Philadelphiatheaterarts

Review by Neal Newman

February 9, 2024

Not long ago, two gay gentlemen traveled from their home state of Colorado to Massachusetts. a more liberal state. for a legal wedding. They returned to Colorado for a reception with friends, but when they ordered a wedding cake, the Christian baker refused to create it, claiming it was against his religion. The gay couple sued. But the US Supreme Court found for the baker and reversed the Colorado decision, feeling that anti-gay sentiments clouded the proceedings. This blanketed the media and was noticed by experienced playwright Bekah Brunstetter.

She was not interested in the religious aspects but rather in the gulf in her life, now in New York and Hollywood, with her hometown in conservative North Carolina. She loved people in both “bubbles” and wanted to explore this breach tearing our country apart. Her approach was sensitive and sympathetic to both sides. The resulting play, THE CAKE, is challenging to pull off.

The heroine of CAKE is Della, a dyed-in-the-wool Southern lass who loves to bake. When she says you must only use pure ingredients and rigidly “follow the recipe,” one immediately recognizes someone who will resist societal change. That challenge comes when her beloved goddaughter returns home from “up north.”  She has returned to be married. To a woman. A black woman. Naturally, Della cannot bake that cake.

Steel River Playhouse is presenting the play in its upstairs loft. Director/Artistic Director Leena Devlin shows a strong hand with the technical aspects. Gone are the days of no set or lighting in the loft. Designer Hugh Abbott has created a set that is a yellow and blue confectioner’s dream. The lighting by Dakota Adams is complex and inventive, as are the costumes of Teal Knight and Madison Devlin’s sound design. Credit should also be given to the uncredited person who made the cakes.

The performers are a mixed bag. Deborah Baldwin, as Della, is a skilled professional who is delightful when her husband, Tom Libonate, notices that she has never met a gay person. Her confusion is heartfelt. She is also surprisingly hilarious when she dreams her “baker’s nightmare” taunted by the sexual prodding of a British game show host, played by a condescending but unseen Matt Lake. She is less effective as the torment of her conservative upbringing results in actions she cannot understand.Some thought on this would give the performance more momentom and make the ending a true surprise.

Caitlin Monahan is excellent in her excitement of returning home to her beloved cakes. She is also touching in her scenes with Della as she reveals the disorientation of a young person faced with difficult decisions. Less effective are the moments with the two young women, where there is a distinct lack of chemistry. These would play more effectively with a deep commitment to their love and new lives. All in all, the actors and director must excavate more deeply into the text.

This play is a “dramedy,” a modern playwriting term that allows a good deal of sentiment to enter the possible comic elements. If you loved the show THIS IS US, you will love this. Brunstetter was a writer/producer on that show.

Upcoming at Steel River is the musical THE PROM, which deals with many similar themes. That one is filled with New York snark and is an often hilarious satire of liberal wokeness and conservative rigidity.

RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes without intermission.

THE CAKE runs through February 18—2024, at Steel River Playhouse, 245 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA. Tickets can be obtained at www.steelriver.org or by calling 610-970-1199.

Review by Neal Newman

February 4, 2024

R. Eric Thomas is a wonderful guy. He is a warm and original storyteller who could be an excellent standup comic or sitcom star if he wanted to be. I remember once when someone asked him what the R. stood for, he said something to the effect of that his name was Robert because his folks felt that a non-black name would look good on job applications. Then he said: “I got a lot of interviews with racists.”

He is also a critic (uh-oh), and I love his reviews for their humor. On re-seeing TITANIC, he recalled the healing moment when the elderly Rose tossed the gigantic diamond into the ocean. Possessions don’t bring happiness, only love. Says Thomas: “Thanks so much, but I opt to learn that lesson the hard way: by being rich for about 70 years and see how that goes.” As for being a critic, he said he loved “anything that was free.”

His play MRS. HARRISON is being revived at the Montgomery Theater. It has received productions throughout the country, rave reviews, and many Barrymore nominations when it debuted in Philadelphia in 2018. Montgomery’s associate artistic director, Kristen Heckler, who is renowned for championing women, gender roles, and new plays, saw this as a necessary production. As director, she would want to bring this play to a new audience.

The setting is the exclusive restroom at an upscale college during a thunderstorm at a class reunion. The characters are:

1.   The beautiful, well-dressed, successful black playwright Aisha (Chali Cooke) is being celebrated in the Alumni magazine.
2.  The scuzzy, thrown-together Holly (Jena Kuerzi), an unsuccessful writer, comic, and, by default, storyteller, is there for the free drinks. 

At first, it seems to be a chance meeting between strangers, but Holly has an agenda, which is not my job to reveal. Let’s say they are not strangers, and as we discover they knew each other ten years before, it is evident that Holly is driven by jealousy and the need for attention and success.

This production has a few shortcomings. but that didn’t divert my and other playgoers’ discussion in the tavern afterward. 

‘How many themes are contained in this play?” we asked!? It is about ideas and how they can be turned into compelling art. It’s about storytelling, the need for stories, and the difficulty of crafting them. It is about who owns an idea and if white people can write stories about black people. It’s about failure in the world of theater (or anywhere) and the jealousy that comes when you know someone who has succeeded. We recalled the quote from Chekhov: “Never allow a writer to enter your home. They’ll steal everything.”  Holly is angry because she feels Aisha has stolen one of her ideas. But was it stolen? Does Holly have the talent and the drive to write a story?

My difficulties begin with a few more questions. Why doesn’t Aisha leave? A careful reading of the author’s description of the play says they are “trapped” by the thunderstorm.   However, this element of “trapped” was not well defined in the performance. Sure, there were lightning and thunder crashes, but these seemed to be only occasionally interesting events irrelevant to the proceedings.

Why does Aisha like and admire the unlikable Holly? According to the published script, the author has her say: “That’s good, that’s really admirable.”  Or “I’m fascinated.” But I missed these developmental moments in this production.   Lacking this bare dramatic urgency, the characters become merely voices for the author’s ideas rather than human beings.

What does Aisha think of Holly’s bizarre 20-minute story? According to the published script, Thomas says: “Aisha buys this. She is shocked and immediately drawn in. There is a certain deliciousness for her in Holly’s strangeness and unreserved revelations.”  Either I missed this pivotal moment, or the director did not emphasize it.

Kudos to the design team of set, lights, and costumes (R. Cameron Purdy, Jim Leitner, and Teal Knight) for excellent, unobtrusive work. Chali Cooke and Jenn Kuerzi are exceptional performers, and the play is well-staged. But fundamental questions remain here, which hopefully can be considered as the run continues.

Running time: 75 minutes without intermission.

MRS HARRISON by R. Eric Thomas plays through February 25 at 124 N. Main Street, Souderton, PA. Tickets can be obtained at montgomerytheater.org or by calling 215-723-9984.

 

Review by Neal Newman

January 22, 2024

SMALL, an area premiere written and performed by Robert Montano, is not your typical one-person show. It is a Jerome Robbins ballet. Or at least it appears to be. This is no monologue delivered by an older actor behind a podium. This is a SHOW, featuring an astonishing actor-singer-dancer backed by an equally brilliant team of director, designers, and crew. It must be seen to be believed.

The setting by Christopher and Justin Swader resembles a stable (the play is about horse racing), but it can resolve into vivid storytelling pictures. The equally powerful lighting design of Jamie Roderick assists in this visual feast. There is also a wonderfully complex sound plot by Brian Ronan. The splendor never stops in what seems like ten thousand cues, all masterfully pulled by stage manager Karen “Curly” Schleifer. This is all held together by the director Jessi D. Hill, who, with the other team members, have been with the production at the Penguin Rep Theater and Off-Broadway.

Montano was a name not familiar to me, but the moment he appeared, I remembered experiencing his excellent performances in ON THE TOWN on Broadway and in the film CHICAGO. He doesn’t act the play; he dances it. Every move is beautiful, and every stage picture of his is memorable.

He tells the story of his early teen years when a visit to Belmont Park Racetrack creates a love of horses and his desire to become a jockey. Since he is young and growing, he easily fits the description of a jockey:  Five foot three tall, weight: 105 pounds. As he matures and advances in a field demanding mental and physical perfection, it becomes clear that he will never be that small. He will become a man of average height and weight. He undergoes a brutal physical, mental, and physical regimen of exercise and dieting that brings his weight down but nearly kills him. Since Montano has become a significant stage and screen presence, the theme is obviously that supreme success in any field requires extraordinary pain and discipline. The actor plays many roles, including his mother, a dance instructor, and most memorably, Robert, a skilled jockey who becomes his beloved mentor. If I had a suggestion, it would be that the earlier racetrack scenes feature too many men, and despite the actor’s skill in delineating the characters, it is still confusing. But this is a minor quibble relating to an unforgettable theatrical event.

He relates the dates of his races, which are all mid-nineteen seventies. Doing the math, Montano must be at least sixty. Standing still, he looks twenty years younger. When he moves, he seems forty years younger.

This was my return to theatergoing following a long bout with COVID-19 and its aftermath. What a wonderful welcome home.

Running Time:  85 minutes, with no intermission.

SMALL co-produced with the Penguin Theater at People’s Light and Theater through February 4, 2024, at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA. Tickets can be obtained at peopleslight.org or by calling 610-644-3500.

Review by Neal Newman

August 5, 2023

There’s some impressive acting in BOCA which just opened at the ACT II Playhouse in Ambler. 5 performers impersonate 10 unique characters in the story of a 55-plus retirement complex in Florida. I didn’t read the program carefully before the 80-minute area premiere comedy began, and it was only halfway through that I realized there were not 10 different actors on the stage. As we left the theater, audience members were still sorting out which character was played by which actor. Under the skilled direction of Tony Braithwaite, each performer creates distinctive physical and vocal characteristics that result in acting as a great art-form. Aided by the inventive costumes of Seana Benz and especially the wig design of Bridget Brennan, these mightily experienced actors have a joyous field day with this play. Megan Jones’ scenic design is brightly unrealistic and in varied colors under James Leitner’s expert lighting.

BOCA by Jessica Provenz is a series of varied scenes detailing the lives of uprooted retirees who find themselves in The Oasis, with its swimming pools, golf courses, and multiple canasta tournaments. Though they are members of a retirement community, there isn’t much community feeling as the play begins. Still, gradually, the residents discover that to survive the trials and loneliness of the golden age, this commonality is necessary for human survival. Our population is greying, and these building complexes are springing up everywhere these days. Provenz creates characters that are sometimes quirky, frequently annoying, and the actors, thankfully, do not try to make them lovable. The plot, what little there is, concerns the attempts to dethrone the longtime but obnoxious president of the condo board with a retired kindergarten teacher. One memorable scene involves a resident demanding a date with a newly widowered husband at gunpoint.

The artistes, all of them memorable, are Mary Martello, Ellen Ratner, Penelope Reed, Peter Schmitz, and Tom Teti. Longtime local theater fans will recall each of them from outstanding past performances. You’ll have to figure out who plays what in BOCA for yourself.

It must be noted that BOCA is a sitcom. It is not a profound American classic like AH WILDERNESS, or YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU. Author Provenz can skillfully craft a funny line every few seconds, and the actors take to Braithwaite’s slam-bang directing pace like seniors to bingo. If your taste runs toward THE GOLDEN GIRLS or THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW, this is the night out for you.

RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes with no intermission.

BOCA runs through September 3rd, 2023, at the ACT II PLAYHOUSE, 56 E. Butler Pike in Ambler, PA. Tickets can be obtained at act2.org or by calling 215-654-0200.

Review by Neal Newman

June 25, 2023

The best way to introduce LETTIE by Boo Killebrew, now playing at People’s Light, is to introduce the people.

After seven years, Lettie (Danielle Skraastad) has just been released from prison. Her traumatic childhood was peppered with drugs, alcohol, and impulsive decisions. She says, “I could never be a child, and now I cannot be an adult.” There’s a saying that “when a man goes to prison, he loses his freedom. When a woman goes to jail, she loses her children.” Lettie quite unreasonably imagines that she will reunite with her children, who haven’t seen her in seven years. But almost immediately, she flunks out of her job training program and is thrown out of her shelter for violating the rules. Killebrew does not attempt to whitewash this unlikeable, foul-mouthed woman who is a victim of the prison system. Actress Skraastad is similarly unlikable, but by maintaining her desire to make a better life for everyone, she wins the audience’s sympathy in what is eventually a moving performance.

Also fascinating is her younger sister Carla (Teri Lamm), who carefully personifies the family dynamic of the younger sibling becoming a people pleaser because the older sibling is constantly acting out. She has countered her disappointment with religion, not to mention taking in Lettie’s children, especially since she cannot have children herself. At first, she seems severe and unrelenting, but actress Lamm uncovers many layers of complexity and growth as the play progresses.

Carla’s husband, Frank (Kevin Bergen), is equally religious and somewhat prejudiced against minorities. He does not want the coarse Lettie in his family’s life. He also resents that society gives Lettie a second chance by offering job training and a place to live. He has just lost a decades-long factory job and is unqualified for a new job because of the developing technology. He fears losing his house. Actor Bergen wins the audience’s affection through his eventual maturation.

Lettie’s children, River, the older son (Jacob Orr), and daughter by different a different man Layla (Bryanna Martinez-Jimenez) have their problems. River is monosyllabic and disaffected. He seems unwilling to communicate with anyone. One of the highlights of the evening is when actor Orr finally lets loose from years of submerged anger. “You know why I never call her Mom. That’s the word I hate the most.” The daughter, the typical younger sibling, tries to assuage the anger with good acceptance.

Melanye Finister is effective as another released felon who tries to befriend Lettie and eventually assists in her development.

The playwright skillfully uses this theme: Everyone expects more than they eventually receive to portray family, acceptance, and ultimately love.

The power of the performance owes much to director Abigail Adams who skillfully stages this multi-scene work on the small Steinbright Stage. Designer Daniel Zimmerman inventively suggests the many locations with simple stage areas representing different parts of the town. Lighting designer Dennis Parichy adds to the many different moods and appropriate music by Lee Kenny.

This character-driven 90-minute play will demonstrate much discussion after the curtain falls. It’s a grueling but rewarding experience and is necessary in today’s world.

A word needs to be said about the 90-minute play. Not long ago, a ticket-buying audience would not stand for such a short evening. Today’s audiences welcome a shorter experience, and most modern playwrights comply. No, this is not a LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, GETTING OUT, or even the TV series RECTIFY, which deal with the same complex issues in a lengthy, more detailed fashion. But I maintain that Killegrew’s simple statement succeeds at what it set out to do.

RUNNING TIME:  90 minutes with no intermission.

LETTIE runs through July 13 at People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA. Tickets can be obtained at peopleslight.org or by calling 610-644-3500.

Review by Neal Newman

June 11, 2023

At first glance, BAKERSFIELD MIST seems to be a sitcom cartoon. But wait, it’s not. We meet Maude, who lives in a trailer park, furnishes it from cast-offs from junk stores, is a fired bartender, and a proud gun owner. She is also highly foul-mouthed. Lionel is a former director of the Met Museum in New York, an acclaimed author of art books, and a highly sought-after hunter of forgeries. He is also an insufferable snob.

They are brought together in Maude’s trailer in California when she hires him to examine a thrift store-bought painting she believes is a long-lost Jackson Pollock. She does not know who Pollock is, but a high school art teacher suggested it might be one of the master’s works. Maude is put off by Lionel’s fancy clothes, an air of superiority, and smug self-confidence. He uses the “blink” method to spot forgeries, which means he can instantly identify one. He is put off by the trailer trash location and her apparent uneducated vulgarity and lack of etiquette.

You think the Montgomery Theater is presenting a sitcom of the early Neil Simon variety. Wrong. These are not cartoon characters but fully presented creations. Playwright Stephen Sachs says the “blink” method doesn’t work with people. Maude and Lionel become well-rounded humans with complicated past lives of success and failure. You’ll have to see it to learn more.

This also allows Sachs to sneak in some teaching moments of Jackson Pollock’s brilliance and the value of art to our society and humanity. Seeing this play will make it necessary to plan a visit to the art museums. Sachs is also interested in the meaning of truth. Maude honestly believes that her painting is genuine, and Lionel believes it is a fake. But can you truly be certain of anything, especially in evaluating art?

Director Tom Quinn fields some terrific performances from Ellen Ratner and John Hedges. They handle the comedy in the first half with skill and then dig deeper into the souls of these people. Playwright Sachs always keeps the momentum with well-thought-out comedy lines that may make the play less artistically momentous as plays like RED by Logan or ART by Reza, but it’s a lot of fun.

Lionel:  The Met, in New York, is like the Vatican in Rome.

Maude:  Out of touch with reality?

Quinn’s design team is, as usual, first-rate, with Ken Clothier (set), Teal Knight (costumes), and Jim Leitner supplying everything necessary for the trailer trash milieu.

It should be noted that the play is “inspired” by a true story. A California truck driver rejected the Met director’s appraisal and continues to claim that her painting is genuine.

Be warned. BAKERSFIELD MIST had an acclaimed London run and dozens of international productions. The Sunday afternoon I attended was packed with a reverberant audience. Get your tickets now.

RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes with no intermission

BAKERSFIELD MIST by Stephen Sachs plays through July 2 at 124 N. Main Street, Souderton, PA; Tickets can be obtained at montgomerytheater.org or by calling 215-723-9984.

May 27, 2023

Review by Neal Newman

_{All photos by John Daggett}

These days, theater tickets for professional productions can range from over $100 to much higher. Steel River Playhouse’s INTO THE WOODS is professional: technical, musical, direction, singing, and acting—all at community theater prices. Buy tickets.

First, a bit about the show: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine tell the story of a modern couple whose greatest wish is to have a child. A witch gives them a fairy tale quest to find magical objects in “the woods.” They meet familiar characters such as Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel on their journey. Much humor ensues as Act One concludes with a fairy tale ending. Act two deconstructs all this with Cinderella’s prince having several affairs, Red Riding wearing a hood made from a wolf, and half of the characters ending up dead.

 The authors’ themes are twofold. First, the complex relationships of parent and child, and, in the second act, the need for a community to come together in times of trouble where “no one is alone.”

The disturbance in Act Two is a cruel giant who ravages the woods. Since the giant never appears, we must imagine the authors’ purpose. Is it about a pandemic? Climate change? You must decide.

The Steel River Arts Center is a lovely two-theater multi-use complex that is well worth a visit. Director Deborah Stimson-Snow uses the dark black box as the natural woods. We are the trees as the characters scurry among us. Her staging and imaginative stage pictures are a continual delight.

The setting is simple. Hugh Abbot creates an upper level with scaffolding surrounded by selected greenery and a spiral staircase. (Abbot also appears effectively as the steward.) This ambiance is abetted by the yeoman lighting design of Dakota Adams, which bathes the stage in a shadowy mist and features multi-color-changing backgrounds along with many striking special effects. Teal Knight’s charming costumes suggest a long past era but tastefully avoid the garish cliches associated with cartoon fairy tales. Madison Devlin’s sound design creates some “Sensurround” effects for the never seen giant and ensures that all the words can be understood.

_{Cheyenne Malfaro as Red Riding Hood, Ally Borgstrom as Cinderella, Pat Festa as Jack, Leena Devlin as the Witch, and Rob Tilly as the Baker.}

Understanding the words of INTO THE WOODS is vital because Sondheim’s lyrics are dense and assault the audience with their rapidity. Director Snow must be credited for a cast that enunciates through all this verbiage. Sondheim’s music is equally complex and formidable, so credit Musical Director Julie Eurillo for guiding the thespians as they easily conquer the opaque verbosity. She also conducts, splendidly, a reduced but professional orchestra.

Everything comes together cohesively with an excellent cast of singer/actors who are, for once, all in the same show: slightly overripe acting that is still truthful. Standout Ally Borgstrom as Cinderella is sublime in her singing and stage deportment.

_{Ally Borgstrom as Cinderella}

Laura Watson is striking as the hard-edged but vulnerable Baker’s wife. As the Baker, Rob Tilly skillfully carries much of the show’s complex plot.

^{Laura Watson and Tyreese Kadle as the Baker’s Wife and Cinderella’s Prince}

_{Cheyenne Malfaro as Red Riding Hood}

The always scampering Red Riding Hood of Cheyenne Malfaro somehow manages to be obnoxious and adorable simultaneously. The two fairy tale princes, Tyreese Kadle and David Williams, score an act one coup with Agony which perfectly defines Sondheim’s famed ambiguity.

Tyreese Kadle and David Williams as the princes

Leena Devlin’s powerhouse Witch is dominating the entire evening with a stunning Last Midnight and a beautifully sung Stay with Me. Madeline Snyder, Tyler Macready, Allen Puy, Kellie Tully, and Denise Webb are equally memorable in smaller roles, as are Alessandra Fanelli, Amanda Morell, Lauren Kerstetter, Pat Festa, and Betsy Chapman. Obviously, with so many juicy parts, the actors run a terrific romp that spills pleasurably into the audience.

_{Leena Devlin, center as the witch with Rob Tilly and Laura Watson as the Baker and his wife.}

Theatergoers should be aware that INTO THE WOODS is a challenging experience. The authors are more interested in the ideas than the people or the story. This makes many scenes overlong and extremely discursive, with quite a bit of second-act lecturing. It is not a “musical play” like A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC or THE KING AND I, but a “concept musical” that is more an essay than a drama. Many fans adore INTO THE WOODS, but I prefer the non- “concept” NIGHT MUSIC and SWEENEY TODD. Sondheim shares a unique musical gift with Mozart and Wagner that personalizes the individual characters unforgettably. Each character has his unique music, yet it’s all Sondheim. The troupe of INTO THE WOODS are archetypes who lack this delineation. Wonderful, but it cannot be easy to invest in the characters. I find it admirable but not as involving.

It is rare to find a production of such a complex show that is consistently excellent in all departments. Oh, and the curtain call ends with the narrator, Eric Crist, closing the storybook.
Bravo!

Running Time Three hours, including intermission.

SPECIAL NOTE: All evening performances begin at 7 PM. This is for this production only.

INTO THE WOODS runs through June 11—2023, at Steel River Playhouse, 245 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA. Tickets can be obtained at www.steelriver.org or by calling 610-970-1199.

Review by Neal Newman

April 23, 2023

Actors Net of Bucks County presents THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE by Lauren Gunderson. It tells the story of the famed scientist who discovered radium and won two Nobel Prizes for physics and chemistry; she is abetted in this two-character play by Hertha Ayrton, another brilliant woman scientist who is remembered for improving the electric light and inventing a cotton fan that saved countless lives in the poison gas horrors of World War One.

Feminists will chortle at the many Wildean epigrams that Gunderson feeds the characters. “An error that ascribes to a man what was actually the work of a woman has more lives than a cat.”

Men proudly control all industries and even science. Both ladies were denied major science prizes. They were rendered ineligible because they were married. Property of all kinds must belong to the husband. Madame Curie, the widow of her husband/science colleague Pierre, takes a younger lover who is married. Society denounces her as a jezebel, and the tabloids have a field day. In the play, Curie escapes to a quiet seaside cottage belonging to Hertha, where they discuss their and society’s problems. 

_{Susan Blair and Erin Leder. Photos by Charlotte Kirkby}

If this sounds a bit wordy, it is. The play was commissioned by Audible, the audiobook company, and released as such. Most of the action happens offstage and is described by the characters. This can create quite a challenge for a two-character play that must rely on extraordinary resourcefulness on the part of the actors and director. The only actual conflict occurs when Hertha discovers that Marie carries radium about with her and naturally fears that it will radioactively contaminate the house and Marie herself. There is also a charming scene of drunken revelry when Hertha tries to interrogate Marie about her sex life. But the talk persists.

Actor’s Net’s production looks fine, which is quite a compliment considering the size of the tiny stage. The designers Judi Parrish, Adrena Wishnie, and Rittzi Productions of set, lights, and costumes, respectively, are pleasing as they create the France and England of 1911. Parrish’s sound design, she’s also the director, successfully summons the feeling of the seashore.

The always excellent Susan Blair dominates the evening as Hertha Aryton.  Blessed with an expressive voice and physicality, she brings unexpected imagination to the didactic script. Especially indelible are speeches when she describes her arrest as a suffragette and recounts the poison gas episode of the War. She also recites a portion of a poem by Swinburne. Theater companies must invite Blair to read ANYTHING if they need a fundraising evening.

Erin Leder, as Marie Curie, is saddled with a thick Polish accent that severely limits her vocal variety. The accent is accurate, but the play would have been better served with a softer touch. Her’s a loud performance dominated by self-pity. A standard theatrical rule is that the actor will lose audience sympathy if self-pity is injected into the role. The director’s task is to guide the actor to other imaginative choices that allow the character to state their problems without self-indulgence. Her delivery of every complaint is also very identical throughout. This production, which should tell of the bonding of two exceptional women, is now the story of a calm but angelic friend trying to quiet a churlish companion. Hopefully, more variety and inventiveness will appear in future performances.

One wants to like Gunderson’s play. She continually writes very popular historical works that reveal much about estimable women of the past and the struggles that continue to this day. But this play needs less talk and more action.

RUNNING TIME; 90 minutes without intermission

Actor’s Net presents THE HALF LIFE OF MARIE CURIE by Lauren Gunderson through May 7, 2023, at 635 Delmorr Avenue, Morrisville, PA. Tickets can be obtained at www.actorsnetbucks.org or by calling 215-428-0217

Review by Neal Newman

April 16, 2023

Idealism is in short supply these days, so it is marvelous to report that the Montgomery Theater’s CAMELOT is a rousing success.  This monumental work by Lerner and Loewe is one of those musical plays that audiences really hope will succeed but usually doesn’t due to problems with the book.  Sunday’s audience was enormously pleased.

The first question readers will ask is how CAMELOT can be done on a tiny stage with eight performers.  Well, it can.  Director Stephen Casey has used Commedia Dell’ Arte techniques to a surprisingly inventive advantage. There are masks, and every major prop comes out of one trunk, and the moon is made of cardboard. The simply painted set by Pierce Rolli splits into various platforms as the cast announces the locations.  The handsome costumes by Linda B. Stockton aren’t specific to any period but effective.  The lighting by Jim Leitner is serviceable but not as inventive as his colleagues.  Musical director Christopher P. Ertelt does a masterful job on the electric piano.  But oh, for a real piano with percussive dynamics.

The real hero of this production is David Lee, who did the book adaptation.  Lee won nine Emmy awards for such TV classics as CHEERS and FRASIER and directed this adaptation at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2010.  He has received the blessing of the Lerner and Lowe heirs, and this version is now licensed by Musical Theatre International.

I believe this is the local premiere of this version, so it behooves us to contemplate what he has achieved.

1.  THE CHORUS HAS LITTLE TO DO.  Every high school student I have ever met has complained that this is a lousy chorus show.  Compared with L’IL ABNER, or GREASE, this musical offers few opportunities for the chorus, except for roles such as courtier and lady in waiting.  This version calls the chorus “Revelers,” as was common in a Commedia company.  They appear in nearly every scene, not only changing the scene but giving the principals someone to talk to.  Arthur usually performs I WONDER WHAT THE KING IS DOING TONIGHT alone, but now the revelers listen helpfully to his problem.  Later, when Mordred tells of the SEVEN DEADLY VIRTUES, he is shown trying to convert the local knights, who then immediately segue into FIE ON GOODNESS
   • _{.Jackie Washam as Guinevere with Revelers in Take Me to the Fair}

_{Vanessa Sterling as Mordred with knights in Fie on Goodness}

2.   THE ROLE OF ARTHUR IS THE ONLY DEVELOPED CHARACTER.  Yes, that may be true In Lerner’s original, but the Montgomery players have added many character traits that enhance audience involvement.  Jackie Washam as Guinevere is not a stolid heroine in a sword and sandals romance.  She is an independent young woman who is very aware of her situation in life.  She likes Arthur but is drawn to Lancelot because of his total commitment to Arthur’s dreams and also to his gorgeous masculine persona.  Her best acting moment is TAKE ME TO THE FAIR, where she seduces the local knights to kill Lancelot.  Her entire performance is enhanced by the creamy vocals that she brings to every number.  Lancelot is usually perceived as a boring boor, but as played by Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton he brings unexpected humor and pathos to the role.  The romance of Lance and Jenny has always been a weak point in Lerner’s book, but Lee has added a duet to BEFORE I GAZE AT YOU AGAIN that makes their self-discovery almost believable.

_{Kevin Toniazzo Naughton and Jackie Washam}

3. THE THREE-HOURS RUNNING TIME has been a problem for audiences, who find portions of the first and second acts a trial.  This version runs for two hours and fifteen minutes (the length of a usual musical), and every moment is involving.  Every word of Lerner’s original was well considered, especially since he was adapting T. H. Whites’s magnificent one thousand-plus page novel THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING.  Every excision must have caused Lee enormous pain, but it now seems that this version could have been what Alan Jay Lerner and Moss Hart might have envisioned had they not been hindered by illness and the challenge of being so close to the original book.  I did not miss Pellinor and his questing beast or Nimue though fans of the book may do so.

4.  CAMELOT IS GROSSLY INFERIOR TO THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING.  Yes, even though CAMELOT is now a good musical, T.H. White’s book is a classic.  Its thousand pages contain much detail of King Arthur’s England, complete with magic, sorcery, and courtly love.  It is written in White’s original style, which is quite different from Lerner’s (albeit excellent) clever and intellectual approach.  And White’s book doesn’t have Loewe’s memorable music that has always made CAMELOT a favorite recording.

But enough dramaturgy.  The cast is sprightly and moves the show at a lightning pace.  The “Revelers” may not be the greatest singing chorus, but they enliven every scene.  Special mention must go to James E. Ofalt, who sang an operatic Sir Lionel and in Sunday’s performance, sang a tender Lancelot from behind the piano due to the leading actor’s indisposition.  Vanessa Sterling was right on as Mordred, who convincingly causes the downfall of Arthur’s dreams. Both performers were also excellent in Montgomery Theater’s THE UNDERSTUDY.   Patrick Ludt as Arthur is powerful in the final scenes as a movingly mature Arthur.  His youthful first act is hindered by a thick American accent and an insecure performance with a speaking voice lacking volume and resonance. The excellent cast was completed with Keith Livingstone, Michael O’Hara, and Emily Wick.

_{Kevin Taniazzo-Naughton and James E. Olfalt as Lancelot and Lionel}

Will David Lee’s adaptation replace the Lerner original?  The audience responded to the story in ways I have never seen in some seven or eight previous productions.  It certainly was a delightful surprise to me.

RUNNING TIME: Two Hours and fifteen minutes with an intermission.

CAMELOT plays through May 7, 2023 at Montgomery Theater, 124 N. Main Street, Souderton, PA.  Tickets can be obtained at www.montgomerytheater.org or by calling 215-723-9984

Review by Neal Newman

April, 5, 2023

August Wilson, RADIO GOLF:

          Sterling:  Negroes got blindeyetis. A dog knows it’s a dog.  A cat

            Knows it’s a cat. But a Negro don’t know he’s a Negro.  He thinks

            he’s a white man.

Wilson’s play, being presented at the Arden Theatre Company, is about the past but takes place in 1997, which is contemporaneous with the premiere production in 2005.  These blacks have come a long way from MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, or GEM OF THE OCEAN Wilson sets in the early 20th century.  These characters drive expensive cars, work in nice offices, have upwardly mobile dreams, and, best of all, play golf, a true white man’s game.  But the memories of the lost past drive the play and touch the soul.

Harmond Wilks, played by Kesserack Kemnew, is an Ivy League graduate who runs a redevelopment company.  He says he is going to restore the decrepit Hill district of Pittsburgh but will instead replace it with Whole Foods, Starbucks, and the resultant neighborhood.  He also wants to be Pittsburgh’s first black mayor.  His boyhood best friend Roosevelt, played by Phillip Brown, is a fun-loving golf nut who fails to see that minority hiring, the result of required Federal tax breaks, is just another controlling white man’s trick.  The two celebrate their good fortune by singing “HAIL, HAIL, THE GANG’S ALL HERE!” which is truly a white man’s song. The conflict develops when the men discover they have purchased an abandoned house illegally, threatening their entire project.  Roosevelt reveals himself to be a materialistic sensualist and splits from his old friend.

These modern men are contrasted with voices from the past.  Sterling, Brian Anthony Wilson, is a mature ex-con working as a handyman.  He claims he’s a union member, but in truth, he is his own union.  He shows uncanny wisdom when he advises Harmond that the Hill is dead.  You can replace it, but you can’t bring it back.  The other eccentric is Elder Joseph, Damien J. Wallace, a cranky older man who is smarter than he seems when his research reveals that he still owns the house.  The house, by the way, in true August Wilson fashion, is 1839 Wiley, the setting of GEM OF THE OCEAN, and the home of Aunt Ester, the former slave.

_{Brian Anthony Wilson as Sterling, Phillip Brown as Roosevelt, Kerrerack Kemnew as Harmond}

This production, directed by Kash Goins, throws emphasis on the eccentrics.  Kemnew as Harmond and Zuhairah as his opportunistic wife Mame, who dreams of becoming a government PR stalwart, underplay their roles and lack the driving ambition needed to drive the plot.  The first act meanders a bit but picks up in the second. Wallace’s cranky oldster has an amazing memory and, along with much-needed humor, delivers a powerful speech about racism in the 1940s.  Brian Anthony Wilson’s Sterling is superb, bringing laughter with amazing vocal imitations of a Shakespearian stentorian and a hilarious white man.  His delivery of the poetic speech commemorating Aunt Ester is a highlight.

RADIO GOLF also reveals Wilson as a magnificent poet.  Harmond and Mame are given powerful speeches as well, but these don’t seem to land with the audience as those of the elders.  Perhaps Wilson is saying when we lose the past, we lose the poetry.

RUNNING TIME:  Two hours and forty minutes with one intermission.

The Arden Theater Company presents RADIO GOLF at 40 N. 2^nd Street, Philadelphia.  Tickets can be obtained at boxofficer@ardentheatre.org. or by calling 215-922-1122.