People love this show. Why? First, Mel Brooks’ 1974 movie of the same name has become a cult classic, the kind of movie you want to own and watch again every few years. And this musical version captures so much of what its fans like about the movie. Then it turns the best comic moments of the film into wonderful, witty songs, and brings those movie memories to life in front of you on the stage.
Predictably, there was so much to like about Stand Out Talent’s send-up of “Young Frankenstein” at last night's opening. Steve Campbell was solid in the role of Frederick Frankenstein, with believable acting, a good comic sense, and quality singing that came through even when his body mic failed for much of the second half of the show. And Jennifer Bortz played to the hilt the role of his self-absorbed fiancée, Elizabeth Benning – with her typical strong singing. Then there was Mary Young as Frau Blucher who put enormous energy into her big number, “He Vas My Boyfriend.”
Indeed, there was strong characterization in many of the parts, but Spencer Peterson’s Igor was truly inspired. To me, he rivaled Marty Feldman’s portrayal of Igor in the movie. Apart from solid acting and singing, the way he moved was brilliant. His antics delighted the audience whenever he was the focus of attention.
This show was all about brains, and no doubt it was the fertile brain of director, Jason Bortz, that helped the actors make the most of the comic potential of the script, adding creative touches that could not have been in the original stage directions. (I’m thinking of the interminable door-locking sounds when Frederick is locked in with the Monster.) There were more wonderful staging ideas that I don’t want to disclose because they will shock you (in a good way) when you see the show. Suffice it to say that one involved brains (again!). Another had to do with what the Monster was capable of. (It was amazing!)
Speaking of the Monster, Joe Calavita – at 6 feet, 10 inches tall – was just about perfectly cast in the part, and he obviously had a lot of fun with it. Furthermore, his costume and make-up were so impressive that, after the show, people were clamoring to have their picture taken with him.
The music was prerecorded, and as she usually does, Jennifer Bortz came through with some exhilarating and creative choreography for numbers like “Transylvania Mania” and “Please Don’t Touch Me” and “Puttin’ On the Ritz.” Predictably, there were some opening night glitches: a scene had to be restarted, and there were often times when the volume of the sound track was such that one couldn’t make out the words being sung. Actually, I was kind of glad of that because it seemed that the lyrics were sometimes too bawdy for the few children in the audience. (Think twice before bringing small children or maybe even early teenagers to the show.)
But none of that takes away from the fun to be had with “Young Frankenstein.” This is now the third time I’ve seen this show in just the past six months, and I’d go again. Each production I’ve seen had something special and unique about it. This one certainly did, and the audience must have agreed, as evidenced by their quick standing ovation when the final bows began.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Fiddler on the Roof
Having been very impressed with last year’s production of “Into the Woods” by the Roseville Theatre Arts Academy, I was expecting a good show when I attended opening night of “Fiddler on the Roof.” I was prepared for another good show, not a great show – but that’s what I got. It was an eyeful and an earful. The large cast, of all ages, often spilled over the stage, and the 6-piece pit orchestra sounded like a much larger group, and completely professional. Even the set and props – and especially the costumes – were so well done that it was easy to believe I was peeking in on the real town of Anatevka. And starting the show with a real fiddler on a real roof underlined the attention to detail that characterized this production.
The acting was excellent throughout. There were some excellent characterizations – the pushy, talkative Yente the Matchmaker was one of my many favorites. The dialog of this show, especially, is so clever, and these actors really made it work to great comic effect. But the key to any production of “Fiddler” is the character of Tevye, and Mike Mechanick played it to perfection. He had a bit of an accent and a speaking and singing voice that had great range. He even had dance moves that delighted the audience. But his performance was more than the sum of these elements. He just lived the part. And though I’ve seen Zero Mostel and Topol in this role, from now on when I think of the real Tevye, in my mind I’ll be seeing Mike Mechanick.
I have to mention the sisters (Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava), too. They were simply dazzling in their singing, dancing and acting; just a delight to watch every time they were the focus of the action. And speaking of dancing, the choreography of this show was of prize-worthy calibre. “Fiddler” is full of dancing, but what I saw in scene after scene was movement that was fresh, engaging – and highly entertaining. I had not seen Gino Platina’s work before, but from now on I will certainly be alert to any production he has a hand in.
The show was full of subtle touches – gestures, sotto voce comments, facial expressions – most of them presumably director’s touches, and they made this an inspired production that really communicated. Director Michelle Raskey deserves enormous credit for so many creative staging ideas. In particular, the scene of Tevye’s dream was over-the-top brilliant, with wonderfully chaotic choreography and singing and playing from the orchestra. And what can I say about the appearance of Fruma-Sarah, Lazar Wolf’s deceased wife? It was shocking, stunning – I’m still amazed that they pulled it off so well.
OK, I’m sitting the audience, completely familiar with the show, following the action in the story, and I’m asking myself, What is it that is bringing me to tears? Somehow, I think it was the authenticity of this production of a show that I have loved for many decades. So many parts of it were so perfect – not an imitation, but an inspired, accurate reproduction of what was so great about earlier stagings of this masterpiece of musical theatre. But most of all it was full of heart. I felt that the players loved this show as much as I have and put their love into each aspect of the production. It was more than a night at the theater; it was an experience, and a very satisfying one.
The acting was excellent throughout. There were some excellent characterizations – the pushy, talkative Yente the Matchmaker was one of my many favorites. The dialog of this show, especially, is so clever, and these actors really made it work to great comic effect. But the key to any production of “Fiddler” is the character of Tevye, and Mike Mechanick played it to perfection. He had a bit of an accent and a speaking and singing voice that had great range. He even had dance moves that delighted the audience. But his performance was more than the sum of these elements. He just lived the part. And though I’ve seen Zero Mostel and Topol in this role, from now on when I think of the real Tevye, in my mind I’ll be seeing Mike Mechanick.
I have to mention the sisters (Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava), too. They were simply dazzling in their singing, dancing and acting; just a delight to watch every time they were the focus of the action. And speaking of dancing, the choreography of this show was of prize-worthy calibre. “Fiddler” is full of dancing, but what I saw in scene after scene was movement that was fresh, engaging – and highly entertaining. I had not seen Gino Platina’s work before, but from now on I will certainly be alert to any production he has a hand in.
The show was full of subtle touches – gestures, sotto voce comments, facial expressions – most of them presumably director’s touches, and they made this an inspired production that really communicated. Director Michelle Raskey deserves enormous credit for so many creative staging ideas. In particular, the scene of Tevye’s dream was over-the-top brilliant, with wonderfully chaotic choreography and singing and playing from the orchestra. And what can I say about the appearance of Fruma-Sarah, Lazar Wolf’s deceased wife? It was shocking, stunning – I’m still amazed that they pulled it off so well.
OK, I’m sitting the audience, completely familiar with the show, following the action in the story, and I’m asking myself, What is it that is bringing me to tears? Somehow, I think it was the authenticity of this production of a show that I have loved for many decades. So many parts of it were so perfect – not an imitation, but an inspired, accurate reproduction of what was so great about earlier stagings of this masterpiece of musical theatre. But most of all it was full of heart. I felt that the players loved this show as much as I have and put their love into each aspect of the production. It was more than a night at the theater; it was an experience, and a very satisfying one.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
13 the Musical
This was the sixth time I’ve seen a production of “13, the Musical” in recent years, and I have some great memories of past shows. But I was really looking forward to Rocklin Community Theatre’s version because it’s fundamentally a great show. I’ll confess, though, that I was a little nervous, sitting in the dark and waiting for it to begin. I was nervous because, to me, the show depends on the main character of 13-year-old Evan, and I’ve seen some Evans who weren’t quite credible in the role. But when the lights went up, this Evan (Brett Young) seized control of the stage and went into his first song with such confidence and style that my anxieties were put to rest.
Brett is really13 (and most of the kids in the cast could at least pass for 13), and from that first number, I was impressed with his strong voice. Actually, I have to add that I heard many remarkably good solo voices last night. I’ve seen productions that suffered from the vocal limitations of good young actor, but there was none of that here. Not all the singers were equally strong, but hey, they’re supposed to be 13 years old, so a slightly immature voice is realistic. That said, I heard half a dozen kids who had really outstanding voices. And when they put that song across in character, it was real musical theater.
The musical score of this show is one of its great strengths. It’s mostly rock music, and, to me, it was toe-tapping fun from beginning to end. And the 6-piece band really rocked. But so did the kids. There was a lot of cute choreography, and the kids really got into it. The dance moves weren’t always in perfect synchronization, but it seemed to me that each young performer was inspired – sometimes even possessed.
Speaking of choreography, it’s obvious that every director has many opportunities for putting their own creative stamp on a production – sometimes a brilliant one. For example, I’ll never forget the dancing rabbis in Placer High School’s production of “13” a few years ago. In this show, a similar highlight was “Being a Geek.” Actually, this number wasn’t even included in some of the recent productions of “13” that I’ve seen. But last night, I was artfully staged and screamingly funny. Years from now, I’ll remember this number. If they had it on YouTube, I’d watch it again and again.
Last night I was aware that there was hardly any set or set pieces, and the scene was mostly created by a projected image on a screen to the right of the main stage. But in the final analysis, it didn’t matter. The main thing, apart from the music, was the wonderful comedy, and it seemed to me that these young actors (guided by their directors, of course) capitalized on the potential of each comic opportunity. It may have been the sixth time I’d seen the show, but I laughed all the way through.
To me, the casting was very nearly perfect. I was about to mention the kids individually, but I stopped when I recalled that this show is mostly double-cast. I saw the New York Cast, but I bet the Indiana Cast is as fun to watch as the players I saw last night. Not only was the acting strong, but there were various points in the show where an ensemble member or minor character had the opportunity to dance or sing out front, and I could see that the talent in this production ran deep.
Eventually the action drew to a close, and all the players took their bows. Those of us in the audience applauded enthusiastically, thinking it was all over. But they gave us one more big encore so full of energy and joy that we were all on our feet before it was completely over. This last number – like the whole show – was dazzling. And of the six productions I’ve seen, I think it will rank as my favorite.
Brett is really13 (and most of the kids in the cast could at least pass for 13), and from that first number, I was impressed with his strong voice. Actually, I have to add that I heard many remarkably good solo voices last night. I’ve seen productions that suffered from the vocal limitations of good young actor, but there was none of that here. Not all the singers were equally strong, but hey, they’re supposed to be 13 years old, so a slightly immature voice is realistic. That said, I heard half a dozen kids who had really outstanding voices. And when they put that song across in character, it was real musical theater.
The musical score of this show is one of its great strengths. It’s mostly rock music, and, to me, it was toe-tapping fun from beginning to end. And the 6-piece band really rocked. But so did the kids. There was a lot of cute choreography, and the kids really got into it. The dance moves weren’t always in perfect synchronization, but it seemed to me that each young performer was inspired – sometimes even possessed.
Speaking of choreography, it’s obvious that every director has many opportunities for putting their own creative stamp on a production – sometimes a brilliant one. For example, I’ll never forget the dancing rabbis in Placer High School’s production of “13” a few years ago. In this show, a similar highlight was “Being a Geek.” Actually, this number wasn’t even included in some of the recent productions of “13” that I’ve seen. But last night, I was artfully staged and screamingly funny. Years from now, I’ll remember this number. If they had it on YouTube, I’d watch it again and again.
Last night I was aware that there was hardly any set or set pieces, and the scene was mostly created by a projected image on a screen to the right of the main stage. But in the final analysis, it didn’t matter. The main thing, apart from the music, was the wonderful comedy, and it seemed to me that these young actors (guided by their directors, of course) capitalized on the potential of each comic opportunity. It may have been the sixth time I’d seen the show, but I laughed all the way through.
To me, the casting was very nearly perfect. I was about to mention the kids individually, but I stopped when I recalled that this show is mostly double-cast. I saw the New York Cast, but I bet the Indiana Cast is as fun to watch as the players I saw last night. Not only was the acting strong, but there were various points in the show where an ensemble member or minor character had the opportunity to dance or sing out front, and I could see that the talent in this production ran deep.
Eventually the action drew to a close, and all the players took their bows. Those of us in the audience applauded enthusiastically, thinking it was all over. But they gave us one more big encore so full of energy and joy that we were all on our feet before it was completely over. This last number – like the whole show – was dazzling. And of the six productions I’ve seen, I think it will rank as my favorite.
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