A double dose of Porgy and Audra...um, I mean Bess, and quick thoughts on Leap of Faith

My unholy obsession with Audra McDonald continues.  Not only have I already seen the current revival of Porgy and Bess twice, but twice within three days!!  Yes, I'm practically a stalker.  I'm not even kidding.  Just ask Trish about my strange and elaborate plan for Audra's performance at my funeral.  There won't be a dry eye in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Given this obsession, you should take anything I say in this review with a grain of salt, because I would never, ever say anything negative about the lovely Audra.  And thanks to TDF, I was able to get a double dose of that luminous voice last week.

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Richard Rodgers Theatre
Tuesday, May 15 @ 7pm
Thursday, May 17 @ 8pm

Given Sondheim's scathing letter to The New York Times flaming Audra and director Diane Paulus for thinking they could "improve" Gershwin's masterpiece, I had mixed feelings going into the theatre.  Besides Audra, Sondheim is the other musical theatre icon I blindly worship.  Would this little tiff cause me to make the ultimate Sophie's choice?  Thankfully, no. 

The controversy surrounding the revival has since died down.  Paulus and team dropped the most radical of the talked about changes (an added happy ending), opting instead for the less radical addition of dialogue in place of the recitative.

Originally, I was going to first-act the show Tuesday night, thinking I'd sit through the whole thing on Thursday with Trish and Chris Grimm (our Billy Bigelow in Carousel who I was taking as a graduation gift - congrats!).  But I was in tears (in a good way) after "Bess, You Is My Woman" and I couldn't bring myself to leave at intermission.

Hearing those legit voices singing that romantic Gershwin score only made me long for the days before the American Idol-ization of Broadway, when gorgeous, trained voices could impress without riffing and screeching their way through a score.

And for those who thinks classic musicals are old fashioned and quaint, well, they obviously don't have a clue.  How many shows in the past twenty years include two gruesome on-stage murders, an extended rape sequence, a main character who's a slut and a drug addict and a not-so-happy ending? 

For Broadway standards, the singing is impeccable.  It's not opera caliber, but you'll likely never hear that quality of singing on a Broadway stage ever again.  The ensemble sound is gorgeous and the harmonies are breathtaking. Thank you again, George Gershwin.

The acting is also first rate.  Which only makes me wonder why other shows can't be cast with better singers.  Usually, the argument is that the director chooses an actor who sings over a singing actor, presuming that someone with an incredibly beautiful voice probably can't act with equal proficiency.  But that didn't seem to be an issue in this case.  So what's the deal, casting directors?!

Audra, of course, is glorious and should already make room on her bookshelf for a fifth Tony.  Norm Lewis, besides being the nicest guy on Broadway (he met me once years ago and will still stop and greet me by name whenever I run into him on the street) sounds better than ever and his character's transformation from vulnerable cripple to courageous hero is impressive.

Like me, Chris and Trish were in tears throughout, as was most of the audience.  With the exception of the recent revival of The Normal Heart and the first 10 minutes of The Lion King, I have not seen anything on Broadway more moving or thrilling. 

My only complaint would be with the sound design.  Though the orchestra is large by Broadway standards, it sounds thin and tinny through the house speakers and doesn't match the lush vocals coming from the stage.  And though I'm usual fine with a minimalist esthetic when it comes to set design, I don't think this production benefits from a stripped down approach, especially in the picnic scene.  A big white, sheet and a a sad, little bush?  That's the best you could come up with?  Oh well, I guess that's two complaints.  Who cares, Audra's in it!

Leap of Faith
St. James Theatre
Thursday, April 12, 8pm performance

I must be getting less critical in my old age, because I actually liked Leap of Faith.  Yes, it opened and closed in a hot second and the reviews were unanimous pans, but I enjoyed myself.

It's not a classic by any standards, but the story was engaging, the music was fun and it had a wonderful cast.  Trust me, I've seen Dance of the Vampires, High Fidelity, Nick & Nora and Lestat - I know bad. 

I think LOF may have suffered from premature show-jaculation.  That's not a technical term, by the way, I just made it up.  Instead of taking time to really work out the kinks and fine tune the book and score after its initial out of town tryout, they decided to rush into production months early because the St. James opened up (thanks to the forgettable On A Clear Day... revival's early closing).

Though Menken's score isn't on par with his early Disney days, he knows how to write a catchy tune and how to make a power ballad land.  He understands how a show tune needs to develop and how it works dramatically within the structure of a musical.  These are skills missing from much of the current pop music crossover artists who, though I applaud their ambition, don't really care to learn the history or fundamentals of theatre composing.  By definition, innovation requires understanding of what has come before.  I'm all for change, but why repeat the mistakes of your predecessors out of ignorance?

Anyway, off my high horse. 

As has been written in many of the reviews, the story generously borrows from The Music Man and 110 in the Shade.  This didn't really bother me, because the setting and period change were enough of a twist to keep me interested. 

Raul Esparza is in his regular intense-but-tyring-not-to-seem-intense mode.  He's probably not ideal for the role (I'd have gone Brian d'Arcy James or even Eric McCormack for some star power.  Can Bradley Cooper sing?  Hmmmm?) but he's always consistently great.  As Esparza's love interest, Jessica Phillips is a great match vocally and has a sincerity and warmth that was totally missing from her performance in Priscilla (maybe her awful Australian accent was the culprit).  As Esparza's stage sister, Kendra Kassebaum adds a likability factor to a somewhat under-written character. 

If the show can overcome the stigma of its quick Broadway demise, I can see it being a staple at the regional houses.

Carousel Hell

I’m finally getting back to the blog after several weeks burning in Carousel hell.  Oh, for an evening luxuriating in my musty apartment watching reality TV and munching on take-out Chinese instead of riding sardine-like on an NJ Transit bus to the wilds of suburban New Jersey. 

Happily, the second weekend of shows is behind me and the glorious closing night is just days away.  Huzzah!  I can already smell the bitter scent of embarrassment and regret hanging in the air in anticipation of the inevitable closing night, post cast party, drunken hook-ups.  Actors and alcohol - not pretty.

For a show that’s never had a rehearsal where the full cast has been available, it’s surprisingly good.  The audiences have been loving it and leave cheering and weeping (for all the right reasons).  But that’s mainly due to an all-around, incredibly talented group of leads and a few supremely dedicated featured ensemble members.

To say the rehearsal period for Carousel has been challenging is like saying neurosurgery is just like a really intense game of Operation.  We didn’t have a full cast run-through until just a few days before opening night and I don’t think I ever had a single Dream Ballet rehearsal with all the dancers.  It seemed on this cast’s list of priorities, Carousel ranked just below getting a full body wax and just above getting a colonoscopy.  So though the inhabitants of this turn-of-the-century New England town are smooth as an Abercrombie & Fitch cover model, they’re also remarkably under-rehearsed…and in desperate need of an enema.

There were also multiple family deaths within the cast (three the week before tech), three car accidents, high school and college spring breaks, vacations, cast members committing to multiple shows and the inevitable string of illnesses and (insert eye roll here) blatant lies. 

Even now, the theatre’s basement TB ward - aka the dressing rooms - is a near constant symphony of hacking, snorting and blown noses.  Between mono, sinus infections, strep throat, concussions (don’t ask) and allergies, it’s like a stage full of the walking dead.  I imagine the emergency room of a third world country having a similar aura of un-cleanliness and death. 

Don’t get me wrong, the whole cast isn’t this uncommitted, unmotivated or uncooperative - just most.  And for the record, I’ve been to every freaking one of our 30 odd rehearsals over the last three months.  I guess that makes me eligible for a “Most-wasted-time-reverse-commuting-to-rehearsal-for-a-cast-that-doesn’t-show-up” Tony nomination. 

But seriously, as much as I bitch and moan, I am proud of the finished product.  I guess I’m more bitter about the missed opportunity.  I hear the audience praising the quality of the show and performances, yet I can only imagine what could have transpired had the full cast committed to attending rehearsals. 

Sigh.

After every community theatre experience, I swear it will be my last.  Yet somehow, I always find myself back on that NJ Transit bus hoping this time will be different.  Oh well, I guess I’m just a masochist at heart.

And yes, I know I still owe a Leap of Faith review.  I actually disagree with most of the reviews.  It's not nearly as awful as the still-running Ghost or Mamma Mia!  I guess I'm growing more forgiving in my middle age.

Take That, Martha Stewart!

After coercing our Billy Bigelow, Chris Grimm, to drive two hours out of his way to come pick us up in Queens and drive back to New Jersey for Saturday night’s Carousel performance, we felt obligated to throw him an impromptu 24^th birthday party at our apartment.

Not to worry, dah-lings, we’re expert entertainers and even with a limited time frame and budget, we came up with a celebration that would make Martha Stewart proud.  Here’s Fausto's breakdown for giving a fabulous party with only two hours notice.

Pork belly, pulled pork and ribs.  Oink! Oink!

1.  Order a bunch of pork products from Butcher Bar.  White people seem to love barbecued pork products (and cole slaw).

Tasty AND descriptive

2.  Pick up a fancy chocolate chip cake.  Yes, that would be a cake without icing, but instead a large soft chocolate chip cookie on the top and bottom and layered with chocolate cake and cream.  White folks seem to love chocolate chip cookies almost as much as barbecue.   

Oh, and make sure to personalize the cake with some loving term of endearment like, “Happy Birthday Manwhore.”* 

*Special thanks to Anisa at Terrizzi Pastry Shop who didn't bat an eye at our unorthodox text request (whispered across the pastry display).

3.  Pick up some colorful balloons.  It doesn’t matter what they say, as long as they’re festive - our choices - “Happy Birthday,” “Mis Quince” and “It’s a Boy!”  And make sure the Latino gentlemen filling them with helium knows that they’re a joke and you actually do know what “Mis Quince” means.

Aaarrgh!

4.  Pick a theme.  This was a bit more difficult given our time constraint and limited budget.  But as soon as I spied that pirate hat and sword at the dollar store, I knew where this party theme was headed.  Ahoy, mateys!

Baked by Melissa to end the party.

Another happy recipient of the Pineda's unique brand of  hospitality.