Blossom Festival Orchestra: Broadway's Greatest Hits

(The complete program is at the end of this post)

The Cleveland Orchestra's 2012 Blossom Festival season draws to a close with this weekend's concerts -- performed not by The Cleveland Orchestra but by the Blossom Festival Orchestra. Where has summer gone?

It's been two weeks since the last Orchestra program -- dedicated to the material of John Williams --and returning to Blossom after that sabbatical felt a little odd. Unlike the disappointing Williams concert with its trite  program and robotic execution, tonight's program was passionately played and the program was a nice blend of selections from a wide swath of Broadway.

I was not, however, enamored by the soloists -- in the pavillion they frequently overpowered the orchestra (more likely the fault of the audio engineer than the soloists themselves). Individually, the soloists fulfilled their roles well but troubling, when both Ms. Vroman and Mrs. Gravitte were singing the same thing at the same time the result was far from satisfying, and in a few occasions actually made me cringe.

That said, it is perhaps obvious that my favorite pieces from the program unequivocally came from the few orchestra-only selections on the program. At the top of that list the Disney Broadway Medley featuring seven and a half minutes of music known to any Disney fan, including Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e, and Its a Small World among others. Maestro Russell encouraged the audience to sing along, and at times the low chant that rose from the lawn reminded me of a Latin mass. Incidentally, the later two in that medley hold special significance "Mickey Mouse" being the the first two words I knew how to spell, thanks to my grandmother's use of that song in her kindergarten classes, and It's a Small World being one of an aunt's most hated song [and my penchant for humming it around her about the same time in my early youth where I learned to spell Mouse].

The other two pieces for orchestra only, Seventy Six Trombones from The Music Man and the medley from Jesus Christ Superstar, though slightly less familiar were no less enjoyable.

Those that remember my sheer hatred of Chicago at PlayhouseSquare (the only musical I've ever walked out of at intermission, and one of only two where I've contemplated doing such) are probably not surprised that I had absolutely no attraction to Introduction and All that Jazz from Chicago. On the other hand, the medley from Mamma Mia! was sheer delight, though the sight of a full orchestra playing ABBA was a bit surreal. I'd certainly be up for a concert full of orchestral renderings of that music.

Mr. Labreque probably enjoyed the best individual balance with the orchestra of the night in Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera, the last piece on the published program, and the encore, You Can't Stop The Beat from Hairspray was the only time all three sounded really good while singing together.

A somewhat somber note was touched when Mr. Russell dedicated Defying Gravity (from Wicked) to the memory of Neil Armstrong, and then in a serendipitous bit of irony, lead into Circle of Life from the Lion King  both of which were high on my list of "likes" from this show.

In a few weeks The Cleveland Orchestra returns to severance -- and someone please remind me to stop by the box office: I still need to buy by tickets.

Lincoln

The full program from tonight's show
Seventy Six Trombones from The Music Man
Be our Guest from Beauty and the Beast #$^
This is the Moment from Jekyll and Hyde ^
Till There Was You from The Music Man #
Defying Gravity from Wicked $
Circle of Life from The Lion King #$^
Disney Broadway Medley (arr. Bruce Healy)
Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid #$^
Shall we Dance from The King and I #$
Medley from Hello Dolly! #$^
Introduction/All That Jazz from Chicago #$
Bring Him Home from Les Miserables ^
I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables $
Medley from Mamma Mia! #$^
Medley from Jesus Christ Superstar
Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera #
Memory from Cats $
The Phantom of the Opera from The Phantom of the Opera #^
Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera ^
You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray#$^
John Morris Russell, conductor.
(# - Lisa Vroman, vocalist; $ - Debbie Gravitte, vocalist; ^ - Doug Lrecquie, vocalist)

PlayhouseSquare: Memphis The Muscial

In 2010, I was lucky enough to win a PlayhouseSquare-sponsored trip to the Tony Awards as a seat filler. Though that evening was at once both a blur and unforgettable, looking back at that show the most memorable performances were American Idiot (featuring blinding light and the music of Green Day) and Memphis -- for the sheer energy of performance during the show and then the unadulterated joy that seemed to break free in Radio City Music Hall when the Best Musical Win was announced (YouTube video).

Combined with the inclusion of the song Memphis Lives in Me on a Broadway Sampler digital album I picked  up somewhere along the way, I was eagerly awaiting Memphis's arrival in Cleveland. Tonight seemed like a good night to head downtown -- and fortuitous timing with DanceCleveland presenting Ballet Memphis next weekend.

Collecting Rachel from work and heading towards PlayhouseSquare the evening got off on the wrong foot with quite possibly the most inattentive, slow, and generally lackluster service[1] (combined with overpriced and mediocre food) I've experienced in a restaurant from Star at PlayhouseSquare--it reminds me why I don't dine in the district more often. Putting more weight on the wrong foot, I have to say I despise PlayhouseSquare's practice over the past year or so of forcing ushers to march around the house with "No Cameras" signs on poles. It's distracting, seems rather amateurish and a bit demeaning.

Luckily, when the curtain rose and the houselights dimmed that all faded  into the background as we slipped back into the 1950s where Huey (Brian Fenkart) is a white man who seems either willfully or blissfully ignorant of the matter of race as a societal divider. Huey is drawn to "race music"--facing challenges and finding success as a DJ then television host, chasing the love of a talented black singer, Felicia (Felecia Boswell) in a time when such a relationship wouldn't be tolerated. Felicia finds success and a New York recording contract, Huey has the opportunity to follow her to New York and take his television show nationwide but only if he replaces his dancers with whites -- which he refuses to do, and after kissing Felicia on TV fades to obscurity while she finds success. (The Wikipedia entry has a full synopsis)

The music is powerful and as compelling as the story and weaves the elements together; my favorites being Everybody Wants to be Black on a Saturday Night, Memphis Lives in Me, and Steal your Rock and Roll. Every time I looked over at Rachel she was enjoying it -- frequently laughing to a degree usually reserved for one of  my truly awful puns. And I have to say that Mama's (Julie Johnson) performance in Change Don't Come Easy and the scene leading up to that number reminded me of Rachel's mom.

Though minor little technical issues tend to drive me crazy, an have been a factor in attending fewer PlayhouseSquare performances, this performance was pleasantly free of such warts: The audio was clear and competently mixed; lighitng was compelling and directed the audience's attention without being distracting.

Although said to be based to some extent on the life of Memphis DJ Dewey Philips (the first DJ to play an Elvis Presley record on the air), sitting in the Palace Theater, just down the block for the former location of the WJW-AM studios it's impossible not to consider some of the parallels to Cleveland DJ Alan Freed -- credited with popularizing the term "Rock 'n' Roll" and to wonder how the same love story would have unfolded in a "northern" city during the same period.

Memphis, through March 11 at the Palace Theater, PlayhouseSquare.

Lincoln
[1] Of many examples, we're seated: We wait several minutes before our waitress shows up, asks us if we'd like a wine or martini list. I say yes please. She disappears. Several minutes go by before she reappears and asks us what we'd like to drink, we remind her that we still haven't seen the wine list. Several more minutes go by before we see a wine list. More time passes  before she returns to take our drink order. It was nearly a half hour between being seated and  first drinks.

Beck Center for the Arts: Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening is one of my favorite musicals and the only musical I've stalked across the country, seeing the First National Tour seven times in four states (Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia [twice], Pennsylvania; Orange County, California; Detroit [twice], Michigan) and I was fortunate enough to score on-stage seats for one of the Philadelphia and both of the Detroit performances.

A compelling story about adolescent angst, love, and fitting in, Spring Awakening featured music by pop musician Duncan Shiek and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. While buying my first ticket to the first performance at PlayhouseSquare (incidentally, I don't think anything nearly as compelling has appeared since, though I have hopes for Memphis) the ticket seller warned me vaguely about the explicit nature of the show: In Pittsburgh I had a rather large woman stomp on my feet as she disgustedly left the theater before the first act was over.

It's true: Spring Awakening is not a show for everyone and along with explicit lyrics features brief nudity and a simulated sex scene. But it's also true that those most likely to be offended by these aspects are the ones that most need to benefit from the message (for a more detailed synopsis the Wikipedia page is pretty accurate). When I saw Spring Awakening on the schedule for this season at Lakewood's Beck Center for the Arts I was both intrigued and apprehensive: Wanting to see the ground-breaking musical again but afraid that my fond memories would be tainted by a watered down version, poor execution, or both.

Rachel and I headed over for tonight's performance and found neither to be the case. The Beck production, a collaboration with Baldwin-Wallace College's Musical Theatre Program, retains the full vigor of the original book. While the staging was considerably, but not completely, different (notable changes include removing the audience risers stage left and right and pushing the Adult Man and Adult Woman to the extreme corners of the stage apron for most of their dialog; notable similarities are the raised square platform upon which the majority of the cation takes place with the band behind) the story telling was no worse for the wear.

Beyond that it's hard for me to comment on  the blocking and choreography generally: there were a few humorous moments in the first national tour that were lost here (namely in between the two Mama Who  Bore Mes as well as within My Junk) but as a new production with a new creative team it is unreasonable to expect a duplicate, let alone a precise copy of the original, and I doubt that those not familiar with the First National Tour are likely to miss anything.

That is to say, this production under well-known Cleveland musical director Victoria Bussert's direction was satisfying. Audio issues plagued the first act rising to the level of distraction with uneven and wildly varying speech levels (at times leaving some talent with loud open mics, and other talent unmiced) and several of the females were almost naisly -- both seemed largely resolved by Act II.

Generally well cast, Kyra Kennedy's Wendla struck me as a little too mature (and less innocent) than one would expect from a character oblivious to the birds and the bees. James Penca, on the other hand, played Moritz with a more biting sarcasm than I'm used to, particularly in his musical numbers. While I'm still a bit undecided, I think the net was positive. I certainly noticed some nuances  in the dialogue, specifically among the boys, that I hadn't noticed before.
Adult Male (Scott Plate) all of the adult roles in the show -- as parents to youth as necessary and as school headmaster -- makes subtle changes for each of his roles, though the show would be well served if he hit the desk a bit less emphatically as it is a bit jarring.
 
All-in-all  it was an excellent performance and it seemed to be well received by a diverse audience, and I even observed several of the, shall we say, older audience members thoroughly enjoying some of the cruder references.
 
I've been needing a fill of Musical Theater and this was just the ticket. Through March 4th at the Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Ave, Lakewood.
 
Lincoln

Mercury Summer Stock: Show Boat

The idea of "Hide and Seek" in a art museum seems a bit sacrilegious but done quietly and respectfully it's a bit of a brain stretch to remember what objects match clues* and a lot of fun. Continuing a bit of a tradition, after working late at the museum Rachel -- it was her turn to hide -- texted the clue and then I seeked after I snuck out of the office. After browsing the contemporary galleries for a bit it was time to choose the next activity of the evening.


I had been pondering Mercury Summer Stock's production of Show Boat if for no other reason than the venue: The Cleveland Play House's Brooks Theater at the 8500 Euclid location was the host to the first play I saw after moving to Cleveland -- short-lived Fourth Wall Productions' Plans Change; and in all likelihood, Show Boat will be the last.


We made the short trip from the Museum down Euclid and found a full parking lot; the lobby was full to the point of overflowing, and when we made it to the front of the line we found that the show had sold out, however, if we stick around there was a good possibility that we could fit in at the last moment. It turned out that gamble worked. Taking our seats I realized that I had absolutely no idea what Show Boat is about; leaving the theatre, I'm still a little foggy.

I think the best description is "uneven": Parts of the production were done quite well, and others seemed slapdash and poorly integrated. The costuming and set were both quite good and evoked the period, but the choreography and pacing just felt off (parts of the first act seemed nearly interminable, though the second act seemed to move more quickly). Musically, something just didn't feel right but I couldn't put my finger on it. Having the orchestra on stage throughout was nice, but the piano was a bit loud during, and just on the verge of drowning out, scenes of pure dialog. When it came to solos, all of the actors were quite pleasant to hear, but duets and ensemble pieces suffered from a general lack of cohesion.

The Wikipedia article (as the program offers no synopsis beyond the list of musical numbers) suggests at least two locations, a Riverboat and Chicago: The Riverboat was clear, the transition off the boat in Act II was abstract and not marked in any meaningful way: It took me far too long to piece that together.

Though rough around the edges, the show does deliver on basic entertainment including well-timed quips that garner plenty of laughter gingerly spread throughout.

Unquestionably, though, Brian Keith Johnson (whom I have heard sing twice with The Cleveland Orchestra -- during the 2010 Christmas Concerts and the Martin Luther King Concert earlier this year) stole the show belting an amazingly powerful Ol' Man River early in Act I.

Lincoln
*Tonight's: "A House scene? Hardly. Though this window and these lamps belonged to houses at the beginning of the century."

PlayhouseSquare: Next to Normal

On one of my trips to New York City last year I saw Next to Normal almost by accident; I chose it more or less by accident. Enjoyed the show, loved the music. But it wasn't until a week or two later that the actual significance of the show really hit me.

When I saw Next to Normal on PlayhouseSquare's 2010-11 season I was excited to have the opportunity to see the show again with that additional clarity -- and I've been looking forward to it all season. With all of my recent and upcoming travel, I've been more than a little afraid that I might miss the relatively quick stop (today through June 19th).

I invited my girlfriend to attend tonight's performance with me but I was intentionally vague about the subject matter. Before the performance we sat down for a quick bite -- she had a Chicken Salad with poppysead dressing, I had a Chicken Cesar with extra dressing -- at Acapella, just steps away from the Palace Theater's doors.


Like the New York playbill, the PlayhouseSquare program provides no synopsis, no schedule of musical numbers, no scene list. Simply the proclamation "There will be one fifteen-minute intermission". When the house lights came up for that intermission, the din in the house was nearly deafening; at the curtain call the standing ovation was nearly unanimous and instantaneous. During the performance, though, the audience was pinned to their seats - I think it was the quietest and most transfixed audience I've seen in a long time.

Next To Normal, with rocking songs ("I'm Alive" is one of my favorites) is a gripping yet entertaining look at mental health -- no, it's a lot more entertaining than it sounds -- and how the mother's (played by Cleveland native Alice Ripley, reprising her Broadway role*) delusions of long-dead son affect the family around her, the imprecise nature of mental health care, and the stresses of suburban, romantic, and educational life in general.

Heavy stuff, right? Had anything been off, book, lyrics, or pacing, it could have easily felt like an academic journal... but with music that moves, witty lyrics, and rapidly perfect pacing it's easy to enjoy. The audience has the choice to attend superficially and be simply entertained, or look more deeply into any of the facets of this fascinating multifaceted musical. Ethical, medical, pharmaceutical, love... there's a little bit of everything to consider.

The set and blocking is (virtually?) identical to the Broadway production placing a large, three-tiered structure with pixelated graphics with the band on the ends of the 2nd and 3rd floors and action regularly taking place on two or more of the levels simultaneously. My date and I were in H319 and 318 which was nearly perfect, though I think there would have been minor vertical sight line issues had we been much closer. Ms. Ripley's voice, that was the only "I can't quite put my finger on it" item that bugged me throughout the evening.

Lincoln
*- Though an understudy was in the role the evening I saw the production in New York.

PlayhouseSquare 2011-12 KeyBank Broadway Series Launch

Today was the day that PlayhouseSquare announces their next KeyBank Broadway season. Tonight was a party with a recap of those selections for group sales, and I was glad to be invited back. Before we get to the new, let's not forget that there are still a few shows left in this season not the least of which are Next To Normal which I've been eagerly anticipating since seeing it on Broadway (and I made a minor fool of myself by singing along with I'm Alive while the theater filled up this evening) and Jersey Boys, although I think I'm going to pass on it this time, it holds a special place in my musical heart having seen it twice pre-Broadway, and pre-Lincoln in Cleveland while I was living in California at the La Jolla Playhouse (including once with director Des McAnuff and Frankie Valli just a couple rows in front of me). The warmup for tonight's announcement was a buffet and open bar -- the food was pretty good, and the conversation amongst fellow theater-goers was likewise enjoyable. It was great to hear what other people love about Cleveland, and for the life-long Clevelanders what they've seen change -- including when the theaters that are now PlayhouseSquare were movie palaces in the 50s. For the new season, I remembered several of the shows from the trip that I won to last year's Tony Awards courtesy of Playhouse Square... and they were all numbers that I enjoyed to some extent* so I'm really looking forward to this season: Million Dollar Quartet (October 11-23, 2011, Palace Theatre) - Based on the true story of a Sun Records jam session on December 4, 1956, Million Dollar Quartet is a gritty look inside the recording studio when Elvis Presley, Johnny Carson, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins were together for the first and only time. While I was interested from the beginning, the surprise appearance of the Original Chicago cast (who will be reprising their roles and kicking off the national tour in Cleveland) certainly amped up my level of excitement for the show. Of course, it's worth mentioning that the performance by members of the Million Dollar Quartet cast this evening took place in the same building that Alan Freed's WJW-AM radio broadcasts, credited for popularizing Rock and Roll -- both the term and the music -- originated from. La Cage Aux Folles (November 8-20, 2011, Palace Theatre) - Of the shows this season, I'm least sold on La Cage because I'm still a bit foggy on what it's about, though the "we are what we are and what we are is an illusion" line quoted by Ms. Vernaci is intriguing (as are the conservative parents from Ohio coming for dinner; this seems to be a Broadway musical theme). Hair (January 17-29, 2012, Palace Theatre) - A legendary musical, and one of the shows I most regret not seeing during my last trip to New York [nude scene and my discomfort with nudity notwithstanding]. I know it for the songs Age of Aquarius and Let the Sun Shine In, the promo material is dripping with the catchy Hair. A musical about Americans searching for peace and love amongst turbulence, it looks like this should be an interesting and entertaining look at a time past with themes that are ever relevant. Hair generated violent reactions in its era and has two notable connections to Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare: When the first national tour opened in the Hanna Theatre, someone attempted to bomb the theater (breaking several windows and causing no injuries) and several family members of the touring company died in a Cleveland hotel fire. Memphis (February 28-March 11, 2012, Palace Theatre) - 1950s Memphis, the story of a white DJ who wants to change the world with music, a black singer waiting for her big break, forbidden love and expolosive danging. An original score with music by a founding member of Bon Jovi (David Bryan), I couldn't resist toe-tapping in Radio City during the Tony Awards show, and I had a hard time restraining myself this evening. The Addams Family (April 10-22, 2012, Palace Theatre) - The "conservative parents from Ohio come for dinner" theme from La Cage Aux Folles" resurfaces here when Wednesday Addams falls for a "sweet, smart, young man from a respectable family". Billed as a "family portrat that's completely off the wall" this musical has looked beyond the films and the television series to Addams' original cartoons that ran in the New Yorker for inspiration. Come Fly Away (May 8-20, 2012, Palace Theatre) - Music of Frank Sinatra and the choreography and direction of Twyla Tharp... I'm not the biggest Sinatra fan, but the excerpts staged during the Tony Awards were captivatingly energetic, combined with unexpected enjoyment from Michael Fieinstein's Sinatra Project with The Cleveland Orchestra's makes this a definite possibility on my list. Last but most certainly not least, Sondheim on Sondheim (May 30-July 22, 2012, Hanna Theatre) -- co produced by PlayhouseSquare and Great Lakes Theatre Festival to celebrate GLTF's 50th anniversary season and is "revue of a lifetime" and takes you inside the head of the Broadway's "greatest living composer" featuring videotaped interviews with Mr. Sondheim interspersed with live action, I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm reminded of the Invocation and Instructions to the Audience from The Frogs and recapitulated in Side by Side by Sondheim which is how I came to know it...I'd hum it for you but you're better off iTunes or Googling it -- or just watch from about 2:40 in this YouTube video -- though the version I'm most familiar includes a variation on the standard curtain speech that makes me crack a smile every time). I'm a firm beleiver that this should be used before any performance, not just Sondheim. Ok, so now I'm just rambling... Lincoln *- One show very thankfully not in this season was Fela! which ranks among the worst theater I've seen, and is the only time I've disputed a credit card transaction for a purchase I actually made (and I won that dispute). A several friends who saw the performance during the Tony Awards described it as "suck[ing] all of the energy from the room" so I'm obviously not alone there.

Playhouse Square: Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific

The Lincoln Center Theater production of Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific; PlayhouseSquare Palace Theatre through February 13th.

The voyage into the South Pacific at PlayhouseSquare is less than smooth sailing technically, but otherwise is an enjoyable diversion with Cleveland's particularly wintry weather. PlayhouseSquare VP of Theatricals Gina Vernaci's program note remarks that "In the first five minutes I felt myself slopping into another world. It was as though the string section of the orchestra possessed a mystical power...."

As the orchestra struck up and played through the overture, from my seat immediately behind and a few hairs to the right of the conductor*, I was powerless against that mystical power. I don't think I've heard anything in the Palace Theater sound as wonderfully hypnotic -- certainly the highlight of the KeyBank Broadway Series thus far. That trance, however, was broken in the first scene and punctuated throughout the remainder of the show.

Before that though, late in the first act Captain Brackett (Gerry Becker) sends a package to a lady at "325 Euclid Avenue, Shaker Heights, Ohio" -- I'm sure many in the audience (and there was an audible reaction) may have thought that this was a insert-current-city-name-here type move, my initial reaction, until I remembered that it is, in fact, scripted that way. (And of course, Euclid Avenue doesn't run through Shaker Heights, 325 Euclid being not far from Public Square and only blocks away from the theater where this production is staged. (If you recall my Walking Tour post from the summer, Rodgers & Hammerstein had an affinity for Cleveland, with the first tour of South Pacific opening in the Hanna theater just around the corner)

In that first scene Henry (Christian Carter) and two children interact. The children were very obviously miced; Mr. Carter either was not miced or his mic was never turned on during his time on stage, and combined with a general lack of projection it was quite difficult--even from the front row--to hear, let alone understand, his dialogue. The following scene, the mics sat on the edge of feedback for far too long. The combined issues of mic cues being late or missed entirely, odd irregularities in sound level, wireless interference, and a particularly glaring incident of feedback -- just in case you hadn't noticed how generally lousy things were until that point -- persisted throughout, though were far fewer in the second act.** Had the issues with audio not been the pesky reminder of the real world, it is entirely likely that once pulled in I would have stayed in through the show.

Somehow, though, even with those challenges the orchestra sounded uniformly glorious throughout with a lovely balance; a welcome sound to ears that have been without orchestral music for an seemingly ungodly period of time. It is refreshing and worth noting that of the 26 musicians in the orchestra, again referring to Ms. Vernaci's program note, 22 of them are Clevelanders.

The songs of South Pacific have become hackneyed staples of orchestra pops programs. On one hand I was hesitant to see South Pacific because I don't truly love any of the pieces that have been excerpted and exploited; on the other hand I was curious to encounter them in their natural surroundings -- that is, in context. It was well worth the adventure. Though Some Enchanted Evening, I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair, and There Is Nothing Like A Dame are still songs that I'm in no real hurry to hear again in context they make remarkable sense and were entirely enjoyable to hear from this talented cast.

Songs that I've not encountered out of context (A Cockeyed Optimist, Happy Talk being the most noticeable) and the innumerable music used to bridge scenes were great discoveries.

The cast presented believable, three-dimensional characters and the set was beautiful; neither gave a glimpse of that unfinished edge often lurking at the edge of the stage.

Lincoln
*- To be specific, Row D, Seat 313. Rows A, B, and C do not exist for this production.
**- It should also be noted that I overheard the conductor make reference to a new sound system for tomorrow, so many of these issues may be addressed, however it seems discourteous of PlayhouseSquare to not offer an explanation or apology to the patrons at tonight's performance.

Cleveland Play House: Backwards In High Heels: The Ginger Musical

(At the Cleveland Play House through January 30th)

A good and very dear friend* of mine is a strong, vivacious, "ginger" (her term) redhead who happened to celebrate her birthday on Monday. I offered a pair of tickets to Backwards In High Heels to celebrate the occasion. Tonight we met at The Cleveland Play House -- her first visit for a show in any of the Play House's venues -- and saw The Ginger Musical.

Confessing first that I'm familiar with Ginger Rogers's largely in name and peripherally in reputation I wasn't really sure what to expect for a story.

Story is, unfortunately, this show's weak point: The first act takes things a bit out of sequence and generally the pacing felt a bit on the slow side which allowed my attention to wander a bit much. The first act covers her childhood and career through Broadway, but felt a bit superficial and two dimensional at points -- and it also seemed that the information could have been covered in half the time. The second act, exclusively covering her career in film, by contrast, seemed much more in depth, better paced, and three dimensional.

Aside from the story it was an entirely enjoyable evening -- a true triple-threat cast who managed to act, sing, and dance with impressive energy both simultaneously and with impressive intensity through the show.

This was the fist time I can recall the Bolton Theater's orchestra pit (the existence of which I only discovered within the past year) and it was delightful to have a live orchestra playing for the evening. Particularly notable were some deliciously soulful notes that drifted up from the cello late in Act II.

So... Did this earn a spot in my "best theater" list... not really, was it an enjoyable escape from reality full of song, dance, and music...certainly. And a great way to celebrate my friend's birthday.

The Cast: Anna Aimee White, Ginger; Matthew Labanca, Marcus/Director/Fred Astaire/Others; James Patterson, Jack Culpepper/Hermes Pan/Jimmy Stewart/Others; Heather Lee, Lela; Benjie Randall, Joe/Bill McMath/George Schaffer/Lew Ayres/Others; Christianne Tisdale: Martha May/Louise/Ether Merman/Others.

The Band: Tim Robertson, musical director/keyboards; Thomas A. Fries, percussion, Joe Miller, trumpet; Rich Shanlin, reeds; Tim Powell, bass; Linda Atherton, cello.

Lincoln
*- Read not anything more into that. (It seems like every time I use the F word I have to clarify this for someone. I'm not taken at the moment.)

Cleveland Pops Orchestra: New Year's Eve (Wicked Divas)[Updated]

"So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways...Just come on and come on and raise your glass" -- Pink, Raise Your Glass.



[The program can be found at the end of this post]
Update: Aparently I forgot the program the frst time around. It now really is at the end of the post.

Ok. So there wasn't any Pink on tonight's program -- and I'm going to say that that's probably a good thing [though I would love to hear it] -- but that anthem seems like as good a way as any to ring in 2011.

I was seriously on the fence about attending the tonight's concert...neither my last Cleveland Pops concert nor my last orchestra concert at Severance Hall were anything to write home about (and I've had mixed feelings about past Pops New Years eve concerts) -- and I was a little worried about the whole two Sopranos thing. Combined with the fact that I'm in my end-of-the-year financial meltdown mode (writing my check for property taxes always depresses me). Especially with how ill I was feeling yesterday, spending a quiet night at home was a serious contender. This afternoon I decided moping was a bad way to start a new year and picked up a ticket.

I think this, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra's 15th annual New Years Eve concert is my favorite of the four I've attended. The program was tight; there was a good variety of music, and Mr. Topilow kept himself under control quite well. While the Pops usually draws a slightly more diverse crowd than Cleveland Orchestra concerts, tonight's audience seemed particularly eclectic, ranging from late teens to possibly great-grandparents (one of whom, during the "light rock" post-concert in the lower lobby could be seen rocking out to Earth Wind and Fire's Let's Groove (Make Love Tonight).

Featuring Erin Mackey and Stephanie J. Block, both known for having appeared in the various productions of Wicked (though never the same production at the same time) there was a mix of relatively straight classical, Broadway show tunes and a little bit in between.

The bad was quickly dispensed with: Opening with the overused introduction to Also Sprach Zarathustra which sounded fine save for what I can best describe as rounded edges or in other words lacking the sharp delineations that I normally associate with that piece. A near seamless and slightly confusing transition into Chicago's And All That Jazz came next. The first of several links to musicals I saw in 2010, Chicago at PlayhouseSquare has the distinction of being the only musical I've walked out on -- and this rendition didn't do anything to encourage me to give the show a second try.

I Could Have Danced All Night (from My Fair Lady) and Don't Rain on my Parade (from Funny Girl) were both delightful, and followed by the stunning performance of Zigeunerweisen (Gipsy Airs) featuring high school junior and grand prize winner of the Petit Memorial Musical Scholarship Competition, violinist James Thompson: A stunning performance including some whimsical touches.

That great performance was, rather unfortunately, followed by a rendition of Strauss's Feuerfest Polka with horn accompaniment by the audience. If I return next year, I shall need to remember to drink more. Far more. before this piece.

With the incessant honking of horns fresh in my mind, Think of Me from Phantom Of the Opera -- another musical I saw in 2010 (Broadway and PlayhouseSquare) -- was beautiful cleansing of the palette. Like the other songs on the program, the balance between the unamplified orchestra and amplified singers was quite good, my one and only technical complaint was the use of electronic reverb on the singers: Probably not noticeable to most audience members and only really noticeable when lyrics trailed off, I'm not convinced it was necessary for the hall.
Ring Them Bells featured some interesting interplay between Ms. Block and the orchestra.

Closing out the first half, What's Up At The Symphony, a great medley of classical that has been used in Looney Tunes cartoons, and I hate to say it but I thin my favorite from the concert: a very high spirited and high energy Conga -- complete with the name sake lines forming in Severance Hall's aisles.

The second half was as enjoyable as the first, with the less significantly less tiresome staples of Anderson's Syncopated Clock with an unfortunate audience member with good rhythm filling in for a member of the percussion section, and Ohio's official rock song Hang On Sloopy (O-H-I-O) -- the latter was rather fun. Erin Mackey made for a more than suitable replacement for Celine Dion in My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic).

Closing out the published program, were three selections from Wicked (yet another 2010 musical) -- Popular, Defying Gravity, and For Good. All three were fantastic, and of the various versions I've heard on, and particularly with the somewhat overused Popular, off the theatrical stage arguably the best to date. For Good and Defying Gravity were wonderfully spellbinding and uplifting.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011! Though I haven't made any resolutions...I wouldn't mind not ending the year single. If you know anyone...feel free to put her in touch.

Lincoln

The Program
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
Kander and Ebb: Introduction and All That Jazz (from Chicago)*/**
Lerner and Loewe: I Could Have Danced All Night (from My Fair Lady)*
Styne: Don't Rain on My Parade (from Funny Girl)**
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (Gipsy Airs)***
Strauss: Feuerfest Polka
Webber: Think of Me (from Phantom of the Opera)*
Kander and Ebb: Ring Them Bells (from Liza with a "Z")**
Various arr. Barber: What's Up at the Symphony (Bugs Bunny's Greatest Hits)
Garcia arr. Reineke: Conga
Strauss: Radetsky March
Roberts and Jabara: No More Tears (from Enough is Enough) */**
Horner and Jennings: My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic)*
Anderson: Syncopated Clock
Kander and Ebb: Cabaret (from Cabaret)**
Russell and Farrell arr. Cerulli: Hang on Sloopy
Schwartz: Selections From Wicked (Popular*, Defying Gravity**, For Good*/**)
Carl Topilow, Conductor; *-Erin Mackey, soprano; **-Stephanie J. Block, soprano; ***-James Thompson, violin.

Playhouse Square: Billy Elliot the Musical

Before the performance, two footnotes to my discussion of box offices: I decided to give today's matinee of Billy Elliot a whirl, and chose to buy my ticket at the depressing PlayhouseSquare Box Office. When I arrived and there was one person in line in front of me. Five minutes later, there was still one person in line in front of me. She turned around and grumbled, "Slowest service in Cleveland" in my direction buy to no one in particular. Also, curiously, the $7 "restoration" fee that appears online is absent, but an otherwise undisclosed $2 surcharge shows up on the credit card receipt. I give up.

Ticket eventually in hand, the State Theatre lobby is beautifully decorated for the season, and in a corner by one of the stairs was a cellist playing beautifully... It was pleasantly surreal to stand on the opposite side of the lobby listening to him play and watching the hustle and bustle of people before the house opened. As I made my way to my seat the thing I always hope will happen happened: An attractive (and, I learned, ambitious) woman roughly my age took the seat next to me--alone. We struck up conversation and actually chatted most of the pre-show, all of intermission, and on the way out after the show. But, sadly, for the second time this week right before I was going to ask for her number or invite her out for a drink she mentioned her boyfriend.*

Now for the show since I know only about 2 of you actually care about my dating life. I will say that I had high expectations based on some of the buzz.

Leaving the theater I had two very different reactions: Technically I thought it was great; probably the most coherent audio mix I've heard in the State, beautiful lighting, versatile scenery. Wonderful dancing.

As far as the plot and casting were concerned, I didn't get it. With the premise that this is a show about Billy "struggling to fulfill his dream" the pacing seemed slow, and much too much time was spent on the miner's strike and very little time on Billy's development. Yeah, he's a great dancer, and his dad thinks he's going to boxing lessons when he's really taking ballet lessons, but (either through lack of character development in the script or just the particular actor playing Billy today) he didn't come off as having a passion for it -- he actually came off as being rather disinterested -- let alone "dreaming" of pursing dancing. With the story not really seeming to move anywhere, there were moments during the first act where I nearly fell asleep. The second act was marginally better, with the curtain call being, the best part of the show. Casting wise, the physical differences between Billy's father (Rich Herbert), Billy's grandmother (Patti Perkins) and Billy (at today's performance, Lex Ishimoto) were so jarring as to foreclose any suspension of disbelief.

Musically, it all sounded good, but only Solidarity inspired feelings of like, and a Billy-with-Billy's-Older-Self dance with beautiful music and literally soaring action that doesn't seem to appear in the list of musical numbers.

Lincoln
(From seat N 209 - Nearly dead center of the house, about 3 rows in front of the balcony rail...exactly my preference for plays and musicals)
* - Actually, earlier this week substitute "husband". A product of the online dating world, I still have never actually asked a woman for her number "in real life" -- but I'm getting frighteningly close. Does anyone know a rule of thumb for the finger semaphores that women pull off with rings? That would probably be helpful.

Playhouse Square: Phantom of the Opera

Tonight as a relatively spur-of-the-moment decision I found myself at PlayhouseSquare for a fantastic evening of Phantom. Now, I will admit I was full of reservation--I wasn't sure how the intricacy of the Broadway set would translate to the roadhouse stage, and for a tour that's one stop from ending an 18-year run I was a little concerned that I may find myself using the adjective threadbare, not to mention a event-filled* week threatening to procrastinate my way the run of the show in Cleveland.

Back during my trip to New York in January I saw Phantom for the first time. Waiting for the prologue tonight I realized that while it wasn't my first musical, or my first Broadway show that was the first musical that I attended "on" Broadway. I was impressed by the level of detail in everything and I enjoy the music (Wishing you Were Somehow Here Again and Masquerade being my favorites).

Walking up to the box office window this evening, I pushed the concerns aside and asked for One, Best Available, please--almost a reflex by now--and walked away with G210. I don't think I could have asked for a nicer seat, dead center and about 5 rows back. As the prologue and overture began, I realized my concerns had no foundation whatsoever.

The incredibly high level of detail and complexity in the touring production at least equals the New York show--making it that much more impressive, considering that--for example--the chandelier, weighing in at over a ton, is moved in and out of a new theater every few weeks. Far from threadbare, the company felt fresher than some 'new' shows I've seen and during the curtain call the actor's facial expressions conveyed genuine appreciation.

As is to be expected for a show with this tenure, there's not much in the way of performance to critique: By this point it's pretty well nailed down and there for the audience to enjoy. The one mark I have against the show was a crackling mic throughout, but I may be the only person who was distracted by it.

I continue to be baffled, however, by people who feel the need to text in the middle of a musical number. That's irritating.

Following this evening's performance was a talk-back session with the ASM and roughly a dozen members of the cast -- an unusually large number based on similar events -- and was quite informative. To wit: One of the questions was about the "hands at eye level" comment that I nearly missed during the show. The answer--because the Phantom could drop a noose at any time and by having one's hand at eye level would give you the ability to slip out before the noose tightened--provided a great indication of how well these actors understood their roles. Another interesting tidbit is that the boat is driven by infrared control, not radio frequency due to some problems with RF when the show opened in London [yes, I'd kill to be backstage during a show, but that shouldn't suprise anyone who knows me]

Phantom is up at PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theater through August 22, though if tonight's performance was any indication you'd be advised not to wait too long to buy tickets. Following the close of Phantom, work will begin to convert the Allen to house the Cleveland Play House and CSU in a variety of performance spaces. (If anyone has an in for construction tour(s)... drop me a line-I have my own hard hat!)

Lincoln


*- Wade Oval Wednesdays last night, Phantom tonight, probably Verb Ballets tomorrow night, meeting someone at Blossom for an orchestra concert Saturday night, cheering on a frient in a triathalon Sunday morning...I dare anyone to say there's nothing to do in Cleveland to my face.

Western Reserve Playhouse: Suburb The Musical

(Lincoln's note: This was attended and written on July 25th, but as I'll be traveling this weekend and to avoid overwhelming my loyal reader(s) with two musicals on the same day...)

(Western Reserve Playhouse, Bath Township -- Remaining performances July 30, 31 August 6, 7 at 8pm)

Arriving at Western Reserve Playhouse, after overcoming the question of where to park (it seems anywhere on the lawn is acceptable) one is immediately struck with the scrappy perseverance of community theatre: In a converted barn where the "pay phone" is a phone next to a box with a "Please Deposit 10 cents for local calls, 50 cents for long distance" sign neat rows of seats face a sparse stage.

I've long known that there is an abundance of talent in Northeast Ohio at all levels, but I'm not sure that I've seen a true "community theatre" musical since moving to Cleveland (What I once thought was a bright line separating "Professional" from "Community" has proven one that is quite blurry and nearly impossible to focus on anything but a production-by-production basis). This did not disappoint, and of the two musicals I attended Sunday, this was my clear favorite.

While it was not without a few bumps, Western Reserve Playhouse's production of Suburb the musical entertains. Poking fun at the McSuburb (my word) where the generic "Suburb"--in proximity to "Bedroom", among others--can take the place of most Anywhere USAs, I have to admit that I'm not 100% clear on the intended take home. The picturesque genericisim reminds me of why I was eager to leave the suburbs; the pushy and manipulative Rhoda the Realtor perhaps a sign of why the real estate market imploded.

Overall, though a slight trek from Cleveland, it was an entertaining performance. As is to be expected from all-volunteer community theater the set and lighting was a bit sparse and some of the scene changes were a bit rocky, but nothing detracted significantly from the experience. Of course, there the talent was varied, there were no disappointments and Ms. Laura Hengle (as Alison) has a stand-out voice--perhaps one of the best I've heard. I was sorely tempted to use the term "operatic" even before reading her bio where one learns that that's precisely where her training lies.

For $14 (Adults)... not a bad show.

Lincoln

Beck Center: The Producers, a Mel Brooks Musical

(Beck Center for the Arts, Lakewood -- The Producers, music and lyrics by Mel Brooks)

Hmmm... I hate to draw comparisons to the film, especially since I don't particularly remember the film, but having seen that film undeniably colored my experience. I think had I not been predisposed and preexposed it would have been a perfectly acceptable musical, certainly most of the audience thoroughly enjoyed it. Well staged, with good talent (Betsy Kahl as Ulla has an impressive belt) my two chief complaints are technical -- from my seat the orchestra sounded a bit washed out, and the stage seemed entirely too dark at times (leading to several moments where my eyes fluttered closed -- highly undesireable, but not as bad as actually falling asleep).

Also notable was that when musical instruments were played on stage -- a violin in one scene (Alex Neidert) and piano in another (I'm not sure who to credit) -- the instruments were actually played, and well played, contrary to the more common (and distracting) device of using it as a mute prop while the sound emanates from somewhere else.

I didn't enjoy this as much as my last Beck Center production -- The Farnsworth Invention -- because it seemed stiff and rehearsed: Gags that relied on being "spontaneous" felt like they were coming from a page or two away: Perhaps it was the acting, perhaps it was having seen the story.

Not helping matters, The Producers (either version) is not a musical I particularly like in the first place: It seems to take far too long to get to the point, and I find most of the songs have an annoyingly long lifespan...bad considering none of them are particularly loveable.

Lincoln

I was at the Tony Awards!

As this post should begin...

I'd like to thank Playhouse Square (Stephanie Eames) for offering and arranging the trip; Gina Vernaci for the congratulatory call right before I left the hotel room to start this fantastic evening; the as-to-be anonymous gentleman who passed me a copy of the Playbill so I could have a tangible proof of my participation; the New York City Police Officer who was kind enough to take this tourist's picture with said playbill as I was leaving Radio City.

I've used the "(giddy laughter)" notation in several posts, but generally I'm able to restrain my actual giddy laughter to the privacy of my own home. Tonight, leaving the awards, I couldn't restrain myself: I giddily laughed, out loud, and in public. I think the people around me might have thought I was having a breakdown of some kind.

"If a civilian fills an empty seat next to you, please treat them as a member of your guild or union...or with respect. It is just temporary."

I was a seat filler: As seats emptied because talent was on stage -- or getting ready to be on stage -- they maneuvered us into position to make it appear that there was a full house for television audiences. Based on what little I had read I was prepared to be standing for most of the show. As luck would have it, I was assigned to the center section which meant I got a seat -- slightly obstructed view with television, lighting, and sound equipment directly in front of me (including both of the main cameras and the jib that took most of the flying shots) but a seat, center of the house no less.

When I was called to do my duty you couldn't have asked for a much better seat: Remember Leiv Schriber? I was in his seat, first row on the house center-left aisle for a fairly long time--I can't really remember what happened during that time, but once I watch the DVR of it I'll be more specific. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith were directly across the aisle from me... I remember seeing him do some toe-tapping. I also almost tripped Scarlett Johansson not once but twice (Sorry!) The house was [of course] full of celebrities -- including a fairly loud Jay-Z (one of the producers of Fela!)

One of PlayhouseSquare's marketing tags for the upcoming season is "There's No Substitute for The Real Thing", one of the presenters (this may have been before the telecast began) equivocated on how a performance on film is captured at 24 frames per second and repeatable infinitely, where as every performance in live theatre is unique ("A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a play is worth a thousand pictures"). Both of these sentiments I've long held -- stemming from my involvement in theater in high school where I saw how much variation performances of the same play could have based on the audience, props misfiring [there are no retakes], or actors "trying something a little different".

But tonight, with seeing the Tony Awards first-hand I can say that there is genuinely no substitute for seeing it live. I'm sure the CBS telecast was great -- and since you at home were probably not blinded by the intense strobe lights for Green Day's American Idiot, you may want to think that it was better. No: The energy in Radio City, the kensisis between audience and presenter the sheer wave of joy (or disappointment) that slid through each company's group as a winner was announced: You can't possibly feel that through a television set.

I fly home tomorrow; already this afternoon feels a million years away. This evening I hope will stick with me for a little while.

Update (June 15): I figured out that, assuming I have my celebs correct, the amazingly beautiful person I was seated next to for nearly an hour was none other than Ms. Naiomi Watts. (facepalm).

Lincoln

Trip to the Tonys: Day Won, Part Two: Fela! The Musical

I realized at some point this evening that I left out an important detail from Part One: Between the Frick Collection and the TKTS booth I did the Radio City Music Hall "stage door" tour. Unfourtunately this was during the time that my camera was charging in the hotel room an cell phone cameras were verbotten for some unclear reason. You'll see the Music Hall and Tony set tomorrow night on CBS -- the main lobby is an amazing volume of space, and of course, there is some interesting history in the building. For about $20 I'd reccommend it over the Empire State Building.

And thus we arrive at the ticket booth and by extention the show I saw tonight: Fela! The Musical. I took a risk with Fela! because I hadn't heard anything about it; it was a risk that didn't pay off -- perhaps ominously, Fela is playing directly across the street from the only musical I've ever walked out on; maybe West 49th isn't my street for theatre.

Unfourtunately it's a case of the sum of the parts being less than the whole: The set -- which spilled out into the entire theater -- was visually interesting; the correography was good. Lighting and visual effects were effective and probably my single favorite element. I really didn't care for the music--and it seemed like 2 hours of pretty much the same beat--but it was well played technically. I take no issues with the acting or the dancing.

The storyline stopped making sense to me after about twenty minutes, and the plot seemed confused. For example, Fela died in 1997 and [based on Wikipedia] was most active in the 60s-70s, yet references are made to Hati, AIG, the IMF and other anachronistic-just-to-make-a-political-statement insertions. In the end, I simply was not entertained*, motivated, inspired, or enlightened and it's not a show that I can envision myself seeing again.

"Lincoln," you may ask, "why did you buy a ticket without knowing anything about the show?" Fair question. When I arrived at Father Duffy square, I surveyed the board. Of the shows that caught my interest, I want to see Phantom of the Opera a second time, but it will be in PlayhouseSquare later this summer [I should probably buy a ticket, if I can, shouldn't I?]-- I really like the music from Next to Normal, but I have it to look forward to in PlayhouseSquare's next season, and while I enjoyed Avenue Q and In the Heights, I already know what those are about: I wanted something new. I had planned on Promises, Promises -- which was on the board when I got to the front of the line, but had sold out by the time I got to the window. So I blurted out the first name that came to mind: Fela.

No, I didn't know anything about the show before I bought my ticket, but I didn't know anything about Next To Normal either, and that's a show I enjoyed at the time and has really grown on me since then. In that case it was a gamble, that paid off. Such was not my luck with Fela... but there is no regret in trying something new.

Making a speedy exit during the curtain call, I walked back to the hotel via Rockefeller Center--another destination I missed on my first "real" visit to Manhattan back in January--and grabbed a few pictures of both the plaza and Radio City Music Hall. New York at night is a beautiful city. They aren't the greatest quality, but I've uploaded the ones that are at slightly in focus to Flickr.

And now it's time for a nice long nap before the big day. I'm quite excited at the moment.

Lincoln
*- I also wasn't amused that I was sold an obstructed view seat without it being disclosed as such.

Trip to the Tonys: Day Won, Part One.

I'm not entirely sure where my brain was going when I typed the subject--the odd spelling of one was entirely unintentional but it seemed apropos given the circumstances.

To recap for those watching at home: A little while back I entered PlayhouseSquare's contest for a trip to the Tony Awards in New York City--the live theatre industry's equivalent to film's Academy Awards or television's Golden Globes. I forgot about entering until I got a phone call congratulating me; they're taking care of the hotel room, the airfare, and of course the most imporant part: getting me into the event.

I am not a morning person, and the flight I was originally booked on seemed like a great idea -- leaving CAK at 5:40pm. At some point I realized that by the time I got to NY that would mean that it would be too late to do much on Saturday... then I realized that I had a HHonors certificate for a free night* that was due to expire this coming Tuesday... and there's a Hilton Garden Inn right across the streeet from the airport.

Fast forward, and after a night where I wasn't really inspired to sleep I find myself stumbling to the front of the line at 0-dark-25 this morning and asked if I might be able to change from the 5:30 PM to the 6:40 AM flight. To give you a general idea of my level of alertness, the agent asked "Emergency Exit Row: Window or Asile?" and my frist try at answering was "Yes, please." (about 20 seconds later I tried "Window, please." and that seemed to be the answer she was looking for as a boarding pass printed).

Shortly after 8AM I found my way to the bus stop outside of LaGuardia, MetroCard in hand -- I that long for a matinee, then made my way to Central Park.

When I was here in January -- the first time I spent any significant time on Manhattan -- I took some pictures of a leafless, snow-covered, and desolate Central Park -- with highs in the mid-teens, I couldn't say I was suprised. Needless to say, Central Park was anything but desolate today and it had a great energy with musicians, artists, famlies and just about anything else at play.

I thought it would be interesting to try to remember where the first set of pictures had been taken and take new ones 5 months later for contrast. Unfourtunately, the one battery I forgot to charge last night was my camera so I didn't get many -- and a few I forgot about the relatively slow shutter speed of my camera. But I charged it today and I might try again tomorrow before "the event"

Along the way I grabbed a quick hot dog and soda-- we'll call it brunch. NYC has no shortage of street side vendors of quality meat products.

Following my quick jaunt through the southern half of Central Park I back tracked down 5th Avenue to the Frick Collection -- one of the museums in the Cleveland Museum of Art's Reciprocal Membership program, and one that I didn't visit in January. I have to say I wasn't terribly impressed -- sometimes I forget how much the Cleveland Museum of Art's insightful label copy helps to understand the context of a particular piece -- and the art itself didn't really tug at any emotions. I did, however, pick up a copy of "Manners for Men" a reprint of an 1897 guidebook. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that in the handful of pages I've thumbed so thus far I haven't really found anything that I'm not already doing yet.

Add a tinge of riding the subway just for the heck of it, a return to the TKTS booth -- trying for Promises, Promises but winding up with Fela! and a return to Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridian for my 3rd time**** -- it's no In-N-Out, but it's a pretty good burger.

And now I need to leave for Fela! So we'll (presumably) pick up with Part 2 later this evening.

Lincoln
* - It had just enough strings attached that I couldn't actually use it at any of the hotels I wanted to use it at.
** - It was like 8:45AM. Normally I'm not conscious before 9 on a weekend, cut me some slack.
*** - This is quite possibly the earliest I've checked into a hotel.
**** - Once for each visit to I've had to Manhattan wher I had time to my self.

I am increasingly convinced...

...that a significant portion of my sanity may be found in a hotel's Lost and Found. The question is, of course, which hotel?

After Saturday night's concert in Akron I drove a little over three hours to Detroit, checking in at just past 1 AM with the help of a slightly confused desk clerk.

My plan had been to sleep in late before catching both the matinee and evening performances of Spring Awakening at the Fisher Theater: In hindsight it would have undoubtedly been wiser to get to my own bed at a reasonable time and then wake up earlier to drive to Detroit this morning. C'est la vie. I made the plan to stay overnight before the end of April and beginning of May turned into "Lincoln-Covers-the-Midwest-then-gets-pre-birthday-visit-from-Dad" and never bothered reevaluating them until it would have been too late to properly* cancel the reservation.

Sleeping in was the first part of that plan that was foiled: I woke up to the sound of rain on the hotel room's bay window [my first encounter with a bay window in a hotel room, I believe], but not the pleasant tap-tap-tap: More along the lines of rapid automatic weapon fire.

Somewhat sleep deprived I make my way to the theatre for the matinee--but first deposit several checks at a nearby Bank of Ameria ATM**--; a group of people was split across several locations on stage, and since I was seated next to one of those people I offered to swap seats so that they could be more closely grouped; by sheer coincidence I wound up in SA13, the same seat I was in when I first discovered the magic of on-stage seating for Spring Awakening in Philadelphia. This performance didn't feel like it had quite the energy, and I was surprised by how empty (and, by average age, old) the house was: I noticed a distracting slapback off of the rear wall that I've never heard in any other venues, but those relatively minor comments didn't keep it from being a worthwhile performance. I'm ashamed to admit that I did almost drift off to sleep on at least two occasions before I caught myself.

After the performance I made my way to Cuisine -- yes, the name of the restaurant is Cuisine -- and had a Cesar Salad (good, plenty of dressing); the Roasted Duck (I think this is the first time I've tried Duck--and I'm not sure I need to do it again) finished with ice cream. Despite the languid pace of service, which I suspect was intentional since I had told the staff I was killing "a couple hours" and was otherwise quite attentive, once I was settled up ($56.00 including tip and without alcohol making it one of my more expensive meals for one) I still had about 70 minutes to kill before the house opened for the evening performance.

In an attempt to nurse a growing headache, I bought some Advil and Mountain Dew from the pharmacy across the hallway from the theater -- from quite possibly the most customer-focused retail clerk I've met this decade, going out of her way to point out cheaper options and then diging out a coupon for the product I did buy -- I retired to my car planning on napping. The near-constant symphony of chirping car horns announcing the arrival of ushers quickly ended that dream.

For the evening's performance I was seated in the second row stage left: The violist and violinist (doubling 2nd guitar) were immediately behind me hidden from the view of most of the audience, with percussion directly in front of me, followed stage left to right by the upright bass, guitar, cello, and keyboard/music director. As a fan of the violin family of instruments who didn't notice the violin on stage until about 4 performances in it was great to hear both the violin and viola so clearly. Being in the midst of the orchestra, there were times when the vocals got lost, but it was nonetheless beautiful music and there were sounds that I had never noticed--either in live performance or listening to the original cast recording.

The slapback that distracted me for much of the first performance was nearly nonexistent from this seat, and I missed being kicked in the face during Totally Fu--ed by what seemed like mere inches: The onstage experience is nothing if not immerse.

Following the end of the performance I returned to my car and embarked on another three and a half hour late night drive: This time to Columbus, marking my sixth hotel in the past three weeks, and once again encountering a slightly confused desk clerk just past 1AM. Unfortunately, I do not have the leisure of sleeping in tomorrow--er--this morning.

If you happen to know where my sanity may be found, please let me know or provide it with forwarding information.

Lincoln
* - As a HHonors "Diamond VIP", I've unintentionally discovered that I can get away with a lot of things that you aren't allowed to do. I probably could have called the Diamond Desk and weaseled a cancellation without penalty, but I didn't feel that was the ethically proper course of action to take.

** - It's funny: Bank of America has always been "my" bank. They display no loyalty to me, but I feel a loyalty to them such that despite not having a single branch or deposit-accepting ATM in Ohio, I continue to use them. Why? I love their online banking, there is a relatively convenient withdrawal-only ATM, and it seems that everywhere outside of Ohio that I find myself has a BofA branch. And I'm too lazy to move my accounts.

Cassidy Theatre: Tick, Tick... Boom!

It wasn't until the director's curtain speech that I took my (albeit limited) knowledge of the origins of Jonathan Larson's Tick, Tick... Boom for granted. In an odd position of being conceived as an autobiographical work and originally staged as a solo act before Larson's infinitely better-known RENT, and posthumously reworked by friends into a small-cast show, the music is unmistakably Larsonesque.

Like RENT, the original cast recording for TTB entered my personal collection well before the first time I saw the show, and I was interested to see how the book and music would weave together. (Rather than rehashing the complete history here, the Wikipedia entry if you're interested)

Cassidy Theatre's production, Fridays-Sundays through April 25th, stumbles but generally recovers. I thought the Jon's (Rick McGuigan) opening monologue was overly--and irritatingly--punctuated, and the opening number, 30/90, seemed bass heavy and muddy musicwise and it felt like the cast could have let out a little bit more energy. The combination of those lead to early cringing and a general feeling of dread.

The good news is the cast came up to speed for Green Green Dress and the band wasn't that far behind. By Sunday, the fourth song in this intermissionless-show the initial struggles were cast to the side. One of my favorites from the show, Sunday took on a comic dimension I had not previously known.

Lauren Merrick Blazer has a relatively small part as Karessa, but she delivered an amazingly faithful rendition of Come to Your Senses.

Kudos to Cassady for pulling out a lesser-known modern musical. During a pause early in the program I found myself thinking: If Larson was 30 in 1990 he would be 50 this year. For some reason I have a hard time envisioning the creator of RENT as 50. In the same moment I wonder what else would have come from him.

Lincoln

Playhouse Square 2010-11 KeyBank Broadway Series

PlayhouseSquare raises the curtain on exciting new season.

When I was invited to attend the Broadway Season Announcement I wasn't sure quite what to expect -- either in terms of format or shows. I was pleasantly surprised on both fronts (how can you say no to an event that not only gives you the season "from the horse's mouth" but also provides quite delicious hot dogs?)

The presentation opened with a fantastic video of Playhouse Square's past and present, and was followed by VP of Theatricals Gina Vernaci introducing the season ahead of us -- and I have to say that I'm impressed. I actually found myself considering joining the 19,000 subscribers.

Blue Man Group - October 5-17, Palace Theatre - It's the Blue Man Group. If you haven't seen them, see them at least once. If you have seen them, I don't need to say any more.

Billy Elliot the Musical - November 19-December 12, State Theatre - Score by Elton John, young boxer-turned-dancer and the journey to make dreams come true. It sounds interesting, the New York Times called it "inspiring", and according to Ms. Vernaci, Elton John felt a personal connection to the story which may explain why the New York Post called it "his best score yet".

South Pacific - February 1-13, 2011, Palace Theatre - The tony-award winning Lincoln Center Theater revival, with an orchestra of 26 and cast of 34. My initial reaction was to pass, but considering how much out of context play individual songs get from this Richard and Hammerstein musical, it may be hard to pass up the opportunity to see and hear them in context.

Shrek The Musical - March 1-13, 2011, Palace Theatre - Based on the DreamWorks film, and DreamWorks first foray into live theater 19 new songs and humor for all ages.

Les Miserables - April 5-17, 2011, Palace Theatre - This is the show that as a self-proclaimed musical theater fan, I frequently find myself embarrassed to admit I've never seen (the only other show in that category was, until January, Phantom of the Opera). A show with true holding power that has had 31 cast albums and 38,000 live professional performances of the music. You can bet that I'm going to make an effort to see it while I have the chance.

West Side Story - May 3-15, 2011, Palace Theatre - This Sondheim and Bernstein musical is at least as well known as South Pacific, and likewise, I'm not sure how excited I am about seeing it, but once again, the opportunity to see and hear the music live and in context may be hard to resist. Oh, and the closing weekend will mark my 27th birthday.

Next to Normal - June 7-19, 2011, Palace Theatre - I saw this show during my trip to New York in January and while I initially had mixed feelings this is a powerful show with great music that really seeps into your consciousness and makes sense on so many levels when you start to think about it. I'm looking forward to see this show again.

Other shows, not part of the KeyBank season announcement but listed in the brochure:

Legally Blonde The Musical - October 22-24, 2010 - Once is enough for me, but could be good "girls night out" material for those so inclined.
Cirque Dreams Holidaze - December 14-19, 2010
Cats - January 21-23, 2010 - I don't know if I can justify not seeing this famously long-running musical.
Golda's Balcony - January 29, 2011
The Peking Acrobats - February 20, 2011
The Color Purple - March 25-26, 2011

Lincoln

Dobama Theatre: Speech & Debate

To shamelessly steal a line near the end of Speech & Debate, at Dobama Theatre through April 4th, "I encourage you to show up with an open mind. If you go to listen, you will leave talking"

Attempting to summarize Stephen Karam's Speech and Debate without giving away the plot is impossible to do while rendering proper justice to the tremendously witty play featuring the trio of Nick Pankuch's Howie, Nicholas Varricchio's Solomon, and Shelby Bartelstein's Diwata along with Elizabeth Ann Townsend filling the adult roles of Teacher and Reporter.

Beginning with Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Speech and Debate catches that audience's attention and then holds it through the 2-hour intermission-less performance that feels much shorter. Essentially you expect that the often-referenced but never seen drama teacher's secrets will be revealed, but along the way each of the teens own secrets are revealed culminating in a three-way blackmail triangle that the wonderfully frumpy Diwata leverages to forward her agenda of a speech and debate club, while touching social taboo, prejudice, teenage angst and any number of other items (Arthur Miller's The Crucible as a musical! Schools that will alter plays to suit conservative taste while ignoring the author's intent and creative control!*).

It's funny, it's musical, it's thought provoking. It's entertaining. I felt as though I was watching through a hallway window outside the classroom: Without immersion it was quite easy to remain emotionally detached from all of the characters, yet it is one of the better, more entertaining dramas I've seen in several years. It's not too bad as a camp musical either.

Directed by Scott Plate; Now through April 4th / $22 adults / $10 students. Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights.

Lincoln
* - Personal connection: My senior year of high school we produced The Who's Tommy, a rock opera based on the concept album (Pinball Wizard, etc.) -- for political reassons the character of the Gypsy was cut entirely (along with the song Acid Queen: "I'm a Gypsy, an acid queen, pay me before we start"), leaving a bit of a hole. Yours truly did "lighting design", intelligent lighting programming, conventional lighting programming, and bench repair for that show. It was fun.