Jesus Christ Superstar

Bushnell, Hartford
May 6, 2008
By Bernadette Johnson

There’s something to be said for the tried and true. Doubtless, it was this that led to the choice of Ted Neeley for the lead role in the current tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s timeless rock musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Neeley, who at age 65 is almost twice the age Jesus was when he died, was nominated for two Golden Globe awards for his groundbreaking performance as Jesus in the 1973 film version and has played Jesus in thousands of performances on and off for decades. A legend is a legend. But is it enough?

It took Neeley a while to hit his stride, his voice a little scratchy and rough during Act I, but he was up to the task in Act II, hitting the high wailing notes of “The Temple” and “Gethsemane,” demonstrating that he still possesses a great vocal range.

JCS standouts included newcomer Corey Glover, lead singer of the rock group Living Colour, in a riveting, heartfelt performance as Judas, and Tiffini Dodson as a tender, solicitous Mary Magdalene. Glover owned the stage from the first notes of “Heaven on their Minds” and never gave it up, culminating his performance with a heart-wrenching “Judas’ Death.”

As Caiaphas, Darrel R. Whitney’s shockingly deep basso profundo tones are rich and ominous, and Craig Sculli is intriguing as Pilate. Adding comic relief is Aaron Fuksa, whose Herod performs his campy routine in multicolored bathrobe and fluorescent Crocs.

Favorite moments included the disciples’ recreation of the poses of DaVinci’s “The Last Supper,” which the audience immediately recognized and reacted to, and the leper scene, where a sea of dark cloth, leaving only hooded heads visible, convulsed and undulated, a writhing mass of suffering humanity.

Strategic lighting (especially beams of white light that appear to trap Judas and prevent him from escaping his guilt), striking audio and visual effects throughout, a simple set (a few platforms and a catwalk bridge), fabric drops, monochromatic costumes, wonderful energy and great sound combine to make this a truly memorable performance.

Blithe Spirit

Suffield Players
Mapleton Hall, Suffield
through May 17, 2008
May 1, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

All hail the incomparably gifted Noel Coward – dramatist, actor, writer, composer, lyricist, painter, and wit, knighted by Queen Elizabeth – whose impressive body of work lives on, including his bright comedy "Blithe Spirit," the latest star in the Suffield Players’ crown.

Charles (Christopher Berrien, so suave, whose glides and dips are reminiscent of Jackie Gleason), a novelist, is married to Ruth (Becky Schoenfeld, rather uptight), his second wife, while above the mantle hangs a picture of his first wife, Elvira (Rayah Martin, once a vamp, always a vamp) who has been dead and gone for seven years but not forgotten. Because Charles’ new novel’s plot will include the occult, he invites the eccentric Madame Arcati (Kelly Seip, delightfully dotty) to conduct a seance. Other guests are Dr. and Mrs. Bradman (Bruce Showalter and Cynthia Lee Andersen, whose marriage must be a perfunctory bore). Forever one misstep away from a pratfall is the always-in-a-hurry maid, Edith (Brianna Stronk).

Throughout this three-act sophisticated romp, Coward’s impeccable dialogue entertains. Simple laugh lines include such non-sitcom words as didactic, puerile, obtuse, umbrage, and phrases such as "threw in the sponge and not the gauntlet" and "Concentrate! Think of nothing!" The cast spits out bantering at a steady clip and has a jolly good time doing so. Oh yes, they’re frightfully British, swig many martinis, and the real world is turned on its ear by the spirit world.

Veteran Seip squeezes every possible laugh out of the flighty Madame Arcati. Equally adept at comedic timing is Stronk whose previous roles include strong dramatic performances as Laura (The Glass Menagerie) and Catherine (The Heiress).

Director Robert Lunde works the Suffield Players magic on their latest arresting set -- the livingroom in a English country cottage designed by him and Konrad Rogowski

The history of "Blithe Spirit" invites name-dropping. At its 1941debut in England, the great Margaret Rutherford was Madame Arcati; on Broadway that same year, Mildred Natwick did the honors. Both actresses reprised their roles in the British and American film versions; and Natwick also in the 1956 U.S. television version. Although born 67 years ago, the play is ageless.

Respighi, Fuchs, Montague, Elgar

Hartford Symphony Orchestra
Bushnell, Hartford
April 30, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Suddenly, organist Edward Clark’s thundering chord opened the latest program in the Masterworks Series, a reverberation that if created within dimmed light and long shadows could inject fear into one’s marrow . But in the lighted safety of Mortensen Hall, with the joining of throbbing cellos and the sweetness of violins, the Cantico of Ottorino Respighi’s (1879-1936) Suite in G Major for Organ and Strings became more celestial than sepulchral.

The composing of "Canticle To The Sun" by Kenneth Fuchs (b. 1956), a concerto for horn and orchestra, was inspired by the "virtuosic playing" of Timothy Jones, principal hornist of the London Symphony Orchestra. The evening’s world premiere featured internationally acclaimed soloist Richard Todd whose burnished French horn shone with the brilliance of a jeweler’s window and sent forth enriched variations of tunes based upon the Protestant hymn, "All Creatures of Our God and King." At times, the dialog between soloist and orchestra seemed to be spontaneous, as if the magnificent horn was saying, "Listen to my thoughts!" and the strings, eager to understand, were responding, "Is this what you meant?"

"Behold a Pale Horse" for organ, two trumpets, two horns, two trombones and a tuba by Stephen Montague (b. 1943), was inspired by The Apocalypse as described by John in the Book of Revelation. Maestro Edward Cumming read aloud: "And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hellfire followed with him. And Power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with all the beasts of the earth." For the next fifteen minutes, the eight musicians roiled the score into a cacophony of awesome magnitude. The terror banished in Respighi’s Cantico was transferred with a vengeance into this blaring assault that manifested mental images of a violent end of this world.

Variations on an Original Theme, "Enigma," Opus 36 by Edward Elgar (1957-1934) tapped into what oxygen remained in the hall. According to the composer, the theme is silent but is suggested through a series of clues. We can speculate all we want but we’ll never know what Elgar had in mind. The composer created musical mini portraits of his friends, hence a smorgasbord of orchestrations: if some friends were delightful and some weren’t, the overall effect was charming.

Piecemeal

Broad Brook Opera House, CT
through May 18
April 27, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Igor, the ubiquitous hunchback of Frankenstein notoriety – oh dear, here comes an unbidden pun – has a back story thanks to local playwright Howard R. Odentz, who not only wrote the book but the lyrics and music for "Piecemeal" now enjoying its world premiere at Broad Brook’s Opera House. Actually, there are two Igors – as a young boy (winsomely portrayed by Benjamin VanDine) and as a young man (a charming Erik Landry) who imparts a nobility of purpose: he aspires to become a doctor and not follow in the footsteps of his grave-robbing, avaricious parents, Asher (Jim Metzler) and gap-toothed Gerta (Jaime Taber) who is particularly nasty. They are also into the dead body parts business. Hence the title, "Piecemeal." Well, how do you suppose a monster is created – out of whole cloth? Igor meets Victor Von Frankenstein (Dallas Hosmer), a dandy of a fop whose parents have paid for his medical school education but he longs to become a fashion designer. When he sings, "I Love To Sew," his sincerity is not questioned. Victor and Igor swap identities and all is well. Sorta, in an Earnest sort of way plus there’s a loving correspondence a la Cyrano with the shallow, spirit-swigging Elizabeth (Megan Fish).

Director Sharon FitzHenry and Musical Director Amy Roberts-Crawford have done the script proud. The orchestrations are the work of Bruce Zimmerman. There are 29 musical numbers, an 8-piece orchestra, a cast of 14 (24 characters total) and fine singing voices. The Set Design (David Gilfor), Costumes (Ronnie Cooley, Solveig Pflueger), Lighting Design (Diane St. Amand, Sharon FitzHenry) and Sound (Jeff Clayton) are all first rate. This is community theater with a professional mindset.

Writer/composer Odentz’s first original full-length musical, "In Good Spirits" which premiered in 2004, continues to be performed at theaters around the country and returns to the Opera House in September. Once Odentz knew the beginning and ending of "Piecemeal," he said, "It pretty much wrote itself." "Piecemeal" flows surprisingly well for a Broadway-size musical that skipped the workshop phase and went straight from the script into production.

The Music Man- A 50th Anniversary Tribute

The Bushnell, Hartford
April 22nd-27th, 2008
By Rachel White

Marching into Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts as part of their 2008 Broadway Series, "Meredith Willson's The Music Man" celebrates the timeless Broadway and film classics' 50th Anniversary and brings with it a star-studded cast, both new and legendary to the musical's history. Produced by the Bushnell's own Vice President and starring the famous mother and son duo of Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy, this wonderful story unfolds using the entire theatre as its stage and set.

For those in need of a refresher, Shirley Jones played the role of Marian in the film version, while pregnant with her son Patrick. In this anniversary edition, Jones shines in the role of Marian's mother, Mrs. Paroo, while Cassidy is completely stunning in the role of Professor Harold Hill. Creatively staged, the musical is told by the cast and the orchestra, which stays on the stage throughout the entire performance. The conductor actually plays a pivotal role in delivering the story to the audience and adds his own humor to the performance.

True to film version, the ensemble delivers a colorful and energetic performance to the classic songs such as "Goodnight My Someone," "Marian the Librarian" and ever-famous "76 Trombones," which will have audiences clapping and singing along throughout the evening. Notable and endearing is the roles played by the children actors who completely captivate with their talent and maturity while sharing the spotlight with more seasoned performers.

The Bushnell should be applauded for this wonderful and rare opportunity that it offers to patrons by bringing this fun, family classic for audiences of all ages to enjoy. The chance to see Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy perform together is a memory theatre-goers will be sure to treasure long after the curtain closes and the band has marched out of Hartford.

The Scene

Hartford Stage, Hartford
through May 4, 2008
April 13, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

This lively, well-written play bears one essential resemblance to the sophisticated drawing room comedies of yesteryear: actors perform. And oh my, do they! Warts and all. The first act is awash in superficiality. By intermission I didn’t care about any of the four characters. If I had not returned for the second act, I would have crafted an ending and it would have been deader than a doornail wrong. Or, said another way, "Don’t judge a book by its cover," because in Act 2, the covers come off.

Here’s some of what is learned in Act One. Clea (Christy McIntosh) has come to NYC from Ohio bringing her annoying Valley Girl sing-songing mannerisms with her. Lewis (Liam Craig) is a bachelor and faithful friend to Charlie (Matthew Arkin) an actor who has not landed a role worthy of his talent in several years, and to Charlie’s wife, Stella (Henny Russell) who hates everything about her work she loves. (Yes, you read that right.) On a rooftop exposed to the city’s light-twinkling skyline, Cleo prattles on to Lewis and Charlie about being interviewed by a woman she describes as a "Nazi Priestess," not realizing that the woman is Stella. Not that Cleo would care: she is hedonistically uncaring. However, she is sensitive to Charlie’s body language and tone as it applies to her and she challenges him to be honest. In spite of his initial dislike of the airhead, he allows himself to be drawn into her web. Exasperated, he exclaims, "How can you know so much and so little at the same time?"

Surely all four actors were recruited from Central Casting: they are ideal in roles they honed at the George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick, NJ), with whom Hartford Stage has formed a new partnership – an alliance that fosters the artistic and business needs of any successful theater.

Playwright Theresa Rebeck headlines her blog with this revealing quote, "As a writer, I have always considered it my job to describe the world as I know it; to struggle toward whatever portion of the truth is available to me." She dips into her characters’ subterranean closets and while there, she eschews cheap jokes and instead burnishes lines that range from ruefully funny to piercingly hysterical. And in the process, she crafts a dynamite script.

12 Angry Men

The Bushnell, Hartford
through March 30, 2008
By Keith H. Purcell

Reginald Rose’s gritty human drama “12 Angry Men” was vividly brought to life as part of the Bushnell’s Broadway Series. It is a complex study of human interrelationships under stress and how it brings out the worst and the best in men.

The story revolves around jury deliberations of a capital murder case on a hot summer day in 1954. In the locked confines of the jury room, all but one of the jurors believe the young defendant is guilty and would rather get their duty over with quickly and go home.

In this production, which is played in one act without an intermission, Richard Thomas stars as Juror Eight, a role made famous by Henry Fonda in the 1957 movie of the same name. This juror is not so sure about the boy’s guilt, but believes that the jury should not vote to sentence him to death without talking about it first, and discuss it, they do. And so begins the crux of the entire play.

Two performances especially stood out. Julian Gamble as Juror Three portrays a man whose own troubled relationship with his son colors his judgment and arguments and eventually, his vote. His final rant made a few audience members gasp and others silent. Kevin Dobson (of "Kojak" fame) played Juror Ten with such venom and hatred for people of the defendant’s kind, it made audience some members squirm.

Allen Moyer’s set design superbly evoked images of what one would think a New York jury room of a by-gone era would be like on a hot summer day. The lighting and sound design by Paul Palazzo and Brian Ronan also added a just the right touch in the form of a late summer thunderstorm.

The only disappointment in the production was, unfortunately, the performance of Richard Thomas. The portrayal of his character was inconsistent and constantly looking into the audience.

The Bluest Eye

Hartford Stage, Hartford
Through April 20, 2008
By Bernadette Johnson

“There were no marigolds in the fall of 1941,” begins the narrative to a backdrop of sheets hung out to dry. As the sheets are taken down and folded, a simple set is disclosed gently and deliberately, as are the ugly secrets and the harsh realities in the coming of age of Pecola Breedlove (Adepero Oduye), a poor, 11-year-old black girl growing up in Ohio in the 1940s. Pecola’s family life, such as it is, is defined by an abusive father’s drunkenness and a mother’s bitterness.

Based on Toni Morrison’s Nobel-prize-winning novel of the same name, the play unfolds through a combination of convincing dramatic portrayals and transitional commentaries, offered sympathetically by Pecola’s grammar school friends, sisters Claudia (Bobbi Baker) and Frieda (Ronica V. Reddick), who share their perspectives (as adults) on Pecola’s tragic vulnerability.

Society’s mirror tells Pecola she is ugly. She prays for blue eyes, not to see the world differently, but to be seen differently, like the little white girls that fill the pages of her “Dick and Jane” reader.

Oduye expertly conveys Pecola’s angst through her remoteness and wistful reflection: her stooped shoulders, her cringing, her expectation of rejection. Particularly heartrending is her explanation of disappearing, piece by piece, except for her eyes, which, of course, she “sees” as blue.

Baker, on the other hand, adds pathos and humor as she releases her pent-up anger and jealousy of “white girls” by beheading and dismembering her white doll.

Also offering comic relief are Ellis Foster’s dissertations (as Daddy) on kindling and coal, and Miche Braden’s mock diatribe (as sharp-tongued but compassionate Mama) on milk consumption. There is so much more: Silhouettes, gossiping women, a magician, stardust, Braden’s soulful Gospel hymns and a dramatic storm that floods the stage.

Through it all, Pecola’s inner storm rages unceasingly. She carries her emotional scars with her straight through to a chilling, but not totally unexpected, ending. This is drama at its finest.

The Drowsy Chaperone

The Bushnell, Hartford
Through February 24
By Shera Cohen

This is an easy review to write. The hard ones are dramas and musical dramas, one-person plays and those with casts of thousands, avante garde and Shakespeare. “The Drowsy Chaperone” has none of the angst, tour-de-force performances, or difficult language found in any or all of the above categories.

The Bushnell has brought in a wonderfully energetic, humorous, oftentimes just plain stupid play with catchy tunes, tap and Charleston dance numbers, and one of the worst titles ever given a musical. It could have been titled “Aldolpho the Lothario” or “Man in Chair” for all it matters. The chaperone is simply the name of one of the roles in this ensemble production.

“DC” is a combination of Busby Burklee and Damon Runyon locked in the 21st century, but only sometimes when the record skips. Hmmm, that makes little sense. That’s exactly what “DC” is – a musical within a comedy (that phrase is taken from the playbill) abounding with froth, shtick, clichés, and nonsense. What makes this musical unique from “Me and My Gal,” “The Boy Friend,” et al is its concept and format. Yes, readers of this review can google and discover the hidden gem that makes “DC” different and funnier than the norm, but our policy is not to “give it away.” It’s better for audience members to walk in unfamiliar with the book and the songs, and simply enjoy everything that happens for the next 90 or so uninterrupted minutes.

Everything is right about this musical – the cast of talented singers/comedians, small band that sounds like an orchestra, and strange sets that seem to come out of nowhere. Who would expect a dozen actors in 1920s costumes to walk out of the refrigerator? Expect for the narrator, the play is populated with caricatures, all played over-the-top, with not a bit of scenery left unchewed. The lyrics are distinct and oftentimes ridiculous (a love song about a monkey), there’s a tap dance on roller skates, cheesy costumes, lampooning of musical theatre, four weddings (no funeral), and Georgia Engel.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” is a delight. Expect no more.

Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Brahms

Hartford Symphony Orchestra
The Bushnell, Hartford
February 16, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

This Valentine-inspired program featured Ravel’s intricate orchestrations, Rachmaninoff’s scoring skills, and Brahms’ transformation of melancholia into musical majesty. The Hartford Symphony’s salute to romance provided beauty and bite, euphoria and sadness, the skill of a sensitive pianist, all under the baton of guest conductor Tania Miller.

Imagine Tania Miller growing up in Saskatchewan (pop. 1000) who at age 35 is in her fifth season as Music Director of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. Maestra Miller won the audience’s admiration for her mature, definitive conducting skills; and for her warmth as an engaging young woman, she earned a piece of its heart.

Maurice Ravel’s "Le Tombeau de Couperin" is what impressionistic painting sounds like – shimmering, lush, vivacious, guarded, poignant, muted – particularly when the composer is roiling with emotional pain due to World War One, the deaths of six friends, the passing of his beloved mother, and the effects of brutality on French culture. Sergei Rachmaninoff’s "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" is a collection of variations on one particular theme composed by the legendary violinist Niccolio Paganini. It’s what the scratchings of an algebraist might resemble when trying one hypothesis after another in search of the ultimate equation. But a brainstorm directs the mathematician towards a radically different approach which brings forth an interim possibility of heavenly proportions. The piano artistry of guest soloist Anne-Marie McDermott, tempered by respect for the piece, thrilled the audience.

The Symphony No. 4 in E minor by Johannes Brahms, in four movements, was written while he was warding off depression. Sometimes the music brightens, almost as if he doesn’t dare to feel happy. Ah, the fullness of Brahms! Maestra Miller evoked the orchestra to step up their involvement with the music without compromising their discipline. The repetition of ta dum, ta dum, foretells that something big this way comes. Can it be forestalled? Maybe. No, sorry, it’s inevitable. And this great composition swelled to a majestic, controlled conclusion. The audience was pulled to its feet.

Don't Dress For Dinner

Suffield Players, Suffield
Weekends through February 23, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Deliberate, fantastic lies that if recounted during a 55-minute hour would qualify as confabulations worthy of certification are the fluffy stuff of The Suffield Players’ contribution to breaking up any mid-winter blues. "Don’t Dress For Dinner" is a delectable French farce. Thanks to Director Rayah Martin’s sense of pace and an appreciation of the ridiculous, this silly play delivers its purpose: it entertains.

Because the cast takes their characters seriously, the roles fall several giggles below (or above?) cartoon level. A preposterous plan is conjured up by an otherwise sophisticated Bernard (Robert Lunde) – to take advantage of his wife, Jacqueline’s (Gina Marie Paro) absence by inviting his mistress Suzanne (Meagan Kinney) to come spend the weekend. In the event Suzanne’s presence requires explanation, Bernard includes his best friend Robert (Christopher Berrien) as a houseguest who can pass, if needed, as Suzanne’s lover. What Bernard doesn’t know is that his wife and best friend are lovers. This recipe for failure has one more ingredient, a chef hired to come in and cook, Suzette (Amy Rucci, who cavorts with abandon).

When Jacqueline announces she’s staying home, pandemonium breaks loose. Extemporaneous lies pile up leading to improbable entanglements, sight gags and double entendres, until the identities are qualified and re-qualified so many times that no one knows who’s who or what. Eventually the multi-dimensional puzzle is figured out by Suzette’s husband, George (Edwin R. Lewis, III): that rapid fire dialog is enough to make heads spin.

Deft comedic timing is delivered by Lunde, Berrien and Rucci who feed the laugh meter with aplomb. In the brief mop-up role of George, Lewis injects gravitas into the whirling nonsense.

"Don’t Dress For Dinner" is so light – how light is it? – too light to leave a carbon footprint.

"Zerline's Tale"

Hartford Stage, Hartford CT
through February 10, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

The accomplished actress Elizabeth Ashley in, essentially, a one-woman play, holds an audience’s attention for 75 minutes as she stirs a cauldron of major emotions that stem from a time in Zerline’s life. Burbling from the past into the present are desire, jealousy, abandonment, revenge, all woven into a narrative that Ashley spins with the skill and aplomb of a Scheherazade. As Zerline tells her story, she re-experiences the feelings that surfeited her being forty years earlier. Within an aging female servant, there still lives a flirtatious country girl, once innocent but now worldly wise, who revels telling about her romances, and who especially relishes the memories of perfect bliss and of schemes to avenge her heartache.

Ashley as Zerline represents the epitome of type casting. She’s the right age (she comfortably acknowledges she is 68). Like Zerline, to borrow a reference to Agnes Gooch, she’s lived. Among her professional kudos is the Tony Award she won when 22. In 1974 when 34, she sizzled as Maggie in a Broadway revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." In 2005 in Hartford Stage’s "Cat..." she was Big Mama ("Elizabeth Ashley’s Big Mama endures her husband’s verbal abuse; across her face play waves of grief as she braces for his fatal illness.") As Zerline, a maid who absorbed many of her employer’s refinements, her fluid gestures reflect her study of ballet, lo so many moons ago.

Adapted and translated by Jeremy Sams, this is the American premiere of "Zerline’s Tale" and the first English-language production. The play is based on one chapter from a novel, "The Guiltless," by Hermann Broch.

Scenic Designer Alexander Dodge has replicated a typical small bedsitting room in a substantial European home – high ceiling, mammoth wardrobe, a shuttered window, a fireplace that burns large chunks of coal, a narrow bed, and more – and two people occupy that space, Zerline and Man (Jon David Casey) who is almost as mute as Zerline is verbose. Casey is attentive, caught up in Zerline’s memories. Let’s face it: we’re all suckers for a good story well told.

This polished production is Director Michael Wilson’s ninth project with Elizabeth Ashley, a collaboration that works exceedingly well.

"The Producers"

The Bushnell, Hartford
January 15; runs through Jan. 20
By Bob Smith

Those of you who worry that “THE PRODUCERS” needs star-powered leads to succeed, needn’t fret; the touring production now showing at The Bushnell proves that the material works just fine without a Nathan Lane or Matthew Broderick. The book, music and lyrics, all by Mel Brooks, proudly hearken back to the days when musicals had big songs, big dance numbers and big heart. Of course, it also has Brook’s bawdy humor to keep you rolling in the aisles when you’re not humming the tunes.

Since the show won more Tony awards than any other show in history, there is a good chance you already know the plot. Max Bialystock, a down and out Broadway producer teams up with meek accountant Leo Bloom to stage the worst show in history so that they can pocket the investors’ money and head to Rio.

Brad Nacht, as Max, actually has a number of qualities in greater abundance than Lane, including a stronger singing voice, more imposing physique and better looks. When he sums up the story near the end of the show in “Betrayed” he commands the stage with such physical presence that it feels like he’s singing in your lap. His Max owed more to Zero Mostel, with the heavy shtick toned down and a bit of pathos crossing his face.

Austin Owen, as Leo and Elizabeth Pawlowski as Ulla, each had a chance to bring down the house with his “I Want to be a Producer” and her ‘When You Got It, Flaunt It” and they certainly succeeded. Both were charming and energetic performers. Much credit for the show’s vigor goes to all the ensemble players (female AND male) who played the little old ladies that Max woos for “checkies”.

For this show to be done well, no expense should be spared in the costuming and this production delivers on that requirement. From the dancing girls festooned with sausage, pretzels and beer steins to Ulla’s flowing blue dress, each outfit contributes to the narrative by enhancing a character (See: bawdy humor) or serving as an actual punch line (the shiny $10,000 Chrysler building costume worn by effete director Roger De Bris).

This is fifth version of “THE PRODUCERS” that I have seen; the Broadway version with Lane and Broderick, the Bushnell’s last touring production with Alan Ruck from TV’s “Spin City”, the original movie and the film of the musical. If you haven’t seen any incarnation, then this is a great place to start. This is simply a great show!

Hartford Symphony Masterworks

The Bushnell, Hartford
January 9
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Today’s inconveniences of international travel were bypassed by the Hartford Symphony saturating a Masterpiece Series evening with the romantic music of 19th century ebullient Vienna.

In his pre-concert talk, Conductor Edward Cumming described "the first half of the program as formal and the second half as fun." The sum was one hundred percent delightful.

Johann Strauss, Jr.’s "Overture to Die Fledermaus" (literal translation: flying mouse) introduced the spirit of the effervescent Viennese who, praise be, escaped being handicapped by Victorian rigidity. The orchestra’s sensitivity to the operetta’s jinks (both high and low) created invisible actors behaving deliciously silly and slamming-doors naughty.

The contrast between the score for the comical farce and Franz Lehar’s operetta, "The Land of Smiles" was stunning from the moment tenor soloist Matthew Plenk began singing the aria "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!" ("My whole heart belongs to you!"). The audience, spellbound, absorbed Plenk’s strong tone and shading of the heartrending longing for the love of his life. In spite of vigorous applause, the clamoring for more of his voice was not to be. No wonder this young man will make his Metropolitan Opera debut this season as the Voice of the Young Sailor in "Tristan and Isolde"– the first voice that is heard as the curtain rises.

Because Cumming’s teacher had been a student of Richard Strauss, amusing anecdotes now have been passed along during the pre-concert talk. (If you weren’t there, you missed out.) Cumming also waxed eloquent about the four guest soloists, extolling them for their "immaculate intonation" and intelligence of mind and heart. During the suite and final scene from "Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss, the commingling voices of the three sopranos – Adina Aaron, Janna Baty (mezzo), and Amanda Forsythe – gave me chills.

Following intermission, a baker’s dozen students from the Hartt Music Theater Program shared their youthful dynamics, especially the all-male kick line of "You’re Back Where You Belong" from Lehar’s "The Merry Widow."

HSO’s New Year’s welcoming concert bubbled.

"Wicked"

The Bushnell, Hartford
Running through December 9
By Bob & Sharon Smith

You can tell that the musical WICKED strikes a cord with the audience just based on the excited energy buzzing through the capacity crowd at the Bushnell. The audience responds to this tale of “what happened before Dorothy dropped in” to Oz, partly because it is a stirring production and partly because of the dual personalities of Elphaba and Glinda, the Witches Wicked and Good. Who, at one time or another, has not felt like an outcast or yearned to be popular, as are these two very different schoolmates? The last notes of the final number had not even been sung and the audience was on their feet.

Like the Harry Potter books, WICKED uses a fantasy setting to explore modern themes. “Where I come from,” the Wizard explains, “the best way to unite the people is to give them a common enemy.” When Elphaba discovers that some of the very issues she was hoping “the Wizard” would fix are of his own creation, she vows to use her
powers to set things right. Using misinformation and spin control, she is soon branded a ‘wicked” witch and declared a pubic enemy.

Unlike another fantasy franchise where the “backstory” of the villain is revealed, ("Star Wars" Episodes 1-3) the audience can readily accept and believe this origin story because it is presented with far more emotional and personal investment than that of Darth Vader. All of the characters grow and develop in WICKED and it is
often as much the story of Glinda as it is of Elphaba.

The leads certainly rise to the challenge; Carmen Cusak (Elphaba) and Katie Rose Clark (Glinda) were well matched as friends and foils. The music and lyrics by Steven Schwartz are evocative and stirring, giving Cusak a number of show stopping, emotion-packed numbers. “I’m Not That Girl,” “Defying Gravity,” and “No Good
Deed” brilliantly reinforce Elphaba’s inner life. “Popular” is Clark’s showcase and never has an ode to shallowness been crafted with such heartfelt conviction. In the end, when the two join together in “For Good,” the audience truly believes in the depth of their mismatched friendship.

The costumes of the inhabitants of Oz, despite their bright colors, are a bit grotesque and when they all donned round green glasses it looked like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” not Oz. But this is just a minor point in a brilliant production, which is getting its second run through Hartford in recent years.

One technical note: there was a crew member located in the light rigs that had the loudest headset voice ever heard in a professional setting. His voice rang out clearly during two very poignant musical numbers.

Hartford Symphony Orchestra

The Bushnell, Hartford
November 10
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Exquisite – the one word description of the Masterworks’ program from the first note through the last of the Hartford Symphony’s performance under the baton of Director Edward Cumming. During the Concert Preview, Cumming stated, "This is not your grandfather’s program," referring to the 35-minute length of the opening piece followed by an intermission and then the sequence of the piano concerto and two musically enjoined pieces by different composers – "a program that stretches the orchestra and you." For the audience, a painless stretch.

"Petrouchka, a Ballet in Four Tableaux,"presented Stravinsky in all his glistering glory. The colorful energy of a fair was easy to visualize – the strolling crowds, a dancing bear – and then the fabled puppet himself, Petrouchka (Russian), Pierrot (French), Pinocchio (Italian), and Punch (English). He loves a ballerina; she’s infatuated with a Moor, and the Moor kills Petrouchka. Attending the Concert Preview netted musical insights, e.g., the "Petrouchka chord" – the use of two different keys at the same time (bitonality). While the first clarinet played the notes of the C major chord, the second clarinet played the same melody but in the F sharp major chord. The playing of Margreet Francis at the piano – uneven rhythms sharply delineated – was nothing short of "Wow!"

Following intermission, George Gershwin’s Concerto in F major was performed with technical aplomb by guest soloist Louise Bessette at the piano but who lacked the expressiveness – the musical soul – heard only minutes earlier in the playing by the HSO’s Margreet Francis. Consequently, the concerto’s passion was generated by the orchestra.

Pure bliss completed the concert beginning with Debussy’s Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" which Maestro Cumming had described as "one of the most perfect pieces ever written" and in response to the opening notes of a poetic flute said, "Wherever that is, take me there!" Only a slight pause separated its ending with the beginning of Ravel’s "La Valse," a tightly crafted piece that echoed the not-so-innocent political dance leading to the First World War, its brutality exemplified by drums rumbling like distant thunder which built geometrically into the cacophony of senseless war represented by waltzing gone amok.

This evening was a triumph for the HSO.

"1776"

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT
Running through December 9
By Shera Cohen

While historians may guess at facts about the creation of these United States of America, no person in this century can go backwards 230 years. The most anyone can really know is hearsay. Given this obvious information, the musical "1776" is probably the best depiction of what happened on those hot summer days in Philadelphia.

"1776" is a thrilling, you-are-there (well, almost) account of the months, days, and literally the minutes leading up to July 4th. In spite of our knowing the outcome – to separate from England or not – there is definite tension in the play as the audience awaits the final count of the 13 voting colonies. The story is dramatic at its core, yet so full of humor that one can't help but laugh out loud, and often. The dialogue and song lyrics are purposeful and important.

How Goodspeed fits 26 actors on its small stage is still a wonder. In the play's first minutes, a huge British flag/curtain rises on the poised and motionless image of our founding fathers. It is stunning and receives instant applause. Every stage element is there and is perfect; i.e. set design, costumes, hairdos, lighting. In spite of having the burden of directing such a large cast, Rob Ruggiero makes each character an individual.

Peter Carey (John Adams) leads a troupe of excellent, professional actors/singers. His is a demanding role as he portrays this physically slight man with gigantic dreams, power, ego, and even self-doubt. Carey has the most lines and songs; he is the linchpin that holds the plot and the other 25 characters together. In significant supporting roles are Ronn Carroll (Ben Franklin) who looks exactly like he should look and spouts Franklin-isms constantly; Jay Goede (John Dickinson) as the uptight, conservative naysayer of the Declaration; and Glenn S. Allen (Edward Rutledge) whose "Molasses to Rum" song is almost frightening dramatic. There are only two women in the cast, and they hold their own well with the men. In particular, Jayne Paterson creates a very real Abigail Adams.

As it began, the final curtain is quite memorable with a trick which this reviewer will not give away. Every citizen in this country should see this play at least once.

Nielsen, Mendelssohn, Sibelius

Hartford Symphony Orchestra
The Bushnell Performing Arts Center
Hartford
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Although Carl Nielsen's "Helios Overture" is a musical representation of the sun's daily journey, the piece could double as a musical essay. Both the opening statement (pre-dawn) and the conclusion (twilight into darkness) are virtually identical – a deep, resonance created by cellos and double basses. In between, the essay is fueled by the morning's energy that surges to high noon and then lessens until the sun's rays are obliterated by the horizon. Nielsen included this descriptive note on the score: "Stillness and darkness – the sun rises with a peaceful song of praise – wanders its golden way – sinks silently into the sea." The concluding measures – the continuous bowing of the cellos and double basses – imparted a soothing reverie, a meditation, until a few eager-beavers shattered the meticulously crafted mood by clapping, Chastened by the audience's silence, the clappers stopped, and under Conductor Edward Cumming's unflappable exterior, the bowing never stopped until it reached its designated conclusion.

When the exquisite Rachel Lee's musical education began at age four, she and the violin must have experienced love at first pluck because at age 19, what soars from this pairing is similar to the maturing love of a long-married couple who are still crazy about one another. Her interpretation of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto soothed, swept, soared, and sprinkled surprises.

The HSO's playing of Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 demonstrated, repeatedly, why this stirring work written at the beginning of the 20th century continues to hold audiences captive. Although Sibelius denied that the symphony was inspired by Finnish patriotism, for some that speculation endures. Following the death of his youngest daughter in 1900, an unidentified writer has noted that Sibelius' drinking "changed from youthful celebrating into something more dangerous." The anguish expressed within much of the symphony could be a father's outpouring of grief and/or anger with his growing dependence upon alcohol. Regardless of the composer's inspiration, Maestro Cumming and the HSO joined their forces to celebrate Sibelius' genius to such a degree that the emotionally wrenching theme within the final movement challenged my ability to suppress tears.

Some concert programs hold together better than others and – subjectively speaking – this Masterpiece Concert was superb.

“Chick: The Great Osram”

Hartford Stage through Nov. 11th
By Shera Cohen

This biographical play of arts entrepreneur Arthur Austin had to be presented in Hartford. Better known as Chick, this was the man who became the director of the Wadsworth Athenaeum, bringing it to its heyday in the 1930s. Presented in 90-minutes, without intermission, the play is essentially three long monologues. One might think, well, that can’t possibly work. However, with the skill of two excellent actors, it can.

Chick was a man whose passion was visual art. He hated the exhibit goers who looked at a painting (modern, Picasso-like art) and asked: “What does it mean?” To him the meaning was inconsequential. It meant feeling, love, a tingling of sensations that made each piece alive. In many ways “Chick” is a lesson in art appreciation. Although didactic in parts, it is a subject that this reviewer learned much from. Through the exposition of only two characters, we become familiar with and understand the life that was Chick’s.

Robert Sella (Chick) makes a bizarre entrance in a wizard costume. His exit in the final scene is equally odd. Sella portrays the man as over-the-top as is necessary for who the real Chick was – the life of the party, a name-dropper, buddies with the rich and famous, and yet a man with a façade. Sella has a lot of work to do in this tour-de-force role. He is perfect for the job.

His real-life wife, Enid Graham, portrays Chick’s wife Helen. While living the high life, this is a woman portrayed with vulnerability, lack of confidence, and inner torment. The purposeful hesitation in her words as she speaks to the audience as her confidants is an easy, instant give-away of what is to come.

Playwright David Grimm’s dialogue is elegant and artful, with the words depicting the characters that speak them so well that this could have been a radio drama and essentially achieve the same goals. There are many lines that should later be quoted by anyone interested in the arts.

A short video of the Wadsworth’s Paper Ball is shown between two of the acts. Many in the audience seemed to be familiar with this spectacle. One wonders, however, if this play would work as well on tour, or if it must and can only be presented at Hartford Stage.

“High School Musical”

The Bushnell
Through Oct. 14
By Bernadette Johnson

There was no mistaking fans of the 2006 Emmy Award-winning “High School Musical” who turned out en masse for the stage version. They tended to be well under five feet tall, wide-eyed and expectant, parents in tow.

In this smash Disney Channel hit, popular basketball jock Troy (John Jeffrey Martin) and class brainiac Gabriella (Arielle Jacobs) defy their friends’ expectations by auditioning for the school musical, much to the dismay of to-date undisputed star Sharpay (Chandra Lee Schwartz) and twin brother Ryan (Bobby List). Landing a callback, the budding thespians are thwarted by Sharpay and by well-meaning classmates and teammates, who are intent on upholding the “status quo.”

The touring company wowed with their unflagging high energy, crisp precision and timing of intricately choreographed numbers. The fact that the band often overpowered the cast (and the cast our eardrums) didn’t seem to matter to the denizens of Disney Channel, who knew all the lyrics and sang along and clapped spontaneously.

While Martin and Jacobs quickly won hearts with their youthful innocence and tender duets, Ellen Harvey as Ms. Darbus, the school’s drama coach, upped the ante with a quirky no-holds-barred delivery, while Schwartz and List dazzled and delighted as the scheming arch rivals, particularly with their rendition of “Bop to the Top.”

Script writers have met challenges head-on as have set designers. The film’s laid-back detention scene evolves into farcical improvised drama onstage, and scenic designer Kenneth Foy arranges for too-numerous-to-count scene changes (hallway to gym to chem lab to theater to cafeteria etc. and back again) to flow seamlessly.

If there was any doubt about the popularity of this production, it was obliterated by screaming tweens, who took to their feet with Troy and Gabriella’s first kiss and whose deafening cheers rocked the house through the very last bow and final curtain.

"The Real Inspector Hound"

The Suffield Players
Mapleton Hall, Suffield CT
Friday and Saturday through May 19 2007
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Take a generic Agatha Christie-like murder mystery set in a spooky manor house staffed by strange servants and add hangers-on who seem to stem from long lines of inbreeding. Present these ingredients to playwright Tom Stoppard to stir and shake well until all brains are addled, then write and publish a script which attracts the Script Staff of The Suffield Players. Audition seasoned adult actors with an appreciation of the zany. Designate as director Konrad Rogowski who whips into shape a production that excels in timing, milking details, nutty nuances – surely you’re getting the picture?

But, ah there’s the rub. Because what you see is not necessarily what you get until the scene is repeated – well, sorta – and a character bespeaks a throw-away line, "Does this play know where it’s going?" By then, who cares? Because getting to where it’s going (if it gets there) is not half the fun, it’s all the fun.

The actors are the only ones who take themselves seriously which heightens the almost non-stop comedic moments. Especially adept is Kelly Seip as Drudge, a multi-faceted servant, who puts a feather duster through outlandish maneuvers, serves tea with the studied absence of social graciousness, and is the antithesis of a tactful retainer. Vanda Doyle, a newcomer to the Suffield Players but not to the stage, slips effortlessly into the lady of the manor (Felicity), vacillating between haughty and naughty. Indeed, all the cast become their wacky characters – Steve Wandzy, Bruce Showalter, Rob Lunde, Karen Balaska, Roger Ohs, and Dale Facey.

The Suffield Players are noted for their professionalism, a direct offshoot of their love and respect for the theater. Their success is due to the company’s spirit and attention to details. "The Real Inspector Hound" is especially indebted to the adroitness of its director, Konrad Rogowski, who taps into his accumulated lore and his appreciation of silliness extraordinaire.

“I Am My Own Wife”

Hartford Stage, Hartford
Through May 13
By Bernadette Johnson

Phew! What an exhausting role! James Lecesne makes it look easy. He does a phenomenal job in this one-man show that is peopled with a cast of at least 34 characters (count them in the program), including the play’s author himself. Lecesne never leaves the stage and shifts seamlessly from one character to another with a simple twist or turn, changing voice, intonation, posturing, and even languages, speaking German just as fluently as English (though this reviewer does not know German, a patron was heard to remark that his German was excellent). Much credit is due to vocal and dialect coach Ralph Zito.

Doug Wright’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning “I Am My Own Wife” chronicles the true (or mostly true) tale of Lothar Berfelde, a woman in a man’s body, aka Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a celebrity in her own right, museum curator/obsessive collector of antique furniture, gramophones and music machines of all sorts. Berfelde was a transvestite caught up in the maelstrom of World War II Germany and the ensuing Russian invasion, whose museum basement became a gathering place for the persecuted gays and lesbians of the Nazi/Communist regimes. It is also revealed that key to her survival was her role as an informant.

Lecesne is most convincing and fascinating as the incredible Charlotte. Other roles, that of the play’s author in particular, though still most remarkable, were sometimes hurried and confusing. With very little to work with, simple props and therefore, few distractions for the audience, Lecesne is totally focused, the quintessential story-teller.

Kris Stone (scenic design) and Marcus Doshi (lighting) depict a museum that is ornate in its very simplicity, a backdrop, a supporting character of sorts, in which the gramophone figures prominently.

Be prepared to wonder. Be prepared to laugh. Be prepared to enter into the intrigue.

“Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner”

Hartford Stage, Hartford
through April 1
By Bernadette Johnson

Hartford Stage has little onstage, but a lot on its plate with Luis Alfaro’s comedy, or more aptly, tragi-comedy, a tale of two sisters with voracious appetites — one for food, the other for sex — and both with unresolved issues.

The script is never rolling-in-the-aisles funny, though there are many chuckles and some interesting commentaries on life and human foibles. The audience is expected, however, to swallow a great deal as Minerva, the food-crazed sister, balloons from obese to buoyant and literally “lifts off.” This script is not tethered in reality.

That said, Elisa Bocanegra as Minerva is outstanding and convincing. She struggles as much physically with her ever-expanding girth — difficulty walking, labored breathing — as she does psychologically, with its impact on her life. (Kudos to costume designer Christopher Acebo — Minerva’s added pounds look “natural”). Minerva’s monologue “letters” to Mee Chee, a “fat-farm” soul mate, are moving and tender, and Bocanegra infuses vulnerability. Yetta Gottesman as Alice is pert and saucy, and the “love” scenes with “Officer” Fernandez (James Martinez) are refreshingly uninhibited.

Act two introduces odd elements that for some strange reason, the other characters — Felix Solis as Minerva’s understanding husband Al among them — accept as normal, and the plot thickens, but never quite solidifies. The play’s end is ambiguous — leaving the audience wondering what really happened.

The “simple scene” changes are fast-paced (aptly by stagehands dressed as chefs), though perhaps too frequent and distracting, and a refrigerator and beds figure prominently. Perhaps more aptly titled “Bed and Breakfast,” “BL&D” is a lot to digest. As Alice tells Fernandez late in Act II, not only do “We never quite get what we want,” but we don’t even have a clue as to what that might be. It’s simply not on the menu.