MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 10: THE TOP TEN – #9

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 10

THE TOP TEN – #9

And the countdown to my favorite musical continues. Holding the ninth spot is a remarkable show that will stay with you long after the lights come up in the theatre. 

# 9: NEXT TO NORMAL  – Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Music by Tom Kitt

Surprisingly, the 2010 Pulitizer winner did not win the Tony Award for Best Musical when it was nominated in 2009. That honor went to the flashier Billy Elliot. Please understand, I love Billy Elliot. It's solidly in my Musical Honor Roll. It's a terrific, heartwarming show. But, Next to Normal is, simply, a better show…meatier, more thought-provoking, more gut-wrenchingly emotional, and the award should have gone to it. With its central themes of mental illness, life-crushing loss, and inability to move forward, Next to Normal is truly unlike any musical before or since. You think, you laugh, you cry. You become involved with the six characters on stage, and you leave the theatre a changed person, for these characters have touched the very core of your being. With dialogue and music flowing seamlessly from one to the other and back again, it's tough to pick favorite moments, but among them would have to be the gentle "Perfect for You," the plaintive "I Miss the Mountains," the touching "Maybe (Next to Normal)," and the cautiously hopeful "Light," the finale of the show, and I defy you to be dry-eyed when the song and show ends. Even I, a confirmed curmudgeon, was wiping away moisture from the eyes. My mother suffered from mental illness and went through ECT, aka shock treatment, which was a go-to therapy back in the 50s/60s. As a child, I remember psych ward hospital stays, the removal of locks from all the interior doors in the house, pills, pills, and more pills. My dad and grandparents pretty much shielded us from the particulars; we just knew that Mom wasn't feeling well. Thankfully, advances in the treatment of mental illness had a postive effect on my mother, but until the day she died, she had a stockpile of pills. So, trust me, this show had and continues to have, a profound effect on me.

"We tried to give you a normal life
I realize now I have no clue what that is
I don't need a life that's normal, that's way too far away
But something next to normal would be okay

Yeah, something next to normal
That's the thing I'd like to try
Close enough to normal to get by
We'll get by, we'll get by"

- from "Maybe (Next to Normal)"

June, 2009; February, 2010. Our first unforgettable experience with Next to Normal  was two weeks after it won 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations (tie) and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. We really didn't know quite what to expect, but by the time the final curtain fell, both Bob and I knew we had experienced something very, very special. Maybe it was the stunning scenic and lighting designs by Mark Wendland (scenic) and Kevin Adams (lighting). Maybe it was the sensitive direction of Michael Greif, which somehow managed to be innovative, yet comforting and traditional at the same time. Maybe it was the book and score by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, dynamic and enveloping. Or perhaps it was the pièce de résistance of the brilliant ensemble cast led by a jaw-dropping performance by Alice Ripley as Diana, in her Tony Award-winning role, and Tony-winning original Jersey Boy J. Robert Spencer as her husband, Dan, whose unconditional love and devotion were heartbreaking . The true beauty of this show, however, is that even though Diana and Dan are the central characters, it's the supporting characters that round everything out and give the musical an added layer of emotional depth and humanity not often found in musicals. Kudos, therefore, go to a defiant and searching Jennifer Damiano as Natalie, a gentle and tender Adam Chanler-Berat as Henry, a sexy and seductive Kyle Dean Massey as Gabe, and a wry, supportive Louis Hobson as Dr. Fine and "rock star" Dr. Madden. At the intimate Booth Theatre, this was…magnificent. – at the Booth Theatre, New York

Sidebar: At the February, 2010, performance, we had the pleasure of seeing Michael Berry play the part of Dan. Excellent job.

Next to Normal: the final cast.

January, 2011. Closing day, the penultimate performance. In a stroke of casting genius, the producers of Next to Normal cast husband-and-wife Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie to lead the replacement cast of this groundbreaking show. Bob and I are huge fans of the Danieleys and the opportunity to see them together in a show we love, well, it was theatrical catnip! The preferred final performance on Sunday evening was sold-out, so we snagged two of the few remaining seats for the Sunday matinee. To say this performance took our breath away would be a disservice to the cast and a gross understatement. Because of their marital status, Mazzie's and Danieley's performances were imbued with a bond of love, a willingness to just trust the other person, a kind of shorthand that people in a successful long-term marriage or relationship inherently have. Ripley's Diana was both frenetic and chaotic and her fellow actors' performances complimented that performance. In Ripley's performance, you could see Diana's brain firing from one cylinder to the next. Director Michael Greif, however, was, and is, no fool. Realizing that Mazzie and Danieley's unique skill sets could bring another dimension to Next to Normal, he had the good sense to allow them to make Diana and Dan their own, not beholden to originators Ripley and Spencer. The result was a quieter show, but no less powerful. Don't let Mazzie's outward calm fool you. The anger, the confusion, the fear, and, yes, the joy were all there and when she let them out, the theatre exploded. Danieley's Dan was also more controlled, more tightly-wound. Like Mazzie, you could sense his emotions, his overwhelming fatigue seething just beneath the surface. Mazzie and Danieley are both better singers than their predecessors and as a result, the score took on an added dimension. Meghann Fahy was now playing Natalie. Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson, and Kyle Dean Massey were still on board to provide sterling support. Like the Christopher Sieber/Harvey Fierstein La Cage aux Folles, I preferred the replacement cast of Next to Normal to the original. In the case of La Cage, having gay men play gay men gave the show a certain je ne sais quoi, a verisimilitude that was not and could not be present in the wonderful performances of its original stars, Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge. In Next to Normal, having a married couple play a married couple gave the show an indescribable something extra. The sniffling and open sobs were in abundance by the final blackout and the cast's curtain call was greeted with a standing ovation, no make that a leaping-up-to-your-feet ovation and cheers that rocked the theatre. An unforgettable afternoon. – at the Booth Theatre, New York

January, 2012. It was no surprise that Milwaukee Rep's production of Next to Normal would be good. What was perhaps surprising, even though it really shouldn't have been, was just how powerful the musical was in a different staging, in a different production environment, and with a talented cast providing their own unique takes on the memorable characters created by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt. Tightly directed by the Rep's artistic director, Mark Clements, this version had its own pace and rhythms, and guess what?, it all worked. Cheers for the remarkable cast: Tim Young (Gabe), Laurie Veldheer (Natalie), Danny Henning (Henry), Tony-winner Jarrod Emick (Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden), and especially Kevin Vortmann (Dan) and Sarah Litzsinger (Diana). Rock-solid production from the reliable Milwaukee Rep. – at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, Milwaukee

Final footnote: Even with a Pulitzer and Tony Awards, Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt's next production, also with Michael Greif at the helm, the underwhelming If/Then, received critical indifference and struggled for most of its run, even with the box-office pull of star Idina Menzel and a supporting cast of Broadway favorites. The sophomore slump strikes even the best of them!

And on that note… Until next time.

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes

ALPHABET SOUP (9) FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER

ALPHABET SOUP (9)

FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER

M

More misfiled "M" programs. Let's remedy that and talk about this mixed bag of plays and musicals. First up….

A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE – Apple Tree Theatre, Highland Park, IL

July, 2004. This quiet, unassuming musical by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty lacks the epic scope and score of the team's earlier masterpiece, Ragtime, but that is as it should be and as it must be for A Man of No Importance to work its charms and touch the heart. The 1994 film starring Albert Finney is lovely and the 2002 musical adaptation keeps all the virtues of this modest film and adds the bonus of a Ahrens/Flaherty score. As produced by the sadly now-defunct Apple Tree Theatre, director Mark E. Lococo assembled a first-rate production team and a marvelous cast that featured memorable performances by Ross Lehman as Alfie, the closeted Dublin bus conductor, and Mary Ernster as his sister, Lily. 1964 Dublin was not an especially welcoming place for a gay man and, in the show, the homophobia that Alfie encounters was not shied away from. Not your typical musical, A Man of No Importance wore its large heart on its tuneful sleeve and made for a unexpectedly moving evening at the theatre. – at the Apple Tree Theatre, Highland Park, IL

MASTER CLASS

 – Northlight Theatre, Skokie, IL

September, 1998. Not everyone is enamored with Terrence McNally's 1996 Tony-winning Best Play. I am not among them. It's a fascinating, often very funny, always interesting portrayal of one of the most revered and iconic opera divas of any century, Maria Callas. Somehow Bob and I missed the Faye Dunaway-led tour when it played Chicago, and I'm still kicking myself. For whatever reason, I don't remember much about Northlight's production except for Carmen Roman's skilled performance as Callas and that's pretty much it. The other five actors in the cast didn't make an impression on me, something that would be remedied in a New York production we would see thirteen years later. Whether that was due to weak acting or weak direction, I'm not sure. One of our party hated the show so much, he sat out the second act. Due to Roman's performance, this wasn't a bad production, just not a terribly memorable  one. – at Northlight Theatre, Skokie, IL

– Friedman Theatre (MTC), New York

August, 2011. Take my advice. If you have the opportunity to see Tyne Daly in anything, buy tickets. You can thank me later. As different from Northlight's production as apples are from oranges, Manhattan Theatre Club's exquisite production of Master Class was a master class, not of singing, but of how to take control of an audience and make them bend to your every whim. Yes, Tyne Daly was that good. Seriously. The woman was ferocious, take-no-prisoners ferocious, as Maria Callas, yet there was a haunting vulnerability to her and a wicked sense of humor that made this epitome of a diva human. (For the record, Daly brought this same skill set to her powerful 1990 Tony-winning portrayal of Rose in a revival of Gypsy.) Sitting in the fourth row center, we were up close and personal, which added to the performance's power. At Northlight, I had no memory of the other actors. Not so in this production, where even the small role of the Stagehand (Clinton Brandhagen) resonated. Jeremy Cohen was terrific as Callas' hapless pianist. And Garrett Sorenson, Sierra Boggess and Alexandra Silber showed off some pretty impressive pipes and acting chops as Callas' students. Callas called herself a terrible teacher, but I am so glad I attended her master class! – at the Friedman Theatre (MTC), New York

MAMMA MIA!

 – Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

July, 2001. Mamma MiaI is one of my guilty pleasures. I am simply wild about this show with its ABBA score and cheerful disregard regarding plot believability and songs adding to character and plot development. Go ahead. Judge me. I don't care. At this performance, our program was loaded with "At this performance" slips…a total of seven, the most I've encountered at a single performance since Dreamgirls at the Shubert twenty years earlier. Not that it really mattered. This isn't a star-driven vehicle and you couldn't tell the difference anyhow. The remarkable Dee Hoty led the cast as mama Donna Sheridan, all matronly warmth combined with a cougarish sexiness. Mary Ellen Mahoney and Gabrielle Jones played her best mates, and this trio deftly showed the younger cast members how it's done. Individually and together they were sensational. Highlights: ”Dancing Queen" (duh!), "Mamma Mia," and a stunning "The Winner Takes It All," delivered late in the show by Hoty. Bob and I took our boys to see this and I think they were a little appalled at the behavior of their dads and, well, pretty much the rest of the middle-aged audience as we whooped and hollered as each familiar ABBA tune was performed. We won't even discuss the curtain call medley where the entire audience stood and pretty much acted as though we were all at a rock concert. Totally mindless. Totally wonderful. – at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

– Colonial Theatre, Boston

August, 2004. An afternoon arrival and a late-morning next-day report on a Boston layover made a visit to the glorious Colonial Theatre and the sunny climes of an ABBA-infused Greek island possible. An energetic and full-voiced Colleen Fitzpatrick as Donna Sheridan led the equally energetic and full-voiced cast, including future Beautiful star Chilina Kennedy, through a rollicking evening of great tunes, ridiculous plot, and great dancing. Again, as in Chicago, a largely middle-aged audience, and it was great fun to see proper Bostonians get down and dirty with the ABBA tunes. I left the theatre smiling. – at the Colonial Theatre, Boston

– Mandalay Bay Theatre, Las Vegas

February, 2008.  A rarity in Las Vegas…an unabridged Broadway show in an open-ended run.  This production ran for over five years in Vegas. Impressive by any standards, a record in Las Vegas. A well-mounted repro of the original with a top-notch cast of Broadway vets and Equity local talent, the performance attended was, sadly, undermined by a poor sound system that distorted more than it enhanced. Top honors of the evening, without question, went to Carol Linnea Johnson, whose luminous portrayal of Donna Sheridan elevated the entire performance, especially when she absolutely nailed it with a definitive "The Winner Takes It All." Time to get real. Can we talk about the chorus boys?  Can you say "gay, gay, GAY!"  Certainly nothing against hot-looking gay boys, but not a one vaguely approached "questioning" let alone "straight."  And, again, as a gay man, there's nothing wrong about that, either. But, these boys were supposed to be straight and the obvious preference for the other team made for some unintentional laughs ("Afterwards, I'll give you a back rub!" Well, alright then!) The audience was an odd, very odd, mix, and I got the distinct impression that hardcore Vegas gamblers were wondering WTF they had gotten themselves into. Sound system notwithstanding, we quite enjoyed ourselves. – at the Mandalay Bay Theatre, Las Vegas

MAN OF LA MANCHA

 – Shubert Theatre, Chicago

June, 1969. Returning to Chicago a year after completing a five-month run at the McVickers and with an Academy Award-winning star as Don Quixote, this production was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While star José Ferrer acted the role of the mad knight with crazy-good skill, I missed the lustre of Keith Andes' singing voice, and the glorious songs given to Don Quixote were somewhat lacking due to Ferrer's unimpressive vocal abilities. The passion was there, but not the vocal power and technique that those lovely songs deserve. Maura K. Wedge was a fiery Aldonza, and Tony Martinez (Sancho), George Wallace (The Innkeeper) and Norman Kelley (The Padre), all above the title, incidentally, provided able support. I greatly admired this production, but if "The Impossible Dream" doesn't stop the show cold, well, that's saying something. Sadly, Ferrer's rendition got lots of applause, but it definitely did not stop the show. – at the Shubert Theatre, Chicago

Sidebar: Maura K. Wedge who? According to IBDB.com, Ms. Wedge made her Broadway debut in 1961's forgettable The Happiest Girl in the World, then understudied and eventually played Nancy in the original production of Oliver!, took that show on tour, returned for a limited engagement of it as Nancy, performed in the London cast, then went into Man of La Mancha with Ferrer in New York before joining him on the tour. She must have had a thing for "bad" girls. A Google search shows she performed Oliver! in summer stock and died in 1979 of cancer at the young age of 40. In the Chicago Tribune  review, William Leonard noted that Wedge was too "well scrubbed for the part and has beautifully manicured silver fingernails which never could belong to a kitchen scullion." Now that's attention to detail! Jana Robbins, a future Broadway star, a Rose understudy, and now a producer, and an acquaintance of mine, was in this production as Fermina, a Slavey and was the Aldonza cover. No, I don't remember her. Sorry, Jana.

– Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre, Lincolnshire, IL 

April, 1981. Marriott's first production of Man of La Mancha starred two true Chicago stars, John Reeger as Don Quixote and Alene Robertson as Aldonza, in impressive performances. Reeger arguably is the better actor and brought a youthful exuberance and life to a part often played by older actors. Robertson is arguably the better singer and has the feisty, loud, blowsy woman character down cold, but skillfully avoids the obvious coarseness of this particular part to bring a vulnerability to the role. Able support was provided by James W. Sudik as a very young Sancho, Michael Lloyd as a cold, calculating Duke/Dr. Carrasco, and Kevin Dearinger as the Padre. Marriott sometimes drops the ball on their productions, but not this time. It was tight, thoroughly professional and absolutely enjoyable. Curiously, this production added an intermission to a show that is normally played without one.  – at Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre (as it was known then, now simply Marriott Theatre), Lincolnshire, IL

Sidebar: Mr. Dearinger's agent must be very good at his/her job. His billing was "and Kevin Dearinger as The Padre" with a box around it, which meant he had higher billing, or at the very least, more prominent billing than Robertson for a much smaller role. Years before this, I worked with Michael Lloyd, then acting as Michael Hughes, his real name, in a local summer tent production of Oklahoma!. He played Curly; I was 16 and in the chorus. Around the time I saw this production, ironically, I was in the Waukegan Community Players production of Oklahoma!, with his brother David. Like his older brother, Dave played Curly, and once again I was in the chorus and the sometimes singing voice of Curly. Long story. Don't ask. We also had an alto-ish Laurey. Again, don't ask. And in 1972, I had the distinct pleasure of working with Mike's wife, the really, really wonderful Connie, in WCP's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I was woefully miscast in the title role and Connie played Patty. As Rose would say, "small world, isn't it?"

– Hirschfeld Theatre, New York

July, 2003. Scenically spectacular and beautifully cast, this production proved that time has not withered the show's appeal and power. As Don Quixote, Brian Stokes Mitchell gave one of the most thrilling performances I've ever witnessed in the musical theatre. His "The Impossible Dream" soared with a passion and intensity that rocked the theatre and had the audience standing and cheering. Frequent co-star Marin Mazzie was the new Aldonza. It took her a few minutes to get into the part, but once she did, she absolutely nailed it and her "Aldonza" was filled with an angry, bitter fire that thrilled us all. Broadway vets Ernie Sabella, Mark Jacoby, and Stephen Bogardus brought talent and distinction to the roles of Sancho, The Padre, and The Duke/Dr. Carrasco, respectively. Natascia Diaz, who in 2008 would be a thrilling Aurora/Spider Woman in Signature Theatre's Kiss of the Spider Woman, played Antonia, and Andy Blankenbuehler, before he became an in-demand and two-time Tony-winning choreographer, was in the ensemble. Man of La Mancha came thisclose to getting on my Honor Role list. It might be a bit hokey, but it would be foolish to underestimate its emotional punch. Bob was sniffling throughout the admittedly touching final scene. Man of La Mancha will be a mainstay in the musical theatre for decades to come. – at the Hirschfeld Theatre, New York

That's all for now. Until next time…

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes