|
|
Jordan Wright
November 24, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Douglas Sills as Fred Graham and Christine Sherrill as Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman. A stunner of a show just rolled into town and utterly knocked our socks off. Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate the play-within-a-play, well, not really, since it’s a musical, brought with it a fresh breeze to Sidney Harman Hall thanks to Director Alan Paul.
Using Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” as underpinning, Porter composed the music and witty lyrics with Samuel and Bella Spewack, two of the finest stage writers of their time, who penned many a Broadway show and Hollywood screenplay. In this madcap creation we are privy to the goings on backstage where all the action is set. The storyline follows two couples who are preparing their parts for Shakespeare’s classic tale – Lilli Vanessi (Christine Sherrill who also plays the man-hating shrew, Kate), and her ex-husband slash co-star Fred Graham (Douglas Sills, also in the role of her suitor Petruchio; and Lois Lane (Robyn Hurder, who also plays Bianca) and her gambler boyfriend, Bill Calhoun (Clyde Alves, who also plays Lucentio). Got it? They also have relationship issues. Who doesn’t?
 Robyn Hunter as Lois Lane and Christine Sherrill as Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman. Add in Fred and Lilli’s dressers, Hattie (Zonya Love) and Paul (T. Oliver Reed), a backstage crew, an entire chorus line, and sprinkle with a couple of rough-tough-cream-puff gangsters played with all the requisite ‘dese, dems and dose’ by Bob Ari and Raymond Jaramillo McLeod, and it’s on!
See it for the dancing – jitterbug, leaps, high kicks and acrobatics combine with tap, waltz and rumba by the best hoofers around. Choreographer Michele Lynch co-opts every inch of real estate for each intricate routine. See it for the steamy cavorting or see it for the singing. It will take your breath away. The audience literally screamed with delight clapping wildly after each number. Sherill is captivatingly maddening as Kate in the tune, “I Hate Men” and Sills grabs the spotlight in “So in Love”. As for Hurder, the audience nearly wouldn’t let her off the stage after her first number, “Tom, Dick or Harry”, and her sizzling, negligee-clad, vamp rendition of, “Always True to You in My Fashion”. In the second act sultriness raised the bar with “It’s Too Darn Hot” led by Paul and Hattie and augmented by the dancers.
 The company of Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman. A ten-piece orchestra led by James Cunningham stays true to the nifty sophistication of Porter’s music, coupling neatly to Sound Designer Justin Stasiw’s noises off sound effects. The triple threat is bracketed by Scenic Designer James Noone’s 1940’s period sets of Ford’s Theater’s backstage interspersed with drops depicting 16th C Italy that are reminiscent of 1940’s The New Yorker magazine’s pen and ink illustrations of the day.
Run, don’t walk, to the box office! Highly recommended.
At the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall through January 3rd 2016 at 610 F St., NW Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
Jordan Wright
November 12, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Jeff McCarthy as Fagin and the company of Oliver! at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Photo by Margot Schulman. A decidedly refreshing Oliver debuted at Arena Stage last night signaling a break with traditional productions of Charles Dickens’ mid-19th century classic of the underbelly of England’s Victorian era. Director Molly Smith’s interpretation transports the audience to the seedy streets of modern day London to prove when it comes to crime and passion, poverty and the exploitation of the unfortunate, one of Dickens’ familiar themes, not much has changed. Choreographer Parker Esse and Costume Designer Wade Laboissoniere perfectly echo that insight using breakdancing, pop-locking and electro-dancing coupled with edgy, urban streetwear combined with period Victoriana. Special praise for Kyle Coffman as the Artful Dodger who executes some ballet/moonwalk dancing in “Consider Yourself”. Props by Marion Hampton Dube are modernized to reflect the era – a boombox is boosted, credit cards hoarded, cell phones take selfies and Oliver sports a backpack. Can you picture Fagin grilling sausages on a BBQ grill? You’d better. He does.
 Eleasha Gamble as Nancy and the company of Oliver! at Arena Stage at the Mead CenterPhoto by Margot Schulman. Notwithstanding this edgy version, the story of the tiny orphan Oliver (Jake Heston Miller) hasn’t changed a whit. It is still the tale of Oliver Twist, a street urchin first captured by Mr. Bumble (Paul Vogt) and his reluctant paramour, the Widow Corney (Rayanne Gonzalez), who then sel him off to Draconian funeral parlor owners Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry (Tom Story and Dorea Schmidt), only to be indoctrinated into a life as a pickpocket by the captivating Svengali, Fagin (Jeff McCarthy), and his workhouse boys with the sympathetic portrait of Nancy (Eleasha Gamble), the mohawk-sporting crook with a heart of gold, and her swaggering lover, Bill Sykes (Ian Lassiter), the evilest villain in London town.
 (L-R) Jeff McCarthy as Fagin and Jake Heston Miller as Oliver in Oliver! at Arena Stage at the Mead CenterPhoto by Margot Schulman. Twenty-one numbers neatly envelop the plot. I particularly loved Story and Schmidt’s portrayal as two perfectly matched grim reapers with Story playing the foil to Schmidt’s dominatrix in a snappy Noel Coward-style rendition of “That’s Your Funeral”; Gamble’s soaring soul-filled version of “It’s a Fine Life” and “As Long As He Needs Me” (goosebumps guaranteed); Miller’s “Where is Love?” sung in an angelic, pitch perfect, boychoir treble; and McCarthy’s gravelly-voiced, comedic handling of “Pick a Pocket or Two” and “Reviewing the Situation”. Paul Sportelli leads the 13-piece orchestra so seamlessly you’d think it was recorded from the original.
 (L-R) Jake Heston Miller as Oliver and Tom Story as Mr. Sowerberry in Oliver! at Arena Stage at the Mead Center – Photo by Margot Schulman. To add to the intensity, there are dozens of mood-altering light cues by Lighting Designer Colin K. Bills that instantly transform the atmosphere from dark and gritty to warm and fuzzy to reflect the dramatic transitions in Oliver’s circumstances. Much of the action is played out above the audience on Set Designer Todd Rosenthal’s crisscrossed steel bridge allowing for extra staging beyond the immediate theater-in-the-round. And there are plenty of thrills as Oliver and his gang of juvenile delinquents evade the London bobbies.
Though this is a hugely entertaining, high-adrenaline show, I would not recommend it for young children as there is a good deal of bump-and-grind, coupled with hard drug use by the urchins.
Through January 3, 2016 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St., SE, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call 202 488-3300 or visit www.ArenaStage.org
Jordan Wright
October 8, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Mercy Street: Behind the Scenes On November 5th the Alexandria Film Festival and Visit Alexandria will host the premiere of PBS Masterpiece Theatre’s new Civil War era miniseries, Mercy Street. Based on true stories and set historically in Alexandria, the drama tells of love, war and medicine on the home front. Ruled under martial law, Alexandria was once the melting pot of the region, filled with soldiers, civilians, female volunteers, doctors, the wounded from both sides, runaway slaves, prostitutes, speculators and spies.
The private screening will kick off the city’s ninth annual film festival, which runs from November 5th through the 8th at both the AMC Hoffman 22 Theater and Beatley Central Library. The festival will also include an advance screening of Love The Coopers and many more. For information and screening times go to www.AlexandriaFilm.org
Lisa Quijano Wolfinger, who has written, produced and directed a wide range of genres, including drama, historical docudrama, high-end documentaries and reality, is the Co-Producer of the PBS Masterpiece Theatre mini-series, Mercy Street. Her work includes the critically acclaimed three-hour docudrama special for the History Channel, “Desperate Crossing, The Untold Story of the Mayflower”, nominated for two primetime Emmy Awards; the two-hour special, “Fire on the Mountain”, nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy and awarded the CINE Masters Series award; the 90-minute Salem Witch docudrama titled “Witch Hunt”, nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy; and the docudrama miniseries, “Conquest of America”, nominated for a Primetime Emmy and winner of a gold medal at the New York Film Festival. Wolfinger will be on hand for the premiere along with some of the cast members to participate in a Q & A.
Interview with Lisa Wolfinger
What initially drew you to focus on American history throughout your career?
That’s an interesting one! I was educated overseas, but I am American. I spent most of my school years in France and England so my focus was on European History. When I married and moved to the States, I realized I knew very little about American History. So I began working my way up to it through a number of historic documentaries. For Mercy Street I looked into the Civil War. It seemed like the next step for me. I was especially drawn to the medical side. I wanted to find a fresh window and I discovered a very interesting story about the medical side of the war that had never been told. It’s a crucible in many ways. It’s what I like to call the beginning of modern medical science.
Why did you want to tell this particular story?
What excited me most of all were these very daring female volunteers who were the first nurses coming into this conflict, trying to make a difference. But there were other elements of the story that also excited me. By setting it in a Union hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, it also gave me an african american story line.
Audrey Davis, Director of Alexandria’s Black History Museum, gave expert historical background on Alexandria’s early African American experience. What did she share with your other advisors and what intrigued you the most about the city’s history?
When I settled on the medical side of it, I realized I had to focus on that story rather than the battles. I started looking into general hospitals behind the front lines. I stumbled on a story about Mansion House, about a hotel turned Union hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. The article was written by the curator at Carlyle House. It was also the story of Mr. Green, a local entrepreneur, who built this hotel on his front lawn. Through that angle I realized that the Green family stayed in town during the war living side by side with the Union occupiers. It gave me a family saga with the Greens and a medical story as well. The setting was so rich and rather unique in many ways.
There is an important and fascinating side to the story referencing women’s places in the medical profession. As a woman, was it important to you to include this?
Absolutely. That is the story I wanted to tell as a female filmmaker. It’s important to tell stories of remarkable women and what I loved about this story is that these are not iconic women, nobody has ever heard about them, and yet they are based on real people who did extraordinary things. Women coming in and conquering prejudices and trying to make a difference.
You have assembled an amazing cast of famous television stars from some of TV’s hottest series. How much training in nursing care and Civil War era behavior did they get before shooting?
Oodles! Because I come from a filmmaking history background, the one thing that was going to make this series special was attention to detail. So we brought in a whole panel of advisors to make the world look real and believable and authentic. The cast was so eager to throw themselves into the Civil War until it became second nature.
Alexandria recently celebrated its Sesquicentennial, but there’s still controversy over a statue at Prince and Washington Streets honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee. How are the relationships between the Union soldiers and Confederate sympathizers expressed in Mercy Street?
We worked very hard to create a world where we represent different and points of view. We have unpleasant characters on both sides of the conflict and we don’t shy away from it. It was a very complicated time with brothers fighting brothers. James McPherson is one of our advisors and in one of his notes he was concerned that we were romanticizing some of the Southern characters, so we had to find a balance on both sides of the conflict. We also have some very strong African American characters with a very strong voice.
Are there still Southern slaves in the city at this time? And how do they interact with the Union troops or free slaves?
We dealt with that. Season 1 takes place in the spring of 1862 and the refugee slaves in Alexandria were protected by the Union Army and called contrabands but they are not technically free. We have many different points of view including from the African American perspective.
Mercy Street has one of the best slots in television – – following Downton Abbey. Can this miniseries hold its own against one of the most beloved series on “Masterpiece”?
Yes, but it’s like comparing apples and watermelons. They both have strong ensemble casts. But Mercy Street but this is a big, epic story. Downton Abbey audience will very much enjoy this story about the North and South. There’s humor, romance and intrigue whether you’re a Civil War history buff or romance buff.
Who designed the costumes?
Amy Andrews Harrell who lives in Richmond designed and constructed many of them. With one dress she incorporated a fabric she found on eBay that came from somebody’s attic that dated back to 1860. She was able to build upon the costumes with authentic period lace and accessories and other fabrics. Amy is known for her work on Lincoln and On Cold Mountain and many other period shows.
Is there anything you would like to say about the premiere in the city that it takes place?
We are very excited to show the film here in the city where it is set. It seems so fitting. The actors are looking forward to coming down for it because they ingested the period by osmosis.
Jordan Wright
October 14, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
Richmond is getting a lot of ink from around the country as it blossoms into a desirable destination for seasoned travelers. On a return flight from Ireland last month I was seated next to young German headed to Richmond for the 9-day UCI Road World Cycling Championships. He wasn’t a journalist, or even an athlete (for emphasis he patted his expansive belly), this was his first trip to America and he was off to our state capitol for a world-class sporting event.
Change comes quickly to a place when creative minds are firing on all cylinders and Richmond’s renaissance began in fits and starts in the 1980’s with the careful restoration of historic portside factories into airy lofts, galleries and restaurants. Today young entrepreneurs have seized on the affordable rents for their fledgling businesses and the city has exploded with new life. Even the film industry is onto the stunning architecture of this historic city. Spielberg’s epic drama Lincoln was shot here, as was the soon-to-be-released PBS Civil War drama, Mercy Street. This is not your buttoned up Southern city any more.
Once seedy Broad Street is humming with new activity, in part due to the more than 31,000 students attending VCU located in the heart of the city. Now formerly overlooked neighborhoods like Church Hill are grabbing the spotlight. Across the city the trend shows no sign of slowing down with historic buildings being preserved and rehabbed into stunning contemporary living spaces.
New restaurants open every week – – some doing tasty riffs on Southern classics, others drawing from exotic cuisines. Many pair their food with Virginia wines or any of the thirteen Richmond-area microbreweries. Next year California-based Stone Brewing Company will open its eastern U. S. brewery operations and World Bistro & Gardens along Gillies Creek in the historic Fulton Hill neighborhood.
As for the Arts, apart from major international touring art shows at the prestigious Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, there is also a flourishing local art scene with galleries and colorful murals dotting every area of the city. Look for the new VCU Institute for Contemporary Art to open a 43,000-square-foot museum showcasing innovative exhibitions, performances and films by 2017.
GO EXPLORING
 (L-R) Swan Bed – Italian Garden at Maymont Maymont offers 100 lush acres of breathtaking gardens, a nature center, and a Romanesque Revival-style manor house chock-a-block with Victoriana reminiscent of the Gilded Age. Take time to stroll through Japanese, Italian and Victorian gardens or ride a horse-drawn carriage through magnolia-lined allées. www.Maymont.org
 Lewis Ginter Garden Ranked No. 2 among America’s Best Public Gardens, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features themed gardens including the Children’s Garden, Healing Garden, Rose Garden and Victorian Garden and the South’s most magnificent domed conservatory filled with hundreds of exotic specimens. www.LewisGinter.org Both are part of the Richmond Garden Trail as are six other sites.
 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Along with more than 33,000 works of art from around the world, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses a collection of beautiful Fabergé jeweled eggs. “Rodin” arrives in late November with over 200 works from the Musée Rodin in Paris. www.VMFA.museum
The Virginia Historical Society featuring a fascinating and comprehensive collection of Virginia history from 16,000 BCE to the present. Opened this month “Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times” features 36 costumes from PBS Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey series. www.VAHistorical.org
The Valentine Museum tells the story of Richmond’s early history including the women’s suffrage rights, the slave trade and civil rights. A current show, Classical Allure: Richmond Style, features select gowns and artifacts from their Costume and Textile collection of over 40,000 pieces, the largest of its kind in the South. www.TheValentine.org
 The Science Museum of Virginia Science is cool at the Science Museum of Virginia. Housed in the grandiose former Broad Street Union Station, designed by architect John Russell Pope in the neo-classical style, explore tons of interactive exhibits on space, health, electricity and the earth. A new exhibit, Alien Worlds and Androids features early TV and film robots up to present day outer space heroes. Be sure to check out the 76-foot Dome theatre – – the largest screen in Virginia. www.SMV.org
Stroll Cary Street for cute shops – vintage clothing at Bygones; gifts and more at Mongrel; and great consignment shops such as Ashby and Clementine.
TASTE THE TOWN
 (L-R) Sub Rosa Bakery – Plum tarts from Wood-Fired Bakery Breakfast – Sub Rosa Wood Fired Bakery in Church Hill where a brother-and-sister team, Evrim and Evin Dogu, use a German-made mill to grind organic flour to bake into their crusty breads, yummy cookies and rustic tarts served on eclectic plates from Tree Hill Pottery in Richmond. www.SubRosaBakery.com
Brunch – Sunday Champagne Brunch at The Jefferson hotel is prepared by Chef Patrick Ehemann and served in the Rotunda lobby. It is the pinnacle of Southern haute cuisine. Be sure to try the soufflé-like spoonbread. Reservations recommended. www.LemaireRestaurant.com
Lunch – Tucked into a residential neighborhood, Stella’s serves modern Mediterranean and Greek dishes; The Savory Grain for New American comfort food with a large selection of microbrews and craft beers; and a perennial favorite, the French-inspired Can Can Brasserie in Carytown.
 Ardent Craft Ales brewery Sips – The bar at Lemaire; Saison Restaurant cum gastro pub, or The Roosevelt for craft cocktails in a two-story red clapboard house; on-site brewed quaffs at Blue Bee Cider, Virginia’s only urban cidery in the Old Manchester district; the cool scene at Ardent Craft Ales, a brewery in the burgeoning Scott’s Addition neighborhood. Best Autumn saison, Sweet Potato & Sage. Check their calendar for open brew days.
 (L-R) Roasted Beets with beet mousse and navel oranges – Sable Fish with Maitake mushrooms, charred scallions and dashi broth – Espresso Chocolate Mousse, with orange, hazelnut, and anise hyssop at Maple & Pine Dinner – A tough call with so many to choose from. The intricate fusion dishes by Executive Chef Lee Gregory at the sophisticated and hip Maple & Pine in the glamorous new Quirk hotel; Comfort for locally-sourced, meat-and-three contemporary Southern from Rising Star-awarded chef, Jason Alley; The Roosevelt for three-time James Beard Foundation nominee David Dunlap’s snappy Southern cuisine; Mamma Zu for old school Italian; and Perly’s for serious Jewish deli.
 Meat Loaf, squash casserole and cheddar cheese grits at Comfort STAY
 Hotel Rotunda
With 70-foot-high ceilings and a staircase long rumored to have appeared in Gone with the Wind, The Jefferson Hotel’s Rotunda lobby is one of Richmond’s most sought after spaces for important events. In his 1987 nationally broadcast Sunday morning segment for CBS News, Charles Kuralt described it as (arguably) the most beautiful (public room) of any hotel in the country Luxuriate at The Jefferson – The Queen of American Beaux Arts hotels, this opulent jewel of an historic hotel has cut the number of their rooms down from turning the remaining guestrooms into expansive suites. For the ultimate stay, book a Grand Premier Suite that features a lavishly appointed marble-tiled bathroom with a television invisibly incorporated into the mirror, soaking tub and separate dressing room. www.JeffersonHotel.com
Quirk Hotel and Gallery – The new kid on the block. Recently opened and lovingly restored, this hip boutique hotel had a former life as a swank department store. Sip handcrafted cocktails on the rooftop terrace. www.DestinationHotels.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fire, Flour & Fork – October 28th – November 1st – A four-day culinary gathering with tours, special dinners, classes featuring local chefs, cookbook authors, culinary historians and beverage experts. A foodie’s wet dream. Fire, Flour & Fork
On November 13th from 7pm till midnight revel in InLight Richmond. Organized by 1708 Gallery, enjoy a free, public exhibition of light-based art and performances to be held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Watch the Community Lantern Parade along with performances, sculpture, video, and interactive projects that illuminate pathways, walls, sidewalks, green spaces, trees, benches, building facades, and more, in and around the VMFA campus.
November 27th – January 11th 2016. The nightly holiday extravaganza Dominion GardenFest of Lights: H2Whoa at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features over half-a-million twinkling lights, hand-crafted botanical decorations, model trains, holiday dinners, firepit with s’mores, hot chocolate (for purchase) and more. This year’s “H2Whoa” theme showcases water in all its forms. Experience a dazzling 30-acre light and botanical display of magical, whimsical water events. Stroll through twinkling “rain storms” as crystal raindrops and fluffy storm clouds float overhead while you marvel at a thunderstorm of lights. In the Conservatory you’ll see a wintry wonderland, rainstorms and rainbows, and even a tropical rainforest.
For more information on upcoming events go to www.VisitRichmondVA.com
Jordan Wright
October 10, 2015
As part of this fall’s Women’s Voices Theater Festival, Director Joe Calarco commissioned American playwright Sheri Wilner and lyricists Julia Jordan and Adam Gwon to write Cake Off – – an original musical. What they came up with is a musical comedy, so off-the-wall sidesplitting that I’m still trying to catch my breath.
 Sherri L. Edelen (Rita Gaw) and Todd Buonopane (Paul Hubbard) in Cake Off at Signature Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman The storyline derives from a nationally known baking competition which in 1996, when the prize money jumped to $1 million, was won by a man for the first time. Sponsored by the ever so slightly altered company name of Millsbury, the plot centers around two competitors, Paul Hubbard (Todd Buonopane) and Rita Gaw (Sherri Edelen), and one emcee from hell, Jack DeVault (Jamie Smithson does triple duty as former contestants Lenora Nesbit and Nancy DeMarco).
Rita is a divorcee and three-time finalist whose talent derives from an unrequited career in chemistry. A science nerd in the art of baking, she lives vicariously through her doctor-to-be daughter.
 Todd Buonopane (Paul Hubbard) and Sherri L. Edelen (Rita Gaw) in Cake Off at Signature Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman Newcomer Paul has chosen his 12-year old son Wyatt’s (Ian Berlin) favorite cake recipe, Chocolate Junior Mints Cake, but becomes tormented with beginner’s angst, “I’ve never been a winner, I’m in the ‘Average Hall of Fame’,” he tells Rita, hoping to convince her he’s a better man than the personal trainer his wife has run off with. Rita just wants to prove to her five kids and deserter husband that she’s more than just a housewife and mother. They bond after Rita ignores contest rules to bail out his baking faux pas, and together they rhapsodize about their perfect ingredients in the number “Round One”.
Things heat up, and not just the ovens, when Jack snubs Rita to shower Paul with plenty of live air commentary as the event becomes a battle of the sexes. “This is a TV show,” Jack warns Rita. “They can’t taste the cake!” In “Be a Little Sweeter” veteran baker Lenore cautions Rita that the judges are looking for a telegenic personality something her legendary Roasted Apple Cake can’t overcome. That, and the fact that she’s a woman.
 (l to r) Jamie Smithson (Jack DeVault) and Todd Buonopane (Paul Hubbard) // Jamie Smithson (Jack DeVault) and Sherri L. Edelen (Rita Gaw). Photo by Margot Schulman Designer Jason Sherwood sets the stage with back-to-back stoves to mimic the layout of the famed bake-off as Rita and Paul measure and mix their delicious creations in a frantic rush to beat the clock.
Jordan and Gwon’s lyrics are catchy, quirky and even tender when it calls for it. But the real winners are Edelen whose voice and comedic timing are reminiscent of Lucille Ball, Buonopane who bookends her seamlessly, and Smithson whose extensive vocabulary of facial expressions is mind-altering.
Mix in a few cups of Erma Bombeck’s feminist domesticity with Fannie Flagg’s heartland hilarity, add some candy sprinkles, chocolate frosting and fourteen catchy tunes, and, dare I say it, you’ve got a recipe for success.
Highly recommended if you want to laugh your buns off!
Through November 22nd 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
October 9, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
 (l to r) Curt Bouril (“Don Kirshner”), Liam Tobin (“Gerry Goffin”), Abby Mueller (“Carole King”), Ben Fankhauser (“Barry Mann”) and Becky Gulsvig (“Cynthia Weil”). Photo by Joan Marcus. Where were you when you first heard The Righteous Brothers sing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” or “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles? Maybe you were dancing to “Locomotion” by Little Eva or “Up On the Roof” by The Drifters, all songs written by Brooklyn-born Carole King (Abby Mueller) and her husband Gerry Goffin (Liam Tobin). Working for music producer Don Kirshner (Curt Bouril), known as “The Man With the Golden Ear”, their partnership produced hit after hit keeping them on the pop charts throughout the 60’s.
During their early career lyricist Gerry and the precociously talented composer Carole churned out hits at Aldon Music, a music publishing house and hit factory in New York’s Brill Building, where they worked side-by-side with fellow hit makers, Cynthia Weil (Becky Gulsvig) and Barry Mann (Ben Fankhauser) in friendly competition.
 Carnegie Hall. Abby Mueller (“Carole King”). Photo by Joan Marcus Beautiful tells the story of their romance, marriage and tumultuous breakup. The simple story chronicles their struggles and successes and ultimately King’s solo career, which broke the pop mold with the release of her first album – the four-time Grammy Award-winning, “Tapestry”.
The show opens with a medley of hits from the 50’s before the duo got their start – “Poison Ivy”, “Love Potion #9”, “Yakety Yak” to name a few. Dressed in sharkskin suits and skinny ties, actors playing The Drifters appear to perform some of their numbers, as do the ersatz The Shirelles wearing their trademark beaded dresses with chiffon shoulder drapes, Little Eva (Ashley Blanchet), who had been their babysitter, and the entirely fictitious Janelle Woods (Rebecca E. Covington), a pop singer who becomes Gerry’s extramarital lover.
 The Shirelles. (l to r) Britney Coleman, Rebecca E. Covington, Ashley Blanchet and Salisha Thomas // The Drifters. (l to r) Dashaun Young, Paris Nix, Josh A. Dawson and Noah J. Ricketts The musical is heavy on songs, twenty-seven numbers backed by a twelve-piece orchestra, and light on script. But that’s just fine as you’ll probably be silently singing along recalling your first dance, or first kiss, to these memorable songs that are timed to reflect the state of Carole and Gerry’s rocky marriage. Goosebumps kick in with “Some Kind of Wonderful”, Gerry and Carole’s first duet, but the audience gives an collected audible sigh for The Righteous Brothers big number, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”.
Scenic Designer Derek McLane captures the mood by drawing on the 1930’s architecture of the historic Brill Building, tricking it out with hundreds of neon-colored lights. Spare sets feature the mid-century modern furnishings of the period, while “On Air” signs suggest the atmosphere of a sound studio.
Abby Mueller does a fine job as Carole, especially at the end of Act Two when she lets loose her powerful voice on the biggest hits from “Tapestry” – “Natural Woman”, later covered by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and “Beautiful”, a reflection of her coming of age as an independent composer and soloist.
See it if you love the music of this era, or even if you just like music with lyrics you can understand.
Through October 25th at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
|
