Hysteria and High Jinks in Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Signature Theatre

Hysteria and High Jinks in Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Signature Theatre

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
November 10, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 

The cast of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Signature Theatre (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

Not just funny, but side-splittingly funny – plus zany, goofy, clever, punny, sideways, witty, gummed up, nutso and nonsensical. And that’s just the plot. Is there a plot? Well, yes there is. It’s there to support the jokes and innuendos, swordfights and belly dancers. Did you say belly dancers? In Greece? Sure, toss that in too. Not everything aligns with Hellenic culture, but if it whacked the funny bone, co-authors Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove gleefully found a spot for it.

And it goes like this. Young Hero (Zachary Keller) falls in love with a pretty girl, Philia (Kuhoo Verma) who is holed up in a house of prostitution awaiting the arrival of Miles Gloriosus (Cameron Loyal), a dashing, well-muscled, vainglorius Captain who has purchased the comely virgin. Hero’s wily slave Pseudolus (Erin Weaver) makes him a deal. In exchange for his freedom, he will deliver the girl to him. Together they buck his father Senex’s (Christopher Bloch) and mother Domina’s (Tracy Lynn Olivera) control to fight off con artists and soldiers, navigate the wiles of glamorous courtesans, rescue the girl (not a virgin, but at this point who cares?) and live happily ever after.  But first they must seize her from the clutches of Lycus (Lawrence Redmond), the town’s brothel owner in whose house the girl is being kept.

Guises and disguises, foolishness and fools, gladiators and pirates all conspire to muck up their plan. Gray-bearded Erronius (Sherri L. Edelen), in search of his long-lost children, arrives onstage in well-timed increments geared to punctuate the absurdity of it all. At this point you’re either rolling in the aisles or falling out of your seat. Quietly pick yourself up. No one will notice because they have also doubled over and are scraping themselves off the floor.

Cameron Loyal (Miles Gloriosus) and Erin Weaver (Pseudolus) center with Kaylee Olson, Nolan Montgomery, Emily Steinhardt, Ryan Sellers and Harrison Smith (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

 I was massively impressed by the experienced cast – most especially Weaver, whom I’m sure you all know if you’re up on the local theater scene, ditto for Redmond, Bloch, Olivera, Edelen who also plays the courtesan Vibrata, Ryan SellersHank Von KolnitzHarrison SmithDylan Arredondo and Mike Millan – all Signature alums. The result is an action-packed, har-dee-har-har fest and the perfect panacea for our times.

What I wasn’t expecting was the vocal + performing talents of Loyal, a New York-based actor whose amazing voice coupled with his comic timing was absolutely fantastic; Keller, whose voice and adorableness put me in mind of Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen; and Verma, whose portrayal of Hero’s ditsy love interest blending high comedy with girlish innocence was absolute perfection.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was Stephen Sondheim’s first composer + lyricist writing credit. At thirty-two years old, he had already had two huge B’way hits as the lyricist on West Side Story and Gypsy. I don’t need to tell you, dear theatregoer, of the mountains of awards and success that followed. Signature’s close relationship with Sondheim’s works makes them singularly poised to return this beloved classic to the stage.

Kaylee Olson (Tintinabula), Zachary Keller (Hero) and Erin Weaver (Pseudolus) (Photo/Daniel Rader)

Here a 15-piece orchestra sets the mood with a classic and sweeping Broadway overture. The well-known tune “Comedy Tonight” opens the first scene, showing us that the Greeks could do a chorus line and jazz hands as well as anyone. And although there are 14 more numbers to follow, I’m waiting for “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid”, a catchy first act number.

High praise to Director and Choreographer Matthew Gardiner and his production team. I’m singling out Jimmy Stubbs’ Palladian set design – Grecian columns and all – and Erik Teague’s costume design). With Music Direction by Jon Kalbfleisch; Lighting Design by Jason Lyons; Wig Design by Anne Nesmith; Fight Choreographer Casey Kaleba; and Intimacy Consultant & Choreographer Chelsea Pace.

Additional cast: Kaylee Olson as Tintinabula; Emily Steinhardt as Panacea; Nolan Montgomery as Gymnasia.

Highly recommended. Hilarity and high jinks at their finest!!!

Zachary Keller (Hero), Kuhoo Verma (Philia) and Erin Weaver (Photo/Daniel Rader)

Through January 12th at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org.

2024 Pulitzer Prize Winning Play Primary Trust Triumphs at Signature Theatre

2024 Pulitzer Prize Winning Play Primary Trust Triumphs at Signature Theatre

Primary Trust
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
September 21, 2024
Special to The Zebra

Julius Thomas III (Kenneth), Frank Britton (Bert) and Craig Wallace (Clay) in Primary Trust at Signature Theatre. (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)

“This is the story of a friendship,” explains Kenneth in the opening line of Primary Trust. He’s speaking directly to us, the audience, eager to recount his personal journey. He’s awkward, shy, anxious, struggling to get the words out. We soon meet his friend, Bert. Everyone should have a life coach like Bert. He comforts Kenneth, encouraging him, advising him and guiding him to make the right choices, to say the right things. Bert is Kenneth’s drinking buddy at Wally’s, a small-town Hawaiian-themed tiki hut outside of Rochester, New York where they chug Mai Tais at Happy Hour. Just a couple of bros bonding, until we discover that no one sees Bert except Kenneth. Bert is Kenneth’s imaginary friend. “I don’t want a real friend,” he tells Bert. The servers play along.

Julius Thomas III (Kenneth) (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)

We soon learn that Kenneth was an orphan shuffled from foster home to foster home where his only friend was his case worker Bert whom he admired, fashioning imaginary friend Bert’s persona after the social worker’s compassion. The death of Kenneth’s mother when he was a child appears to have caused a psychotic break that has followed him into adulthood when he finds a soft landing in a small bookstore with owner, Sam, who indulges his quirks. When Sam decides to retire, Kenneth, who has worked there for two decades, must find a job outside his comfort zone. A random convo with Carrina, a sweet waitress at Wally’s, reveals an opening at the local bank where Bert’s advice during the interview helps him land the job.

Bank manager, Clay, takes a liking to Kenneth, and despite Kenneth’s chats with the invisible Bert and the occasional freakout with difficult customers, he keeps him on. Kenneth’s surprising propensity for selling banking services to new clients, soon propels him to top salesman.

Julius Thomas III (Kenneth) and Yesenia Iglesias (Corrina) (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)

Throughout his journey, our compassion and fascination with this tortured man grows deeper. He is as unlikely a hero as one could imagine and yet his beautiful soul resonates despite his struggles. Kenneth speaks to everyone’s life’s choices for better or for worse. When a random meeting with Carinna turns into a drink at a fancy restaurant, he reveals his life’s story, and we learn how his young life took a one-eighty.

This tender and beautifully acted play walks a delicate balance as precarious as a tightrope. We fear for Kenneth’s future as fiercely as we seek to defend his choices. His frailty and hopefulness are an irresistible dichotomy. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Eboni Booth, has written a classic filled with dark humor and pathos. Primary Trust shows us who we are – flaws and all – with a message that finds us rooting for Kenneth to find his place in the world. He does and we do when we empathize with our fellow humans.

A touching and exquisitely mounted triumph that will stand the test of time. Highly recommended!

Julius Thomas III (Kenneth) and Frank Britton (Bert) (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)

Starring Julius Thomas III as Kenneth; Frank Britton as Bert; Craig Wallace as Sam/Clay & Others; and Yesenia Iglesias as Corrina & Others.

Directed by Taylor Reynolds; Scenic Design by Misha Kachman; Costume Design by Danielle Preston; Lighting Design by Venus Gulbranson; Sound Design & Original Music by Frederick Kennedy; Casting by Jorge Acevedo; New York Casting by Geoff Josselson.

Through October 20th at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Street, in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org.  

An All-Asian Cast in Signature Theatre’s SOFT POWER Brings Song and Dance to an American Story of Racism in America

An All-Asian Cast in Signature Theatre’s SOFT POWER Brings Song and Dance to an American Story of Racism in America 

Soft Power
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
August 19, 2024
Special to The Zebra

Grace Yoo (Hillary Clinton) and Daniel May (Xue Xing) in Soft Power at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader) 

Written by Playwright and Lyricist David Hwang and Composer and Lyricist Jeanine TesoriSoft Power is a musical reflecting the zeitgeist of the 2016 U.S. presidential election when Hillary Clinton was the expected winner running against Donald Trump. The musical didn’t premiere until Trump was in the White House and the nation wondered what the heck happened.

The story is played out in fantasy couched in political reality. In New York City Chinese American playwright DHH (Steven Eng) takes a meeting with a successful Chinese American theatre producer, Xūe Xíng (Daniel May). Xíng implores DHH to write a Broadway musical comparable to the King and I. DHH, aka David, begs off the absurd context of trying to compare the draconian politics of China with the democratic ideals of the U.S. They banter about the two countries philosophies – Chinese are dutiful and don’t need democracy claims Xíng. If this sounds confusing, it is, since the show was written before the outcome of the election then later rewritten. But you’ll soon get the hang of it.

Grace Yoo (Hillary Clinton, center) and the cast of Soft Power at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader)

Leaving the meeting, David is stabbed in the streets by two MAGA thugs, Bobby Bob (Jonny Lee, Jr. and other roles) and Randy Ray (Eymard Cabling and other roles). Bobby feels badly and tells David he will protect him from further racist attacks. And he does – up to a point.

While in hospital, David imagines a better scenario where Hillary Clinton (the amazing and hilarious, Grace Yoo) comes to him as a lover. Though framed in the politics of that fraught period, the show has its humorous moments as when Hillary gives a stump speech at McDonald’s while giant dancing burger and fries bracket her appearance in the song, “I’m With Her”. Later preppy Trumper Holden Caulfield (Nicholas Yenson in several roles) of Catcher in the Rye fame accosts Clinton and a stroller full of cats in rose-colored glasses explain the Electoral College voting system in the song, “Voting”.

Daniel May (Xue Xing) and Grace Yoo (Hillary Clinton) (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)

The salient focus is the racism against the Chinese as fostered by Trump’s allies and believers and David’s dreamlike fantasy to live in a better, safer world as he tries to process his conflicted feelings to return to China, the land of his ancestors.

For levity, there are a host of goofy characters on the Trump side of the issues, Trump’s Veep (Christopher Mueller in several roles) makes an appearance as a gun-toting country boy, but the main thrust is the struggle for Chinese Americans who fear for their security in this fraught new American culture under the fired-up Trumpers. Fourteen numbers backed by a 10-piece band, amplify the polarization of the country since the election and the difficult future faced by Chinese Americans.

Daniel May (Xue Xing), Chani Wereley and the cast of Soft Power  (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)

With Andrew Cristi as Chief Justice and others; Ashley Nguyen as Jīng and others; Quynh-My Luu as Waiter and others; Chani Wereley as Betsy Ross and others; and Sumié Yotsukura as Flight Attendant and others.

Directed by Signature Theatre’s Artistic Director Ethan Heard, Choreographed by Billy Bustamante, Music Directed by Angie Benson, Music Supervised by Chris Fenwick, Scenic Design by Chika Shimizu, Costume Design by Helen Q. Huang, Lighting design by Oliver Wason, Sound Design by Eric Norris, Wig Design by Anne Nesmith, Orchestrations by Danny Troob.

Through September 15th at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Street in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org

The Psychedelic Age of Aquarius Shines with “Hair” at Signature Theatre

The Psychedelic Age of Aquarius Shines with “Hair” at Signature Theatre

Hair
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
April 28, 2024
Special to The Zebra

Peace signs, African beads, bellbottoms, tie dyed t-shirts, dashikis and fringe jackets. Sound familiar? If not, you were born long after the Peace Movement and hippie culture radicalized the American landscape. Created organically as a result of Nixon and Reagan politics and the Vietnam war, and framed by marijuana, LSD and peyote, this movement defined the late 60’s and early 70’s spreading out from California (doesn’t everything?) through the heartland to the East Coast. Communal living and free love, before the age of AIDS, generated a free and open spirit that saw a multitude of campus protests, countrywide activism, the start of the new women’s movement and the ascension of Black Power.

Olivia Puckett (Sheila), Jordan Dobson (Claude), and Mason Reeves (Berger) (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

The world was changing, and it was not driven by political insiders, but by student activists, American youth and the mood of a country fed up with the graphic nightly broadcasting of the Vietnam war. This political shift was emblematic of the nation’s divisions. Three men caught this shift in the mood of the country. They were Gerome RagniJames Rado and Galt Macdermot who collaborated on one of the first rock musicals ever written in the age of Aquarius and they called it Hair to reflect the polarization of the long-haired youth and the straight, predominantly White ruling culture. This radical experiment in musical theatre elevated the movement and gave it a beautiful and complex voice. I first saw it in the mid-60’s at Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival Theatre on a small stage and it was magical – encapsulating everything the counter culture movement was trying to say and the political machine it was up against.

Director Matthew Gardiner has seized the vibe and faithfully respected its original purpose. As an interactive piece that often breaks the fourth wall, it allows the audience to share the emotions and passions of its characters – fifteen strong-minded youths with racially diverse middle-class backgrounds, living together – and not always getting by – but always getting high.

The cast of HAIR at Signature Theatre (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

Forty numbers give voice to the relevant interests of American youth – fear of 1-A draft status, fascination with the British Invasion “Manchester England”, sex, Aretha, Hendrix, festivals and love-ins, East Indian culture and flower power. It’s what’s happening, baby. Even if you didn’t live it, it’s resurgence echoes in the current Boho fashion style with macrame and peace signs. Wait! Where’s my mood ring? Even Margaret Mead makes an appearance to investigate the scene – for anthropological research, of course.

Backgrounded with video projections of the era, and a kick-ass 9-piece band conducted by Angie Benson, this production will catapult you to a moment in time that revolutionized music, art, politics and culture – a time when there were bad trips and good times. A time of activism, questionable wars and the malaise of youth happening yet again on college campuses today.

Noah Israel (Woof), Mason Reeves (Berger), Keenan McCarter (Steve) (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

Ashleigh King’s hyper-energetic choreography focusses on Dance, Dance, Dance with this multi-talented, hyper-exuberant ensemble. You can sense the cast is loving the atmosphere Gardiner has created for them to explore. Coupled with Paige Hathaway’s set design incorporating iconography of the period, it is a brave, exuberant and immersive experience.

Highly recommended!

Jordan Dobson (Claude) (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

With Jordan Dobson as Claude; Amanda Lee as Dionne; Mason Reeves as Berger; Noah Israel as Woof; Solomon Parker III as Hud; Olivia Puckett as Sheila; Nora Palka as Jeanie; Caroline Graham as Crissy; Jamie Goodson as Suzannah/Mother; Keenan McCarter as Steve/Father; Nolan Montgomery as Jonathan/Margaret Mead; Greg Twomey as Paul/Hubert; Savannah Blackwell as Lorrie; Patrick Leonardo Casimir as Walter; and Alex De Bard as Emmaretta.

Lighting by Jason Lyons; Sound Design by Eric Norris; Video Design by Patrick W. Lord; Wig Design by Anne Nesmith; Fight Choreographer Casey Kaleba; Resident Intimacy Consultant and Choreographer Chelsea Pace.

Through July 7, 2024 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org

Penelope – A Modern-day Myth Breathes Fresh Air at Signature Theatre

Penelope – A Modern-day Myth Breathes Fresh Air at Signature Theatre

Penelope
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
March 20, 2024
Special to The Zebra

Jessica Phillips in Penelope (Photo/Daniel Rader)

A solitary woman stands on Ithaca’s shoreline awaiting the dawn. Casting her eyes out over the Ionian Sea, she looks for his ship – a sign her husband, legendary commander and war hero, is returning from a battle long over. Another day, another year, a decade hoping for Odysseus’ return. Penelope (Jessica Phillips) speaks of the soldiers – noisy, uncouth men who have set up tents in her courtyard. She’s given up trying to oust them.

Penelope is lyricist and composer Alex Bechtel’s own odyssey to bring this much celebrated character to life. Directed by Eva Steinmetz who also contributed to the book with Bechtel and Grace McLean, its evolution into a modernized love story of a faithful and patient wife are easily identifiable. Here we find Penelope as a real-life wife displaying emotions ranging from frustration to anger and longing to sentimentality. Prominent is her famed fidelity to a man we never meet.

Jessica Phillips in Penelope (Photo/Daniel Rader)

Paige Hathaway’s simple set design focusses on our heroine in front of a background of curvilinear dunes changing colors from dawn to sunset. Onstage are a quintet of musicians – on piano Ben Moss, on percussion Erika Johnson, on violin Jennifer Rickard, on viola Imelda Tecson Juarez and on cello Susanna Mendlow. It’s an impressive group and the glue that holds the piece together. The songs and the instrumentals reflect Penelope’s ever-changing mood swings that range from frantic to riotously funny (Bourbon is her medicine of choice.) to contemplative and, in her most desperate moments, a cry for guidance from Athena the Greek goddess of wisdom and war.

Told in modern vernacular, the patient Penelope becomes a relatable “every” woman.  As in the myth, her time at the loom and the undoing of her work each night so as not to complete a piece, become a metaphor for unrequited love. The beautiful ballad “Weaving” is about longing and a love unfinished.

Jessica Phillips in Penelope (Photo/Daniel Rader)

This 75-minute production has 21 numbers – one calypso number, ballads and a bit of rock – fourteen of those sung by Phillips. But it’s the ballads that stick with you, that and Phillips’ ability to bring life and believability to the character. With a rich background in musical theater, both on and off Broadway and on national tour in Dear Evan Hansen, Phillips knows her craft well offering up a riveting range of emotions. Based on the writings of Homer’s The Odyssey, this production has recently been extended reflecting both its success and appeal.

With Costume Design by Danielle Preston and Lighting Design by Jesse Belsky.

Penelope Show Art

Through April 28th in the ARK Theatre at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA 22208. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org

Moving and Unforgettable the Musical Private Jones Wows at Signature Theatre

Moving and Unforgettable the Musical Private Jones Wows at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
February 16, 2024
Special to The Zebra

David Aron Damane, Alex De Bard, Amelia Hensley, Johnny Link (Gomer Jones) and Emily Steinhardt (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

A little birdie told me there’s a good chance Private Jones is headed to Broadway. What I’m saying, straight out of the gate, is don’t wait to snag your tickets because this show has everything. A fresh form and concept and a singular approach to a musical that is so thrilling that it has the all the elements to be a huge hit. Writer, Composer, Book, Director and DC native Marshall Pailet has the chops plus massive industry street cred. His former employers? DreamWorks and PBS productions, plus he’s written a few notable Off-Broadway musicals.

Due to Pailet’s massive talent, this world premiere production has already drawn in some high-level producers with Broadway experience. (I couldn’t get my nose out of the playbill scanning the multiple, italicized blockbuster shows and multiple theatre awards credited to this impressive creative team.)

What makes this war story so unique and so riveting is Gomer Jones (Johnny Link). Gomer is Deaf, a result of meningitis as a boy, as a result he has “remembered” speech and can lipread. (Notably, a few cast members are Deaf.) The program tells us World War I had Deaf soldiers who served in many capacities. Discovering this story drove Pailet to write this tri-lingual musical featuring signing in two languages – American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) and the script in spoken English.

Johnny Link (Gomer Jones) and the cast of Private Jones at Signature Theatre (Photo/Daniel Rader_

As a boy Gomer’s father teaches him to shoot the wild dogs that vex their sheep. Though he balked initially, the experience taught him to become a crack shot. As for the audience’s ability to translate sign language, you needn’t worry. There are surtitles which I found useful as the characters speak with a Welsh dialect which can get tricky, and then there’s The Storyteller (Amelia Hensley) who narrates the plot.

The story is set in Breconshire in South Wales. The town’s young men are being called to duty and Gomer wants to go. But at his medical exam the doctor realizes he’s Deaf and turns him away. Disappointed he goes back to the village and his sheep farm. One day he shoots a wild dog but doesn’t kill it. He takes it to a sympathetic nurse, Gwenolyn (Leanne Antonio), who saves the dog. “Every soul’s a soul.” Telling him he is needed in the war effort, she finds him a job at a munitions factory. Later with the rising toll of battle fatalities, Gomer fakes his hearing test and gets into the British army where he becomes an elite sniper aided by his “spotter” King (Erin Weaver in one of her finest roles).

Alex De Bard, Johnny Link (Gomer Jones) and Erin Weaver (King) (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

There Gomer meets up with his fellow Breconshire “borderers”. They figure out he’s Deaf and learn to communicate through a smattering of sign language. All this sounds rather tame, but the tension and raw emotions of the front are palpable, and the sounds of war are everywhere as Gomer faces the frightening scene – in the heat of a battle he cannot hear.

This is a gritty, pulsing, edge-of-your-seat drama lightened with bawdy gallows humor and a sweeping score with 22 beautiful ballads. How that is achieved is due in no small part to a strategically-cast, perfectly meshed ensemble, mood-setting lighting and effects by Lighting Director Jen Schriever and the gorgeous music and lyrics written by Marshall Pailet.

Highly recommended!!! Moving and unforgettable.

Vincent Michael (Edmund) and the cast of Private Jones at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader_

Leanne Antonio as Gwenolyn/Evans; Deimoni Brewington as Bailey; David Aron Damane as Father/Drill Sergeant/Major; Dickie Drew Hearts as Henry; Vincent Michael as Edmund; Jake Loewenthal as Redvers. Ensemble Members – Alex De BardVincent MichaelGeorge Psomas, and Emily Steinhardt.

Director of Artistic Sign Language Alexandria Wailes; Choreographed by Misha Shields; Music Directed by Myrna Conn; Costume Design by Phu’ong Nguyen; Sound Design by Eric Norris; Scenic Design by Christopher & Justin Swader; Video Design by Patrick W. Lord; Dialect Coach Catherine Flye; Orchestrations by Ryan O’Connell. Dance Captain, Emily Steinhardt; Artistic Sign Language Captain, Amelia Hensley; and Fight Captain, Vincent Michael.

Through March 10th at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue in the Village at Shirlington, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org