mrdreamjeans | Entries tagged with theater

Where: Gremlin Theater - St Paul (Midway Neighborhood)

When: Friday, February 3, 2023
What: RENT
Presented By: Theatre 55

Mission Statement: Theatre 55 was created in 2018 to fill a need in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota: theatre performed by seniors. It was formed with the purpose of developing lifelong learning through theatre performance and education. Our vision is to enrich the lives of elders as artists, audiences, and lifelong learners through theatre performance and education.

Last Friday, along with three of my closest friends, I attended the opening night of RENT, presented by Theatre 55. I knew what we were in for having attending this company’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” last summer. Imagine the play’s setting, the lower East side of New York in the 1980’s, populated by actors all over the age of 55 . In 1980‘s New York, drug use was rampant and AIDS was decimating an entire generation of young people, disproportionately hitting the LGBTQ community.

For me, as an actor of a certain age who was living and working in New York City in the early 80’s, RENT has always packed a too-close-to home emotional punch. Would this production survive such wildly divergent casting? Would the oh so familiar score thrive with less polished, less experienced voices? Would good intentions be enough to realize the company’s vision of “enriching the lives of elders as artists”?

For the most part, the answer is yes if enthusiasm and commitment to the performance is the standard. RENT’S music, especially the recitative style of many of the numbers is challenging to the best of singers. Add a layer of the band overpowering the non-amplified voices in the small performing space and intimate moments can be lost, but not from lack of effort. The production is at its best in the quiet choral numbers where the collective voices blend in heavenly harmony. “Seasons of Love” is particularly lovely.

Each member of the cast of 20 is given moments to shine. Standouts were Jeff Goodson’s Mark Cohen, Rik Kutcher’s moving Tom Collins and Bebe Keith’s delightful Maureen Johnson. BeBe Keith has an absolutely luminescent onstage presence!

Theatre 55’s RENT plays Wednesday-Sunday of this week. This production deserves your support! Here’s to La Vie Boheme!

Where: The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis

When: Thursday, February 2, 2023
What: Blues for an Alabama Sky

Photo from The Star Tribune.

Set during the Harlem Renaissance of 1930, “Blues for an Alabama Sky” is a powerful character drama written by Atlanta-based playright Pearl Cleage and ably directed by Nicole A. Watson.

Due to an unfortunate set of choices, Angel, a back-up singer in the Cotton Club, must move in with her gay friend Guy, an aspiring costume designer who dreams of dressing Josephine Baker in Paris. Across the hall lives their friend Delia, an idealistic social worker who falls in love with Sam, a kind and overworked doctor. This quartet’s bonds are tested and ultimately broken by the introduction into their lives of Leland, a young man from Alabama who holds very different opinions and views from the others.

On one hand a period piece, on the other hand a very contemporary work, Blues for an Alabama Sky's themes are compelling and timeless. For me, the play asks us to consider: What is the shelf life of a dream? When do we let go of a dream, perhaps settle for something safer and mundane? No one struggles in a vacuum; our choices can have a trickling affect, resulting in unintended consequences for us and for those we love. This cast features five equally compelling actors creating characters we care about even when some of those characters behave badly. I mention the cast’s names in a singular parargraph, as an ensemble is what is truly needed to make this play soar, also because all five performances are richly deserving of accolades.

Kudos to Kimberly Marable as Angel Allen, Lamar Jefferson as Guy Jacobs, Brittany Bellizeare as Delia Patterson, Stephen Conrad Moore as Sam Thomas and to Kevis Willocks on as Leland Cunningham. (I’m not sure of the situation at Thursday's performance. Willocks was on for Darius Jordan Lee, but both showed up in costume for the bows. Odd ... an understudy making his debut?

At times comedic, at times tragic, “ Blues” is at all times provocative and entertaining. The Guthrie’s set, costume, lighting and sound designers once again skillfully work their magic. A special shout-out to those technicians in the shops who built the fine costumes and sets. Well done! Thanks for taking me to Harlem in 1930. I highly recommend seeing “Blues for an Alabama Sky”, playing now through March 12th on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Thanks to my friend Jon Hayenga for the ticket and for being such great company on a bitterly cold Winter night!

Forty years ago, my “bestie” Dora Holtzman attended a Broadway production of “Camelot”, starring Richard Harris. She was on the second row. Evidently, Harris was quite drunk. During the bows, Dora stood up, boo’d and shouted at Harris, “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

A director/writer acquaintance of mine from Seattle just saw a new musical (part of a festival in New York City) that he intensely disliked. He posed the question on Facebook, “Is it ever proper form to boo when you’re viewing live theater?” Most of us on his friends list replied no. The preferred response was a clever/bitchy tearing apart of the piece or performance at intermission or after the fact:) But that got me to thinking ...

Back in the 1990’s, I was commissioned to write a musical melodrama. It was for a Sesquicentennial celebration. The piece was titled, “Run into the Roundhouse, Nellie! (He Can’t Corner You There!). It was quite successful. One of the conventions of a melodrama is that it’s written in a way to encourage audience members to boo the villain.

Opera buffs know, that in European houses, if the audience members do not like a production, or a specific performance, they are very vocal about it! It’s almost an interactive sport. In contrast, they can be over the top with response in a positive way, too. A production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in which I performed in East Berlin right after the wall came down, earned both. It was quite controversial; parts of it were boo’d; but, we’d also receive 20 curtain calls by the end of a performance. I played Annas, one of the evil priests. I took it as a badge of honor if I got boo’d. It was my job to earn the wrath of the audience.

In the 80’s, I worked as a theatre critic for a now defunct Houston weekly. In a two-year period, I viewed dozens of plays, musicals and an opera or two. It was an interesting challenge, as I was also an actor in the theater community. I never reviewed or promoted a production I was in; still, I was often reviewing members of my theater family.

I saw some great stuff and I saw dreck. One piece at The Alley Theatre, a send up of David Mamet, was so offensive I almost left at intermission. Most of the audience did. I was one of ten people (out of 300) who suffered through the entire play. No one boo’d. The reaction was more stunned silence and disgust, both powerful emotions.

In good old America, I’ve seen a hundred+ plays and musicals in my lifetime. I’ve never boo’d, though I’ve suffered through some pretty awful stuff (Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” anyone?) Perhaps, for me, it’s professional courtesy. As an actor, I won’t boo one of my colleagues. In fact, contemporary audiences are more likely to reward bad work with a standing ovation. A severely negative reaction would be to not stand up.

I can’t remember hearing boo’s from the stage, or audience, for any musical in which I've performed in the States. Is the audience being civilized? Bored? So used to watching television the reaction is subdued? Should booing be one of the options? Or is it just plain rude? There’s historical precedent for booing in live theater and opera. How about you? Would you boo a performer as instant feedback in a live theater, opera or concert setting? We expect applause; but, does booing have a place in polite society?

Let me share a story of one of the most embarrassing moments in my life. In 1976, I was a senior at Texas A&M University. My favorite professor was a history professor, Dr. Shirley Black. In addition to her teaching duties, Dr. Black, a renowned French History scholar, was the faculty advisor to the Young Republicans group at the university.

One day Shirley, who I adored and from whom I took five classes, came to me with a request. Nancy Reagan was coming to A&M, campaigning for her husband at an event the Young Republicans were sponsoring. Shirley asked me to be the entertainment. At this time, my only experience singing was as a member of The Singing Cadets, the university’s all-male chorus, and one summer in the outdoor musical TEXAS at Palo Duro Canyon, my first professional gig. I resisted; she insisted; I was petrified, but said yes anyway.

Where am I headed with this tale? On the day of the event, I arrived, decked out in a three-piece green leisure suit. Dr. Black sent me onstage; I sang the song I’d prepared and received enthusiastic applause. I walked offstage and a flustered Shirley came up to me. She said, “Mrs. Reagan’s plane has been delayed and we need you to sing another song.” I replied, “Dr. Black, I only prepared one song!” She said, “Go sing it again!” I made my way back onstage and sheepishly explained to the audience what was going on, begging their indulgence and I sang the song again, this time to greater acclaim and understanding laughter.

When I finished the number, I again walked into the wings. Mrs. Reagan had arrived; I was briefly introduced to her. (She was really tiny and dressed in a tailored red suit.) She walked onstage to thunderous applause. (This was the 70’s; Texas was an overwhelmingly Democratic state, but it was a Young Republicans event.)

Her first words at the podium were: “I apologize for my late arrival. I heard that a young man has kept you entertained while you were waiting for me. I’d like to hear him sing!” WHAT?????? I was pushed back onstage by Dr. Black. (Remember, I had only prepared one selection.) I looked out at the audience who realized they were likely going to hear the same song for a third time!

I launched into the opening phrase “Blow the Bugles, Sound the Cymbals” and the crowd began rhythmically applauding. Amidst raucous laughter, I completed the song! Did I mention I’d chosen a song from the film musical “Funny Lady” to sing? To my everlasting embarrassment, I learned two lessons that day: 1) Always have more than one song prepared! 2) It’s unlikely you’ll ever have to sing a song for the same audience more than once; but if you do, don’t prepare a song with the title, “Let’s Hear it for Me!”

I had a unique opportunity yesterday afternoon. The “Phantom of the Opera” North American Tour was in its final day of performances in Minneapolis and I was invited by my friend and house guest Elaine Davidson, one of the road warrior keyboardists, to see “Phantom” from the pit. Strike that ... to hear the show from the orchestra pit. It was an extraordinary experience as I saw things the audience never gets to see!

My history with “Phantom” is just that now - history. I performed in the Music Box Company from 1994-1998, ultimately completing 1528 shows, 101 of them as Ubaldo Piangi. (Yes, I counted.) It was a magical time in my life. I remember much of the tour in detail; many of my colleagues from that time remain friends two decades after the fact. But, not once did I have the opportunity to sit in the orchestra pit for the production ... until yesterday ...

I had forgotten how lush and lovely the music is; the sensory experience of sitting between two of the keyboards was astonishing... watching the musicians’ expressions as they played the score ... observing the moments they’ve created between themselves to keep the music engaging after months or years on the road. Playing the show 8 times a week is demanding; keeping it fresh and alive requires focus and commitment beyond the norm, especially under the circumstances of a six pack of shows over the holiday weekend. (A six pack = 6 shows in three days.)

These days, Phantom tours with three computer-programed keyboards, a Concert Master (violinist extraordinaire) and two conductors. The touring musicians are supplemented by five locals on string instruments plus four woodwinds and a french horn player. My only surprise was a lack of a live percussionist.

I can’t tell you anything about the visuals of the performance I attended yesterday; I can only tell you what I heard. The tour’s current Phantom, Derrick Davis is phenomenal. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard such an expressive voice ... rich and warm from high to low ... nuanced, yet powerful. Derrick’s diction was superlative, his singing like butter melted in sunshine. Davis was well-matched by Caitlyn Davis as the matinee Christine whose shimmering soprano was delightful to hear. La Carlotta, the opera diva, portrayed by Trista Moldavan, thrillingly tossed off the most demanding vocal role in the show with style and panache. David Benoit as Monsieur Richard Firman made a strong impression with his distinctive baritone, often used to comic effect.

Thanks to these artists and the balance of the talented cast, crew and orchestra for their outstanding work. You made this old “Phantom” Veteran very happy. I didn’t see your performances; but, I most definitely heard the quality of your voices and managed a glimpse of you during the BC/EFA appeal; What a treat to experience “Phantom” from the pit!

Current Mood: happy

Despite dire warnings of severe Winter weather last evening, it did not materialize in the Twin Cities until 10pm. Why is this important? The minute the Broadway-bound musical SIX was announced as an addition to the programming at The Ordway Theater in St Paul, I jumped on getting tickets. I chose the show’s first preview to attend. At the last minute my friend Steve accompanied me; though, bad weather turned out to be a non-issue. thespian15 was very much missed, but better safe than sorry!

I’d read a lot of press about SIX, a musical about the wives of Henry VIII. The show received multiple awards in London and is playing locally for two weeks. It is a coup for The Ordway to present it. The show has tons of positive buzz. The house was filled last evening with a much younger audience than I’ve ever seen at The Ordway. Mission accomplished ... You’ve got to put butts in the seats to survive and thrive!

SIX applies to the number of wives of Henry VIII and is also the number of women in the cast. There is no chorus. Four extraordinary onstage female musicians provide the funky (does anyone still use that term?) score for the show. I don’t know if the show can truthfully be labeled a musical; the score is original, so musical revue isn’t quite the right term either. Perhaps, we need a fresh term for this kind of entertainment. Has any show since “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” been so slight and still slayed?

The cast sings their faces off, in the over-the-top belting style so popular on shows like “The Voice” and “American Idol”. Last evening’s preview featured two understudies among the actresses playing the six wives. If the program hadn’t alerted me, I would not have known; all voices are powerful, capably enhanced by the sound operator. The performers are uniformly excellent in executing the quirky urban choreography and the rich harmonies present in the vocal arrangements. The score is fresh, infectious, but ultimately unmemorable; there are only nine numbers.

The show runs 80 minutes with no intermission and that’s with the padding of a mega-mix to close the show. SIX is a triumph of production over material. The most applicable adjectives for this piece of entertainment are slick and sexy.

The real stars of SIX are the designers and production team. Spectacular lighting and clever staging lift SIX above its modest roots. Yes, the story’s educational; yes, it makes a timely case for female empowerment; yes, the audience loved it. Yes, you should see it!

This has been a week of attending plays. So, you ask, why is this unusual? Most of the theater offerings I attend are musicals, as was the case in my performing career which was 90% musicals. Taking in a Jane Austen play and an Agatha Christie mystery-thriller in one week was rewarding. Expanding my horizons is a good thing.

On Tuesday evening, my friend Steve Backoff and I saw “Pride & Prejudice” at The Park Square Theater in St Paul. Unexpectedly delightful, funny and clever, It was superbly directed with six of the eight cast members playing multiple characters of both sexes, appearing to have the time of their lives.

“In Regency England, love is a serious game and the Bennet sisters are playing for keeps. The outspoken Lizzy is determined never to marry, but can she resist love, especially when the amusing but mildly aggravating Mr. Darcy keeps popping up at every turn? Bold, timely, with a few dance breaks thrown in, this is Jane Austen for today.” I highly recommend seeing this gender-bending adaptation!

Last night, I met up with my friends Val Lies, Jeff Peasley and Jon Hayenga at Theater in the Round in the Seven Corners area of Minneapolis for a performance of the Agatha Christie “Towards Zero”. It’s a tricky proposition to tackle a period mystery thriller in a community theater, but Circle in the Square rose to the occasion; the set, lighting and sound design made good use of the space; costuming was mostly on target with the exception of two characters in ill-fitting costumes that resulted in unintended chuckles from the audience at the characters’ expense.

“This compelling stage play by Agatha Christie was only recently discovered, unearthed by a researcher in 2015. The setting is Gull’s Nest, Lady Tressilian’s clifftop manor on the English seaside. When she invites her ward for a long weekend, he surprises everyone by bringing his first and current wives. When a brutal murder interrupts the house party, the wonderful twists and turns of a true Christie script keep the audience guessing until the final moments.”

There was strong character act work throughout the mystery thriller, with the actor playing Angus McWhorter, a stand out, particularly adept in employing a Scots brogue. There were a couple of weak links in the casting; but, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the play. If you enjoy whodunnits, “Towards Zero” is well worth taking in! It's occurred to me that an aspirational theme connecting these two plays could be expressed through combining the titles ... Towards Zero Pride & Prejudice!

Current Mood: artistic
Current Location: Minneapolis
Current Music: What's Love Got to Do With It?

I've attended a lot of theater in my lifetime including at least three dozen shows on Broadway, seen national tour offerings all over the place ... Houston, Austin, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Toronto, London, Chicago and Minneapolis ... I've played most major cities on tour in the US, Canada and Germany. The exceptions are Albuquerque and anywhere in Alaska.

However, 2019 has been a banner year in terms of attending musicals and concerts. I keep track of what I see, which theater, with whom I saw the show and yes, I rate it A+ through F; sometimes, I write a review. When I see my last scheduled production of this year - Rita Moreno in concert at The Ordway in St Paul on December 3, I will have attended 34 stage events this year. Until 2017, I usually made it to the theater about six times a year.

Thanks to thespian15, I've been to more concerts this year than in the previous 30 years combined. It's been a joy to join Jon for these wonderful evenings out. I've purchased tickets to musicals for both of us to enjoy, too ... We're seeing SIX, a new musical at The Ordway on November 29. It's slated for Broadway after it plays St Paul! To date, we have four live events lined in 2020. Besides Jon, I've also attended shows with my friends Steve, Cory, Tom and Carol. Seeing theater, listening to fine music is my favorite way to socialize. I've learned a lot by saying "yes" this year.

I'm wondering if my desire to be a frequent audience member is increasing because my time on stage has slowed to a stand still. When I worked as a theater critic for a time in the 1980's, I saw everything Houston had on offer; I was a member of the acting community, too; so critiquing the performance of friends could be tricky. I never reviewed a show I was in. Reviewing the world premiere of "JEKYLL and HYDE" at The Alley Theatre in 1989 and interviewing Edward Albee were the highlights of that time in my writing life.

It's been 10 years now since my last stage performance in a musical - HELLO, DOLLY in Seattle starring Jenifer Lewis as Dolly Levi. Though a decade has passed since I appeared at The 5th Avenue Theatre, I have maintained my union status and paid semi-annual dues to The Actors Equity Association. I've been paying dues since I joined the union in 1980. In the past three years, Equity has significantly upped the amount of the dues. For years, it was $59/ per six months; now it's $88 per six months. They are due in May and November. I'm contemplating requesting an honorable withdrawal from the union. I would still seek union work; but, if I don't handle the withdrawal properly and landed a gig, I would have to pay all back dues before I could accept and sign a new union contract.

I am reluctant to give up my dream of a return to the stage; but, my finances in retirement will not be expanding as rapidly as the union's dues structure. I've done one audition in the past seven years; yet, my desire to return to the stage hasn't lessened. I still have fire in my belly. Do I turn up the heat by performing or bank the fire by watching others do what I so love to do? Do I stay or do I go?

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: Minneapolis
Current Music: Do I Stay or Do I Go?

Despite my determined effort to turn a week filled with sad news around, in the end, it didn’t happen. Jon Hayenga ... aka ...thespian15 and I met up for a 2pm matinee of the stage musical version of “The Rocky Horror Show”. Despite leaving 45 minutes early, I was 40 minutes late. (And I hate being late!!) Prior to driving to St Paul, I didn’t know that sections of Interstate 94 and Interstate 35 were closed this weekend for repairs. Those are the main North/South and East/West arteries in the Twin Cities. Surface streets held bumper to bumper traffic, as the Minnesota Wild Hockey team had a preseason game and Minnesota’s professional soccer team had a game as well.

Sad to say, I mostly didn’t enjoy the performance of “The Rocky Horror Show”. It wasn’t that the cast was bad; they were good singers, capable actors; but, it wasn’t funny, campy, particularly original or edgy. For me, its failure was due to a questionable casting choice at its core and it sabotaged the show. To cast a petite, buff cisgender woman as the transvestite Frank-n-furter robbed the show of its queer energy, sexual menace ... the subversive spirit at its core... The very reasons the film remains such a hit. It felt wrong and I couldn’t get past it. I spent most of the second act trying to figure out what the hell was going on ... The onstage band was outstanding; but, it didn’t help that the balance between the band and singers was off; if you didn’t already knows the lyrics, good luck.

I didn’t come to this show as one of the legions of fans who attended weekly midnight showings of the cult film; but, I did see the 2000 Broadway revival of this musical which included Dick Cavett (narrator); Lea DeLaria (Eddie); Jarrod Emmick (Brad); Alice Ripley (Janet) Daphne Ruben Vega (Magenta); Raul Esparza (Riff Raff); Joan Jett (Columbia) and the sexy Tom Hewitt as Frank-n-Furter. For me, that was the standard. The Broadway production got all of the elements right. Sue me; I made comparisons.

The only positive of the afternoon was spending time with Jon. To be completely fair, the 80 year old lady next to me was singing every single lyric of the show; but no patrons danced to the Time Warp or shouted out lines from the audience! The bows were telling. As the cast was taking their bows, patrons were in the aisle exiting and there was no standing ovation. In a decade of attending 6-8 shows a year in the Twin Cities, that was the first time I’d seen that happen. This production was not a hit; but a swing and a miss!

Epilogue: When I got home at 6:30pm, I fed Georgie and took him out. I was about to go two-stepping as I do every Sunday night when I received a text from Casey in Houston. The text said “Call me immediately”, so I did. Casey said, "sit down and take a deep breath." The news? My ex David is being treated for prostate and bladder cancer. He began chemo this week. The cancer has not metastasized, so there is good reason to believe he’ll survive it. I simultaneously received a text that my sister’s ex-father-in-law (my niece's grandfather) died yesterday after a long battle with Huntington’s disease. Such is life, hit and miss ...

Current Mood: Meh
Current Location: Minneapolis
Current Music: Time Warp

On Christmas of 1970, I’d talked my folks out of spending Christmas afternoon sitting through two showings of a John Wayne movie. It was our typical family holiday activity in Texas to avoid the reality of 80+ degree temperatures, taking advantage of the chilly air-conditioning in the movie theater as a reminder of past white Christmases in Pennsylvania).

That year, we attended a production of the musical “Promises, Promises” and I came away determined to be cast in a TUTS musical. Flash forward to Christmas time 1977; I'd made that dream come true and had been cast in my second show for Theater Under the Stars in Houston.

The show was “Peter Pan” and it starred a Houston celebrity, Debbie Teare, as Peter. (I would later do the show with Cathy Rigby.) I was one of a large group of pirates, “Cecco”, by name. My big moment came when Captain Hook sent me to my death. I still remember my line, delivered in a really bad Italian accent, “Please, uh Capitan, please-a-donna make-a-me go!” and I walked the plank.

Our chorus of pirates ranged in age from 20 to 50. I was a fresh-faced 22-year old, determined to make an impression. We made for a scruffy grab-bag group of pirates. Encouraged by our director, Tom Little, to individualize our characters, to make strong choices, I decided to be an enforcer. In our big number, singing, “We’re bloody buccaneers....”, we were told to make “manly” choices as we worked about the boat, performing the choreography we were given.

Buttressed by costuming, I decided to go full out bully. I wore a big hat with a skull and bones on it, breeches and a black and white shirt with horizontal stripes. I had an eye patch (actually very dangerous on the second level of the set as I had no depth perception while wearing it). I had a parrot velcro’ed to my shoulder and I carried a bull whip. As some of my pirate mates swabbed the deck or climbed the rigging, I pretended to ready myself to flog the unwilling ... I uncoiled the whip, stretched it, oiled it and snap... (method- acting...*grin*)

In our final dress rehearsal, Tom took one of our less motivated pirates aside and said, “Terry, I’ve been patient, but you’ve got to come up with some business or I’ll have to cut you from the scene. Think what your pirate would do.”

We then began a run-through of the number. I was positioned on the second level of the ship. As I went about my business - playing with the whip, “swashing some buckles”, Terry walked casually past me. I gestured threateningly with the whip, lustily singing all the while. Terry rolled his eyes at me, sat down, dangled his feet over the edge of the upper deck, calmly pulled out an Emory board and began to file his nails, glancing up at me with a bored, over it look. Then, he shyly smiled. All of us fell out laughing!

Needless to say, the “business” stayed in; the audience loved Terry and a “Swishbuckler” was born:) What did I discover? I learned you can get a bigger, better laugh from filing your nails, than from playing with your whip!

Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Location: Minneapolis

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"Dreams in a Drawer"

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.”

Entries tagged with theater

To LA VIE BOHEME!

Blues for an Alabama Sky

Booing

Let's Hear It For Me!

PHANTOM from the Pit

Sleek and Sexy SIX

Towards Zero Pride & Prejudice

Do I Stay or Do I Go?

Not a Hit, but a Swing and a Miss!

A Swishbuckler Is Born