Forever Broadway, The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Curtains
John Bisceglie, who successfully produced SF Follies last year, has now attempted to put on a massive Broadway revue with 80 singers and dancers singing Broadway show tunes from Anything Goes to Curtains. Forever Broadway has 60 songs, starting with "Show People" from Curtains, sung very well by Keith Stevenson and Company in the first act. Songs zip along at a rapid pace, and it is like show tunes on speed. The first act runs 80 minutes. There is a 20-minute break and the second act runs almost 75 minutes with nearly 30 songs. Let's face, it's just too much. Forever Broadway looks like a work in progress and it has a scattershot effect on the audience. Many of the singers and scenes are excellent, but some just don't go over well. The choreography by Kayvon Kordestani Thompson is energetic and very good. She has a good eye for dancing in such productions numbers as "Show People," "Anything Goes," "Rich Man's Frug" from Sweet Charity and a rockin' dance from Jesus Christ Superstar. The driven young dancers are excellent. There is even a tap dance routine by some members to music from Anything Goes. Many of singers are very good, such as Shannon Foley singing "Honey Bun" from South Pacific. Desiree Goyette is mellifluous singing "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music and "Unusual Way" from Nine. Tenaya Hurst is sassy in "I Hate Musicals" from Ruthless. Elyse Elaine Baugh, Noelle Glory Guerin, Miquela Sierra and Brooke Wallace are big and brassy in "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity. The production has some good male singers as well, including Michael Salah singing "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin, Joshua Holmes singing "One Song Glory" from Rent, Brent Hammon singing "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?" from Avenue Q and "Agony" from Into the Woods (Nick Bayne also shows good vocal chips as the other prince in that number. Forever Broadway features canned music and the cast is dressed in black pants and shirts. The second act is not well constructed with too many songs that sound like "American Idol" with just a few breaks. However, the songs from Avenue Q in that act are a pleasant respite from some of the screeching songs. Forever Broadway had a sell out audience on February 27 and will be presented again at the Herbst Theatre at 3 pm Sunday March 21st. The theatre is located on Van Ness Ave, San Francisco. For tickets call 415-392-4400 or go to www.foreverbroadwaysf.com for more information.
Director John Doyle, whose Sweeney Todd caused a sensation on Broadway, has now put his mark on Bertolt Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle. This is a stripped-down approach to the Brecht tale of a 14th century Chinese play. Bertolt Brecht wrote this play in Hollywood when he was a very unhappy émigré during World War II. It is set in wartime Grusinia, a Russian name for Georgia, and it involves a war between Grusinia and Persia. I saw this play several times in the United Kingdom where it is presented in university drama clubs throughout England. Doyle has staged this excellent, inventive production on a stage that looks like a distressed warehouse-theatre, with garbage and papers littering the stage. A chainlink fence fronts the stage and is raised on and off as the two-hour production takes place. The actors step in and out of characters, with the exception of several main characters. The Caucasian Chalk Circle centers around kitchen maid Grusche (Omoze Idehenre) who has pledged to spend the war waiting for the return of her engaged, the soldier Simon (Nick Childress). She finds an abandoned baby left behind by a vain blue-blooded woman (Rene Augesen) who happens to be the wife of the Governor. They have left because invading forces are ready to enter the city of Nukha. She thought more of her precious clothes than the baby. Grusche cares for the baby with protection, food and shelter. Her travels include dealing with war profiteers, upper-class conceited folks, and a brother (Gregory Wallace) who is very jittery about her staying with him. She marries a man (Rod Gnapp) who is believed to be on his death bed, only to find that he is suddenly revived because the war is over. The play ends as a Solomon tale of who is really a mother to the child, the rich snob or the maid who has sheltered the child through the war. John Doyle has brilliantly prevented this drama from being a romantic, sentimental production since there are sharp and insightful confrontations among the characters throughout the piece. All actors remain on the stage, seated or at either side of the stage. There is excellent lampooning, solid performances and poignancy in this splendid production. Jack Willis as mischievous and shady but good-hearted Judge Azdak takes over the second act in what could almost be considered a vaudeville shtick, running around the stage and into the audience with a karaoke machine. He is hilarious in the role. Rene Augesen plays the role of the hateful governor's wife as pure camp. It's a great, entertaining performance. Omoze Idehenre beautifully plays the handmaiden Grusche with great poignancy. Nick Childress gives a solid performance as Simon the soldier. Manoel Felciano, Anthony Fusco, Rod Gnapp, Carol Hewitt and Gregory Wallace all give great performances playing various roles. Nathaniel Stookey's score is performed by the actors using buckets and pipes along with conventional instruments. Most of the vocals are done by Manoel Felciano (Tobias in Doyle's Sweeney Todd). Bravo to Domenique Lozano who has provided a brilliant translation of Brecht's important work. She keeps the spirit of the original playwright alive in this sterling production. American Conservatory Theatre should be congratulated for this courageous production. The Caucasian Chalk Circle played through March 14th at the American Conservatory Theatre, 415 Geary, San Francisco. Coming up next is Marco Barricelli and Olympia Dukakis star in Vigil opening on March 25 and running through April 18. For tickets call 415-749-2228 or on line at www.act-sf.org.
John Kander, Fred Ebb and Rupert Holmes' Curtains finally reached the San Francisco Bay Area, via Diablo Theatre Company. Unfortunately this is not one of Kander & Ebb's best efforts. Many of the songs seem like they were cut from their other productions. Curtains is set in 1959 and is an homage to the Golden Age of musicals. The book is very lame and involves the murder of the leading star of a musical within the musical Robbin' Hood. Detective Lt. Frank Cioffi, who is a musical theatre nut, is called in to solve the murder. Throughout the show, musical numbers are thrown in willy nilly. There are some nice songs that will become popular such as "I Miss the Music" and "Show People." Tom Reardon is very energetic as Lt. Frank Cioffi. He is a combination of James Cagney and Robert Kennedy with his Boston accent. He has a good singing voice, especially on "Coffee Shop Nights" and the reprise of "Show People." Paul Plain is excellent as the manic director. This is a wonderful ham performance. Derrick Silva as the composer has a rich voice when singing the lament "I Miss the Music." Amy Nielson gives a good performance as his ex-wife Georgia. She has good vocal chops singing "Thinking of Him" and "Thataway." Jessica Fisher is wonderfully brassy as Carmen Bernstein, especially in the big number "Show People." Andrew Willis-Woodward gives a fetching performance as young Bobby Pepper. He is versatile in his dancing in the Fred and Ginger style number "A Tough Act to Follow." His partner Sharon Rietkerk is equally graceful. Daren A.C. Carollo's direction is firm while Gia Solari's choreography is vigorous, particularly in the "Kansasland" number. Chad Runyon who leads the orchestra gives good back-up for the songs. Carol Edlinger's costumes combine 1950s glamour with heightened theatrically. Curtains closed on February 28th at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek.
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