by George Patterson
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
New Orleans is Abuzz
With Theatre Activity
As this issue of Ambush hits the streets, local boards are brimming with topnotch theatre activity of an unprecedented quality and diversity. Including the shows herewith reviewed, a new cabaret complex boasting its first hit is aborning on St. Charles Ave.
Barbara Motley's new le chat noire (The Black Cat), 715 St. Charles Ave., is the cat's pajamas as far as new, commercial, intimate, entertainment venues are concerned - a new gem on the Avenue.
And its very first show, The Cocktail Party in the Ladies Lounge, a fresh, charmingly hilarious musical send-up of fifties sophistication concocted by Carl Walker with a major assist from musical arranger and accompanist Larry Sieberth, is a delight. More on this show in the next issue.
...And The Ball and All is once again rollin' 'em in the aisles in its latest venue, Southern Repertory Theatre, and, although the company says it's closing July 20, it's already sold out and will be announcing an extension shortly.
La Cage aux Folles at Tulane: Perfection
B. Michael Howard, Summer Lyric's adept director, has scored a triumph with his eye-popping, rib-tickling, euphoniously delightful production of the 1984 Tony Award-winning La Cage aux Folles, the Gay-themed musical comedy written by openly Gay bookwriter Harvey Fierstein and AIDS-afflicted Jerry Herman, whose music and lyrics, in the right hands, sends this show into the stratosphere.
With his second production of this now-classic work of American musical theatre, Mr. Howard and his army of accomplices created theatre magic - and history - and soared into outer space.
All systems were definitely "go" as this thoroughbred production blasted off the launching pad precisely at 8pm and held its giddy audience in thrall for its entire running time. Indeed, people did not want to leave the theatre after the bravos and standing ovation - they were as hyped as the adrenaline-infused cast who had just given the performance of their lives. What an experience!
In case you don't know the story, which first saw the light of day in a 1978 French flick of the same name which was Americanized in 1996 as The Birdcage starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, it concerns the owner of a Gay Riviera cabaret (La Cage aux Folles) named Georges (Richard Hutton) and his drag star lover Albin (Kris Shaw), whose drag name is ZaZa, in their attempt to impress Georges' son's fiancee, and her prudish (think Christian Coalition) parents through their impersonation of a straight married couple.
Even though the show is now 14 years old, its theme of compassion and inclusion is au courant. In 1984 we had Reagan ignoring the AIDS epidemic and blaming it on Gays which has given us our current culture war waged by right wing extremists. This show, in the right hands, absolutely galvanizes an audience - which was the experience of Mr. Howard's latest endeavor.
Of course Mr. Howard did not do it alone. If he succeeded in casting perfection, his colleagues, Musical Director and Conductor Pamela Legendre (and her expert orchestra), Choreographer Alton Geno (and his drag-dressed Cagelles), Scenic Designer Rick Paul (and his Art Nouveau cartoon scenery), Lighting Designer Michael Batt, Costume Designer Elizabeth Parent (and her endless array of Erte-inspired creations) and Linda and Don Guillot's wigs and makeup, followed their avuncular leader and also attained perfection in professional collaboration.
The cast, all Broadway quality: the above mentioned Richard Hutton and Kris Shaw (absolutely believable as a Gay couple), Kasey Marino as the son (who is moving to Houston - our loss, Texas' gain), his fiance, Anne, Casey Thompson, Ken Risch as her hypocritical father, Emily Wiltz McLain as the mother, Janet Shea as Jacqueline, the restauranteur who unmasks the hypocrite, James St. Juniors, Jr. as Jacob, the nelly butler who desires to be a maid (and adds immeasurably to the hilarity), the Cagelles: Greg Bonin, Larry Gibas, Mike Gomborone, Danielle Harrell, Kelly Hirling, Glenn Rainey, Patrick Thomassey, Jessica Tierney and Lyle Guidroz (who not only pirouetted across the stage en pointe but also caused a collective groan as he did a leaping split in the can can number), and Juan Williams, Walter Bost, Renee Balencie Saussaye, Marc Fouchi and RuthAnn Wild.
All are to be commended.
City of Angels Very Loud
Be sure to take some earplugs with you when you go to see Le Petit's final offering of the season, the New Orleans premiere of City of Angels, the 1990 Tony Award-winning musical comedy written by Larry Gelbart with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by David Zippel.
Subtitled "When Real Life Meets Reel Life," this is a spoof of the film noire private eye movies of the 40's - think Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade as played by Bogart. Larry Gelbart's intricate and witty book follows a fiction writer named Stine (James Murphy) trying to adapt his own detective novel into a screenplay. As the story begins, we meet Stone, Stine's Bogartian detective (Bob Pavlovich) in the hospital with a bullet wound. Our first introduction is by way of Stone's voice-over, and here, right off the bat, the production becomes difficult to enjoy - the volume of the amplified taped monologue is so high as to produce an ear-numbing, unintelligible sound.
As Stone begins to relate his injury, Stein begins to rewrite his story. As he rewrites, the "movie" is rewound and the actors move and speak backwards-a very funny bit repeated once too often. As Stine buries himself in the fantasy world of his detective story, however, his personal life begins to fall apart. When his wife leaves him, he must make some decisions about what is really important in his life.
This is an enormous musical theatre endeavor and the entire crew of Le Petit is to be commended for even attempting such an ambitious undertaking, let alone for having pulled it off with such style and theatrical savvy. Unfortunately, the theatre itself is too small to contain what directors Sonny Borey and Derek Franklin and designers David Potter and Bill Walker have envisioned. With such an eclectic score of Lalo Schifrenesque jazz riffs, the twenty piece orchestra led by Jay Haydel, with no pit to dampen its decibels, is simply too large for the theatre, necessitating amplification which, coupled with the singers' desire to be heard, causes the sound often to be unintelligibly distorted.
The cast of City of Angels is divided into two groups: the Hollywood cast and the film cast, and each character from Stine's real life reappears as a character in his film. For this reason scenes alternate between the real (color) and the reel (black and white), sometimes requiring identical set pieces in either color or bw, which requires an inordinate amount of scenery and the two designers, working with what appears to be an unlimited budget, dazzle with their technical expertise. Just getting all those wagons on and off quietly and efficiently is no small feat.
Mr. Potter's lighting, on the other hand, suffers from too few properly placed instruments so that his stage right area, where most of the "technicolor" scenes play, appears too dim and washed out.
Bob Pavlovich, who is not known as a singer, nevertheless pulls off his tough assignment with professional aplomb; likewise, James Murphy as the hapless writer shines with sincerity, charm and vocal acuity. If these two carry this ponderous show effortlessly, Heidi Jensen as Oolie, Stine's Eve Ardenesque wisecracking secretary, or as Donna, a similar character in real life, stops the show cold with one of two comedy songs, a red-hot blues song called "You Can Always Count On Me" in the second act, and Russell Hodgkinson as the Latino Lt. Munoz does the same thing at the end of the first act with "All You Have to Do Is Wait."
Others in the large cast who contribute to the production's success are Chris Lusk who sings the show's only ballad, "With Every Breath I Take," Amy Alvarez as the ditsy starlet (Avril) who plays the object of the detective's search (Mallory), Katherine Keberlein as the leggy Alaura, Bert Pigg, and Lance Spellerberg who scores as the amoral movie producer Fidler. Vatican Lokey, Brian Anthony Rosenberg, Amanda Norman-Rucker and Ashley Smetherman, called the Angel City 4, a kind of Manhattan Transferish chorus, suffer from the amplification as does Adam "Louie" Breaux as a flavor-of-the-week singer who gets to play the lead in the final movie. Although he is supposed to be a Mel Torme Velvet Fog, there is no way he can croon and be heard - and therein lies the fly in the ointment.
Antony & Cleopatra
One does not generally think of budgets and money when one goes to Tulane to see a theatrical presentation; however, with the first of its two productions, the Shakespeare Festival at Tulane has begun with a production of Anthony and Cleopatra that is absolutely destitute in its visual evocation of the storied, legendary Queen of the Nile. As portrayed by Clare Montcrief, one thinks Colleeen Dewhurst before one thinks either Colbert or Taylor. This Cleopatra is unbelievably dowdy, tricked out as she is in costume designer Tony French's basic Donna Karan fitted, long sleeve, thick fabric dresses, completely unaccessorized, except for a small gold pinky ring and bare feet. Mr. French did give her one golden cloak with serpent crown for the all important suicide by snake scene at the play's end, but this was too little too late and its stiffness only called attention to itself.
Director Buzz Podewell has turned this tragedy into a melodrama by keeping Danny Bowen's Antony in a wine infused drunk funk. Maybe because Ms. Montcrief is Mrs. Bowen in real life, their many scenes together seem to convey the naturalness of an old married couple - not star-crossed (middle-aged) lovers so set on their own desires for mutual satisfaction that they destroy not only themselves but their very countries as well in their blind lust. Lust here has turned to dust.
But they, and their colleagues, handle the Shakespearean verse with a refreshing naturalness. The archaic language flows glibbly.
Mr. Podewell has directed the play with endless invention, making the spare and beautiful unit set designed by Elizabeth Chaney, coupled closely with Hugh Lester's impressive lighting design, become either Egypt or Rome at will and marshaling his cast with pace-setting rhythm that keeps the play moving with dispatch.
Others in the large predominantly male cast faired much, much better. Mark McLaughlin plays Domitius Enobabus, Antony's right hand man in Egypt, with a cunning slyness that evokes Iago - he is the one with the flask always at the ready. Sean Stewart as Octavius Caesar, Antony's and Cleopatra's nemesis, is very strong and cuts an impressive figure with his blond good looks. Tony Molina scores as a Messenger from Rome bringing only bad news; Dane Rhodes as Cleopatra's too honest treasurer, Diomedes; Gavin Mahlie in two small roles along with Donald Lewis (such an impressive voice!), Robert Montgomery and Jim Fitzmorris likewise shine.
On the distaff side Gemma Denmark as Charmain, one of Cleo's two attendants (the other being Nicole James as Iras), is so stunningly beautiful and is swathed in such delicate pink sarongs one keeps forgetting that she is NOT Cleopatra.
Auditions for Me & My Girl at RRT: Round 2
Kenner's Rivertown Repertory Theatre, 325 Minor St., will hold a second round of auditions for the award winning musical comedy, Me and My Girl, on Sat., July 10, from 10am to 12 noon. Director/choreographer Alton Geno is interested in seeing singers/actors for chorus and principal roles aged 18 and over. Singers will be auditioned from 10am to 12noon with sheet music in their key. An accompanist will be provided. Readings will be held immediately following singing auditions. The show is slated to open RRT's 12th season Sept. 10.
Pensacola Little Theatre Rockets into 21st Century
Pensacola Little Theatre Box Office begins a brand new computerized ticketing system for the Pensacola Little Theatre/Pensacola Cultural Center and a new Webpage, www.pensacolalittletheatre.com on July 1.
Beginning with PLT's Treehouse Theatre Season's production of Schoolhouse Rock Live!, the new computerized ticketing system will provide a more efficient and more economical way to disperse tickets for both PLT events and rental clients. The new standardized program will allow the same service to be extended to anyone utilizing the facilities of the Pensacola Cultural Center.
Starting this summer, tickets will be available for purchase online at the Center's new Webpage, which will also offer show information, special events, ticket prices, season subscriptions, volunteer opportunities, PLT Guild updates and activities, seating charts, audition notices and educational opportunities. A special map feature will provide directions to the Pensacola Cultural Center from anywhere in the country. Subscriptions can be ordered online and single tickets sales will be available during the summer.
