Dancap announces Toronto Musical Theater Tour Season 2012 October 17, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Broadway Tour, Entertainment, musical theater, Musicals, Travel.Tags: Dancap 2012, Ontario theatre, Toronto, Toronto Musical Theater Tours 2012
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Dancap announces their 2012 Musical Theater Touring Season in Toronto — Note that Dancap is the up-and-rising direct competitor to Mirvish Productions. Most of its productions are presented at the stellar Centre for the Performing Arts in North York (nee Ford Centre for the Performing Arts). Dancap is particularly known for its longterm sitdown productions such as Jersey Boys.
American Idiot – Dec 28, 2011 – Jan 15, 2012, Toronto Centre for the Arts
In The Heights – Feb 7 – 19, Toronto Centre for the Arts
West Side Story – May 8 – June 3, Toronto Centre for the Arts
Shrek The Musical – March 20 -April 1, Toronto Centre for the Arts
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – July 3 – 22, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Million Dollar Quartet – July 20-29, Toronto Centre for the Arts
A Christmas Story, the Musical – December 2012, Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
“Jersey Boys” tour as fresh as ever (East Lansing, Wharton Center) Review October 9, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Broadway Tour, Entertainment, musical theater.Tags: Jersey Boys, Jersey Boys tour
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Okay, granted, the Wharton Center is a bit late in the game with the Broadway tour of Jersey Boys which has been traveling around the country for years now…but the production currently appearing in East Lansing is as fresh as ever, with a fine cast.
Lead by Joseph Leo Bwarie (in the Frankie Valli role) and a very strong Preston Truman Boyd (as Bob Gaudio), the entire cast looks and sounds terrific (For the record, Michael Lomenda and Matt Bailey round out the quartet). The women are as strong as the men in this cast, and the vocal sound is top notch across the board. In fact, when Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons come to life in their big numbers, they sound better then the REAL Frankie Valli and company. Bravo.
The tour also has the virtue of having to adapt its sound system into hundreds of theaters in the past few years, hence they have it down to an art, and it sounds fantastic in the Wharton Center. No dead spots here. It sounds great.
The audience ate up the show. The cheering, clapping, and shouting start early in the evening, and raise to fever-pitch by show’s end by which time the audience is standing and dancing along.
If you have never seen Jersey Boys, it’s terrific as a show — the music is interwoven into a smart script that never gets too “musical” but never strays far from the roots of theater. The direction and choreography are sharp and work well in both more intimate as well as larger numbers. It’s a show that has found its popularity among those who don’t usually like musical theater. No tap-dancing and magic tricks here. Just pure, theatrical magic.
By all means, go visit these Jersey Boys…the show is as fresh as ever, and that’s saying a lot when its been as well-traveled. To quote Frankie, it just keeps “going and going like the Energizer Bunny”. You should go see it, too. If you’ve seen it before, you already know how terrific the show is, and this cast will win you over. If you’ve never seen it before, you are in for a treat.
Simply put, “The Light in the Piazza” at Encore is their best production to date (Review) September 8, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Ann Arbor, Broadway Musicals, Entertainment, musical theater, Musicals, Theatre.Tags: Adam Guettel, Encore Musical Theatre Company, The Light in the Piazza musical
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Take a superior score and script; add Encore’s strongest singing cast ever; stir in a new sound system and some terrific direction, and you have, quite simply, Encore Musical Theatre Company’s best production to date with “The Light in the Piazza”.
I have to disclose that I am partial to this show to begin with: many friends worked on the Broadway production both on the creative team and on stage. I saw it at the Vivian Beaumont a half a dozen times during it’s run. That being said, this cast is as strong as any I have seen in the show.
The production is Directed by Steve DeBruyne, Music Directed by Brian E. Buckner, Costumes are designed by Sharon Larkey Urick, Sets by Toni Auletti and Lighting by Matthew Tomich. I mention their names up front because it is their work that frames this sparkling production.
The action, played out on a sparse but lovely set, allows the actors to truly shine. And you have never heard a cast like this on the Encore stage. The very difficult score leans heavily toward legit voices (you know, opera voices for those of you not in the biz), and they sound fantastic on the new sound system that mixes the orchestra with the vocals.
I don’t want to give away too much of the storyline for those who don’t know. Suffice it to say it involves a mother (Barbara Scanlon) and her daughter (Stephanie Souza) who travel to Florence in 1953 and where the daughter finds love with a young Italian man (Brian L. Giebler). The will-they-or-wont-they romance plays out in a storyline that heaps levels of surprise and emotion in a deeply layered script that unfolds slowly over the course of the musical and leaves the audience as breathless as the cast by the end of the show.
Barbara Scanlon turns in a mesmerizing performance as Margaret Johnson, and Stephanie Souza plays her daughter Clara with aplomb. Brian Giebler as Fabrizio has a wonderful voice and stage presence to hold his own in a cast in which one cast member delightfully outshines the other throughout the evening. Scott Crownover plays a commanding Signor Naccarelli with Marlene Inman-Reilly turning on the vocal dazzlement as his wife. Sebastian Gerstner and Angela Kay Miller humorously play off of each other as the elder son and his wife. All smaller parts are played by an ensemble that includes Curt Waugh, Gil Bazil, Anne Bauman, Natalie Burdick, Lauren Conley, and Elliott Styles.
The vocal work here is dazzling — notes are hit and resound in the theater space which is superb for this type of show. The tone is exquisite — nothing is sharp, nothing is undertone…everything is right where it needs to be. The very difficult score includes large portions sung in Italian, often in counterpoint to English, and at times instantly alternating between the two. Adam Guettel’s lush score mixes contemporary romantic melodies with more adventuresome musical styles. This is a very difficult score and it is handled here expertly.
The requisite tears come — are they tears of sorrow? Or joy? Do you cry at a wedding? Or does something occur to throw it all out of balance. You’ll have to go see it for yourself, because it all plays out as well as any suspense story you’ve seen. From the romance of a hat blown through the air across a piazza, to the touching moments of a mother learning to come to terms with her own grief — it’s all there.
By all means see this. It is the best production Encore has done to date, and you will kick yourself if you don’t get a chance to experience it. Buy tickets for your parents. Send a pair to your grandparents. Take your husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/best friend. Go see it. I am personally getting tickets to see it again. I loved this production.
The Light in the Piazza continues through October 2nd. Tickets are available at the theater box office (3126 Broad Street, Dexter, MI) by calling (734) 268-6200, or online at www.theencoretheatre.org
The Book of Mormon…Catch Me If You Can…Sister Act…(Broadway, reviews) July 31, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Entertainment, musical theater, Musicals, Theatre.Tags: Catch Me If You Can musical, Sister Act musical, The Book of Mormon musical
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I can’t remember a time I spent a few days in NYC seeing musicals that there wasn’t at least one so-so show in the bunch…instead, all three musicals I saw this past weekend on Broadway were all excellent in their own ways, with their own strengths.
No doubt about it, Broadway’s hottest current ticket (and 9-time Tony winner) The Book of Mormon at the Eugene O’Neill theater is something else. It’s the strangest, dirtiest, and funniest musical I think you will ever see. And guess what — the tunes are hummable and pretty good!
The production is ensemble through and through, and while the leads are very strong, some of the ensemble members actually steal the show from time to time. And it’s meant to be that way. “Turn it Off”, a paean to repressed emotion, features the strongest song-and-dance sequence (although “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” comes pretty close too.) This is a show where the music and lyrics are so intricately integrated into the book, that the show virtually races from scene to scene and neither overpowers the other. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea; the show uses language that could make a sailor blush — but it’s all in good fun. Personally, it’s one of those shows where my parents would walk out minutes into the show — but it’s not designed for them, nor for the casual musical goer. Call this “South Park” for adults, humor run amuck. I loved every second of this deliriously funny musical. The merchandise stands do very swift business selling “Hasa Diga Eebowai” t-shirts. I suspect NYC schools will ban them this fall — the rest of the country needs to find out what that phrase means for themselves. You can get them online at bookofmormonbroadway.com/
A block north, Catch Me if you Can has taken up residence at the Neil Simon theater. This one is all about Norbert Leo Butz, who outperforms lead Aaron Tveit in every scene he is in. Not to say that Aaron isn’t very good — he certainly is (and he gets the requisite hoots and hollers when he takes his shirt off), but there is nothing in this show that can eclipse the Tony-winning performance by Norbert. If you saw his number on the Tony awards, you know he has energy to spare. But there is a lot of good going on this show, not the least of which are wonderful performances by Tom Wopat and Kerry Butler in supporting roles.
From music and lyrics to set design and costuming, this is a whiz-bang entertainment. The story works well in this musical setting, and it’s another great evening out for adults (I can’t imagine anyone under the age of 15 will be able to sit still for this one — it’s themes of self-creation, ego-disintegration, and self-centeredness require some maturity and life experience to fully appreciate.). The story unfolds slowly, in spectacular show-within-a-show fashion. You know how it ends. Getting there is what makes this so fun. And the direction (Jack O’Brien) and choreography (Jerry Mitchell) are about as fluid as you will find on Broadway right now. The production itself owes a lot to the revival of “Chicago” 14 years ago. The orchestra is on a tiered set onstage (a convention I don’t like in any production), and set pieces fly and pop-up through stage traps. Things run efficiently and very quickly to cover locals throughout the US and overseas. Had The Book of Mormon not raised it’s delerious head, this show would have won the Tony for Best Musical this year hands down.
And around the corner, Sister Act has what is sure to be a longterm home at the Broadway Theater. In a multi-million dollar production, the show is crowd-pleasing and family friendly (not something that can be said for most of the seasons other new shows).
The real find here is Patina Miller in the role created by Whoopi Goldberg. Her voice soars in the many gospel-cum-Broadway songs, and her stage presence in a force to be reckoned with….it’s the rare performer who can make someone like Victoria Clark (in a superb performance as the reverend mother) fight for her right to party. But she has had several years of experience stealing the spotlight: she also played the role on London’s West End where the show originated.
Granted, the storyline here is relatively thin — it’s up to the music and the very strong ensemble company to make this one shine. And shine it does. The crowd ate it up. You will too. Skeptics need not apply (see Book of Mormon instead).
Tickets for Catch Me If you Can and Sister Act are readily available online and at the box office. The Book of Mormon is another story altogether. I purchased my tickets while I was in NYC in December. The first good tickets I could find were this past weekend (in July). Tickets are on sale through 2012, and don’t expect to get any tickets for months – this is Broadway’s hottest ticket since The Producers, and because it isn’t reliant on specific “stars” it will continue to sell no matter whom is in the cast. By all means get tickets — just expect to wait.
“The Wedding Singer” – Dexter Community Players….or, how to make a community theater production look like a million bucks… July 27, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Entertainment, musical theater, Musicals.Tags: community theater, Dexter Community Players, The Wedding Singer musical
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I’ve just completed directing and choreographing a weekend run of THE WEDDING SINGER, the musical, for Dexter Community Players in Dexter, MI. Not to toot my own horn, but the single most heard comment in the audience (besides what a fun show) was how professional the show looked and sounded. This is not a review. This is a blog entry about what goes into directing a show that looks and sounds as professional as you can make it.
1. Make sure you have great leads — in this case, Andrew Buckshaw (Robbie Hart) is a musical theater student, sure to be a future Broadway performer. Katherine Kujala (Julia Sullivan) is a recent graduate of University of Michigan’s Opera program, already an established performer. Almost all of the supporting cast are or were musical theater, or vocal performance majors.
2. Keep the set simple, fast to move, and streamlined. In community theater, unless you have a half million dollar budget, you can’t even come close to approximating the multi-million dollar Broadway sets. So you do elements of them: you make sure that they fly and move quickly; and you make sure that the show doesn’t stop to wait for set changes. Use fades, not blackouts. Stack sets that fly behind each other. Have more than one person on flyrails so things can move at the same time. Enlist cast members in helping with set changes. Keep it moving.
3. Get the best orchestra and sound designer you can get. We had an 11-piece orchestra under the direction of John Tartaglia that was composed of a mix of music professionals and the very best students we could find. Nothing says “amateur theater” like a bad orchestra. So make sure that it is not. The orchestra was the single most expensive aspect of this entire production. It also sounded like a professional pit orchestra. You get what you pay for. Our sound designer (Patrick Schrock) is an expert in blending vocal sound on stage with rock music in the pit. If you can’t hear every word, you don’t have a show.
4. Simplify choreography. Make sure that you give the ensemble steps that they can perform — your show is as good as it’s weakest link. Your choreography can be brilliant, but if only a few cast members can perform it, you have nothing. Keep the steps simple, repetitive, and throw in some fun steps that they enjoy doing and will take the time to learn. In this case, I rewrote large portions of choreography before even teaching the steps.
5. Light it. Make sure you have a terrific lighting designer. Kent Sprague is a lighting design major at Wooster College in Ohio. Not only does he have an eye for good, focused lighting, but he has a playful sense of color and design. In a show where lighting substitutes for sets, at times, you better make sure that lighting looks fantastic.
6. Make sure you have the details right. If the show calls for a mirror ball, make sure you have a mirror ball. If water needs to cascade onto a cast member, make sure you have an effect that works on stage, and “reads” in the house. If a dumpster is your most important set piece, you better make sure that dumpster looks like a dumpster. If your leads need matching jackets, make sure they have matching jackets.
7. Expect to spend more money than you originally budgeted. Nothing comes in under budget. Ever. Build in a slush fund, or make sure that your design team has deeper pockets than your budget allows.
8. Surround yourself with the best staff you can get — from designers to techies, make sure you have the best people you can find to fill each important role. Have regular production team meetings. Even with the best intentions, expect some miscommunications and work together to resolve difficulties. Have a great producer (Francyn Chomic). Stay in communication with the Board.
9. Stay calm and enthused. Not every rehearsal is going to run as smoothly as you like. There will be plenty of drama that arises offstage. These are actors and “theater people” — expect it!…Stay calm, easy going, and confident.
10. Remember that this is community theater. People expect it to look and sound like community theater, based on their past experiences. When they see something that looks and sounds professional instead, you’ll stun them. In this case, the production really fell into the category of “pre-professional”, given the quality and experience of the staff and most of the tech crew. Pat yourself on the back for a job well-done, and hope the next production at the theater will maintain the same high caliber. Create a new benchmark with each show, and keep the quality up.
HAIRSPRAY at Croswell Opera House (Review) June 19, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Entertainment, musical theater, Musicals.Tags: Adrian, Croswell Opera House, Hairspray, MI
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Hairspray, the Tony winning musical with book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Music by Marc Shaiman, and Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman has quickly become the most overproduced musical in the current amateur musical circuit — at last count, this is the 28th or 29th production of it in the state of Michigan alone, with 14 more productions scheduled in the state through the end of the summer – And it’s no surprise that the show has become the darling of the community theater circuit: it has a large cast, more parts for younger folks than adults; and a peppy, upbeat 60′s infused pop score. It’s the Bye Bye Birdie of the new era.
But I can bet that none of them are as super as the production currently onstage at the Croswell Opera House in Adrian.
Leading the way are superb performances by every lead in this production. Bridget Harrington is a fine Tracy Turnblad. Lucas A. Wells a pitch-perfect Link Larkin. Eric Swanson is hilarious as Edna Turnblad, and every other supporting player here is in top form.
The set and lighting design are colorful, professional, and everything moves quickly under the direction of Chris Sancho-Beckman and dances appropriately under the choreography of Debra Ross Calabrese. There are a few minor quibbles — the turnbald household platform is a bit too large and a bit too downstage for several large numbers, making things a bit cramped. The sound varies depending on where you sit in the house — too far right and too far left, you’ll primarily hear the orchestra through the side proscenium speakers at the expense of the vocals. The center seems just about right.
The entire production sparkles and you’ll leave not only remembering the songs, but also the messages behind the show: and that is what has made this show work since its early days, and why it won those Tonys to begin with.
Hairspray continues at the Croswell Opera House through June 26th.
Les Miserables 25th Anniversary tour is, in a word, Perfect (Fisher Theater Detroit) – Review (Updated 11/11/11) March 26, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Broadway Tour, Detroit, Entertainment, musical theater, Musicals.Tags: Les Miserable 25th Anniversary TOur, Les Miserables, Les Miserables Tour 2011
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Sometimes you see a show, even a show that is now in it’s 25th year, and you just can’t describe it in any other way except “perfect” — such is the tour production currently on display at the Fisher Theater in Detroit.
With a finely-tuned ensemble cast; spectacular set design that out-Les Mis’s original turntable set; and sound and lighting design that are knockout spectacular, this is a Les Mis to be savored and enjoyed. The production breezes along at a fast-paced 2 hours 50 minutes of sheer Broadway spectacle.
The sell-out crowd at the Fisher was on its feet before the cast had even returned for their curtain call — and its well-deserved. Joe Tokarz (at today’s performance) sang a spectacular Jean Valjean. Andrew Varela turns in a commanding Javert. Betsy Morgan makes a straight-forward Fantine. Shawna Hamic and Michael Kostroff are delightfully nasty as the Thenardiers; Chasten Harmon plays a love-struck but not love-weakened Eponine; Jenny Latimer sings Cosette with lush clear tone; Jeremy Hays is a fine Enjolras; and Justin Scott Brown is one of the strongest performers I have ever witnessed play Marius — his growth from idealistic student to battle-hardened adult makes for a tremendous actors journey, and the audience eats it up.
This is a less-gimmicky Les Miserables than the original turntable production. (For the record, yes you DO miss seeing what’s on the other side of the barricade in what was one of the original productions most dramatic moments). Here clear white light is used instead for dramatic effect – and it works spectacularly.
This set design would have been impossible 25 years ago — projection and integrated lighting design have come that far in the quarter century since we first saw this show. There were audible gasps from the audience as the projection moves underground, into the sewers, through a chase sequence from shadow to shadow, chamber to chamber. The sequence from the Barricades through the sewers and then onto Javert’s suicide from the Pont on the Seine is pure theater magic. It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve seen on stage in many years.
Do not hesitate to go see this Les Miserables — even if you think you know this show inside out, you haven’t seen it like this. Not only re-imagined, the show feels as new and exciting as it did when it first arrived; you will thank yourself for going. This is riveting theater, and the best tour I have seen in a long long time. Hours later, I am still in thrall of what I saw this afternoon. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime cast and production that is simply stated “perfect.”
UPDATE 11/11/11 — Just a brief update — Les Miserables has returned to the SE Michigan area again, and is currently at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo. J. Mark McVey has returned to the part of Jean Valjean, and he is outstanding — his vocal performance is spectacular, and the new physicality of this production allows him to perform in ways he never did in his 2900 plus Broadway performances of Les Mis. He’s amazing. Unfortunately, the superb Justin Scott Brown in the Marius role has left the tour, and his replacement Max Quinlan is a Joe Jonas sound-alike/look-alike, and he does not bring the same qualities that Mr. Brown did to the part. He’s adequate, but not exceptional. The tour will also return to the area a third time this winter at the Wharton Center in East Lansing. If anything, the physical production of the show looks even better — everything looks tighter, moves faster, and sounds great. The show travels with its own sound system, so no matter where you see it, you will hear the high quality of these performers.
Stranahan Theater (Toledo) announces 2011-12 Season March 25, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Broadway Tour, musical theater, Musicals, Theatre.add a comment
Looks like a much better season at the Stranahan this coming season:
Les Miserables, November 8 – 13
My Fair Lady, Dec 15 – 18
Jersey Boys, Feb 7 – 26, 2012
Beauty and the Beast, March 29-April 1, 2012 (non-Equity tour)
Professional Musical Theater – Detroit Regional Update (2011-2012) February 22, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Broadway Musicals, Broadway Tour, Detroit, musical theater, Musicals, Theatre.2 comments
2011 Musical Theater Seasons (local professional and tour-B contracts)
Updated 2/22/11
Broadway in Detroit - Fisher Theater
Burn the Floor – February 22 to March 6
Les Miserables – March 22 – April 3
Mamma Mia! – April 13 – 17
Chicago – May 17 – 22
Come Fly Away – Sept 13 – 25
A Christmas Story, the Musical – Nov 15 – 27
Million Dollar Quartet – Jan 24 – Feb 05, 2012
Shrek The Musical – Feb 28 – March 11, 2012
Beauty and the Beast – April 10 – 22, 2012
Blue Man Group – May 01 – May 13
Green Day’s American Idiot – Jan 17 – 22, 2012, Detroit Opera House
Wicked – Dates TBA
Rock of Ages – Dates TBA Feb 2012
Olympia Entertainment – Fox Theater
The Color Purple – April 8 – 9 (non-equity tour)
Madagascar Live! – April 29 – May 1
My Fair Lady – Oct 22 – 23
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – Nov 8 – 13
South Pacific – March 2 – 4, 2012
Stranahan Theater – Toledo
Madagascar Live! – February 22
The Color Purple – March 10 – 13 (non-equity tour)
Legally Blonde – May 5 – 8 (non-equity tour)
Les Miserables, November 8 – 13
My Fair Lady, Dec 15 – 18
Jersey Boys, Feb 7 – 26, 2012
Beauty and the Beast, March 29-April 1, 2012 (non-Equity tour)
Broadway at Wharton Center – East Lansing
Chicago – May 12 – 15
Cats – June 10-11
Jersey Boys – September 28 – October 16
West Side Story – November 8 – 13
Rock of Ages – December 13 – 18
Million Dollar Quartet – January 10 – 15, 2012
The Addams Family – January 31 – February 5, 2012
Memphis – March 27 – April 1, 2012
Les Miserables – April 3 -8, 2012
Wicked – June 27 – July 8, 2012
Dancap - Toronto Center for the Performing Arts (North York)
South Pacific – February 15 – April 10
9 to 5 – June 29 – July 10
Next to Normal – July 19 – July 31
Come Fly Away – August 16 – 28
The Addams Family – November 16 – 27
Memphis – December 6 – 24
Mirvish Productions – Toronto
Billy Elliot – now playing in sitdown production
The Secret Garden – February 8 – March 19
The Lion King – April 19 – June 12
Chess – September – October
Mary Poppins – November – December
Hair – March – April 2012
Broadway in Western Michigan Series, Kalamazoo Miller Theater
Spamalot, May 10 – 11 (non-equity tour)
My Fair Lady — October 18, 19
Rock of Ages – Jan 31, 2012
In The Heights – Feb 24, 2012
Jersey Boys — March 20 – April 1, 2012
Young Frankenstein – April 24, 25, 2012
Broadway Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids
Grease, March 1 – 6 (non-equity tour)
Chicago, April 5 – 7
Shrek, the Musical, June 21 – 26
The Whiting Center, Flint
The Color Purple, April 10 (non-equity tour)
Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Clinton Township
The Wizard of Oz, March 5 (non-equity tour)
Meadowbrook Theater, Rochester
Reunion, A Musical Epic in Miniature . February 9 – March 6
Shout, the mod musical , April 20 – May 15
Playhouse Square Broadway Series, Cleveland
Shrek, the Musical , March 1 – 13
Les Miserables, April 5 – 17
West Side Story, May 3 – 15
Next to Normal. June 7 – 19
Jersey Boys, June 22 – July 17
Broadway in Chicago, Chicago
Les Miserables, February 2 – 27
Working, February 15 – May 8
Hair, March 8 – 20
Next to Normal, April 26 – May 8
Spring Awakening, May 3 – 8 (non-equity tour)
Beauty and the Beast, June 29 – August 7 (non-equity tour)
Memphis, November 22 – December 4
Hilberrry Theater, Detroit
The Full Monty, April 15 – 24
A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, September 23 – October 15
Hairspray, April 13 – 22, 2012
Christopher Columbus! Dexter’s Encore presents lovely “Little Women” (Review) February 5, 2011
Posted by ronannarbor in Ann Arbor, Broadway Musicals, musical theater, Musicals.Tags: Katie Hardy, LIttle Women the musical, Rusty Mewha, Steve DeBruyne
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Watching lead actress Katie Hardy’s transformation from teenage Jo Marsh to the observant adult writer that looks back at it all is one of the joys in this intimate staging of the recent Broadway musical LITTLE WOMEN. In a production that is generally well-cast, she stands out in the role originally created by Sutton Foster in a way that shines brightly on Encores stage. But what happens around her is the stuff that makes it all so interesting.
Those of us who have read the book know that the many movie and stage versions of the story are largely hit-or-miss; and the same can be said of this 2005 musical version: plot points are catapulted, omitted, or made greater or less than their relevance in the book. Sometimes it all feels a bit like connecting the dots as one story leads to another and we race to the penultimate drama including Beth (won’t give it away here for the handful of people who don’t know the story) and our ultimate happy ending. There’s a whole misbegotten trip to Cape Cod that doesn’t really exist, but it works to wring the requisite tears out of the demographic teenage girl audience, and on the Broadway stage was the only scene which allowed cyclorama light to shine through the gloom to counterbalance the drama.
That being said, this production in Dexter is a sure-handed directorial debut for Steve DeBruyne, who does particularly good work with the intimate moments of the show (and there are plenty of them). The Marsh sisters scenes together are all one would expect, and sometimes a bit more. Sure plot points are dropped like hot potatoes in the “Can’t we all just get along” theme that develops early on in the proceedings. But it’s all for one and one for all.
Another breakout performances comes from Rusty Mewha as Professor Bhaer, and his “Small Umbrella in the Rain” with Hardy near the end of the show is the true musical core of the show. An earlier moment between Jo and Beth (Cara AnnMarie in a lovely performance) “Some Things are Meant to Be” is beautifully staged and acted in one, and the nearness to the audience makes the emotion universal. Hardy’s own meant-to-be-showstopper moment “Astonishing” closes out the first act with a wallop down front and center.
Anne Bauman displays excellent acting chops as Aunt March (although shouldn’t have been used as Mrs. Kirk later in the production). Thalia Schramm (Meg) and Madison Deadman (Amy) complete the Marsh sister quartet admirably.
Not all of the casting is as good. There are age disparities in some of the performers, and a jarring performance of Laurie by Sean Widener who seems to be acting in his own musical at times. The energy in some of those scenes is skewed toward farce, and it feels out of place.
And where Leo Babcock’s period-perfect set, and Colleen Meyer’s costumes are lovely; the music aspects of this musical are not. The full orchestra is pared down to two keyboards and two percussion, and it sounds anemic and under-nourished. The energy required to support the large ballads and songs dissipates, and more than one number ends with a fizzle rather than with a bang. Musical Director Jill Quagliata does better work with her soloists and duets than with the full vocal support required in larger ensemble numbers. Note the fizzle at the end of “Our Finest Dreams” for example. Stage picture = pretty. Vocal support – pfitzzz. For sure, one of the problems here is the actors’s inability to see the conductor during this very difficult score.
Lighting is also hit or miss. Actors valiantly hit their marks, while lights struggle to keep up; and at times there are no transitions or fades — full darkness leads to full stage up lighting; spotlights suddenly appear with no crossfade in the background (and in the case of “Astonishing” too early). Scene changes take a bit too long and add five minutes to a show that is already long (2:50 on opening night — the Broadway production ran 2:40). Granted, some of this can not be avoided in a theater that can not fly scenery.
But that brings me back to Katie Hardy. She is the emotional, vocal, and acting core of this show, and her work as Jo is excellent. The intimacy of the Encore stage allows her emotions to show throughout; from perplexed to agitated; from teen to adult. By the time Jo and Professor Bhaer stand beneath their umbrella and sing of differences “as a woman and a man”, her ability to convey contained emotion and Mewha’s ability to suddenly explode with pent-up energy create one of Encore’s finest musical moments.
LITTLE WOMEN continues at the Encore Musical Theater Company through February 27th. For tickets call 734-268-6200 or visit theencoretheatre.org
