LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING – Episode 1

LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING – Episode 1

(a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet Soup)

"Let's start at the very beginning/A very good place to start/When you read you begin with A-B-C…"

Some memories from the start of the alphabet. A gimmicky entertainment, a delicious Lillian Hellman play, a surprisingly good play about gay relationships, a minor, and forgettable, Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, a spectacular and provocative world premiere play, and a bonus show that takes the audience 20,000 leagues, etc. etc. Let's begin.

ALL ABOUT ME - Henry Miller's Theatre, New York

 My name, apparently, was "Paper, Paper." As in papering the house. And check out the seat location...prime.

The two alternating programs establishing the show's conceit.

March, 2010. Preview. When the actor playing a disgruntled and prickly Stage Manager gets the biggest ovation of the afternoon with her rendition of "And the World Goes Round" in a show that stars Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna Everage, you know something is not right with the show. And Jodi Capeless did exactly that. The show's premise was that Feinstein and Dame Edna booked the same theatre for the same night for their respective solo shows. Hokey, but okay, I'll buy it. This conceit even extended to the two programs available, each featuring either Feinstein or Dame Edna. Clever. And that is kind of where it ended. Separately, both were fine, and in Feinstein's case, more than just fine, but together the two were not a match made in heaven. Opposites may attract in romance, but not necessarily on stage. I would have been happy with an afternoon of just Feinstein and the lovely onstage band. Dame Edna? Well, here's the thing. The first time I saw Dame Edna, I was convulsed with laughter. The second time I saw Dame Edna, I thought the entire show was too forced and too long. This, the third time, did nothing to win me back to my initial enthusiasm. Yes, the Barry Humphries creation can still toss off her share of zingers, but, this time around, there was an element of same old-same old, of pushing too hard for the laughs. I won the tickets an hour or so earlier by winning a Sondheim trivia game hosted by Seth Rudetsky at the old Times Square Information Center next to the Palace Theatre. This show was not on our radar, but, hey, a free ticket is a free ticket, and we hadn't picked a show yet for the matinee, so… Enjoyable enough, but nothing to write home about. Great tee shirt, though. All About Me found favor with neither the critics nor the public and closed after only 27 previews and 20 performances. – at the Henry Miller's Theatre, New York

ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST – Ivanhoe Theatre, Chicago

May, 1971. This was a divinely delicious evening of theatre in the company of the Hubbards, that unprincipled and unsavory Alabama family made famous in playwright Lillian Hellman's classic The Little Foxes. This prequel-after-the-fact had it all…greed, deceit, hate…in a finely-acted, tightly-directed production by George Keathley. One could feel the tension and the family dynamics in the intimate Ivanhoe Theatre. John Saxon, hugely popular at the time, was the box office draw, but Keathley had the good sense to cast his show with seasoned pros like Larry Gates and Nancy Coleman, and rising newcomers like Mark Lamos, Rebecca Taylor, and, in an especially good performance, Harriet Hall as a young, coolly savage Regina. She scared the crap out of me! Praised by the critics, I was enthralled from start to finish. I've long felt both Another Part of the Forest and The Little Foxes should be performed in repertory. A matinee/evening day with the Hubbards would be bracing theatre indeed. – at the Ivanhoe Theatre, Chicago

Back in the Day: Chicago has always had a vibrant theatre scene, second only to New York City. And then, as now, some theatres were catch-as-catch-can while others were solidly reliable. The Ivanhoe was one of the latter, often bringing star power to its intimate space on Wellington, now a Binny's Beverage Depot. I still miss it.

AFTERGLOW – The Loft at the Davenport Theatre, New York

The late Davenport Theatre on W. 45th.

May, 2018. The provocative tag line stated "the climax is just the beginning," and in the case of S. Asher Gelman's Afterglow, that was truth in advertising. For as the curtain rose, or dropped in this instance, the three men comprising the cast were discovered sprawled out on the bed, naked after an apparently rather active and messy sexual threeway. In the course of the evening, each gentleman got naked one or two more times. But, here's the thing...the nudity was relevant and presented so nonchalantly, it was all rather a non-issue as it should be. (Full disclosure: a non-issue after all of us gay men in the audience, i.e. the vast majority of the folks there, took stock of the actors', uh, credentials. Yeah..I'll go with that term.)  The play itself had its ups and downs, but overall it was a surprisingly good and often sensitive and affecting look at marriage, love, sex, open relationships, and how what in theory should work, in reality doesn't always when emotions are put into play. The intimate space at the Davenport was perfect for this show. Nicely directed and designed, the three talented men, Joe Chisholm, Brandon Haagenson, and David Merten, brought it all to vibrant life. - at The Loft at the Davenport, New York

Let's Extend: Following favorable reviews and a strong box-office, Afterglow's original limited run was extended multiple times until it finally closed after a run of over a year. The show has had multiple regional productions, and a hugely successful London edition.

R.I.P. Davenport Theatre: The two-stages Davenport Theatre closed its doors at the end of January, 2019. Built in 1915 as an electric substation, it later became a Masonic Lodge, and then in 1984 began a nearly 35-year run as a theatre, first as Primary Stages, then the 45th Street Theatre, the New Theatre at 45th Street, and finally the Davenport Theatre, operated by Broadway producer Ken Davenport and named after his dad. Davenport said the closing was due to the lease being up and the landlord either not willing or not able to come to an agreement. The theatre portion of the building is now the New York City Tango dance school. A loss for the off-Broadway community.

ASPECTS OF LOVE – Civic Theatre, Chicago

July, 1992. "Love, love changes everything/Hands and faces, earth and sky/Love, love changes everything/How you live and how you die…" I defy anyone seeing a performance of Aspects of Love to leave the theatre without humming the ridiculously earworm-inducing opening number. A huge hit when it premiered in London in 1989, it tanked in New York in 1990 and lost a crapload of money. Enter director Robin Phillips, who mounted a slimmed-down version for Edmonton's Citadel Theatre to critical acclaim, took it to Toronto, then brought it to the States, where it kicked off its national tour at that lovely jewel box, the Civic Theatre. The show spanned a period of 17 years, centering around a French actress, her daughter, a handsome, young Englishman, his rakish uncle, and assorted members of households and staff. Richard Christiansen, the chief critic of the Chicago Tribune at the time, who loved this operetta-like show, stated that it encompassed various aspects of love including "amorous affairs of triangular and quadrangular dimensions, along with a whiff of lesbianism and a touch of dirty old man." Well, okay, then! The debonair Keith Michell played the rakish uncle and was every bit as suave and sophisticated as one could ask for. Thirty-one-year-old Ron Bohmer was the handsome, young Englishman and blessed with a gorgeous tenor and a compelling stage presence. Linda Balgord, a Chicago and ALW favorite (she was Norma in the first national company of Sunset Boulevard, with Ron Bohmer as her Joe Gillis), played the French actress, and, in my opinion, was a casting misstep. I never warmed to her, and, as a result, didn't really care about her character. Plot-wise, although it was more or less linear in its storytelling, the various sexual machinations gave me a headache, and, to be honest, I was often a bit confused as to whom was sleeping with whom. Sir Andrew's score was pleasant enough and eminently listenable, not as bad as the future The Woman in White, but not as good as the early Tim Rice collaborations. In the ensemble were future Broadway stars Anne L. Nathan and Brad Oscar. One of Steve's clients, and a casual friend of ours, was the house manager of the Opera House and Civic Theatre, and one of the perks of that relationship was that we got a lot of comps, including one for this. Aspects of Love's three-month run at the Civic was its last major booking. It would close as a theatre and become a rehearsal hall, dressing rooms, and scenery storage space for its big brother, the Civic Opera House. I loved that theatre, gone, but not forgotten. – at the Civic Theatre, Chicago

AFTER INDEPENDENCE – Arcola Theatre, London

Senior Citizen rate: 14 quid. Could you die?

At the Arcola, no programs were distributed. Purchasing the script gave you all the program stuff.

Lobby pics. Our friend, Peter, is upper right.

May, 2016. World premiere and debut play of playwright May Sumbwanyambe, After Independence's plot revolves around a white Zimbabwean farmer during the second "land reclamation" in 1998 under Robert Mugabe's rule. Filled with questions, none of which have easy answers, if they have answers at all, this was an exciting and powerful play. Does a new injustice make up for old injustices? Is it a new injustice at all, or is it simply an overdue righting of wrongs, or is it a new form of discrimination and just as bad as the old? Is a white Zimbabwean any less of a Zimbabwean than a black Zimbabwean? Throw into the mix family dynamics and the meaning of independence. Not a happy play. Brilliant lighting design. Simple, efficient set design. Fluid and unfussy direction. Superb acting by a cast of four, including our dear friend, Peter Guinness, this alone was worth our trip to a London. I want Bob to direct this play. And here you thought we only went to musicals! – at the Arcola Theatre, London

BONUS SHOW (because it was mistakenly filed under "A")

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA – Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago

August, 2018. Psychopath seeks revenge. And that pretty much sums up the plot of Lookingglass' 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Slow start with some muddy diction. Nifty physical production, terrific lighting, some Cirque du Soleil-style rope stuff, and, with one exception, good acting made for an enjoyable, if not at all challenging, evening of theatre on a hot summer night. - at Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago

And with that, I'll wind up today's post. More later.

© 2020 Jeffrey Geddes

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 17b THE TOP TEN – #2 NOTE: Due to the length of this entry, I'm dividing it into two parts. This is part two of two.

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 17b

THE TOP TEN – #2

NOTE: Due to the length of this entry, I'm dividing it into two parts. This is part two of two.

Livent's demise may have meant the end of lavishly expensive productions of the epic Ragtime, but the show's legacy had only just begun with the arrival of outstanding productions that were more modest in scope, but overflowing with passion and heart. 

– Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ

June, 2005. Based on director Stafford Arima's pared-down 2003 London production, Paper Mill's Ragtime may not have been Livent-big, but the loss of bells and whistles made the show more accessible and more powerful. The set was elegantly functional, a series of frosted glass panels, topped by a slanted scrim and a catwalk. It was deceptively simple and it worked beautifully. The nineteen-piece orchestra played the glorious score to perfection, and Arima populated his show with an superlative cast of first-rate actors, lead by Quentin Earl Darrington as Coalhouse and a luminous Rachel York as Mother, who nailed every note of Mother's journey. Betsy Wolfe was a totally delightful Evelyn Nesbitt, even if she didn't get a swing to swing on. Kenita R. Miller was a heartbreaking Sarah. On a par with the original Toronto production, this was memorable in every way. We adored it. – at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ

– Neil Simon Theatre, New York

Wow. Just wow! The amazing set.

December, 2009. When the curtain rose at the Neil Simon Theatre, the audience burst into sustained applause at the opening tableau that greeted them. And rightly so, for Derek McLane's soaring set, with the cast members posed on all the levels, was a sight to behold. Like the earlier Paper Mill production, director Marcia Milgrom Dodge brought her critically-acclaimed Kennedy Center production to Broadway and focused on Terrence McNally's book and the characters he developed, with the glorious Flaherty and Ahrens score played by 28 talented men and women in the pit, making this Ragtime a feast for the ears. With solid performances by Quentin Earl Darrington, reprising his Paper Mill role, Christiane Noll, the only good thing about the mediocre Jekyll and Hyde of years past, as Mother, Ron Bohmer as Father, Stephanie Umoh as Sarah, Christopher Cox and Sarah Rosenthal as The Little Boy and The Little Girl, and a simply compelling Bobby Steggert as Younger Brother, this cast hit all the right notes and then some. From the sixth row of the orchestra, everything was up close and personal. This was a truly lovely revival of this incredible musical, full of sensitive and subtle touches that brought out this musical's innate beauty. Sadly and inexplicitly, however, it failed to find an audience, struggled for its entire run at the box office, and closed after a sinfully brief run of 28 previews and 65 performances.

Marketing Fail:  Jan Nargi, of JMN Entertainment, wrote an interesting article shortly after this revival closed suggesting that an uninspiring marketing campaign failed to excite interest in the show, resulting in failure to get people to the box office. Among the points brought up was the lack of promoting the show's pedigree, its many awards won, its failure to make the show a "must see." Nargi also felt the marketing folks were too busy focusing on the big ticket issues the show touches on rather than focusing on the three very human stories that make up the heart of Ragtime. Nargi also had issues with the show's slogan, "Their Time. Our Time. Ragtime.," asking what does all that mean? A very valid point in my opinion. Also suggested was the lack of star power that just didn't spell box office and a return to Broadway after too short a time. Here's the link if you'd care to read it. I found the article fascinating. http://jmnpublications.com/blog/2010/01/marketing_didnt_give_ragtime_i.html

– Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, IL

May, 2010. Quentin Earl Darrington was once again playing Coalhouse in Drury Lane's expensive, elegant, and evocative production of Ragtime. With pitch-perfect direction by the late Rachel Rockwell, this lovely staging hit all the emotional notes, gave us all the humor, and offered its audiences a stunning rendition of that sensational score (I counted 23 musicians in the pit!). Loaded with top Chicago Equity talent, this Ragtime soared and touched the heart. In addition to Darrington, the cast included Chicago favorites Larry Adams (Father) and Catherine Lord (Emma Goldman), Mark David Kaplan (Tateh), Max Quinlan (Younger Brother), Valisia LeKae (Sarah), Stev Tovar (Houdini), James Earl Jones II (Booker T. Washington), a seriously good Summer Naomi Smart (Evelyn Nesbitt), and, last, but most certainly not least, an incandescent Cory Goodrich as Mother, who simply dazzled when, alone on the stage, she conquered us all with "Back to Before." Absolutely first-rate!. – at the Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, IL

– Avery Fisher Hall, New York

The Lincoln Center stop on the 1 train.

<edited from a previous post>

February, 2013.  This was a one-night only event that was not to be missed. And I'm so glad we didn't! A 36-piece orchestra; a chorus of over 100 comprised of Broadway Equity talent and amateur singers from across the country; a cast that included, in alpha order, Michael Arden, Phillip Boykin, Kerry Butler, Matt Cavenaugh, Lilla Crawford, Tyne Daly, Jarrod Emick, Manoel Felciano, Lewis Grosso, Dick Latessa, Norm Lewis, Jose Llana, Michael McCormick, Howard McGillin, Patina Miller, Lea Salonga and NaTasha Yvette Williams, and a completely sold out house.  It was insane!  And wonderful!  And a memory that I will cherish.  Top honors go to Lea Salonga as Mother who's perfectly sung "Back to Before" was rewarded with a thunderous ovation that rocked Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.  Other top kudos to Michael Arden's Younger Brother, Howard McGillin's Father, Patina Miller's Sarah, and Manoel Felciano's Tateh.  As Coalhouse, Norm Lewis was fine, but oddly low-key. Although nicely sung, he never soared, and his "Make Them Hear You" didn't elevate.  He was the one "okay" in an otherwise WOW evening.  Simply divine! - at the Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York

– Quadracci Powerhouse, Milwaukee

September, 2013. After seeing many different productions of Ragtime over the last two decades, it's my belief that, at the end of the day, the success of the show hinges on the performances of the actors playing Mother and Coalhouse. As Mike Fischer, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal pointed out in his laudatory review, Mother and Coalhouse have the longest dramatic arcs, the most fully-defined characters. I'd never really thought of it that way before, but he's one hundred percent correct. And at the Milwaukee Rep, these roles were exquisitely handled by Gavin Gregory and, in a towering performance that lifted the show, Carmen Cusack as Mother. Seriously, folks, is there anything Ms. Cusack, can't do? The cast was a knockout from leads to ensemble. Beautifully designed, directed, and choreographed, with a top-drawer orchestra kicking musical ass, this was a Ragtime to cherish. – at the Quadracci Powerhouse (Milwaukee Rep), Milwaukee

– Griffin Theatre Company, Chicago

July, 2017. And then there was this production. Oh, where to begin? An interminably long line at the multi-venued Den Theatre box office greeted us as we entered the space. Our seats were located in a side section of the theatre. Not our choice since probably 2/3 of the seats had reserved signs on them, and this in an open seating production. The very small orchestra of two pianos and a clarinet worked mightily, but everything sounded thin. And then there were the performances. In a show where it's an absolute necessity to have a strong Coalhouse, Griffin's Denzel Tsopnang was a miss. His acting reflected no fire or energy and, frankly, his vocal chops left much to be desired. Laura McClain, as Mother, was satisfactory until it came time to "Back to Before," and, sadly, she couldn't bring it home. I felt sorry for Katherine Thomas. Her Sarah was lovely, and I was saddened that she didn't have a better production in which to showcase her. This non-Equity storefront production received good reviews overall, but the show the bloggers and reviewers gave thumbs up to was not the show we saw. This was near the end of a long run. Maybe everyone was tired. Maybe not. In any event, it wasn't very good. The interval discussion was centered around whether to go or stay. We stayed. I wish we hadn't. – at the Griffin Theatre Company at the Den Theatre, Chicago

– Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire, IL

March, 2018. The casting folks at Marriott Theatre had the good sense to cast Kathy Voytka (Mother), Katherine Thomas (Sarah), and Nathaniel Stampley (Coalhouse) for their critically-acclaimed arena staging of Ragtime. Add in a cast of Chicago favorites for smaller roles, a cast with terrific voices, and great direction by Nick Bowling, and the result was an outstanding production. We're fans of both Voytka and Stampley, and it was so gratifying to see Thomas recreating Sarah in a first-rate production (see previous entry). I thought she was good in the Griffin production; I thought she was terrific in this one. Special kudos to Keirsten Hodgens, who as Sarah's Friend, led one of the most affecting versions of "Till We Reach that Day" that I have seen. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. Doing a huge show like Ragtime within the confines of a relatively small arena stage is a challenge; doing it well is a triumph for all concerned. This was a triumph. Without a doubt, this was one of the finest productions I've seen at Marriott, and I've been going there since the 1970s. Well done, all! – at the Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire, IL

Coming up soon…a star-studded concert of Ragtime in New York, a benefit for The Actors Fund, and starring original cast members Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, and Peter Friedman. Can. Not. Wait.

Until then…ciao!

© 2020 Jeffrey Geddes