Wildwood Summer
Theatre - ARCHIVE
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July 21 - August 5,
2006
Cabaret |
Running time 2:45 - one
intermission
A youth production with some very strong performances
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For over forty years, the "kids" of Wildwood
have put on a show. Some of them are high school age and some college age.
Some are out of school altogether. But all are under the magic age of 25 and
they do everything. They act. They sing. They design. They direct. They
produce. They handle marketing, programs, ushering, box office duties -
everything! In the process, they inherit the wisdom gathered by their
predecessors, pass on new lessons to their successors and get a chance to
spread their own wings in a serious endeavor. Often the project is a light
or even frivolous piece of entertainment. They are all Broadway musicals and
that can mean some flighty material such as Once Upon a Mattress
(1967) The Pajama Game (1981) The Mystery of Edwin Drood
(1994) or Sugar (2000). For the past few years, however, they have
been tackling some deeply serious material -
West Side Story
(2002) Sweeney
Todd (2004) and now this examination of the consequences of the
human tendency to avoid recognizing the truly ugly side of life. They take
it seriously and do a good job on it, featuring one really memorable
performance, Ben Luyrye's "Emcee," and many fine ones.
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.
University of Maryland sophomore Ben Lurye is impressive as the "emcee,"
who not only narrates the piece but interjects so much of the commentary
through night-club material, "Wilkommen," "Two Ladies," "The Money Song" and
the devastating "If You Could See Her." He's at his very best, however, in
the affecting "I Don't Care Much." A standout in a smaller role that is
often overlooked is Alex Gersh, as the young Nazi party functionary, who gets
the plot moving. The young lovers in this production are a very good Greg
Magee as the American writer and a fine Katie Maguire as the Kit Kat Klub
vocalist who really doesn't understand either the world she lives in or the
limitations of her own talents. The older couple in the anti-Semitism
subplot are Sherry Berg, who does some nice acting as well as singing as the
widow who operates a boarding house, and Mikey Cafarelli, who brings more
vocal than acting skill to the part of her suitor who maintains that his
being German protects him from any danger that might come from being Jewish.
College of William and Mary student Erica Chiusano directs her first show
and pulls the material together rather well, although she falls into the trap
of pacing the material to match the talents available rather than to meet
the needs of the story, resulting in a slow pace that sometimes highlights
the inadequacies of some in the cast. A faster pace would not only tell the
story more briskly, it would provide cover for a few stumbling efforts, and
would give the stronger performers a chance to soar. Music director Shira Yasur,
soon to depart
for the Rimon School of Music in Israel, has
conductor Ian Stuart shake things up a bit when given a chance with
brighter tempos, although even here the beat slows down at times. Still, as
the "Emcee" tells us, the on-stage orchestra "is beautiful."
Music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb.
Book by Joe Masteroff. Produced by Alice Hawfield. Directed by Erica Chiusano. Musical direction by
Shira Yasur. Conducted by Ian Stuart. Choreography by Bernadette Tyra.
Design: Kathryn Pong (set) Lauren Pedersen (costumes) Carolyn Walter (makeup
and hair) Megan Heithaus and Mandy Yu (properties) Nick Lopreiato (lights)
Paul Johnson (sound) Bridget Woodbury (stage manager). Cast: Sherry Berg,
Shayna Blass, Mikey Cafarelli, Lynn Favin, Alex Gersh, Amanda Kaplan, Ben
Lurye, Greg Magee, Katie Maguire, Tim Maher, Garrett Matthews, Shannon
Miller, Claire Olszewski, Roxanne Orkin, Aaron Pitsenberger, Jonathan
Schneider, Sabrina Shapiro, Neil Timiraos, Eser Valencia, Carolyn Walter.
Musicians: Michael Arbit, William Ardanuy, Ben Baldwin, Matt Eisenberg, Greg
Jukes, Julianne Keller, Melissa Ludwig, Ethan Marks, Max Morawski, Laura
Mufson, John Patton, Anne Rathell, Joe Silver, Lisa Silverman, Seung
Hyun (Lucia)
Woo. |
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July 23 - August 7, 2004
Sweeney Todd |
Reviewed August 1
Running time 3:00 - one intermission
Click here to buy the CD |
What can you expect from a bunch of "kids" age 14 to 25 who decide to put on
a show? If they are the inheritors of the tradition of nearly forty years of
the Wildwood Summer Theatre, you should expect great things. In this, their
mounting of one of the American musical's most challenging works, they meet
the expectations and hand down the tradition to future generations, not only
in tact, but enhanced. Unlike some other youth theater ventures - as good as
they are, and some are very, very good - here everyone involved was born
after Jimmy Carter entered the White House. The director, the musical
director, the designers, the crew, the cast - all under 25. Yet, what is
seen and heard is impressively solid and satisfying as they tackle
Sondheim's demanding music and lyrics, and Hugh Wheeler's wide ranging book
in a work that started off on a Broadway stage but is now frequently
performed by the great opera companies of the world.
Storyline: An
acknowledged masterwork of the musical theater, this "musical thriller,"
based on a nineteenth-century legend, is a unique mixture of melodrama,
macabre humor and psychological insight, telling the story of a London barber
who seeks vengeance for injustices done to him, his wife and their daughter.
The revenge goes awry, driving him farther and farther from sanity as he
teams up with the ditsy proprietress of a pie shop who sees in the remains
of his victims fresh supplies for her meat pies.
No production of Sweeney
Todd can succeed without a good voice and strong stage presence in its
Sweeney, and here Wildwood is fortunate to have Ryan Manning, whose voice can
survive the rigors of one of the more challenging roles a baritone can have.
He's more than matched with Malinda Ellerman, who has not only the voice
needed for the wide range of comedy, romantic and dramatic songs she must
sing, but comedic and dramatic acting skills to match. The role can easily be
a shallow stereotype, but she manages to imbue it with a pathos that makes
her more than a mere ditz, she's a strong willed woman fighting for some
success and happiness in a cruel world.
One
reason that Sweeney Todd is such a demanding piece is the strengths needed
in so many supporting roles. Here, too, Wildwood finds the talent to meet
the test. Bobby Libby sings with a delightful clarity as the youngster
caught up in the madness with fine comic work on "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir"
at one end of the scale and "Not While I'm Around" on the other. The Pirelli
here is a marvelously full voiced Andrew Schlosberg. So many other
productions of Sweeney Todd suffer from casting a woman too old as Sweeney's
daughter, Johanna, who should be a teenager. Wildwood's own charter keeps them
from making this mistake, and Bligh Voth's performance justifies the belief
that the role is best played young and sweet. As the seaman who falls in
love with her, David Wolff seems a bit lost at times in the dialogue scenes,
but is marvelous when he begins to sing. Zak Sandler has a booming voice
which he uses well as the evil judge, and Sean Finan's performance as his
beadle, (essentially a constable or court bailiff in the London of Sweeney's
time) grows deeper as the show progresses. Carolyn Walter's cries of
"mischief, mischief" in "City on Fire" may not be precisely sung as
written, but they are even more affecting and even terrifying as delivered.
Director Jared Goldstein takes an almost overly reverent approach to this
acknowledged masterpiece, making sure that every point in the script is
delivered clearly. This gives a bit of a plodding feel to the overall
production, but also makes sure nothing gets overlooked or shorted. The
twenty-eight piece orchestra, conducted at the performance we reviewed by
Ian Stuart, was full and precise. Special mention is due to sound designer
Zack Tinkelman and assistant sound designer Chris Mulligan. The principals
are all miked, and with this many principals, this creates a challenge for
both the designer and the sound board operator. While not all cues were made
precisely, the subtlety of the board operator's adjustments avoided drawing
attention, something more "adult" professionals could well emulate.
Music
and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by
Christopher Bond. Directed by.Jared Goldstein. Music direction by Josh
Keller. Design: Emily Gallivan (set) Margot Fitzsimmons (costumes, hair and
make-up) Joan Keller (properties) Zack Tinkelman (lights and sound) Lauren
Beth DeRocco (stage manager). Cast: David Allen, Bridget Armstrong, Mikey
Cafarelli, Erica Chiusano, Malinda Ellerman, Sean Finan, Sam Fondry,
Jennifer Guest, Ashley Kaplan, Bobby Libby, Katie Maguire, Ryan Manning, Ian
McEuen, Kevin O'Reilly, Adam Rast, Zak Sandler, Nina Schidlovsky, Andrew
Schlosberg, Jennifer Schumann, Neil Timiraos, Bligh Voth, Carolyn Walter,
David Wolff. Musicians: Adam Arnold, Jennifer Sarah Bolton, Anthony Clark,
Ghopi Dhokai, Victoria Fan, Elizabeth Goldman, Alice Hawfield, Greg Jukes,
Julianne Keller, Kate Leary, Allison Meyer, Aly Minick, Max Morawski, Jeff
Mufson, Kathryn Murphy, Jacque Stanek, Stephen Watson, Shira Yasur.
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July 26 – August 10, 2002
West Side Story |
Reviewed August 2
Running Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Price range $7 - $9 |
There’s a cast of nearly 35, over 30 musicians in the pit, dozens of crew,
half a dozen designers and a score of other contributors, not one over the
age of 25. The Wildwood Summer Theatre, an all-youth organization operating
without adult supervision (or interference), has produced major musicals
every year since 1965. This year, for the second time, they take up a
musical about boys and girls of their own age who are also involved in
activities without adult supervision. But those activities are a great deal
different than putting on a musical.Storyline: This 1957
transformation of the Romeo and Juliet story to the streets of New York City
sets an Italian American street gang (the Jets) against a Puerto Rican gang
(the Sharks). Tony, the former leader of the Jets, who is growing up and
trying to break out of the gang life by working in Doc’s drug store, meets
Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks. Tony and Maria fall instantly
in love and, at Maria’s urging, Tony tries to prevent a rumble between the
two gangs. Things go wrong, however, and in the ensuing knife fight Tony
ends up killing Maria’s brother. In the explosion of hatred and prejudice
that results, Tony, too, is killed.
Nathan Claridad, a twenty year old director, is at the helm of this
undertaking. He deploys the available talent with skill and keeps the
evening moving right along. He also makes a significant change to the
staging of the finale of the show which robs it of much of the hope for the
future with which Robbins, Bernstein, Laurents and Sondheim imbued the
original. Without that, the heartfelt beauty of "Somewhere," which is sung
so well here by Wootton High School graduate Martita Galindo, seems a case
of wishful thinking rather than a glimpse of a possible alternative future.
Eighteen year old William White conducts, getting a marvelous mixture of
youthful enthusiasm and mature beauty from both the musicians in the
orchestra and the singing performers on stage. The quintet of "Tonight"
bouncing between the Jets, the Sharks, Tony, Maria, and three other young
characters is about as tight and clean as can be wished, while the soaring
duets of "One Hand, One Heart," "A Boy Like That/I Have A Love" and the
exquisite balcony scene are lovely. The combination of clear stage direction
from Claridad, tight musical direction by White, smooth vocal direction by
Jennifer Bartlett and sharp performances by a number of Jets produces a
marvelously balanced "Gee Officer Krupke."
Any West Side Story needs a Maria and a Tony that can carry both
the musical and the emotional weight of the story. In Danny Pushkin and Leah
Pappas, this West Side Story has a pair that can sing the roles well
and act with assurance. However, there is little chemistry between them.
Evelyn Ziberman makes a very strong Anita. But each of the vocal leads have
to fight the phenomenon of a sound design that over-amplifies the few with
body mikes. A hall this big may force the choice of sound reinforcement, and
the sound board operator has a deft touch and manages to sneak the levels up
smoothly. But a subtler mix is required when the cast isn’t universally
miked. Two smaller roles standout: Courtney Tisch does well with a very well
conceived role, that of the tomboy "Anybodys," while Andy Schlosberg makes a
memorable impression with a role that usually falls flat, the non-singing
tough cop Lt. Schrank.
Music by Leonard Bernstein. Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Arthur
Laurents. Entire original production directed and choreographed by Jerome
Robbins. Directed by Nathan Claridad. Choreographed by Lauren Beth DeRocco.
Music direction by William White. Vocal direction by Jennifer Bartlett.
Design: Jared Goldstein (set) Daniel Rehbehn (costumes) Joshua Rodgers (Hair
and Makeup) Kevin Danielson (lights) Harry Glaser (sound). Cast: Danny
Pushkin, Leah Pappas, Evelyn Ziberman, Adam Rast, Andre Danylevich, Courtney
Tisch, Andy Schlosberg, Stephanie Lin, Kenneth Arcieri, Kevin O’Reilly,
Michael Saffan, Daniel Rehbehn, Michael Simione, Roger Whyte, Yevgeniy
Tyurmin, Helene Ford, Sarah Karp, Ashley Kaplan, Eileen Cuff, Chris Wilson,
Utkarsh Ambudkar, Jonathan Gadsden, David Allen, Christian Liu, Rahul Kak,
Liza Kaplan, Joellen Mallard, Taisha Cameron, Amelia Meyers, Danila Apasov,
Harrison Long, Jonathan Schneider, Julia Clasper, Leigh Friedman, Owen
McKain. |
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