Jordan Wright
May 12, 2014
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Kara-Tameika Watkins in Smokey Joe’s Café—The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Photo by Teresa Wood Smokey Joe’s Café The Songs of Leiber and Stoller gets off to a slow easy roll. Forty-two of the most beloved songs from the pantheon of R&B and rock and roll will be sung in only two hours and that’s going to necessitate a “build” as they say.
The nine-member cast kicks things off with few less familiar tunes soon revved up by finger-snappin’ classics like “Ruby Baby”and “Keep on Rollin’”which is oddly accompanied by a vintage film of train tracks projected onto rarely used and largely ineffective screens hung along the ceiling – – a needless distraction. But at this point you’re just settling in and familiarizing yourself with the voices which are not aiming for any crescendos. Yet.
In the third number, “Falling”, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, as the blonde ingénue, comes off pitchy and things aren’t looking too promising. For a show featuring some of the greatest hits of the R&B legends’ songbook, every voice is expected to be spot on. These songs were covered by mega-artists from Presley to Piaf and singers as varied as the Drifters, Ben E. King, the Doobie Brothers, Big Mama Thornton, Peggy Lee, who released an entire album of their hits, and the Coasters, for which Lyricist Jerry Leiber and Composer Mike Stoller wrote twenty-four chart-topping hits. It’s easy to see why the composers reign supreme in the pantheon of great songwriters in American popular music.
 Levi Kreis in Smokey Joe’s Café—The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Photo by Teresa Wood. In Director Randy Johnson’s production of the longest-running musical revue in Broadway’s history, a rockin’ 7-piece orchestra sits smack in the center of the stage-in-the-round, framed by a wide platform. Singers enter between the aisles, shakin’, shimmyin’ and sashayin’ all the way onto the stage, and occasionally straight into the orchestra pit, as for “Jailhouse Rock” where Levi Kreis delivers a sexy, hip-grinding version on a vintage mic shoving aside the pianist to boogie-woogie the keyboard. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves.
 Nova Y. Payton in Smokey Joe’s Café—The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Photo by Teresa Wood. After a few numbers, the solos begin and the cast is on fire. Nova Peyton’s powerful voice coupled with Stephawn P. Stephens’ formidable silken bass (think Teddy Pendergrass) on “Love Me/Don’t”guarantees goose bumps, and E. Faye Butler comes out in the first of her solos with a sultry, Ella-scatting arrangement of “Fools Fall in Love”. Kreiss, whose portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet earned him a Tony Award, totally kills it again with “I Keep Forgettin’”and we’re off and running. That’s followed by a razamatazz version of “On Broadway”,where Costume Designer Ilona Somogyi’s hip threads with skinny black ties, black-and-white spats and plaid jackets firmly encapsulate the early 50’s. The throwback bongo drums are just the icing on the cake.
 E. Faye Butler in Smokey Joe’s Café—The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Photo by Teresa Wood. Choreographer Parker Esse channels the be-bop/jitterbug era employing some fierce hand dancing. Spins, throws, flips and even breakdancing (the “Worm Dance” makes an appearance) is thrown in for good measure.
After eighteen numbers Act I ends in a come-to-Jesus moment as the orchestra pit rises up to the stage level of E. Faye, Nova, Levi and the entire company for a tambourine-fueled, gospel rendition of “Saved”. Intermission comes hard after feeling so pumped.
 (L to R) Jay Adriel, Stephawn P. Stephens, Michael J. Mainwaring and Austin Colby in Smokey Joe’s Café—The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Photo by Teresa Wood. Act II packs in 23 more classic numbers. Look for Jay Adriel’s beautiful rendition of “Loving You” which brings to mind the voice of Johnny Mathis, and Nova on Hound Dog, a number she delivers with heart-stopping passion. Remember “Yakety Yak”, “Hound Dog”, “Love Potion #9”, “Spanish Harlem”,and“I (Who Have Nothing)”, the iconic song once covered by Tom Jones? Here E. Faye, Nova, Michael J. Mainwaring (a beautiful voice in his first ballad of the evening), and Levi blend together to provide an especially poignant moment to an evening of hand-clapping, foot-tapping, chair-dancing thrills.
You gotta go! It’s like crazy cool, Daddy-O.
Through June 8th at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St., SE, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information on performance times and dates call 202 488-3300 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.
 The cast of Smokey Joe’s Café—The Songs of Leiber and Stoller at the Mead Center for American Theater – Photo by Teresa Wood.
Jordan Wright
May 5, 2014
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Joshua Rich (Bernard) and Kathleen Doyle (Gloria) – Photo credit Doug Olmsted Boeing Boeing is a riotous tale about Bernard, an American architect whose Paris flat has become a way station for his “international harem” of flight attendants or, as they were once called, “stewardesses”. That may seem a slight distinction but I assure you it is not. When it was written in 1962 by French Playwright Marc Camoletti flight attendants were young women, no men allowed. Hired on the basis of their looks and the ability to speak at least two languages, they were monitored under a Draconian demerit system that kept them accountable for having picture perfect makeup and hair and model-like figures. It was considered a very glamorous profession for a young (oh yes, they aged them out in those days) woman.
They wore stunning uniforms created by top fashion designers like Emilio Pucci and Oleg Cassini, and turned heads in their miniskirts wherever they went. Men went wild trying to get a date with these beauties, who were urged to stay single. Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley’s fabulous early “Mod” look reflect the designers of the period.
 Gabriela Coro (Gabriela), Kathleen Doyle (Gloria) and Jennifer Patton (Gretchen) – Photo credit Doug Olmsted Bernard (Joshua Rich), a rich playboy who sports loud plaid pants, has three adorable “stews” on a string. He keeps them from running into each other with the aid of his trusty International Flight Timetable and his ditzy maid Bertha (Margaret Bush) whose job it is to rotate out their photos in anticipation of their arrival. When Bernard’s old schoolmate Robert (Patrick M. Doneghy) arrives from Wisconsin, he convinces him that having three fiancées at the same time is the ideal bachelor life.
 Patrick Doneghy (Robert) and Margaret Bush (Bertha) – Photo credit Doug Olmsted Gretchen (Jennifer Patton) works for Lufthansa, Gabriela (Gabriela Coro) for Alitalia, and Gloria (Kathleen Doyle) for American Airlines and never the three shall meet – – at least that’s Bernard’s scheme. In the beginning all goes smoothly. The women come and go according to their rigid flight schedules. But as aviation advances and the planes get faster, Bernard is in for a bumpy ride as the women’s layovers coincide. John Downing and Bill Glikbarg’s cleverly designed six-door set with a charming terrace looking out over the lights of Paris, portends the shenanigans to come.
In the meantime the beleaguered Bertha, who has perfected of the art of the stink eye, “This is NO life for a maid!” she howls, must keep up the charade with a constant change of cuisine (frankfurters and sauerkraut for Gretchen) to appease the revolving door of Bernard’s paramours.
Notable performances by Patrick Doneghy who is absolutely superb as Robert (Rethink Jerry Lewis as a black comedian) and whose exquisite comic timing and zany mugging make this farce a total hoot; Jennifer Patton, as the feisty fräulein; and Gabriela Coro as the fiery signorina. Kudos to Director Roland Branford Gomez for a rollicking romp.
Through May 24th 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
 Kathleen Doyle (Gloria), Jennifer Patton (Gretchen) and Gabriela Coro (Gabriela – Photo credit Doug Olmsted
Jordan wright
April 29, 2014
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Photo of Mitchell Jarvis by Christopher Mueller. Is capitalism and corruption as pervasive today as when Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill wrote The Threepenny Opera in 1920’s Germany? They certainly thought so then basing their theme on John Gay’s 1728 The Beggar’s Opera. In Signature Theatre’s use of Playwright Robert David MacDonald’s and Lyricist Jeremy Sams’ 1994 modernization of the original musical, they certainly believe it still to be true. Citing a Pew Research Center report that income inequality is at its highest level since 1928, Signature’s Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer shows the theme is timeless. Does the slogan “We are the 99%” sound familiar?
Set in a dystopian future the current Prince William is about to be crowned King William V (Theatregoers are treated to a flower-strewn memorial to the current Queen surrounded by the lurid headlines of her death on tabloid front pages.).
Director Matthew Gardiner has created and choreographed a cacophony of street-world chaos – – a place where Misha Kachman’s evocative set design features a neon sign for “Instant Cash” and graffiti covering the walls of dirty alleyways, and Sound Designer Lane Elms evokes the blaring noise of the city. It’s a gritty world where hookers, strippers, conmen, and beggars are positioned at stage level while slick-suited financiers stroll an elevated catwalk, looking down on the hoi polloi beneath an electronic ticker-scroll with the stock prices of the day. The dichotomy between the haves and have-nots is as clear as the bell announcing the start of business on the floor of the London Stock Exchange.
 Macheath (Mitchell Jarvis, left) holds court on his wedding day (from left clockwise: Erin Driscoll, Sean Fri, Thomas Adrian Simpson, Paul Scanlan, John Leslie Wolfe, Ryan Sellers, and Rick Hammerly). – Photo by Margot Schulman. Natascia Diaz plays the prostitute Jenny, with an ennui that chills to the bone. Opening with the solo “The Flick Knife” a mournful song that describes Mack as the low-down murderer she loves, she offers up an eerie and halting rendition of the grisly ballad.
 Jenny (Natascia Diaz) sings “The Flick Knife Song” – Photo by Margot Schulman. As shakedown artist Mr. Peachum (Bobby Smith) describes “the five basic varieties of human wretchedness” in “Morning Chorale”, “the beggar, the banker, the cop – – they’re all of ‘em out on the take”, he hands out crutches, fake limbs and tattered clothing to his beggar candidates. Mrs. Peachum (Donna Migliaccio) his cohort in crime aids in dostressing the garments with a scissors while their daughter sweet Polly (Erin Driscoll) takes it all in. But is anyone more evil than the Machiavellian Macheath (Mitchell Jarvis) who, as quick as he slits a throat with his shiny shiv, marries the headstrong Polly alongside his band of thieves?
Costume Designer Frank Labovitz has created an arresting display of colors, patterns and styles to depict the criminal lifestyle. Using what is known as the “chav” style of clothing adopted by a British anti-social youth subculture, Mack’s gang of thieves sport a mashup of designer clothing wearing pimp bling, Burberry caps and the latest in cell phones. The hookers led by Jenny rock 6-inch stilettos, 12-inch high hairdos and fabulously racy lingerie, while Polly is a vision in a yellow Scottish plaid suit and beribboned hose.
 Polly Peachum (Erin Driscoll) and Macheath (Mitchell Jarvis) sing “Love Duet”- Photo by Margot Schulman. The production uses a variety of technology to suggest the insidiousness of our technology overload. Lighting Designer Colin K. Bills and Video Designer Rocco DiSanti effect quick mood changes by infusing scenes with Brechtian philosophy by flashing platitudes across an electronic board above the fray. Phrases like, “Depart from evil and do good,” and “Seek peace, and pursue it,” Brecht’s exhortation to his characters to beware of dehumanization through immorality. DiSanti’s atmospheric lighting succeeds in heightening the tension and the chilling ferocity of the scenes.
There are too many eye-popping scenes and phenomenal singing to describe here but watch for Rick Hammerly as Lucy Brown who shows up to challenge Polly for Mack’s affections and nearly brings the house down with his drag performance as the pregnant Brown, “He’s Mars and I’m Venus,” she (he) explains; Jarvis’s descent into madness in “The Ballad in Which Macheath Begs All Men’s Forgiveness”; and Diaz and Jarvis’s steamy, macabre duet in “A Pimp’s Tango”.
 Jenny (Natascia Diaz) and Macheath (Mitchell Jarvis) dance in “A Pimp’s Tango.” – Photo by Margot Schulman. Jarvis gives us a psychopathic yet charismatic Macheath – – the personification of evil and raw sexuality in a character as powerful, riveting and cringe-worthy as the Devil himself. For Jarvis who effortlessly alternates between charm and depravity, it is a soul-searing triumph. Impeccable casting and masterful direction by Gardiner inform this brilliant production.
Highly recommended.
Through June 1st at Signature Theatre (Shirlington Village), 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call 703 820-9771 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.
Jordan Wright
April 18, 2014
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Matthew Amendt as Prince Hal and Edward Gero as King Henry IV production of Henry IV, Part 2. Photo by Scott Suchman. Right after the gloom and doom set up in Act 1 when we learn that King Henry IV is the target of Wales’ and Scotland’s revenge for his crime of treason, the play begins to open up to comedic relief when Falstaff and Henry’s son, Hal, enter together. And that’s a good thing because, notwithstanding the haunting opening set design by Alexander Dodge in which a giant silhouetted map of the territories is displayed, the play gets off to a complicated enough start with a blast of lightening quick repartee between the King, John of Lancaster and the Earl of Westmoreland. It’s enough to rock any unprepared playgoer back on their heels who might not know the lay of the land, so to speak. And remember, it’s all about the land, the King’s tormented conscience for stealing Mortimer’s rightful throne and his crusade to make things right, that goes horribly wrong. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” Even Prince Hal has that figured out.
Stacy Keach returns to the Shakespeare Theatre Company as the grandiloquent Falstaff, cohort and amigo-in-arms to the King’s son, Henry the Prince of Wales aka Hal and/or Harry. Falstaff, one of the most enduring and sympathetic characters in all of Shakespeare, is as lovable a scallywag and epitome of a crusty ne’er-do-well as has ever existed in theatredom. And Keach plays him to the hilt, embracing every line, morphing into the character, and flat out owning the role. The man is marvelous. (In one irreverent scene at Henry’s London apartment, he finds a pair of ladies underwear in Hal’s bed and uses them to dab his lips after a meal. You get the picture.) Alas, poor Falstaff, ever the underdog, is repeatedly called every colorful name in describing his ungainly figure, “That huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox,” Hal affectionately calls him.
 Stacy Keach as Falstaff and Maggie Kettering as Doll Tearsheet – production of Henry IV, Part 2. Photo by Scott Suchman. There is much to praise about Shakespeare Theatre Company’s engaging two-night presentation, the exquisite costumes of silk, fur, leather and chainmail by Ann Hould-Ward, the sword fighting direction by Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet, original period-inspired music composed by Michael Roth, including a tender Welsh ballad sung by Lady Mortimer (Vanessa Sterling), and especially the remarkably magnetic Matthew Arendt who plays Prince Hal. Arendt brims with irresistible charm keeping the energy level, as well as the cast, in high gear.
 Stacy Keach as Falstaff, Ted van Griethuysen as Justice Shallow, Brad Bellamy as Bardolph, and Bev Appleton as Justice Silence in production of Henry IV, Part 2. Photo by Scott Suchman. Other standouts are Craig Wallace, who gives an elegant portrait of the swaggering Earl of Westmoreland, John Keabler as the sexiest Hotspur alive, Kelley Curran as his wife, Lady Percy, as alluring a liberated woman as ever there was, and of course, Edward Gero in the powerhouse role of Henry IV. Look for scene-stealer Ted van Griethuysen who simply kills it as Justice Shallow in Part 2.
Highly recommended.
Through June 8th at Sidney Harmon Hall, 610 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20003. For tickets and information contact the Box Office at 202 547-1122 or visit www.shakespearetheatre.org.
 Matthew Amendt as Prince Hal, Patrick Vaill as Lancaster, and Nathan Winkelstein as Gloucester in production of Henry IV, Part 2. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Jordan Wright
April 22, 2014
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Paul Morella as The Librarian in Underneath the Lintel – Photo credit: Chris Banks What is the impetus that drives us forward each day? Is it hope? How do we decide what holds meaning for us? Is it faith, or just curiosity? For a Dutch librarian, trapped in a humdrum job checking in books from the overnight repository and sending overdue notices to scofflaws, it is to confront the man who checked out a Baedeker Travel Guide some 113 years ago. Outraged by the audacity of the borrower who waited so long to return the book, he determines to track him down. Apart from the borrower’s baffling initial, “A.”, and his confounding address, a small village in China, he has but one clue to go on. Tucked between the yellowed pages is a receipt for a pair of trousers from a laundry in London. This small clue becomes the catalyst to unlock the mysteries of life and to release him from a colorless life devoid of purpose.
 Paul Morella as The Librarian in Underneath the Lintel – Photo credit: Chris Banks James Kronzer’s set is a masterpiece of evocative scenic design that evokes the university quarters of Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark, a jumble of objects gathered by a man prospecting for answers. Worn briefcases and suitcases and papers are strewn about. Easel blackboards, an old globe and a long wooden table displaying a skull, surround him. His quest will take him around the world on an emotional and metaphysical journey to find “A.” – – or is it his own enlightenment he seeks.
Dressed in a three-piece tweed suit the pedantic librarian is delivering a lecture on his travels. His handmade sign reads, ‘Impressive Presentation of Lovely Evidences’. “I have only one night for this, due to the extortionary rates of this auditorium,” he declares using historical slides from a carousel projector to aid in the telling.
 Paul Morella – Photo credit: Chris Banks Paul Morella stars in this one-man play that uses the parable of The Wandering Jew, a man cursed to wander the earth until the Second Coming. Playwright Glen Berger has co-opted the myth to explore the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany. When the librarian finds a second clue leading him to Bonn and the discovery of an incident report of a “dirty Jew” thrown off a train, he sets out on a seemingly endless trail of conundrums, discovering an unrequited romance and a series of iconic moments in history. Obscure arcana hidden in the clues reveal the librarian’s encyclopedic knowledge and inform his feverish expedition. Parables from Aesculus, modern day graffiti and Hobson’s ultimatum theory all hint at the subject. “The act of believing and the act of accepting are two very different things,” he posits to us.
Morella gives a riveting and commanding performance seamlessly reflecting the intensity of the character against the theme’s comedic irony. Director John Vreeke succeeds mightily in orchestrating this fascinating and complex production.
Through May 25th at MetroStage 1201 North Royal Street, Alexandria, 22314. For tickets and information call 703 548-9044 or visit www.metrostage.org.
Jordan Wright
April 10, 2014
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Photo credit to City of Alexandria staff The British are coming! The British are coming! It’s been 200 years since the British Royal Navy invaded the Port of Alexandria, but this time they’ll be here by invitation.
As event organizer and resident, Peter Pennington explains, “The festival really commemorates two things. The 1814 war, which was vital to the founding of the U. S as one country, and secondly the fact that enemies can become the firmest of friends!”
![Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World premiered in 2003 and received 10 nominations for Academy Awards, including best picture. It was directed and co-written by celebrated Australian director Peter Weir, famous for movies The Truman Show and Dead Poets Society. The movie was drawn from the 20-volume series of seafaring novels by Patrick OBrian, following the exploits of Captain Jack Aubrey [Russell Crowe] and his close friend, surgeon Stephen Maturin [Paul Bettany]. - Photo credit to 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films and Universal Studios](https://whiskandquill.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/commander.png "Photo credit to 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films and Universal Studios") Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World premiered in 2003 and received 10 nominations for Academy Awards, including best picture. It was directed and co-written by celebrated Australian director Peter Weir, famous for movies The Truman Show and Dead Poets Society. The movie was drawn from the 20-volume series of seafaring novels by Patrick OBrian, following the exploits of Captain Jack Aubrey [Russell Crowe] and his close friend, surgeon Stephen Maturin [Paul Bettany]. – Photo credit to 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films and Universal Studios To kick off Alexandria’s Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812 organizers are holding a “Film Gala” in the newly restored Old Town Theater. The fundraiser, which will donate part of its proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project as well as the British equivalent Help for Heroes, will begin with a cocktail reception to be followed by a screening of the Oscar-winning naval classic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World starring Russell Crowe. A pre-screening discussion about the shooting of the film will include a talk by Kyle Dalton, who worked on the replica HMS Surprise, the 18 th Century Royal Navy frigate used in the movie. Special guest USMC Sergeant Brendan O’Toole, the 2007 T. C. Williams High School grad who recently ran 3,600 miles across the country to raise funds for the Wounded Warriors, will speak about the charity. On display will be some of the costumes from the film along with naval artifacts of the period that have been provided by local Alexandria museums.
 Alexandria resident Brendan O’Toole carries a U.S. flag during his run through West Texas in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing earlier – Photo by Tim Dwyer Now you might think after torching our Nation’s Capitol and burning down the Executive Mansion in 1814, then several days later storming Alexandria’s harbor and occupying our city, that we wouldn’t be particularly pleased to roll out the red carpet and hoist up the Union Jack for the British Royal Navy. But indeed we will. We have a good deal to be grateful for, not least of all that their soldiers didn’t burn down our city. That most of our historic buildings are still intact is due to a capitulation pact made between the invading British troops and Alexandria’s Common Council who reluctantly granted the marauders free rein to clean out the city’s storehouses of spirits, tobacco, armaments and tasty comestibles, taking with them twenty-one ships from our fair harbor.
 Edward Stabler sold to a variety of city and country residents – from Martha Washington to Robert E. Lee, the local doctor to the local farmer. The typical products Stabler sold included medicine, farm and garden equipment, surgical instruments, dental equipment, soap, perfume, Buffalo and Bedford mineral water, cigars, window glass, paint and varnish, artists’ supplies, combs and brushes. Much of the medicine he sold was created on-site, using plant and herb materials. – Photo Credit: Ben Fink Apothecary owner Edward Stabler, whose pharmacy still stands, described the surprise incursion like this, “Their conduct was respectful and decorous; and instead of that exultation and triumph which expands the heart of a soldier when he encounters and overcomes a force like his own, these [men] were evidently dejected and adverse to what they were doing.”
But they are not entirely off the hook. Ever since last December when an invitational challenge from Mayor Bill Euille was tendered to the British Royal Navy, the city has been planning a myriad of activities. Representatives of the British Defence staff, led by Royal Marine Major-General Buster Howes, CB OBE, will participate in the sporting events.
Throughout the spring and summer there will be lectures sponsored by the Alexandria Historical Society, boat tours on the Potomac, and living history events culminating with a large outdoor festival on the final weekend in August when both a cricket match and a yacht race under sail up the Potomac River will take place. The race will feature the captains of the British team competing against the Old Dominion Boat Club who will represent the city.
Some events are ticketed. To purchase tickets to the Film Gala visit https://shop.alexandriava.gov/ For information on all other events go to www.visitalexandriava.com/1812.
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