From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 72, A Review: "The Will Rogers Follies" (The Goodspeed)

By James V. Ruocco

At New York's Palace Theatre where "The Will Rogers Follies" made its Broadway debut back in 1991, the life and times of this storied entertainer, received the first-class treatment amid glitter, spectacle, razzle-dazzle and fitting theatricality.

Its conceit, the brainchild of Tommy Tune (director/choreographer), Cy Coleman (composer), Betty Comden and Adolph Green (lyricists) and Peter Stone (book), recalled the bygone era of Florenz Ziegfeld and celebratory vaudeville with a deluxe cast, headed by Keith Carradine, Dee Hoty, Cady Huffman and Dick Latessa. Theatergoers were also privy to the recorded voice of Gregory Peck as Mr. Ziegfeld.

It soared. It flied. It danced. It sung. It dazzled. It cajoled. It was good-time, old-fashioned Broadway musical theater of the very best kind. It happily pushed its adoring audience into candy floss delirium.

Transported to the Goodspeed in East Haddam 27 years later, using the same fantasy-like concept as the original Broadway musical, the effect is similar, but on a much-smaller scale.

Nonetheless, this flavorsome, brand new incarnation works its magic most advantageously using every color of the rainbow, evoking the glitter of a bygone era, its vaudeville, Ziegfeld grandeur, its tart and pungent exposition, its endearing story and star and its quick-witted political and social commentary.

It is fun.
It is inspirational.
It is delightful.
It is exciting.
It is emotional.
It is sentimental.

All of this...and more... is remarkably achieved by the show's exceptional creative team, while still delivering the emblematic story of Will Rogers from his birth to his untimely death at the age of 55. You're hooked and happily intrigued from start to finish. And yes, you'll probably want to see it again like so many others around you.

Staging "The Will Rogers Follies," director Don Stephenson brings this Tony Award-winning musical to life, without missing a single beat. Reimagining and reconfiguring the production to fit the intimate, historic Goodspeed theater and stage, the director loses none of the exuberance, sparkle and passion of the original Broadway production. If anything the Victorian ambiance of the theater and its pleasurable intimacy heightens the show's aura, its storytelling and its flavorful nostalgia.

Pacing, of course, is everything and Stephenson navigates his actors across the stage, from scene to scene and to each other, effortlessly and gracefully with absolutely no missteps. Under his directorial tutelage, no one has a problem with the material, their characters and their progression in the advancement of the story. Together, or individually, they exude the right combination of humor, sentiment and drive. They also make the corniest of jokes and overly played comic situations and shtick plausible, even though they know and we know, the writers are doing this deliberately. And therein, lies the fun.

As musical director and accompanist, Michael O'Flaherty does an incredible job bringing the Coleman, Comden and Green score to life. Backed by the Goodspeed orchestral team, he produces a rich, melodic and vibrant sound that reaches every single member of the audience and blends perfectly with the singing, the duets and the emotionally charged ensemble numbers.

The original musical score, which won a Tony Award for its creators in 1991, is hummable, pleasing and melodic fun. All of the musical numbers fit tightly and passionately into the framework of the story, including "Will-a-Mania," "The Big Time," "The Wedding," "Never Met a Man I Didn't Like," "My Unknown Someone" and "No Man Left For Me." O' Flaherty augments their intended meaning, from clever, snappy and Ziegfeld-inspired to sardonic, witty, sexy and buoyant, perfectly.

Choreographer Kelli Barclay does exceptional work with the dances in "The Will Rogers Follies," which, on Broadway and on tour, were created by dance icon Tommy Tune. Taking her cue from the acclaimed choreographer, she pays homage to Tune, but makes the musical's fancy footwork all her own. All of the dances in the Goodspeed production are precise, physical, fluid and magical with tap dancing, lifts, kicks and turns, etc, done impeccably.

Barclay also exhibits a wonderful knowledge of musical hall staging, vaudeville staging and Ziegfeld Follies staging throughout the two-act musical. All three are as decidedly different as the choices she makes from formations and couplings, to line ups, left and right movements and synchronization. Her flair and force is unbeatable. The end result, of course, is ovation worthy and uniformly superb. The perfectly-honed "Will Rogers Follies" ensemble, willingly oblige.

The secret to the show's success lies in the charismatic charm, fluidity and magnetism of the actor cast in the lead role of Will Rogers. At the  Goodspeed, David M. Lutken is more than up to the challenge. Stepping in the role made famous by Keith Carradine, Larry Gaitlin and Mac Davis, among others, Lutken is a genuine showman, entertainer and conversationalist.

Looking uncannily like a young Ray Bolger, he is bashful, playful, inspiring and wonderfully comical. He delivers the musical's satiric monologues about life, politics, Presidents, world affairs and all things local, with appropriate dash and agility. As a song-and-dance man, he readily adapts to the show's "Follies" format, his famous rope tricks, his ongoing celebrity status with audiences and the musical's juxtaposition in time concept, the latter, revealed through dates and dialogue, ranging from 2018 and traveling back in time to 1879, the year Will Rogers was born.

What stands out and elevates his performance to absolute brilliance is the spontaneity of it all. Yes, things are rehearsed, practiced and timed. But Lutken is such a natural, much like the character he portrays, there are times when you completely forget you're sitting in a theater watching a musical, performed in real time. Well done, Mr. Lutken.

In the role of Ziegfeld's Favorite, the show's glamorous, leggy and sultry emcee, Brooke Lacy makes you completely forget about the likes of Cady Huffman and Marla Maples who played the same part in the original Broadway production. Whereas her predecessors had "fun" just playing the role, Lacy, in turn, inhabits it, owns it and runs with it. Big difference!

Her engaging spirit and infectious personality keep what could have become a "second banana" role or something just one-dimensional in context, completely inspired, focused  and thrilling. Elsewhere, her singing and dancing is unbeatable and true to both the Ziegfeld, vaudeville and musical hall traditions of yesteryear. We eagerly await her every entrance.

As Betty Blake, the wife of Will Rogers who loves her husband dearly, but wishes he would spend more time at home and less performing for sold-out audiences around the world, Catherine Walker is appealing, refreshing and vulnerable, which is exactly what the part calls for. Better yet, she and Lutken are well-matched, both as a couple and as performers. And vocally, she has the leading-lady ability to communicate and live within the world of song, naturally, powerfully and lovingly.

Musical theater is all about entertainment, dash, wit and musicality. At the Goodspeed, "The Will Rogers Follies" succeeds swimmingly. It is fresh, exciting and exhilarating. The feel-good energy displayed by the entire cast is absolutely contagious. The songs and dances unfold with just the right mix of dazzle, affection and verve. The comic plot, which purposely takes liberties with time, place, aging, happy endings and Ziegfeld showstoppers, revels in its unabashed silliness. And the jokes and jibes about newspaper headlines, both past and present, mixed with brilliantly-timed barbs about President Donald Trump is hilariously toxic, regardless of one's political beliefs.

In conclusion, the show, the first of three productions ("Oliver!" and "The Drowsy Chaperone" are waiting in the wings) to be staged at the Goodspeed this season, is the perfect show to jump start the 2018 musical series. It is fresh and strong enough to keep you thoroughly entertained from start to finish. And yes, it is absolutely not to be missed.

"The Will Rogers Follies" is being staged at The Goodspeed (6 Main St., East Haddam, CT), now through June 21.

For tickets or more information, call (860) 873-8668.

website: goodspeed.org.

From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 71, A Review: "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (Downtown Cabaret Theatre)

By James V. Ruocco

The 1994 Australian film "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," presented audiences with a witty, real, passionate story of a three-queen drag act on a self-driven bus tour through the sun-drenched Aussie landscape, rife with gritty characterizations, icy wisecracks, old-fashioned sweetness, real pathos and tenderness. The motion picture also benefited from the edgy, entertaining performances of its choice, remarkable threesome: Terrence Stamp as Bernadette, Guy Pearce as Adam/Felicia and Hugo Weaving as Tick/Mitzi.

The stage musical "Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert," co-authored by Allan Scott and Stephen Elliott who wrote and directed the acclaimed film, retells the same story, but with bucket loads of outrageous camp and glitter, spectacle and pitch, crazy gags and mayhem, gender-bending costuming, frenzied dancing and a trunk full of pop songs from yesteryear that almost everyone in the audience knows, loves and remembers.

The Downtown Cabaret Theatre production of this acclaimed musical, has been designed and fashioned with enough color, spectacle and dazzle to blow the roof off this celebrated Bridgeport theater. Then again, that's the point of this kitschy, crazy and daring musical where camping it up and acting gay, straight, confused or curious, is perfectly acceptable along with human cupcakes, pink paintbrushes, sparkly high heels, flirty flamboyance and signs that say "Real Entry-Upon Request."

Enjoyable shameless.
Rainbow colored and winning.
Provocative and witty.
Cheerfully gay.
Ballsy and high-spirited.

This "Priscilla" is hard to resist, no matter what your sexual preference is.
It is designed to take your breath away (it does). It is designed to put a smile on your face (it does). It is designed to elevate men in drag to cult status (it does). It is designed to entertain and whip you up into happy delirium (it does).

"Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" may be decked out with sequins, glitter, midnight-mad make-up and eye shadowing and gaudy drag regalia, but director Christy McIntosh-Newsom never once lets that get in the way of her directorial storytelling. Working from Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott's book, she gives the audience a very good time, chock full of sentiment, dash, wit, playfulness and candor. There's lot of energy on stage, which works to the musical's advantage. But when the music stops, she offers moments, characterizations and conversations that are as sincere and real as those indicated in the 1994 motion picture.

There's a lot happening on the Downtown Cabaret Theatre stage in terms of the musical's aggressive dance routines, the pop songs themselves, the show's many scene changes and its non-stop entertaining diversions. Yet nothing seems forced, calculated or out of place. McIntosh-Newsom always knows what buttons to push, how to make an important statement, what to define or refine and what to overplay or downplay. There's plenty of snap, crackle and pop to her directorial prowess. She also brings tremendous insight and understanding to the project, its glorification of drag queen performance as an art form and the script's underlying theme that it's o.k. to be different.

Musically, "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is jam-packed with a mega line up of disco songs, all of which have been carefully integrated  into the story and distributed among the three drag-queen principals, the diva trio and the "Priscilla" ensemble chorus of singers, dancers and actors. There's a lot of them, but, then again, this is a big, glossy musical, not a replay of the 1994 Aussie film, which was written for the screen and not for the stage.

Musical director Eli Newsom, whose previous Downtown Cabaret Theatre MD credits include the recent "Jesus Christ Superstar" and last year's "Spring Awakening" and "In the Heights," is the man in charge of bringing it all together. Positioned on keyboard 1, backed by Josh Sette (keyboard 2), Charles Casimiro (bass), Mark Dennis (trumpet), Christopher Cavaliere (guitar) and Gabe Nappi (percussion), he amps up the sound with enough charm, frenzy and wonderment to keep "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" moving at breakneck speed much to the delight of the audience and everyone on stage.

What follows is a campy, pulsating sing-along soundtrack of pop hits from yesterday including "It's Raining Men," "I Will Survive," "Hot Stuff," "True Colors," "What's Love Got to Do With It?" "I Say a Little Prayer," "Color My World," "Shake Your Groove Thing," "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," "Venus," "Go West" and "Don't Leave Me This Way," among others. It's the kind of music you definitely would hear on the jukebox of some popular gay bar in New York, San Francisco and Boston or a huge Gay Pride celebration of sorts. Regardless, it all comes together nicely. It is playful. It is fun. It is frothy. It is intentional. And, it is inspired.

The wonderfully talented Emily Frangipane who choreographed many Downtown Cabaret Theatre productions including "Spring Awakening," "In the Heights" and "Phantom," is in her element here. Her choreographic indulgences are drenched in marvelously clever dashes of verve, camp, color, bawdiness, madness, fantasy, gayness and nostalgia. Everything she does works wonderfully within the context of the show and it's glorification of the drag queen persona. The dances themselves also remind one of something once performed at New York's chic supper club "The Blue Angel" a glittering showcase of musical entertainment on W. 44th St., that featured gay, straight and drag performers of the highest order who not only sang and danced nightly, but once the show was over, came to your table for a round of drinks and impromptu, pleasant conversation.

Lance Anthony, in the role of the transsexual Bernadette, looks like Lauren Bacall and Veronica Lake, all rolled up into one. It's a beautiful, detailed performance, both musically and comically, fraught with just the right amount of wit, charm and passion. Tim Rinaldi, as Adam/Felicia, is a force to be reckoned with. He's decidedly over-the-top, when the script calls for him to behave so. And he flounces and flutters in true diva like fashion. As Tick/ Mitzi, Jason Parry executes all the right moves in the musical's sentimental scenes. And he has great fun camping it up alone or with Anthony and Rinaldi in the musical's many production drag numbers.

Other fine performances come from Alexis Willoughby, Jessica Paige Braun and Leondra Smith-West as the Divas, Eric Dino as Bob, Nicholas Kuell as Frank, Alex Rosenberg as Benji, Lisa DeAngelis as Marion, Bobby Henry as Miss Understanding, Everton Ricketts as Jimmy and Bonnie Gregson as Cynthia.

"Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is a wickedly wild, rainbow-tinged jukebox musical about love, acceptance, glitter, camp, gayness and being true to yourself, now, always and forever. It touches your heart. It awakens your senses. It gets you up on your feet, clapping, dancing and singing. It also thrusts the drag queen herself into the limelight as an artist, a performer, a singer and lastly, a connoisseur of incredible, over-the-top costuming fashion of the highest order. In short, it sets out to do what it's supposed to do in grand Technicolor fashion. And, then some.

"Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is being staged at Downtown Cabaret Theatre (263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport, CT), now through May 20.

For tickets or more information, call (203) 576-1636.

website: dtcab.com.

From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 70, A Review: "Love Quest" (Ivoryton Playhouse)

By James V. Ruocco

To date or not to date.
To blind date or speed date. Or not to blind date or speed date.
To say, "Yes."
To say, "No."
To say,"Maybe."
That, in part, is the comic premise for "Love Quest," a hilarious two-act comedy that pokes fun at on-line dating, relationships, marriage, divorce, sex, commitment, one-minute speed dating encounters, awkward conversations and today's ever changing times.
That's not all.
"Love Quest" also comes gift wrapped with choice tidbits and verbage about beginner's mistakes, eating alone, drinking alone, sexual insecurity, homosexuality, familial mentors, eye candy, gossip, dating inexperience, love or hate at first sight, kale, Krispy Kremes, pepper spray, vagina waxing, etc.

At the center of "Love Quest" is Kate Crawford (Linda Purl), a 60-year-old divorcee and Brook Davis (Jes Bedwinek), a 35-year-old L.A. fashion designer, both of whom, enter the unpredictable world of on-line dating in the hopes of meeting attractive, eligible men.

Witty, wise and engaging, "Love Quest" hilariously explores the wild and wacky dating adventures that both women encounter as the play delves head first into their different stories and lifestyles. Playwright's Mary Maguire and Steven McGraw recount each women's experiences in colorful, swift detail and with disarming candor, zest and passion. You can't help but be seduced.

Upfront, this is a very funny play. The writing itself comes from the heart. In turn, it is genuine, real and timely. The two-act format is approachable and hands-on without any calculation or predictability. Elsewhere, both playwrights present a unique brand of humor that is inspirational, cheeky, sweet and furiously entertaining.

"Love Quest" is a comedy you will want to see again. Maguire and McGraw's flair for this particular entertainment heightens the play's emotional core, its rapid, ever-changing mischief, its whimsy, its colorful, individual scenes, the character's who've gotten under each other's skins, their emotional growth and their face-to-face encounters and conversations.

The play's unabashed cleverness, in turn, produces non stop laughs. That is, laughs that are genuine. Laughs that are tart and pungent. Laughs that catch you by surprise. Laughs that keep you reeling. And finally, laughs that revel in the wacky mischief that the play's two central, female characters unleash. If copies of "Love Quest" were available for sale in the Ivoryton Playhouse lobby, they would all be gone in a flash. And the back order list of names would be endless.

Director Jacqueline Hubbard, who, recently celebrated 25 years at Ivoryton Playhouse (currently, she is the theater's executive/artistic director)) is the perfect candidate to bring this engaging production to life. Under her directorial tutelage, "Love Quest" is played with immense charm and wit, offset with pockets of real craziness, comic distress and merriment.

She loves comedy. She knows comedy. She knows what works and what doesn't. She knows how to get and sustain a laugh. She knows how to build comic momentum and when to go for the punchline. She knows how an actor thinks, moves, expresses and develops a character. And she knows how to devise and shape a splendid piece of comedy naturally and fluidly.

Here, she is in her element. Comedy is really all about timing and Hubbard gives "Love Quest" the upfront finesse, zest, imagination and quirkiness, it demands. She fuels the play with an advantageous, cinematic style that keeps the action flowing at breakneck speed. There's a real sense of diversity and polish to the play's individual scenes. Jokes and one-liners unfold with style and brio. Everything is acted with warmth, dash and charm. There's also a marvelous playfulness to "Love Quest" that is embraced throughout, rife with lots of surprise and unexpected elements involving all of its vividly created characters.

In the role of the of the recently divorced Kate, the very attractive, stylish and glamorous Linda Purl offers an infectious comic performance that unfolds with wit, imagination, verve and marvelously orchestrated elan. She plays the role of Kate as if it were written with her in mind. Her delivery of the play's many comic zingers is impeccable. She makes us care about what happens to her character as the play evolves and builds to its acceptable conclusion. And finally, her comic expressions and reactions are fully-fledged hilarious. What's not to love!

As Brook, a talented, top-rated, fashion designer who enters the dating world looking for some manly eye candy, Jess Bedwinek  (Ivoryton debut) brings a stylish charm and sexiness to her role, offset by an innate flair for coming timing, line delivery, characterization, character interaction and performance. It's impossible to take your eyes off her. She's simply dazzling. And in this two-act comedy, the actress is in her element.

Susan Slotoroff, last seen as Shelby in Playhouse on Park's endearing "Steel Magnolias," makes her Ivoryton Playhouse debut with "Love Quest." As Kate's daughter Megan, she delivers a performance
full of spunk, spark, silliness and invention. Working opposite Purl, the actress also brings a refreshing honesty to the part, enhanced by an onstage chemistry, beautifully rendered by both actresses and further enhanced under Hubbard's watchful directorial eye. Also making his Ivoryton debut is Joe Candelora, in the role of Hal, a handsome older man who often finds himself at odds with dating , flirtation and the opposite sex. It's a role the actor invests with appropriate vulnerability, surprise and originality.

To portray the part of Everyman, Hubbard has wisely chosen Josh Powell, an actor, who, in "Love Quest," is asked to play a variety of decidedly different characters. It's a challenge the actor greets with the polish and adeptness of a master chameleon, reveling in the many zany comic portraits he is commissioned to portray and develop with quick change artistry. He succeeds swimmingly.
Mike Mihm, in the role of Brook's trusty, outspoken homosexual assistant Bové, conjures up a zany,  purposely flamboyant characterization that produces laughter in all the right places. It's a fun, enjoyable-to-watch performance that's clever, raucous, sharp and never once strains credulity. Much later, a surprise twist in the proceedings, casts the performer in an entirely different light which Mihm tackles with such obvious relish and delight, you can't help but applaud  his carefully-honed, deliciously witty transformation. Amazing!

Coming fast on the heels of the equally brilliant "The Fantasticks," "Love Quest" is a contemporary, original play that is deliberately cheeky and wonderfully detailed. It sparkles. It delights. It cajoles. The direction is crisp, diverse and witty. The performances are full of dash and great humor. And once you surrender to the play's obvious charms, the laughter is non stop. So much so, you'll probably find yourself coming back for a second viewing. I know I'll be going back again.

"Love Quest" is being staged at Ivoryton Playhouse (103 Main St., Ivoryton, CT), now through May 13.

For tickets or more information, call (860) 767-7318.

website: ivorytonplayhouse.org.

From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 69, A Review: "The Age of Innocence" (Hartford Stage)

By James V. Ruocco

Passion clashes with tradition in Hartford Stage's sumptuous interpretation of Edith Wharton's 1921 literary masterpiece "The Age of Innocence."
Set against the backdrop of New York society of the 1870's, the production is rife with splendid detail about the Gilded Age, the strict rigidity of its social and moral codes, its practiced traditions and loyalties, its accepted veneer and the maintained desired order of entitlement passed down from every generation to both parent and child.
This "Innocence" is also graced with a wonderful hypocrisy and tartness about the period, its players, the suffocating finery, the labyrinthine social gatherings, the formalized invites to the opera and lavish parties and the preoccupation of fashion and the use of haute couture to advance one's already popular social status.

For Hartford Stage, master craftsman and writer Douglas McGrath offers a fresh, new adaptation of "The Age of Innocence" that reflects the angst, hypocrisy and gossipy world of Edith Wharton's famous novel. The struggles, the obsessions, the observances and the traditions are marvelously dissected and mocked ever so engagingly. And the dialogue, some of which recalls the flippness and acidity of Julian Fellowes' "Downton Abbey" is clever, wicked and page-turning much to the delight of the onstage actors and the engrossed audience as well.
At the same time, McGrath paints an observed, intriguing picture with choice, defined central and supporting characters, sharp dialogue indicative of the period and Wharton plus small, vivid details that we watch with complete amazement. There is also a cozy, heartfelt nostalgia to this interpretation, offset by smartly rendered, first-person narration that heightens and advances the play's dramatic sweep and piercing intelligence.

The enlistment of Doug Hughes as director for "The Age of Innocence" is an absolute coup for Hartford Stage. No one is more fitting for this job than the enigmatic director whose directorial credits include "Doubt," "The Grey Zone," "Hedda Gabler," "A Touch of the Poet" and "The Importance of Being Earnest."

The subject matter, for example...New York society exposed and ridiculed...is a welcoming stomping ground for Hughes to shape, construct and interpret. He knows the period, the style, the attitude, the verbage, the nuances and the traditions, inside out. Yes despite his familiarity, he keeps things fresh, relevant, intoxicating and urgent.

Taking his cure from McGrath's crafty stage adaptation, Hughes gives "The Age of Innocence" a smart, fluid, cinematic aura that unfolds seamlessly during its intermission-less 100 minutes. Everything is focused, carefully constructed and inspired, to both Wharton and the era. That said, the director also embellishes the production with that deft, signature style that categorizes all of his work.

In this adaptation, the framing device of the piece belongs to the character of The Old Gentleman, who, in actuality, is the elderly version of the young Newland Archer. It's a splendid conceit, particularly since Hughes has cast the charming, versatile Boyd Gaines in this plum role, as both narrator and observer.
Gaines, who starred on Broadway in "Gypsy," "She Loves Me" and "Company," to name a few, is polished, personable and utterly charming. At the same time, the actor wondrously conveys the image of a survivalist  who, despite, not always making the right choice in both life and romance, has endured, regardless of decisions and consequences. The actor also gets some of the best jokes and dialogue, which he infuses with great humor, drama and humanity.

The luminous Sierra Boggess is the perfect fit for the role of Countess Ellen Olenska, May's cousin and Mrs. Manson Migott's granddaughter. Garbed in Linda Cho's gorgeous costuming and looking every bit at home in the play's grand, exquisite setting, the actress is completely captivating as the free spirit who mocks New York society to Newland Archer and becomes the other woman in the love story so lyrically stated by McGrath in this stage adaptation.

It's a beautifully nuanced performance, alive with compassion, vulnerability, repression and complete intoxication. Everything she does is completely natural and comes from within. It's all there: the way she sits or walks into a room; the way she thwarts, then succumbs to Newton's charms; the way she speaks or verbally attacks her peers; the way she addresses her past. It's impossible to take your eyes off her.

Newland Archer, the play's young, wildly attractive protagonist who finds himself torn, and in love with two women is brought splendidly to life by Andrew Veenstra. Like Boggess, he too reflects the elitist, crazily moralistic  milieu of 19th century New York society. He's charming, chauvinistic, captivating and perfectly in sync with his lovesick character's tortured dilemma and its obvious outcome.

May Welland, Newland's fiancée is played by Helen Cespedes, a beautiful, young actress who vividly projects her character's innocence and girlishness, her love of social decorum, the life upper crust society offers, the entertainment it brings and her conformance to the social grace and customs that surround her.
But beneath the dazzle, the actress deftly portrays May's unhappiness, her insecurity, the pretense of a happy marriage to save face before New York society and her infatuation with romance and the very word love itself.

In conclusion, "The Age of Innocence" is a show of genuine invention that articulates the excitement and pain of the privileged class with fierce, exquisite theatricality. The inventiveness of Doug Hughes' direction swirls, swoops and dazzles. The cast, lead by Boyd Gaines, Sierra Boggess, Andrew Veenstra and Helen Cespedes, is spectacular. And the sets, costumes and lighting make this production suitable for framing in the grandest style.

"The Age of Innocence" is being performed at Hartford Stage (50 Church St, Hartford, CT), now through May 6.

For tickets or more information, call (860) 527-5151.

website: hartfordstage.org

From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 68, A Review: "The Revisionist" (Playhouse on Park)

By James V. Ruocco

When "The Revisionist" debuted off-Broadway back in 2013, the very idea of watching Vanessa Redgrave  playing a Holocaust survivor in her mid-seventies, was a luxury in itself. As was the casting of "Revisionist" playwright Jesse Eisenberg as Redgrave's troubled, condescending second cousin from America,

The powerhouse performances of the play's two leading players, matched by Eisenberg's pungent, quirky playwriting skills, was nothing short of electrifying. And, then some.

At Playhouse on Park where "The Revisionist" is making its New England debut, the opportunity to revisit the play in a new setting with an entirely new team of actors (just as dynamic as the off-Broadway cast) proves to be just as exciting as when the production first played the Cherry Lane Theatre five years ago.
Cheers to the artistic staff of this acclaimed Connecticut-based theater for adding this dynamic play to their remarkable Playhouse on Park 2017-2018 season, which has included "The Diary of Anne Frank," "Intimate Apparel" "Avenue Q" and "Steel Magnolias."

Potent.
Electrifying.
Imaginative.
Cynical.
Thought-provoking.

"The Revisionist" is magnetic. The words, the vibrations, the moments of surprise, exhilaration and uncertainty, ring loud and clear . And the story itself, once again, demonstrates Eisenberg's imagination and tenacity as a playwright.

In the play, David, an entitled, opinionated writer of sorts, travels to Poland to visit his much-older cousin Maria, a woman who keeps photos of her adored American cousins on the walls of her small, cozy apartment and lives a very easy, simple life, shrouded from the outside world. That, of course, changes once David moves into her spare room. Arguments ensue and long-kept secrets from Maria's past begin to unravel.

Working from Eisenberg's interesting, passionately rendered script, director Sasha Bratt's staging of "The Revisionist" is interesting to watch on many levels. The story, for example, is honest, real, and emotional and staged with just the right amount of compassion, heat, seriousness and relevance.

The fact that you get two, fired-up actors...Cecelia Riddett and Carl Howell...jumping head first into their respective roles for an intermission-less 100 minutes also thrusts Bratt's creative energy into overload. You sit there, often on the edge of your seat, completely engrossed by the action at hand, often wondering what is going to happen next or how Eisenberg is going to end his play.

Directorially, Bratt never once makes a false move. The interaction, rapport, tension and cultural clash of the play's two central characters is absolutely seamless. Blocking is minimal, but plausible. The play's inherent humor, fiction, pathos and sadness is naturally stated. And the closeness between the actor and audience is intimate, relevant and stirring.

Cecelia Riddett, as Maria, is mesmerizing. It's a role she plays and owns, rife with mystery, judgment, happiness, cynicism, hunger, passion and vulnerability. The actress also brings the right sense of humanity to the part, which, when she finally lets her hair down to reveal the horrors of her childhood during the Holocaust, her recollections hit home dramatically and effectively.

Carl Howell's portrayal of the smug, self-absorbed David is complex, imaginative, edgy and shady, which is exactly what the part calls for. He and Riddett make a terrific acting team, particularly in  scenes, which reveal their philosophical and cultural differences or when they verbally clash and burn and all hell breaks loose. Their closeness to the audience adds additional fuel to these weighty moments, marvelously staged by Bratt , who, takes his cue from Eisenberg's powerful script.

Sebastian Buczyk, in the role of Maria's burly, taxi-driver friend Zenon, is first-rate. The actor delivers most of his performance in such believable Polish dialect, you actually believe he was born and raised in Poland. The script also paints his character as a warm-hearted, compassionate, sometimes cynical individual, which the actor intelligently portrays.

"The Revisionist" is a substantial, exciting piece of American theater. It is warmly real, splendidly acted and one of those productions that you'll be talking about long after the ride home. Sasha Bratt, as director, also makes you feel as if you're a part of the play and not just watching it.

"The Revisionist" is being staged at Playhouse on Park (244 Park Rd., West Hartford, CT), now through April 29.

For tickets or more information, call (860) 523-5900

website: playhouseonpark.org

From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 67, A Review: "The Legend of Georgia McBride" (TheaterWorks/Hartford)

By James V. Ruocco

A straight man becomes a drag queen at a Florida bar called Cleo's.
That is the premise for Matthew Lopez's bitchy, delightfully sassy comedy "The Legend of Georgia McBride," a sweet and silly confection for theatergoers who love to laugh, scream, stand up and cheer and work themselves up into an emotional frenzy all for the sake of entertainment.

Wicked.
Amusing.
Flamboyant.
Diverting.
Kind-hearted.
Crazy.

This is a show that rocks the house from start to finish. It is also a production that shows theatergoers that drag is so much more than putting on lipstick and shimmying into a dress. It is an art form that demands and commands respect for its artistry, its candor, its musicality, its cultural history and its theatrical illusion.

Case in point: The newly mounted production of Lopez's celebrated work at TheaterWorks/ Hartford.

In the more than capable hands of director Rob Ruggiero, "The Legend of Georgia McBride" is first-rate entertainment, gift wrapped in cotton candy, glittering rainbow colors, garish wigs, wicked, acerbic Bette Davis-like banter and alternately wacky drag costuming that's fresh, authentic and outrageous.

What's especially nice about this production is that the comedy....no matter how crazy or over the top it gets ...never once veers out of control or makes mincemeat out of the material, the conceit, the characters or the sub plots. Instead, Ruggiero's directorial stokes are keenly observed, spontaneous and rife with a marvelous sense of wit, whimsy and pathos. Yes, this is a play about a heterosexual country boy who makes a living as a drag queen, but it is never once becomes vulgar, one-note or condescending to the drag art form, its populace or the world of dress up and let's pretend. Instead, it is a very real, very observant, very cheeky entertainment.

From an actor's standpoint, "The Legend of Georgia McBride" is a veritable feast of acting styles, acting ranges, mood swings and personas, all rolled up into one requiring someone of Ruggiero's stature to glue things together without any form of calculation or hesitation. He does this effortlessly, of course, and handles all of the plot machinations, both comic and dramatic, with the honestly and verve that categorizes all of his work at TheaterWorks/Hartford, Goodspeed Musicals, and far beyond the state of Connecticut.

He loves theater. He loves actors. He loves directing.  He loves "live" performance. He loves a challenge. And he always gives 110 per cent.

That said, there's an awful lot of things going on here before the inevitable happy resolution. Pacing, of course, means everything and Ruggiero keeps this intermission-less comedy rolling happily along at breakneck speed. Set changes are quick and seamless. The scenes themselves are fast, fun and furious. The musical numbers are deliciously wicked with plenty of snap, crackle and pop. And in between it all, you get an honest, heartfelt story that brings a smile to your face, a tear or two and lots and lots of well-orchestrated laughter.

 

Austin Thomas is an engaging young actor chock full of charm, personality, dash, handsomeness and appeal. As Casey, a fifth-rate Elvis impersonator with a combined audience of two or four, the actor plays his down-on-his-luck character with unbridled optimism. At the same time, we also feel his pain when he can't pay his rent, his rent check bounces, he faces eviction and his wife suddenly announces she's pregnant.

"We are going to be the best parents since Joseph and Mary,” Casey tells his wife Jo.
“Yeah, but then their kid died,” cries Jo.

Not to worry, though. Before you can say Gypsy Rose Lee, Miss Mazeppa or Tessie Tura, boyish Casey is donning sequins, make-up, wigs, stockings and girlish attire as Cleo's new drag star Miss Georgia McBride. It's an awkward transition similar to that of the one depicted in the hit Broadway musical "Gypsy," but this time, it's a boy (and not a girl) who becomes an overnight female star.

The transformation itself is one that Thomas plays quite innocently and awkwardly at first, as dictated by the script and director Ruggiero. But once the actor masters the art of lip-syncing and actual drag performance, he offers a dazzling, energetic, comic and musical performance that would make RuPaul and Hedda Lettuce green with envy. It's a creative process that the actor builds and nurtures splendidly and one that displays a remarkable range as both performer and entertainer.

The role of Miss Tracy Mills, the kindly, outspoken drag queen who shows Casey the ropes, seems tailor-made for Jamison Stern, a very charismatic actor who connects with both character and audience the moment he appears on stage. It's an award-winning performance you're not likely to forget for quite some time and one that the actor plays to the hilt so incredibly. His catty, often bitchy repartee is absolutely contagious. He gets lots and lots of clever one-liners and pop culture barbs that produce huge belly laughs. He also gets a show-stopping drag solo ("I Enjoy Being a Girl") that has him playing everyone from Baby Jane Hudson to Margo Channing. It's so much fun, you want to shout "Encore!" over and over again.

The wonderfully animated Nik Alexander actually doubles as fiery drag queen extraordinaire Rexy and Casey's best buddy and landlord Jason. It's a spontaneous performance rife with wit, spark, imagination and pulse. As Rexy, the actor is garish, condescending, crazed, heated, hellish and a drag diva in every sense of the word. Then, he does a complete 360-turn and reemerges as Jason. It's the same actor, yes. But there are times, when you shake your head and ask yourself, "Is that really Alexander playing both roles?" It is a shocking revelation, indeed. But that's how convincing the actor's drag queen/landlord duality is.

J. Tucker Smith, as Eddie, the desperate, money-hungry owner of Cleo's, a straight bar that becomes a very successful drag show haven in a very short time, looks and acts as if was plucked right out of some sleazy Florida club and dropped head first into the glittery world of Miss Georgia McBride and company. From the moment he appears on stage, he's the real deal. He's got the moves, the persona, the body language and the line delivery of someone who has spent a lifetime behind the bar or in a club dedicated to some very questionable talent. Samaria Nixon-Fleming is honest and warmly real as Casey's pregnant wife Jo, the last one to know what her husband is really up on the stage of Cleo's. She eventually does find out, of course, in one of the play's very poignant moments, laced with a bit of choice comic timing, banter and surprise.

"The Legend of Georgia McBride" is one of the funniest plays to be showcased at TheaterWorks/Hartford since the yuletide hit "Christmas on the Rocks." It delivers laugh after laugh. The five-member cast is undeniably first-rate. Leon Dobkowski's colorful costumes create the right illusion. The story itself is happily contagious.

So grab yourself a ticket, drink in the language and sit back and enjoy. You might even be back for a second or third viewing like so many other theatergoers before you.

"The Legend of Georgia McBride" is being staged at TheaterWorks (233 Pearl St., Hartford, CT), now through April 29.

For tickets or more information, call (860) 527-7838

website: theaterworkshartford.org.