Category: The Shaker

by Brian Edward, ‘Burgh Vivant. 

 

We are all of us living in a bubble.  That bubble may be our fears, our insecurities, or other such chains of our own making.  This is the theme that resounds from the fast-paced, hilarious misadventure that is Bubble Boy The Musical.

The book is by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, with Paul also having composed the music and lyrics.  When taking in the show’s break-neck, cartoonish pace, it’s not surprising to learn that this very team is responsible for the screenplays of the Despicable Me animated film trilogy.  After about 10 minutes in, you’re willing to forgive their invention of the yellow, goggle-faced Minions of the aforementioned film franchise and the base brand of comedy (term applied loosely) that they project, as Bubble Boy’s dialogue is razor sharp and the lyrics incredibly witty.

Bubble Boy’s story, as you may guess, focuses on a boy in a “bubble:”  Jimmy Livingston (Nathaniel Yost), who due to a hyper un-immune system, has been sealed within a sterile environment since birth, watching the world pass by from his window, vigorously shielded by his overprotective mother, Mrs. Livingston (Missy Moreno).  To pursue love interest Chloe (Alex Manalo), Jimmy sets out on a cross-country journey (in a mobile bubble unit) encountering a cast colorful characters along the way.

In the telling of the tale, Mr. Paul and Mr. Daurio send up numerous musical genres from rock to gospel, while presenting a fully realized musical, love story, and “road story,” all within a hour and a half, no intermission, block of stage time.  Not only are the results hilarious, but also a lesson in good, concise story telling.  I described it to a friend afterward as “Around the World in 80 Minutes.”  Even the most feeble of modern attention spans will be riveted the relentless action.

It’s difficult not to laugh through the deftly scripted scenarios and jokes.  However, the cast assembled by director Don DiGiulio takes the material to the very pinnacle of comedy, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of an inflection or sight gag that could, even potentially, elicit laughter.  Although the entirety of the cast fails to match each other in vocal prowess, they are firmly united in their comedic delivery.  Not a single member of the ensemble (Noah Welter, Jerome Fitzgerald, Laura I. Young, H. Davis Weaver, Ricardo Vila-Roger, Emily Welsh, Elise Brado, Rachel Pfenningwerth, and Maher S. Hoque – all of whom are worth mentioning) fades into the background, as each steals the show at some point or another, taking on the role of a vivid friend or foe that Jimmy interacts with on his journey.  When consolidated as an ensemble, they’re working overtime, interjecting enough micro subplots and visual jokes to make the show worth seeing a second time in order to catch it all.

Mr. Yost never tarries nor falters in his marathon performance as the show’s titular protagonist.  He carries the show exceptionally, providing Jimmy a sympathetic believability of a boy who’s never been out of doors.  His earnestness is well matched by Ms. Manalo’s Chole, whose performance remains grounded amid the chaos of on-and-off romance.  Ms. Moreno’s broad portrayal of Mrs. Livingston is compelling in its wacky and original humor, bringing together the attributes of “lovable” and “psychotic” in a manner rarely seen.  Her counterpart, Mr. Livingston (Brad Stephenson), is a man of few words, though when he summons them, their skillful and measured delivery brings a balance and welcome tenderness to the madcap proceedings.

Indeed, many of the acting choices are over the top and many of the scene transitions are improbable, but in the light of the absurd comedy, it’s immediately forgivable.  Mr. DiGiulio and company have established an environment where anything can, and does, happen – and it all works.

What is perhaps most remarkable about Arcade’s Bubble Boy is DiGiulio’s incredibly crisp and clean direction of a brisk, robust musical, consisting of a 13-person cast, plus set and choreography, on a stage that appears to be 20 feet wide at most.  It comes off very precisely, never feeling crowded, and can easily hold a candle to the lofty expectations of a blockbuster musical performing in a 1,000-seat-plus theater.  It’s like quantum mechanics: big energy, little space – and considering the current economic climate of the performing arts, I predict we’ll be seeing more and more shows like this one.

Bubble Boy The Musical continues at Arcade Comedy Theater in downtown Pittsburgh through September 21, 2019.  For tickets and more information, visit www.arcadecomedytheater.com

 

By Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Dusk (Anna Failla) and Dawn (Saige Smith) have come with dire warnings for the Earth and beyond in Sean Collier’s “Welcome to Moonside,” an immersive theater piece staged inside the former Lava Lounge in the Southside.

The aforementioned ghosts, Dusk and Dawn, whisk a select group of humans (i.e. theater patrons) to their realm. Some bad juju is going on and these ephemeral beings need help. The humans arrive in a dark, mystical realm, and a bevy of beautiful beings introduce themselves. There’s Still (Karen Forney), Never (Ashley McKinney), Chrono (Jennifer Dallas), Eve (Vanessa St. Clair) and Midnight (Tamara Siegert). They are ruled by their queen, the enigmatic Tempo (Hazel Leroy). Wandering on the periphery, Person (Bevin Baker), who is somewhere in between human and spirit, acts as our ghost host.

Moonside is an ethereal place – somewhere between broadcast stations on a radio dial – where spirits have corporeal weight.

It’s hard to say what “Welcome to Moonside” is. It is not an escape room, but it has some familiar escape room elements. It’s not a murder mystery either, but a mystery is afoot – and bodies are disappearing. It’s more of a jigsaw with pretty puzzle pieces. Are the spirits, muses, guardian angels or ghosts? It doesn’t matter.

While patrons will garner different bits of information by interacting with the individual spirits, there is a cohesive story. The interaction, however, opens the story up to some spontaneous and surprising moments.

There’s a slow chunk in the middle where it pays to ask questions and seek answers. The experience improves if you get involved. It will slow down for those who just wish to spectate the specters.

Spoiler: Fans of Vigilance Theater Group’s premier production, “Hollow Moon” will be rewarded with Easter eggs of continuity, but “Welcome to Moonside” is not a sequel. You don’t need to have seen one to see the other.

The characters are so well defined and drawn by Collier and the actor portraying each of them. The cast is terrific.

Each member of the ensemble gets a moment to shine. McKinney gets a beautiful moment when a trinket reminds her of a school dance.

Leroy’s Tempo struts around tenacity and verve.

Smith and Failla are effervescent as Dawn and Dusk. Their sheer joy is infectious.

Siegert has a stately and commanding presence. She is a regal and charismatic Midnight.

St. Clair’s Eve is darling, and she doesn’t have it easy. St. Clair has to recite Shakespeare and sing.

Ironically, Dallas, who has little to no dialogue (depending on the outcome of the show), hands in a seamless performance, communicating non-verbally with aplomb.

Maybe it’s the set. Maybe it’s the all-female cast. But there’s something about “Welcome to Moonside” that has a bit of “The Queen of Outer Space” vibe happening.

Kudos to director Renee Rabenold for staging another enjoyable immersive experience.

-MB

“Welcome to Moonside” runs until September 8 at the former Lava Lounge, 2204 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. For tickets, click here.

 

Tiffany Raymond, ‘Burgh Vivant

We sometimes assume classic theatre, by virtue of its age, will be stodgy or dated. However, Cup-A-Jo’s skillfully executed production of Moliere’s 1664 French satire, “Tartuffe” (adapted by Richard Wilbur), reminds us that in the right hands, the classics are just as fresh as any contemporary play.

“Tartuffe” follows the wiles of its hypocritical titular character who has wormed his way into a wealthy family where patriarch Orgon (Joe Cannito) is blind to Tartuffe’s (Everett Lowe) grossly blatant manipulations.

Cup-A-Jo reinvents “Tartuffe” without making it feel forced. “Tartuffe” is ultimately a play about exposure. Thanks to stellar pacing from director Joanna Lowe, you practically drool for the conniving Tartuffe to be undone. Lowe purposefully takes the concept of exposure a step further by having the actors exposed at almost every moment. Instead of tucking the cast away backstage for their pre-show prep, you somewhat uncomfortably walk by them on the way to your seats.

The discomfort at walking by the cast pre-show is induced by the unusualness of it, like peeking at unwrapped Christmas presents. It feels wrong, but Lowe willingly invites our gaze. The actors are simply cordoned off behind pink lines on the floor that demarcate the onstage/offstage spaces. It’s a brilliant way to visually foreshadow the play’s themes of exposure and transformation.

The household’s bifurcation over Tartuffe and the wildly opposing views of him by Orgon and his mother, Madame Pernelle (Casey Cunningham), versus the rest of the household seem more appropriate than ever in the current political climate that has bred an increasingly divided America. “Tartuffe” uncomfortably reminds us that perception is reality. Two people can witness the same thing and arrive at opposing conclusions, and Orgon is a leading indicator of that truth. Like any steadfast believer, his views do not crumble easily, and Cannito makes him credible.

Joanna Lowe casts actor Casey Cunningham as both Madame Pernelle, the loyalist to Tartuffe, and Valere, the fiancé of Orgon’s daughter, Marianne (Amy Dick). It’s a lovely case of genderbending as the male Casey initially comes onstage looking like a clone of Tweety bird’s owner, Granny, complete with comically overstuffed boobs practically grazing his bellybutton. Later, he reappears as Valere, who gets backburnered by Orgon for who else but Tartuffe. The two characters are on opposing sides, but in playing both characters, Cunningham provides hope that two disparate souls can find commonality.

Marianne’s role is thankless at best as her character is clearly poorly equipped to deal with the world at large. She is a follower and a pleaser, not a thinker or a leader. Amy Dick is able to give the role some pizzazz thanks to her foil, Dorine (Marsha Mayhak), who easily steals the show as the uproarious housemaid. She’s a brandy-chugging mistress of ceremonies who works for the greater good of the household, despite her recognition that they’re not fully deserving. She speaks combatively with Orgon, standing up for Marianne when she can’t stand up for herself, and humorously purses her lips to be kissed by him at one point, which she already knows will elicit his dismissal.

Everett Lowe as title character Tartuffe can be exasperatingly present at times, but showmanship is the core of his character, so it’s not off base. To return to the theme of exposure, Joanna Lowe peels back one more layer by keeping Tartuffe on a separate elevated stage that’s somewhat behind the audience before he appears onstage. It’s fascinating because he responds nonverbally to what’s being said, as if he’s monitoring the whole household via some invisible camera feeds in a security room. He shows us the power in the pointed raise of an eyebrow, which he mostly raises in a hand mirror as he admires himself, an early indicator of Tartuffe’s narcissism and misguided resolve in his own character.

-TR

Cup-A-Jo’s production of “Tartuffe” plays through August 31^st at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, 5006 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. For more information, you can visit Cup-A-Jo’s Facebook page, and tickets can be purchased at the door for $20 each via cash or PayPal.

By Claire DeMarco, ‘Burgh Vivant

Dolly Gallagher Levi (Betty Buckley) is a middle-aged widow.  She supports herself in a myriad of ways but most importantly as a matchmaker in “Hello Dolly.” She likes to say she meddles in other peoples’ affairs but one might say she surpasses that adjective and progresses to “Budinski-level.”

Her current client is Horace Vandergelder (Lewis J. Stadlen), owner of Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed. Horace is humorless and ill-tempered but he is “half a millionaire” (and at the end of the 19^th century and beginning of the 20^th, that’s a very rich man).

Our matronly, meddling, multi-tasker inserts herself into the lives of Ermengarde (Morgan Kirner) and Ambrose (Colin LeMoine).  Ambrose, an artist wants to marry Ermengarde, Horace’s niece.  Horace is concerned that Ambrose’s vocation won’t properly support his niece.

Horace confides to the feed store employees Cornelius Hackl (Nic Rouleau) and Barnaby Tucker (Sean Burns) that he’s going to be married.  He’s off to New York with Dolly to seal the deal with widow Irene Molloy (Analisa Leaming), a millinery shop owner.

Dolly, however, has other ideas!  She’s decided to marry Horace so she casually insinuates that Irene’s husband might have died under suspicious circumstances. Once Irene is out of the picture, Dolly has another potential client for Horace, heiress Ernestina Money (Jessica Sheridan). Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching!

Meanwhile back at the feed store Cornelius and Barnaby decide that they, too, need to go to New York.  They concoct a plan to close the store and head off to the big city to spend their money on food and girls.  Dolly tells them about Irene Molloy and her store assistant, Minnie Fay (Kristen Hahn).

Once all the characters are in New York a cascade of events unwinds – just-missed, unplanned encounters at the millinery store and Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, food bills that aren’t paid, an intervening judge.

Do Dolly and Horace finally get together?   Ambrose and Ermengarde?  Cornelius and Irene?  Barnaby and Minnie?

And for heavens sake, whatever happened to Ernestina Money?

Tony award winner Buckley is one of many actresses who have played Dolly over the years.  Her interpretation of the role shines.  Her double takes, voice intonations, facial expressions and general movement are right on the mark.

Buckley’s renditions of “Before the Parade Passes by” and Hello Dolly” are powerful.

Stadlen is believable as the irascible Horace and he holds his own with Buckley at their dinner for two at Harmonia Gardens.  His delivery of “Penny in My Pocket” is engaging.

Hahn is delightful as the silly millinery store assistant, especially brilliant in her “Mrs. Mortimer and her hat” soliloquy.

Leaming combines a beautiful singing voice with an innate comedic touch.

Both Rouleau and Burns compliment each other with their skillful use of physical humor.

What a well-balanced cast and ensemble.

Praise to choreographer Warren Carlyle for the flawless execution of movement and dance.  “The Waiters’ Gallop” is a wonderful example.

Kudos to director Jerry Zaks.

This is the first national tour revival for this always enjoyable musical.  It’s still high-octane, charming and funny.

-CED

 “Hello Dolly” is presented by Pittsburgh CLO at the Benedum Center and runs from August 6 – August 11. For more information, click here.

by Tiffany Raymond, ‘Burgh Vivant 

Vince Ventura and the folks at 12 Peers Theater uphold their mission to produce experimental work with their newest production, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist, “Everybody.” There’s experimental, and there’s experimental done well. Any theatergoer knows that Venn diagram doesn’t always overlap.  As a production company, 12 Peers has distinguished themselves is by doing experimental work – and consistently doing it well.

“Everybody” is based on a 15^th century English morality play entitled “Everyman.” Jacobs-Jenkins’ gender-inclusive retitling is a nice nod to his version’s updated modernity. I remember reading excerpts of “Everyman” in my college British literature survey course. “Everyman” had characters like Death and Beauty. As a morality play, it was designed to teach a lesson around man’s earthly struggles and bolster Christian principles. “Everyman” is itself based on a Flemish play, which is perhaps based on a Buddhist fable. The play’s multi-country origins are shared with the audience very conversationally at the start. It’s a stark reminder that despite our differences, death and reconciling death have fascinated across history. Pondering those questions unite us in a shared curiosity and human experience that spans the centuries.

Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Everybody” maintains a cast of allegorical characters. The play’s basic premise is Death personified comes calling. Death informs the gathered group they’re each required to do a presentation for God accounting for their life. The characters offer up uneasy, disbelieving laughter followed by a sloppy slew of bribes and excuses about why they aren’t available or can’t fulfill that request. It’s reminiscent of the collective groan at the announcement of a pop quiz or having to create a PowerPoint deck that gets dropped on you at 4 pm on Friday. There’s a shared “whoa, hang on, we’re clearly not prepared” response as the characters furtively glance up to see which excuse might rouse success in delaying the proffered torture. It’s both humorous and relatable as few would embrace imminent demise with open arms. Despite the overtly instructive names, there’s a liberal seasoning of well-timed humor. In the midst of the litany of excuses, Death (played by a woman) shouts out exasperatingly, “This is hard enough without everyone thinking I’m a bitch.” There’s an unsettling pause as voices quiet and sympathies shift. Hmm, Death does have a thankless job.

As with its 15th century inspiration, God and Death still lead the charge. However, Jacobs-Jenkins moves far beyond retitling in his reimagined version. At the play’s start, the actors all draw names onstage that determines their character for that particular production. Mathematically, this translates to 120 different possible acting combinations, likely making no two productions alike. This is no trite “choose your own adventure” format; there’s a laudable amount of memorization required of each cast member given the rotating parts.

While this could be disaster in less capable hands, director Vince Ventura ensures it’s seamless. He thoughtfully leverages recorded voiceover to help ease the burden of memorization without detracting from the show’s power. The actors who portrayed their lottery-drawn characters on the evening of August 2nd were entirely comfortable with their parts, suggesting countless hours of rehearsal well-spent. In watching them, it was actually hard to imagine them playing alternate roles given how convincingly and naturally they performed their randomly assigned characters for that evening.

 Both Peter Brucker’s sound design and Greg Messmer’s lighting design greatly enhance the production. The play effectively adopts the use of echo thanks to Brucker. Messmer’s lights surge and flicker at various points in synchrony with vocal intonations to create the effect and presence of a watchful higher power.

There’s a scene in which Everybody (the play’s representative human) repeatedly shouts, “This body is just meat, this body is just meat, this body is just meat, this body is just meat.” Ventura makes the repetition not the monotone maniacal cry of a madman but an unsettling evolutionary reverberation. The cry is enhanced by Brittany Tague’s choreography. She keeps “Everybody”moving about the stage, manifesting a distraught freneticism in the show’s quest to hang on to life. Ventura reminds us through “Everybody” that this vessel called our bodies is little more than the cow we casually consume. It’s both disturbing and humbling to have that repetition take effect and realize the frailty and lack of control we have over our bodies. As the play reminds us at every turn, we are not ultimately in charge.

12 Peers Theater’s production of “Everybody” plays through August 18 at the Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

by Claire DeMarco, ‘Burgh Vivant

Everybody has issues, especially a group of young adolescents in late 19^th century Germany in rock opera retelling of Frank Wedekind’s “Spring Awakening.”

Wendla (Victoria Buchtan) is curious about where babies come from.  Her mother (Barbara Burgess-Lefbevre, playing multiple roles) avoids the question, coming up with an innocuous explanation that leaves Wendla still befuddled.

Meanwhile in the schoolroom we’re introduced to the boys: Melchior Gabor (Ian C. Olson), Moritz (Ryan Wagner), Georg (Tommy O’Brien),  Hanschen (Connor McNelis), Ernst (Palmer Masciola) and  Otto (Jeremy McCawley).   Moritz has several problems – he’s performing poorly in school, evidenced by an angry school master (Brady Patsy, also playing multiple roles), and he’s been having sexual fantasy dreams.  Moritz cajoles Melchior into helping him understand those nocturnal nightmares. Mechoir assists by writing  an essay about sex, complete with  lewd diagrams.

Wendla socializes with her friends and the subject turns to boys.  Melchior seems to be their favorite.  Martha (Sabina May) blurts out that her father has physically abused her.  Wendla, Anna (Mar Puet) and Thea (Marnie Butler), are appalled at this information, and promise Martha that they won’t tell anyone about her dilemma.  Martha does not want to end up as Isle (Madaline Struhar), a victim of abusive parents who was kicked out of her parent’s house.

Wendla encounters Melchior in the woods and is so traumatized by Martha’s abuse that she confides in him.  She insists that Melchior beat her with a stick so she can feel what Martha went through. He obliges.

Aghast at what he has done Melchior meets Wendla again and asks for forgiveness.  Feelings they have for each other escalate and they have sex.

Moritz fails at school. He is berated by his father for humiliating the family name. The boy commits suicide.

Wendla is ill with what she thinks is anemia but learns that she is pregnant.  Her mother is horrified, blames her and finds a back-alley abortionist. When it’s discovered that Melchior, he is sent to a reformatory.

Melchior finds out that Wendla is pregnant while he is incarcerated.  He escapes and attempts to meet Wendla, first visiting Moritz’s gravesite, attempting to pull his life together.

While there he is faced with several additional shocks that will affect him forever.

Buchtan shines as the innocent caught up in time when “too much information” seems to be the standard.   Her rendering of “Momma Who Bore Me” is powerful.

Olson was somewhat uneven in Act I (probably due to opening night jitters) but he came to life in Act II.  His delivery of “Left Behind” was especially poignant.

Wagner pulls us into the soul of his character as he changes from an insecure teenager to a despondent soul.

In his multiple roles, Patsy cleverly changes from a stoic school master to a reprimanding father to a sympathetic doctor with ease.

This is a well-balanced, musically talented cast that compliments one another.

The choreography and general movement were stunning.   Kudos to Fight Choreographers Barbara Burgess-Lefebvre and Zakk Mannella and Dance Captain Victoria Buchtan.

Note:  At times with a theater in the round stage, those actors with their backs to the audiences are sometimes not heard, even with microphones in the small venue.

Another Note:  In Act I, specifically, there was static noise emanating from the sound system.

“Spring Awakening” focuses on teenagers in the late nineteenth century in Germany who are awakening to their sexuality.  Teenagers today also question their sexuality and intimacy but for the most part there’s a healthier, more open conversation about it.

“Spring Awakening” won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Musical with music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Steven Sater.  The  original play written by German dramatist, Frank Wedekind, in the early 1890’s.

-CED

“Spring Awakening” is a production of Comtra Theatre, 20540 US-19, Cranberry Township, PA. 16066.  It runs from August 2 – 17. For more information, click here.

by Claire DeMarco, ‘Burgh Vivant 

Guy (Stuart Ward) is an Irish musician, creating music and playing at a Dublin pub.  The Girl* (Esther Stilwell), a Czech immigrant and the mother of Ivanka (Lauren Ivory Vail), is taken with Guy’s music, and begins a conversation with him.  Both love music but their connection begins when Girl discovers that Guy’s day job is repairing sweepers in his father’s shop. And surprise! The Girl has a Hoover that needs fixed.

*Note:  We never get their real names, they’re just –  the Guy and the Girl.

Guy’s life is consumed with music but he’s lost his enthusiasm.  His girlfriend left him to pursue her dreams across the pond. Girl is entranced by his music but at the same time understands his low spirits.  She is able to encourage and cajole him out of his depression.

Girl drives the friendship, pushing Guy into publishing his music, enticing Billy (Paul Whitty) to provide a piano, encouraging Bank Manager (Andy Taylor) to issue a loan for the cause. 

As time passes their friendship becomes stronger with both Guy and Girl definitely past the “in like” stage of their relationship.  Girl tells Guy that she loves him (in Czech) and it doesn’t translate. She also indicates that she is married to Ivanka’s father and he is expected back in Dublin shortly.  Guy confesses that he has reached out to his ex in New York. Even though his songs were written about his former girlfriend, he now sings them about the Girl.

How does this all end?   Does Guy leave for New York?   Does Girl reconcile with her husband or was this just a brief interlude between two people who for a moment in time needed one another?

The unique factor about this show is that the characters are also the musicians and they all perform beautifully.

Stilwell provides a comedic slant to her character as she intertwines her Czech accent into conversations with her Irish cohorts.  But Stilwell also conveys a hidden sadness, often heard through her music.

Ward plays Guy as a tormented soul. His duet with Stilwell in “Falling Slowly” is powerful.

Whitty pulls it off as the rough and tough music store owner. 

Taylor is funny as the business professional who thinks (erroneously) that he, too, can become a star musician. 

The central set design is the pub and images of Dublin street are projected. Subtle movement of the props, whether it’s a piano or a bench, suggest changes in the location.

 “Once” won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical.  Book by Enda Walsh. Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová.

This is a fine production directed by J. Michael Zygo.

-CED

 “Once” is presented by Pittsburgh CLO at the Benedum Center and runs from July 30 – August 4. For more information, click here.

by Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

The Bourbon Room is rocking the Sunset Strip in the mid-to-late 80s, and Lonny (Nick Druzbanski), our fearless narrator, wants to tell you all about excitement in and out of the club in the hit musical “Rock of Ages.”

Lonny not-so-subtly explains everything we need to know about the popular rock venue, it’s owner, Dennis Dupree (Gene Weygandt), the greedy German entrepreneurs, Hertz Klinemann (Jeffrey Howell) and his son Franz Klinemann (Nathan Salstone), who are buying up blocks of the Strip to gentrify the neighborhood, and the young woman, Regina – rhymes with vagina (Tiffany Tatreau) – who is trying to stop them.

Lonny also introduces us to the main story; a love triangle (two-parts love, one-part lust) between our hero, Drew (Justin Matthew Sargent), a sweet, young girl from Kansas, Sherrie (Tess Soltau), and famed Arsenal lead singer Stacee Jaxx (American Idol’s Ace Young).

Drew wants to rock but he’s stuck behind the scenes cleaning up the club, emptying bags of garbage and plunging toilets. No job is too gross for Drew, because scatological comedy is king in this musical, but he’d rather be the lead singer in a big 80s hair band than clean vomit out of the men’s room. Who wouldn’t?

Our hero meets Sherrie just as she arrives in town –straight off the bus from some unnamed town in Kansas. Drew gets her a job at the Bourbon Room and the two continue to flirt, but Drew accidentally locks himself in the Friend Zone.

Meanwhile, Dennis Dupree, the Bourbon Room owner and operator, wants to have one last big blow out concert before they have to close up shop for good thanks to the aforementioned schemers, Klinemann and Klinemann. He convinces the hit rock band Arsenal to play one last gig in the club. The pompous Arsenal lead singer Stacee Jaxx agrees. When Jaxx arrives, he immediately puts the moves on Sherrie, and the three individuals converge, creating said love triangle. It’s your typical “Boy meets girl, Boy loses girl to famous rock star, Boy tries to win her back” story.

When Sherrie is unceremoniously fired because Sherrie gives Jaxx “bad vibes,” she runs into Mama (Aurelia Williams) the lesbianic prison matron who – wait! That’s “Chicago”  – she runs into Justice the lesbianic owner of the Venus Club, who gets Sherrie up on the pole, dancing for her money. Ironically, Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer” feels like the only rock ballad that DIDN’T turn up in the final cut of the show.

“Rock of Ages” is, yet again, another musical that weaves its plot around its songs – instead of the other way around. Some of those songs work and some are just jammed in there (a father sings a love ballad to his son and it feels super awkward). Bad puns go flying, some of them land with a thud. A vast majority of the comedic lines are merely groaners, but the superior cast kept “Rock of Ages” from being Schlock of Ages.

Young is charismatic as the charming but smarmy Jaxx. He lights up the stage, even when prancing around on a plush stuffed llama.

Sargent is perfectly cast as a fresh-faced Drew. He seems too earnest to be a rock star, and without spoiling the plot… probably is. He’s a good guy looking for a good girl and both he and Soltau are convincing.

By the way, Soltau can sing. She sings her way into Drew’s heart – and into the hearts of the audience. She also gets in a good comedic moment or two, particularly during a picnic high on  Mullholland Drive – overlooking the Los Angeles cityscape.

Weygandt’s performance is reminscent of Bill Nighy in “Love Actually,” only less famous. He’s terrific.

Williams is a powerhouse. Even though there were some faulty microphones on opening night, it didn’t matter to Williams as she belted out the tunes. It was a grand performance.

Howell and Salstone are burdened with ridiculous German accents, but the duo makes the best of it. Howell chews the scenery. He’s the central villain in the story, but you can tell he’s loving every minute of it. Salstone steals the show with a rendition of “Hit Me with your Best Shot.” It’s, hands down, the most fantastic moment in the show (this critic is a big Pat Benatar fan).

Beowulf Boritt’s set design is spectacular and Gregory Gale’s original costumes are amazing. The show is popping with bright colors and bold patterns. The show is a huge spectacle with great live music provided by band members Robert Neumeyer, Dan Peters, John Anthony, Paul Thompson and RJ Heid.

Playwright Chris D’Arienzo wrote a clunky musical, but if you love 80s hair bands,  like Guns & Roses, Styx, and Twisted Sister, “Rock of Ages” will rock you. Hard.  Just the way you like it.

-MB

“Rock of Ages” runs through July 28 at the Benedum Center, 7^th Street and Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

 

 

Tiffany Raymond, ‘Burgh Vivant

Marsha Norman’s 1978 Pulitzer Prize winning play, “‘night Mother,” recently crested its 40^th birthday, and while some details are inevitably dated, the play’s themes are still relevant today. It’s a dark family drama centered on a middle-aged daughter, Jessie (Briauna Brownfield), a divorcee living with her aging mother, Thelma (Samantha A. Camp).

At the start, Jessie announces she is going to commit suicide, and the play unfolds real-time, making the 90-minute show the same duration as the play’s action. Norman’s writing is incredibly tight, creating an intense hour and half for actresses and audience alike.

“‘night Mother” is a character-driven, dialogue-heavy play, and the emotionally weighty subject of suicide requires exceptional acting. Unfortunately, Throughline thoroughly misses in casting Brownfield as Jessie. Jessie is middle-aged in the play, but Brownfield is closer in age to Jessie’s young adult son.

Age aside, Brownfield gives a steadily one-dimensional, monotone performance. Her relentlessly flat affect is tedious, leaving one to wonder if director Sarah McPartland ever attended a rehearsal. The theater is small, and the close proximity visibly betrays Brownfield is often simply trying to remember her lines, which removes the potential for emotional nuance. Jessie’s compiled a list of personal questions to ask (“Did you love Daddy?”) and perfunctory information to share (the dryer repair number is taped to the side of the machine). Both the banal and the secret are unified under the same void expression, which prohibits the play from reaching its emotional valence. Brownfield’s only nod to tension is to touch and straighten her glasses, which may just be a nervous tic.

Age-wise, Camp would be better suited to play Jessie. Brownfield’s phone-in performance definitely helps Camp shine as the stronger of the two actresses. Thelma’s character limps and uses a cane, which Camp observes with flagrant degrees of inconsistency, another missed opportunity for director Sarah McPartland. Camp does exhibit emotional range in her parade of reactions to Jessie’s suicide pronouncement that includes everything from total dismissiveness to downright panic to blame and self-pity. At one point, Thelma angrily knocks her crochet basket off of the coffee table, and it’s a moment of palpable tension where the fourth wall feels compromised as the basket comes hurtling towards the audience. Thelma loves candy, and in a thoughtful detail from McPartland, a hidden sweets stash comes flying out from beneath the yarn.

Tucker Topel’s set design is a praiseworthy bright spot. Visually, the set is rife with details that thoughtfully coalesce and immediately express this is a lower-middle class home, including a poor man’s cabinet door of a curtain on a slightly sagging string beneath the kitchen sink. The most resounding detail is partially exposed lath and plaster walls showing the inner layers of the home in a way that beautifully parallels the characters peeling back their own layers and exposing their truths over the course of the night.

A costume designer is conspicuously absent from the crew list. Both actresses appear to have been left to their own devices without directorial guidance from McPartland to visually unify them. To Camp’s credit, her Thelma is on point. She shuffles about in gray house slippers with faded black socks. She’s appropriately fashion-forgettable in her coral top as the hemline of her polyester skirt flirts with the top of her socks. The skirt’s floral pattern is trying to emerge from an unappealing chocolate brown background, mirroring Thelma’s own quagmire.

Jessie never leaves the house, and the play notes her getting house slippers for holidays, a woman old before her time. Yet, Brownfield’s sneakers read more hipster than house shoes, and she’s sporting an anklet that may fit her personal life but should be shuttered for the show. She’s supposed to be wearing her son’s clothes, suggesting the degree to which she decries caring about her appearance, but Brownfield’s form-fitting denim overalls are decidedly on-trend and feminine. The play takes place on a Saturday night, which is when Jessie does Thelma’s manicure. While the dialogue explicitly refers to Thelma’s chipped nails, her manicure look salon-fresh. The small, intimate venue makes visible these cumulative cracks that compound and diminish impact.

Despite the fact there are only two actresses in the show, the program’s cast list has their names reversed. It’s symptomatic of the show’s collective lack of attention to detail. The production feels premature, as if we’re seeing a rehearsal, so it may come together more tightly as the production run progresses. Norman’s writing is worth experiencing. She doesn’t shy away from the intricacies of how families hurt each other, even if the intent is good, and her exploration of a woman contemplating suicide is even more relevant today as suicide numbers reach all-time highs.

-TR

“‘night Mother” plays through July 27 at the Aftershock Theater, 115 57th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (on a seasonal note, fans are abundant, but the theater is not air conditioned). For more information, click here.