Thursday, January 21, 2021

KENTUCKIANA KAFFEEKLATSCH - vol. 1

KENTUCKIANA KAFFEEKLATSCH
vol. 1

2020. What a year, n'est-ce pas? And, let's get real, folks. 2021 isn't starting out exactly a winner either. But a new, and historic, administration was just sworn in and perhaps the nation can begin to heal. Vaccines developed and approved to combat the raging pandemic give us hope, despite the astonishingly botched rollout. And for Bob and I, the end of one chapter, and the start of a new one, and part of the reason for the delay in publishing a new post. In the fall, we sold our condo, left Chicago, and moved to southern Indiana to be near family and especially our grandkids. Never, ever underestimate the lure of those young humans! We're right across the river from Louisville, Kentucky, with its lively fine arts scene, plus we found a place to buy real bagels in Louisville, so this new chapter is starting out promisingly. For the record, the area surrounding Louisville, including our town, is called Kentuckiana, hence the title. Yes, well….
 
To start out 2021, I've assembled a group of plays and musicals, randomly chosen as I was moving theatre programs from their moving boxes to the file cabinets where they are kept. How about an essentially one-woman show, though with two in the cast, about one of America's iconic artists? Or a play about sexual predators? Or a musical about the Haymarket massacre in 1886 in Chicago? Or the tryout of that Disney property about a princess who wants to "let it go"? Or Tracie Bennett channeling the late, legendary Judy Garland in a riveting evening that was part play/part concert? Or a round-up of productions about a "damned exasperating woman" named Dolly Gallagher Levi? This will be a long, hopefully interesting, read, so grab a cuppa and let's begin.
 
Call on Dolly…
HELLO, DOLLY!
Part 1: 1971-1983
Hello, Dolly!, the big, splashy, and tuneful musical by Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, is, arguably, the quintessential musical comedy. Originally called Dolly, a Damned Exasperating Woman, it became Hello, Dolly! on its way to Broadway. Dolly! doesn't have the pitch-perfect elements of Gypsy or the sophistication of a Sondheim show. Instead, it's all about treating its audiences to a feel-good theatre experience filled with song, dance, and laughter. Dolly! holds a cherished place in my heart and memories. Way, way back in 1966, it was the first professional show I'd seen when the First National Tour landed at Chicago's Shubert Theatre with its original star, the incomparable Carol Channing. That fifteen-year-old boy sitting in the Shubert's very high second balcony was simply blown away. For a spell, Dolly! was the longest-running show on Broadway, playing 2844 performances over nearly seven years. In addition to Channing, the original run of Dolly! featured a roster of stars in the title role, including Pearl Bailey, in a wildly successful run when producer David Merrick mounted an all-Black edition of the show to huge critical acclaim, Betty Grable, Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Phyllis Diller, Ethel Merman and Bibi Osterwald and Thelma Carpenter, both of whom were stars in their own rights and Dolly standbys who performed the role many times. But after the show ended its original run, it was the Misses Channing and Bailey who continued to crisscross the country in various touring productions, with Channing continuing to play the role into the late 1990s, over thirty years after originating the role. Four of these productions are featured here.

CAROL CHANNING in HELLO, DOLLY!
Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee (July, 1977) & Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago (October, 1977)
Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago (June, 1983)


Ad for the 1977 Arie Crown engagement.


1983 Arie Crown booking. It's all about Channing in "the original" Hello, Dolly!



Let's be honest here, shall we? No matter how luxe the production, no matter how talented the supporting cast and ensemble, Hello, Dolly! rises and falls on its star. At the time, the role was synonymous with Channing. And, really, no one did it quite like her. But while her performance in 1966 was electrifying and grounded in truth, by 1977 and especially by 1983, her performance had become broader, not quite a caricature, but dangerously close to one. Only during her monologue that sets up "Before the Parade Passes By," did one get a glimpse of the depth that Channing could bring to the role. Don't get me wrong. She was marvelous, hysterically funny, and ruled her stage with the authority and charisma of a true star. And she never gave less than 100 percent. It just lacked subtlety. Not that the audiences cared. They ate up every second of Channing and her show. While I wish I could remember her fellow players, because both productions hosted some terrific folks, I honestly can't because, when all is said and done, it was all about Channing…for better or worse. I could have done without the rehearsed-to-the-nth-degree-to-look-spontaneous curtain speech, but the audience absolutely adored it. Channing could have given a master class in how to play to your audiences!

PEARL BAILEY in HELLO, DOLLY!
Auditorium Theatre, Chicago (June, 1971)
Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago (August, 1975)
The 1971 engagement, produced by the one and only David Merrick.




Pearlie Mae returns...1975.



In 1971, when Pearlie Mae walked downstage and delivered Dolly's act one monologue, you could hear a pin drop in the massive Auditorium Theatre. She was that good, that raw, that honest. And with the assist of the legendary Cab Calloway, an outstanding cast, and resplendent in all the glorious design trappings that made the original so gorgeous, and with original impresario David Merrick as this tour's producer, this was a Dolly! to remember. Now, mind you, she was no more Dolly Levi than I am, but Pearl Bailey was such fun, who really cared? I know I didn't. If repeating the entire title tune seemed a bit much and self-serving, well, again, no one minded. Her return to Chicago in 1975 was in a sparser production, still lovely to look it, still populated with talented folks, but, in 1975, more than ever, it was Pearlie Mae and not Dolly Gallagher Levi. But that inimitable voice, that razor-sharp timing, that spark that only the greatest stars possess shone above everything else. And when Pearl Bailey was onstage, all was right with the world.

GRANDMA MOSES: AN AMERICAN PRIMITIVE – Civic Theatre, Chicago



The price (free) was right. The house manager at the Civic Theatre/Civic Opera House was a client of Steve's, so whenever a performance needed papering, we were offered tickets. 


May, 1990. One's reaction to Stephen Pouliot's Grandma Moses: An American Primitive depended on one's expectations upon entering the Civic Theatre. If you were expecting a detailed portrait of Anna Mary Robertson Moses, aka Grandma Moses, you would have been disappointed. If, however, you were looking forward to seeing TV favorite and Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman live and in person, then you would have left the theatre happy and content. Grandma Moses was Leachman's show. Full stop. Grandma Moses was merely the vehicle. In the first act, Moses was 45 and getting ready to move house. In the second act, and after an impressive makeup change during the interval, Moses was 100 and spouting off cute-old-lady quips. The scenic design included rear projections of some of Moses' large body of work and that was very effective. It was the writing that fell flat. Perhaps that was not entirely author Pouliot's fault. Perhaps Grandma Moses just didn't have enough conflict or scandal or real drama in her life to make her story interesting enough for a stage portrayal. Everything was done professionally, and Leachman gave a polished and confident star-quality performance that elevated this minor entertainment. Praise also to hard-working Peter Thoemke, who played the men in her life in essentially a thankless job. Not nearly as involving as Julie Harris in The Belle of Amherst or Pat Carroll's stupendous Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein or Robert Morse in Tru or most recently Valerie Harper in Looped (like Moses, essentially a one-woman show, but with two other characters occasionally popping in and out), Grandma Moses…, thanks to Leachman's towering triumph of skill over so-so material, was an entertaining evening. I even learned a little bit about Grandma Moses. – at the Civic Theatre, Chicago

FROZEN – Buell Theatre, Denver







August, 2017. It needed work, but that's what a tryout is for, and that's why they were in Denver at the massive, ambiance-free, charmless Buell Theatre. The first act could have used a light trim at the beginning, but that second act bordered on a mess with a terrible second act opening number that accomplished nothing except give Anna her second act dress. The ensemble being coy in flesh-colored body suits in a Disney property was flat-out creepy. The trolls became really hot, male-shirtless, tree people with all that troll adorableness gone. Caissie Levy as Elsa, in what is really a meh role, gave the character her considerable all and totally nailed the ubiquitous "Let It Go." And that costume change was a dazzler. Greg Hildreth as Olaf was inventive and endearing. Patti Murin as Anna was the true star of the evening in a radiant performance that oozed warmth. "Frozen" was beautiful to look at and sounded great with a couple of nice new ballads added to the score. With some TLC, a bright and profitable future seemed a sure thing. It was warmly, even ecstatically, received by the packed house, with a healthy number of Elsa-wannabe little girls in attendance, dress and all. – at the Buell Theatre, Denver

Sidebar: Sadly, a bright and profitable future was not in the cards for the citizens of Arendelle. The reviews were mixed. It received no Tony love. And then as a final blow, Frozen became the first running Broadway show, i.e. one not in previews, to close as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It played what would become its final performance on March 11, 2020. When producer Disney announced in May, 2020, that Frozen would not return once the theatres reopened, it was unexpected, but not especially surprising. The show was still doing well at the box-office, though not at the same levels as the other Disney Broadway shows, it was an expensive show to operate, and its chances of recouping its massive costs were doubtful. In commercial theatre, especially on Broadway, money is everything, and Disney made the fiscal call to close it and not risk losing even more on the property. Mean Girls recently announced that it would not return, though that show made its money back. I suspect there will be more closures before this is over. This horrible pandemic has decimated the industry.


HAYMARKET – Theater Wit, Chicago

No, the performance did not start at 1:30 AM! Printing error. 



September, 2018. A musical about the 1886 Chicago Haymarket massacre, a labor protest gone horribly wrong? Does it sing? You bet it did! This was one of the best things I'd ever seen in local Chicago non-Equity theatre. Definitely ranks in the top five. Full stop. I can't say enough good things about it. It was truly superlative in every aspect. And that cast!! Simply exquisite craftsmanship. Bravo, all! – at Theater Wit, Chicago

END OF THE RAINBOW – Guthrie Theater (McGuire Proscenium Space), Minneapolis




March, 2012. Tryout. In 1969, a few months before her death, Judy Garland was booked for a stay at London's famed Talk of the Town nightclub. Part concert, part play, and highly theatricalized, End of the Rainbow brought us into Garland's world during that tumultuous time. At times wildly funny; at times harrowing in its glimpses of a drug-addled Garland ("Come Rain or Come Shine" was terrifying in its intensity.), Rainbow was never less than riveting. Michael Cumpsty's loyal and ultimately sad portrayal of her pianist and cheerleader/confidante, Tom Pelphrey's slimy Mickey Deans, and Jay Russell's professional turns as some minor characters were all to be applauded. Peter Quilter's script didn't softsoap or sentimentalize Garland, a noteworthy feat. And Tracie Bennett was a marvel to behold as she became the mass of contradictions that was the singular talent known as Judy Garland. Six talented onstage musicians made up the Talk of the Town band, and when Bennett launched into a Garland standard, well, it was if the lady herself was in the room. End of the Rainbow started off with a bang and never let up. – at the Guthrie Theater (McGuire Proscenium Space), Minneapolis

Sidebar: Nominated for a Tony as Leading Actress in a Play, Tracie Bennett, in a very strong field that included Stockard Channing, Linda Lavin, and Cynthia Nixon, lost the award to Nina Arianda for Venus in Fur. Arianda was good in a disappointing play, but nowhere near Bennett's volcanic portrait of Judy Garland. One of the Tony Awards' more puzzling wins. 

 
DOWNSTATE – Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago




October, 2018. There was a scene in the first act of Bruce Norris' timely, provocative and unsettling new play, Downstate, between Cecilia Noble, as a parole officer and Eddie Torres, as a convicted sex offender, that literally took my breath away. It was that good. Seriously, folks. That scene should have been filmed and shown to every acting class in every school in the country. This is an important play, a play guaranteed to make you think, a play that will make you squirm in your seat at times. You see, what Norris does is humanize the men in the group home for sex offenders located in downstate Illinois and challenges the audience to see these men as more than just their convictions. And while one may believe that these men are wired differently than most people, and that they suffer from a disease, it's also true that these men are adults and made the choice to follow-through on their desires. That makes Norris' characters simultaneously sympathetic and horrifying. Glenn Davis' Gio, convicted of statutory rape and eligible to be removed from the sex offender registry, was unabashedly unapologetic and unwavering in his belief that he didn't do anything that wrong to warrant the severity of his punishment. After all, he's a Level 1. Eddie Torres' Felix tragically could not accept that his life is unalterably changed because he raped his pre-teen daughter. K. Todd Freeman's bristling, defiant Dee brought a disturbing electricity to every scene he was in, friendly and hospitable in one moment, hostile and aggressive in the next. Francis Guinan's wheelchair-bound Fred poured on the gentle charm, and then, suddenly, the charm was replaced with a creepiness that revealed the man underneath the mask of repentance. The production itself was void of any bells and whistles and Pam MacKinnon's staging told the story simply and cleanly. In the play, Tim Hopper's memories of his sexual abuse by Fred are attacked by Dee as not always truthful and not as bad as Hopper remembered, giving the play a relevance to our society today, where the survivors of sexual abuse are dismissed and mocked, while the accused are believed without hesitation, and sometimes even rewarded with an appointment to the Supreme Court. Recommended without hesitation. – at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago    

HELLO, DOLLY!
Part 2: Dolly! in the 21st Century
- Milwaukee Theatre, Milwaukee



November, 2013. I wasn't expecting this at all. Sally Struthers, yes weeping-save-the-children Sally Struthers, took this iconic part and made it her own in a performance that was filled with humor, truth, good old-fashioned human decency, and the kind of schtick that only a seasoned pro can do without it seeming like, well, schtick. She sang it well, too. I was...impressed! This bus-and-truck tour wasn't perfect and wasn't always first-class. The scenery, modeled after the original Oliver Smith designs, was serviceable, but not luxe enough. The Harmonia Gardens set was especially sad. The costumes were pretty, with Dolly's costumes especially well done and which fitted the star perfectly. Weakest was the dancing, especially the "Waiter's Gallop" which was, as Bob put it, lame. But flaws and all, this production reminded me why I like Hello, Dolly! It's joyous; it's fun; it has a terrific score. The cast was talented (big thumbs up to Lauren Blackman's beautiful sung and acted Irene Molloy) and sang the score well, accompanied by a really decent 8-piece pit band. Calling itself the 50th anniversary production, this was a seven-month tour that played one and two night stands in smaller markets across the country. Dolly! played two nights in Milwaukee, and then immediately went to Fort Wayne for a single performance. That was a lot of schlepping for its 66-year-old star. We're talking old school. Brava! – at the Milwaukee Theatre, Milwaukee

- Shubert Theatre, New York








April, 2017. Bette Midler. Hello, Dolly! Anticipation was monumental; tickets near impossible to get. How would Bette do, at age 72, and after being away from a Broadway musical for decades, in a demanding role? And, truthfully, did it much matter. After all this was The Divine Miss M. Her entrance applause was deafening, but that was nothing compared to the standing ovation following the title number. It brought the show to a complete standstill, and for a moment, all was right in the world. For you see, Hello, Dolly! is theatrical comfort food. And this loving revival was all warm and fuzzy and wonderful. Midler made Dolly her own, though it was damn near impossible to determine where Bette Midler ended and Dolly Levi began. And no one cared.  David Hyde Pierce was a superb Vandergelder. Kate Baldwin's lush "Ribbons Down My Back" was the best I've heard. And with superb performances by Gavin Creel, Taylor Trensch, Beanie Feldstein, and a terrific supporting cast and ensemble, well, I smiled from the overture to the exit music. Welcome back, Dolly! It's so nice to have you back where you belong. – at the Shubert Theatre, New York







 From our fabulous 2nd row center seats...cast acknowledging the incredible orchestra.

May, 2018. At the risk of committing heresy, I preferred Bernadette Peters and company over Bette Midler. Don't get me wrong. Midler was amazing, but Peters brought a warmth, a vulnerability to the role that was missing from Midler's take on the role, and displayed some pretty awesome comic chops. Plus she sang it better than Bette. Of course it didn't hurt being in the second row center where everything was up close and personal. Victor Garber was wonderful. Gavin Creel and Kate Baldwin continued to be terrific. Charlie Stemp, the new Barnaby, was as cute as the proverbial button. Overall, everything just seemed brighter, fresher, and more fun. What a delightful way to spend a gloomy, chilly Saturday afternoon in New York. – at the Shubert Theatre, New York

- Oriental Theatre, Chicago







October, 2018. As I mentioned earlier, in my opinion, the success of "Hello, Dolly!" depends on its leading lady's performance. But more on Betty Buckley later. Let's first discuss that pitifully lame excuse for a runway on the Oriental stage. Prior to Sunday's performance, every production I'd seen of "Hello, Dolly!," from 1966 at the Shubert onwards, except for the Struthers bus-and-truck, has had a runway that encircled the orchestra pit. Even when the show played at the monstrous Arie Crown, where the pit is roughly the size of a city block, the runway was there. But at the Oriental, the runway was a pathetic one-step-up affair that may or may not have jutted a teeny-tiny bit over the pit that made me wonder throughout the evening why all those hard-working men and women were taking all these extra steps when they could just cross downstage and be done with it. The lack of a true runway was especially missed in the title tune. "Hello, Dolly!," the song, needs three elements for it to be a showstopper: the staircase, the red dress, and the runway. If you omit any one of them, "Hello, Dolly!," the song, becomes just another banal Jerry Herman title song for his Big Diva Musicals. (Case in point, Barbra Streisand's unfortunate gold dress in the movie version made the title tune a big "no" in an already awful film. And understand, I like Jerry Herman; just not a fan of his Big Diva Musical title tunes that go on for far too long.) At the Oriental, the runway was there, sort of, but who gets excited about waiters jumping over, well, nothing? I'm sure this didn't matter a whit to the audience at large, and the number was done extremely well, but… For the most part, time has been good to Dolly!, but the Harmonia Gardens book scene going back and forth between the private dining rooms needs some judicious pruning, especially vis-à-vis Vandergelder and Ernestina, which, in 2018 seemed a bit tone-deaf, and, in this production, frequently bordered on painful to watch and was not terribly funny to boot. Overall the show itself seemed broader than when we saw this revival in New York, almost as though everyone was compensating for the vastness and lack of intimacy of the Oriental. Lewis J. Stadlen was an exquisite Vandergelder, all bluster with perfect comic timing. I was simply mad about Nic Rouleau as Cornelius and Jess LeProtto as Barnaby (and let me tell you, that boy can dance!). Kristin Hahn was adorable as Minnie Fay. While Analisa Leaming hit all the vocal notes as Irene Molloy, I missed Kate Baldwin's warmth and lustrous way with a melody. Leaming's performance itself was silly, bordering on juvenile, and just seemed too broad for Mrs. Molloy. She was my least favorite among the principals. But what about Betty Buckley, you ask? Well, she was fine. Too old for the part by twenty or thirty years, but so were Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters. (By comparison, originator Carol Channing was 43 when she first put on the iconic red dress.) You could tell she was working very hard to put the material across. She's not noted for her comic skills, and, as such, she was perhaps not an ideal candidate for the role. She was clearly winded during "I Put My Hand In," her top register is pretty much non-existent now, lines were flubbed now and again, and there were times when she pushed just too hard, the smile just too broad, the effort to please just too much. Now, give Buckley a Dolly monologue, and she ran with it. This was the best-acted Dolly I've seen since Carol Channing in 1966. She did a surprisingly terrific job during her eating scene at the Harmonia Gardens, and her version of "So Long, Dearie" was pretty damn wonderful, but, when all is said and done, she doesn't appear to be entirely comfortable in the role, and I wonder if she ever will be. If I just closed my eyes, her vocal qualities reminded me of Mary Martin in Martin's later years. Interesting, since both are from Texas. Buckley is a star in every sense of the word, and the audience clearly loved her, so, really, that's all that matters. It was well worth a trip to the Oriental. Just pretend there's a real runway in place. – at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago

 - Fisher Theatre, Detroit



December, 2019. Here's the thing... We saw Bette. We saw Bernadette. We saw Betty. Extraordinarily talented women each of them. And in this iconic role, they were all good and brought their star power to the role. What they didn't bring, however, was heart, real, life-affirming beating heart. And then we have Carolee Carmello who gave us heart in spades, magnificent comic timing, and a voice that thrilled her audience, and it was exciting to hear and see a Dolly not running out of breath during a number. Not to sound ungallant, but the three B's, all over seventy, were, frankly, too old for the part. Ms. Carmello is in her 50s, ditto the delightful John Bolton, her stalwart co-star, so the show had a younger, more energetic feel to it, a vitality that was previously missing. In Ms. Carmello and Mr. Bolton's hands, along with their talented cast, "Hello, Dolly!" didn't feel like a tired old chestnut. Far from it. Sorry, Bette. Sorry, Betty. Sorry, Bernandette. Sorry, Sally. Sorry, Carol. Sorry, Pearl. Carolee Carmello is now my favorite Dolly. What a shame the coronavirus pandemic cut the tour, and her remarkable performance, short. – at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit

Sidebar: Hello, Dolly! had its world premiere in 1963 at Detroit's Fisher. In the 60s and 70s, Detroit was a major tryout town, with many shows, primarily musicals, starting their roads to Broadway at the Fisher. It's long been on my bucket list of theatres to visit. Delighted to have been able to check if off my list.



In the lobby.

Whew. That's it for now. Thanks for reading. And stay safe. Cheers!
© 2021 Jeffrey Geddes

 


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