Tony Award-winning Musical "Bandstand" Makes Proctors Debut

Tony Award-winning Musical “Bandstand” Makes Proctors Debut

SCHENECTADY – Proctors is proud to announce that the Tony Award®-winning Broadway musical, Bandstand, will make its Schenectady debut on March 13-14.   Originally directed and choreographed by three-time Tony winner and Hamilton choreographer, Andy Blankenbuehler, featuring music by Richard Oberacker with book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker, this poignant and inspiring new…

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Bringing Back the Bedside Bar Mitzvah

Bringing Back the Bedside Bar Mitzvah

Review: Falsettos By Perry Tannenbaum

  Amazing how edgy and new an old-hat musical can seem these days. At intermission during opening night of William Finn and James Lapine’s Falsettos, I ran into a collegial culture vulture in the Knight Theater lobby who asked, “Do you think Charlotte is ready for this?” Not very different from the local director who said, “Charlotte is a hard market for…

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David Croiter

The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing, performed on the Delacorte Theater stage in Central Park. Cast features include Brian Stokes Mitchell, Hamish Linklater, Ismenia Mendes, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Kathryn Meisle, LIly Rabe, and Steel Burkhardt. Directed by Jack O’Brien.  PC: Joan Marcus.

Creative Team: Set, John Lee Beatty; Light, Jeff Croiter; Costume, Jane Greenwood; Sound, Acme Sound Partners; Composer, David Yazbek; Music Conductor, Nathan Koci; Hair & Wigs, Tom Watson; Production Stage Manager, Chris De Camillis.

David Croiter

Watch The Sesame Street Muppets play a Tiny Desk Concert. June 10, 2019 | Bob Boilen -- This just in: The Muppets have arrived at NPR! The news has stopped!Count von Count and the NPR kids count us down: 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1! And there they are at the Tiny Desk: Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Rosita, Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster, all singing about a sunny day and how everything is A-OK. The Sesame Street crew — including Elmo, Grover and other surprise guests — visited NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Sesame Street's 50 years of teaching the world its A-B-Cs, its 1-2-3s, how to be kind and how to be proud, all while spreading love and joy.Sesame Street has won more major awards than any other group to play the Tiny Desk, including 11 Grammys and 192 Emmys. There was a lot of love as the cast of Sesame Street got to meet NPR hosts and newscasters, who in turn got to geek out meeting their favorite Muppets and the creators behind the felt and fur. These folks include Matt Vogel, Sesame Street's puppet captain and performer, and music director Bill Sherman. I even got to sing with Grover. And I'll also say, on a personal note, that this may well have been the hardest-working, most dedicated group of performers I've ever worked with. I'm so proud of these Muppets and so happy to celebrate all that they've meant to the world for these 50 years. SET LIST "The Sesame Street Theme (Sunny Days)" "People In Your Neighborhood" "What I Am" "Sing After Me" "Medley" "Sing" MUSICIANS Leslie Carrara-Rudolph: Abby Cadabby, Penguin; Ryan Dillon: Elmo; Eric Jacobson: Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch; Peter Linz: Ernie, Herry Monster; Carmen Osbahr: Rosita; David Rudman: Cookie Monster; Matt Vogel: Big Bird, Count von Count, Mr. Johnson; John Deley: keys; Rob Jost: bass; Michael Croiter: drums CREDITS Producers: Bobby Carter, Bob Boilen, Morgan Noelle Smith; creative director: Bob Boilen; audio engineers: Josh Rogosin, James Willetts; videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Niki Walker, CJ Riculan, Kara Frame, Beck Harlan; production assistants: Bronson Arcuri, Mito Habe-Evans; photo: Claire Harbage/NPR

“Falsettos” show #786

When William Finn and James Lapine set out to write what we know today as Falsettos, it wasn’t quite a finished product. There’s a mantra of the falsetto voice that serves as a strict metaphor, another character in the show even. What we 2019 audiences have today is a compact look into a “tight-knit family” where the head of the unit, Marvin, is set on having his cake and devouring it, too. Structured as a two-act journey between 1979 and 1981, audiences are encouraged to lean forward and take a gander at what it would be like to be a homosexual man with a wife, child, and male “friend” in this time period. And don’t forget the friendly lesbians next door! This current national tour of the Falsettos revival is timelier than one would expect, full of compelling social commentary and affecting nuance that will have you embraced by emotion and heart.

(Max Von Essen (Marvin) and Nick Adams (Whizzer); Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

A true ensemble piece, Mr. Lapine’s direction pairs with David Rockwell’s versatile, affecting set design extremely well, in a fashion that informs the audience of the camaraderie this troupe of characters shares. As head of the family unit in focus, Max Von Essen is an illustriously charismatic Marvin. This serves to balance the fact that Marvin’s imperfections and self-absorbed nature get greater prominence over his redeeming qualities in the first act. Mr. Von Essen accurately depicts the journey Marvin undertakes in the second act, showing the audience the depth of his character. Complemented by a stellar vocal instrument, Mr. Von Essen is able to sing through Marvin’s bad qualities, whether in a domineering “A Tight Knit Family,” an intimate “What More Can I Say?” or a fatherly soothing “Father to Son.” Nick Adams is a stalwart Whizzer, the heart and soul of the play’s male characters. Mr. Adams’ presence and illuminating smile makes his journey through what struck down a lot of young, homosexual males in the early 80’s all the more the heartbreaking to see unfold. Mr. Adams’ voice is tops among the Lapine and Finn score, highlighted ever so well in a passionate, big-voiced “The Games I Play,” and in a well-motivated, moxie-filled “You Gotta Die Sometime.” Cementing Mr. Von Essen and Mr. Adams’ love connection is not just well-crafted chemistry, but a comedic ability expressed in delivery and reaction by the two veteran performers.

(Eden Espinosa (Trina), Thatcher Jacobs (Jason) and Max Von Essen (Marvin); Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

Eden Espinosa is a show-stopping Trina, wife to Marvin and mother to their son, Jason. Ms. Espinosa has the gift of comedy and belting working well in her favor, both on sterling display in “I’m Breaking Down,” “Trina’s Song,” and its reprise, which are interrupted by more male antics in a quite enjoyable “March of the Falsettos.” Ms. Espinosa’s act two solo, “Holding to the Ground,” truly supports her well-rounded character and gives the audience every last ounce of vulnerability Trina has to offer. Nick Blaemire is a standout as the very Jewish psychiatrist, Mendel. Not just a strong singer and gifted comedian, Mr. Blaemire’s physical chops in the more dance-y numbers are perfect in executing Spencer Liff’s exuberant choreography, namely in “Everyone Hates His Parents,” the opening “Four Jews in a Room Bitching,” and the aforementioned “March of the Falsettos.” Mr. Blaemire’s individual connection to the surrounding characters is honest, logical, and altogether entertaining to see develop, especially in “A Marriage Proposal” opposite Ms. Espinosa’s Trina, with whom Mendel is desperately in love.

(Audrey Cardwell (Cordelia) and Byronha Marie Parham (Dr. Charlotte); Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

John Mussolino was Jason on the Sunday matinee I attended, a role he alternates with Thatcher Jacobs. Mr. Mussolino’s dynamite vocals and knack for youthful innocence and comedic timing is well-suited in this story. Though Jason has plenty to do in act one, dealing with the fall out of his family unit and trying to make sense of it all (including being told that he should go see a psychiatrist), it is his act two track that really takes the cake. Mr. Mussolino shines in his journey of deciding what to do with his bar mitzvah now that Whizzer is sick. From Mr. Mussolino’s vocal contributions in “The Year of the Child” to “Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah” to a beautiful “Another Miracle of Judaism,” he delivers a fully-realized performance in true compelling nature. Audrey Cardwell as Cordelia and understudy Melanie Evans, as Dr. Charlotte, deliver a phenomenal tag-team duo as the next-door lesbians. Both ladies have to wait until act two to make their appearance, but it’s worth it. Ms. Evans shines comically in her track in “The Baseball Game,” as well as “Unlikely Lovers” alongside Ms. Cardwell, Mr. Von Essen, and Mr. Adams. Ms. Cardwell has the bubbly personality down pat, but not without a grounded disposition when there is trouble in paradise. She is a standout in her scene work opposite Ms. Evans, especially when in song in “Something Bad is Happening.”

(Cast of Falsettos; Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

As a whole, Falsettos sings out well in their San Francisco leg of the tour. In addition to Mr. Lapine and Mr. Liff’s excellent staging, Jennifer Caprio’s subtle costume design is period-appropriate and gives key clues to each character on whom the clothes or uniform fall. Jeff Croiter’s lighting design makes true use of the more-barren set, accenting the intimate moments well. Falsettos continues its caroling and intoning through Sunday, the 14th, so jump aboard if you can and catch it before it’s too late!

The Details:

Falsettos plays through April 14th

Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco

www.shnsf.com

David Croiter

David Croiter

"Bandstand" show #635

By the time a musical reaches a Broadway theater, it is assumed that the teams and creators have worked out all the kinks and inconsistencies keeping it from being as exceptional as possible. Though Bandstand had a tryout period and previews, it still doesn’t know what it is. While Richard Oberacker and Rob Taylor’s score is quite foolproof and exciting, their book is a disaster zone. There are only hints of strength in the varying plots, but plenty of distracting book choices that undercut the several more poignant moments of the script and performances. It would seem that the majority of Andy Blankenbuehler’s time directing/choreographing this piece was spent trying to figure out what it is, trying to make sense of an unclear plot. This is seen throughout most of the production, creating a mood that this show is just one big audition trying be worthy of a Broadway house but knows it may not get a callback.

The misfortune of having an unfocused book of a musical is the audience doesn’t quite know where to rest its sympathy, true attention, or who necessarily to root for. The greater misfortune is when that book ruins one of the only strong plot points it has to offer, undercutting any long lasting satisfaction after the curtain drops. The main story follows WWII veteran Donny and WWII widow Julia’s story and bond. Julia’s deceased husband, Michael, was in the same platoon as Donny, and Donny was put in charge of checking in on Julia to ensure she’s doing alright post-service. Meanwhile, a national contest has been announced seeking a band from each state to compete for the chance to play their song in an upcoming major feature film. Donny gets the bright idea to bring together a band of other WWII vets who all play an instrument (and they really do!). What becomes a tribute band of troops playing for other troops turns into a singing gig for Julia, showing the ups and downs of the band going through the various hoops and red tape of trying to win. The ongoing thread (which is setup quite well) is that Donny and Julia have dedicated this competition and music playing to honor Michael’s memory. However, a horribly-shoe horned love connection between Julia and Donny at the near-end of Act Two completely kills the friendship they established and totally dilutes the significance of the musical’s final number and its earlier duet, “This Is Life.”

(Corey Cott (Donny) and Laura Osnes (Julia); Photo Credit: Nathan Johnson)

Corey Cott leads the cast well in a fine-voiced, pleasingly charismatic turn as the band leader, Donny. Mr. Cott’s voice shines in “Donny Novitski,” “Ain’t We Proud,” and in leading a great Act Two opener, “Nobody.” Mr. Cott’s acting chops strengthen as the play progresses, and he truly earns his stripes in a powerful delivery of his “this ain’t like the movies” depiction of war/vet life, and description of how Michael died. Laura Osnes’ flawless performance as Julia showcases the well of talent she has to offer Broadway audiences. Her acting turn in the “Manila monologue” shows the depth of understanding and nuance she has given to this untraditionally-written ingénue. Her voice is stunning in “Who I Was,” an excellent “Love Will Come and Find Me Again,” and culminates with an absolute show-stopping performance of “Welcome Home.” Mr. Cott and Miss Osnes’ chemistry relies heavily on the aforementioned honoring of Michael, a connected motivation that strengthens their friendship extremely well. The two young vets of the stage even make the sort of romantic duet, “This Is Life,” work in favor of friendship, not love. But not even Mr. Cott can make his tenor-high admittance of love for Julia work in favor of anything the audience needs to see. Beth Leavel steals the show in true champion of stage form as Julia’s mother, June. Miss Leavel’s gift of comedic timing and motherly stage presence makes her a spitfire actress in this much-to-look-forward-to role.

(Laura Osnes (Julia) and Beth Leavel (June); Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel)

The supporting band mates are fantastic in all aspects of their performance. A triumph in Mr. Oberacker and Mr. Taylor’s book is they give just enough stage/script time to the five guys for the audience to invest and 100% cheer on these war vets who use music to deal with their PTSD and post-war struggles. The introductory number, “I Know a Guy,” is a lovely tune that accomplishes setting up who each guy is and what they can bring to the band (as a musician and as a personality). Among the five men, Brandon J. Ellis is a standout comedian performer as Davy, making any joke you throw at him land with hilarious oomph. Alex Bender, Joe Carroll, James Nathan Hopkins, and Geoff Packard round out the band, all delivering memorable performances in “Breathe,” “Right This Way,” and bring a very strong vocal and stage presence in “Nobody.”

(L to R: Brandon J. Ellis (Davy), Corey Cott (Donny), Joe Carroll (Johnny), James Nathan Hopkins (Jimmy), Alex Bender (Nick), Geoff Packard (Wayne); Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel)

However, in keeping with the distracting choices this play brings to the stage, Mr. Blankenbeuhler falls into the trap in several of his helming decisions. The ensemble men often come out in a hold or pushing stance with the five band mates, representing how the military experience they carry with them is either holding them back or pushing them forward. Yes, a powerful metaphor, but the constant visualization of it makes it tiresome and borderline insulting to the audience, as if the metaphor isn’t fully realized already. The constant staging of ensemble men eventually dilutes the impact of war memories constantly brooding in the men’s minds since the script and acting performances already do that job for us, and do it well. Each actor has done an excellent job showing the symptoms of men who suffer from PTSD, and the book does a fine job in being respectful but truthful in the variety of ways soldiers find comfort in civilian life with their methods for dealing with their personal PTSD. But the book makes it (almost) clear that it’s the music that unites these particular veterans and that making music is the ultimate medication for dealing with their time in war. Furthermore, Mr. Blankenbuehler’s interpretation of period-appropriate choreography diverts from accuracy in the transition-ography, which is fine in terms of being a fresh take on the style, but distracts from the attempted mood the piece attempts to set, which is being a truly 1940s period piece. Likewise, the few true dance numbers are executed finely by the ensemble, but the choreography itself comes across more as a reminder of how people danced in the 1940s rather than having any sort of “wow” and “dazzle” factors.

(Company of Bandstand; Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel)

Jeff Croiter’s lighting design does provide some exciting moments in the big band numbers while driving home the intimate setting for Mr. Cott and Miss Osnes’ more subdued scenes together. The costume design created by Paloma Young is absolutely gorgeous, fulfilling the exact job of setting that iconic 1940s look while still complimenting the entire cast’s bodies and appropriately brightening up the stage. However, the musical’s title isn’t supported by David Korin’s scenic design, as it never reaches a visually-stunning level of having a fabulous, big bandstand present. Bandstand lends itself to having a separate director and choreographer, for where the musical lies in its current state, it’s too much of a broken puzzle for any one person to fix. Mr. Blankenbuehler’s varying concepts and layered metaphors can’t quite line up with the book’s several attempts of figuring out what it is trying to be. At many moments one doesn’t know if the musical is a tribute to the troops, a wartime piece, a story about friendship, a love story, therapy theatre, etc.; all of which don’t quite support the misleading title of Bandstand.

(L to R: Joe Carroll (Johnny), Corey Cott (Donny), Laura Osnes (Julia), Brandon J. Ellis (Davy), Geoff Packard (Wayne), James Nathan Hopkins (Jimmy), Alex Bender (Nick); Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel)