this exuberant musical.
Crowns is a fascinating piece. There is minimal storyline—young troubled teen, played by new-comer Zurin Villanueva, loses her brother to street violence in the big city, and is sent to live with her Southern grandmother where she learns what it means to be an African American woman. It sounds simple, and it is. But the story is really just a device to allow the music to take the stage.
Once she arrives in the South, a chorus of five strong black women, each with a story, and each with a poignant connection to her heritage, teach her everything she needs to know. Through chorus gospels and spiritual solos, these women give us the music. And their gift is powerful. The gospel rock sound pulls you along and before you know it, you are clapping and tapping right along with the cast. The cast is so energetic you can’t imagine them performing eight times a week, or at least, not eight performances at this same vigorous and joyous level.
E. Faye Butler is a standout. Her wise and sassy Mother Shaw leads the cast and offers a show-stopping performance in several of her numbers. Likewise, Natasha Yvette Williams is brilliant as Mabel. When she is in the background, you can barely take your eyes off of her. She is just fun to watch. And when she takes center stage to share her rules for wearing a hat, her comic timing is perfection. When she screams, “Don’t touch the hat!,” you know that you’d better heed her warning. And as the only male in the cast, Phillip Boykin plays multiple characters. His ability to convey emotion is tremendous, and his lush, deep voice is sublime.
However, the real star of Crowns is … well … the crowns. The numerous hats that appear in this production range from African-inspired to feathered to sequined to straw and felt. These creations, conceived by costume designer, Austin K. Sanderson are stunning and at times steal the show. In full disclosure, Austin was a friend in the mid-80’s when he lived across the hall from me at the North Carolina School of the Arts. I knew him well. Even back then, Austin had a penchant for over the top fashion, and in Crowns he has found the perfect vehicle for his amazing talent.
By the end of the 90 minute performance, you are exhausted and inspired. You have a better understanding of the importance of family, of heritage, and of finding one’s self. Crowns beckons its audience to take a deep look within, and when you give in, you emerge richer for it.
Crowns, by Regina Taylor, adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry, continues its run at the Lincoln Theatre through April 26, 2009.
Jesus, PLEASE Take This Heel (with apologies to Carrie Underwood)
The Warner Theatre in Washington, DC often attracts short-run, non-union tours. Those two disclaimers alone do not automatically mean bad theatre. However, in the case of the currently running non-equity tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, bad does not begin to describe it.
Let me just start by saying I like Andrew Lloyd Webber. I always have. I love Phantom of the Opera, I took my family to see Cats (more than once), and I list Starlight Express as one of my favorite shows of all time. Jesus Christ Superstar is a classic. I grew up listening to the Original Cast Recording, and the Original Soundtrack of the film that followed. I like this show.
I did not however, like this production. More specifically, I did not like Ted Neeley who stars as Jesus.
Neeley was in the original 1971 Broadway cast where he played a Leper and understudied the role of Jesus. According to the Internet Broadway Database, this is his only Broadway credit. However, Neeley was selected to star as Jesus in the 1973 film version of JCS. Since that time, according to a recent Washington Post interview, Neeley has been traveling the world as Jesus in one production or another of Superstar. Over time, he seems to have slowly convinced himself that he IS in fact, Jesus Christ—or at a minimum, he seems to feel he was destined to play the role. I find this odd, since, in 1971 Neeley was simply a struggling actor going from audition to audition, finally landing his big break as a leper in a Broadway show.
The man is 66 years old—twice as old as Jesus was at crucifixion. While I support unconventional casting, Neeley’s age is so distracting it becomes difficult to watch. Perhaps his age would be less of an issue if the rest of the cast was also mature. But, the other actors were age-appropriate, further exaggerating Neeley’s age.
Neeley comes across as an actor who has banked his entire life on doing this role over and over and over. Onstage, Neeley displays no emotion. He meanders through the staging and seems lost most of the time. In fact, he has even developed his own style of “covering” when he has no idea what else to do. He simply stops wherever he is (usually center stage), turns to the audience, and begins having a silent pantomimed conversation with an invisible person (presumably God). This ridiculous pantomime happens so many times it becomes comical—at least 20 times—and I am not exaggerating for effect.
But his most egregious misstep is his vocals. He destroys the music. Everything he sings is either screamed or sung at a painfully slow tempo as if to milk every last note.
It’s a shame that Neeley is so bad in the show, because the rest of the cast is actually quite good. Judas, played by James Delisco is captivating. But his energy and passion (and incredible vocals) can’t make up for the damage Neeley does. Keep an eye on Delisco however. Because when this tour is over, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him.
Neeley is not the only flaw in this production. Dallett Norris, the show’s director, deserves a great deal of the blame. He should have reigned in Neeley. But Norris’ vision of the show is also skewed. Part of the magic (and controversy) of the original production is that you never really see Jesus performing miracles. His “fame” comes from word of mouth and he neither denies nor confirms it. It’s a masterful subtlety that allows the theatergoer to make decisions for himself. This production, however, starts with Jesus bringing a man back to life. From the opening scene, there is no question about his powers—the audience is force-fed a single point of view. The result is that this Jesus Christ Superstar becomes nothing more than a bad Passion Play.
I left the theatre thinking how horrible it must be to be an actor in this show alongside the out of control Neeley, especially when you know how bad he is and how much better the show would be without him. Unfortunately, he has turned what should be an electrifying production, into a smalltown church bathrobe drama.
Jesus Christ Superstar continues its run in Washington through Sunday, March 22.
If you were a producer and someone suggested that you mount a 25-year old show, you might feel the need to clean it up, modernize it, add new songs, or change things just to try to freshen the show. You might feel that you need to think outside the box to help the show resonate with a modern audience, or alter the story-line to make it as relevant as it was when it first opened.
Fortunately, the producers of A Chorus Line, currently running at Washington DC’s National Theatre did none of those things. And it works.
Everything about the revival works. Tharon Musser’s original lighting design, adapted by Natasha Katz, makes for a dramatic evening of theatre. Theoni V. Aldredge’s costumes look as fresh as they did in 1975 when the show landed on Broadway. But the genius of the show is, and always was, Michael Bennett, whose direction and choreography lives on in the capable hands of Baayork Lee and Bob Avian.
Lee and Avian know A Chorus Line. Lee was the original Connie in the Broadway production, as well as the Dance Captain and Assistant to Bennett, and Avian was originally credited as Co-Choreographer. Every magical moment that Bennett created is here, from the opening rehearsal piano count off to the moment when the orchestra kicks in and the stage explodes in dance, to the iconic image of the line—each performer holding his or her headshot squarely in front of his or her face.
When that breathtaking image arrives, seemingly spontaneously, the electricity transcends the confines of the proscenium.
Since the show opened on Broadway in 1975, there have been many National Tours, bus and truck companies, college and community productions. When A Chorus Line closed on April 28, 1990 after a record-breaking 15 year run, a revival was only to be expected. This tour is truly exceptional. The energy is there. The performers convey the urgency and passion that any young performer must have to make it on Broadway. However, at the performance I saw, the role of Paul, a young gay Latino dancer with a heart-wrenching story to share, was played by an understudy who was not up to the task. Paul is a critical role in the show. His legendary speech has become iconic in Broadway history, and his knee-injuring accident onstage is the impetus for the classic ballad, What I Did for Love. This young actor labored through the monologue and seemed to be struggling to remember his lines. The result was a performance where the audience felt sympathy for the actor and not the character.
But the show’s weakness of this one character is made up for in spades by the overwhelmingly solid performances delivered by the rest of the cast. Sebastian Le Cause’s Zach, the Director, is unforgiving and demanding, yet shows his sensitive and vulnerable side. Sheila, the aging Diva, is played to perfection by Shannon Lewis. Judy, an often unforgettable character, is memorably played by Bethany Moore. And the down on her luck Cassie, the one-time love interest of Zach and played by Robyn Hurder, spares nothing in her breathtaking Music and the Mirror solo dance.
Overall, the cast suffered from pitch problems one rarely hears in a production of this caliber. It almost seemed as though the sound monitors, permitting the performers to hear the orchestra, was malfunctioning. And of course, that could very well have been the case, as Washington audiences have come to expect poor sound quality at the National Theatre. At this performance, there was an unnecessary amount of popping and static, and in at least one case, a completely missed mic cue. The years have been good to A Chorus Line. And it was truly a joy to live for two hours and ten minutes in the lives and dreams of those young performers.
A Chorus Line continues a limited run at the Washington National Theatre only until March 22.
CROWNS – A REVIVAL FOR THE STAGE
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