Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre - ARCHIVE
Click here to go to this
theater's main page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 4 - September 2, 2006
Cabaret |
Running time 2:30 - one intermission
Solid production values mark production under the stars
Appropriate for mature teens but not
for
younger theatergoers
Click here to buy the CD |
John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical about the decadent Berlin cabaret scene
as the Nazis come to power is given an energetic, effective production that
is, if anything, enhanced by the warm evening air in the Summer Garden. The
often overlooked central role of the American writer observing the approach
of the terror of Hitler's reich is both well acted and very well sung by
Judson Davis, returning it to the position of importance that is sometimes
obscured by star performances in the roles of the Emcee and the English
singer - roles that are done very well here but don't overshadow Davis. The
program doesn't include a credit for set design but it is a very inventive
and effective design. With the orchestra on-stage on an elevated platform
center stage the "Kit Kat Klub" has the central place it requires while
sliding and rotating side pieces for the boarding house in Berlin are
brought in rapidly without breaking the momentum of the show. Director Jerry Vess moves things along with dispatch but never seems to skip over a major
plot point or character revealing moment. His concentration is on story
telling which is exactly as it should be, for the story is
strong enough on its own terms to carry the evening along to the devastating
conclusion its authors intended.
Storyline: An American would-be novelist comes to Berlin as the Nazis are
taking power. He meets the occupants of a slightly seedy rooming house and a
shabby cabaret, "The Kit Kat Klub." His landlady breaks off her engagement
to a greengrocer because of threats from the Nazis since he is Jewish and
she is not. An English girl who is a singer at the cabaret, who has very
little talent but with whom he falls in love, places her career ahead of any
effort to avoid the impending conflagration.
Cabaret is a show with great credentials. The original Broadway
production won eight Tony Awards in 1967, including one for Joel Grey, who
played the androgynous "emcee" of the Kit Kat Club. He repeated the role in
the 1972 movie version, taking home one of the eight Oscars that went to the
film, along with Liza Minnelli who played the cabaret singer who moves in
with the American writer. In 1998 a revival, which had been successful in
London, transferred to Broadway, captured the Tony Award for best revival
and ran for six years. It was a dark and decadent version of the show with a
distinctly depressing world-view, highlighting the intentional contrasts
between the music and the message. The first national tour came through
Washington in 1999 and drew three Helen Hayes Awards including outstanding
non-resident production.
Steve Love as the Emcee straddles the line between rival interpretations
of the role, taking some of the androgynous ambiguity of the original
creation of Joel Grey and blending in some of the youthful sexuality of the
recent revival's view of the role that earned Alan Cumming his Tony Award.
He is particularly good in his solo on "I Don't Care Much." Sherri
Kuznicki's interpretation of the cabaret singer who refuses to see the
gathering danger is refreshingly free of any imitation of Liza Minelli, whose
film version of the role is what many people remember when they think "Cabaret."
Lynn Garretson's searing delivery of "What Would You Do" is a highlight
of her intelligent approach to the role of the landlady who can't go through
with her engagement to Noel Milan's Herr Schultz. Milan does a good job with
the song "Meeskite" which was not used in either the movie or the recent
revival, but he's a bit weak in duets with Garretson. In a thoughtful piece
of casting, the director used Myles Park, the best dancer among the Kit Kat
Boys, as the Emcee's intended in "If You Could See Her." His work dancing in
that scene was very effective.
The work of the six member orchestra conducted from the piano by Trent
Goldsmith is solid and very supportive of the vocalists although it misses
some of the energy and oomph inherent in the original orchestrations of Don
Walker and Michael Gibson and, on occasion, overpowered the vocalists. Music director Anita O'Connor gets a very well
blended sound from the full cast when they sing in ensemble as in the big
Kit Kat Klub numbers but she isn't able to get the male ensemble together on
"Tomorrow Belongs To Me" which distracted from one of the emotionally
affecting scenes of the first act. They get the piece working well, however,
for the reprise at the end of the act.
Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Book by Joe Masteroff. Based on
the play by John Van Druten and the stories of Christopher Isherwood.
Directed by Jerry Vess. Musical direction by Anita O'Connor. Choreographed
by Craig Cipollini. Design: JoAnn Gidos, Michael Gidos, Bob Rude
(properties) Robert Berry (lights) Richard Rohlfing (photography) Chelsea Adams (stage manager). Cast:
Amanda S. Cimaglia, Kevin Cleaver, Judson Davis, Lynn Garretson, Katie
Harrington, Meagan Helman, Elizabeth Hudson, Sheri Kuznicki, Brendan M.
Leahy, Steve Love, Noel Milan, Myles Park, Becki Placella, Matt Poole, Moira
Price, Tanya Swire, Rose Talbot, Eric Tesch, Heidi Toll. |
|
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - -
|
August 5 - September 3,
2005
A Chorus Line |
Reviewed August 18
Running time 2:35 - one intermission
The Broadway Musical's ultimate tribute to the world of the Broadway Musical
Click here to buy the CD
|
The unique experience of seeing a show in this enclosed outdoor space at the
waterfront of historic Annapolis is a good match for this sweaty musical
about the hard working world of the anonymous dancers in the chorus, even if
it does mean the cast occasionally must compete with the sound of the band
playing over at the small boat pier across the street and do so with
intermittent support from their own sound system. Michael Bennett's ultimate
tribute to the Broadway musical, an intimate look at the competitors for a
spot in the final audition for a new musical, requires more talent than
spectacle and the company here puts a great deal of talent on the line
painted across the wide playing space under the stars as well as under the
lights.
Storyline: Broadway gypsies - the singing/dancing members of the chorus -
audition for a place on the chorus line of a new musical. A director
puts each through not only a rigorous routine to demonstrate their talents
but an at times agonizing examination of their personality and personal
history in the search for the ultimate blend of characters.
A Chorus Line burst onto Broadway in 1975 -
one of the many times that "The Great White Way" was being declared
terminally anemic. It began as a project by Michael Bennett to interview
members of the chorus of a number of Broadway musicals and try to make a
show out of their stories. It was a smash at the tiny (and then not very
well known) Public Theatre, and transferred to Broadway where it ran longer
than any musical had ever run till then . . . 6,137 performances over nearly
fifteen years. It made a star out of Donna McKechnie and a demi-god out of
Michael Bennet - at least in the world of Broadway. It is now
scheduled for a Broadway revival starting in September, 2006 but right now
you can sample its strengths in Annapolis.
The strengths are considerable. For one thing
there is the structure of the show built around the process of an
extraordinary audition where a megalomaniacal director probes deeper and
deeper into the private lives of each of the potential members of his chorus
line in an effort to find a mix of personalities that will work. The tension
over the fate of these candidates hovers over the entire evening while the
revelations concerning their histories, their private dreams and their inner
fears ("What will you do when you have to stop dancing?") is mixed with a
score of intriguing songs and, of course, a great deal of dancing. The
chorus line that Annapolis Summer Garden's director Mickey Handwerger
assembled for this A Chorus Line is at its best when dancing, which is a
tribute to both the work of the individuals and to choreographer Vincent
Musgrave, who, while hewing closely to the original choreography, gets his
troops to work together to put the numbers over.
The male cast members seem stronger than the
female. Strong performances abound from central roles such as Eric Lund as
the "director" putting them all through their paces to small roles such as
Myles Park as a dancer who leaves the show after the very first cut-down
early in the first act. Craig Crews and Carl Wilson impress through to the
final cut as does Craig Cipollini who nails his character's emotionally
devastating monologue. Alicia Sweeney and Ashley Adkins are the most
impressive of the female candidates. Sweeney's "Nothing" is particularly
notable. However, it is their work as an ensemble - as a chorus line - that
is most memorable and their finale performing the big number "One" in full
costume for the musical they have been auditioning for drives that simple
repetitive melody into your brain so you will be hearing it all the way
home.
Conceived and originally directed and
choreographed by Michael Bennett. Music by Marvin Hamlisch. Lyrics by Edward
Kleban. Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. Directed by Mickey
Handwerger. Musical direction by Mark Hildebrand. Choreographed by Vincent
Musgrave. Design: Mickey Handwerger (set) Phil Perron (lights) R.A.R.E.
Photographic (photography) Ben Cornwell (stage manager). Cast: Ashley
Adkins, Amanda Cimaglia, Craig Cipollini, Peter Crews, Andrea Elward, Lynn
Garretson, Ron Giddings, Trent Goldsmith, Tonya Hogue, Dennis Kovanda, Sheri
Kuznicki, Eric Lund, Lee Nicol, Myles Park, Amber Perkins, Becki Placella,
Moira Price, Hope Showacre, Matt Stevenson, Alicia Sweeney, Meghan Taylor,
Santos Ventura, Carl Wilson, Corrin Woodward. |
|
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - -
|
August 6 - September 4, 2004
Crazy for You |
Reviewed August 28
Running time 2:35 - one intermission
Click here to buy the CD |
When Ken Ludwig set out to craft a workable
musical comedy book out of a 1930s Gershwin musical, he may not have known
just how strong a need he was about to fill. I'm sure it had occurred to
Ludwig, the late Mike Ockrent who directed and his incredibly talented wife,
choreographer Susan Stroman, that the proceeds from subsequent productions
would yield some cash flow after a successful Broadway run. They could not,
however, have imagined how the show would become a staple of community
theaters hungry for genuinely funny and tuneful shows that can please
audiences even with an uneven talent pool, which is frequently the fate of
amateur companies. Here the piece proves its strength once again with a cast
that features some smashing standout performances but also suffers from at
least one lead unable to carry all of his scenes as intended. Still, in this
unique venue where the audience sits in comfortable plastic chairs under the
stars, this is a good time show that tops off a visit to old town Annapolis
very nicely indeed.
Storyline: The book written in 1991 is a revised version of the original
story used in the 1930 Gershwin musical Girl Crazy, in which a wealthy
theater-struck playboy is sent “way out west” to Deadrock, Nevada, a former
silver boom town, where the theater has been converted to a post office. He
falls in love with the only girl in the now nearly ghost town. Her late
mother was the star of the shows in that theater so he assumes the disguise
of a well-known Broadway producer and convinces the cowboys who spend most
of their time in the neighboring saloon to put on a show to raise money to
pay off the mortgage on the theater.
The
storyline may be trite but the new book
Ludwig
fashioned is slick and polished, with few of the embarrassing clunkers that
passed for scintillating wit in the 1930’s. What’s more, it moves right
along from song to song without excessive pauses. And what songs! Six
numbers come from the original Girl Crazy including “I Got Rhythm,”
“Embraceable You” and “Bidin’ My Time.” The Gershwin catalogue from their
Broadway output contributed “Someone to Watch Over Me” and their Hollywood
scores contributed “Things Are Looking Up,” “They Cant’ Take That Away
From Me” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” They even threw in “The Real
American Folk Song (Is A Rag)” which is the Gershwin’s oldest surviving
song, and two numbers thought to have been lost but which turned up in a
warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey, “Tonight’s the Night” and the specialty
song “What Causes That?” which is given a fabulously funny staging as a duet
between the playboy disguised as the producer and that producer himself who
shows up unexpectedly in Nevada.
The
role of the tomboy-ish girl who captures the playboy's heart is very well
played by Jillian Locklear who apparently can do it all - act with a natural
air, deliver comedy effectively, dance with flair and sing up a storm. When
she lets loose on the number that made a star of Ethel Merman in the
original show, "I Got Rhythm," she proves that rhythm isn't all she has
-- she
has the ability to belt out a note with the best of them. The playboy is
played by Trent J. Goldsmith who lacks the easy charm required for the role
and for some reason is left flat footed in more than one dance sequence. He
shows some dancing ability in other numbers but is unaccountably immobile
for the number "(I'm Dancing and I) Can't Be Bothered Now." His comic duet on "What Causes
That?" is a delight, however, opposite a comic actor/singer who is
quite good at both skills, Brad Thompson.
There are some strong
performances in smaller supporting roles as well. Michael R. Nichols is a
fine comic heavy as Lank, the would-be boyfriend of Locklear's tomboyish
leading lady, and Steve Drapalski mines the mime potential of the slow lug,
"Moose." The dancing of the entire ensemble is energetic and enthusiastic
but there is one standout dancer, Myles Park, who brings unusual athletic
energy and rhythmic flair to the big dance numbers. All of the singing and
dancing is accompanied by a pre-recorded full orchestra. While the soloists
occasionally had difficulty picking up the tempo or pitch at the start of a
song, they always matched up quickly and the fullness of the musical sound
worked well in the pleasant night air.
Music by George Gershwin.
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Book by Ken Ludwig. Directed by Ron Giddings.
Choreographed by Jodi Adkins. Fight choreography by Jamie Hanna. Design:
Bill Smith (set) Shannon Bradel (costumes) Doug Dawson (wigs and hairstyles)
Jo Ann and Michael Gidos (properties) Mike Borlik (photography) Kristy
Burroughs (stage manager). Cast: Amanda S. Cimaglia, Scott Clempner, Steve
Drapalski, Christina Enoch, Trent J. Goldsmith, Jamie Hanna, Faith Hayden,
Jillian Locklear, Michael R. Nichols, Myles Park, Josh Riffle, Whitney
Robinson, Andrea Ryan, Micah Shockney, Brittany Taylor, Brad Thompson, Anwar
Thomas, Kevin Wheatley. |
| |
|
