LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING – Episode 2

LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING – Episode 2

(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…"

I grabbed a lot from the "A" pile, so here's some more "A"-level memories. Today's theatrical recollections include: a rarely done Paul Zindel play, a much-anticipated musical that should have been better than it was, a Cole Porter classic, Margo Channing and Eve Harrington together at last onstage, and a storefront production of one of my favorite musicals. Let's start.

AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE – Civic Theatre, Chicago

 Different program covers and different publisher.

January, 1972; March, 1972. Paul Zindel's and Miss Reardon drinks a little (letter case as indicated on the program), while a financial hit in its 1971 Broadway run despite a short run of 108 performances, is one of those plays that didn't age well. It's a play about three sisters, all educators: one an alcoholic, one mentally unstable and accused of molesting a male student, and one a cold, calculating ice queen who drops in on her family after years of no contact when the family matriarch dies . Pretty grim and hardly the stuff comedies are made of, yet Zindel packed his play with enough zingers to rival Neil Simon. (Interestingly, Neil Simon's seriously-flawed, yet fascinating, The Gingerbread Lady, also about an alcoholic lady, opened in the same season on Broadway. It, however, did not make its money back.) I reread the play a few years back to see if it might be suitable for the theatre company that Bob works with. It still had the laugh lines, but Zindel never successfully married the kitchen-sink type drama with the comedy, and it read a bit like a hot mess. In fact my 21st century opinion of the play is in line with what the Chicago Tribune's William Leonard wrote, and I quote, "Slapstick and tragedy work at cross purposes in And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little…But if Paul Zindel…thought he could make the customers both laugh and cry, it doesn't seem to have worked out that way." Having said that, though, the 21-year-old Jeff thought the play was quite dandy, and the performances of Sandy Dennis, Betty Garrett, and DeAnn Mears were powerful. I mean, seriously, Sandy Dennis and Betty Garrett? C'mon!! I liked it so much I saw it twice. Apparently Chicago audiences liked it despite the lukewarm reviews, for the show, originally scheduled for a four-week run, extended and closed after an eight-week run. Zindel's plays, including his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, are rarely done today. – at the Civic Theatre, Chicago

THE ADDAMS FAMILY – Oriental Theatre, Chicago

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December, 2009. Preview. Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth above the title. A trio of Broadway stalwarts sharing "starring" status (Terrence Mann, Carolee Carmello, Kevin Chamberlain). A comic favorite (Jackie Hoffman). Two up-and-rising youngsters (Krysta Rodriguez, Wesley Taylor). Beloved characters from cartoons, TV, and film as the source material. The anticipation was high; so were the expectations. How could it miss? And yet, and yet, it did. Oh, it wasn't a disaster by any means. That actually may have been preferable. Instead it was, well, mediocre. Professional and glitzy, with enough Addams family references to make us boomers happy (finger snaps, iconic poses, etc.), the show overall lacked the wicked and subversive wit of the cartoons, the TV series, and the two films. Stars Lane and Neuwirth brought their star charisma, but neither seemed like they were having much fun with these deliciously over-the-top roles made famous by John Astin and Carolyn Jones on TV and especially Raul Julia and Angelica Huston on film. And someone please explain to me why you would cast a dancer with Neuwirth's creds, and then give her sinfully little to dance? The plot was contrived, but it gave Carolee Carmello a chance to blast the show skyward for its only real moment during the evening with her "Waiting" during the excellent "Full Disclosure" segment which closed Act One. Terrence Mann, poor guy, had an unfortunate and perplexing encounter that bordered on sexual with a tentacled creature that went on for far too long. Kevin Chamberlain's Uncle Fester wanted to talk about love, and he did...endlessly.  Even the ever reliable Jackie Hoffman was pushing too hard, trying her best to put across the meh material. No one was terrible; nothing was poorly executed. It just sat there. Considering the talent involved, that was as surprising as it was sad. – at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh (snap, snap): The Chicago critics and bloggers were a mixed bag, but, if theatreinchicago.com is to be believed (6 Highly Recommended; 6 Recommended; 2 Somewhat Recommended) mainly positive in their assessment of the musical. Changes were made, the original directors were replaced by Jerry Zaks, but kept their directorial credit, and the show opened on Broadway to almost unanimous pans. (Link to the Variety review….https://variety.com/2010/legit/reviews/the-addams-family-1117942554/) As in Chicago, the show did seriously good box office, largely, I assume, on the bring-in-the-money power of Nathan Lane and, to a lesser extent, Bebe Neuwirth. Without those two leads, the show's finances faltered and it closed in the red after a respectable run of 35 previews and 722 performances. Since then, The Addams Family has been extensively reworked, went on a successful 15-month tour, and has been a popular choice for amateur/school groups. Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh (snap, snap)!

ANYTHING GOES

– Stephen Sondheim Theatre, New York

August, 2011. Ethel Merman is said to have quipped that Anything Goes is about "a girl on a boat." Short, sweet, and in this case, absolutely correct. The triple-threat talents of the delicious Sutton Foster were on ample display in this mostly-satisfying version of this Cole Porter classic. When the show stuck to its, frankly, ridiculous plot and sang and danced, it worked. When it tried to be a "book" musical, it was not as successful. The cast was loaded with Grade-A talent: John McMartin, who should have been declared a National Theatre Treasure years ago; Joel Grey, impishly delightful as Moonface Martin; Kelly Bishop, the original Tony-winning Sheila of A Chorus Line; Walter Charles, a terrific Albin in the tour of La Cage aux Folles when it played Chicago; Adam Godley, Laura Osnes, Jessica Stone, and a polished Josh Franklin filling in for Colin Donnell as Billy Crocker. Not to diminish the talents of any of these folks, Sutton Foster was the reason to see this. Her huge, warm smile with an effervescence that would challenge the best champagne anchored the proceedings. No surprise when she won the Tony for Leading Actress in a Musical at the 2011 Tonys. And big applause to those fabulous men and women in the pit! – at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Chicago

– Cahn Auditorium (Music Theater Works), Evanston, IL 

August, 2018. And then there was this version. Erica Evans, the singular Equity member in the cast, played Reno Sweeney and blared everything out with no attempt at subtlety or variance in delivery. It was just loud. When she wasn't singing, loudly, she was doing her damnedest, and loudly so, to channel Ethel Merman, all volume and brass and no interpretation, instead of giving us her take on the role.  I blame director Rudy Hogenmiller for that. The production's costumes were fine, but the scenic elements looked cheap. Low point of the afternoon was during the second act when the wagon representing the brig failed to roll down to its spot and both actors in the scene stayed where they were!! No apparent realization that they weren't where they were supposed to be and adjust accordingly, so the whole scene was played upstage. Amateur stuff. The orchestra was excellent, as always with Music Theater Works. Glad we had a Goldstar comp for this. – at the Cahn Auditorium, Evanston, IL

And then there was this production: In the spring of 2019, a colleague of Bob's was the musical director of a production of Anything Goes at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and invited us to the closing performance. We were blown away! The exuberance and talent on display were amazing. The dance numbers were superb. If you didn't notice how young the actors were, you'd've thought you were at a professional Equity production. This beat the socks off of the Evanston production.

ALL ABOUT EVE – Noel Coward Theatre, London

May, 2019. Director Ivo van Hove pulled many A View from the Bridge and Network staging tricks out of his toolbox, which resulted in a "Been there, seen it, Ivo" production. Actually, I found van Hove's staging overall on the unimpressive side. And seriously, Ivo, was it absolutely necessary to see Margo puke in the toilet via video screen during the party scene? What did you promise Gillian Anderson for her to agree to this? This was a slavish homage to the film, though interestingly the program stated source material also included Mary Orr's excellent play version, The Wisdom of Eve. Gillian Anderson, as Margo, apparently was directed to imitate Bette Davis' vocal cadences and attitude, resulting in a professional, competent performance, but not an exciting or fresh one, and I love Gillian Anderson, so this was disappointing. Lily James fared better as Eve, but for my money, the best thing in this high-priced and, frankly, over-priced show was Monica Dolan's engaging and spirited Karen Richards. Enjoyed it; didn't faint over it. Rent the film. - at the Noel Coward Theatre, London

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

110 IN THE SHADE – Theater Wit (BoHo Theatre), Chicago

November, 2018. 110 in the Shade is one of my top ten favorite musicals. The book sometimes creaks, but the score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt is one of the musical theatre's glories. Unfortunately, BoHo Theatre's production was a somewhat indifferent affair and was at its best with the performances of the Curry men, which, frankly, shouldn't be the case. The vocals were serviceable throughout, but never soared. "Rain Song" should thrill; it didn't. "Old Maid" should be the act one emotional peak; it was mostly screeching with a soupçon of interpretation. File was underplayed and on the dull side. Starbuck was not very charismatic and lacked the sexual energy essential to the role. Lizzie was either loud or angry, often both, which made her not very likeable. In fact, I wanted to shout at her to stop her whining. The direction was often aimless, and the limited choreography was just sad. This was the second local production of a musical in my top ten that I'd seen that disappointed. (Porchlight's overrated Gypsy was the previous week.) The bloggers all seemed to faint over the leading lady's vocals. Guess they like their songs loud and unfocused. Wish I'd skipped this. - at Theater Wit, Chicago

And with that, I'll close another edition of Remembrances of Performances Past. Social distancing! Do it. Stay at home!

© 2020 Jeffrey Geddes

NEW YORK IN A HURRY…AND A ROAD TRIP TO MILWAUKEE AND LINCOLNSHIRE

NEW YORK IN A HURRY…AND A ROAD TRIP TO MILWAUKEE AND LINCOLNSHIRE

It's been a while since I've posted a new episode. I've been so busy juggling a myriad of hats with an upcoming production of Cabaret  that Bob is directing now for an April opening, that I've had little time for much of anything else.  But, at long last…a bit of a mixed bag in this post with no real theme or connection. In February, I took a quick two-night trip to New York to see a concert version of Maury Yeston/Peter Stone's Titanic at Lincoln Center. Bob, sadly, had to stay home and suffer through load-in and the start of techs for a lackluster show for which he designed a simply amazing set. Neither of us were happy about that, but I soldiered on and managed to see two additional shows while in Manhattan. (You didn't think I'd let a Sunday go by without a performance, did you?) The other two entries are early March excursions to see a mediocre production of Cabaret and a thrilling production of An Iliad in Milwaukee.

New York first.

February, 2014. When Charles Busch is onstage with longtime friend and collaborator Julie Halston, you can feel the love, trust and fun and the stage sparkles. Add the delectable Cynthia Harris and you've got a mighty trio. There are three other characters and the talented actors all do well enough, but didn't leave much of an impression. To a large degree, that's because Busch's very enjoyable new play is also very uneven. It starts off like gangbusters, but then has a big dip in act two and never completely regains the potential of the wonderful first two scenes. Flaws aside, it's chockablock with delicious one-liners and has an abundance of heart. A fabulous set framed the action and the direction kept everything going smoothly. I liked it and it's always a treat to see Mr Busch and Ms Halston in action. - at 59E59 Theaters, New York

February, 2014. At three hours long, this could use some gentle and judicial trimming. I say this with great reluctance since I have no idea what should go. The second act sometimes gets a little pedantic, so I'd probably trim that down a bit. Effortless performances by a large cast with special kudos to John McMartin. At 84, he handily proves he still has the goods. He is without peer - a true actor's actor and I will happily see him in anything. Other outstanding turns by Michael McKean, Robert Petkoff, Christopher Liam Moore, Betsy Aidem, Roslyn Ruff and Brandon J. Dirden. Bums-in-seats star Bryan Cranston is remarkable as LBJ and makes us care for this complicated man even when he's a cold and unyielding bastard. It was an impressive performance. Everything about this production was top grade. Highly recommended. - at the Neil Simon Theatre, New York

February, 2014. Manhattan Concert Productions presented this. These are the same folks who produced last season's breathtaking concert edition of Ragtime. Last year's performance bordered on a religious experience; this year was no different. It was simply magnificent; a feast for the ears and the soul as Peter Stone and Maury Yeston brought the legendary tragic saga of the ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic to a human level, devoid of the special effects and stereotypes of James Cameron's much-lauded film. (Lest you get the wrong impression, I quite like Mr. Cameron's film. But it's often more spectacle than story.) From Captain to First Class Passenger to the Bellboy, director Don Stephenson and music director Kevin Stites gave us characters we may have loved or hated, Bruce Ismay was really a despicable human being, but we were interested in all of them and cared about many of them. This is not a perfect show. Not every number lands: the Strauses' "Still," ably sung by Alma Cuervo and Ron Raines, tugs at our emotions, but doesn't quite touch us the way the authors intended; "I Give You My Hand," a beautiful song cut during Broadway previews, is pretty to listen to, but seems grafted onto the proceedings; "Mr. Andrews' Vision," while powerful, perhaps could have better made it's point in a frantic spoken monologue. But, then, ladies and gentlemen, there is that opening sequence: a glorious experience that ranks as one of musical theatre's most singular opening numbers. According to the program, seven pieces of music make up this opening, ending with the goosebump-inducing "Godspeed Titanic," which also brings the show to its triumphant conclusion. It's a marvel of acting, singing, and, even in this concert setting, staging. Like last year, a 250-strong chorus added an extra thrilling element to the ensemble numbers. Many of the original cast members returned to reprise their roles and they were all greeted with enthusiastic "welcome home" entrance applause. This remarkable cast included, in addition to Ms. Cuervo and Mr. Raines, Michael Cerveris, David Constabile, John Bolton, John Cunningham, David Garrison, Jill Paice, Michele Ragusa, Ryan Silverman and other talented Broadway pros. Top honors, though went to David Elder as Frederick Fleet with a haunting "No Moon" to close Act One, Joseph Castinado, a high school junior, whose excitement at being in this production in the role of Bellboy was positively contagious and totally endearing, but most especially to Brian d'Arcy James (Frederick Barrett) and Martin Moran (Harold Bride) whose duet of "The Proposal/The Night Was Alive" stopped the show cold and when they appeared together at bows, brought the already loud and enthusiastic applause to a deafening roar of cheers and bravos. My good pal, Gina, joined me and she remarked that she'd seen nothing quite like this. I agree. - at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York

FYI, Cabaret is not about a bowler hat and a damn chair. Stop it this instant!

March, 2014. What I liked: the male ensemble's "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," the briefcase business during "The Money Song," the finale to Act One. What I didn't like: pretty much everything else. Sanitized and not at all sexy. It's unclear why Marriott chose to produce the 1998 Broadway revival since they excised all the edginess out of it. I suspect it had a great deal to do with being able to perform the revised 1998 song line-up inclusion of "Mein Herr," "Maybe This Time," "The Money Song" and "I Don't Care Much," none of which were remarkable. Director David H. Bell delivered a muted, bland production with muddy choreography by Matt Raftery, uninteresting acting and indifferent singing. Nancy Missimi's costumes looked as though she pulled the stock from Marriott's Thoroughly Modern Millie and called it a day. There were no surprises, not a single "wow" moment and it was about as dangerous as a Disney movie. The most hysterical moment occurred early in the proceedings when Bobby and Cliff kissed. A gasp went through the audience. I'm serious. A gasp. Really? People, it's 2014! Geez! Everything was very professional, but very dull. A disappointment. - at the Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL

March, 2014. Sometimes you see a performance that is so amazing, so breathtaking in scope and execution, so singularly excellent that you simply can't find adequate words to describe it. This was the Milwaukee Rep's production of Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare's An Iliad. Surrounded by the typical production excellence that the Rep consistently delivers, actor Jim DeVita and cellist Alicia Storin, under the flawless direction of John Langs, created theatrical magic that transported the audience to another time, yet one that seemed disturbingly current, and another place, yet one that had a disquieting ring of familiarity. You could hear a pin drop throughout the performance and there were moments when I simply forgot to breathe. Powerful ideas and words; thrilling theatre. - at the Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee

We're off to New York for a long weekend for the incredibly wonderful Broadway Backwards. Naturally, we'll see other shows as well. Stay tuned! In the meantime, go see a show. Cheers.

© 2014 Jeffrey Geddes

A QUICK TRIP TO NEW YORK - JULY, 2013

A QUICK TRIP TO NEW YORK - JULY, 2013

Michael Urie's critically acclaimed turn in Buyer and Cellar  was the impetus for this quick 2-night trip to New York. The hotel near the South Ferry Terminal was an elevator nightmare and the weather on Sunday provided us with an unexpected extra night at an okay Holiday Inn in Queens. Because of all the displaced passengers due to the weather the previous day, we found ourselves flying home to Chicago via the direct route, through Minneapolis. What? You mean there are non-stop flights? Really? Ah…the joys of standby travel. Hotel and travel challenges notwithstanding, we saw some really great shows. Here they are.

July, 2013. Those frisky orphans under Miss Hannigan's loving care were just as delightful the second time around. Taylor Richardson, the Annie cover and now one of two "regular" Annies, was wonderful with a confidence and energy that lit up the stage. Anthony Warlow is still the best Warbucks I've seen. Three cheers for the talented and hard-working ensemble. And finally, all hail the divine Faith Prince whose delicious portrayal of Miss Hannigan is a truly worthy successor to the legendary Dorothy Loudon's original. Faith rocked it! Now if only something could be done about the generally lackluster staging, especially the this-should-be-a-showstopper-but-not-with-this-staging  blandness of "Easy Street." - at the Palace Theatre, New York

July, 2013. Clever, often very funny, sweet and, more than once, honestly touching, this is a delightful small-scale musical with a terrific cast and a tuneful rock-infused score that boasts at least two really, really good ballads and one hysterical comic number delivered to perfection by Rory O'Malley. The entire ensemble cast is first-rate (Heath Calvert, Bryan Fenkart, Roe Hartrampf, Autumn Hulbert, Leslie Kritzer, Lauren Molina, Rory O'Malley and Aleque Reid) and each gets at least one moment to shine. First class production values. (I said small-scale, not small budget.) This will be done everywhere in the next few years. I liked it lots. - at the Second Stage Theatre, New York

July, 2013.  This was the reason for the trip and it was so worth the trip! Jonathan Tolin's well-written play provided a solid foundation for Michael Urie's stunning tour-de-force as Alex, the caretaker of Barbra Streisand's basement shopping mall on her Malibu estate. (Yes, she actually has this. Seriously.) With no amplification and a simple production design, Urie created a world of fascinating, fleshed-out characters from Barbra Streisand to Alex's boyfriend, Barry, in an outstanding performance. Beneath all the laughs, though, lurked a human tale which made this one man show more than just a string of well-constructed one-liners. Highly recommended. We loved it. (PS: Just read where Buyer and Cellar and Mr. Urie will be coming to Chicago in Spring, 2014. Yay!) - at the Barrow Street Theatre, New York

July, 2013. Hysterical farce with everything except slamming doors. We laughed ourselves silly. The uber-talented cast seemed to have as much fun performing this as we did watching them, if that's even possible. Here they are: Brian Avers, Max Baker, Steven Boyer, Arnie Burton (I must play his parts one day), Carson Elrod (too, too funny), David Furr, John McMartin, Lorenzo Pisoni, and Jennifer Westfeldt (priceless as two sisters).  For me, one of the highlights of the show was to see yet another terrific performance from John McMartin. I first saw McMartin in Follies in 1971 and more than forty years later, he's still consistently delighting audiences. He is a true theatre treasure. Gorgeous physical production.  I was surprised, delightedly so, by the lobby sign that invited playgoers to take pictures of the set before and after the show and during the interval. What a terrific idea. Everyone wants to do it anyhow and it frees the ushers from being camera cops. Thanks to the designer Donyale Werle and the various unions involved for  this unexpected treat. Enormous fun. Bob absolutely must direct this! - at the NY City Center Stage 1 (MTC), New York

That's all for now. Live theatre is a gift. See a play or musical this week!