The Lansburgh’s stage was drenched in red for Director Alan Paul’s Romeo and Juliet – the carpet, the soaring pillars, the balcony, the walls, even the balloons floating from the ceiling when Romeo first spies the captivating Juliet at a party. Was it red for the color of blood, as in the knife fights the Montagues wage against the Capulets? Or lipstick red for romance? Either way, Paul’s production was on fire, as in fire engine red, reflected by Dane Laffrey’s set design.
Ayana Workman as Juliet and Andrew Veenstra as Romeo in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Alan Paul. Photo by Scott Suchman.
This freshly minted staging put me in mind of the Jets and the Sharks from West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein’s famous borrowing of R&J as his inspiration. As here too the characters live in contemporary society and Romeo’s gun-toting, knife-wielding friends are portrayed as dissolute Italian gang members, while Juliet gads about in blue jeans as the typical lovelorn teen. There are no innuendos, no subtleties in Paul’s staging – just raw sex, raw anger and pure sensual passion. Oh, yes, it’s hot, like the business end of a gun when Tybalt (Alex Mickiewicz) and the young Montagues put out a hit on Romeo.
Alex Mickiewicz as Tybalt, Jeffrey Carlson as Mercutio and Andrew Veenstra as Romeo in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Alan Paul. Photo by Scott Suchman.
We have choreographers Eric Sean Fogel to thank for the constantly swirling action, and David Leong to thank for the fight scenes, though it couldn’t have come together quite as believably if there weren’t an outstanding cast to thank for this refreshing reinterpretation of the characters – Andrew Veenstra as the pugnacious, hipster Romeo; Jeffrey Carlson as his stylish club kid buddy Mercutio (scene stealer alert!); Ayana Workman in a version of Juliet that oozes girlish innocence; and Inga Ballard as Juliet’s wise-cracking, no nonsense Black nurse.
Inga Ballard as Nurse and Ayana Workman as Juliet. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Include Keith Hamilton Cobb as Juliet’s father, who presents us with a Capulet patriarch of fearsome presence and bullish swagger – his portrayal so credible it will scare you out of your seat.
Costume Designer Kaye Voyce delivers the atmosphere, most especially when Mercutio shows up in spiked hair and a tight silver lame suit to the masked ball, which would be better described as an electro club mix house party, and Juliet’s mother, played by Judith Lightfoot who swans around her party guests in a gold lamé gown. Totally anarchical, but at this point we are up for it.
So thank you, Alan Paul. You have gifted your audiences with a surprising and delightful, break-all-the-rules, fresh spin on the old classic. This is what theatre is all about!
Highly recommended.
At the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre through November 6th at 450 7th Street, NW Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
Colonel Brandon (James Patrick Nelson) receives some troublesome news in Folger Theatre’s Sense & Sensibility. On stage September 13 – October 30, 2016. Photo by Jesse Belsky.
Of course, Sense and Sensibility adaptor Kate Hamill was going to mix it up. Taking a cue from Jane Austen’s gossipy letters to friends and family, Hamill recognized the author’s sharp-tongued sense of humor and plumbed beneath the characters’ ostensible formalities to infuse this modern interpretation with an exuberance and hilarity ignored on earlier stage and film productions. Director Eric Tucker, Wall Street Journal’s “Director of the Year”, who worked with Hamill on the New York production in 2014, sees this version as, “wickedly funny and extremely romantic”, which quite neatly sums it up.
Austen was the consummate social arbiter, an irreverent chronicler who snubbed the upper crust’s pretenses by poking fun at them. Austen’s love of romance and the irony of domestic virtue aren’t lost in this version – they are merely brightened up with tongue firmly planted in cheek. The end result is an exhilarating romp that rediscovers Austen’s side-eyed portrayal of Victorian gentility.
Maggie McDowell stars as the subdued Elinor Dashwood in Folger Theatre’s production of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. On stage September 13 – October 30, 2016. Photo by Teresa Wood.
The play opens with a disco scene of colored lights and electropop music. The women sport lace petticoats and the men get down with it in loose white poet shirts and matching leggings, that is until they break into a formal quadrille and we see where Hamill is going with this reinterpretation. Topsy-turvy, indeed!
Windowed panels and furniture on wheels define the settings from parlor to field, and it is an absolute marvel of John McDermott’s scenic design and Alexandra Beller’s choreography that keeps it in near constant motion. It’s all in great fun as the cast leaps on and off stage into the audience providing a cacophony of snippy, back-stabbing asides about their friends and family.
Marianne (Erin Weaver) shares a private moment with her love, John Willoughby (Jacob Fishel) in Sense & Sensibility. On stage at Folger Theatre, September 13 – October 30, 2016. Photo by Teresa Wood.
There are silly bits too. In one, an audience member is asked to hold the reins of Edward Ferrars’ imaginary horse. In another, Willoughby enters the Dashwood’s cottage through a mist provided by two of the actors visibly spraying him with water spritzers. It’s all a hoot.
Thanks to Jamie Smithson, who we loved in Signature Theatre’s Cake Off last fall, we are treated to a side-splitting, show-stealing performance as Ferrars. Especially notable too are Caroline Stephanie Clay as the gossipy Mrs. Jennings (she also plays Lucy Steele), whose appalling manners and ear-piercing howls at the dinner table are deliciously naughty, and Erin Weaver whose interpretation of the idealistic and impulsive Marianne Dashwood, is riveting. Lisa Birnbaum who plays Mrs. Dashwood as well as Lucy’s sister Anne Steele, is another one to watch. But it’s Jacob Fishel (audible gasps from the audience for his tearingly handsome good looks) as both John Dashwood and Marianne’s love interest, John Willoughby, that is indelible. Switching from cad to callow fellow and back all in a madcap frenzy, is what sticks.
Kudos to a superb cast whose athleticism, humor and feistiness gives us the most delightful version of Austen’s classic ever to hit the stage.
Elinor Dashwood (Maggie McDowell) learns of some distressing news from Colonel Brandon (James Patrick Nelson) in Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. On stage at Folger Theatre, September 13 – October 30, 2016. Photo by Teresa Wood
See it now!
If you’re curious about Austen’s connection to Shakespeare, be sure to give yourself extra time to visit the Library’s spectacular exhibition, “Will & Jane: Shakespeare, Austen and the Cult of Celebrity”, now on display in the Folger’s Great Hall. This fascinating collection of rare memorabilia reveals the authors’ surprising parallels, and is part of Folger’s year-long “The Wonders of Will” celebration, commemorating 400 years of Shakespeare in 2016.
Through October 30th at the Folger Theatre at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. For tickets and information call 202 544-7077 or visit www.Folger.edu/theatre.
Director, Choreographer and Lyricist Thomas W. Jones II and Musical Director William Knowles are the collaborators of a world premiere musical at MetroStage. Adapted from the murder mystery, “Blackberry Days of Summer” by Lynchburg native Ruth P. Watson, Blackberry Daze is the story of a mother and her teenage daughter, a jazz club singer and her soldier husband back from World War I, a host of churchgoing ladies, and a two-timing hustler. Set in the backwoods of rural Virginia the action swings back and forth from the sophisticated Black nightclubs in Washington, DC to a hard knock life in the country.
(l to r) Ayana Reed ~ Roz White ~ Duyen Washington
Ayana Reed plays Carrie Parker, a teenager struggling with a grim secret, with Roz White as her mother, Mae Lou. Mae Lou has a heart of gold until she meets and marries Herman Camm, a fast-talking lowlife, and betrays her daughter’s trust. Reed gives an outstanding and deeply affecting performance, and though her character is by far the most emotionally critical element it is not given enough importance. For me, Carrie’s plight and ultimate redemption, is where the real story lies. I compare it to the films “Precious” or “The Color Purple”, for sheer poignancy. Unfortunately, Carrie’s story is truncated by an overabundance of gospel tunes interspersed with jazz songs of the era. And though Reed has but a single solo in “Palm of God”, it is the most indelible moment of the show.
(l-r) Yvette Spears ~ TC Carlson
TC Carson succeeds in portraying the slick Camm, a cad and rapist who has the whole town gunning for him, including his red hot paramour and juke joint singer, Pearl (the husky-voiced Yvette Spears). But tying the characters and their motives together becomes confusing when the story is overloaded with so many disparate objectives. There are fourteen numbers in all, including the surprisingly chosen, “O Holy Night”. It was baffling at times trying to make out whose story was being told, and by whom. In some cases, the characters tell their own stories which would work better if there were one narrator. Some streamlining would help clear this up, but where? It would be blasphemous to cut any of Knowles’ songs. And with a seasoned, stand-out cast of Carson as Herman Camm; White as Carrie’s mother Mae Lou; Duyen Washington as both Ginny and Auntie May; Nia Harris as Hester; and Duane Richards II in dual roles as Simon, Carrie’s adoring boyfriend, and Willie, Pearl’s husband; whose lines would you cut?
(l-r) Duane Richards II ~ Ayana Reed
Better yet focus on the razzmatazz of the era, the fine acting, Knowles’ onstage piano playing, and the dance segments.
At MetroStage through October 9th – 1201 North Royal Street, Alexandria, 22314. For tickets and information visit www.metrostage.org.
Brenda Parker (Clairee), Kelsey Yudice (Shelby), Patricia Spencer Smith (Ouiser), Susan Smythe (Annelle), Carla Crawford (Truvy). Photo Credit Misty Angel
Most of you can recall the 1989 movie Steel Magnolias. You know the one with Julia Roberts as Shelby, the bride-to-be who suffers from diabetes, and Sally Field as her disapproving mother M’Lynn. And who can forget Dolly Parton in the role of Truvy Jones, the sweet and sexy beauty shop owner? Or Shirley MacLaine as Ouiser, the wisecracking senior who calls it as she sees it. It had a killer cast that also starred Olympia Dukakis as Clairee, the wife of the town’s former mayor, and was a true story based on the death of playwright Robert Harling’s sister. Maybe you saw the all-Black cast in the 2012 Lifetime TV remake with Queen Latifah and Phylicia Rashad. The sublime Alfre Woodard played Ouiser and Jill Scott was Truvy. It was a flop, but when it comes to dissing husbands and the enduring power of sisterhood, it seems there is always an audience, and always a remake.
Set in Truvy’s beauty salon in small town Chinquapin, Louisiana, the plot revolves around six women whose lives intersect through family and friendship. Unlike the original film, in this version it is an all-female cast.
Alana D. Sharp (Mary Lynn) and Carla Crawford (Truvy) – Photos by Misty Angel
Carla Crawford shines as Truvy. Her timing and delivery are flawless. Both the glue and the dynamic force in this production, I hope to see her play more leading lady roles. Alana D. Sharp in the role of M’Lynn shows dramatic skill in her second act soliloquy, and Kelsey Yudice offers up a nuanced performance as the ever-optimistic Shelby. Susan Smythe brings a sympathetic tenderness to Annelle, the wayward Bible thumper, and the ever-talented Patricia Spencer Smith, as Ouiser, who gets some of the best lines and best laughs, is hilarious. Oddly Brenda Parker, known as a reliably fine and well-established actor, gave a puzzling interpretation of Clairee, morphing from a good ole gal into a British-accented snob. Oh well, it was opening night.
Although there are laughs aplenty in this all-female cast, the humor is so dated that most born after the 90’s will have no earthly idea what they are talking about. Call waiting as a novelty? Having your “colors done”? [Note to younger readers: It means getting a clothing and makeup color palette chosen to suit your skin and hair tones. It was a once a life-or-death thing.]
Though LTA has made their bones putting on top notch musicals, delightfully bawdy British drawing room comedies and intricately staged murder mysteries, I had been encouraged of late to watch them expand their work with edgier productions, even controversial themes. Last season LTA appeared keen on attracting a new, younger audience, critical to all theaters, with Laughing Stock, In the Heights and God of Carnage…even Spamalot and The Rocky Horror Picture Show were a far braver than past productions.
That said, Director Sharon Veselic has assembled some fine actors to bring this old comedy to life. And, whatever you think of the 80’s, leg warmers are coming back and not just for Truvy’s sake.
Through October 1st at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com
(l-r) Cleavant Derricks (Chimney Man) with Kara-Tameika Watkins, Eben K. Logan and Nova Y. Patons. Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Right off the bat, Mark G. Meadows, who plays Jelly Roll Morton in this musical, is sensational. I’ll admit I’d had my doubts when word went out how he turned down Director Matthew Gardiner’s initial offer to play the iconic and controversial jazzman. Meadows, who is an internationally known pianist and performer in his own right, had never before acted. Gardiner persisted until Meadows agreed. But would he add “Actor” to his resume? Thanks to Gardiner’s superb coaching and stroke of brilliance casting, Meadows gifts us with his personality and extraordinary talent – a natural-born actor/singer/musician/dancer whose portrayal of Jelly is vulnerable, multi-dimensional and eminently appealing. Did I mention his voice has a certain John Legend-like quality?
Mark G Meadows (Jelly Roll Morton) with the cast of Jelly’s Last Jam. Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Jelly’s Last Jam is a knockout of a show. Thanks to Daniel Conway’s swank design, we are transported to the golden palm trees of the Jungle Inn, a nightclub straight out of the 1920’s era where the visible seven-piece orchestra plays behind a gilded railing high above the stage and Art Deco movie-house chandeliers light the ceiling. Cafe tables positioned mere feet from the stage, umbilically connect the performers to the audience, lending the performances instantaneous intimacy. Every shuffle, every two-step, every tap of shoe-to-floor is palpable. The stage fairly pulsates with electricity.
Christopher Broughton, DeWitt Fleming Jr, DeMoya Watson Brown, Joseph Monroe Webb, Olivia Russell. Photo by Christopher Mueller
Choreographer Jared Grimes has taken some of the best dancers and singers from here to Broadway, corralled them onto a set of circles and squares, steps and ramps, and turned it into a mind-blowing tapping, singing, syncopated rhythm of early jazz music. Credit hoofers DeMoya Brown, Joseph Monroe Webb, DeWitt Fleming, Jr., Christopher Broughton and Olivia Russell for the tap bonanza. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. The stuff Morton invented before there was jazz as we know it.
Morton’s backstory is a familiar one. Huge star, freakishly talented and egotistical goes to the top of the showbiz world only to undermine his success by blowing off his friends and supporters. Cleavant Derricks plays the Chimney Man from Cadaver Avenue. You wouldn’t want to run into him on a dark night. He’s the reckoner – the one who keeps track of how you messed up your life. Derricks, who garnered a Tony Award for his role on Broadway in Dreamgirls, has got the evil eye down pat. He swaggers and threatens, coaxes and demeans, as smooth as the silk topper he wears.
Kara-Tameika Watkins, Nova Y. Payton, Eben K. Logan. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Outstanding too, are the vocally gifted Felicia Boswell who plays Jelly’s sometime lover Anita; the riveting Guy Lockard, as his faithful friend and partner; and the promising talent of Elijah Mayo as young Jelly.
Guy Lockard (Jack the Bear) and Mark G Meadows (Jelly Roll Morton) in Jelly’s Last Jam. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Born to a high-born Louisiana Creole family from N’awlins, “not a grit or a collard green”, Morton’s French roots afforded him certain privileges as a Black man in the South. Thanks to his haughty Gran Mimi (Iyona Blake), the matriarch of the Morton family, it also worked against him.
Felicia Boswell (Anita) and Mark G Meadows (Jelly Roll Morton) in Jelly’s Last Jam. Photo by Margot Schulman
Written by George C. Wolfe, Susan Birkhead and Luther Henderson, with Jelly Roll Morton’s original music, the show takes us from the juke joints of New Orleans to the dance halls of Chicago and the stages of New York laying out the highs and lows of Morton’s life and times. Dede M. Ayite gives us the dazzling costumes along with the outstanding mood-capturing lighting design of the period by Grant Wilcoxen.
Highly recommended for the best that theater has to offer.
Through September 11th at Signature Theatre (Shirlington Village), 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call 703 820-9771 or visit www.sigtheatre.org.
The news was worrisome and unexpected. A sudden trip to the hospital sent Phantom lead Chris Mann in for an emergency appendectomy, thus delaying media review night for an extra week. For the many who ask why we haven’t reviewed a show you’ve already seen, the reason is simple. An embargo exists for critics until the official press night. So even if we were to see a show on opening night, we couldn’t post our reviews until the day after press is brought in. So we waited and fretted for another week.
The Company performs “Masquerade.” Photo by Matthew Murphy.
But we needn’t have worried if Mann would be up for the task. He was. In spades. And on steroids. His powerful voice and physical prowess were not one bit compromised. The surprise came in the program on a tiny slip of paper announcing that the lead role of Christine Daaé would be filled by Julia Udine’s understudy Kaitlyn Davis. Again worries were quickly brushed aside in the first number, “Think of Me”, when Davis wowed the audience in a splendid display of her acting abilities and gorgeous, multi-octaved voice.
The promise of an exciting new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running, multiple Tony Awarded opera slash musical, was kept by Producer Cameron Macintosh and the unusually named Really Useful Group, along with Director Laurence Connor. It is lavish and lush and as eerie as you’d expect. Thankfully there are no phantoms to jinx it.
Katie Travis (Christine))and Chris Mann (The Phantom). Photo by Matthew Murphy.
The beauty of this show about a haunted Parisian opera house is that it is still thrilling. Webber’s music and Charles Hart’s lyrics grab you from the get-go and its sense of imminent danger keep the audience enthralled. As for its premise, I won’t attempt to examine the irony of a young ballerina thrust into a lead role as an understudy. (Truth was stranger than fiction on this night!) Or a young girl’s need for a muse to guide her to stardom as Webber did with Sarah Brightman, the cast’s original Christine. That would be too facile.
Just let yourself be taken away by the sweeping music of the night conducted by James Lowe and Dale Rieling, the eye-popping sets by Paul Brown, the pyrotechnics and illusions by Paul Kieve, and the dreamy 19th century costumes by the late Maria Björnson. The New Year’s Eve danse macabre in the song, “Masquerade” is absolutely mesmerizing.
Anne Kanengeiser (Madame Giry). Photo by Matthew Murphy
Look for clues like the 666 lot number on the chandelier at the opera house’s auction, the singerie period music box and the flurry of anonymous notes to the producers insisting they cast Christine in the lead or else murder and mayhem will ensue. It does and it’s as enthralling and haunting as Paule Constable’s eerie lighting design.
Highly recommended.
Through August 20th at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
