30. July 2011 by admin.

F. J. Hartland

Tormented by memories of her brother, Edna stops bathing in an attempt to take control of her life in the Pittsburgh premiere of The Mistakes Madeline Made, the second summer offering from No Name Players.

Elizabeth Meriwether’s odd script is peppered with memorable characters, and director Marci Woodruff more than meets the challenge of this peculiar play!  Not only does the play move along at an excellent pace, but Woodruff has gotten top-notch performances from her cast.

Woodruff and No Name give The Mistakes Madeline Made a very professional looking production. 

 Nick Coppula’s massive set fills the stage of the Studio Theatre in the Cathedral of Learning.  It is also nicely appointed and detailed (and contains a surprise or two).  Coppula’s lighting is not quite as successful as there are dark spots.

As Edna, Liz Roberts starts off very unsympathetically—but she plays a full arc of emotions and will bring you to tears by the time the lights fade.

John Feightner shines in multiple roles as Edna’s various paramours.  He creates three very distinctive (and obnoxious) characters.

Todd Betker gives one of the finest performances of his career thus far as Edna’s brother—and he plays most of it from inside an old-fashioned claw foot bathtub.  Betker portrays the shell-shocked war correspondent on the edge of madness with great sensitivity and flair.

In the role of Beth, Edna’s boss, Tressa Glover is both funny—and frightening.  Glover maneuvers her desk chair adeptly all while spouting such catch phrases as “”nuff said.”

The highlight of this stellar cast is Don DiGiulio as Wilson, Edna’s quirky co-worker  He brings high energy and great humor to the production…and then brings real warmth and pathos to the play’s conclusion.  DiGuilio plays the role of the lovable geek to the hilt.

It takes a few scenes to get accustomed to the characters and the style of the play.  But once you do, it is a highly enjoyable evening of theatre.

The Mistakes Madeline Made continues through August 13.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

24. July 2011 by admin.

F. J. Hartland

Three actresses from Thoreau MN—A production company braved swarms of gnats and oppressive humidity to perform an outdoor production of The Complete History of America (Abridged).

You have to admire their courage for performing without a net…or lights…or a microphone…or a real stage.  In many ways it harkens back to the days of ancient Greece, when actors performed on a hillside with no fuss or frills.

The script by Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor (the same team that have reduced The Bible and the works of Shakespeare) covers the history of America from even before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.  When the script is good, it is witty and clever.  When it’s not good, it’s sophomoric and resembles a fraternity skit from some college’s Greek Week.  Much of the material was probably ad-libbed by the creators who originally performed the show.  And sometimes when ad-libs are written as real “lines,” they tend to go “clunk.”

The actresses (Chelsea Forbes, Barb Sawatis and Marjie Stewart) work very hard (and in this heat wave, no less).  Like the script, they have some good moments; others moments, not so good.  At times, they mesh and perform like a well-oiled machine.  But there are times when they don’t always “click.”

Director lance-eric skapura keeps the show moving at a lively pace—and is to be commended for choosing this difficult script.

There really is no set or lights to talk about, but I will say that the printed signs used during the show need to be bigger—or bolder (and the actors need to hold them up long enough so that they can be read).

There are some good belly laughs, but overall it’s an uneven production.  On the plus side, it is performed at the Vineyard by Mellon—so the delicious wine is available before the show and during intermission.

The Complete History of America (Abridged) will be performed again on August 6.  For tickets, call 412-901-0639.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

23. July 2011 by admin.

F. J. Hartland

What would your cell phone tell a stranger about you?

When the gentleman next to her in a café doesn’t answer his cell phone, Jean does it—only to make the horrifying discovery that the gentleman is dead.  She keeps his cell phone, though, and it sends her into a journey into the life of the deceased.

It’s Dead Man Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, the premiere production of the newly formed Organic Theater.

It’s a fantastic premise for a play.  And I’ll admit that playwright Ruhl did hold my interest through Act One.  But Act Two spirals into a total mess, leaving me disappointed and unsatisfied.

To the credit of the Organic Theater, they give the script a top-notch production.

Jamie Slavinsky portrays Jean beautifully—capturing all the nuances of a shy, lonely woman caught in a situation that overwhelms her.  Slavinsky makes a complete physical transformation, looking like America Ferrara of television’s Ugly Betty.

As the Dwight, the deceased brother, Adam Kukic makes a welcomed return to the stage.  His Dwight is simultaneously sweet and creepy.  Kukik embodied a lost, little puppy—but you’re never quite sure if the dog is going to lick your hand or bite it.

Also making a return to the stage after a long absence is Deborah Wein as the deceased man’s mother.  Wein brings great comic relief to Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and the eulogy she delivers for her late son is hilarious!

Director Ricardo Vila-Roger (and scenic designer Jamie Slavinsky) have beautifully show-horned this production into the spare space of the ModernFormations Gallery and Performance Space.  The set pieces are simple but well-enhanced by the use of projections.  The use of Edward Hopper paintings to reflect the isolation of the characters was a stroke of genius. 

On the down-side, Act Two tends to drag and could probably be 5-10 minutes shorter.

It’s a promising start for this new theatre company.  I just wish they had chosen a better play.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone continues through July 31.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

21. July 2011 by admin.

F. J. Hartland

The Benedum Center is alive with The Sound of Music.

This sure-fire crowd-pleaser from Pittsburgh CLO is well-directed by James Brennan who keeps the pace lively.  For those of you who have suffered through those 3 ½ hour high school productions of The Sound of Music, there is nothing to fear from this quick moving and highly entertaining adaptation.

It also incorporates some of the musical numbers written specifically for the movie—so you film devotees will be pleased!

Jennifer Hope Wills is a delight as the young novitiate Maria, who becomes governess to the seven von Trapp children.  With boundless energy and a powerful singing voice, Wills captures the heart of the cold Captain von Trapp—and she’ll capture yours, too.

Speaking of voices, Lisa Howard as the Mother Abbess fills the Benedum Center to the rafters with her commanding rendition of “Climb Every Mountain.”  Her fellow “sisters” also make some beautiful music of their own.

Usually the role of Elsa, von Trapp’s betrothed, comes across as cold and villainous—but Dona English gives her a genuine warmth and caring.  Jim Brochu makes the most of the laugh lines in his role as the comic relief Max Detweiller.

Tony Award-nominee Robert Cuccioli fares better in Act One when Captain von Trapp is cold and stern.  His transformation for Act Two isn’t completely convincing.

The production is not without its flaws.The costumes border on embarrassing.  Not only do many of them fit poorly, the color palate is strange.  At the party scene, von Trapp is in a red tuxedo shirt; the result looks more like Count Dracula and not Captain von Trapp.  I’ve seen high school musicals with more professional looking costumes.

Some of director Brennan’s staging is odd.  In the wedding scene, the nuptials take place upstage behind a huge gate—which is behind a bank of nuns.  Had it not been for the bishop’s miter peeking up over the top, I wouldn’t have known that anything was going on!

I must admit that The Sound of Music is not one of the favorite musicals; it’s just a little too “sweet” and “cute” for my taste.  But I was pleasantly surprised by this production.  If you’re looking for some entertaining family fare this summer, The Sound of Music should be on your list.

The Sound of Music runs through July 31.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

15. July 2011 by admin.

F. J. Hartland

Theatre-of-the-absurd is not one of my favorites. But if I had to choose one, it would have to be Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros.

And—by luck—that happens to be the current production for the Summer Company at Duquesne University.

Rhinoceros is set in a small French town where one day a rhinoceros is seen charging through the village square.  One is again spotted later, but no one is quite sure if it was the same one seen earlier—or are here now two of them?

No one is quite sure where they’ve come from—as there is no zoo nearby and circuses were banned years ago.  Then there is a startling discovery.  One-by-one, these French villagers are being transformed into rhinos.

Ridiculous, you say?  Of course.  This is theatre-of-the-absurd. 

But Ionesco is making a very serious point about conformity versus individuality.

The current production directed by Jill Jeffrey has moved the play to America…and it doesn’t always work.  After all, there are characters named Papillion, Jean, Botard and Beouf…and the opening scene in the church square feels very European.

There are some highlights.

Mark Yochum nearly steals the show as Jean, the best friend of the main character Berenger.  Yochum has a strong stage presence and a voice that fills the Peter Mills Theatre with his crisp diction.  He plays the fastidiousness of Jean to a “T,” and then he does a full 180 degree turn in Act Two when Jean is slowly transformed into a rhinoceros!

Another stand-out is Eric Matthews as the Logician.  With his ever present pipe in hand, he spouts all sorts of silly syllogisms…and spouts them brilliantly.

Chris Sullivan is hysterically funny as the peevish Mr. Botard.  Not only does he have “the look” down pat—he’s also got the perfect voice and mannerisms.  Sullivan glibly smokes a cigarette as he eschews sarcasms left and right.

TJ Fierno’s highly serviceable set easily adapts to fit the four different locations of the play.  Scenes changes are covered by showing National Geographic footage of rhinos.  Sadly though, the scene changes are over long before the film segments end…and it makes the scene change breaks longer than they have to be.  And at 2 hours and 40 minutes, this show is already too long.

The crowd sequences in the opening scene have the potential to be much funnier if the cues were picked up. 

Pacing is a problem throughout the production. 

Overall, the entire production has potential, but the old directorial adage of “Louder, faster, funnier” should be applied here.

Rhinoceros runs through July 22.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

14. July 2011 by admin.

F. J. Hartland

Pittsburgh CLO continues its 2011 summer season with a revue—Love Changes Everything: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Utilizing four main singers (Liz Callaway, Frank D’Ambrosio, Kevin Kern and Laurie Gayle Stephenson) and an ensemble of eight, Weber fans will be delighted as the show is loaded with hits from shows, such as Sunset Boulevard, Evita, Cats…and perhaps a little too much Starlight Express and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

Lesser known shows are also highlighted such as The Beautiful Game, Whistle Down the Wind and The Woman in White.  It was refreshing to hear them and made me interested in hearing more of those shows.

The evening opens with a prologue called Love Trio which features the title tune combined with two other love songs (including the “Unexpected Song” from Song and Dance which gets a short-shrift in the show as I was hoping to hear my favorite Weber ballad “Tell Me on a Sunday.”)  Had the production done more of these “mash-ups” I think it would’ve made for a more entertaining evening.

The title of the revue is a little misleading as I thought it would be an evening of love songs, but it’s not (for example “Jellicle Ball” from Cats and the title song from Jesus Christ Superstar).  In fact nothing really holds the evening together except for the fact the composer is the same for all the numbers.

And as a revue, it’s almost too small to fill the massive Benedum Center.

It was a thrill to have the orchestra out of the pit on stage.  Under the baton of Frank Ostrowski, the musicians give the show a lush sound and feel.

Kern, Callaway and Stephenson are powerful vocalists.  Kern’s voice is pure and beautiful.  Callaway shines doing “You Must Love Me” from Evita and “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard.  (Sadly though, her microphone had a crackle in it that was very distracting).  And Stephenson soars with “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” and “Wishing.”

D’Ambrosio also has an amazing voice, but perhaps because he played the title role in The Phantom of the Opera for so long on Broadway, he plays ALL his numbers in this revue like the Phantom.  It doesn’t always work.

If you love any of Weber’s shows, this revue is a real treat.

And if you don’t like Weber, here is an anecdote you’ll love: Weber once said to Cole Porter, “Why is it people take an instant dislike to me?”  Porter replied, “Because it saves so much time.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »