Review: 'Side by Side by Sondheim'
Send in the audience: Spectacular Sondheim revue gets loving treatment at the BoarsHead
Love is in the air at Lansing's BoarsHead Theatre.
Not only is that a song title from the BoarsHead's current show, "Side by Side by Sondheim," it's also a very apt description of the production itself.
A musical revue, "Side by Side" was created as a tribute to the legendary Broadway lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim. It's a joyous romp that celebrates some of the best work by one of musical theater's most influential artists. Tunes both well-known and not are included, as are many of his collaborations with other noted composers, such as Jule Styne ("Gypsie"), Richard Rodgers ("Do I Hear a Waltz?") and Leonard Bernstein ("West Side Story"). But because the revue was originally staged in 1975, the show includes only songs through "Pacific Overtures" – a Japanese-themed production that initially closed after only 193 performances.
Sondheim's expressively powerful music can often be difficult to sing, as many thespians can surely attest. But in Artistic Director Geoffrey Sherman's classy and very entertaining production, the music reigns supreme!
Two excellent and seasoned pianists (Jeff Kressler and Dave Bacon) accompany three talented performers (Jeff Applegate, Shannon Locke and Sarah Elizabeth Wallace), each of whom beautifully recreates the moods and tunes that fill Sondheim's work. It's an ensemble that works very well together – which in this specific case is a requirement, since Sondheim's favorite themes are relationships and marriage.
Applegate, the sole male in the cast, gives the illusion that every song he sings requires little effort. The handsome, suave performer seems at ease with every number he delivers, even when he becomes one of the Andrew Sisters for the tune, "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" from "Company" and Phyllis from "Follies" with "Could I Leave You?" His voice especially blends well with Locke's.
Not seemingly as comfortable with the music is Wallace, a coloratura whose beautiful, operatic voice seems best suited for numbers that hit the higher ranges of the musical scale. She excels, however, when paired with Applegate in "Barcelona" and with both Applegate and Locke in "Getting Married Today" from "Company."
The show's standout performer, however, is the impish Locke who is making her BoarsHead debut in the show. With facial expressions and mannerisms that clearly telegraph her songs' intentions, Locke is equally at home with the show's humorous and serious moments. Solo highlights include "I Never Do Anything Twice," "The Boy FromÉ" and the classic "Send in the Clowns." With Applegate, she shines with "You Must Meet My Wife," and with Wallace, "Can That Boy Foxtrot" and "A Boy Like That." It's a spectacular performance from start to finish!
Although Sherman functioned as the show's narrator on opening night, guest narrators culled from Lansing's media outlets will fill the role at various times throughout the run.
All technical aspects of the show are first-rate.
Side by Side by Sondheim Presented Wednesday through Sunday at the BoarsHead Theatre, 425 S. Grand, Lansing, through Feb. 6. Tickets: $25 – $33. 517-484-7805. www.boarshead.org.
The Bottom Line: The words and music of Stephen Sondheim are given loving, lavish treatment at Lansing's BoarsHead Theatre!
Review: 'Men in Suits'
Mobsters learn tough lessons in two one-act dramas
Anytime you walk into a theater and discover a Dean Martin album playing as the pre-show music you can be assured that an evening of Italian or mob-themed theater is about to get underway. That certainly proved true last Friday night at the Detroit Ensemble Theatre in Roseville where patrons were treated to two unrelated one-acts that share a common theme: mob life ain't what it's cracked up to be!
In "Men In Suits," Thomas M. Ventimiglio and Joe Comaianni play hit men for the mob who are assigned to wipe out a man getting off a train at Grand Central Station in New York. But Comaianni's Max is distracted – he wants to get out of "the life" – and as a result, Ventimiglio's Bobby knifes the wrong man. Such noticeable mistakes aren't generally taken well by mob leaders, so Bobby convinces Max they should head to the Vermont home of The Boss – convincingly played by Brad Merrill – to tell him personally what happened. Max, however, doesn't think The Boss will take the news well, so they agree to tell The Boss their target never showed.
Which doesn't work, of course; their target was spotted getting off the train – alive and well – by other mobsters at the station.
So what's The Boss to do? Why, teach a tough lesson, of course – one that severely tests the friendship between Bobby and his longtime protector, Max.
In the second play, "Family Values," a goombah (Ken Wood) and his classless wife (Megan Pennefather) take a drive through a rich neighborhood fantasizing what life will be like after Vinnie becomes a "made man" in the local mob. Ann Marie's "biographical clock" is ticking, however – malapropisms are tossed with wild abandon in this play – and she wants to start a family. Vinnie wants a family, too – just not the kind with children. But as they argue like "cats and birds," a car accident changes their lives forever.
Part of what makes DET an interesting theater to observe is how the small troupe conquers the challenges tossed its way: With a miniscule budget, there is seemingly no dimmer board to control the lights, so they simply turn them on and off; as a store front theater with a tiny stage, there is little room for a set or backstage storage space; and as there is no communication between the stage and the lighting booth, when to bring up the lights to start the next scene is often pure guesswork.
It's not what DET lacks that makes it intriguing, however – it's the service it provides to the theater community in general that merits close attention.
For DET serves primarily as a training ground for new actors, and as such, it is often one of the few theaters in town to give unseasoned thespians their first chance to be seen under the klieg lights. So for theater critics and theater lovers alike, DET is the place to discover raw talent and rising stars – and watch them blossom and grow throughout the season.
Sure, a few of the performances can be rocky – such is the case with this production – but many of the actors are also capable of fine, sometimes inspired work. Ventimiglio's Bobby is a delightfully squirrelly bundle of energy who seems to suffer from ADD, while Wood and Pennefather interact wonderfully together. And Hobart Reynolds is always fun to watch. (A few hotties in the cast don't hurt, either!)
So while "Men In Suits" isn't GREAT theater, it's FUN theater – and there's nothing wrong with that!
"Men in Suits" Presented Friday and Saturday by the Detroit Ensemble Theatre, 25213A Gratiot, Roseville, through Jan. 29; also Sunday, Jan. 23. Tickets: $15. 888-220-8471. www.detroitensembletheatre.com. Suggested for mature audiences.
The Bottom Line: It might not be "The Sopranos," but don't let a few unsettled performances, pacing problems caused by scene-shift delays and a script that requires a leap in logic in order to work keep you away from this otherwise entertaining evening of "goombah theater."
