Sunday, October 13, 2019
Photo Flash: 3-D Theatricals' ONCE The Musical
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| Aurora Florence (Girl) and Tom Frank (Guy) All photos by Caught in the Moment Photography. |
3-D Theatricals launches its 2019-2020 season with ONCE, The Musical directed by Kari Hayter and choreographed by Linda Love Simmons with musical direction and conducting by David Lamoureux. Adapted from the Academy Award-winning motion picture written and directed by John Carney, ONCE follows a heartbroken Irish guitarist who has given up on love and music until an immigrant girl inspires him to keep going. Their shared love of music draws the two together and the unexpected friendship quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story. Through October 27th at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. 3dtheatricals.org
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| The cast of ONCE the Musical |
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| Scott Warra (Da) and Tom Frank |
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| Katherine Washington (Reza) and the cast |
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| Andrew Huber (Andrej) and cast |
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| Leota Rhodes (Ex-Girlfriend) |
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| Aurora Florence |
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| Katherine Washington and the cast |
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| Cynthia Marty (Barushka), Aurora Florence, and Quinn Copeland (Ivanka) |
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| Tom Frank |
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| Aurora Florence and Tom Frank |
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| Aurora Florence and cast |
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| Andy Taylor (Bank Manager) Aurora Florence, and Tom Frank |
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| Tom Frank, Quinn Copeland, and Aurora Florence |
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Labels: 3D Theatricals
Monday, October 7, 2019
Musical News to Get You Out the Door and Off to the Theatre
ANASTASIA
Anastasia makes its L.A. premiere at the Pantages Theatre Oct. 8 – 27. The dazzling Broadway musical will transport the audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. Adapted by Terrence McNally and set to a gorgeous score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Anastasia is currently celebrating an open-ended run on Broadway. The touring production is directed by Tony Award®-winning director Darko Tresnjak and also features choreography by Peggy Hickey, music supervision by Tom Murray, music direction by Lawrence Goldberg, and orchestrations by Doug Besterman. The cast stars Lila Coogan as Anya, Stephen Brower as Dmitry, Jason Michael Evans as Gleb, Joy Franz as Dowager Empress, Tari Kelly as Countess Lily, Edward Staudenmayer as Vlad and Victoria Amelia Bingham as Little Anastasia. A limited number of $25 tickets will be offered by Digital Lottery. Get all the details here: hollywoodpantages.com/Lottery. Click Here for more information and to purchase tickets.
DEAR JERRY SEINFELD
You can check out the latest rock musical from composer Michael Teoli this month at Three Clubs when he combines Seinfeld and Dear Evan Hansen to bring you Dear Jerry Seinfeld. If watching Jerry, Elaine, George, Kramer and even Newman sing and dance about nothing sounds like the stuff of your dreams, then this one’s for you. Starring Alex Lewis of Bring The Funny, Allyson Phillips, Heather Woodward, Matthew Patrick Davis, Brock Baker, Dahlya Glick, Madison Lanesey, Vic Michaelis, Andrew Young and Ari Stidham from the TV series Scorpion as Newman. Thursdays at 8pm, Oct. 10 – Nov. 21. The Three Clubs has a two drink minimum per person but you can bring in outside food. Please note, you must be 21 to attend. www.dearjerryseinfeld.com
This “prequel” to William Finn’s groundbreaking March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland is directed by Corey Lynn Howe, and produced by Zachary Harris Lutsky and Tal Fal. In the opening chapter of the Marvin Trilogy, Marvin explores his sexuality and identity through his relationships with the three most important woman in his life: his high school sweetheart; his teacher; and his wife. Torn between his natural inclination and his desire not to upset his family life as he knows it, Marvin ultimately makes the decision he feels is best for him. Cast stars Braxton Molinaro in the title role, with Tal Fox (His Wife), Michelle Lane (His Teacher), and Lea Madda (His High School Sweetheart). Brooke van Grinsven is the Female Cover. The show is appropriate for ages 14+ and runs 90 minutes with no intermission. Oct. 11 – Nov. 3 at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood. brownpapertickets.com/event/4323015
Get those trombones ready everyone! Adam Pascal stars as Professor Harold Hill in 5-Star Theatricals’ upcoming production of The Music Man at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The Meredith Willson classic musical is directed by Larry Raben and features musical direction by Brad Ellis and choreography by Peggy Hickey. The cast also includes Katharine McDonough as Marian, Trent Mills, Joshua Blond, Lisa Dyson, Savannah Fischer, Dani Gonzalez, Rich Grosso, Joe Hart, Christie Lynn Lawrence, Antonia Vivino, Chris Hunter, Jonathan Matthews, James Thomas Miller, Richard Storrs, L. Michael Wells, Adam Winer, and an ensemble of 24. Oct. 18 – 27 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. 5startheatricals.com [Photo by Ed Krieger]
October is Drug Abuse Prevention Month and AK Ink is giving back by donating all proceeds from their new musical Good Fishermen Know A Lot About Sex to benefit Opioid Abuse Prevention. Writer Alexa Karas and composer Konner Scott explore what happens when you combine a grieving family of four, hoping to put the past behind them, with a boatful of local Hawaiian fishermen. As Ally and her family learn about the cycle of life and how sex and fishing are intimately connected, they realize that even when faced with the most difficult of circumstances, life goes on. The cast includes Kelley Pierre, Ryan Lee Hughes, Peter Miller, Dorothy Blue, Earl Baylon, Kit Nolan, Konner Scott, and Jimmy Clabots. Oct. 11 – Nov. 3 at the Hudson Theatre. onstage411.com/goodfisherman
MainStreet Theatre Company opens its new season at the Lewis Family Playhouse with the west coast premiere of OLIVÉRio: A Brazilian Twist. This musical retelling of Oliver Twist is set in modern-day Rio de Janeiro and features book and lyrics by Karen Zacarías and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. A play-within-a-play setting follows Oli (Ella Saldana North), an orphan girl who asks Iemanja (Patricia Jewel), the goddess of the sea, for a “little bit more” in her life. Along comes con artist Falcão (Janet Greaves) and her artful young thief Zé Esquiva (Max Torrez) who attempt to use Oli’s innocence for their own gain. Soon everyone must decide whether they will do the right thing or take the easy way out. Robert Castro directs, choreography is by Tamica Washington-Miller, and Richard Miller is musical director. The score will be performed by a live Brazilian band. Also included in the cast are Anthea Neri as Nancí, a wash maid with dreams of her own, Reuben Uy as Sykes, an unscrupulous policeman, and Gigi Bermingham as the rich widow Rosa Maria. Oct. 12 – 27. www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com
3-D Theatricals launches its 2019-2020 season with ONCE, The Musical directed by Kari Hayter and choreographed by Linda Love Simmons with musical direction and conducting by David Lamoureux. Adapted from the Academy Award-winning motion picture written and directed by John Carney, ONCE follows a heartbroken Irish guitarist who has given up on love and music until an immigrant girl inspires him to keep going. Their shared love of music draws the two together and the unexpected friendship quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story. 3DT’s production stars a company of actor/musicians who will play their own instruments and the venue will be transformed to an intimate in-the-round configuration. Cast includes Tom Frank as Guy, and Aurora Florence as Girl, Tony Award-winner Scott Waara as Da, and original Broadway cast member Andy Taylor as Bank Manager, along with Chuck McLane, Katherine Washington, Cynthia Marty, David Coe Lamoureux, Andrew Huber, Cameron Tagge, Erich Schroeder, Leota Rhodes, and Quinn Copeland. ONCE, The Musical features a book by Enda Walsh, and music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Oct. 11 – 27 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. 3dtheatricals.org
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Labels: 3D Theatricals, 5-star theatricals, hollywood pantages, hudson theatre, lounge theatre, mainstreet theatre company, three clubs
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Review: Two Stars and a Scintillating Score Make This SECRET GARDEN Glow
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| Evan Gutierrez (Colin) and Dino Nicandros (Archibald) All photos by Caught in the Moment Photography |
When 3-D Theatricals artistic director T.J. Dawson tells you during the curtain speech to read his program note before The Secret Garden begins, take him at his word. It will go a long way toward helping you understand the feverish dream sequence that lays the foundation for Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s dark, but ultimately uplifting, musical based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 classic novel.
At its center is a family cursed with more than its fair share of heartbreak. Young Mary Lennox (Glory Joy Rose) is the only survivor of a cholera epidemic in India that has claimed the lives of her parents and everyone she knows.
Far away in England, her uncle Archibald (Dino Nicandros) still mourns the loss of his wife Lily (Jeanette Dawson) ten years after she died giving birth to their son Colin (Evan Gutierrez) whom Archibald keeps bedridden for fear the child has inherited his own physical deformity.
It is into this dreary household that Mary is sent to live, though not by choice. She arrives a spoiled brat but with the help of kindly spirits, a locked, overgrown garden, and the down-to-earth folk who work for Archibald, blossoms into the caring catalyst who helps heal them all.
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| Glory Joy Rose and Evan Gutierrez |
Simon’s sophisticated score is the star, with its haunting melodies and choral depth, though it is not always handled with finesse by an ensemble that has difficulty with pitch, clarity, and restraint. Sound issues were prevalent on opening night as even the orchestra was out of tune, most noticeably in the exposed sections of the score. Still, nothing could dim the overall effect of this lush gothic musical romance steeped in the ache of loss but rich in lessons of rebirth and the cyclical nature of life.
Also a star is Nicandros, in a deeply moving performance as the grieving widower. Archibald is a man lost and sinking under the weight of his own demons but Nicandros never gives in to the piece’s melodramatic pull. Instead, he is grounded in an honest simplicity that reveals a chameleon-like actor who has matured over the last several years on southern California stages and should be on everyone’s watch list. With a gorgeous voice and impeccable phrasing, he also sounds eerily like Mandy Patinkin, who originated the role, when he sings.
As Mary, Rose bites into the role with gusto. She is an unlikable character for a great deal of the first act but when Rose makes the transition from petulant to precocious we see a girl whose previously undeveloped concern for others blooms like the garden in which she finds a purpose and an actress capable of rounding the turn. Dawson’s tender presence watches over all.
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| Glory Joy Rose and Evan Gutierrez (center) and the cast |
Around them, an ominous production design comes together to create the imposing Misselthwaite Manor and grounds where helpful spirits and restless humans reside (scenic design by Stephen Gifford, lighting by Paul Black, projections by Andrew Nagy). Gifford’s somber portraiture and towering, movable stair units become even more menacing against the midnight blues and obsidian grays of Nagy’s projections and the severity of Black’s lighting. A perpetual air of melancholy exists, even in the background of Mary’s more lighthearted scenes with Martha (Renna Nightingale) and Dickon (Brandon Root) until we reach the touching finale when all wrongs are righted and a family reunited in Gifford’s sumptuous, but no longer secret, garden.
THE SECRET GARDEN
May 3-19, 2019
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, CA 90703
Tickets: www.Cerritoscenter.com or www.3dtheatricals.org
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| Glory Joy Rose and Jeanette Dawson |
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| Jeanette Dawson and Dino Nicandros |
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| Glory Joy Rose and Brandon Root |
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| The cast of The Secret Garden |
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Labels: 3D Theatricals, cerritos center for the performing arts
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Captures Rock and Roll History
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| L-R: John Countryman, Michael Monroe Goodman, Cole, and David Elkins All photos by Caught in the Moment Photography |
3-D Theatricals recreates a pivotal moment in rock and roll history in their latest production, Million Dollar Quartet. It’s the date (December 4, 1956) four legendary musicians – Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash – would all end up at Sun Records in Memphis on the same day and take part in one of the most famous jam sessions of all times.
Carl was there to record a new song Sun Records’ founder Sam Phillips hoped would revitalize his career, with the addition of a young, unknown piano player named Jerry Lee Lewis. Elvis dropped by with his girlfriend to get some advice from the man who discovered him, and Johnny, who’d been avoiding Phillips in recent weeks, stopped in for a heart-to-heart while June and kids were out shopping. Get that many artists with a passion for music in their souls together and it’s only a matter of time before they start to jam.
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| John Countryman, Michael Monroe Goodman, Cole, and David Elkins |
Luckily, an engineer rolled tape and captured the foursome shooting the breeze and singing familiar hymns and country songs for the next several hours. It was the one and only time the King of Rockabilly, the Killer, the King of Rock ‘n Roll, and the Man in Black would ever play together and that alone makes it one for the books. Dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet by the press in an article about the event, this high-energy musical is a dramatization of that day.
Only a handful of the 22+ songs in the show by creators Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux were actually recorded that afternoon but the stage musical features many of their greatest hits including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Real Wild Child,” “Matchbox,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” Don’t start to leave during curtain call because some of the best songs take place during the encore in a finale that literally had the audience at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on its feet cheering and bopping to the beat (no small feat in this location).
David Lober recreates Mutrux’s original direction and the production uses many of the official technical elements from the National Tour, including props and guitars, Derek McLane’s original set, and costumes based on Jane Greenwood’s original designs. If you saw Million Dollar Quartet at the Hollywood Pantages in 2012, you’re sure to have a happy moment of déjà vu when the most surprising element of all drops from the ceiling like a gift from the gods.
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| Omar Brancato, David Lamoureux, Cole, and Zachary Ford |
The show is narrated by Zachary Ford as Sam Phillips (albeit with a little too much Barney Fife gusto), who relates how he discovered each of the artists when they were young and poor. In addition to the music, there is drama in the studio as Jerry Lee and Carl clash, and secrets come to light that will affect the future of Sun Records. The four actor/musicians who play the artists in question are immensely talented and all of them have appeared in numerous productions of the show in cities like Las Vegas and Chicago, and around the country on its National Tour. Each steps into his icon’s unique energy and personality like a second skin and all sound eerily like their counterparts.
John Countryman grabs hold of Jerry Lee’s cocksure, showy style and never lets go. Cole has Elvis’s hip-swiveling, swoon worthy moves down to a science, and Michael Monroe Goodman adds a charismatic intensity to Perkins’ guitar picking that shows why musicians are among the sexiest beings on the planet. As Cash, David Elkins is quietly charming and impresses by replicating the singer’s signature bass vocals as few can. When they lay back into effortless 4-part harmony on spirituals like “Down by the Riverside” it is breathtaking. Omar Brancato (as Jay Perkins) on upright bass and David Lamoureux (Fluke) on drums back the headliners with reckless abandon.
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| Adrienne Visnic |
But it hardly matters. This show belongs to the boys and this cast is the real deal. Million Dollar Quartet is a rock and roll thrill-ride-a-minute brought to life by four incredible musicians emulating four amazing musical icons. That’s all you really need for success.
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| John Countryman as Jerry Lee Lewis |
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| Michael Monroe Goodman as Carl Perkins and David Elkins as Johnny Cash |
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET
Feb 9 – 18, 2018
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center
Feb 23 - March 4, 2018
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts3-D Theatricals
Tickets: www.3dtheatricals.org
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Labels: 3D Theatricals
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
MUSICAL NEWS: Get Your Year Started Right with these Marvelous Musicals!
2018 is going to be a great year for musicals in Southern California so mark your calendars now and I’ll see you at the theater!
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| Isabelle McCalla and Adam Jacobs in Aladdin. Photo by Deen van Meer |
Aladdin – Hollywood Pantages
Jan 10 – March 31, 2018
The Hollywood Pantages Theatre begins 2018 with Disney’s Aladdin, a big, bright musical for the whole family starring original Broadway cast members Adam Jacobs as Aladdin and Michael James Scott as the Genie. Get ready to take a magical carpet ride into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance in this new production featuring a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more, written especially for the stage. Hollywoodpantages.com/aladdin
Cabaret – La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
Jan 19 – Feb 11, 2018
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts opens its 40th anniversary season with Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret, directed by Larry Carpenter. Starring Jeff Skowron as The Emcee, Zarah Mahler as Sally Bowles, and Christian Pedersen as Clifford Bradshaw, and featuring musical direction by David O and choreography by Dana Solimando, its story is more relevant today than ever before. The seedy glamour of the Kit Kat Club with its bawdy Emcee provide an unsettling but fitting backdrop to the tale of the hard-living entertainer Sally Bowles in the decadent nightlife of Germany in the early thirties. LaMiradaTheatre.com/cabaret
Candide – LA Opera
Jan 27 – Feb 18, 2018
Kelsey Grammer and Christine Ebersole star in Leonard Bernstein’s funny, satirical whirlwind tour of human folly and foolishness. Brimming with youthful innocence, Candide is certain he lives in the best of all possible worlds. But an unrelenting series of ridiculously unfortunate events makes him question everything he has been taught. Kelsey Grammer takes on the delightful double role of satirical author Voltaire and optimistic philosopher Pangloss, with two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole in the riotous role of the Old Lady. Bernstein’s brilliant score features some of musical theater’s greatest hits, from its exuberant overture, to the show-stopping “Glitter and Be Gay.” More info: www.laopera.org
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| The Hypocrites’ Pirates Of Penzance at Arizona Repertory Theatre courtesy of The Hypocrites |
Pirates of Penzance – Pasadena Playhouse
Jan 23 – Feb 18, 2018
Pasadena Playhouse turns its theater into a wacky beach party for Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, as reimagined by the Chicago theatre hooligans, The Hypocrites. For the first time in its history, the Playhouse will be completely transformed into a new configuration. All of the orchestra seats will be removed, and in their place there will be a deck, making the entire orchestra level of the theatre a playing area with actors and audience sharing the space promenade style. Expect flying beach balls, rubber duckies, ukuleles, banjos, plastic swimming pools, and even a tiki bar, for a night you won’t forget as Frederic, an orphan mistakenly apprenticed to an ineffectual but raucous band of pirates, disavows the pirates’ way of life and falls for the beautiful Mabel. Adapted and directed by Sean Graney, co-adapted by Kevin O’Donnell, and featuring music direction by Andra Velis Simon. www.pasadenaplayhouse.org
Million Dollar Quartet – 3-D Theatricals
Feb 9 –18 (Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center)
Feb 23 – March 4 (Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts)
David Lober directs the 3DT production which goes back to when Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll” who launched the careers of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, brought the four superstars together at the Sun Records studio for the first and only time, in what became known as one of the greatest jam sessions in rock ‘n’ roll history. Starring Cole as Elvis Presley, John Countryman as Jerry Lee Lewis, David Elkins as Johnny Cash, and Michael Monroe Goodman as Carl Perkins, this one is sure to get the house rockin’. 3dtheatricals.org/milliondollar
Allegiance – East West Players
Feb 21 – April 1, 2018
George Takei will be joined by Broadway cast members Elena Wang (Kei Kimura), Greg Watanabe (Mike Masaoka), Scott Watanabe (Tatsuo Kimura), and Janelle Dote (Hanako) for the LA premiere of Allegiance, produced by East West Players and Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. The production is directed by Snehal Desai with musical direction by Marc Macalintal and choreography by Rumi Oyama and performances will take place at JACCC’s Aratani Theatre. With gorgeous music and lyrics by Jay Kuo and a book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione, Allegiance tells the story of the Kimura family, whose lives are upended when they and 120,000 other Japanese Americans are forced to leave their homes following the events of Pearl Harbor. This is definitely a don’t-miss production. EastWestPlayers.org
Feb 2 – 25, 2018
Chromolume Theatre’s first production of 2018 will be Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flhery’s Dessa Rose. James Esposito directs and the show will feature musical direction by Daniel Yokomizo and choreography by Michael Marchak. Dessa Rose is the story of a young black runaway slave (Shauntee Tabb) and a white abandoned mother (Abby Carlson) and their journey to acceptance in the antebellum South as they tell their story to their grandchildren. www.crtheatre.com
Feb 21 – March 11, 2018
This two-hander by Paul Gordon and John Caird transforms Jean Webster’s novel into a charming and poignant musical that tells the story of Jerusha Abbott, an 18 year old young woman who has grown up at the John Grier Home for orphans. When a trustee of the home reads one of her essays and sees promise in her writing, he offers to send her to college to continue her education. His only requirements are that she must write him monthly letters, even though he will not write her back, and that she will never know his identity. Jerusha’s heartwarming journey to independence, education and romance is a journey every woman can understand. If you’re looking for the secret of happiness, you just may find it in this lovely musical. ICTLongbeach.org
Feb 2 – March 4, 2018
Set in the Deep South during the early days of the civil rights movement, this powerful musical by Jeanine Tesori tells the touching story of a young woman accidentally scarred on the face as a child. Hoping that a TV evangelist can cure her, Violet sets out on a long bus ride from her sleepy North Carolina town through Memphis to Oklahoma. Along the way, she meets two young soldiers who teach her about love, courage and the true meaning of beauty. Use online code “POKER” for 20% off tickets. Discount expires February 1st. Good for any performance before February 19, except opening. ChanceTheater.com
Feb 11, 2018
Up next for Musical Theatre Guild is High Society, the 1956 musical film adaption of Philip Barry’s sparkling stage play The Philadelphia Story, which starred Grace Kelly, Bring Crosby and Frank Sinatra. The plot centers on pretentious socialite, Tracy Samantha Lord, who is planning to wed an equally pretentious executive when her ex-husband arrives to disrupt all her plans. AlexTheatre.org/highsociety
Feb 18 & 20, 2018
An original musical comedy by Manny Hagopian, this 50 minute show is the little known story of Amelia Earhart. For 50 years, Earhart has been known as only an unexplained mystery, but she was, and is, much more than that - especially today. Earhart delivers the story of a proud, kickass girl, who set out to change the world and to prove once and for all that she is more than an f-ing mystery. www.Rockwell-LA.com
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Labels: 3D Theatricals, chance theater, chromolume theatre, east west players, hollywood pantages, international city theatre, la mirada theatre, la opera, musical theatre guild, pasadena playhouse
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Review: Rethinking OKLAHOMA! For Today's Audience
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| Julia Aks, Zachary Ford and the cast of Oklahoma! All photos by Salvador Farfan, Caught in the Moment Photography |
Just when you thought you knew what the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! was all about, along comes a revival by 3-D Theatricals that makes you rethink everything.
Yes, it will always be the story of a headstrong young farm girl and a charismatic cowboy whose romance is challenged by a menacing hired hand, but there is another layer to it I’ve never seen emphasized in any other production; Oklahoma’s ethnic makeup at the time and how it may have impacted those who lived there.
The musical is set in the days leading up to Oklahoma’s bid for statehood in the early 1900s and is based on Lynn Riggs’ play Green Grow the Lilacs. Riggs grew up on a farm near Claremore, Oklahoma (the same Claremore mentioned in the musical) in what was then known as Indian Territory so it is natural he would recreate the world of his youth for this particular story.
The eastern part of the state had been set aside by the U.S. government for the relocation of Native Americans whom the Feds had evicted from their lands. It was also where many African Americans, some free and some still enslaved, occupied towns alongside immigrant settlers. Whether farmers or cattlemen (or black, brown, or white), to live here was to be committed to the hard work necessary to make the harsh surroundings habitable. Survival meant learning to get along, though one can imagine the tensions that might have arisen in such a melting pot.
This is the landscape for director T.J. Dawson’s revival, one that creates a vital new narrative in the wake of contemporary racial and political tensions. Against this backdrop, Laurey (Julia Aks) is no shrinking flower but a hardy young woman who takes the demanding work of running a farm seriously. Her standoffishness with Curly (Zachary Ford) lasts longer than usual, and verges on becoming unlikable, but it is grounded in a reality that is believable, making her eventual admission that she needs him a powerful turn. It doesn’t happen until the box social but, when it does, the payoff is a satisfying one.
Ford’s Curly isn’t the typical self-assured leading man you’re used to seeing either. When he and Aks engage in their Beatrice and Benedick style sparring, a boyish vulnerability is evident behind the mischief. He may be confident on the surface but casting a character leading man instead of the usual baritone romancer means you’re going to see an unpredictable Curly with the potential to make some extremely affecting choices, which Ford does. Plus, he gets more mileage out of the humor in the libretto.
Dawson’s critical decision to cast Rufus Bonds, Jr. as Jud Fry – were it done in the context of non-traditional casting – wouldn’t be so unusual, but that’s not the purpose here. Borrowing from a line in both the musical and the play referring to Jud as “bullet-colored” he is intentionally presenting a world in which a man of color could legitimately find himself in this story. Bonds doesn’t waste the moment. He reinvents the character with remarkable insight into his humanity and, in doing so, gives us an opportunity to see our own human failings in the process.
Now when Curly picks up a rope in Jud’s room and jokes about how easy it would be for a man to hang himself from the beam above them, we are eerily reminded that, throughout our history, something as simple as the color of a man’s skin could get him killed. If that’s not relevant to today, I don’t know what is.
Taking a page from the Agnes de Mille philosophy of dance, which uses the art form to further the storyline, Leslie Stevens choreographs two bona fide showstoppers. Her staging of the Dream Ballet is fifteen minutes of searing emotion – joy, pain, lust, innocence, horror – and it’s a knockout. She expands the story even beyond what de Mille first presented as Laurey struggles to make up her mind in a dream turned nightmare. This is a career milestone for Stevens whose dancers, like Missy Marion and Dustin True, (Dream Laurey and Curly) elevate the soul of the production with their technical skill.
Then, after intermission she does it again with an athletic, exuberant ensemble number for the entire 53-member cast in “The Farmer and the Cowman,” a competition of one-upmanship that builds to a breathless climax.
Musical director Julie Lamoureux accomplishes the same feat musically in the large choral numbers and her 23-piece orchestra spins one of the most beautiful scores to come out of the Golden Age into gold. Forget third time’s a charm; for Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, their first time changed the game for the entire musical theatre genre, and this is a chance to hear the full power of Rodgers’ angelic harmonies that so beautifully defined the movie musical period of the forties and fifties.
In any production it’s always a toss-up whether Will Parker or Ado Annie (played by Tom Berklund and Kelly Dorney) will be the dumber of the two comic roles but here they rival each other for the title. Neither develops beyond on a single overriding character choice pushed to the extreme, although Berklund’s dancing is so brilliantly executed it almost doesn’t matter. Ali Hakim (Drew Boudreau) and Aunt Eller (Tracy Rowe Mutz) are high energy roles that still leave themselves someplace to go within all the melodrama.
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| Tom Berkland and the cast |
3-D Theatricals always over-delivers on the technical aspects of its productions and this show doesn’t disappoint. Jean-Yves Tessier’s lighting at the fish pond and inside Jud’s smokehouse makes the moments seem particularly intimate, in sharp contrast to the bold colors he uses to flood the stage during the Dream Ballet’s dramatic shifts. Andrew Nagy’s projections enhance the feeling of great open space on the prairie (but for a little overkill on the birds flying by) and in a creative decision that might escape notice anywhere else, Peter Herman’s long side-swept ponytail for Laurey makes exactly the right character statement.
There is an unparalleled thrill that occurs when a director takes a well-known musical like Oklahoma! and finds what others have missed, especially when it was there all along. T.J. Dawson’s thoughtful undertaking of the search to answer the question, “Why Oklahoma! and why now?” proves classic productions can be as significant today as when they were first written. It’s all in how you see it.
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| Rufus Bonds, Jr. and Julia Aks |
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| Julia Aks and Kelly Dorney |
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| Julia Aks and Zachary Ford |
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| Zachary Ford and Rufus Bonds, Jr. |
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| Estevan Valdes |
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| Dancers in the Dream Ballet |
OKLAHOMA!
3-D Theatricals
www.3dtshows.org
June 16 – 25, 2017
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center
1935 E. Manhattan Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
June 30 – July 9, 2017
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, CA 90703
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Labels: 3D Theatricals