Category: The Shaker

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

It is the last days of Jesus Christ (Jeff Way) as told by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in their rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and things are grim in Jerusalem. It’s just days before the execution of the so-called King of the Jews. Christ is racked with guilt, anger and frustration. It’s not his most godly moment. Hosanna in the lowest.

Considering the plump volume of source material, i.e. the Bible, there’s not much to the plot. Judas Iscariot (Mary Johnson-Blocher) is pulling Jesus one way; Mary Magdalene (Nina Napoleone) is pulling Him another.  The three-sided relationship is not unlike a love triangle, as lower-case L love competes with capital L Love. Things go FUBAR pretty quickly. You may have heard the story before.  But spoiler alert: Things don’t end well for Judas. And whether or not Jesus got a happy ending is up to interpretation.

Since it’s a rock opera, there is little to no dialogue that is not set to music, but there are some great songs. “Heaven in Their Minds” sung by Johnson-Blocher as Judas opens the show. It’s a fantastic number and Johnson-Blocher belts it out with the best of them.

There is a moving rendition of “I don’t know how to love Him.” It’s an emotional moment and beautifully rendered by Napoleone.

Near the end of the second act, there is a stand out over-the-top performance by J’Quay lamonte Gibbs as Herod.  Picture Rocky Horror’s Dr. Frank N. Furter condemning the savior.  Ironically, the big, showy character has the most down-to-earth lyrics. He simply begs Jesus to prove himself worthy, with lines like, “Prove to me you’re no fool…walk across my swimming pool.” If only Rice had written more lyrics like that.

The titular song, “Superstar” was superbly performed.

The orchestra, conducted by Thomas (appropriately named) Octave, was tremendous. The highest praise goes to the orchestra and the ensemble for blending together musically (pay attention to the caveat).

There are a few things wrong with the production.  The cast was excessively large, almost unwieldy. There were unnecessarily extraneous set pieces moving about far too frequently on the stage. It was not only distracting but dangerous. There were, at least, four accidents opening night. A head collided into a prop window hanging from the ceiling, a woman was nearly squished by a moving staircase, and two actors tripped over the main platform positioned in the middle of the set.  Let’s call it opening night jitters and hope the cast will get it together later in the run, but when Jesus was hoisted up for the crucifixion I feared that Way would be actually die on the cross. There was a high probability that the cross would topple into the audience and take out the first row.

The acting was big and broad, but there was a lack of emotion in many of the ensemble. A few members of the ensemble were just trying to get through it. Acting tip: Never assume that if you’re in the background no one can see you. We can always see you.

Also, the show seemed rushed, even at two hours long.  Though he does a great job, I wanted more Peter (Chris Martin). The fault lies with Rice and Webber. The creators could have fleshed out the character more and we would have gotten a stunning portrayal of the man who denies Christ.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” gets a very mild recommendation. If you go, keep your eyes and ears on Mary Johnson-Blocher, Nina Napoleone,  J’Quay lamonte Gibbs they are worthy of your full attention.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” is a Stage 62 production at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Blvd., Carnegie,  PA 15106. For more information, click here.

– MB

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli

The Opera Theater’s Summer Fest is in full swing with pop-up productions of Handel’s “Julius Caesar” in a snazzy new venue, running alternatively in the same space as the Shakespearean comedy, “Kiss Me, Kate.”

But for George Frideric Handel’s “Julius Caesar” you don’t even have to brush up your Shakespeare (it’s a “Kiss Me, Kate” reference), because this has nothing to do with the Bard’s tragedy in iambic pentameter. Handel’s story, originally titled, “Julius Caesar in Egypt” or, more accurately, “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” is an entirely different chapter in Caesar’s life. The Opera Theater’s production is in English with English subtitles projected above the stage.

The story begins on the banks of the Nile as Caesar (Andrey Nemzer) proclaims victory over Pompey. Pompey’s wife Cornelia (Sara Beth Shelton) and son, Sextus (Katherine Beck) seek mercy, but it’s too late. Achillas (James Eder), a soldier of Ptolemy’s (Min Sang Kim) arrives bearing a grotesque gift for Caesar; the severed head of Pompey. Of course, Sextus, son of Pompey, swears vengeance on Ptolemy. Caesar is outraged at the brutal killing (especially since Cornelia is standing right next to him when he opens the present), and he also vows vengeance on Ptolemy (the p is silent like in pneumonia).

Meanwhile, Cleopatra (Lara Lynn McGill) is at the royal court, conspiring against her brother Ptolemy. The two co-rule Egypt, and Cleo wants the throne for herself. It’s evident pretty quickly that Ptolemy is cruel and petty. Cleo wants to ensnare Caesar into doing her dirty work, as luck would have it he’s already angry at her bro. Cleopatra assumes a false identity, Lydia, and rushes off to meet with the Roman general. The two fall madly in love with each other, despite all the political intrigue swirling around them. They vow to meet again. But, you know, war breaks out and things get complicated.

The good news is it ends a lot happier than William Shakespeare’s tale of the Roman leader.

The action takes place on a rake theater, sloped toward the audience. The Falk Theater’s slope is dramatic. Picture the Joker’s lair in the ’66 “Batman” television show. It makes it easy to see all the action, and for an opera, there is plenty of action.

The real reason to go to the show is the music and Nemzer’s voice is mesmerizing. The role was originally written for Senesino (a famed performer who was a member of the castrato), but Nemzer is able to hit all the high notes.

McGill’s Cleopatra is every bit as charismatic as a Cleopatra should be, with a melodic singing voice (probably giving her a leg up on the queen of the Nile).

The entire cast has glorious voices [you can check out clips of the show here]. However, in opera the acting is much broader than in a drama or comedy, and it’s a little distracting at first, but their amazing voices draw you in.

The show only suffered one real flaw. For some reason, director Dan Rigazzi decided it would be funny if cell phones could be used in a few sight gags. Let’s get this straight: There’s no reason to force contrivances of modern society into a timeless opera for a cheap laugh. It was the only infraction of the evening, but it was a particularly vexing one.

On another positive note; there’s a lovely interlude with Caesar, Andrew Fouts, a soloist from Chatham Baroque, and two male dancers, LeTrea Rembert and Brady Sanders, that’s worth the price of admission. Rembert and Sanders are skilled dancers and comport themselves gloriously about the stage. Kudos to choreographer Jessica Marino for one of the most delightful moments of the show.

High marks must be doled out for Chatham Baroque, the music is exquisite and superbly played.

You have one more chance to catch “Julius Caesar” on July 23 at the Falk Auditorium, Winchester Thurston School, 555 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. For additional details, click here. If Caesar isn’t your cup of tea, there’s plenty of very different offerings at Summer Fest. You can also check out the rest of the fest right here.

– MB

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Jingle writer Jerry (Andy Coleman) and his lawyer wife Alice (Anne Rematt) have graciously taken in a houseguest who won’t leave. Alice’s father, Abe Dreyfus (Howard Elson), is finding it difficult to move on after the death of his wife in Marshall Karp’s “Squabbles.”

Abe spends his time calculating the length of the bathroom breaks taken by the handyman, Hector Lopez (Enrique Bazan), disparaging his Asian heart specialist and answering the phone with a local radio station’s slogan in an attempt to win the prize money.

Jerry, being an affable young man, doesn’t seem to mind living with his father-in-law, even though the man is difficult. He’s a sitcom racist (the kind who makes funny comments about stereotypes, but isn’t really evil).

The living arrangements are beginning to grate on Alice’s nerves. Of course, Alice knows something the two men in her life don’t. The household is about to expand (if only she knew how much!).

Alice is expecting a baby. However, when they get a frantic call from Jerry’s mom, Mildred (Lynne Franks), another curveball is thrown into their lives. Mildred moves in after an accident involving a boiling pot of chicken soup and a table full of coupons causes her house to go up in flames.

Here’s the hitch….Abe and Mildred despise each other with a passion. Now the younger couple spends their evenings on the sidelines of the escalating war between their seniors in residence.

“Squabbles” is a darling of the community theater set. It has one simple, standard living room set. It’s chock full of jokes. And it’s got two juicy roles for older actors.

It’s a bit of a sitcom. Playwright Marshall Karp has a few legitimate sitcom’s under his belt, including Sherman Hemsley’s “Amen,” in which the iconic “Jefferson’s” actor plays a preacher who squabbles (the word is actually in the IMDB description of the show) with a new reverend at his church.

Jokes are like buses in “Squabbles.” If you miss one, there’s another one along any minute. Not all of them land, but there are some genuinely funny lines in the play.

There are probably a few too many characters in the play. There’s really no need for Hector the handyman. He’s supposed to be comic relief, but once Mildred enters, he’s not really needed. It’s a stock character, but Bazan makes the most of the role. He is gentle, loving and pretty darn funny. There’s also a walk on role for a Nazi nurse. It’s another character that’s not really needed, but she’s marvelously rendered by Claire Fraley.

Director Wayne Brinda keeps everything moving along effectively.

The actors do a fine job here with the material. Elson is channeling Larry David playing the curmudgeon of Connecticut. Franks is delightful as the bickering Mildred. Rematt does a fine job (her character doesn’t get any good lines). Coleman has a repertoire of funny faces.

The cast really clicks. When Franks drops a line in the heat of an argument, Coleman picks it right up without missing a beat like synchronized swimmers at the Olympics.

The biggest quibble with “Squabbles” was with the audience. At the June 16 performance, there was a woman who coughed like a coal miner. A ringing phone from an oblivious audience member. And several theater patrons talked through the show like they were in their own living room.

“Squabbles” is a pleasant evening out. It’s not profound or groundbreaking, but you should have fun, if you get a nice, quiet audience.

– MB

(“Squabbles” runs through next weekend at the South Park Theatre, at the intersection of Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive, South Park, PA 15129. For more information, click here.)

 

 

 

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

David Ives play, “Venus in Fur” is a twisty and twisted work. Every movement, every word, peels back onion layers of the thoughts and desires of the characters in this near-classic pas de deux.

Entrée: Fictional playwright and director Thomas Novachek (Christian Conn) can’t find an actress to play Vanda for his theatrical adaptation of  Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s “Venus in Furs (plural in the book title only),” until Vanda (Whitney Maris Brown) storms into the room. She claims to be late for her audition. Novachek is tired and is expected to meet his fiancé for dinner, but Vanda begs for a chance to read the part. Thomas refuses to grant her the audition. She swears, cajoles and cries. Eventually, Thomas folds and they pick up their copies of the script.

In the play within the play, the Vanda (spelled with a W in the original work) von Dunayev enters the room of Severin von Kushemski at a retreat in the Swiss Alps. She returns a copy of “Faust” she found elsewhere on the property. Vanda coyly comments about a bookmark, Titian’s “Venus with a Mirror,” in which the goddess is draped in velvety, red fur. He quickly admits his fondness for the sensual and tactile pleasures of fur.

Both the play and in the play-within-the play start the same way: A woman enters the room of a lone male. Also, Vanda comes in packing a large bag with various costumes to enact scenes from the play. It starts as a joke, but escalates into something much more.

Adagio un: Severin dark desires manifest quickly. He tells of his childhood when he was whipped by an aunt on a bear skin rug, and how he fetishized the traumatic experience. Side note: the word masochism comes from the sur name of the author. There is a power play between Severin and Vanda. The two wrestle for dominance, literally and figuratively. Suddenly the power play between the two characters bleeds out into the ‘real world’ of the play. Actor and author struggle for dominance.

Adagio deux: Slowly we discover that Vanda (both the actor and the character) is more than who she appears to be.

Variations: Vanda offers some suggestions. They improvise a scene where she plays the mythical Venus from the Titian bookmark. Things start to unhinge as each character learns more about the other.

Coda: The play reaches a satisfying, if not nebulous, conclusion. Director Jesse Berger delicately choreographs the two-hander with aplomb. Doubling down on a surprise ending that audience members will love or hate (stick me in the love column).

Conn and Brown are engaging, enthralling, each possessing the charm and charisma needed to play these bigger-than-life characters. Mild spoiler ahead: It’s just as fun watching Brown’s Vanda transform from schlep to diva, as Conn’s character goes from haughty and imperious to terrified.

Scenic Designer David M. Barber places them in a gritty New York rehearsal space with flourishes of urban beauty. Barber proves that grim and gritty has its own particular elegance.

Kudos to Lighting Designer Peter West and Sound Designer Zach Moore for conjuring up a frightful storm in the middle of the O’Reilly Theater.

Come out to “Venus in Fur” and see the shiny, shiny boots of leather and the downy sins of streetlight fancies.

“Venus in Fur” runs from June 2 to June 26 at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

– MB