Primary Trust

Off-Broadway, Play May 30, 2023 Leave a comment

I usually don’t make my reviews personal, but my experience while watching Primary Trust and the themes within this gorgeously crafted play are inexorably intertwined.  With gentle brushstrokes, Eboni Booth introduces us to 38 year old Kenneth, one of the few Black people living in Cranberry, a suburb of Rochester, New York.  His ethnicity is only a minor contributor to Kenneth’s isolation.  Having lived an extremely restricted life since the death of his mother when he was only ten, Kenneth’s coping mechanisms are intricate and ritualized.  But somehow his idiosyncrasy has left him uniquely suited to meeting people at their own level.

There is a deliberate “let’s pretend” quality to the entire production.  From the opening moments, Kenneth speaks directly to us in his halting and self-reflecting style.  Long thoughtful pauses rest between effervescent bursts of storytelling.  All the activity comes with musical accompaniment composed by Luke Wygodny, punctuated by the ding of an “order up” bell.  Marsha Ginsberg’s whimsical scenic design takes the phrase “small town” and makes it literal, including a miniature church, bank, and big box store alongside Wally’s, the tiki bar that serves as Kenneth’s sanctuary.  Lighting by designer Isabella Byrd leaves long shadows on the ground well before winter sets in.  Costume designer Qween Jean employs a more muted color palate than her signature style until an essential jacket makes its appearance at a pivotal moment. Two actors play multiple roles, sometimes barely turning around before switching.  Yet the play is never anything less than genuine and heartfelt.  The entire audience was sufficiently swept up to respond emotionally to every turn.

William Jackson Harper is utterly perfect as Kenneth, balancing warmth, vulnerability, fear and heart.  It’s Harper’s first stage appearance since 2017 and it was my first live theater attendance since March of 2020.  Previously, theater played a major role in my life.  Many of my friends come from that world and it was often the way I entertained others.  Vacations have been planned around seeing a specific work or actor. The temporary loss of that pursuit was profound.  But Primary Trust is all about bringing people in.  At its core is the celebration of coming out of seclusion.  To have Kenneth welcome me as a member of the audience into his life could not have been more impactful. And though I don’t have much more in common with the character, I do share his deep belief in the power of one good friend.

Jay O. Sanders, William Jackson Harper, and Eric Berryman; photo by Joan Marcus

Director Knud Adams, who often works with new material, delicately mines Booth’s script, uncovering the layers of joy, sorrow and hope. Providing support and stability for Kenneth is his best friend Bert, played with sweet good nature by Eric Berryman.  Jay O. Sanders seems to be having the time of his life portraying (among other characters) Kenneth’s two very different bosses.  The first — the owner of a bookstore— has the difficult task of laying Kenneth off after twenty years of a comfortable relationship.  The loss of his job shatters the comfortable if confining structure of Kenneth’s life, and the chink of light shining through the holes is both frightening and filled with possibility.  Helping Kenneth step through the gap is April Matthis’s Corinna, the only one of a multitude of Wally Waiters who wants to see Kenneth as more than an eccentric customer.  Completing the ensemble is a Musician played by understudy Paul Lincoln in the performance I attended.  So essential is he in setting the beat and tone, that Mr. Lincoln received his own loud round of applause.

Roundabout has obviously worked to make this production inclusive.  The company offers clear and sensible guidelines to audience members and the staff makes themselves very available to help.  To get you in the mood for what is to come, the lobby has been decorated to resemble a tiki bar, complete with projected fish tank and artificial grass.  The ticket confirmation warns audience members not to arrive late.  I can only reemphasize their strong recommendation.  Missing any of the first few minutes of the show will leave you with quite the wrong impression of what is transpiring.

Primary Trust is a work of true beauty.  It was nurtured at the 2021 Ojai Playwrights Conference and is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.  Running time is an absorbing 95 minutes with a realistic denouement.  It is playing at the Laura Pels Theater in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street) through Sunday, July 2.  (Note that Harper is out the weekend of June 9.)  Tickets start at $56.  $4.95 COVID cancelation insurance is available.  Visit www.roundabouttheatre.org for additional information including special performances.

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College Fun

Comedy, Fund-raiser, Off Off Broadway May 22, 2023 Leave a comment

When I heard there was a theater troupe called the Frog & Peach, I simply had to see what they were up to.  Though they were founded in large part to make Shakespeare more accessible to a broad audience, their most recent production, College Fun, is a 35 minute long sharp-edged satire written by founding company member Ted Zurkowski.  With its setting at an elite university in Southern California and its relentless puncturing of a certain brand of authority figure, it reflects many of the qualities of Beyond the Fringe, the innovators of the routine about the world’s most revolting restaurant.

A lifetime member of The Actors Studio, Mr. Zurkowski has recently been focused on the musical portion of his career.  It would appear that for the creation of College Fun, he drew on his past experience as a teacher of theater history. The objects of his ire are those in the education community who employ the language of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion without embracing or even understanding the movement.  Buzz words like “unpack,” “curate,” and “thought leader” are tossed around as if their mere use can take the place of their intended, beneficial goals.  

The cast features DazMann Still as the Everyman Teacher appropriately named Professor Jones, a black member of the theater department who who has somehow triggered one of his rich white students.  Alyssa Diamond’s wildly inappropriate Dr. Ram is the first to confront him, though she won’t even tell him the nature of the offense or who filed the complaint.  Filling in some of the blanks is Jonathan Reed Wexler as the over-the-top flamboyant Dr. Queeg.  It falls to the questionable power figure Dr. Pane, portrayed by Anuj Parikh, to complete the increasingly ridiculous picture. 

DazMann Still, Anuj Parikh, Alyssa Diamond and Jonathan Reed Wexler in College Fun

The one-night performance of College Fun was made possible in part by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. It was staged at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, a 145 seat house in the West Side YMCA near Lincoln Center.  As explained on the Frog & Peach Theatre’s website, the charming co-founder Lynnea Benson was chosen as the director because she’s the “least hammy and most wily” among them.  She made use of the physicality of her actors and a well-chosen wardrobe to give color to the simple set of a few wooden chairs, two tables, and a sad potted plant as background.  Diamond, Wexler, and Parikh previously worked together in the company’s production of As You Like It, giving them a familiarity that is useful to Still as his character navigates a progressively surreal landscape.  At key points, Professor Jones speaks directly to the audience as if to acknowledge that any discussion with his idiotic interrogators is pointless.

Zurkowski and Benson are now developing a new work, Verbatim, with Estelle Parsons and Austin Pendleton, so stay tuned.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Comedy, On Demand May 15, 2023 1 Comment

Conceived in 2008 by students at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and nourished during an Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Olivier Award winning Mischief Theatre has made being silly into a sincere mission.  Their Goes Wrong… series has won dedicated fans around the English-speaking world.  Fortunately for those who don’t have one of their creations nearby, several of their plays are available for streaming.  Just added to the line-up is Peter Pan Goes Wrong, the kind of crowd pleaser that gets nominated for three Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards.  

The performance on BroadwayHD originally aired on BBC1 on New Years Eve of 2016. It features David Suchet as the narrator, a role currently portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris in the Broadway production that was inspired by this special.  Using five cameras, the show was filmed in front of a very enthusiastic and in-the-know live audience. Director Dewi Humphreys made use of the television studio setting to add comedic elements. Close-ups that reinforce the physical gags are the trade-off for not being able to take in the entire stage.  The colorful staging earned a lighting award for designer Martin Kempton.  

A zesty example of Mischief’s body of work, Pan stars David Hearn, Henry Lewis, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shield, and Nancy Zamit who are still with the company.  Current members in smaller roles are Harry Kershaw, Bryony Corrigan and Mike Brodie.  The ensemble is rounded out by Chris Leask, Ellie Morris, Adam Meegido (who directed the original stage version), Greg Tannahill.  It is hard to single out any one performer since they are so interdependent.  But my admiration is boundless for Zamit who flies through more than just Tinkerbell with the aid of break-away costumes by Roberto Surace.  Songs by Mischief’s Rob Falconer and Richard Baker remind us of the shear talent of this troupe.

Nancy Zamit, Greg Tannahill, and Dave Hearn in Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Mischief members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields liberally adapted J.M. Barrie’s story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up.  Their loose interpretation opens backstage where Suchet introduces us to the fictional Cornley Drama Society mockumentary style, providing background for jokes that will unfold over the course of the show.  Some of the well-known story elements remain: Peter Pan comes to the Darlings’ home to retrieve his shadow.  The children fly away with him to Neverland where the nasty Captain Hook seeks revenge for the loss of his hand to a crocodile.  But as the piece’s title would suggest, the production is plagued by issues from actors who forget their lines to designer Harry Banks’s fanciful sets that don’t work as intended.  It is quite a feat to pretend to be so terrible while being genuinely funny.  Even when you sense a set-up, the pay-off is always somewhere to the left of what you expected.  Several bits have their origins in “panto,” a comedic British theatrical form that uses well-known fairytales and encourages the audience to shout out to the players.  Some reactions were practiced, but one particularly witty off-the-cuff heckle was left in the final cut.

With a run-time of just over an hour and an emphasis on physical humor, Peter Pan Goes Wrong is a true family entertainment.  Also available on BroadwayHD are The Goes Wrong Show —12 half hour episodes — and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong co-starring the magnificent Diana Rigg and Derek Jacobi.  You can learn more at https://www.broadwayhd.com/categories/recently-added.

Chicken & Biscuits

Comedy, Off Off Broadway, Play, streaming May 8, 2023 Leave a comment

Theatre Squared continues to make their season available to a nationwide audience with a lively recording of their opening night of Douglas Lyons’ family dramedy Chicken & Biscuits.   It’s another cohesive and enjoyable ensemble production from the Fayetteville, AK based non-profit and winner of a special 2022 Obie Award. 

I saw a Zoom reading of the work in March of 2021.  As was typical of that time and medium, it was messy, but I enjoyed the interrelationships and the realistic tension between characters.  In its final form, the story unfolds almost entirely in one-on-one conversations, so it doesn’t flow so much as interconnect.  Many of the rough edges have been sanded down so that the understandable conflicts are aired and settled at an almost unnatural pace.   But the comedic exchanges and not-so-gentle ribbing remain in place.  Whether you will find this satisfying or frustrating depends on how much you value resolution over the journey to get there.

Baneatta and Beverly are two dramatically different sisters brought together by the death of their much-loved father.  It is clear from Baneatta’s opening prayer that the siblings are poles apart in style, attitude, and social position.  Quite simply, they drive each other crazy.  They even compete over who can feel more grief over the loss of a parent.  A gap between expectation and reality divide the other family members as well: mothers and children, sister and brother, partners and parents.  But the snipes stem more often from wanting the target to have the best life possible rather than deliberate viciousness.  As one character observes, “miscommunication ruins a lot of love.” 

Director Denise Chapman digs as deeply as she can to find the heart and humanity of each personality.  The vivacious cast brings a warm energy to the entire proceeding.  Robert Denzel Edwards is a stand out as Kenny, in part because his character is given the most vivid speech about his inner life.  With his sincere ability to listen, Edwards helps Justin Mackey as his white Jewish boyfriend Logan and Candace Jandel Thomas as Ken’s wounded sister Simone shine in their scenes togethers.  In another sequence, Maura Gale as Brianna covers 40 years of emotional history, providing a strong core to the plot and perhaps the toughest role.  She plays well against Kathy Tyree and Tameka Bob, respectively keeping Baneatta and Beverly in their defined lanes.  Michael A Jones lends solemnity as Baneatta’s husband Reggie, while Jordan Taylor sits on the other end of the spirit seesaw as Beverly’s Tik Tokking daughter La’Trice.

Photography at Theatre2 of Kathy Tyree and Tameka Bob in Chicken & Biscuits, Fayetteville, Arkansas on April 4, 2023.

As usual for T2, the artistic team supports the overall vision while keeping budget in mind.  Working almost entirely in black, costumer designer Devario D. Simmons gives us terrific textural queues about each character’s dominant qualities.  Marie Laster’s airy church set dominated by a rose window, illuminated cross and arched doorways creates a flexible space that is defined and refined by Athziri Morales’s soft lighting.  

According to American Theatre Magazine, Chicken & Biscuits was the 2nd most performed play across the USA in the 2022-23 season (right behind Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage).  The banter and relatability make for a pleasant viewing experience and sometimes that’s just what’s needed in these psychically exhausting times.  It runs though May 14 at TheatreSquared (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville).  Live performances are at 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday with 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday.  Digital streamers are available for 24 hours beginning at noon Central Time on the selected date.  Customer service is first rate.  Tickets run from $20-$54 and can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.

From The Mint Vault — Days To Come

Off-Broadway, On Demand, Play March 19, 2023 Leave a comment

“Lost Plays Found Here.”  So says The Mint Theater punningly about their mission.  Founded in 1992 by Artist Director Jonathan Bank, the company gives new life to neglected plays primarily from the 1930s.  Always polished, frequently charming, and often stunningly relevant, the line-up has included The Voysey Inheritance by Harley Granville-Barker, Rachel Crothers’ A Little Journey, and several works by the nearly forgotten Teresa Deevy.  They have made their home in several comfortable venues around Manhattan, most recently City Center and Theater Row.  

Financially slammed like every other small theater during COVID, The Mint occasionally opens their vault of recorded shows as a passive income stream.  Their current offering is the intense drama, Days to Come.  Written by Lillian Hellman between two better known plays — The Children’s Hour and Little Foxes — the plot unfolds over the course of a month in 1936 during a strike against a factory in a small Ohio town.  Hellman chose to focus on the social impact the strike has on the close community.   She conducted interviews with workers and management of the Wooster Brush Company to help her create characters of depth and conviction without the aim of solving their issues.  Andrew Rodman, the owner, and Thomas Firth,  the most vocal of the workers, are friends.  Their long-term relationship makes their conflict more complex, especially when outside forces intervene.  As events unfold it becomes clear that simply knowing a person over time doesn’t guarantee you can anticipate their actions. 

Director J.R. Sullivan builds the tension between various pairs of characters, each with a distinct style and agenda.  Larry Bull is the heart of the show, imbuing Andrew with surprising sensitivity and self-awareness.  In contrast, Chris Henry Coffey’s Tom is all gut reaction.  Coming between them is Ted Deasy’s Henry Elliot, a lawyer who’s wealth and style mask a grimy interior.  In arguably the most difficult role, Mary Bacon successfully balances the symptoms of Andrew’s sister, Cora’s, mental illness with genuine if misguided concern.  The rest of the cast includes Janie Brookshire, Dan Daily, Roderick Hill, Betsy Hogg, Geoffrey Allen, Kim Martin-Cotten, Wendy Rich Stetson and Evan Zes.

Larry Bull, Chris Henry Coffey, Ted Deasy, Roderick Hill, and Janie Brookshire in Days to Come; Photo by Todd Cerveris

Recorded in August of 2018, the stream is very stable and there’s no log in process, though a valid email address is required.  Audio quality is excellent and subtitles easy to read. It is shot from the audience viewpoint with straightforward camera work which never distracts.  Costume designer Andrea Varga sets the tone with wonderful fabrics, which can be seen with increased clarity.   And even on a small screen, the Rodman’s living room designed by Harry Feiner is lush with decorative detail. 

The original Broadway production of Days to Come was a disaster.  The influential William Randolph Hearst stormed out and the run lasted a mere seven days.  While the work isn’t the most relatable or smooth of The Mint’s productions, it is well worth the two hour investment.  It’s available On Demand at https://minttheater.org/ free of charge though April 2.  A request for support will appear in the upper right hand corner at the end, by which time I hope you, too, are a fan.

Elaine Stritch At Liberty – On Demand

On Demand, West End February 28, 2023 Leave a comment

Elaine Stritch At Liberty is available to stream just in time for Women’s History Month.  A true dame in all the best connotations of that word, Stritch adds song-and-dance sparkle to deeply personal storytelling in her one-woman show.  This performance was captured at London’s Old Vic, where it played after development at New York’s Public Theater and a Tony-winning run on Broadway.  It received two Emmys when it ran in prime time nearly 20 years ago and is a gift to her fans and anyone else with a love of show business.

Elaine Stritch at Liberty was recorded at The Old Vic in London

The intro is so stuffed with detail, it’s hard to believe there’s more to tell.  Costumed in a man’s dress shirt, dark tights, and dance shoes selected by designer Paul Tazewell, Ms. Stritch shares life stories from her sheltered Catholic upbringing in Michigan through her early acting classes in New York to her professional experiences on stage and in film and television.  New Yorker Magazine staff writer and theater critic John Lahr developed the script under Stritch’s watchful eye.  (The credits describe their collaboration as “Constructed by” and “Reconstructed by” respectively.)   Monologues are arranged to provide a constant shift in mood.  There’s a farcical account of a time she had a significant role in an out of town production concurrent with serving as understudy to the great Ethel Merman on the Great White Way.  But she is also brutally honest about her history with alcohol and less-than-wise choices of lovers.  Over her 50 years in the industry, she had brushes with many stars including Marlon Brando, Judy Garland, and Rock Hudson.  Though she is a clever mimic, many she mentions are not as well known to today’s audiences and those not immersed in theatrical lore might need to keep their IBDB page open.

Singing in more of a patter style, Stritch could still strut her stuff well into her 70s.  Jonathan Tunick mixes solo piano numbers reminiscent of Stritch’s sessions at the famed Carlyle Room with full orchestral pieces designed to bring down the house.  The expected songs from Ladies Who Lunch to Zip are all here, along with ones that played a role in her development into an unusual leading lady.  Some of the lyrics would not make the cut today and should be appreciated in context. 

Seasoned vet George C. Wolfe directed for the stage and gives life to the work even when Stritch is sitting still in a chair against a brick wall.  In an unusual agreement, five people have screen directing credit (documentary filmmaker Rick McKay along with Nick Doob, Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker, and Andy Picheta).  Certainly the visuals captured by a full complement of 11 cameras are varied given the intimate setting.  The differentiation of surroundings is further defined by the lighting design of Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer. 

At nearly 2 ½ hours long, Elaine Stritch At Liberty is a lot to take in, but so was the lady herself.  By turns funny, bitter, and vulnerable, she never wavers in her devotion to the path she chose.  The On Demand special is available beginning March 1, 2023 on BroadwayHD (https://www.broadwayhd.com/).

Pipeline – Streaming on Demand

On Demand, Play February 4, 2023 Leave a comment

Pipeline is one of those thrilling intimate dramas that pulls you into its core with genuine emotion and basic human truths.  Written by Dominique Morisseau and presented at Lincoln Center Theater one year after the completion of her famed trilogy, The Detroit Project, it won the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.  Every one of the well-drawn characters has an arguable viewpoint, proving that the most provocative and intelligent questions rarely have straight answers.

The entire cast of six is perfectly calibrated to provide an affecting high-energy 90 minute ride.  Each character is under pressure, but despite their shared sense of oppression they simply can’t manage to give each other a break.  The story opens on an earnest Karen Pittman as Nya, a teacher in a typically underfunded public school.  Although she is fiercely dedicated to creating relatable materials for her inner-city students, she has agreed to send her only child Omari —  an appropriately grave Namir Smallwood — to a private boarding school.  He is clearly bright enough to compete academically, but privilege isn’t contagious and Omari has been undone by the environment.  His long-brewing rage has boiled over during a lesson on Richard Wright’s Native Son, a controversial book often criticized for bolstering a destructive stereotype of young black men.

As mother and son work along their distinct paths in search of conflict resolution, we also meet two of Nya’s co-workers: Tasha Lawrence as a frustrated and mouthy white fellow teacher, Laurie, and Jaime Lincoln Smith’s Dun, a caring security guard who has history with Nya.  Providing some lightness to the mood is a delightfully sincere Heather Velazquez as Omari’s girlfriend, Jasmine.  Perhaps most critical to setting all the events in motion is Morocco Omari’s Xavier, Nya’s ex-husband who is out of step with both her and their son.

Namir Smallwood as Omari and Karen Pittman as Nya in Lincoln Center Theater’s Pipeline.

Thanks to a partnership between LCT and BroadwayHD, the work is currently available to viewers nationwide with rewarding results.  Blending recordings from August 22 and 24 of 2017, Habib Azar’s direction for the screen(from stage direction by Lileana Blain-Cruz) draws the audience even deeper into the profound rage and passing joys of the characters.  Significant details from a bandaid to a tremor are more visible in closeup.  The short scenes are keep flowing by using film clips as bridges.   Presented in three-quarter round with the audience as a classroom, this production also serves as an introduction to the jewel box of a house that is the Mitzie Newhouse.

The creative team has supported the required fast pace.  Scenic designer Matt Saunders defines the space with a wall of white washed concrete masonry and simple set pieces.  Location is further established using projections by Hannah Wasileski.  Yi Zhao’s variations of light and shadow along with Justin Ellington’s sound work together to increase emphasis of key moments.  

At a time when public schools are increasingly lacking in financial and community support, Pipeline draws sharp lines from a personal story to the bigger picture.  The questions it raises are sure to linger in your heart and mind long after the last curtain call.  In honor of Black History Month, Pipeline is featured with a stellar line-up that also includes 2010 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical, Memphis; American masterpiece, Porgy and Bess recorded in San Francisco’s splendid War Memorial Opera House; and the incomparable Audra McDonald in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.  Learn more by visiting https://www.broadwayhd.com/categories/celebrating-black-artists.

The Tempest – Bethesda and Streaming

On Demand, Play, streaming January 23, 2023 Leave a comment

The Tempest, thought to be one of the last plays written by William Shakespeare, is one of his most often reinterpreted.  A new adaptation by wordsmith Aaron Posner and slight-of-hand master Teller (of Penn and Teller), who also co-direct, brings the themes of perception, manipulation, and illusion to the forefront.  It is the magic of theater fully visualized.

The story swirls around Prospero whose evil brother, Antonio, has usurped his position as Duke of Milan.  Now living on an enchanted island with his teenage daughter, Miranda, Prospero has become a powerful magician served by an able spirit, Ariel.  The only other inhabitant of the island is Caliban, the vengeful misshapen son of a witch who feels the island is rightfully his.  Fate has brought Antonio’s ship close by, and Prospero whips up a storm.  With Ariel’s help, Prospero grounds the vessel and scatters those aboard onto the shore.  This proves to be the first step in his plan to regain his position and give his child the life she deserves.  If Ariel performs his tasks well, Prospero promises to free him and bury the book of spells forever.

Playwright Posner has done a skillful job of trimming the sprawling plot and making visible some aspects of the text that are more often just implied.  In the beginning, he illustrates long narrative passages by bringing the relevant people on stage to act out the descriptions.  This technique not only makes the play even more engaging, it helps newcomers keep straight the myriad characters and their interconnections.  

The circus-like atmosphere of the island — complete with grotesques of all sorts— is also made bolder by the first-rate cast.  Prospero (Eric Hissom in tumbling waves of anger, love, and self-awareness) is presented as a cross between a magician and a carnival ringmaster, with a wand rather than his customary staff.  Several traditional magic tricks are woven into the production, with the most gasp-inducing being a transformation of Prospero’s own costume.  Teller’s influence is most notable in the rendering of Ariel (a uniquely suited Nate Dendy) as soft of tone and palette, with quick hands and a mischievous nature.  Caliban’s twisted essence is portrayed by two intertwined muscular actors (the awesome pair of Hassiem Muhammad and Ryan Sellers) whose menacing limbs and animistic movement were choreographed by Matt Kent and Renée Jaworsk of the revolutionary dance company Pilobolus.  Two roles — the compassionate counselor Gonzalo (a stately Naomi Jacobson) and the delusional drunkard Stephano (a winking Kate Eastwood Norris) — have been gender flipped which deepens certain aspects of their characters.

Eric Hissom (Prospero) and Nate Dendy (Ariel) in The Tempest at Round House Theatre. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Posner and Teller have surrounded themselves with a creative team that brilliantly supports their special take on this classic.  The scenic design by Daniel Conway inventively blends painted backdrops framed in old-fashioned footlights with elements of a ship’s rigging.  The bluesy music of Tom Waits has been substituted for the songs from Shakespeare’s time, supplying a moody soundtrack that is vibrantly interpreted by Kanysha Williams and Lizzie Hagstedt as “goddesses” Juno and Iris.  (A third god, Saturn, usually played by Ian Riggs, was absent from the performance I saw.)  Andre Pluess’s sound design also incorporates critical musical effects that emphasize the action.  In addition to the men’s dapper suits, costume designer Sarah Cubbage has given Miranda (an exuberant Megan Graves) practical loose fitting overalls and outfitted the crooning Iris with an eye popping red bustier.

It’s thrilling to see the dreamy and poetic aspects of The Tempest translated into spellbinding visual imagery.  The live production at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre (4545 East-West Highway) is sold out, but streaming tickets are still available making the play accessible to a wider audience.  The simple three camera production can only be streamed from the Round House site, but the Vimeo platform is stable on most browsers and the sound quality is high even on a laptop.  (Nice size captions are also available.)  Runtime of the recording is 2 hours and 10 minutes, which makes for clean storytelling.  Tickets must be purchased no later than January 29 by calling 240.644.1100, ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org, or visiting the Round House box office.  On Demand access will be available until February 12.

Kiss Me Kate on BroadwayHD

Broadway, Comedy, Musical, On Demand, streaming January 14, 2023 Leave a comment

Wonderful news for those who missed the Tony Award winning 1999 revival of Kiss Me Kate.  Its sister 2001 West End production, nominated for 8 Olivier Awards, will arrive on BroadwayHD this Sunday, with a stellar creative team and four gifted stars in the leads.  Initially winning for Best Musical in 1949, Kiss Me Kate took home awards for Bella and Samuel Spewack’s  snappy script and Cole Porter’s witty songs, some of which might sound familiar even if you didn’t know their origin.  The original cast recording is so woven into our cultural fabric, it resides in the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.

The vehicle is a welcome addition for lovers of big splashy musicals since the action revolves around a big splashy musical.  It is the Baltimore opening night of a new musical production based on William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, conceived, directed and starring the dedicated but egotistical Fred Graham.  Despite their tumultuous relationship, he has asked his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi to play Katherine to his  Petruchio, hoping that her brief stint in Hollywood films will attract financial backers.  Graham has also started a flirtation with Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca.  She in turn is involved with cast member Bill Calhoun who, using Graham’s name, has racked up a large debt to a loan shark.  Viewers will benefit from doing as the song says and brushing up their Shakespeare in order to follow the threads from Taming of the Shrew as the focus swings back to the Fred and Lilli storyline.  Period should be kept in mind since many plot points hinge on way-pre-#metoo era behavior.

Captured during its London run and adapted by Michael Blakemore from his own stage work, the streaming production is flowingly directed by Chris Hunt using a team of 7 high-def cameras.  His mixture of perspectives never breaks the illusion that we are watching a proscenium stage.  This is particular noticeable during the flashy dance numbers set to songs that actually forward the story and character development.  In a twist, the theater audiences is used as Graham’s opening night house.  Captivating choreography by Kathleen Marshall makes the most of the skillful ensemble, blending slinky dance styles with pure athleticism. Scenic designer Robin Wagner defines sense of place by flattening the Shrew sets and coloring them in storybook fashion while keeping the representation of backstage realistic and stark.  All the better to bring out the brilliant detailing of Martin Pakledinaz’s Tony Award winning on and off stage wardrobes (particularly Lois’s peek-a-boo outfits) and Paul Huntley’s delightful wig and hat designs.  

Rachel York as Lilli/Katherine and Brent Barrett as Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate. Photo provided by BroadwayHD.

It is always thrilling to see a stage filled with a large company such as the ensemble of 13 who here play Graham’s troupe.  The cast members led by Broadway veterans Brent Barrett and Rachel York all sing clearly with nuanced interpretation.  Nancy Anderson and Michael Berresse as Lois and Bill give us the playful duet Why Can’t You Behave.  The two strong opening act numbers — Another Op’nin’, Another Show and  Too Darn Hot — feature Kaye E. Brown as Lilli’s assistant Hattie and Nolan Frederick as Fred’s man Paul.  Even Jack Chissick and Teddy Kempner as two gangsters have their moment in the spotlight’s glow.

Kiss Me Kate is engaging family entertainment in traditional style.  Director Hunt eliminates intermission and uses movie-like blackouts to replace scene changes, so runtime is cut to 2 hours and 27 minutes.  This streaming exclusive will be available to BroadwayHD subscribers beginning January 15, 2023.  Visit https://www.broadwayhd.com for pricing options.

MCC’s Space Dogs on BroadwayHD

Off-Broadway, streaming December 7, 2022 Leave a comment

Over the last few years in particular, streaming theater has developed into a genuine and distinct art form.  Done right, it marries the excitement of attending a singular event in person with a profound level of intimacy.  Many shows have traveled well from one medium to the other.  Some — like MCC’s Space Dogs — are arguably even better viewed up close and personal.

Developed and performed by actors/musicians Van Hughes and Nick Blaemire, Space Dogs covers in impressive detail the story behind the early days of the Space Race.  In order to learn the effects of lower gravity and increased radiation on life, Russia’s Sputnik program took 40 stray dogs off the streets of Moscow and used them for testing.  The most famous of these is Laika, who was the first animal to orbit the Earth.  But Space Dogs takes great care to honor each and every one of these four-legged heroines.  (Yes, they were all female.)

Anyone familiar with Laika’s story will be aware that this tale doesn’t have a happy ending.  However, there is still a great deal of joy to be experienced throughout the show’s 90 minute running time.  Against a six paneled projection wall designed by Stefania Bulbarella and Alex Basco Koch, the good-natured and talented duo guided by stage director Ellie Heyman fly through dozens of roles with high-energy and knowing winks.  Among his line-up, Blaemire gives gentle voice to Laika, an unwitting participant to scientific history. And as part of his array, Hughes takes on the role of Sergei Korolev, known contemporaneously only as The Chief Designer, portraying him as a man torn between his compassion for his trusting “volunteer” and the hectic pace and lack of funds imposed on him by Nikita Khrushchev and the Soviet State.  The dogs are wonderfully represented by malleable stuffed animals that have been given tremendous personality by creator Amanda Villalobos.  

The actors employ cameras and use miniatures and green screen in order to bring the audience into sections of their small scale fuzzy world.  It is these techniques that allow Joe Lukawski, who directed the production for the screen, to more easily expand the audience to include those of us from home.  Footage from the four main cameras in the theater are fluidly mixed with the direct feeds already integrated into the performance.  This level of rapport with our storytellers is a perfect match for a script built around secrets.  And the simple technical effects and stripped down props fit this unique lens.

Van Hughes, Little Gnat, Laika, and Nick Blaemire in MCC Theater’s 2022 production of SPACE DOGS; Photo by Daniel J Vasquez

Based on classified documents that were only released in 2002, the story of political intrigue — AND DOGS — is clear and enlivened with humor, making it appropriate for older children as well as adults.  The varied score with intricate lyrics incorporates rock, electronic dance, rap and ballads.  “A Brief History of Dogs” loudly celebrates those special supporting characters.  “Fill the Void” creates an enveloping soundscape worthy of outer space travel.  And “Fuzziest Loneliest” sung from Laika’s point of view presents a particularly poignant moment.  A taste of the full cast album is still available at https://mcctheater.org/tix/space-dogs/.

A thoroughly gratifying and impactful entry to the BroadwayHD library, Space Dogs manages to be not only informative but playful, and not just because of the dogs.  It can also serve to introduce a world wide audience to the marvelous MCC, one of New York’s leading nonprofit Off-Broadway companies.  Captured live in MCC’s Susan and Ronald Frankel Theater and available exclusively to BHD subscribers, this production was made possible through a collaboration with HMS Media.  The holiday rate of $99.99 for a full year of membership is available through December 8 ($129 after that date.) Visit https://www.broadwayhd.com for more information.