Captions certainly to come. But first I mention some of those grand guests who, thus far, have yet to be captured by The Purple Crook’s selfie-paparazzi: Kathy Mulay, Jay Berkow, Janet Gover and more…
The following folks could not escape the click of the camera. Brighter than the blinking bulbs adorning the marquees of Broadway, all. In fact, one guy was so nice, we had him on twice! Which of these thespians pictured do you recognize?
(Click any photo to start the slideshow.)
Productions represented:
“Crazy for You”
“Dogfight”
“Evita”
“Grease”
“The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical”
WHERE: 329 South Park Street; Kalamazoo, MI 49007; 269-343-1313
WHY: The spectacle of mid to late 1970s-era Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber writing at one of their delirious creative peaks, staged in stellar fashion by director and choreographer Jay Berkow, and brought to life within the elegant Art Deco, Weary & Alford-designed theater (complete with a grand balcony, box seats, and an opulent chandelier made of Czechoslovakian lead crystal).
One of my radio guests on 9/21, Abbey Brooks, from Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s “Evita”
FOR STARTERS:
Perhaps emboldened by the phenomenal international success of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, Andrew Lloyd Webber shied away from Tim Rice’s idea of a Latin themed rock opera based on the life of Argentinian cultural phenomenon, Eva Peron. Instead, he turned to another project with Alan Ayckbourn , the very poorly received “Jeeves ” (later revised and re-titled: “By Jeeves”). When that flopped, Lloyd Webber became keen on developing this new musical story upon his return to partner, Rice.
My radio guest on 10/5, Zachary Joel Smits, from Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s “Evita”
KEY CHARACTERS/PLAYERS:
One pair of Eva and Che [opening night, and listed (quite oddly) as Eva A/Che B] – Hannah Hesseltine/Matt Kurzyniec
The other pair of Eva and Che [Sunday matinée, Eva B/Che A] – Abbey Brooks/Joe Dely
Peron – Zachary Joel Smits
Magaldi/Men’s Ensemble – Ken Holda
Mistress/Women’s Ensemble – Julianna Hirsh
And an impressive collection of ensembles: the men’s ensemble [10 men], the women’s ensemble [7 women], and the children’s ensemble [8 children]
HIGHLIGHTS:
~ The dreamy and powerful opening number, “Requiem”, with its sad dissonance and haunting candlelit procession from the rear of the theater and down the side aisles, and then particularly after Che’s charismatic and forceful introduction of the scene, when the children come forth in an incredibly moving moment, and sing like cherubim to their precious Evita… (Both Kurzyniec and Dely bring strong and emotionally engaging vocals to the Che role.)…
~ Ken Holda (a trusted local talent both onstage and behind the scenes in many capacities, including directorial) captivates as Magaldi, the small-time Latin cantina cantante with big dreams, crooning beautiful ballads to his swooning adorers. His clever characterization embodies the type of singing idol who captures the rapt attention of all: the women love him, the men love him–everyone is entranced by his entire persona. Holda breathes much humor into Magaldi, too, and it’s what’s wanted in a show that has some weighty concerns, political as well as personal…
~ Our two Evas each bring the goods in a bold and brash way with their big musical introduction in “Buenos Aires” (mistakenly listed as the astrological ‘Aries’ in the program!)… The two actresses fleshed out a version of Eva that had some unique qualities brought by each lady, but I got the Eva that director Berkow wanted with both performances from Hesseltine and Brooks: spunky, but also vulnerable, and a fireworks display of the looks, brains, and most of all, enormous talent required for this role… (Although both are clearly fulfilling Jay’s vision for his Evita Peron, Hasseltine brings a more Elaine Paige quality to the role [her intensity spills over frequently and delightfully, like a frothing pot of boiling water], while Brooks [with her tendency to keep some of that emotional flash-powder hidden in layers–letting it explode, when it does, with a more incendiary burst] immediately brought to mind a young Patti Lupone.)…
~ More humor, but of a darker kind, is demonstrated in the deathly musical chairs game, “The Art of the Possible”. The blocking for this scene is a child’s play version of a fight to the death, which is represented symbolically by the removal of chairs one at a time, but certainly could have involved assassinations in the real world version. Peron ultimately wins and we are treated henceforth and throughout the remainder of the show to the riveting and gorgeous baritone notes emitted from the golden throat of Zachary Joel Smits. Looking around me a couple of times, there wasn’t a pair of eyes anywhere to be seen in the audience that wasn’t fully focused on this young man whenever he was singing. Soaring up to reach me in the balcony–my seat for the matinée–his voice had the unmistakable qualities of those found on the short list of internationally revered, superstar male voices in the world of opera… At great risk of sounding hyperbolic, the first refrains sung by one-to-watch Smits would be worth the entire price of the best seat in the house…
~ In the Eternal Dance between two lovers as described so eloquently in acting, and movement, and song with the Peron/Eva duet “I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You”, we peek into a pair of hearts, by means of a pas de deux’s expression of a passionate new flame through the poetry of a tango… The vocal duet shows the heavenly harmonic intertwining of well-trained and emotive voices. And the dance–performed as if dancing inside the very souls of Peron and Eva–is an impressive display of complicated choreographic cadences and their skillful execution by dancers, Michael Pacholski and Anna Grossi. When a community theatre’s resources have this level of talent in the pool, a production is granted the potential to be elevated echelons higher than one might expect. With this magical scene, that potential is fully realized. Kudos for this choreography; and kudos to these two dancers, who provide an essential element of beauty to our “Evita” experience…
~ The lilting and lovely lament, “Another Suitcase in Another Hall”, is stolen from the mistress character in the ’96 film version by one of Madonna’s agents, handlers, Hollywood suits, her at-the-time publicist, Liz Rosenberg, or–perhaps most likely–by Madonna herself. Here, of course, we see it ‘returned’ to its rightful owner and performed as intended: a tender and bittersweet ballad sung by Peron’s soon-to-be former mistress, as she is put out by the newly arrived Eva. When our Mistress, Julianna Hirsh, sings this song, we have a sparkling moment to deeply breathe in, amidst the intense pacing found elsewhere. Not sparkling, like the raucous roar of brilliant and blinding firecrackers, but rather, the kind of sparkling one sees in the effervescent twinkling of lights as a midnight pond reflects a cloudless and moonless sky full of a galaxy’s worth of stars. Hirsh has a voice that is beautiful in pitch, full of emotion and hurt, faithful to the composers’ intentions, and which somehow manages to soothe the soul with its satin sadness and sincere sensitivity… (Kleenex™ moment)
~ “Peron’s Latest Flame” features a personal favorite, the chorus of marching/dancing soldier boys… I overheard that director/choreographer, Berkow, stays true (here, and possibly elsewhere) to much of the show’s original, Tony-nominated choreography by Larry Fuller. Either way, this scene is full of magnificently macho moves, performed with precision by our mirrored sunglasses-sporting military steppers. It is similarly sung with precision by voices booming with ballsy braggadocio. Another true standout in this KCT offering overflowing with standouts…
TAKE NOTE:
There is much to be said in the way that history is told and retold, and therefore shaped and reshaped by those telling the story. Add to that, poetic license and the different ways a work of art offers its interpretation of moments in history. Here we see a veritable masterpiece that has painted a swirling acrylic mix of all the disparate colors of fact, myth, truth, and legend.
In no way should it be recommended that a patron view this work of art, enjoying the entertainment factor, while simultaneously believing that it is a representative, unadulterated history lesson. It is not. It is a rich and thoughtful offering based on a real life, but seen as filtered down through one or more previous offerings (of the literary kind) that each had its own perspective and slant. Historical events are indeed presented here and, consequently, need such consideration as they are being framed within this beautiful, sad, and poignant work of art, and as such, have been redrawn.
MORE THOUGHTS:
Brent Decker brings his adroit approach to music direction, eliciting the exquisite sound from an orchestra to which audiences have become accustomed when he is at the helm with baton in hand. Furthermore, when Decker works with vocalists, our ears are so thankful as the lovely–both powerful and also plaintive–vocal strains of the likes of our Evas, and our Ches, and Smits, and Hirsh waft across the air in melody and harmony.
The bold and barren scenic design by David Kyhn, with its steep steps and skyscraper scaffolding, is fiercely paired with his wonderful collage of black & white photographs projected on the rectangular set pieces which move, and slide, and twirl around throughout the show.
A perfect match to the set (and the completed vision wrought by Berkow) is provided by Barbara B. Moelaart with costuming that is glamorous yet austere in finery and appointment for the ruling classes. It is conversely careworn and more earth-tone focused for the ruled masses, whose clothing also has a particular piece of charm woven through it. The sheer magnitude of costume changes for Eva alone must have involved untold numbers of designers, stitchers, cleaners, and changers. And, her iconic white evening gown is nothing but divine.
AnnMarie Miller’s lighting design runs the gamut from candles and cathedrals to balcony speech spotlights and ballroom sashaying scene-setting. Hair and makeup designer, Kimberly Hutchinson, recreated an entire era and moment in time with handsome, bearded Ches, throngs of ardent Argentinians, and two absolutely radiant and stunningly beautiful Evas with umpteen numbers of wig changes. It is made quite apparent Hutchinson was one busy thespian on this production.
~
A standing ovation was duly given our performers on both occasions of my viewings. A loud and lengthy one is also due Kristen Chezak, the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s executive director, as well as her creative team, including the artistic director position with retiring Ben Zylman and incoming Todd Espeland (who introduces himself in a gracious greeting in our program). The command and courage required to bring this explosive, epic, and larger-than-life extravaganza to the community–and as the opening production of a season, at that!–is enormous and simply another reason to leap to our feet in gratitude for the gifts of musical theatre in the greater metropolitan Kalamazoo.
~
‘Spoiler’ of a well-known bit of quasi-mythical history notwithstanding, when we find ourselves at the close of this dynamic story of Eva’s life–just about the point where we started our retrospective tale told in reflection–the santa patrona of the people, in her waning days of failing health, gives us one last, sad radio address.
During “Eva’s Final Broadcast” and the connecting “Montage”, a blur of a human comet burning out a life once lived oh so incandescently is portrayed in more nostalgic slides, chromatically emblazoned once more across the scenery…Before the final “Lament” (and a jarringly and intentionally abrupt ending), one last tango/’dream ballet’ by our star dancing couple of Grossi & Pocholsky embellishes this wistful memory of a timeless, enigmatic, and legendary leader and icon, this Eva Peron: this Evita…Born forth from the heart of Argentina, and for all of the world…
FOR PARENTS:
There is coarse language shouted loudly and clearly several times by our soldier/chorus boys during “Peron’s Latest Flame”. And we see Eva lustily climb on top of Peron in his bed after she has whisked away his mistress.
[Also, please remember to whisk away yourselves along with any loud, restless child. This is only courteous to the rest of the audience and helps to continue those good, old-fashioned ideas of politeness and manners.]
WHERE: 221 Farmers Alley; Kalamazoo, MI 49007; 269-343-2727
WHY: Laughter! Romance! Terror! And a retro blast of fun and frenetic musical sci-fi adventure brought to life by Kalamazoo darling, the director Kathy Mulay, in Farmers Alley Theatre’s bid to kick off the Kalamazoo theatre season. (Not to mention, just in time for your Halloween haunts!)
My radio guest on 9/14, Brian Panse, from Farmers Alley Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors”
FOR STARTERS:
It’s not easy being green. Not in the way Howard Ashman and Alan Menken envisioned, when they took a rough-around-the-edges, black & white, Roger Corman B-movie from 1960, which featured a very young Jack Nicholson in a tiny but hysterical part, and which almost immediately became a cult favorite despite its shortcomings (and even received better than lukewarm praise from a few critics), and then sought to create a musical from the premise of a mysterious new breed of Venus Flytrap plant who turns out to be a bit more ferocious (in their updated version), and ultimately seeks world domination. (The plant is shyly named Audrey II by Seymour as a token of love for his flower shop coworker crush.) This challenge was made all the more difficult with their collective desire to build a rich and multi-textured production sending up the 2-D, cut & dried, good vs. evil world of campy sci-fi B-movies while using several styles of mid-century American popular music to convey their message.
Of course, Farmers Alley Theatre always winds up making anything and everything look effortless, so in this case, it is indeed easy being green. And all of the other magnificent colors–both light and dark–that “Little Shop of Horrors” blossoms into…That is, from our perspective as an audience. What went on behind the scenes to bring this terrifying and twisted, yet romantic and hilarious musical is another story entirely, and therein lies the heart of the magic and mystery of musical theatre.
KEY CHARACTERS/PLAYERS:
Seymour – Harrison Bryan
Audrey – Melody Ricketts
Mushnik – Lou Price
Orrin [and quite possibly an extra surprise role or two] – Jeremy Koch
Crystal – Jasmine Franklin
Ronnette – Christie Lee Coleman
Chiffon – Tia Pinson
Voice of Audrey II – Stephen Anthony Grey
Audrey II Puppeteer – Brian Panse
HIGHLIGHTS:
~ The first girls to welcome us in–Crystal (Jasmine Franklin), Ronnette (Christie Lee Coleman), and Chiffon (Tia Pinson); our gray-clad Greek chorus, and a take on the 1960s Motown girl groups which are representative of a chunk of the musical’s roots of influence–bringing their infectious smiles and lovely voices into a very intimate introduction of face-to-face, story exposition with tight, three-part harmony, as they sing the opening song/title track, “Little Shop Of Horrors”…
~ Audrey’s comedic, but heartbreaking ballad “Somewhere That’s Green”, which is an unlikely showstopper… Laugh-out-loud lyrics do not detract from the underlying sentiment that end in Audrey’s eyes brimming with wistful tears, matching mine and those of several others in the audience as we tangibly sense the longing in her quest for a prettier, quieter, and happier place somewhere…One that glistens with the verdant color of flourishing growth and of life anew…
~ The unlikely alliance between put-upon Mushnik and put-down Seymour, in their attempt to turn around the downward direction of the flower shop’s fate, which leads the elder to invite his formerly despised employee to become an adopted son. This leads us to the next of the show’s highlights, the song “Mushnik & Son”: a klezmer-tango sung and danced by this man-child and his aging boss in very funny choreography so appropriately and adroitly created, as with the rest of the production’s dance numbers, by the multi-talented, founding FA member, Denene Mulay Koch…
~ “Now (It’s Just the Gas)”, a bizarre and comic journey to the other side as fueled by an overdose of nitrous oxide. This surreal scene is brought to us by the broadly versatile FA Artistic Director, Jeremy Koch–no stranger to this stage–portraying Orrin, the sadistic and domestically violent dentist, who also dates our Audrey. (Spoiler: Koch can be seen in many cartoonish and campy cameo roles throughout, from bit parts to this supporting character.) The laughs didn’t come so easily for all of Orrin’s jokes because we must also constantly witness his raging misogyny while he knocks around the cowering Audrey and calls her names. But here in this anesthetized little tune we get to laugh with abandon, as his humorous performance meshes with our anticipation about seeing him receive his well-deserved and long-awaited comeuppance…
~ Audrey II grows bigger and bigger with each person the persuasive plant preys upon. (He is voiced deeply but also with great dynamics and textural timbre by stage and voice actor, Stephen Anthony Grey, and manipulated in puppetry perfection by Brian Panse–my radio guest on 9/14.) Ultimately, it becomes clear the plant is out of control, and here we are treated to/menaced with the foreboding musical highlight, “Suppertime”, heralded by dreamlike, cascading piano arpeggios and buoyed by our girls’ insidious “Come on, come on…”…
TAKE NOTE:
This is Howard Ashman’s first and only credit for writing a book (the dialogue in a musical), although he also adapted the work into the Frank Oz 1986 film version’s screenplay. The principal run in its official Off-Broadway production lasted for five years, but never moved to Broadway, as Ashman felt its place was within the intimacy of a smaller Off-Broadway setting.
MORE THOUGHTS:
Luminary lighting designer, Lanny Potts, is always spot on, but this show finds him playing with a focus on fun. There exist Disney attractions with less adventure and atmosphere than the ride we are treated to here through his sometimes intense (but alternately and elsewhere understated) usage of illumination to transport us to the peculiar little shop. Soft green lights fade to a tightening spot during the last notes of Audrey’s, “Somewhere That’s Green”. We see flashes of melodrama when Seymour is beginning to be suspected by Mushnik as a possible culprit in the disappearance of those victims that became plant food, and he is consequently bathed in dramatic interrogation room-white for a flash, while the orchestra plays duh-duh-DUH notes. Later, Audrey II comes alive in a transformation that includes subtly morphing, mottled lighting which spreads across its huge, avocado-like Venus Flytrap head, lending a pernicious, pulsating quality to the potted plant.
You may notice the symbolic, monochromatic scheme of the first characters’ initial costumes and how they brighten and fill with color, as the shop and new attraction of a plant are filled with hope and signs of life. Even the portrait hung on the wall of their then-president, JFK, visually evolves with the vitality of the shop and of the dreams of its caretakers. Veteran costumer Kathryn Wagner follows along with the inspired vision of Mulay through her brilliant costuming which also slowly grows from washed out grays to a diverse and vibrant color palette; even Audrey’s dress is replicated, first with black and white, and then later in the story with a more colorful version of the same fabric. The entire collection of props created by CJ Drenth follow suit as well, all the way down to the broom handle.
I would be remiss if I discussed elements of this “Little Shop”, but neglected to mention the music director…Particularly in this case, as the trusty Marie McColley Kerstetter is in charge. Many are the musical show ‘ships’ that have been steered with exacting precision by this wunderkind of a musician/conductor. You can be sure that if Kerstetter is doing the music, the music is going to be done right. If you watched her rapid-fire arms and motioning head all through the show, I’m quite certain you would see only blurs of quick motion. And if you closed your eyes while imagining her working, you might be likely to visualize a human octopus, with far more arms than most earthbound humans.
~
This is a top-notch production telling a frolicking and freakish story that is under-girded by a zesty, bigger-than-life, but believable chemistry between the two terrifically talented leads, Melody Ricketts and Harrison Bryan’s Audrey and Seymour. Presented by the underlying morals play, we are prodded, sometimes gently/sometimes sharply, to look inside at our dreams and the cost associated with those pursuits. “Who knew success would come with messy, nasty strings?”, Seymour sings in “The Meek Shall Inherit”. In the end, this exponentially expanding monster may be something of a metaphor for the inner dreams/demons that we feed. Perhaps other audience members may extrapolate a very personal lesson, as did I, from this hysterical, touching, and melodramatic retro-styled/modern-day Greek comic tragedy. Albeit often unanswerable, we humans ask ourselves these existential questions, as does Seymour when he asks God what he is meant for, and even God replies that He’s “not sure”. Then, when we think we’ve found the right path, it is always wise to remember the reasons for planting our garden in the first place.
FOR PARENTS:
Toward the end, our monstrous plant grows quite large and–along with loud thunder claps and frenetic flashes of lightning–may be frightening to children of a certain age and/or temperament. Also, Orrin is incredibly angry and violent with Audrey, dragging her around, using coarse language in his name-calling, and even slapping her at one point. This may cause viewers of any age discomfort.
Some parents may wish to bring their tweens (& up), but also make time for a healthy discussion (before and/or after) about what does and does not constitute humane treatment of one another, along with other topics related to domestic violence.
The Purple Crook 