Posts Tagged ‘guy bolton’

Tesseract Enchants with Poignant, Well-Sung “Anastasia”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Anastasia the Musical
Book by Terrence McNally
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens
From the Play by Marcelle Maurette as Adapted by Guy Bolton
Directed by Brittanie Gunn
Choreographed by Michelle Sauer
Tesseract Theatre Company
November 14, 2024

Sarah Wilkinson, Aaron Fischer
Photo by FF
Tesseract Theatre Company

Tesseract Theatre Company has become especially ambitious lately, staging more musicals, and generally “bigger” shows than ever before. Their latest production, Anastasia the Musical, continues this trend, but also manages to “shrink” the show to an almost intimate production that focuses largely on character and singing, but also features production choices that make the most of the small-ish theatre space at the Marcelle and their more limited resources appear more as an asset than a limitation. With smart direction, energetic choreography, a consistent artistic vision, and a great cast, this is more proof that Tesseract is living up to its ambitions.

The show is essentially based on the animated film from 1997, but also from the previous non-musical stage version by Marcelle Maurette, which formed the basis for the 1956 film starring Ingrid Bergman. Much of the film score is here, including perhaps its most well-known song, “Journey to the Past”, but thankfully the story has been modified to bring it a little more “down to Earth” and removing the zombie-like Rasputin as the villain and having a much less cartoonish antagonist in Gleb (Donald Kidd), a Bolshevik official who has reasons of his own to oppose the scheme of the enterprising Dmitry (Aaron Fischer) and Vlad (Kent Coffel) to pass off young amnesiac street sweeper Anya (Sarah Wilkinson) as the Grand Duchess Anastasia, who is rumored to have survived the assassination of the rest of her family. For those three, however, things get complicated as what starts out as a scam develops into burgeoning feelings between Anya and Dmitry, and Anya starts recovering memories that suggest maybe she really is the long-lost Grand Duchess. Also, Anastasia’s grandmother, the Dowager Empress (Margery A. Handy) waits in Paris and has grown weary of the long line of imposters who have written her letters claiming to be her granddaughter. Vlad, who used to be a member of the Romanovs’ court, has a former romantic connection with the Dowager’s lady-in-waiting, the Countess Lily (Kimmie Kidd), and he and Dmitry hope they can use her influence to get Anya seen by the Dowager. Meanwhile, Gleb is still on their trail, and Anya isn’t sure what’s going to happen when and if she does regain her memories.

As an animated film, and as a show produced on Broadway, this was a grand, sweeping, relatively large cast story. Here, on stage at the Marcelle, it’s a thoughtfully staged smaller cast show that still manages to keep a sense of scale despite space and cast-size limitations. Kudos to director Brittanie Gunn for the character-focused staging, choreographer Michelle Sauer for energetic and memorable dancing and movement, and the band led by music director Zach Newman for emphasizing the lushness of the score, even though there are moments when the music can overpower the singers, although that seems to be a regular issue with this venue. There’s also well-realized set design by Todd Schaefer that evokes early 20th Century Russia and Paris in an elegant way, augmented by Kevin Bowman’s atmospheric lighting and Sarah Gene Dowling’s detailed, period-specific costumes.

The cast is excellent, and the singing is exceptional from everyone involved. In addition to the remarkable performance of Wilkinson as a thoroughly believable Anya, there’s also a strong turn from Fischer as the initially scheming but gradually won over Dmitry. The scenes between these two are a highlight, as are all of the moments with Coffel as the charmingly enterprising Vlad and Kimmie Kidd as the stylish Lily. Donald Kidd is effective and in strong voice as the conflicted Gleb, and Handy is also strong as the grieving Dowager Countess. The entire ensemble is impressive, with the rest of the players filling a variety of roles as needed. Tiélere Cheatem, Scott Degitz-Fries, Ella Drake, Danielle Feinstein, Julia Gilbert Gaglio, Lindsey Grojean, Jaelyn Hawkins, Stephanie Merritt, Jacob Schmidt, and Kelvin Urday all deserve credit for their versatile, energetic performances and excellent singing, with some memorable ensemble numbers including “Stay, I Pray You”–featuring Cheatem in a poignant solo–as well as the lively “Paris Holds the Key” and more. The music here is a special highlight of this production, with lush harmonies and strong, clear vocals.

Anastasia the Musical is another excellent musical offering from Tesseract Theatre Company. You may know the animated film, but this show takes that story and brings it a degree of depth and poignancy that I haven’t seen in previous versions of this story. It’s a story of determination, discovery, and hope, well-staged by this excellent cast and creative team.

Cast of Anastasia the Musical
Photo by FF
Tesseract Theatre Company

The Tesseract Theatre Company is presenting Anastasia the Musical at the Marcelle Theatre until November 24, 2024

Read Full Post »

The Muny Sets Sail for Fun with Lively “Anything Goes”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on August 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Anything Goes
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
New Book by Timothy Crouse & John Weidman
Directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Choreographed by Jared Grimes
The Muny
August 20, 2024

Cast of Anything Goes
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny’s 2024 season is cruising to a lively end with a vibrant production of the classic Cole Porter musical Anything Goes. First appearing on the Muny’s stage in 1940, this is a show that’s undergone several revisions over the years, all featuring the same general story, silly old-fashioned humor, and memorable score. This latest version emphasizes style, energetic choreography, and spot-on comic timing as a stellar cast makes this show about an ocean cruise sail smoothly and with tremendous, dazzling energy and production values that fill the massive stage with music and good old-fashioned fun.

The plot has a lot going on, and it’s full of old-style stage humor, slapstick, suggestive jokes, sight gags, and plot contrivances as a disparate collection of characters find themselves on an ocean liner sailing to England from New York. Nightclub performer Reno Sweeney (Jeanna de Waal) is front and center, along with her old friend, stockbroker Billy Crocker (Jay Armstrong Johnson), who has fallen in love suddenly with debutante Hope Harcourt (Kimberly Immanuel)–to the smitten Reno’s initial disappointment. When Billy finds out that Hope is sailing to England to marry Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (George Abud), Billy stows away on board in hopes of changing her mind while avoiding his boss, Elisha Whitney (Lara Teeter), who has given Billy an important business assignment back in New York. Also on board is gangster-in-disguise Moonface Martin (Kevin Chamberlin)–Public Enemy #13, along with Erma (Adrienne Hicks), who attracts the attentions of many of the sailors. As Reno and her “Angels” (Kristen Grace Brown, Candice Hatakeyama, Bethany Ann Tesarck, Danielle Jackman) are preparing to entertain in the ship’s lounge, and the ship’s Captain (Eric Jordan Young) obsessed with finding a celebrity on board, and with juvenile delinquents Spit (Spencer Jones) and Dippy (Joe Capstick) finding enterprising ways to make money, there’s a lot of reasons for joking, singing, and dancing, making for a lively, fast-moving and hilarious show. Also, the new script has been revised to remove some problematic elements, adding to the enjoyment of the show.

The cast is great, led by de Waal’s tour-de-force performance as the singing, dancing, wisecracking and lovelorn Reno, who goes through heartbreak and newfound love in the course of the show. She along with the hilarious Chamberlain as Moonface and the smooth-voiced, slick dancing Johnson as Billy, form the core trio in this show. Johnson also has great chemistry with the also excellent Immanuel as the conflicted Hope. There are also fun comic turns by Hicks as the amorous Erma, Teeter as the nearsighted, Yale-obsessed Whitney, Ann Harada as Hope’s mother Evangeline, and Abud as the eagerly curious Evelyn. There’s also a great ensemble filling out the smaller roles with style and energy, especially in the spectacular production numbers choreographed by Jared Grimes with lots of impressive tapping. 

The show looks spectacular, as well, with an expansive set by Edward E. Haynes, Jr. that makes the most of the Muny’s enormous stage, as well as delightfully whimsical video design by Kylee Loera. The costumes by Tristan Raines are appropriately detailed, colorful, and period appropriate, and there’s also excellent lighting by Rob Denton and sound by John Shivers and David Patridge. And then there’s the impressive Muny Orchestra churning out those delightful Cole Porter melodies, led by music director Ben Whiteley. 

Anything Goes has everything–music, humor, wit, and a brilliant cast delivering a new version of this classic show in a smooth, quickly paced production. It’s simply delightful, and a marvelous way to close out the season. This has been a great summer for the Muny, and it’s ending in memorable fashion. I can’t wait to find out what next year will bring.

Jeanna de Waal, Kevin Chamberlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny is presenting Anything Goes in Forest Park until August 25, 2024

Read Full Post »

New Line’s “Anything Goes” Is a Thoughtful, Funny Take on a Classic

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Anything Goes
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Book by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, and Russel Crouse
Directed by Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor
Choreographed by Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack
New Line Theatre
March 2, 2018

Sarah Gene Dowling, Evan Fornachon, Aaron Allen
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
New Line Theatre

Anything Goes is Anything Goes no matter who produces it, right? Well, maybe not. New Line Theatre, known for its productions of edgier and lesser known shows, has taken this classic, “fun” show and given it a presentation that’s in several ways different than what’s come to be expected as usual. There’s an emphasis on satire and less of an emphasis on dance than other productions I’ve seen, but still, it’s Anything Goes, and the overall effect is energetic, smart, and very very funny.

This is a version of the show I haven’t seen on stage before. Most more recent regional productions, and also the 2011 Broadway revival, have been based on the 1987 revival script of the show. For this production, directors Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor are using the 1962 script of the show, which has the same basic characters and plot as the later revival, but with some differences in specifics and in the songs featured, and also in the prominence of some characters. While evangelist-turned-nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Sarah Porter) is still a major focus, as is Billy Crocker (Evan Fornachon), the overworked stockbroker in love with young debutante Hope Harcourt (Eileen Engel), and “Public Enemy #13” Moonface Martin (Aaron Allen), but that focus is shifted a little, and through a combination of the different script and New Line’s intuitive directing, we get to see a somewhat different look at these characters, as well as others such as Hope’s seemingly stuffy English fiance, Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Zachary Allen Farmer), and Moonface’s partner-in-crime, the brash, flirtatious Bonnie (Sarah Gene Dowling), who was renamed “Erma” in the 1987 version. The focus on dance isn’t quite a prominent here either, but what’s there is still spectacular, along with the ever-present broad, sketch-style comedy, which is perhaps even apparent so than in the other version. Here at New Line, what we get to see is a sharp, witty, tuneful, and well-cast production that’s a delight from start to finish.

New Line artistic director and Anything Goes co-director Scott Miller mentions in his director’s notes in the program the timeliness of this show. Many of the themes, he notes, are just as prominent today as they were in the 1930s, when this show was orginally written, and the time period in which it sill takes place. The show at New Line isn’t as big as other productions I’ve seen, but, especially in terms of costumes (designed by Colene Fornachon and Sarah Porter), it’s as glam and glitzy as anyone would expect. With the sumptuous evening gowns, dapper suits, and varous nautical and gangster attire, the spirit of the 1930s has been brought to the stage well. Rob Lippert’s excellent unit set, representing the luxury ocean liner on which the action takes place, is also on point, as is his equally effective lighting. There’s also great work from the excellent New Line band, doing justice to the marvelous Cole Porter score and outfitted in sailor hats in accordance with the theme of the show, ably led by Music Director and “captain” Nicolas Valdez.

The cast here is a treat, led by the always excellent Porter as the brassy, bold, and also surprisingly vulnerable Reno Sweeney, with standout moments such as the solo “I Get a Kick Out of You”, production numbers “Anything Goes” and “Bow, Gabriel, Blow”, and a fun bit of harmonizing with co-stars Fornachon and Allen in “Friendship”. Her scenes with the wonderful Farmer as the initially jaded, bewildered, and ultimately endearing Sir Evelyn are especially engaging. There’s also top-notch work from Dowling in a scene-stealing performance as Bonnie, and from Allen in an impressive comic term as Moonface, the small-time crook who wishes he were big-time. Fornachon and Engel make a good pair as Billy and Hope, as well, with great duets on “It’s De-Lovely” and “All Through the Night”. Reno is well-supported by her “Angels” Purity (Michelle Sauer), Chastity (Larissa White), Charity (Alyssa Wolf), and Virtue (Sara Rae Womack), and there are also hilarious supporting performances from Kimmie Kidd-Booker as Hope’s mother, Evangeline Harcourt, and Jeffrey M. Wright as Billy’s on-again, off-again boss, Elisha J. Whitney. There’s also a strong ensemble in support. The usually excellent New Line singing is there, of course, joined by impressive, energetic dancing as well.

This is a slightly different Anything Goes than you may be used to, but that’s a good thing. It’s a fresh look at an older show, with a bright, memorable score of hits by a legendary composer, as well as delightful moments of broad comedy and some pointed satirical touches. And the cast is great, as well. It might not be the type of show one might expect from New Line, but the level of excellence is certainly on par with New Line’s best. It’s refreshing, bold, and lots of fun.

Sarah Porter, Zachary Allen Farmer, Eileen Engel
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
New Line Theatre

New Line Theatre is presenting Anything Goes at the Marcelle Theatre until March 24, 2018.

Read Full Post »

An Entertaining, Energetic “Anything Goes” at STAGES

Posted in Snoop's Soapbox, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Anything Goes
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton, and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
New Book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman
Directed by Michael Hamilton
Choreographed by Stephen Bourneuf
STAGES St. Louis
July 22, 2015

Cast of Anything Goes Photo by Peter Wochniak STAGES St. Louis

Cast of Anything Goes
Photo by Peter Wochniak
STAGES St. Louis

In a way, Anything Goes could well be called one of the orginal “jukebox musicals”. It’s been performed in various versions for decades, with many lyric, song, and book changes, and the plot, while entertaining, is fairly slight. The show exists, essentially, to be a showcase for the songs of celebrated 20th Century composer and lyricist Cole Porter. It’s a lively show with lots of silly comedy and spectacular dancing, and it’s currently being performed in top-notch fashion at STAGES St. Louis.

The story is somewhat silly, but entertaining nonetheless. It follows nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Julie Cardia) and friends on an ocean liner traveling between New York and London in the 1930s. Reno’s got something of a crush on her old friend, the handsome stockbroker Billy Crocker (Brent Michael DiRoma), but Billy’s newly smitten with young debutante Hope Harcourt (Heidi Giberson), who is sailing on the cruise with her mother (Kari Ely) with the aim of marrying rich English nobleman Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Dan Fenaughty). Meanwhile, gangster Moonface Martin (Bob Amaral), “Public Enemy #13”, is on the run from the law, and boards the ship in preacher’s disguise, bringing his friend Erma (Laura E. Taylor) along.  What ensues is a comedy of love triangles and quadrangles, as well as mistaken identity, gambling, singing and a whole lot of dancing.

The plot isn’t really one that bears a lot of scrutiny. It’s really just a platform for the songs and some some hilariously goofy comedy. Despite the various script updates over the years, the show does still come across as slightly dated, and there are some unfortunate stereotypes that are played for laughs. Still, for the most part it’s a fun show, and the real focus is on those lovely Cole Porter songs and Stephen Bourneuf’s spectacular choreography and excellent ensemble dancing.

This is a very ensemble-dependent show, considering all the stylish dance-numbers and intricately performed choreography. The ensemble sparkles on on numbers like the tap-dance heavy “Anything Goes” and the truly showstopping “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” led by the big-voiced Cardia as Reno.  Cardia also displays a strong sense of comedy, working well opposite both the charming DiRoma as Billy, the hilariously shady Amaral as Mooonface, and the delightfully goofy and thoroughly winning Fenaughty as Lord Evelyn.  All of these performers show great comedy skills and excellent voices, especially DiRoma, who also shares delightful chemistry with Giberson, who is also in excellent voice as Hope.  There are also fun comic performances from the always excellent Reichert as Billy’s nearsighted boss Elisha Whitney, and Kari Ely as Hope’s mother, socialite Evangeline Harcourt.  Flack as the Captain, Brennan Caldwell as the Ship’s Purser, and Taylor as Erma also give memorable performances. It’s a very strong cast, from the leads to the ensemble, working together to bring life to the classic Porter score and a great deal of laughs to the audience.

The set, designed by James Wolk, is striking, colorful and versatile, creating a vibrant 1930’s atmosphere. There are also some marvelously detailed and stylish costumes by Brad Musgrove. Sean M. Savoie’s lighting is effective and atmospheric, as well.

Ultimately, the point of Anything Goes is to entertain, and the production at STAGES does that well.  It’s a big, bold, stylish and energetic production that splendidly showcases the marvelous score and choreography. It’s also hilariously funny, with a decidedly silly sense of humor.  Despite a few drawbacks in the script, this is about as ideal a production of this show as I can imagine.

Brent Michael DiRoma, Heidi Giberson , and Ensemble Photo by Peter Wochniak STAGES St. Lousi

Brent Michael DiRoma, Heidi Giberson , and Ensemble
Photo by Peter Wochniak
STAGES St. Lousi

STAGES St. Louis’s production of Anything Goes is running at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood until August 16th, 2015.

Read Full Post »