Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Today's Musical Theatre News
Broadway/L.A. announces two Los Angeles return engagements both of which will play the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood: Monty Python’s Spamalot (February 28 – March 4, 2012) and Rock of Ages (March 20 – 25, 2012) Casting for both productions will be announced at a later date. http://www.broadwayla.org/.
Producers David Elzer and Peter Schneider have announced that their smash-hit, Having It All, is extending through Sunday, May 29th at the NoHo Arts Center. The world premiere musical is directed by Richard Israel with musical direction by Greg Nabours. It was conceived by Wendy Perelman and written by John Kavanaugh, with book by David Goldsmith and Wendy Perelman, and lyrics by David Goldsmith. For tickets, call 323-960-7776 or visit http://www.havingitallthemusical.com/.
Show at Barre welcomes Valarie Pettiford, star of Broadway’s Fosse (Tony and Outer critics circle nominations) and recording artist, to the cast of For the Record: Baz Luhrmann. Ms. Pettiford will offer an exclusive special guest performance in the sell-out live concert event this Friday, April 8th only. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at http://www.showatbarre.com/.
GODSPEED A Rock Opera, an original musical by Sammy Oriti will have its world premiere at The Grove Theatre in Upland beginning April 15. Accurately based on the life of Jesus, it is a hybrid of live theater, rock concert and multi-media effects, complete with an on-stage rock band, operatic themes and digital integration. Singer/songwriter John Bisaha stars as Jesus. He has toured nationally and internationally working alongside, and opening for such artists as Heart, Cheap Trick, Robin Trower, and Blue Oyster Cult. GODSPEED runs through May 1st. For tickets call 909-920-4343 or go to http://www.grovetheatre.com/.
Los Angeles Rock Opera presents an evening of exciting new work in experimental dance theatre with music entitled Push Play that will run for three nights only, April 29 – May 1st at the Highway Performance Space, 19th Street Arts Center, 1651 18th Street in Santa Monica. Described as “a live performance mix tape” it features four segments directed and choreographed by Janet Roston, that make up a unified evening. They are:Pete Townsend’s 10-minute rock operetta, A Quick One While He’s Away. British Music Hall meets Steampunk in the tale of a young maiden lead astray.
Perseus at the Oki Dog, which sets the classic Greek myth in 1980’s Los Angeles using music from the legendary punk rock scene of that time, including a live band with members of original punk bands (X, The Germs) plus members of current hot L.A. band the Stripminers. Seductive nymphs lounge on Hollywood Blvd. while Medusa prowls the dance floor at Madame Wong’s.
15 Minutes of shAme, an abridged version of LAROC’s original work shame, composed by Mark Governor and based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
More Alive Than Dead, a work-in-progress by Lisbeth Scott, and the story of breaking through our isolating habits of quick judgments and victimization to come to a place of loving each other and ourselves. Ms Scott is as a vocalist or composer on over 100 feature films including Avatar, Iron Man 2, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
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Saturday, January 2, 2016
Louis and Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara Stars Discuss Bringing the Show Back to LA
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| Vanessa Claire Stewart and Anthony Crivello as Louis and Keely Photos by Eighty-Eight Entertainment |
Louis & Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara returns to the Geffen Playhouse this month in a revamped production produced by the award-winning Hershey Felder. Written by Vanessa Claire Stewart, Taylor Hackford and Jake Broder and directed by Taylor Hackford, it is the story of Louis Prima and Keely Smith whose larger-than-life marriage and groundbreaking Las Vegas act featured an amazing cavalcade of hits that would forever secure their place in American musical history.
The show stars Anthony Crivello, Tony Award-winner for his performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Ovation Award winner Vanessa Claire Stewart, who originated the role of Keely Smith. This is part of a new national tour based on the recent hit Chicago production featuring Crivello and Stewart. It originated here in LA and it was terrific the first time around where I saw it in the Geffen’s Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. Now it will play the main stage at the Geffen through January 17 before continuing on to the Laguna Playhouse where it will open February 24.
I asked Stewart and Crivello about the show’s return and what we can expect to see this time around. From the sound of it, the energy is higher than ever and should make for one great night out.
Vanessa, as a writer, how has the show changed since it was first seen at the Geffen?
Since the Geffen, the show has grown in many ways! We really wanted Louis and Keely to “live” at the Sahara, so we put more of their personal moments on stage. We really tried to bring more of the act into the storytelling by adding more of their comedic bits and three additional new songs.
The point of view of the piece has changed quite a bit as we needed the piece to fill a bigger space. When we were previously at the Geffen, the space was more intimate (135 seats). We learned in Chicago that the story had to be told in a different way because the space had expanded. We also added an intermission, which helps our patrons. I’m really looking forward to seeing what people think.
Has your performance of Keely developed in any surprising ways?
A lot has happened since our initial run here! I got married and had a baby! So the push and pull that Keely experiences balancing family and work really tugs at me now in a way that it didn’t before. Also, I feel that my voice has grown a lot since my initial run here. While we were on hiatus, I wanted to grow as a musician so I did a few gigs around town as a jazz vocalist to really understand that side of things. It was a great learning experience for me.
Script wise, we really tried to develop the love story even more and make Keely more assertive than she was before. I’m enjoying her strength in this one. I’ve found that as I’ve grown up, so has the character.
Louis Prima is indeed a challenging role – both physically and emotionally. 118 pages of text and song to portray Louis is a challenge in and of itself: massive research, reading biographies, studying video of their act, watching documentary…it’s all part of the building process. Mr. Prima’s larger than life personality demands 110%. To give the subject matter his full due, there is no other way.
Our director Taylor Hackford and our choreographer Vernel Bagneris have paid acute attention to the movement, the style, ‘the delivery’ of Louis Prima and Keely Smith. The show has the indelible earmarks of a Hershey Felder Presents production in its classy presentation.
And the piece is constructed in such a wonderful way to replicate their energy and charisma, as well as Louis and Keely’s humor. Not as an impersonation but rather, to recreate the essence, the sound, the humor, the inspired madness, the human vulnerability, and the flaws.
The Pygmalion story of mentor and pupil, and the love story between Louis and Keely is wonderful fodder for an actor. Add to that our kick-ass band, and “Lazzes Les Bon Temps Rouler” is the appropriate axiom for this play/musical.
It sounds like you’re having a blast.
To sing these unforgettable songs: “Just a Gigalo,” “Pennies from Heaven,” “Hey Boy, Hey Girl,” “That Old Black Magic,” “My Sweet Embraceable You,” “Angelina, Zooma-Zooma”... what more can an actor/singer/comic ask for? We can hear the audiences singing along. We see their smiles and hear their laughter. We see their tears. That is gold.
Most importantly, there is exhilaration in interacting with the audience. Breaking the ‘fourth wall’ to create a night club atmosphere, to improvise and play the crowd nightly, is such fun. There is spontaneity that Vanessa and I share with them each performance. I believe that is the most rewarding part for us both.
The joy of portraying these legends of Las Vegas, these giants of the music and entertainment industry – it’s a delight. And to be able to introduce Louis Prima (and Keely Smith) to a new generation ... to bring them to ‘life’ ... is a benchmark in my career as an actor... and an unmitigated, gratifying ‘romp.’
Hershey Felder Presents Taylor Hackford’s
LOUIS & KEELY: ‘LIVE’ AT THE SAHARA
Written by Vanessa Claire Stewart, Taylor Hackford and Jake Broder
Directed by Taylor Hackford
Now through January 17, 2016
Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Tickets: www.geffenplayhouse.com or (310) 208-5454.
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Labels: geffen playhouse
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Long Live the Troubies and FLEETWOOD MACBETH!
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| Lisa Valenzuela (Lady Macbeth) and Morgan Rusler (Macbeth). Photos by Chelsea Sutton |
Watching a Troubie show feels a little bit like being invited to be part of a secret boys club only in this case, the clubhouse is a theatre rather than a tree house, the secret decoder ring has every possibility of being an exploding magic trick, and the password to get in is sure to be a battle cry, song spoof, or pun. The one thing you know for certain is that when the fun begins, you're in for a helluva good time.
This summer the troupe is stirring up a cauldron cocktail called Fleetwood Macbeth, made up of equal parts Fleetwood Mac songs and Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The hilarious result turns the Scottish play on its (severed) head while delivering plot points via songs like “Dreams”, “You Can Go Your Own Way”, “The Chain”, and Landslide”.
True to form, and honoring the relationship they have with their fans, FM enlists audience members to participate in the opening battle scene, though they are soon vanquished by Macbeth (Morgan Rusler) and Banquo (Matt Walker), with a little help from their trusty pool noodles. As the buddies return from battle they meet witches in the forest whose predictions both excite and disturb Macbeth.
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| Matt Walker (Banquo) and Morgan Rusler (Macbeth) with the Witches |
There’s a lot of comic mileage to be gained when you turn three witch hags into their Pussycat Doll alter egos, increase their number to eight, and add a little glitz…especially with Beth Kennedy at the other end of the witch spectrum. As Hecate, she sports the full ugly witch regalia, nose warts and all. Imagine her writhing on the floor screaming to be taken as a spoil of war or flirting with an audience member to score a date and, well, you get the picture.
The witches’ predictions will come back to haunt Macbeth in more ways than one and all will surely not end well for the future king. Bloody right it won’t end well, but it will end funny for that’s the stuff the Troubies are made of.
Walker, who also directs the production, mines every bit of humor imaginable and does it with the most emphatic Scottish brogue you’ve ever heard. After dodging the slings and arrows of outrageous comedy for the first three quarters of the musical, Rusler delivers a completely serious “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” monologue that is so terrific you can hear a pin drop.
Matching wits with him is Lisa Valenzuela as Lady Macbeth, a sexy firecracker with a penchant for power that will ultimately be her undoing. Valenzuala scores big channeling Stevie Nicks’ sultry vocals (my favorite was her spooky-good version of “Dreams”) and costumer Sharon McGunigle has given her the trademark top hat, long black coat, and veils to achieve a striking Stevie Nicks rock fantasy princess look. Actually, McGunigle gets props for all the great costumes, from the comic touches of the Scotsmen to the push-up bustiers and fishnets of the witches, they are perfection.
No character escapes the spin doctor treatment - Brandon Breault is Sayton, a roller-skating Satanic rocker; Joseph Keane is Duncan’s son Malcolm, a gentle youth with a mean back flip; Rob Nagle is the doomed King Duncan wearing a gigantically nippled breast plate; Jason Turner is Macduff, a Little Rascals reject with Charlie Brown’s pessimism who also does a hilarious cameo as baby Macduff, and the list goes on.
Musical director Eric Heinly (who also plays drums) leads the ever-ready house band, made up of Linda Taylor (guitar), Kevin Stewart (bass), Brian Baker (keyboards), and Jack Majdecki (guitar alternate).
FM is choreographed by Nadine Ellis, Christine Lakin and Monica Schneider. Schneider’s choreography for “Dreams” is especially saucy for Lady M, featuring the witches and their attempts to rub out the damn spots.
Troubie shows traditionally sell out so make sure you get your tickets now. It’s the inside track to the coolest club you’ve ever been part of with a bunch of rogues who know how not to take things too seriously. And if you ask me, we could all use a little more of that.
Performances run now through August 14th at the Falcon Theatre in Toluca Lake, except for July 15, 16 and 17 when the Troubies will be taking Fleetwood Macbeth to La Mirada Theatre. For more information go to http://www.troubie.com/.
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Labels: falcon theatre, la mirada theatre, troubies
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Inside Private Lives - An Inside Look
How appropriate a setting it is for a show like Inside Private Lives, an interactive theatrical experience that takes the audience into the complex minds of its controversial (and yes, dead) characters. The cast is a rotating line-up that changes with each performance. Among them the night I saw the show were Aimee Semple McPherson (the evangelist who allegedly staged her own kidnapping), Edward the VIII and Wallis Simpson (the king who abdicated his throne for love and the twice-divorced American woman who caused a constitutional crisis), counter culture icon Timothy Leary, pin-up and fetish model Bettie Page, and Public Enemy #1, the infamous John Dillinger.
Program notes invite the audience to “…suspend belief and imagine yourselves in the scenes with the players. [In] Each vignette you’ll travel to a different time period, meet a new character and learn what he/she wants from you. Endowed with an opposing viewpoint, you’re invited to engage each character not as yourselves, but in the roles that have been revealed to you during the piece.”
Much of the fun is observing other audience members as they are drawn into the action of the play. What an interesting study in human behavior it is to watch their attempts to intimidate, startle, offend or simply try to understand the characters by confronting them with difficult questions. Tempers flare and judgments are made, often based on the response of the actor.
Some, like Molly Hagan as McPherson, seemed to consistently push buttons with the patronizing righteousness of her statements. She's a great way to open the show and immediately hooked the audience with her strong, centered performance. Others, like Fred Cross as Timothy Leary, prompted skepticism and bewilderment as he justified his request to perform LSD experiments on fellow prison inmates. In the case of John Dillinger, played by irresistible, sweet-faced charmer Jade Carter, the audience couldn’t decide whether to love him or hate him, although one man in the audience literally gave him the shirt off his back and several women volunteered to help him with his escape. In my book that constitutes a successful getaway!
This is the second time I’ve seen Inside Private Lives - the first was a couple of years ago before it went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Of the characters I saw previously, only Edward the VIII, played by Freddy Douglas, was a repeat performance. I remembered him and wondered how his portrayal might have changed over time. Happily, Douglas continues to deliver the nuances of a man’s internal struggle with great depth, and is a perfect example of the research that has gone into each actor’s study of his character. He inhabits Edward rather than plays him and the angst within him is palpable.
Inside Private Lives is a unique night of theatre that’s sure to get a reaction out of you, whether you participate vocally, or sit back and watch others’ blood pressure rise. You'll even get a little singing here and there too. The show runs Sundays through August 30 and will move to San Francisco beginning September 12 so get your tickets now. For more information, go to www.insideprivatelives.com/.
And by the way, for the rest of you historical buffs, in addition to its earlier incarnation as a mortuary, the Fremont Centre Theatre is also rumored to have been a bordello in its off hours. If you glance up at the row of windows overlooking the courtyard, it isn’t such a stretch of the imagination to picture hot summer nights, sultry music and colorful characters languishing just out of sight. See for yourself.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
THE COLOR PURPLE Sounds the Clarion Call to Arms
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| Carrie Compere, Adrianna Hicks and the cast of The Color Purple All photos by Matthew Murphy |
That joyful noise you hear coming from the Hollywood Pantages Theatre this month is the thrilling sound of female empowerment, and it is reverberating like thunder from the heavens in the dynamically robust national tour of The Color Purple.
Director John Doyle’s Tony Award-winning reinvention of the musical - which took Broadway by storm in 2015 - rings like a clarion call to arms for every woman who’s ever been violated, abused, or otherwise kept down by a man, and, on opening night, the powerful women heading the cast proved themselves more than ready to lead the charge.
Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the subsequent Steven Spielberg film starring Whoopi Goldberg are the basis for the musical, which takes on a renewed directive in the face of today’s #MeToo and “Time’s Up” movements. And while real change happens in fits and starts, women are collectively circling up to protect their own, putting on notice anyone who still thinks domination without consent is okay.
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| Carla R. Stewart (Shug Avery), Adrianna Hicks (Celie) and Carrie Compere (Sofia) and the cast of The Color Purple |
To her credit, Marsha Norman’s book doesn’t shy away from the hopeless resignation in Walker’s novel, or from the undercurrent of violence that ran through the Deep South during the first half of the twentieth century when the story takes place. To the credit of the rest of the musical’s creative team, neither do they.
What they have done is strip down the story to its essence, consciously exposing the emotional trauma of a life with few choices and a long road to hoe without padding the production with extraneous departures.
Celie (Adrianna Hicks) is forced to marry a man who thinks she is ugly by a father (J.D Webster) who has impregnated her twice and separated her from her babies. Her sister Nettie (N’Jameh Camara) runs away to escape sexual assault by both her father and Celie’s husband, Mister (Gavin Gregory). Sofia (Carrie Compere) suffers vicious consequences for merely speaking her mind within a society that demands she play by white rules meant to keep black people down. Shug Avery (Carla R. Stewart) knows her physical assets will fade in time so the singer drinks to keep the good times rolling and to postpone the inevitable a little while longer.
As each woman asserts herself within the context of her own set of circumstances, the audience urges her on with ardent applause and stirring callouts of unity. It is a wondrous night at the theater to witness the strength in such connection. Go, if you’ve never seen this musical and go if you have. Go, if you want to feel the power of theatre to move an audience. Bottom line - just go.
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| The cast of The Color Purple |
The production is set on an almost bare stage, backed by three towering abstract wooden panels stacked with tear-away boards and rustic chairs used as props by the actors. The staging is often presentational, creating pictures that seem suspended in space, neither time-specific nor detail-driven. What resonates always is a powerful well of emotion underscored by some of the best musical theatre belting you’ll find in town right now.
The score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray traverses the Blues/Pop/Gospel globe of the rural South, igniting a fire of defiance in songs like Compere’s ballsy “Hell, No!” and Hicks’ exhilarating ‘declaration of independence’ showstopper, “I’m Here.” Stewart lets it all hang out in a titillating gin joint performance of “Push da Button” and a trio of church ladies (Angela Birchett, Bianca Horn, and Brit West) will not be ignored. Every single woman in this cast is a powerhouse with something to prove and the amount of soul they put into their vocal work alone is a lesson in stepping up and standing out.
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| The cast of The Color Purple |
Contrast that with the sudden cool breeze of the title song or the tenderness of “Too Beautiful for Words” and the emotional journey in this climb out of the shadows is as satisfying as it gets.
Following its run at the Hollywood Pantages, The Color Purple will move to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, June 19 - 24.
THE COLOR PURPLE
May 29 - June 17, 2018
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets: 800-982-2787 or www.hollywoodpantages.com
June 19 - 24, 2018
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tickets: www.scfta.org
For more info about the tour visit www.ColorPurple.com
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| Adrianna Hicks |
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| L-R: N’Jameh Camara, Bianca Horn, Angela Birchett, and Brit West |
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| Carla R. Stewart and Adrianna Hicks with the cast of The Color Purple |
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| Gavin Gregory (Mister) and J. Daughtry (Harpo) |
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Labels: hollywood pantages, segerstrom center
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Review: The Last Days of Mary Stuart, an Electro-Opera Evolution
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Mary (Marianne Thompson) begins her rise in Becca Wolff's
The Last Days of Mary Stuart. Photo Credit: Molly Erin Kahr
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immersive (adj): noting or pertaining to digital technology or images that deeply involve one’s senses and may create an altered mental state.
To fully appreciate The Last Days of Mary Stuart it is necessary to forget what you normally think of when you think of musical theatre. The allegorical piece jettisons the traditional trappings of the genre and instead surfaces from a lengthy workshop process as a fusion of worlds.
Developed by Tilted Field Productions through the SOSEhost curated production program at Son of Semele, the work is part theatre, part rock concert, part operatic enigma, meant to push the boundaries of its forms and create a new kind of theatrical experience. What has emerged is an almost entirely sung-through immersive electro-opera that considers the “kill or be killed” tenet of war by examining the death of one historical queen, the ascension of another, and an imagined conversation between the two from beyond the grave.
As envisioned by creator & director Becca Wolff, Elizabeth (Laila Ayad), the elegant queen and Mary Stuart (Marianne Thompson), the rebel rocker, represent opposing factions of a people divided, with Wolff using the standoff as a departure into a larger political question. In the battle between God and country, is it possible to achieve a balance in which all parties are served, or have we retreated so far into our respective corners that our positions have become immovable. And more importantly, how are we to know if our choices are even right?
It’s a worthy parallel to draw as we wrestle with opposing views on every political and social topic in our country today. The fact that this piece ends up being greater than the sum of its parts speaks to its ability to move fluidly beyond traditional expectations and effectively present a kind of musical suspension of thought. I found it to be extremely hypnotic.
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| The ghost of Elizabeth confronts Queen Mary (L-to-R: Laila Ayad, John Nixon, Byron Kahr [on guitar in background], Ryan Adlaf, Marianne Thompson) |
An intensely focused cast connects to the material with unwavering assurance. Thompson is a charismatic presence who can float an ethereal note over the band as easily as she can fill the room with full sound. Ayad pushes back against her rival with an equal measure of ferocity and strength in her vocals that never gives in. They are a well-matched pair of Queens and Wolff draws out the subtle shifts in tone necessary to the piece from each of them.
Daniel Stewart’s volatile performance as The Kid reflects Mary’s ability to galvanize her followers to action. Alex Knox is defiant as the Badge Man and remaining cast members Ty Foster and Karen Jean Olds express the increasingly insubordinate temperament of the crowd via back-up vocals and pointedly precise staging.
Electronic music is a little out of my element but those who are more familiar with it than I will recognize the names Byron Kahr and John Nixon, who wrote the score, as part of the L.A.-based bands TONY and the Whqles. The sound is powerful and full of musical motifs that make it a good fit for what the work wants to communicate.
Visually, the compact stage’s tight quarters and unique levels fit the concert framework and allow lighting to play an important part in the production design. The band – Kahr on guitar, Nixon on drum machine, and Ryan Adlaf on synthesizers and drum machine – is positioned center stage with the singers working the areas in back of, to the sides, and in front of them. Adlaf is also responsible for the sound design, which could easily have blown the place apart but was mastered in such a way that it was effective without simply being loud. (Ear plugs are available at the bar but I found that they weren’t all that necessary).
Blown fuses on opening night brought the 8pm show to a standstill twice as circuits became overloaded. It can be a challenge to transform a non-concert space for this style of performance and the speed with which they managed to get the show back on track was admirable. More of a distraction was the dead air that lingered at times when the band needed to reset between some of the songs and everything was silent.
The theater is intimate so everyone is close to the stage. I recommend foregoing the chairs and buying standing room in the club area to get the full effect of the piece while keeping easy access to the bar. Note the smart touches in Molly Erin Kahr’s costumes, especially the progression for Mary.
THE LAST DAYS OF MARY STUART
June 21 – July 20, 2013
A Tilted Field Production made possible by the SOSEhost program at Son of Semele
3301 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004
(west of Downtown LA; between Vermont & Alvarado)
Performances: Thurs. & Fri. at 8:00pm; Sat. at 8:00 & 10:30pm; no performance on Thurs. July 4th
Tickets: (213) 351-3507 or www.sonofsemele.org
www.tiltedfield.com
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Labels: son of semele, tilted field
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Review: Visionary Man Futhers the Inspirational Calling of J.B Murray
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| Will North (Dr. Williams) and Jimmer Bolden (J.B. Murray) Photos by Ed Krieger |
“Spirit tells me lots of things. It likes to talk.” And talk it did to J.B. Murray, a man who believed that the Holy Spirit came to him in a vision and called him into the service of the Lord. At the age of 70 this illiterate Southern farmer began to paint and write non-semantic script (a kind of written language of his own) on every surface he had available to him – scraps of paper, wood paneling, old stove tops – all of them would eventually become covered with the beautiful and peculiar images that filled his head from his visions. He called it “the language of the Holy Spirit, direct from God” and would explain what the writing said by reading it through a glass of water that acted as a kind of transformative pair of glasses.
What makes his story so unusual is that Murray had never shown an inclination for art in all of his years. He was a deeply religious man but he couldn’t read or write. He lived in rural Georgia in a shack without running water or electricity, and spent his days happy with the simplicity of his life. Then one day a spiritual eagle passed before his eyes while he was watering his potatoes and everything changed.
There were those who believed in him, like his daughter Sara, and others who called him crazy, like his politically ambitious son Marcus. Regardless, Murray kept on creating always knowing that Spirit would provide what was needed to spread his message to the world.
Murray’s story is the subject of the original musical Visionary Man by Mary Padgelek and Tom Coleman, now in its world premiere at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood. Like many, I had never heard of J.B. Murray before seeing the musical, but watching his story unfold and seeing how he continues to touch lives with his art, it’s clear that his ability to move people has not diminished, even since his death. “I paint hope,” he says simply when explaining what he does and I found as I left the theater that I too had been gifted a dose of that precious commodity to take with me.
Still, there are times when the writers don’t seem to trust the power of their story and, as if to compensate, have added scenes or songs that try to make it bigger, which only deviates from, rather than furthers, the action. A song about the church ladies going to the Thanksgiving Day sales had me questioning the point and a Gospel version of “Say Amen” felt like its purpose was only to place a halleluiah number early in the show. But in the moments it relaxes and scenes becomes real, Visionary Man is wonderful.
That’s due mainly to the performance of Jimmer Bolden as J.B Murray. The real story is on his face, in the honesty of his acting, and in the personal way he expresses a musical phrase. “It’s The Storm Not Me,” which closes Act I is as good as it gets for a musical inspiration and Bolden’s pipes lift it up beautifully.
Will North also gives a fine performance as Dr. Williams, based on Dr. William Rawlings, the country doctor who befriends Murray by beginning regular visits to the elder man’s home when he stops coming to his office. North’s natural likability and folksy narration enhance the framework of the show by allowing the audience to come to the story rather than the story being forced upon the audience. That’s important because Murray never pushed, and when the musical does, it lessens the impact of its message. He had the power to see a person’s greater self and, even more importantly, he had the ability to get people to see who they really were. That was his mission and that’s what makes his story so significant.
The supporting cast eagerly brings Murray’s family members and friends to life but they are often only given broad strokes in the writing from which to develop their characters. Jacquelin Schofield is his dutifully loyal daughter Sara and Yorke Fyer his contrary son Samuel who initially has great difficulty believing in his father. Ernest Williams plays the Reverend Crawford with proper evangelical style and Sequoia Houston, Courtney Turner and Stephanie Martin are the three busybody church ladies whose efforts to play it big for audience laughs often push them over the top. Caitlin Gallogly, as art dealer Anne Hanes, is the only actor with a Southern accent and Joshua LeDuc, in stereotypical beret, beard, and striped cape, plays art dealer Paul Nelson. Ali North’s energetic choreography also adds an artsy ‘60s style theatricality to production numbers but the ones that resonate more strongly are those that are organic to the scene.
Happily, we do get to see the real J.B. Murray and some of his paintings in video projections near the end of the musical. A tribute to his life such as this wouldn’t be satisfying without them. Ultimately it is that image of a completely complete man whose passion and belief created an extraordinary body of work that makes the biggest impact. It is a tale worth telling and I know I am better for having heard it.
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| L-R: Joshua LeDuc, Jimmer Bolden, Caitlin Gallogly and Will North |
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| L-R: Yorke Fryer, Jacquelin Schofield and Jimmer Bolden |
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| Jimmer Bolden (center) and the cast of Visionary Man |
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| Ernest Williams and Jacquelin Schofield |
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| L-R: Courtney Turner, Stephanie Martin and Sequoia Houston |
VISIONARY MAN
July 26 - August 31, 2014
Spirited Hands Productions at Hudson Mainstage
6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tickets: (323) 960-7787 or www.plays411.com/visionary
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