Another one on DcMetroTheaterArts! As always, big credit to Dr. Eger and his thorough, engaging writing. Check him out at www.dramaaroundtheglobe.com! You can find the article on DcMetro here, or view the full text below.
‘Look at Me!’ Meet the Cast of Media Theatre’s ‘The Bridges of Madison County’ by Henrik Eger The latest offering at the Media Theatre, the popular musical The Bridges of Madison County, based on Robert James Waller’s 1992 novel, with a book by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, and directed by Jesse Cline, opened recently to standing ovations and excellent reviews. Cast members took time out to answer two questions about the production and what they bring to this show. Why should theatregoers come to see the musical The Bridges of Madison County? Elisa Matthews, who plays the lead role of Francesca, an Italian married to Bud, an American farmer: First and foremost the music is beautiful. It is an interesting mix of classical and folk style songs that tell the story and define each of the characters. The story is well-known from the popular book and movie but I think the musical does a good job of making Francesca’s character more three-dimensional focusing on her experience of the war in Naples, her escape to America and how she has navigated her new life in Iowa. Derek Basthemer, who plays the lead role of Robert Kincaid, a photographer in love with Francesca: The Bridges of Madison County and this production in particular create a beautiful snapshot of two souls encounter in Iowa. Some of the most stunning music of this decade will sweep you up in their lives and carry you through their love affair. Robert Stineman as Bud, a farmer in Iowa, married to Francesca, and the father of their two children: I think it’s the music that’s going to really sit with everyone. The inner lives and emotions of most of these characters aren’t in the text on the page, but in the lyrics of the songs. What I bring to this production, I hope, is enough humanity and life to Bud that the audience looks at this love story from another angle. Here’s a guy who loves his wife with all of his heart, but they are going through a rough patch. They’re getting older, their kids are growing up, and the love that they felt for one another has changed, perhaps gotten a little stale. From Bud’s perspective, he knows Francesca wants more from life, but doesn’t know how to give her that, as much as he wants to. There’s no time, there’s no money. And I think as the play continues he knows something is really wrong, that he is losing her somehow, and that scares the hell out of him. His best friend is keeping something from him, and he knows it, even if he doesn’t know what it is. Nicholas Saverine as Charlie, husband of Marge, and a friendly neighbor. The Bridges Of Madison County has one of the most beautiful scores in contemporary musical theater. Soaring songs that are each a story, not just a comment on what is happening. The songs impart what the characters are thinking and feeling at the most rudimentary, truthful level. The awesome orchestrations support perfectly the time of story, bringing you right into the scenes emotionally. The dialogue is simple and direct, very accessible to all, and easy to understand and follow. The story will strike a chord with anyone who ever had to make decisions of the heart, and choose between what the heart is telling you and what your sense of responsibility is demanding of you. Who hasn’t stood at that crossroad? Just hearing this beautiful music performed by a brilliant cast and orchestra in itself is not to be missed. Join us. You will be glad you did! Faith Kandel Yesner, as Marge, Charlie’s wife and well-meaning, but nosy neighbor. As the show opens and the music begins, you will quickly be swept away into a small town in Iowa, into Madison County, and into the lives of Francesca and Bud, their children and the townsfolk—into the world of impossible choices. Art reflects life. Life throws us many curveballs. Sometimes our choices will drastically alter our lives for better or worse. In TBOMC, Francesca has been thrown a huge curveball, one completely unexpected, yet alluring and life altering. Her inner turmoil is shared with us through Elisa Matthews’ portrayal, in such stunning voice and with such depth and emotion, one could not escape feeling her joy, pain, and angst. Your senses and your emotions will be taken on a journey you don’t want to miss! C.J. Celeiro, Ensemble Member: What I find most interesting about this show is the score, which features what I lovingly refer to as “Broadway Bluegrass,” peppered amongst sweeping Italian waltz and trademark Jason Robert Brown rhythmic ballads. This eclectic musical perspective gives The Bridges Of Madison County its own unique identity in the musical theatre cannon that is worth sharing with everyone Kaitlin Davis, Ensemble Member: The Bridges of Madison County is a beautifully sung show that is ultimately about how we make sacrifices for the people we love. Elisa and Derek are not to be missed—their voices transport you into their world and their story, night after night. Caroline Dooner as Marian: The singing and the music is absolutely beautiful. The story really makes you wonder “what would you do [if you were married and fell in love with someone else]?” Desiree Maira, Ensemble Member: Jason Robert Brown’s score is absolutely breathtaking. I especially love the instrumentation. The script is simple and relatable to anyone who has family, and especially someone who has had to choose between following her heart or commitment. Marissa Wolner, Ensemble Member: The voices that make up the cast are what makes this show truly special. What do you bring to your performance and to the production and how do you relate to your character? Elisa: The role of Francesca was written for Kelli O’Hara, so it is meant for a classically trained voice. My ancestry is Scots-Irish, but my husband is from Rome, so I have studied Italian and we travel there often. I think my experience of Italy through my husband and his family has helped deepen my performance of Francesca. I am also a mother of a toddler, which has changed my life in many ways and opened my heart. Francesca talks about her life choices in her beautiful final song, “Always Better.” I can relate to being torn between my love for art and my commitment and love for my family. I am lucky to have a handsome and supportive husband who helps me pursue my artistic dreams and still have a family life. Derek: The scale of this musical score really calls for a level of vocal athleticism that most musicals don’t require. Both Elisa and I trained as classical vocalists, and while [this musical is] not operatic, our training really allows our voices to soar and sing this incredible music. Robert: I want what I bring to this guy to show why Francesca loved him in the first place, and why staying with him and the kids was the right choice. Or maybe that’s a nice debate the audience can have with one another after it ends. Nicholas: I’m humbled as a member of this incredibly talented cast, and grateful to tell this story with them. I think my individual contribution, or I should say my character’s contribution to this story, is a settled maturity. Charlie and Marge are a more mature couple, together a long time, very simple and very honest in their relationship. They’re open and talk about anything and everything in their relationship. It may appear that they’re tip-toeing around a topic, but they go there—simply, honestly. I love them! In some ways they remind me of my parents. Faith: As Marge, I bring a touch of humor as a nosy neighbor, using binoculars to spy on my neighbors. I also bring into play the picture of a long and stable, loving marriage, not without a touch of boredom and some fantasies of an extra marital “crush”—but all done with just a hint of seriousness and a lot of lightheartedness. But that’s not where Marge stays: she is also the compassionate friend, who shows up in a time of great need, who protects the very neighbor (Francesca) she spied on. Marge sees and understands the dilemma, understands the importance of protecting Francesca’s secret, and remains a loyal friend to the end. Always there. Her last line to Francesca after all is said and done: “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Life goes on. And so does this friendship, no matter what happened. C.J: I have a strangely bright, high pitched voice for a guy, which has its advantages and disadvantages. In one number, the score requires a man to sing tight Andrews Sisters style harmonies with two women, and guess who got the job! I get to sing with my cast mates, Marissa Wolner and Kaitlin Davis, both of whom I have shared the stage with before and hope to again. Desiree: We [ensemble members] bring a sense of community to the story. Marissa: Every singer in this show is phenomenal, and paired with the beautiful score, the show is worth coming to for the music alone.
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A bit out of season, but here's an article I worked on for DcMetroTheaterArts! Catch the link here, or read the full text below.
Review: 2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: REV Theatre Company’s ‘Death is a Cabaret Ol’ Chum—A Graveyard Cabaret’ at the Laurel Hill Cemetery by Henrik Eger on September 27, 2016 Death is a Cabaret Ol’ Chum—A Graveyard Cabaret, or: When the dead come alive at the Laurel Hill Cemetery with REV Theatre Company Death, dying, and the supernatural have fascinated the public around the world, especially when visiting cemeteries. “How many years do we really have?” may be the question on many peoples’ minds when attending REV Theatre Company’s haunting show. Their Graveyard Cabaret presents more than melodrama and beautiful songs in a spectacular environment in the middle of the night. In the Middle Ages, people were reminded of death in many church yard plays. REV Theatre Company (REV) builds on this tradition with an entertaining musical program that also serves as a reminder of the brevity of life. Since 2012, REV has built a cult-like following over the years in their annual productions at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia’s most prestigious resting place for the rich, the famous, and the well connected, with “marble and granite funerary monuments.” Having seen some of their engaging productions, I drove up to the 74 acre Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia’s East Falls section, overlooking the Schuylkill River—one of America’s most talked about cemeteries, built between 1836 and 1839. Tourists are told that “Laurel Hill contains more than 33,000 monuments and more than 11,000 family lots.” The cemetery is so large and surrounded by high walls that I missed it at first. However, thanks to my trusted GPS, I eventually found the brightly lit entrance, reminiscent of a castle where, behind the moat and the drawbridge, all the knights, all the ladies, and most members of Philadelphia’s ruling class lie six feet underground—including famous Revolutionary War figures; a hero of the Battle of Princeton; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; business tycoons; U.S. Congressmen; mayors of Philadelphia—even Union Army and Confederate Army generals, resting peacefully, no longer killing each other. To cheer up the nightly visitors, all guests are greeted by Rosey Hay, REV’s Producing Artistic – co-director and director of the show – who offers you a wide range of complimentary cocktails. I guess, the more squeamish would need them. After all, there’s nobody at that famous graveyard at night but the actors, the theatre fans, and Emma Stern, Director of Programs at the cemetery which, as she confided, only takes 35 bodies a year as all the other plots are occupied. So you better hurry! I walked into the night, following the little solar lights, turned to the right, up the hill, passing hundreds of beautiful old gravestones, commemorating important women from Philadelphia, including journalist and magazine publisher Louisa Knapp Curtis; inventor Martha Coston; poet Sarah Josepha Hale; and plant chemist Helen Abbott Michael. Some of the biggest looking stones and obelisks were erected by powerbrokers: shipbuilders; directors of the U.S. Mint; financiers; U.S. Attorney Generals; and members of the richest families in the city of brotherly love. I failed to ask whether Laurel Hill Cemetery has a pauper section. Eventually, I stumbled onto a group of shadows and silhouettes, sitting quietly on their folding chairs or on their blankets between headstones, reminding us of those who contributed to the creativity of Philadelphia, including playwrights like George Henry Boker and Robert Montgomery Bird; opera singers; architects; inventors; photographers; philanthropists; publishers; poets; editors; and writers. Suddenly, we heard strange noises and saw figures moving around in the dark. Slowly, three ghosts, dressed in flamboyant outfits of mourning that only theatre people can create, came into focus. Michelle Pauls looked like Miss Havisham, the wealthy spinster from Great Expectations, who occupies her ruined mansion—”the witch of the place,” as Charles Dickens described her. The way Pauls moved around the gravestones, it looked as if she had just jumped from the grave of Great Expectations, wearing a most elaborate, extravagant, and over-the-top wedding dress. Apparently, this Havisham-like character was so upset about having been jilted on her wedding day that she dyed her spectacular wedding dress black. To top if all off, she wore a black hat the size of a large carriage wheel, bigger than any hat at Ascot, making it impossible for any gentleman or ruffian to kiss her cheeks. Emerging from a cloud of fog, the multi-talented Pauls moved around like a film star in one of the early melodramas—an exquisite treat for lovers of old films and the macabre. Soon her adopted daughter, Estella (played beautifully by the young Felicia Kalani Anderton, who can switch from the innocent voice of a little girl to an erotic, murderous seductress), came into view. Dressed with a gigantic vertical hat that looked like the embroidered silken mattress of a rich baby’s bassinet, on top of her virginal, white wedding dress—the pride of Miss Havisham—she enticed and lured the audience into her realm, while scaring them away at the same time. The star of the Graveyard Cabaret, Rudy Caporaso, conceived, created, choreographed, and costumed the whole show. He looked like Count Dracula in drag and acted like Mr. Jaggers, Miss Havisham’s ambiguous lawyer. His voice woke up the dead at Laurel Hill Cemetery—the corpses of the opulent, the powerful, and the beautiful of days gone by. I almost saw the skeletons rise from their graves to watch him jump up on a mausoleum and, like Freddie Mercury, whip all of us into a frenzy with an amazing graveyard voice. The Graveyard Cabaret team dug up as many old bones as they could find in the musical memorial park by selecting the 20 best out of hundreds of songs that deal with murder, death, and dying, including these great songs: “Cemetery Blues“ (their opening piece, here sung by Bessie Smith in 1923); “Miss Otis Regrets” (one of the most wickedly entertaining songs, sung with great elegance, here with Ella Fitzgerald); “Dance While The Sky Crashes Down“ (another example of songs that help listeners to let go of their angst and move forward, here sung by Jason Webley); “The Sailor’s Wife“ (going back to days when many men never returned from fishing or working on ships that sank, performed here by Birdeatsbaby, a British Dark Cabaret group); “St. James Infirmary“ (sung here by Louis Armstrong); and “Send Me To The ‘Lectric Chair“ (sung by Bessie Smith in 1927). Rob Borchert musically directed the Graveyard Cabaret with songs as old and as gruesome as Victorian ballads and as contemporary as “I can’t decide” by the Scissor Sisters, whose song came with a menacing undercurrent that sent chills down our spines: I can’t decide Whether you should live or die [. . .] My heart feels dead inside It’s cold and hard and petrified Lock the doors and close the blinds We’re going for a ride [. . .] Just when I thought that the funereal roller-coaster that made us wonder whether we were ghosts, skeletons, or spectators of an entertaining, bone-chilling show was over, Rudy Caporaso slowly walked into the audience like a stripper at a seedy night club and gave me a lap-dance so gruesome that I heard myself shriek, “Oh my God!” The more vulgar the lap dance with Death, the more I found myself yowling, “Oh my God! Oh my God!”—to the laughter of the audience. A year later, I am still nightmaring when I think of that hilarious scene at the cemetery. The show ended with all three theater artists bringing us back into reality with the most upbeat number after all the doomsday songs, “Enjoy Yourself” (here in the 1996 movie Everyone Says I Love You by Woody Allen)—a most uplifting tune, sung with great joy and with many of us humming along in the presence of over 30,000 dead at the Laurel Hill Cemetery: Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink The years go by, as quickly as a wink Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think I stumbled out of the Cemetery into the dark, still shocked, got into my car, and found myself whistling bits of “Circus Apocalypse,” one of the haunting songs of the Graveyard Cabaret (here performed by Vermillion Lies): Come down and join the circus/It’s the end of your world [. . .] There’s no audition To get into the show All that we ask for/Is your immortal soul. Graveyard Cabaret played through September 24, 2016, at Laurel Hill Cemetery – 3822 Ridge Avenue, in Philadelphia, PA. Check out an article Dr. Henrik Eger and I edited on DCMetroTheatreArts. It's about Nick Stuccio, a major figure in the Philadelphia theater scene. The article. Full text follows.
An Interview with FringeArts President and Producing Director Nick Stuccio by Henrik Eger on September 19, 2016 Henrik: What inspired you to create FringeArts, Philadelphia’s annual theater arts festival—“a city-wide celebration of innovation and creativity in contemporary performance”? Nick: We went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And we were so excited by what we saw that we wanted to make a version of it for Philadelphia. Looking back at those first few years, what worked and what did not? We had to grow in order to get better. People who have been involved with the Festival for a long time, myself included, look back on those early years with a lot of fondness. There was an energy in the air, because you never knew what might happen. But that also meant that there were shows that no one showed up to, because they couldn’t find out when and where it was. In order to present the work we do, like Jérôme Bel [from France, Gala] or Romeo Castellucci [from Italy], we had to grow as an institution. With that comes things like salaries and benefits and finance committees—the things people don’t think about when they see the work we present. When do you usually start planning the next festival? It’s a moving target. We’ve got some shows locked in for 2017 and even for 2018, but I’m sure we’ll be adding up until the moment the 2017 guide goes to print. Being a performance curator is different than say, a visual art curator, because we have to deal with artists’ schedules, tours, and contracts. It often falls together at the last minute. We never take a break! We have year-round programming, too, and are working on how to build and market the Fall and Winter seasons right now—even in the midst of the Festival. What acts are you ultimately looking for to bring to Philadelphia? There are no set criteria. We’re looking for artists that are moving their craft forward, that are finding new edges to the cliff. We want to surprise people, to keep them off-balance. We look for high-quality work that takes risks. How do you and your team find out about those avant-garde performers and/or performances, without traveling around the globe all year round? We do travel the globe. My colleague and Co-Curator Sarah Bishop-Stone and I travel quite a bit to Festivals all over the world. I’m going to Paris as soon as the Festival is over. With the many Fringe festivals around the world, how do you manage to consistently get world class performers and cutting-edge ensembles to come all the way to Philadelphia? We pay them. These artists tour their work professionally. It’s what they do. We give them a prestigious platform on which to share their work, cover their airfare, put them up in hotels, and pay them their fee. Each September you present over 1,000 acts. Some of the leading theaters in Philadelphia open their doors to the performances that you have selected, including the FringeArts Theatre, while many other events “explode into every nook and cranny in neighborhoods across Philadelphia and online”—including performances in people’s homes. Take us behind the curtain on how you organize these myriad events and locations. It depends on the festival and on each show. Our staff balloons during the Festival, particularly in production. We hire virtually every stagehand in the city. The artists often have criteria that they would like the venue to meet, and we do our best to find the right spot. For instance, Romeo Castellucci needed a particular space for Julius Caesar. Spared Parts. It took a long time to find the right industrial space, but we found the perfect spot in the Navy Yard. PlayPenn receives over 700 applications from playwrights every year, but only six get accepted into the play development conference. How good are the chances for theater artists and groups to get their shows featured in the Philadelphia FringeFest? To be clear, there are two segments to the Festival. There are curated shows, which are composed of artists that we invite to perform on our platform, which are given the weight of our organization behind them. And then there are the independent shows, which make up the majority of the shows in the Festival. Anyone that has the passion and courage to mount their show can be a part of our Festival. There is no application process, and we encourage people to take that risk and dive in. Is there an application process for individual performers and groups? There is no application. We have a Festival coordinator who works with the independent artists. There is a registration fee, which gets them into our Festival guide and gets them PR and box office support. Again, anyone that wants to be in the Festival and pays the fee gets into the Festival. Philadelphia theaters offer a wide range of plays and performances all year round—from traditional dramas and musicals to new plays and avant-garde performances. From your perspective, what attracts local theater and music lovers to this year’s FringeArts? We present shows you won’t see anywhere else. Festival is the time for taking risks, for being bold, both as an audience member and as an artist. The goal is to be subsumed by it, to go to a show having no idea what is going to happen, and to just surrender yourself to the art. What makes us different is the enormous diversity of work happening in the Festival. You could see a show one night by a first-timer, and then the next night see one of the premier choreographers in the world. They feed each other. You see the breadth of human and artistic experience in that. Looking back, what changes have you made for this year’s Festival and what events have you planned for FringeArts after the 2016 Festival is over? We present work all year round at FringeArts, and we have events coming up very soon. Jérôme Bel, the artist behind Gala, is returning in November with one of his early works. He’s a very important artist to this organization, and we are committed to presenting his work in the future. Presenting local artists is also important to us, so we’ll be working with Kelly Bond & Melissa Krodman, Annie Wilson, and others on their world premieres. John Jarboe of the Bearded Ladies continues his late night raunchy Get Pegged Cabaret in La Peg, and Sam Tower and Jess Conda are teaming up to recreate the world 2015 Fringe show 901 Nowhere Street in a new cabaret they’re calling NOWHERE FAST. Do you also partner with other organizations? Yes, we have this growing partnership with Ars Nova Workshop, an experimental jazz presenter in Philadelphia, so we’re co-presenting composer George Louis only a few weeks after the Festival ends. We always want to be presenting, always activating our Arts Center on the waterfront. Nick, is there anything else you would like to share? Happy Fringe! |
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