22. July 2009 by admin.

COPACABANA RETURNS…BUT WHY?

F. J. Hartland 

           Barry Manilow’s COPACABANA, The Musical played Pittsburgh in 2000.  It’s back this week.  The only question is…why?

              According to the program notes, the public voted and Copacabana was the choice.  This is, of course, not the first time the voting public has made a ghastly mistake.

            The songs (with the possible exception of “Who Needs to Dream?” and the infectious title song) are lackluster and forgettable, the dialogue is wooden, the jokes old and the book…what book? 

           The team of Manilow along with Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman have come up with a real clunker.  By now, everyone knows the story (“Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl…”  Tony tends bar.  Rico wears a diamond, etc.), but now it’s a story-within-a-story of Stephen, a composer, writing the musical.  My advice is “Don’t quit your day job..”

            Somehow the cast manages to shine even when weighted down with this leaden material and cardboard characters.

            Tony Yazbeck as Stephen/Tony is charming and an impressive dancer.  Chandra L. Schwartz (Samantha/Tony) has a powerful voice and looks quite stunning onstage.

            The dynamic Robert Cuccioli (so brilliant in Les Miserables) is wasted as Rico, the villain.  Also wasted were the talents of local favorite Tim Hartman in a variety of small roles.  Elise Santora shines as Rico’s fading lover Conchita.

            Early in the show, Stephen informs us that the story takes place right after the war when everything was full of color—no beige, no white, no brown.  Then the Copacabana set glides on—all white and beige and brown.  The costumes look ill-fitting and some are actually ragged at the edges.  Sadly, on opening night a technical glitch took the thunder from the climactic moment when the plot (such as it is) is resolved.

            All in all, it seems like a cheap way to cash in on Manilow’s Grammy-winning hit.  But one song does not a musical make…

            While filing out of the Benedum after the show, a woman behind me remarked, “It was bad the first time, but this was WORSE!”

            Amen to that!

           Barry Manilow’s Copacabana, the Musical continues through July 26.

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16. July 2009 by admin.

NO DOUBT, PICT HAS A WINNER

F. J. Hartland  

          With a powerful script, brilliant cast and stylish production, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre has scored a triumph with John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt. 

           Set in a parochial school in 1964, the play pits staid principal Sister Aloysius (Kate Young) against dynamic Father Flynn (David Whalen).  She believes he has molested one of the students.  She has no proof; he denies the charges.  Along the way a young nun (Meghan Helmbecker) and the boy’s mother (Maria Becoates-Bey) are pulled into the conflict.

            The brilliance of the play is that Shanley does leave us with doubts.  Is the priest guilty or wrongly accused?  The question is never resolved  I’ve seen the play twice now—once where I thought he was guilty, once when I thought he was innocent.

            Also in the midst of this very serious play, there is a great deal of humor.  Shanley really knows how to play the audience by allowing us moments to laugh.

            Kate Young captures Sister Aloysius perfectly.  She is a strict taskmaster who always rules with her head, not her heart.  Young’s performance captures so many facets of a character that could easily be reduced to a two-dimensional stereotype.

            David Whalen is so charming and dynamic as Father Flynn that it is easy to see why he is so popular in the parish.  So charming, in fact, that one can begin to believe that it is a cover for a darker, sinister side.  The final confrontation scene between Flynn and Aloysius is an electrified roller-coaster ride thanks to Whalen and Young.

            As Sister James Meghan Heimbecker captures both the innocence and confusion of someone caught between thinking with her heart or her head.  There is also a rebellious streak that does eventually reveal itself, and in that moment Heimbecker is superb.  Maria Becoates-Bey has the shortest role in the play, but manages to make her mark.  Shanley has written some interesting twists in the character; Becoates-Bey makes the most of them. 

           The sleek and economical set by Gianni Downs should make the play move quickly.  But for some reason there are interminably long pauses between the scenes which destroy the dramatic tension.  Andrew David Ostrowski’s lighting is subtle and beautifully understated.            Hats off to director Jeffrey M. Cordell and PICT for giving Pittsburgh an exciting evening of theatre.

            Doubt runs through August 1 at the Henry Heymann Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh.

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8. July 2009 by admin.

CLO Presents “New” LES MISERABLES

F. J. Hartland 

           According to the program, Pittsburgh CLO is only one of twelve professional theatre companies to receive permission to produce Les Miserables in 2009 before the rights close prior to a National Tour slated for 2010.  And while this is billed as a “new” production, it does not disappoint.

            Based on the Victor Hugo novel, the musical tells the story of Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread.  His life becomes a story of redemption as he is pursued by the maniacal Javert.  Before it’s all over, there is intrigue, betrayal, blackmail, romance, heart-break and enough dead bodies to fill a medium sized morgue.

            The voices in this current production at the Benedum are nothing short of spectacular.  Even the young children (Victoria Huston, Rachel Mracna and Joseph Serapini) add to the vocal power of this show.  The rafters ring with this breath-taking music.  And I also have to mention the outstanding orchestra under the baton of music coordinator Frank Ostrowski. 

           Fred Inkley as Valjean has a huge presence and a powerful voice.  My only complaint is that his long locks—which are ideal for some scenes—should be pulled back more often as they have a tendency to cover his face.  Robert Cuccioli (star of Broadway’s Jekyll and Hyde) also proves his mettle as the relentless Javert. 

           Jacquelyn Piro Donovan’s portrayal of Fantine will break your heart.  I have seen Les Miserables before but can not recall being so emotionally moved as I was by Donovan.  Equally heart-breaking is Ashley Spencer’s Eponine.  Her powerful rendition of “On My Own” brought tears to my eyes.

              As the young lovers Marius and Cosette, Matthew Scott and Kate Loprest make a striking couple.  Their trio with Eponine (“A Heart Full of Love”) is one of the most beautiful moments in the show. 

           Adding comic relief to the show is Pittsburgh’s own Tim Hartman as the unscrupulous Thenardier and Sally Wilfert as his wife.   They are slimy and funny, all at the same time.

             Hats off to a hard-working ensemble who play prisoners, whores, sailors, students, wedding guests, revolutionaries and all of the poor and downtrodden.

            The costumes and set were supplied by the Music Theatre of Wichita—and here was my problem with the show.  This is going to shock all the Les Miserables fanatics I know, but there was—gasp!—no turntable.  And quite frankly, I missed it.  Call me old-fashioned, but for me that turntable adds such wonderful movement and elegance to the show.  While the set changes in the “new” production were swiftly executed, it just wasn’t the same.  Plus the turntable adds such a powerful scenic element to such scenes as “A Heart Full of Love” and  Javert’s leap from the bridge.  Also, the barricade was not nearly as visually eye-catching as I have seen in past productions.  If you haven’t seen Les Miserables before, I doubt that you would know the difference.  But based on the number of audience members around me who felt compelled to sing along at last night’s performance  (and I wish they wouldn’t—I don’t subject you people to my singing voice), many have seen the show before.

            But the performances are what make this show—and make this production well-worth seeing!

            Les Miserables continues through July 19.

            (Kudos to the Benedum for adding “text messaging” to their list of no-no’s in the pre-show announcement.  I am so annoyed during shows when there is more light emanating from the audience than there is on the stage!  I must not be the only one as the announcement was greeted by thunderous applause.)

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