The Wild Party @ New York City Center

  

The roaring 20’s incited a wildness that could not be contained—and it is celebrated today with productions such as Encores! Off Center’s The Wild Party. Equipped with an incredible score, Lippa’s The Wild Party brought me into the inner conflicts of abuse and the outer celebration of freedom.

Wild Party’s revival was directed by Leigh Silverman, who capitalized on an all-star cast’s talent to bring a captivating production of the musical to New York City Center’s stage. Scenic Designer Donyale Werle brought the 20’s to the 00’s with a unit set—perfectly showcasing musical director Chris Fenwick’s orchestra.

Costume designer Clint Ramos’ swanky selection emulated the time period with a unique artistic flair, especially when coupled with Sonya Tayeh’s choreography. Mark Bartons’ lighting design pulled the audience in; while Leon Rothenberg’s sound design made sure that no note went unnoticed. With subtleties managed, Queenie began a performance that had a roaring support from the first downbeat.

Sutton Foster (Queenie) brought a world of confusion, delight and the consequences of indecision to life on the Encores! stage. Foster’s powerful performance made the theater into an extension of the wild party ensuing.

Steven Pasquale personified the negative characteristics of strength in his portrayal of Burrs. He carried the rising insanity with him, ushering in the lows of un-contained emotion with  masterful precision.

The life of the party was Joaquina Kalukango, whose rendition of Kate enticed the audience to its feet. Kalukango, like her cast-mates, is a do not miss.

Certainly matching her performance was Brandon Victor Dixon (Black). Harnessing superb chemistry with Foster, Dixon pushed humanity back into Queenie’s reality and an opposing force into Burrs’. Dixon had me out of my seat.

The dynamic duo of Eddie and Mae was played by Ryan Andes and Talene Monahon. Andes’ musical Stallone-esque performance was accentuated by Monahon’s lyrical innocence. All the while, everyone’s favorite lesbian Madelaine True (Miriam Shor) had the audience doubled over from her first line.

The supporting cast, Renée Albulario (Nadine), James Brown III (the Neighbor), Rachel De Benedet (Dolores), Raymond J. Lee (Max), Clifton Oliver (Oscar d’Armano), Charlie Pollock (Sam/The Cop) and Britton Smith (Phil d’Armano), brought life to every note. They did not fall behind the stacked lead roles, rather, they pulled an even stronger performance from them. The ensemble (Penelope Armstead-Williams, Kenita R. Miller, Sydney Morton, Ryan Steele and Samantha Sturm) was no different.

This unforgettable cast harnessed every high expectation; and with this pool of talent, it would be a surprise if there was any portion of the performance that was lacking. A night filled with laughter is seldom forgettable.

Review By: Alexandra Lipari

Photos By: Joan Marcus

John & Jen @ The Clurman Theatre @ Theatre Row

John & Jen is a musical by Tom Greenwald and Andrew Lippa that details the relationships between one woman, Jen (Kate Baldwin), and her brother and her son, both named John (Conor Ryan). The show originally debuted Off-Broadway in 1995, and is now revived twenty years later Off-Broadway at Theatre Row by the Keen Company, directed by Jonathan Silverman.

Baldwin’s performance leaves nothing to be desired, as she has all but perfectly captured the essence of each stage of life, from child to mother, and packaged it into a strong performance.  Her vocals are technically and dramatically brilliant, and even left some in the audience wondering when she found moments to inhale.  Unfortunately, her counterpart Ryan’s performance, though by no stretch of the imagination a bad one, paled in comparison.  While Ryan’s vocal talent was fine enough, there seemed to be a disconnect between the fairly young performer and his two characters. At times, it would have seemed the two separate individuals were totally indistinguishable from each other.  Both actors, though, brought an immense amount of charm to the stage.  The scenic designer, Steven C. Kemp, gave an unusual and conversation-provoking set, and each of Sydney Maresca's costume designs seemed to be spot on.

Perhaps one of the most jarring elements of the performance was the almost nonexistent chemistry between Baldwin and Ryan.  Whether it is simply a difference in the caliber of actors, the source material, or an off day, it is noticeable that the two almost seemed as if they didn’t enjoy each other’s presence on a personal level.

As for the musical itself, the first act trudges from John (Jen’s brother) and Jen’s childhood and adolescence in the seemingly innocent 50’s into the turbulent conflicts of political and personal ideals of the radically different 60’s, but does so neither with a particular sense of enthusiasm nor in a particular hurry.  When the act ends with John’s death, it’s almost hard to care, as the characters have done very little to develop a relationship worth mourning.  The second act brings us through the life of John (Jen’s son) with just as little enthusiasm and even less tonal consistency, adding in an unusual number wherein John and Jen act as daytime talk show hosts and point out every flaw in their relationship, despite having been stressed as a strained relationship to begin with.  

The second act frames the issues to come when Jen gives her son her dead brother’s name, clothes, baseball, catcher’s mitt, and personality in an attempt to make reparations for the relationship so feebly established and demolished in the first act, whether he wants these things or not. For a two person cast, the two hour runtime is a very long haul, and eventually the songs seem to become very redundant, lacking strong (read: enjoyable or noticeably varied) melodies and strong (read: interesting and coherent) lyrics.

Overall, though Baldwin gives a remarkable performance and Ryan gives his all, their individual charm isn’t enough to save John & Jen from itself. Its poor pacing, forgettable songs, and overly long runtime make it a musical that could either use some long overdue rewrites or another twenty-year break.

Review By: Jacob R. Hines

Photos By: Carol Rosegg

Big Fish @ The Neil Simon Theatre

Sometimes, life's stories can be more extraordinary than any fairytale. Big Fish gives account of the tall-taled days of Edward Bloom (Norbert Leo Butz), a man whose life seems to come out of a story book. Although Will's(Zachary Unger as the child, and Bobby Steggert as the adult) mother Sandra (Kate Baldwin) and wife Josephine (Krystal Joy Brown) indulge in the truth of Edward's fanciful tales, Will refuses to believe until he can uncover for himself what is real and what is fantasy. What results is the manifestation of all of Edward's best memories woven into present day to show us that in fact, "The ones who face their fears lead the most interesting lives."

                Butz is the true definition of a Leading Man. His presence is commanding, and with a velvety voice and ease in dance, you don't want to take your eyes off of him. Even more impressive was his ability to seamlessly transform his age from an elderly man, to a teenager, to an adult, and back again within a matter of moments; I'm not even sure how old Butz really is he transitioned so well. The same goes for Baldwin. We get to watch Sandra gracefully change from girl to woman, all while being lucky enough to hear her beautiful voice ring out. Bobby Steggert(Older Will) stands his ground with the heart wrenching performance of a son struggling to believe in the man he has looked up to his entire life.

            From the very moment the lights came up, the stage is flooded in rich beautiful color; Julian Crouch's scenic design transforms from a dark forest to a warm, modest household to bright USO show. William Ivey Long's costume designs could be considered their own characters with dresses becoming swaying trees and crackling campfires, men turning into giants, and women into mermaids.  From Ashton, Alabama to Central Park, to the Calloway Circus, each new world is more fantastic than the last. Use of projections made the impossible a reality, and technical aspects including a stage full of daffodils and dancing elephants made it a spectacular. Andrew Lippa's bright score and Susan Stroman' s exciting choreography are reminiscent of the classic Golden Age of Broadway with big production numbers ("Be the Hero") to tear-jerking ballads ("I Don't Need a Roof"). Together, everything blends to make a fresh, modern take on the classic Musical Theatre structure. 

            Many will notice that although the story is still from Daniel Wallace's novel, it is not the same as the Big Fish we know from Tim Burton's film. On screen, the life of Edward Bloom was much darker and oftentimes more like a fable, whereas onstage it's closer to a fairytale. In my opinion this was a smart move by John August, who penned both the screenplay and the musical's book. The bright version of Big Fish for stage is energetic and engaging, which is needed for a piece of musical theatre to be successful. Many shows that come to Broadway now are inspired by films, so oftentimes it can be difficult to stick out and be memorable. Where Big Fish gets it right is its ability to stand as its own piece of theatre, you don't need to be a fan of the movie to fall in love with the piece on stage.

Big Fish opened October 6 and is now playing at The Neil Simon Theatre. 

Review By: Kelcie Kosberg

The Addams Family @ The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

They have been known to be creepy and kooky, but musically inclined?  This is another thing the Addam’s can add to their list attributes in The Addams Family the Musical now lurching its way on Broadway.  This classic comic strip, which as seen life in almost every other form of media from television to the big screen, has the audience snapping in time to the familiar theme song, that brings a smile to everyone’s face before the curtain has even risen.  Unfortunately, the smiles do not last forever as a simple plot and less then memorable songs begin to take over.  However, even with these creative issues, one cannot help but sit through all of the craziness and kookiness without having a great time.  This shows manages to transport its audience into the world of the Addams in such a way that dying flowers, crawling flowers, and hairy cousins are simply beautiful.

This undead, upbeat musical follows the tell tale heart of Wednesday who has fallen in love with a "normal" boy, named Lucas, inspiring her to invite him and his parents over for dinner.  But this isn’t the only thing that is changing and the Addams are not quite sure what to do about it: Morticia fears of growing old, Gomez’s baby girl is slipping through his fingers, Pugsley is losing his sister, and Grandma is just going crazy.  Not to mention that Lucas’s family has their own separate set of issues – his father is money hungry and his mother only speaks in rhymes.  When these two families come together, it will ultimately be up to Uncle Fester to keep love alive and spirits high.  And, Fester has do it all while dealing with relationship problems of his own – his love is just too far away . . . like in outer space . . . as in, the moon.  In this original story, the Addams are put to the test to see if their family is strong enough to defect the dreaded coming of “true” love.

This classic; with countless movies, shows, and cartoons to document their crazy antics can be hard to live up to, but the cast did more than live up to their great name – they killed it. Rachel Potter (making her Broadway debut) portrays Wednesday Addams – a death obsessed, black colored wardrobe extraordinaire with the hormones of a teenage girl in love.  Potter’s performance of Wednesday was perfectly intricate and relatable, with a phenomenal voice that could wake even the stiffest corpse. Wednesday’s moments with Lucas Beineke, played by Jesse Swanson (Spring Awakening), were wonderfully charming, reminding the audience of the golden years of reckless, teenage love. Roger Rees (televisions Cheers and The West Wing) brings lightness to the classic character of Gomez Addams. His wit and comedic timing kept the audience laughing all throughout the play.  However, even more impressive, was the precious father-daughter moment between Gomez and Wednesday.  Rees portrayal of the protective father, learning to let go, tugs on the heart strings and shows a refreshing, emotional side to the character of Gomez.  Bebe Neuwirth (televisions Cheers and Frasier) encompassed the mysterious, sultry, and inexpressive Morticia as only Bebe Neuwirth can.  Providing balance to the chaotic happenings on stage, Neuwirth’s unique voice made the character her own with her signature peculiar sensuality, perfect for the role.  Adam Riegler’s (Shrek the Musical) performance as Pugsley adds that little bit of mischief to keep things interesting in this gothic family affair.  Riegler adds laughs and momentum to the play, delightfully portraying the fears of impish little-brother-losing-big-sister with off-beat sincerity, carried by his acting and vocals, setting the standards for a whole new generation.  The narrator of this zany show is none other than Uncle Fester, played by Brad Oscar (Tony nominated for The Producers).  With his cute mannerisms and huge heart, Oscar works his way into the hearts of the audience as only Uncle Fester could.  And how could this family be complete without Lurch, played by Zachary James (South Pacific). His silent, but deadly comedic timing was spot on as the stern and stoic butler, using his body and facial expressions to deliver some of the strongest moments within the production, adding another hilarious layer to this already six food deep comedy.

The music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa (revised ...Charlie Brown) might not burrow themselves into the audiences’ head right away, but after some time, songs such as When You’re an Addams and Pulled, worm their way into your heart.  Lippa takes into account the careful details of each characters’ personality, with teeny-pop tunes for Wednesday and love ballets for Gomez; bringing a rounded feel to the well loved family.  As for the choreography, done by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys and Memphis), these toe taping numbers range from subtle to all the way to the extravagant; with the opening of the show the Addams ancestors are called on to celebrate the “great cycle of life and death”, but who would have ever guessed that would include Bunny Hopping!  With a set and direction done by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (the team behind Off-Broadway’s Shockheaded Peter), the two deliver the wow factor to this show, building up a mansion of a character all its own.  The stunning illusion of different rooms, doors, and locations were represented by moving couches, staircases, or even the main curtain; making for a very clever and excellent opportunities for our lovably dark characters to make special appearances. The costumes, also done by McDermott and Crouch, rip the family right from the pages of the classic comic strips, staying true to what it means to be an Addams.  The puppetry also created a very unique atmosphere to this show.  From Cousin It, a Venus Fly-trap, the octopus living under the stairs, the list goes on, showing the creative versatility that is Basil Twist (work can be seen through such companies as Lincoln Center and The Los Angeles Philharmonic), adding the black cherry to the top of a dark chocolate Sunday.

If the family is looking for a creepy-crawly comedy of a musical, be sure to skulk, lurch, or even zombie your way on over to the Lune-Fontanne Theatre and pay a call on, “The Addams Family.”  Snap! Snap!

Review By: Morgan Mack & James Russo