“Evita” – University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program October 17, 2009
Posted by ronannarbor in Entertainment, Theatre.Tags: Ann Arbor, Desi Oakland, Linda Goodrich, Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Michigan Musical Theater program, Michigan Theatre, musical theater, musical theatre, UMMT, University of Michigan
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“Evita”, currently running at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre at the University of Michigan is a musical theatre diamond. Presented by the Musical Theatre department, it is as slick as a Broadway tour, and as tight as a college production can be.
The production reaffirms that the only current professional caliber musical theatre being presented in Ann Arbor is being done by the UM Musical Theatre program. Let me state up front that I love big-budget proscenium-theatre musicals with full orchestras. Especially when they are done right.
Under the expert direction of Linda Goodrich, the show plays out exactly as it should — a fast, straight-forward Act I, followed by an ever-increasingly more emotional Act II, through to the tear-jerker ending. “Buenos Aires” and “A New Argentina” remain Act One’s highlights, while “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “Rainbow Tour” are clearly Act Two’s forte pieces.
To be sure, this is a problematic work of musical theatre. The Peron story doesn’t really play out true to reality, and follows a “spin” on her biography that bends the truth, and is mean-spirited at that. The Broadway production catapulted Patty LuPone to stardom (ironically, she will be performing here later this year).
But this production is simply first rate, from the fine performances of Desi Oakley (Eva) and Carlos Valdes (Che) to the smaller ensemble parts. The costumes, sets, lighting, choreography, sound, and orchestra are professional and slick. In short, everything a production of the show should be. Linda Goodrich and her design team have made the theatre feel twice the size that it is, and the simple (but beautifully designed) tiered set makes the proscenium arch feel far higher than it is. This is just plain old great design work. The costumes here, like in the original Broadway production, instantly make an indelible impression – separating class, age, and social rank – and make scene changes seamless and fluid without set changes. Can I add that Desi gets to wear the most stunning clothing I’ve seen in a show this season? By the time Eva reaches her Rainbow Tour, you are utterly transported to a different time and place. By that point in the story, the emotion has also kicked into high gear and it’s a race to the conclusion. Brava to both Ms. Oakley as well as Linda Goodrich’s fine pacing and direction.
This is a love it or hate it work of theatre. The same can’t be said of the production, and I loved it. Unfortunately, unless you already have tickets, you won’t be seeing this one. Every performance has been sold out for weeks.
On a final note, can we consider this show now “done” here locally? Civic, Encore, UM, EMU, Croswell…
Bloodless, emotionless Sweeney Todd at Encore October 2, 2009
Posted by ronannarbor in Theatre.Tags: Ann Arbor, community theatre, Detroit theater, Encore, Encore Musical Theatre Company, Michigan Theatre, musical theatre, professional theater, Sarah Litzsinger, Sondheim, Sweeney Todd
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When you drain the blood out of Sweeney Todd (the current musical at Encore Musical Theatre Company) you drain the emotion out of the piece as well. When the emotion is gone, there isn’t much to this Sondheim masterpiece.
Walter O’Neil (Sweeney Todd) and Sarah Litzsinger (Mrs. Lovett) “By the Sea”
Steve DeBruyne (Anthony) and Thalia Schramm (Johanna) — “Kiss Me”
There are some fine things going on this production, but suspense is not one of them. Perhaps the three people in the audience who have never seen this musical, nor the movie adaptation, might find some surprise in the clever book and lyrics, but those of us who know this show backwards and forwards certainly will not.
Entering the theatre, you are at once surrounded by Dan Walkers’s marvelous set. Appropriately subdued and surprisingly colorful when needed, this is a wonderful approach to the set in this blackbox setting. And Kudos to Encore for making everything look great! I loved that the air conditioning vent has now been painted black, and that it looks more like a “theatre” with every visit!
The Sweeney Orchestra is the finest I have heard at the Encore! Congratulations! The 9-piece ensemble plays in-tune, and sounds wonderful — oh that Sondheim music. I did miss the factory whistle in the score, and the production was plagued with the now-typical problem of actors being unable to hear the orchestra, and entrances not being together as they can’t see the conductor. I have to compliment both musical director Tyler Driskill and his entire cast for the best diction I have ever heard in a production of Sweeney (and trust me, I’ve seen dozens of them – professional, amateur, and even high school).
Sarah Litzsinger makes a fine Mrs. Lovett; Walter O’Neil a fine Sweeney. Their scenes together are fun. Mind you, not creepy, but fun. Sue Booth performs wonderful work as The Beggar Woman — how wonderful to see her singing on stage again! Steve DeBruyne proves that there is nothing he can do wrong playing almost any role you might throw at him, including nicely acted Anthony here, and Thalia Schramm is a pretty (if very healthy and not-at-all pale) Johanna. Paul Hopper turns in an appropriately dry Judge, but Jeff Steinhauer struggles with the difficult score and is generally too nice as the Beadle.
Uneven performances are turned in by others. Scott Longpre at times is just fine at Tobias, at others, not so much. The same can be said of John Sartor’s Pirelli which is over the top, but uneven throughout. I did enjoy his scene in Sweeney’s parlor, though. And Longpre turns in a lovely “Not While I’m Around”.
The ensemble is similar to Okalahoma’s — generally too young, not all of the cast members up to the difficult Sondheim score, and generally of community theatre quality. So far, I have been unimpressed by Encore’s aim to integrate the “best” community based actors with the professionals on stage. In just about every performance I have seen there, the professionals and community ensemble do not mesh well together, and there are large gaps in quality between them.
So that brings me to other issues with the show: this production is one in which the average age of the Londoners seems to be about 15. There are not enough adult men. Most of the visitors to Sweeney’s barber chair are too young to have sprouted whiskers themselves. The show is female-heavy, forcing the few men in the ensemble to play multiple roles – even when they follow one scene to the next: in the most glaring instance, a cast-member just killed on the barber chair is suddenly alive and talking in the very next scene on stage. The entire non-professional cast suffers from pitch problems.
Then there are the costumes. I don’t know what the production team was thinking in mixing modern-day clothing with period pieces, but it doesn’t work. I’ve directed dozens of musicals myself, and partaken in many shows where this “out of time” costuming works — Sweeney Todd is not one of them. Tobias wears t-shirts that announce “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixor” and later “Mrs. Lovett’s Meat Pies”. The Ensemble is dressed in costumes that look like leftovers from the chorus of Carrie, the Musical. Sweeney looks like a Pirate. Later he wears sunglasses.
Particularly jarring are Johanna’s costumes — lines don’t even make sense the way she is dressed. Playing her own mother earlier in the show, she wears a daydress. Huh? Later, as Johanna, she wears a prep school uniform. If she’s wearing a prep school uniform, it’s implied she is going to school. If she is going to prep school, she is leaving the house — something that Johanna would never be permitted to do by the Judge.
This leads to a greater problem: There is no sense that Johanna is “trapped” in her life with the Judge — in fact, she sings “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” in front of a staircase that would easily take her away from the abusive Judge. Later, instead of Anthony climbing upstairs to see her on her balcony, she uses those same stairs to walk down to the street to meet him. At another point in the production, the Judge’s house moves mysteriously from stage left to stage right. Huh?
My favorite moment? The physical comedy of Sarah Litzsinger’s “By the Sea’ and the wonderfully funny little surprise on her “Oh that was lovely” line just after. Precious comedy that.
But finally — it all boils down to the strange artistic direction choices made in the show. The directing here is uneven — better in intimate moments, but utterly baffling in others. Cast members singing counterpoint in the trio holding choir folders? Exits and entrances from directions that don’t make sense?
And that brings me to the blood. Or lack of blood. Or any creepiness factor at all. This is the G-rated version of Sweeney. Seriously, I’ve seen high school productions of this show that were creepier and scarier. I’m not sure what the problem here is. Is Encore afraid of alienating their Dexter-based audience? Do they not trust that we can handle this show as an audience? If not, why do a show that involves murder, and killing people with a razor knife? Murders are bloodless and clean. Actors stand up and walk away from the chair rather than falling through the trap in the floor. Sweeney’s knife never once glistens with blood.
And Mrs.Lovett never once contemplates strangling Tobias with the knitted muffler she places around his neck.
Without the suspense, the drama is sapped out of the show. That leaves you with an unemotional ending, one in which the audience doesn’t care who has lived and who has died, because we have not been asked to share in the journey — we haven’t cringed at Sweeney’s dark humor as the show progresses, and we haven’t felt Mrs. Lovett’s guilt. Somewhere under that makeup, we need to see that she is trapped in her own big lie, and ultimately feel her humanness and frailty in the final moments. Otherwise, there’s just an oven.
Whether the blood is real (like in the original Broadway production – which went through buckets of red dyed corn syrup every night) or implied in it’s creepy simplicity (one bucket being poured into the other in the recent Broadway revival) there needs to be something. Anything. Make me feel some level of discomfort. Let me wonder how they did it. Let me see the glimmer of red blood as Sweeney flicks his knife through the air. Let me hear the blood pouring from bucket to bucket as the audience goes “yuck” in unison. Anything.
Sweeney Todd continues at the Encore Theatre through October 18th. Tickets an be purchased at http://www.theencoretheatre.org or by calling 734-268-6200. The box office is at 3126 Broad Street in Dexter. Call for box office hours.
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On a related note — I want nothing but success for the Encore. Sorry if some of the reviews sound harsh, but when you set out to achieve a lofty goal of professional musical theatre, you shouldn’t need to be judged by community theatre standards.
That being said — the theatre is in need of several things. First — adult men! Please audition for future shows at the Encore! I know you’re out there — I’ve cast you in my musicals. Drag your butt to Dexter and audition.
Second, the theatre can use some donations: black paint (lots of things on walls still need to be painted). Black heavy-duty power extension cords for lighting (black only please, not orange, not green, not blue). A tv monitor system: this includes a tv for the house so that the cast can see the conductor, and cameras at the back of the house so the conductor can see the cast, and cameras in the pit, so that the actors can see the conductor. I’m sure they could use some other things as well — give the theatre a call and see how you can pitch in! Let’s make this work; it’s a gem in the making, and let’s see what we can do to make it even better!
On a final note to the Encore: I will not be reviewing ANNIE, your next production. I’ve seen enough (and directed enough) community theatre productions of this show to last me a lifetime. I am sure it will bring you a bucket load of money from your audiences, and will keep the family-friendly audiences in Dexter happy. But count me out. The professional tours of the show come through Detroit every couple years. That’s the only versions of Annie I am willing to watch anymore. Good luck with your production, see you at 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee!
And that’s the view from Ann Arbor today…
Professional Musical Theatre – Detroit Regional 2009-2010 June 28, 2009
Posted by ronannarbor in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Entertainment, Theatre.Tags: Broadway, Chicago theater, Cleveland theater, Detroit theater, Encore Musical Theatre Company, Michigan Theatre, musical theater, musical theatre, professional theater, Toronto theater
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Broadway is alive and well across the region during the coming musical theatre season. Note that the following list is not comprehensive, and it does not include any community theatre listings nor small venues, only professional theatre in full-sized houses. I have included UM and MSU seasons at the end. This includes Detroit musical theatre venues, as well as those within a short drive of Detroit. Particularly noteworthy this season is the pre-Broadway tryout of The Addams Family in Chicago this fall — starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. Also noteworthy is this fall’s The Boys in the Photograph in Toronto, a reworking of the Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Beautiful Game.
Support Broadway. Go see a Broadway show.
BROADWAY IN DETROIT 2009-2010
Ethel Merman’s Broadway (Gem Theatre) Sept 9 – Dec 31
Phantom of the Opera (Detroit Opera House) Sept 8 – Sept 27th
Legally Blond (Fisher) Oct 15 – Nov 01
Jersey Boys (Fisher) Dec 17 – Jan 23
The Wizard of Oz (Fisher) Jan 29-Feb 14
Young Frankenstein (Detroit Opera House) Feb 23 – March 14
Spring Awakening (Fisher) April 20 – May 09
OLYMPIA ENTERTAINMENT DETROIT (Fox) 2009-2010
101 Dalmations, The Musical Nov 17-22
Little House on the Prairie, The Musical Dec 1 – 5
Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, Feb 14
STRANAHAN THEATRE TOLEDO 2009-2010
The Wedding Singer Oct 1 – 4
The Drowsy Chaperone Jan 14 – 17
The Rat Pack is Back Feb 25 – 28
Wicked March 31 – April 18
BROADWAY IN CHICAGO 2009-2010
Jersey Boys (Bank of America Theatre) Open ended run
Spring Awakening (Oriental Theatre) Aug 04 – 16
Cats (Cadillac Palace) Oct 13 – 18
Young Frankenstein (Cadillac Palace) Nov 3 – Dec 13
The Addams Family Pre-Broadway tryout (Oriental Theatre) Nov 13 – Jan 10
In the Heights (Cadillac Palace) Dec 15 – Jan 03
Dreamgirls (Cadillac Palace) Jan 19 – 31
Mamma Mia! Jan 19-24
Annie Jan 19-24
The 101 Dalmations Pre-Broadway tryout (Oriental Theatre) Feb 16 – 28
Billy Elliot (March 18 – this is a sit-down)
Beauty and the Beast (Mar 23 – Apr 4)
Shrek The Musical (Oriental Theatre) July 13 – Sept 5 (unconfirmed: this will be a sit-down)
MACOMB CENTER
Tap Dogs – Oct 24
Menopause the Musical – Jan 15-16
Camelot – Jan 30
A Year With Frog and Toad – Mar 7
Forbidden Broadway 25th Ann tour – Apr 17
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE BROADWAY IN CLEVELAND 2009-2010
Young Frankenstein (Palace) Oct 13-25
Chicago (Palace) Jan 12-24
In the Heights (Palace) Feb 9 – 21
Xanadu (Palace) March 2 – 14
Grease (Palace) May 11 – 23
Fiddler on the Roof (Palace) June 15-27
TORONTO MIRVISH and DANCAP 2009-2010
Jersey Boys (Toronto Centre for the Arts) Open ended run continues
The Sound of Music (Princess of Wales) Open ended run continues
The Boys in the Photograph (aka: The Beautiful Game) (Royal Alexandra) Sep 22 – Nov 1
Rock of Ages (April 20 – June 6)
Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Spring 2010 venue TBA)
Fiddler on the Roof (Dec 2009/Jan 2010 Venue TBA)
Young Frankenstein (Mar/Apr 2010 Venue TBA)
Little House on the Prairie The Musical (Jan/Feb 2010 venue TBA)
THE WHARTON CENTER AT MSU BROADWAY SEASON East Lansing (2009-2010)
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Dec 8-13)
Young Frankenstein (Feb 2 – 7)
A Chorus Line (April 6 – 11)
South Pacific (Lincoln Center version) April 27- May 2
The 101 Dalmations Pre Broadway Tryout )Jan 26-31)
Phantom of the Opera (May 19 – June 6)
MILLER AUDITORIUM (Kalamazoo) 2009-10 Season
The Wedding Singer (Oct 20-21)
Stomp (Jan 19-20)
Menopause The Musical (Jan 29-31)
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Feb 23 – 25)
Avenue Q (April 21-22)
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAM
Evita (Lydia Mendelssohn) Oct 15 – 18
Ragtime (Power Center) April 15 – 18
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY THEATRE PROGRAM (Pasant Theatre)
The Rocky Horror Show (Sept 25 – Oct 4)
Rent (April 16 – 25)