OuterStage

Academics and musical theatre mavens talk of the evolution of the American musical. Well, there was similar progress bestowed upon the American musical revue. Today, the revue is a small ensemble-driven analysis of the works of a great composer. Examples are Some Enchanted Evening (Rodgers & Hammerstein), Smokey Joe’s Café (Leiber And Stoller), and, of course, Side by Side by Sondheim (you know who). But the early musical revues were grand nights of music designed to sooth the savage beast that was the Broadway audience. They usually had tiny plots designed to simply hold the music together. Today, aside from memories of Ziegfeld and White, we have Crazy For You and Anything Goes as the more perfect examples.

Rocco L. Buonpane and his Brooklyn Association for the Performing Arts invited us to return to those thrilling days of yesteryear with an old-fashioned musical extravaganza celebrating the works of the composer who – arguably – returned musical extravaganza to Broadway … Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Like the grand musical revues of almost a century ago, we have a more-than two hour night featuring more-than three dozen singers, dancers, and musicians serenading the large audience with ditties from the composer’s popular (Phantom, Cats, Superstar, Evita, JoeATD), cult favorites (Sunset Blvd, Starlight Express, Aspects of Love) and the rare and not-always-well-received (By Jeeves, Song & Dance, Whistle Down The Wind, The Beautiful Game, Woman in White). Like the revues of the days of vaudeville, you had star-turns, great moments, and missteps.

The star-turns were definitely that. Dustin Cross (the production’s choreographer) was the finest voice on the stage. Whether it was a sharp, comedic tilted-brow number like “Let’s Have Lunch” from Sunset Blvd, full-voiced powerhouses like the title song in Starlight Express, or heart-wrenching ballads like “Close Every Door” from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cross displayed ease on stage and vocal strength virtually unmatched. As a dancer, he displayed the same vigor; as a choreographer, he created witty moves for a large group on a small stage. Of equal footing is Buonpane himself, who – with the hand-in-pockets ease of an old thespian – captivated his crowd with showstoppers from Woman in White and Evita. Christopher Lee Short, William Doyle, Rob Bradbury, and George Tsalikis also supplied great range, humor & charisma, and a sense of power. Tsalikis – a theatre/rock crossover artist with a new CD out (see related article in OuterStage) – could have had more to do in this show, as he is a recognizable face and voice. Finally, Celine Rosenthal’s rendition of “Tell Me On Sunday” from the original version of Song & Dance was wonderfully sung, deep and emotional, and totally believable. It was a highpoint of the night. And speaking of dance and highpoints, Elizabeth Brocsious – lead dancer in most numbers – was absolutely brilliant. Her face reflected each song’s mood, her acumen as a dancer was obvious in her looks-easy-but-we-know-how-hard-it-is moves, and the joy that radiated from her was infectious.

The night was filled with memorable moments including solos by Carly Howard, Erica Vasaturo, and Nadine Djoury who stepped out of the ensemble to deliver some fine renditions of rare tunes; Jayme Stevens, whose opening piece framed by the entire chorus was delightful, Nadine Jacques especially potent as Evita in “Buenos Aires,” Dawn Barry’s unique rendition of “Memory” – playing the strength not the emotion – and Charlie Eichler hitting the high notes of Whistle Down the Wind and the closing tune of Joseph…

Missteps were few but definitely there as the inevitable couple of performers chose to spend their stage time running for the center mic, over-singing and upstaging, and pulling out shticks and tricks to prove their charm when simply singing what was given to them would have done the trick.

Down in the pit, musical director Jake Lloyd – the third partner in the triumvirate of arbiters of this production led a tight and expert orchestra (including violinist Daisuke Suzuki, whose contribution created true magic), and made dozens of singers sound like a perfect unit in ensemble pieces and each soloists sound angelic. He also wrote the unique orchestrations for this production. Rumor has it Mr. Lloyd is a composer in his own right. If his mastery with the orchestrations is any indication of his own musical prowess, then one could expect this [Jake] Lloyd to prove competition to that Lloyd [Webber].

The technical aspect of the show needed work. There was a hint of curtains and patterns on an interesting amalgam of stairs and platforms – too much. The stairs themselves were fascinating but the curtains kept obscuring singers when they were under them. The lighting was a series of cross fades and spots – too much. With a ton of people and interchanging moments, a simply wash of light would have been sufficient and saved the problem of actors stepping out of a too-small spot. The costumes were OK … then too much. Everyone was dressed in black and looked like they were attending an artistic party or gathering – pretty cool. However, there were moments when suddenly there would an isolated ensemble member with too much jewelry or a bright color or an interesting accessory that would draw the audience’s attention unfairly. One gent was heard to say “nice dress” to his escort in the audience. Considering the soloist was a man at that point proved that the attention was not correct. The mics were a big issue. Body mics were shared oddly, the volume on the three standing mics was uneven, hand-helds were there, sometimes not. Maybe – next time – just the stairs, a wash of light, the orchestra to the side, and no mics might be the way.

There was indeed one negative to speak of – the lack of plot. As mentioned, a thread-bare plot would be employed for shows like this back in the day. A silly “hey, let’s do a show” or declamatory “and our next number…” motif… anything. Even doing the shows in sections might have helped. Going from song to song might not be a problem if this was Cole Porter, where every song was its own entity or Rodgers & Hammerstein, in which 90% of their material is well-known (OK, maybe not Pipe Dream, State Fair, or Me & Juliet) but when you have a composer with productions that did not run long, ran only in England, or were rewritten by the time it arrived on our shores, you run the risk of confusing your crowd. Again, The audience seemed to forgive the lack of story and settled in for a pleasing concert.

The Bronx Opera gives a lot of people a chance. The audience – to see great works of previous centuries; schools – with programs designed to woo children into this noble art form; and artists – by handing itself the obstacle of double casting its short runs. Ironically, it is a compact version of what opera is. Like Shakespeare, you don’t go necessarily to see Hamlet; you go to see Ralph Fiennes’ Hamlet or Burton’s Hamlet or David Tennant’s Hamlet. Well, here is where you can see two interpretations of the same work.

Case in point: The Magic Flute.

The Magic Flute

Friday Cast

By Erica Vasaturo and Fran Bacine

The well-remembered comment made by the Emperor in Amadeus is that Mozart’s work has “too many notes.” If so then it takes masters to make each of these abundant notes flow seamlessly into the other. Such masters can be found at The Bronx Opera, at 41 years and counting – the oldest opera company of its kind in New York. The Mozart in question is one of his most familiar – The Magic Flute.

The plot weaves around Prince Tamino who, through a series of trials, must win the hand of Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night, from Sarastro and the Temple Elders. He is given mystical weaponry including a magic flute bestowed upon him by three of the Queen’s mystical minions. He is also given a comedic sidekick – of course – the bird catcher, Papageno, who joins the adventure in the hopes of getting more food and drink but gets much more than he bargained for … good and bad. The Quixotic pair, both stricken with silence at points, both battle darkness and supernatural forces at other points.

Ben Spierman directed this English language production with a subtle hand. He imbued last years’ Pagliacci & Impresario with a stark “ripped from the headlines” flavor but this production received subtle shades of then and now. His wink-and-nod form of updating with one hand and maintaining tradition with another is done here beautifully. Starting with Tamino, dressed like a 1930s movie serial adventurer in the scope of Indiana Jones or Flash Gordon, somehow lands in this secluded mountain range filled with dragons, mysterious robed worshippers, and a sorceress. Not to mention. Lions and tigers and bears… literally. By keeping all but Tamino in traditional garb, the sense of transporting him to a mystical realm was emphasized. His bits of shtick entwined with traditional staging were also refreshing. Musically, Michael Spierman was the true sorcerer, commanding a huge cast and orchestra (literally spilling out over the sides of the orchestra pit) through a sea of stunning orchestral accompaniment.

An excellent principle cast was led by Neal Harrelson as Prince Tamino. His sweet sound, towering presence, and mane of blonde hair made him the ideal adventurer – and of perfect contract to Jason Plourde’s channeling of the late Dom Deluise with a litany of facial expressions, double takes, and food sight gags as the lonely yet luxuriate bird catcher, Papageno. His own terrific tones made for a great pairing.

He was not the only humor injected into the opera. Helen Lyons, Leslie Swanson and Shirin Eskandani play the Queen’s mysterious envoys in perfect harmony and as three lusty maidens wanting Prince Tamino for their own. Noteworthy also is Laura Shofner as Papagena, the comic relief’s comic lover.

Ushering back to the Hollywood “witch” of the 1930s was Astrid Marshall as the Queen of the Night. Draped in black with towering headgear, Ms. Marshall was Agnes Moorehead with dashes of Margaret Hamilton. Her famed aria of the second act was well worth the wait. And to counter this dark force is her daughter, Princess Pamina, angelically sung by Alfonsina Molinari.

Two standouts within the production came from the supporting cast: Jorge Ocasio as Sarastro, High Priest of the Temple has easily one of the most powerful presences on that stage and his deep rich bass-baritone voice only secured that image. The Temple Priests had a very difficult job – here is where too many notes come in. There are long orchestral sections upon their entrances and filling the stage was the first order. Ocasio was able to do this with ease. Each stride or turn was energizing. The second is Leslie Tay as the manic Monostatos. Filled with nervous energy, Tay brought a sense of urgency to his role making him that much more captivating. Even standing behind the action looking on, he was a story unto himself.

Maintaining a classical venire is a double-edged sword. While the declamatory style one might expect to see in classical staging allows the artists to sing above the orchestra and project better into the house (purists that they are, The Bronx Opera does not employ microphones) not to mention creating some absolutely stunning stage pictures, it also drains some of the urgency from this mature fairy tale plot. The exuberant audience certainly didn’t seem to mind though.

The lighting by Jim Elliot was lovely. Subtle changes in color and area created a panoramic sense with an oil painting finish. Meganne George’s set design – simplistic use of moving fabrics and window panels depicting everything from the mountains to the dungeons – was well used in conjunction with Mr. Elliot’s lights. While Meg Zeder is to be commended for inspired color schemes and establishing a sense of time period, each temple elder seemed to be in a different pair of shoes and stockings. Sadly, the maidens’ chorus suffered from the same footwear issue but their costumes seemed to cover it better. The men’s chorus again suffered the double edge sword of performing in period. While they look compelling in the flowing robes, a certain posture must be displayed or the costume wears the actor.

The Spierman family and The Bronx Opera fight the good fight. Like Prince Tamino they must battle dragons and darkness with nothing more than beautiful music. The Bronx Opera’s dragons are a wretched economy and its darkness is the stereotype for which the Bronx has weathered for far too long. Yet through it all, they present top-notch work at magically low prices.

Here’s hoping nothing silences their voice.

The Magic Flute

Saturday Cast

By Robert Greene

At first glance, this opera seems very much the fairy tale. Dragons, bird-catchers, and secret societies battling sorceresses… but looking deeper you have an ancient tale harkening from ancient societal rituals. One might look upon this as an Iron John-style manhood trial amid pagan practices and beliefs.

We begin with Prince Tamino (Eapen Leubner), trapped in a mysterious mountain range occupied by ancients of all kinds – a Queen of the Night (Heather Hill) battling a secret fraternal order (and by now we all know which one Mozart was alluding to). The dashing Lindbergh lookalike, Tamino, is joined by a towering troubadour named Papageno (Jeremy Moore) whose love of wine, women, and song places him at Tamino’s side and in the face of danger. Needless to say, there is a damsel in distress (Katherine Wessinger), a great wizard-like leader of the fraternal order (Michael O’Hearn), three supernatural handmaids (Elizabeth Perryman, Paula Jean Rocheleau, Paula Roediger) the lusty henchman (Kennan Vasudevan) and a gaggle of spirits (The Bronx Highbridge Voices chorus).

Eapen Leubner and Katherine Wessinger as the Tamino and Princess Pamina were simply lovely together and powerful individually, displaying great stage presence and vocal strength; Heather Hill made the Queen of the Night a formidable figure with a genuine sense of realism within her otherworldly role. Adeptly avoiding stereotype or overdoing it as the role can suggest, she brought urgency and reality to her delivery. Progressive thinking in opera for sure. Michael O’Hearn was truly magnificent as Sarastro, leader of the order. His expansive frame was only dwarfed by a presence worthy of grand venues. And his deep basso tones were perfectly placed. But the real fun was Jeremy Moore as Papageno. Combining leading man looks with genuine comic timing and a superior voice made him worth the ride alone. His early exchanges with his lady love, Papagena (played with flair by Andrea Leyton-Mange) were like old English musical hall humor. And for the cuteness factor, the gifted children of Highbridge Voices appearing as sprites along with a herd of dancing animals did not disappoint.

It is the wise company that knows when simplicity and implication are the ways of design and The Bronx Opera is a wise company. Meganne George series of drapes and stained glass panels allowed us to believe we were on mountains or in temples or beneath castles. There was just enough to hold the hand of our imagination. Gentle hues amid romantic shadows, gothic midnight, lighting flashes, and even mystical auras were all brought to us by Jim Elliot. Meg Zeder’s beautiful color scheme and use of ancient versus present made for opulent costumes. This long piece moved briskly thanks to director Benjamin Spierman and assistant Nicole Lee Aiossa. Michael Spierman, the company’s founder and guiding force conducted the production including a larger than expected orchestra and full chorus to great success.

Many remain unaware of the great work of The Bronx Opera due to its off-the-path location(s). I was dragged to my first production last year by their ardent press rep. Now I am a fan. Not just because of what I see as consistency of professional standard but to revel in seeing promising young artists take an ancient form of art and carry it into this new century.

Today, we laud the large ensembles when they update and translate.

Well, uptown, The Bronx Opera’s been doing it for 40 years.

From the Front Row by J. Michaels

Nestled in tree-lined suburban façade of Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge area lives a beautiful summer-stock style theatre in Christ Church. Within the picturesque wooden sloped ceiling and Tudor style frame, The Brooklyn Association of the Performing Arts and The Brooklyn Theatre Arts Project, Inc. presented a truly top-notch production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar.

Lloyd-Webber has become known for style-above-substance-works, but this is from a time when he was daring. Putting hope before hype, he created a quartet of masterpieces (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, and Chess make the other three). Here he juxtaposed politics and the pulpit to create a truly enthralling work.

VERY simply, this rock musical – written in a time of upheaval in our own country – tunes in (pardon the pun) on a charismatic enlightened soul whose great good deed of bringing about change and spiritual growth create socio-political upheaval. Presenting this parable in its purest, the charismatic soul is Christ and the play is his last days.

Director Anthony Augello took an inspired path and depicted Jesus and Mary [Magdalene] as sort-of John Lennon and Yoko Ono figures, creating immense spiritual growth while enraging the “system” with their beliefs on world affairs. This is taken even further with an unapproving Judas dressed in a Sgt. Pepper-style jacket.

In the title role, rock performer and local celebrity George Tsalikis was commanding and vocally stunning. His obvious understanding of rock music made his work on the stage that much more authentic and enjoyable. His soft stature yet booming musical control perfectly communicated the depth of whom he was portraying. As his love interest – yes, love interest; Momo Kajiwara was gentle and grounded, presenting a confidence not often associated with the role. Kajiwara’s voice was lovely and hypnotic. Together they created “a power couple.” Director Augello placed them into a physical relationship complete with on-stage kisses and off-stage inferences. This infuriated Judas and undoubtedly many others – on stage and in the audience.

Dimitri Minucci as Judas was electrifying. It took him a scene or so to get his energy going but once there he was brilliant. In a wild beard and shaven head, looking like the lead singer in a wild rock concert, Minucci’s high-powered star-turn was the perfect foil to Tsalikis’ clean-shaven, boyish Christ.

The supporting players found the truth in their roles: the Temple Priests were all privileged men of means whose posture and power were evident. Leading the pack of politicians was Joseph Autuoro as Caiaphas. His strong demeanor and great stage presence depicted to us perfectly who these decision-makers were and why. The apostles were all sound actors presenting these holy men as simple guys innocent of all around them. This allowed their unwitting betrayals to be that much more heartbreaking. Two standouts were Dustin Cross as Thomas, whose angelic voice was a highpoint of the dark second act and Miguel Sierra adding just a little extra thought to his characterizations. Musical director Jake Lloyd and his full band (yup, full band) should be praised for shepherding the well-sung chorus through difficult harmonies. And Sherri Norige’s high stepping choreography was a delight.

The true standout of the supporting players was Rocco Buonpane as Pilate. A good production of Superstar understands that it is Pilate that sets world affairs in motion so a strong Pilate is a necessity. Rocco’s powerful voice cut through the hot summer air and his truly phenomenal stage presence gave Pilate the necessary thunder. It would be easy to smirk at Buonpane for his Wellesian hubris in taking a plum role as well as serving as executive producer, but after watching his work on stage and noticing the sold out crowd – some coming from Manhattan – it was obvious his head fits both hats.

The production sported a terrific set complete with lighted cross and stairs built into walls creating an Escher/Dali effect. The lighting was extremely well used giving color and isolation to all the right moments. Both were guided by director Augello, showing solid vision technically.

The production suffered only two sins. The production scheme of 60/70s turbulence could have gone even farther. When it was there it was excellent and truly inspired: the Hugh Heffner robe on Pilate; the faceless tribunal straight out of The Prisoner TV series; and the Ziggy Stardust hell for Judas were all quite brilliant but the same should have been done for Simon – played with gusto and a killer voice by Noah Brendemuehl – and maybe something different for the Pharisees. In black hats and prayer-style shawls (staying in those costumes and performing the final execution), this could be interpreted as a nod to Mel Gibson’s religious ideologies more than world changing 60/70s. The use of medallions on each cast member to explain character – again – was compelling and interesting – but some of the symbols may have created more confusion than description. Their use in the finale was really extraordinary and had the audience known what each symbol meant its impact would have been definitive.

The other problem was the intolerable heat in the theatre. The old structure – while gorgeous – did not allow for air conditioning, so the building was immeasurably hot for the audience and undoubtedly unbearable for the actors who needed to layer their lovely costumes, painstakingly built by Angela Campione, for quick changes. Sometimes emotional transitions were unclear or too fast most likely due to the distracting heat. Somebody please buy this great theatre an air-conditioner!!

Summer weather aside, the evening’s event was enthralling and enjoyable. Theatergoers laud regional settings like Shakespeare & Company or The Paper Mill Playhouse, but if you wish to have a truly enjoyable theatre experience in a regional theatre setting, just board the R train to Brooklyn and walk a brief three blocks toward the water. Look for the full parking lot and long ticket lines.

J. Michaels – known for his work as a stage director – runs the New York outlet of Wright Group Marketing & Communications; is director of public relations for The Bronx Opera, and is an experienced speech writer and marketing executive for several international philanthropies. He is a former professor of speech, media, and theatre and began his writing career in 1990 as a caption writer for The Daily News.

Reviewed br Robert Liebowitz

Everyone knows “And Then There Were None”; it is Agatha Christie’s most popular murder mystery (with sales of 100 million and counting); it has run for seemingly ever on the London stage (along with her companion piece “The Mousetrap”), and has been made into several film and television versions. It is so good, so clever, decades ahead of it’s time, it should be shipped off to the Smithsonian and into a time capsule. This is Art (or certainly the murder-mystery genre) at its finest.

When Narrows Community Theater decided to mount a revised production of it, setting it in the ‘Me’ decade of the mid-70s, it seemed to be a particularly innovative tact, garnering approval from the theatre Gods. Director George Ferencz led a competent, tight cast through the two-and-a –half-hour evening, and has emerged triumphantly on the other side despite some design and technical issues, which receive an A for effort.

The plot needs only a bare-bones introduction: A group of people (ten would be a wild guess) are invited to a remote island of the coast of Long Island, and the bodies then start to drop one by one. Whodunnit? No one knows for sure, and that’s the thrill and the attraction.

The able cast is led first and foremost by the talented Dain Alexandra as the gregarious but street-smart Vera Claythorne. Her performance was thrilling to watch and experience, from soup to nuts. Others in the cast who deserve honorable mention would be Al Whidden exuded great stage presence as the Judge, Ted Lewis as the snobby military officer, General MacKenzie, and Larry Gutman as the film-noir style eccentric Dr. Armstrong. But it is Ms. Alexandra’s performance that stands out.

Over the years, NCT has been the flag-bearer in importing professional-caliber talent to breathe life onto its humble Brooklyn stage. And while its supportive audience showed no signs of disapproval, one hopes that more time can be made to creating sets and lighting that can complement the excellent acting. Sadly, in the days of turntables and flying cars, no theatre production, no matter how well the acting is, can be considered complete without it. But regardless, a tip of the hat goes the NCT team, for its sometimes uneven but ultimately satisfying production of “And Then There Were None.”

(Robert Liebowitz is an award-winning playwright with successful runs at The Fringe Festival, LoveCreek, and several off-Broadway houses. He has one anthology of his plays available at The Drama Book Store and another in the works.)