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A Piece of My Heart (The Onomatopoeia Theatre Company)

10/25/2017

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Well intentioned, Lifeless, Flat, Cramped, Slow



​See it if
 You're a fan of Shirley Lauro's work & care to hear what sounds like an uncut reading of her script in an evening that's more tell than show
Don't see it if You don't know the story; much is belabored & much won't be clear. Also, if you're familiar with any other versions, this will fall short.
Also Director Gordon has managed to make the worst of an awkward and difficult space, for the most part trapping the cast onto a cramped, noisy three-step platform along the house-left wall. Huddled together at times in often severe lighting, the young actors often seem left to their own devices. 

As directed, they stomp around the set, repeatedly acting out unnecessary physical details (carrying benches as gurneys, pantomiming bandages, etc.) and endlessly sorting out obvious, needless small costume changes, they never cohere into an ensemble of any sort, or even seem to come to terms with the audience—is there a fourth wall or not? 

Also, for a company whose notes claim a heavy focus on sound, there's a distinct lack of music, the unifying language of the 60's and the main reason for the Maryjo character.

Unusual for two productions of a play to run in a season, this version pales next to the earlier thought-through Little Spoon Big Spoon one; it's an educational, unfortunate contrast.


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A Little Night Music - St. Bart's Players

10/25/2017

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Well done, Entertaining, Intelligent, Clever, Very ambitious

See it if You've never seen a production. This high-end community theatre version does the material justice, with an original visual twist; worth it.


Don't see it if
 You're more of a Sondheim stickler than Sondheim is; except for the weird director's choice to pantomime props, all is mostly well here.


​Also
 Local sightings of Sondheim's Night Music are pretty rare & so it's a treat to find one not only financially accessible, but that stays true to the material. It’s a difficult, demanding & opulent score, and St Bart’s—in its 90th year the oldest community theatre in New York—manages to pull it off, even throwing in a visual Fosse-like twist with the Chorus that mostly works.

The company, for the most part comprised of amateurs in the purest sense, is a talented if mixed group, but handle the vocals. Taylor Vickers has a remarkably clear & strong soprano; Michael DeShields as Frederick is strong until the second act, where he hangs back; Heather Burgess is a wonderful, convincing presence onstage; Sarah Catherine Hook brings a lot of vocal punch & character to her Mrs. Nordstrom; Claire Hayner is striking in look & voice, stealing every scene she’s in with her layered Charlotte; & Merrill Vaughn’s Desirée is terrific, worldly & wise. It's a small & intimate Night, but go, support it.

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Wicked - revisited

10/24/2017

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Fun
Commercial
Ambitious
Clever
Entertaining




See it if

You want a clever, ambitious and modern take on a story so integrated into American culture that it's become part of the national DNA.

Don’t see it if
You want memorable songs or lyrics; unlike the terrific visual and conceptual spectacle, most of the score is instantly forgettable.

Revisiting the show several times over the years, it's striking not only how well-maintained this production is — apparently there are daily notes and frequent rehearsals to keep it fresh — but also how well-constructed and intelligent a vehicle it is. Visual and verbal puns, quick theatre in-jokes (the most subtle: Glinda’s second act Evita pose) and layers of physical detail all still work. It's a fine-tuned machine not unlike that referred to in the set design, the mechanical gears and pulleys that underlie the mysteries of Oz.

Though much of the music may still seem a fairly bland wash of similar melodies, the lyrics and book have aged well, revealing unnoticed complexities, but it’s the show’s contribution to the culture and its positive effects — especially to young girls — that is undeniable. A celebration of uniqueness and talent, it shows that it may not be easy being green, but it’s more than ok to be different.

For that, and the amount of employment it provides the theatrical community and district — no stars here, which in a way is as it should be — we wish it a healthy life and an even longer run.

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Miss Saigon

10/21/2017

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Great technical sound design, Bombastic, Flat score & lyrics, Overrated, Banal

  

See it if
 
You've never seen it; a bombastic melodrama with unmemorable songs save two, but veteran understudy Billy Bustamante is worth catching. You


Don't see it if
 You disliked the similar Phantom & Le Miz big anthem-like musicals; this show means well politically but falls short musically & lyrically.


Also
 
In better hands, say Kander & Ebb's perhaps, Miss Saigon might have had the edge & bite—as well as the musicality & muscle—that the material aspires to but never achieves. 

It’s not for want of material: the Viet Nam war & the doomed American presence there, the plight of war brides & the interracial children left behind, the rough PSTD re-entry of vets stateside, the vision & face of the US from abroad, etc.—all this should make a fresh and relevant Madam Butterfly update. 

God knows it tries, as does the game, all-in cast dutifully doing their jobs, but it’s pretty uphill with a score remarkably bereft of memorable tunes with its Hallmark card lyrics. The end result is highly programmatic if professional, & so audiences respond right on cue to surface emotions, sets and orchestral swells.

The high point—besides Billy Bustamante’s terrific, over-the-top, on point Engineer at the performance caught—was the sound design which amazingly balanced orchestra & voices—impressive and unusual clarity where every lyric could be heard without sounding over amplified or loud. 


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    RGrayre
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