Vintage Hollywood Theatre - Tear the Curtain! and Chaplin the Musical - Theatre Reviews

Tear the Curtain! - The Electrics Company Theatre at Canadian Stage's Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Jonathon Young and Kevin Kerr, Created with and Directed by Kim Collier
Runs until Oct. 20th 2012

Chaplin the Musical - Barrymore Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - *** (out of 5 stars)
Music and Lyrics by Christopher Curtis, Book by Thomas Meehan and Christopher Curtis, Directed and Choreographed by Warren Carlyle

The stage and screen are two very different entities. We watch and experience them differently and our brains process the two art forms differently. In Tear the Curtain!, The Electrics Company Theatre new show under Kim Collier's direction (whose last project at Canadian Stage Studies in Motion, blew me away), melds the two art forms into one show, playing with our senses as we watch a film-noir become a live stage show, and back again, and then sometimes at the same time! It's quite a jarring change at first, as our eyes and minds must adjust to the distance we follow this dark story, a mystery of sorts set in the 1930's that plays around with our perceptions of theatre and film, in a show about a theatre critic that falls into the war between movie houses and theatre houses as film was just burgeoning in the 30's as the newest craze in entertainment.

The plot to Tear the Curtain! is a confusion of mysteries a-la-film-noir-style, as a film critic Alex Braithwaite (writer Jonathon Young) falls for a femme fatale actress (a luminous Laura Mennell from TV's Alphas) and sort of steps onto a stage (or is it screen?) as two mob bosses are fighting over Vancouver's Stanley Theatre (or what will become it). Or something like that. Alex also follows a mysterious man who turns out to be Stanley Lee (James Fagan Tait), while a screwball co-worker Mavis (a delightful Dawn Petten) is smitten with Alex. There are layers upon layers of the story, with some surprising reveals and several amusing or terrifying twists, but the story tries to be so clever and twisty that it's often too confusing to take in while sitting there in a theatre, and too indecipherable at times. Maybe the point, and it gets the film-noir genre tone quite well, but sometimes it's all too much to take in.

When things get too confusing though, there's still the visuals to take in, and they can be surprising and delightful, haunting or chilling. The whole show is pretty much stunningly beautiful and interesting. With the use of projections showing the film (done by Brian Johnson), sometimes projected onto a screen, sometimes onto the set itself (that looks like a giant foam core model) by David Roberts, the story shifts from screen to stage, back and forth, and is amazingly clever when we sometimes see the same scene from two different vantage points at the same time.

While the mindbending story is enhanced by the mindblowing melding of film projection and stagecraft, the performances from Young and Petten anchor the show and give the mystery the heart it needs. Petten particularly gives the lightness to balance out the film-noir atmosphere and story that sometimes devolves into head-scratching confusion, but the ideas, and imagery Tear the Curtain! introduces are eye opening.

Chaplin the Musical is probably an unnecessary musicalized version of Charlie Chaplin's life that, through the sheer brilliance of Rob McClure's performance as the title character, is a pleasant and enjoyable show. With tuneful but forgettable songs, and a book that tries to deepen our understanding of the famous performer by delving into his psyche, the musical has far too many slow book moments and seems to overanalyze Chaplin without really getting any true grit or depth in his life. The dark moments only seems to skim the surface, but the show works best in its buoyant moments, when the show starts recreating some of Chaplin's most famous scenes from his films, and the Hollywood drama behind the scenes. The new musical tries to have a serious side but never does it quite enough to be truly revelatory, all while spoiling the fun moments in Rob McClure's uncanny recreation of the legendary Charlie Chaplin.

The musical spends a lot of time with young Chaplin, growing up in England with his single mother (the lovely Christiane Noll) and brother (Wayne Alan Wilcox).  to being plucked to Hollywood where he quickly establishes a comedic act that seems to gain everyones attention. From trying to change his Vaudeville circuit act into something that can work on film, Chaplin learns to manipulate the new medium of film to comedic brilliance, and the show is at its most fun when we see it performed live on stage.

Though the musical feels overlong, and skims over Chaplin's tendency to romance teenage girls as just another plot point (while stretching his childhood psyche thread), things get juicy when scheming gossip columnist Hedda Hepper (a perfectly cast Jenn Colella) attempts to play dirty, using her power to get the public to turn on Chaplin, all while Chaplin tries to battle the emerging change in Hollywood to the talkies.

Chaplin The Musical is a pleasant light biographical show that works best when it's simply pure entertainment in the recreation of the best of Chaplin with McClure's wonderful starmaking performance.


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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The Circus Circuit - Amaluna, The Beatles LOVE, Mystère, O, Zarkana - Cirque Reviews

Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna - Le Grand Chapiteau at The Port Lands - Toronto, ON - ***** (out of 5 stars)
Director of Creation: Fernand Rainville, Directed by Diane Paulus
Runs in Toronto until Nov. 7th, 2012, Begins in Vancouver on Nov. 23 2012, in Seattle on Jan. 31 2013.

Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana - Radio City Music Hall - New York City, NY - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written and Directed by Francois Girard
Opens at Aria - Las Vegas on Nov. 1st, 2012

Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE - The Mirage - Las Vegas, NV - **** (out of 5 stars)
Director of Creation: Chantal Tremblay, Writer of original show concept and Directed by Dominic Champagne

Cirque du Soleil's Mystère - Treasure Island - Las Vegas, NV - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Directed by Franco Dragone

Cirque du Soleil's O - Bellagio - Las Vegas, NV - ***** (out of 5 stars)
Directed by Franco Dragone

I've always been a fan of Cirque du Soleil since seeing my first Cirque show with Varekai, but usually I only get to see a Cirque show once a year or two. But life's been good to me this year, and I happened to get a chance to see 6 Cirque shows this year in a sort of Cirque craze marathon (out of 12 that I've seen, so half of the Cirque shows I've seen, I've seen this year!)! I got to go to Vegas a couple of times this year, and finally getting to see the much talked about O, The Beatles LOVE, the first Cirque sit down Mystère, and KÀ (reviewed here). I also finally checked out Zarkana in NYC, just before it closed to reopen soon in Vegas, joining the plethora of Cirque shows already there.

I also checked out Cirque's newest show Amaluna in their traditional big yellow and blue touring tent Le Grand Chapiteau when it first opened in Montreal earlier this spring (original review here). While I thought it was a nearly perfect Cirque show even as a new show in its preview stages, Cirque will often tinker with its shows until it is just right, even after Opening Night. I was curious to see if any changes were made as it travelled to Toronto.

Well, to be honest, my memory for detail isn't strong enough to determine if many changes were made to Amaluna, but I can say what was a nearly perfect show, now feels like an even tighter, more cohesive Cirque show that easily joins the best Cirque du Soleil shows (which, like Pixar films, have such a high standard, that even when they're not the best Cirque show, they are still generally better than most shows out there, and I probably tend to grade Cirque shows more harshly against each other). Amaluna has easily become one of my top 3 Cirque shows in the Montreal company's canon.

Amaluna, directed by Broadway director Diane Paulus (Hair, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess), is the first Cirque show to use a template story, Shakespeare's The Tempest with a touch of Romeo and Juliet, and is also the first Cirque show to be dominated by a female cast and band, with the show as a celebration of woman (and a cast comprised of about 70% women). From Marie Michelle Faber as the moon (who does tricks on a flying hoop WHILE singing), to Lara Jacobs the balance goddess, who even upon second viewing, is absolutely mesmerizing as she creates a giant mobile, a description that doesn't even come close to describing the intensity, the silence, and the awe the act inspires.

Prospera conjures up a storm (with an aerial act) that brings a bunch of shipwrecked sailers to this island of women, including a handsome man, Romeo, for Prospera's daughter Miranda to flirt with. Iuliia Mykhailova and Edouard Doye gives us a Miranda and Romeo romance to root for, as different circus acts add to the plot and keep the lovebirds apart, lead by Cali, Miranda's pet lizard. Other obstacles include some warrior women on low bars, the shirtless sailers on a seesaw plank, and a highwire act up in the clouds as Miranda gets flown away from her Romeo.

The story helps add a narrative cohesion to the show (also used well in OVO (my review), the only other Cirque show directed by a woman, and KÀ) that adds an extra layer to the showmanship package Cirque is famous for. I had minor quibbles about the clowns and one dance act by a woman in white in the Montreal incarnation but they seemed to blend in far better this time around. The integration of all the characters into each act and blending into one another also helps with the flow of the show and keeps Amaluna feeling like one entity (as opposed to a series of circus acts, which Cirque is essentially is).

It's also impressive when you see the characters you're getting emotionally attached to, start performing an impressive trick, becoming the next act. Mykhailova isn't just our endearing Miranda, but does a beautiful balance and contortion act in and around a water bowl, while Doye shows us his insanely impressive abs and puts them to use as he climbs a pole (trying to rescue Miranda in the sky) with his bare hands (with no help from his feet, as he's turned to the side, or in many other angular variations).

The second viewing also gave me a better chance to notice details I had missed in my first awe-inducing viewing, thus inspiring even further awe. The ladies in the highwire act were walking the wire either on-point, or in high heels. The intensity in the production and sound design (that Globe and Mail's Nestruck first noted) that surrounds the slow-build intensity of Jacobs' balancing act. The amount and types of rotations the Chinese tumblers perform (while swinging lighted orbs). There isn't one circus act here that isn't impressive, including a juggling act that takes juggling and manipulation to another level, but Paulus and the creative team have chiseled away a beautifully smooth and sensuous show that shows the strong, yet soft side of women.

Zarkana first opened at the grand Radio City Music Hall, a beautiful venue in itself, but Zarkana creates some epic imagery, but the dark imagery at that. With giant projections of giant eyeballs, a creepy baby (called the pickled lady), and enormous snakes, it was probably a little too dark for the family-friendly audience it was hoping to attract in New York, but may fit in better in Las Vegas. While the sort of Frankenstein etches an outline for the acts, some of the acts, while impressive, seemed a little small for the giant Radio City Music Hall stage.

They bring out the Wheel of Death, but there's also a single ball bouncer/juggler. Both impressive acts, but only one fills the enormous frame of Radio City's stage. It's only until near the end, do the final two acts seem mindblowing, when the flying trapeze, and a banquine (think super cheerleading gymnastics) acts actually inspire gasps. Still, the simpler acts are quite beautiful, including a sand painting act (!?!) and a handbalancing act, but it's hard to admire the chiseled muscle on the handbalancer when you're sitting in such a large venue.

The flying trapeze comes about when a giant spider web envelops the stage (looking like what Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark probably wanted to be), and truly utilizes the height and space of the venue, but the thematic elements of the show seem like a hodgepodge of horror house ideas. Still, when those trapeze artists are flying through the air, or the banquine performers are flipping over and on top of each other in multiple unison, it's hard to begrudge the show when there is such cool stuff on stage.

The Beatles LOVE is the first show to utilize existing music (since Cirque is usually famous for it's own scores), in a collaborative tribute to The Beatles, using new versions of the band's famous songs specifically created for the show. The joys of The Beatles music comes to life visually in what becomes more of a dance theatre piece than a typical Cirque show. The story of The Beatles, from children during the war, is sketchily outlined with their music, and movement and circus acrobatics help enhance their music, as opposed to music and a theme tying together different circus acts. Every song now becomes a beautiful image, with silhouettes of The Beatles appearing on screens every once in a while, and it becomes Cirque du Soleil's visual poetic ode to one of the most famed bands ever.

In a specially designed theatre at The Mirage, the 360 in-the-round (sort of) stage is filled with so many dancers and acrobatics that it's often difficult to know where to focus on, with many little moments are happening everywhere on stage at the same time. The show is at its best when there is a particular focus, like in the telephone booth scene (a jumping/trampoline act), or at the fair with the roller skaters, in the most Cirque-like moments.

Mystère, the first Cirque du Soleil show to set up shop in Las Vegas, is the most traditional Cirque tent show of the Las Vegas bunch since it was created when they only had touring tent shows. Even the theatre at Treasure Island resembles the seating of a tent show. The theme and story of the show goes back to those mystical outline of an idea that is an excuse to thread each circus act together, and it feels like old-school Cirque which isn't necessarily a bad thing. BUT, being in Las Vegas, and knowing about some of the newer, more gimmicky shows, one tends to have larger expectations.

Still, Mystère has some astonishing acts, like the trapeze artists, trampoline act or two muscled men with a hand to hand routine (essentially holding one another in various poses of balance). The show is classic Cirque at its core and no less wonderous.

Then, I finally got to see the famed O at Bellagio, or the "water" Cirque. And does it ever live up to the hype. Created by Dragone (who worked on many of the early quintessential Cirque shows, including Mystère), the show's famous stage is a giant pool that can seal up quickly with a hard surface and disappear just as fast. Thus acts take place on the stage, in the water, and many times both. The images are strange and haunting, with a glorious deep stage, carousel horses, a torn body, that continues in that mystical, lyrical atmospheric and undecipherable story Cirque is usually known for, and it works beautifully with the astonishing physical acts that matches the impressive technology of the stage.

From aerial hoops that dip into the water, to actual high dives into the pool, to contortion acts done upon floating icebergs on the ocean, to Russian swings that swing the performers into the water, O uses the water to its advantage and creates some stunning tricks, and countless gasp inducing moments. There is a beautiful lyrical fluidity for a show about water, and its nicely balanced with a fire act, creating tension in the surreal setting.

Even the clowns, two poor soles lost on a floating house in the floods, have a sadness (yet are actually truly funny) that sinks in with the rest of the elegant show. O is filled to the brim with astounding act after astounding acts, and is easily one of my favorite Cirque shows, if not THE favorite. It was actually O inducing.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Crushworthy - Steven Reineke and the TSO Pops for Rodgers and Hammerstein!

The Toronto Symphony is back this season with their TSO Pops Concert series with Steven Reineke back conducting, this time for the first time officially as Toronto Symphony's Principal Pops Conductor! The first concert series Some Enchanted Evening: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein (on Tue, Oct. 9th at 8pm and Wed, Oct. 10th at 2pm and 8pm) will put a new spin on the classic songs of Broadway legends Rodgers and Hammerstein and include songs from The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and Carousel. 

Plus, the concerts will feature Broadway's Aaron Lazar (A Little Night Music, The Light in the Piazza), Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) and Canadian baritone Jonathan Estabrooks. Been a fan of Lazar's so it'll be nice to see him on home turf! 

I saw last year's Pop Concert series Hollywood Hits that had Steven Reineke conducting and The Little Mermaid's Jodi Benson and Broadway's Hugh Panaro singing and it was absolutely terrific. I hadn't seen Panaro before but because a fan, while Reineke is very fun to watch as a conductor. His energy and enthusiasm comes across on stage very easily, including accidentally throwing his baton after getting too excited at one point! His charming personality (and matinee idol looks) also makes him a very personable conductor that fits perfectly well with the Pop series!

And don't forget, if you're 15-35 years old, you can buy $14 tickets for the TSO with tsoundcheck! This includes future TSO shows including Merry TSO Christmas and the next Pops series with Steven Reineke, Love Will Keep Us Together (with Betsy Wolfe)!


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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The Rise of the Falls - Queen of the Mist - Cast Recording Review

I missed Transport Group's Off-Broadway production of the new Michael John LaChiusa musical Queen of the Mist, but luckily, Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records have preserved the show in an Original Cast Recording for us to experience.

LaChiusa's newest little chamber musical is about Anne "Annie" Edson Taylor, the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She lived to tell the tale, but she thought fame and fortune would follow but was sorely mistaken. It's a fascinating story and Queen of the Mist is a beautifully told story with an intriguing book that feels epic, yet concentrates on the very personal and intimate story of this woman who would be crazy enough to pull a stunt of death defying proportions. 

LaChiusa's music tends to be extremely complex (aka not easy to digest and listen to sometimes) and while I have tended to admire rather than love some of his earlier work, his recent Giant (finally opening in New York this fall) was a tremendous and epic work that soared melodically and pulled emotional levels worthy of the classic story, and without ever losing the essence and complexity LaChiusa is known for.

With Queen of the Mist, LaChiusa hasn't lost any of the complexity in the notes of the music, but taking on the musical stylings of the early 20th century, has added some breathing room and lightness to his music, with some beautifully tuneful songs, harking back to the . Threading some of the melodies, particularly "There Is Greatness In Me", adds layers of discovery on the strange personality of this Annie Edson Taylor. There's a wink and natural comedic tone in the music and in the lyrics that pokes at Taylor's delusions without ever quite making fun of her. There's a genuine love for Taylor as a person, despite the fact that she was probably a very irritating and frustrating person to deal with.

Annie Edson Taylor was the know it all who knew nothing. An intelligent woman who wasn't smart enough to get her life together in a world and time that didn't know how to handle a brassy woman like that. As Annie, Mary Testa gives a powerful and empathetic performance that isn't lost in an audio recording. You can hear her feisty performance, and with the honesty in LaChiusa's tone, both the ridiculous elements of Taylor's life, along with Testa's no-holds-barred performance, presents both the brave and deluded woman Taylor was.

Mary Testa is absolutely amazing, even in audio only, and even her facial expressions come across through the non-visual medium. After rocking the boat in the recent Broadway revival of Guys & Dolls , or being an ungodly riot in Xanadu, it's great to see Testa take hold of a leading performance and giving it the full emotional force we knew she had in her, without losing her comedic touch, or a relatability that makes Testa so beloved.

Up against Testa's Taylor is Andrew Samonsky as Mr. Russell, the man she sort of forces to become her manager, only, as Mr. Russell predicts, turns into a tumultuous business relationship. Samonsky (quite wonderful in a small role in Little Miss Sunshine (musical) and replacement in South Pacific) finally gets a nice leading original role and his beautiful voice and tone is a perfect opposition to Testa's Taylor.

As the story of Annie's life unravels as she begins to unravel, the period music repeats itself, but with undertones of her ghostly mistakes as they layer themselves in LaChiusa's music. It becomes both a haunting tale, while also being a fascinating tabloid story. The recording has gorgeous orchestrations with some of LaChiusa's most tuneful music. I may have been sorry that I missed the production but it wonderfully lives on in this superb recording.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Experience Queen of the Mist!

Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight has been nice enough to send me the new Queen of the Mist Original Cast Recording CD and while I missed the original Off-Broadway run by Transport Group, I'm loving the fact that I get to experience Mary Testa's brassy and bold leading turn in Michael John LaChiusa's new musical. I'll have a full review coming soon, but I get to share the OCR experience, as I'm giving away a copy of the Queen of the Mist OCR CD to 2 lucky readers!

QUEEN OF THE MIST features music and lyrics by five-time Tony nominee Michael John LaChiusa (The Wild Party, Marie Christine, Hello Again). The show, originally commissioned and produced by Transport Group, received the 2012 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. The recording was made possible with generous support from The Shen Family Foundation.

QUEEN OF THE MIST’s cast recording features performances by original cast members D.C. Anderson, Stanley Bahorek, Theresa McCarthy, Julia Murney, Andrew Samonsky, Tally Sessions and Mary Testa. Queen of the Mist was directed by five-time Drama Desk nominee Jack Cummings III (Hello Again, See Rock City & Other Destinations, The Boys in the Band). Orchestrations are by Tony Award winner Michael Starobin. The album was produced by Joel Moss, Kurt Deutsch and Michael John LaChiusa.

Based on an astounding and outrageous true story, two-time Tony nominee Mary Testa stars in QUEEN OF THE MIST as Anna Edson Taylor, who, in 1901 at the age of 63, set out to be the first woman to shoot Niagara Falls in a barrel of her own design. Navigating both the treacherous Falls and a fickle public with a ravenous appetite for sensationalism, this unconventional heroine vies for her legacy in a world clamoring with swindling managers, assassins, revolutionaries, moralizing family, anarchists and activists. Convinced that there is greatness in her and determined not to live as ordinary, she sets out to battle her fear and tempt her fate.

With a soaring score that incorporates turn of the century themes with LaChiusa’s signature complexity and insight, QUEEN OF THE MIST is the story of a single great fall, and how one woman risked death so that she could live. QUEEN OF THE MIST continues the long collaboration between Transport Group and Mr. LaChiusa, which includes the critically acclaimed Drama Desk-nominated productions of First Lady Suite and Hello Again.


To enter the contest:
- Email me at tapeworthycontest at gmail dot com

- Please subject the email: QUEEN OF THE MIST CONTEST and please include your Name, Email and full mailing address including City and State or Province (no P.O. Boxes).

- Answer the question: What other Michael John LaChiusa musical is available in Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight's CD catalogue? (there may be more than one correct answer).

- For a BONUS Entry: Share the contest on twitter and include your twitter handle and twitter post in the email.
- For a BONUS Entry: Share the contest on Facebook on Public setting and include a link to your Facebook page in the email.

- Contest closes at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, August 21st 2012. Winner will be randomly picked from all entries received.


- Tapeworthy is not responsible for the prize. Prize will be mailed directly to the winner by Sh-K-Boom Records/Ghostlight Records.
Prize has no monetary value.

- Only two winners will be chosen by random draw (using random.org) from all entries.
Only winners will be contacted.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Dazed and Confused - Midsummer, Charlie Brown, Pirates of Penzance, Zapata! - Stage Reviews

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Canadian Stage at Shakespeare in High Park - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Richard Rose
Runs until Sept. 2nd 2012

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown - Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - *** (out of 5 stars)
Music, Lyrics and Book by Clark Gesner, Based on the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Shulz, Additional Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa, Additional Dialogue by Michael Mayer, Directed and Choreographed by Donna Feore
Runs until Oct. 28th 2012

The Pirates of Penzance - Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, Directed by Ethan McSweeny
Runs until Oct. 27th 2012

Zapata! The Musical - New York Musical Festival - The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center - New York, NY - * (out of 5 stars)

Music by Peter Edwards, Book and Lyrics by Peter and Ada Edwards , Directed by Elizabeth Lucas

Runs until Jul. 29th 2012

Let's be honest here. Ol' Billy Shakespeare was probably on some kind of shrooms or magical berries when he wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream because I have NEVER really understood the story. Sure, there's the quartet of mixed up lovers and a king and a queen, but then add in an acting troupe doing their own thing, fairies, some kind of magical juice and a guy named Puck and I keep asking WHY? (which I know, I probably just shouldn't). I've seen numerous versions of the play between the stage and film, and I can still not recount what the actual story details are. To me, a measure of success for a Shakespeare play is one where the production is understandable, but I'm not even sure if this play has much to understand and maybe the point is just to enjoy in the magical whispy (crazy) delights of the fragmented scenes within this much beloved classic Shakespearean tale?

For the 30th Anniversary of Canadian Stage's Shakespeare in High Park, they're staging the ultimate outdoor summer classic, A Midsummer Night's Dream again. While I'm not sure I fully understand all of director Richard Rose's vision, and I'm not sure if that vision made Dream any clearer, I'm not sure it mattered with such a joyous cast that made for a delightful evening outside to see theatre under the stars.

Partly setting the play in the Ontario Muskoka's, with Dmitry Chepovetsky and Tamara Podemski's Theseus and Hippoltya arriving in a golf cart, all while Canadian Mounties move props around a mostly bare stage, it wonderfully lets the trees of High Park be the real setting for this Night's Dream.

Dmitry Chepovetsky and Tamara Podemski stand strong and confident again as Oberon and Titania with their usual commanding performances.

John Cleland is hysterical as Nick Bottom, now a real estate agent before he gets into trouble in the fairy world and turns into an ass. Cleland is surrounded by a wonderful "acting" troupe, with Pierre Simpson (from Toronto French Theatre) as the show's proper Quebecois "director" Pierre Le Coing, Mark Crawford (The Normal Heart), and Richard Lee (every other play in Toronto, including The Neverending Story and Other People) as Francis Filchenkov and Tom Chow, respectively, creating a little international troupe. They double as Peasebottom, Cobweb and Mustardseed in a very funny sequence using the voices of children. Cleland and Simpson are wonderfully amusing together (and terrific discoveries for me), while Crawford and Lee get good laughs in their scenes.

As for the lovers, Hermia's costume might seem a bit overkill in showing her stuck in an old-fashioned fatherly grip, but Sophia Kolinas nicely plays her lust for Lysander partly as an escape (with facial expressions in a later part of the play showing a deeper story behind her choices). Eric Morin (Altar Boyz) is wonderfully spirited and winning as the dude Lysander, a sort of rock n' roll dippy with rock solid abs who loves being in love. His interactions with Helena are particularly fun, especially when played by an exasperated power-walking Lululemon wearing Sarah Sherman who is wonderfully endearing and manages to make Shakespeare's words seem modern and fresh. All this happens while Helena yearns for Ali Momen's suited-up Demetrius, whose love for Hermia seems a bit too calculated, like a business transaction with Hermia's father.

Then there is Puck, who instigates much of the trouble in the fairy world, creating mischief, if only by accident, and giving Gil Garrett more room to have a playful romp on the stage, as he also did so joyously in The Game of Love and Chance.

While not everything quite worked for me in this production (or really, any production of Midsummer), having a cast that puts together some of Toronto's best actors, including Chepovetsky and Podemski, up-and-comers Lee, Crawford, Morin and discovering the joys of Sherman, Simpson and Cleland, helps overcome some of the vagaries of the story and interpretation. There are so many delightful moments from the strong cast, some clever interpretations from Rose, and some fun silliness perfect for a summer outdoor park theatre audience (including when the characters end up jumping off stage through the bushes) makes it a delightful summer night of Shakespeare theatre!



I’ve also seen The Pirates of Penzance before, but never in a professional manner. I’ve never fully remembered the story in previous school and community productions, but they’ve always been zany and full of timely jokes that I’ve always enjoyed it. I still can’t tell you what the exact story is, other than some shenanigans and mix-ups with some pirates, but I never thought that was much the point of a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta.

Unfortunately, Stratford’s current revival of The Pirates of Penzance is played pretty straight laced, with a framing device of a play within the operetta that doesn’t seem to add much to the proceedings. There’s some lovely singing from the Stratford cast, and a standout leading performance by Kyle Blair (A Man of No Importance) but with the exception of an aside that explains the history of Stratford leadership, the updated quips and jokes were kept at a minimum. I know it’s not necessary, and Gilbert & Sullivan’s piece should stand on its on even when played straight, but I found this production lacking some zip and didn’t quite seem to feel cohesive enough. There’s an additional straightforward framing device that sets this Pirates as a play within a play, but it felt like an unnecessary layer that didn’t add much to the enjoyment of Gilbert & Sullivan’s piece and did not add much needed energy to the show.

Meanwhile, I had never seen You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, the Broadway musical based on Charles Schulz's Peanut characters, but I had heard the revival cast recording and knew it that it had a problematic book that had been reworked for the last Broadway revival (making stars out of Kristin Chenoweth and Roger Bart and earning them Tony Awards). Stratford has also courted some criticism for showcasing this family friendly (and highly unShakesperean show) in its lineup this season, but I think it is great that the reputable theatre company is taking on a "kids" show, and I don't have a problem with the show choice at least. While Stratford adheres to the revised version (which has many critics), the show is basically a hodgepodge of random sketches of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, with less of the adult psychology of the strip and more of the commercial cuteness sold in stores.

The Stratford's You're A Good Man Charlie Brown misses the mark in the deeper levels that adults could truly identify with in the comic strips, but leads Ken James Stewart (who was so hilarious in a small part in Shaw Festival's The President) and Erika Peck (the best parts of We Will Rock You and The Boys in the Photograph) are total delights as Charlie Brown and Lucy, respectively, and carry the show enough to be a cute and charming little show. 

Amy Wallis, (also in Pirates) makes a nice little mark here on Sally (the role that won Kristin Chenoweth her first Tony) but Stephen Patterson doesn't make the Snoopy role quite as endearing as you would imagine it, and is not helped by his costume.

The overall colour scheme is bright and bold (and probably giving the usual Stratford crowd seizures) but while I'm not against an aggressively cartoonish set (since, you know, it's based on a cartoon), I do wish they stuck to the Sunday morning cartoon print colours that the strip would use, instead of the bright fluorescent hues that frame a projection screen that doesn't seem to be used to its potential.

Still, it's the fragmented scenes that will either bother you, or you'll accept in the way the musical is built, and while the cast won me over, you have to enjoy it as if you're reading Charlie Brown one panel at a time.

But if Charlie Brown doesn't quite match the double meaning cleverness of Shulz's originals, NYMF entry Zapata! The Musical seems to entirely miss its mark on the tone of a musical that wants to mix the lessons learned by Mexican revolutionary fighter Emiliano Zapata and how the Occupy Wall Street movement should be fought. When the rock'nroll bass riffs during the opening Occupy Wall Street scene, and it is played out completely straight, you realize that the show, which sounded ripe for a satirical spin, is being played in an all serious and earnest tone. As the show then abruptly takes us back to the Mexican revolution, the show that has all the right intentions, goes seriously wrong when it begins to feel like a museum diorama and the show becomes a series of straight forward history lesson scenes, tied together with some Mexican music, dancing, and very earnest expository dialogue. 

The talented cast is done no favours with a poor sound design (which in a rotating showcase like NYMF is excusable) and Andrew Call (American Idiot) and Enrique Acevedo do what they can to lead the show, but the textbook history lesson dampens the dramatics of Zapata's story and almost makes much of the real-life tragedy seem laughable. I applaud the effort and the message the authors are trying to get across, but the serious issues and facts at hand seem diminished in the production in its current state.

The Pirates of Penzance photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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