Category Archives: Reviews

March 15, 2012 · 10:04 pm

TIME STANDS STILL Review

Jen Johansen* as Sarah Goodwin. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my FaceBook fan page. You can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

TIME STANDS STILL presented by Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati through April 1. You can read the show description here.

ETC’s 26th season continues to be my favorite to date with their current production of TIME STANDS STILL by Donald Marqulies. The contemporary script is solid. Several times, the playwright could have gone the obvious route, or ramped up the drama, just for the sake of  drama. Instead we see four characters dealing with emotional situations honestly and like adults. Even at times when the conversation becomes heated, the characters stay on point instead of degenerating into finger-pointing and name-calling, which is a welcome change.

Clockwise from back left: Mallory Hawks* as Mandy Bloom, Bruce Cromer* as Richard Ehrlich, Jen Johansen* as Sarah Goodwin & Buz Davis* as James Dodd. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Much of the credit for the quality of the tone of the show goes to director Michael Haney, who guides his excellent four-person ensemble with a deft hand. All the characters are real people with real relationships to, and real affection for, each other. You easily believe there is a shared history among the older trio (Bruce Cromer* as Richard, Buz Davis* as James & Jen Johansen* as Sarah). Each character is an individual with their own unique strengths and flaws.

I was especially impressed with how the younger character of Mandy (played by Mallory Hawks*) was handled. I can imagine Mandy easily being portrayed as too naive or as a caricature, but she held her own when expressing her views without losing her more-positive outlook on the world. Also nice was that even though the show dealt with weightier topics, there is plenty of humor to offset it, without seeming forced or out of place.

Buz Davis* as James Dodd, Jen Johansen* as Sarah Goodwin & Bruce Cromer* as Richard Ehrlich. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Again Brian c Mehring (set and lighting design) and Shannon Rae Lutz (properties) nail the environment for this show; that of a small NYC studio apartment infrequently used by its owners.

I also thought Sarah’s injuries were well done. The wound make-up (designed and guidance by Kelly Yurkoby, executed by Reba Senske, Kelly Yurkoby, Sara Kenny & Rachel Berger) read well from my seat in the audience and the damage to her body was portrayed convincingly by the actress.

Overall solid work by everyone involved which makes for a very enjoyable night at the theater.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for TIME STANDS STILL.

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association.

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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March 3, 2012 · 2:32 pm

WEST SIDE STORY Review

The First National Tour of West Side Story. Photo © Carol Rosegg 2011.

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my FaceBook fan page. You can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

WEST SIDE STORY presented by Broadway in Cincinnati through March 11. You can read the show description here.

Note: This is the first touring production of the recent Broadway revival. Changes include: bi-lingual dialogue as some of the lines and lyrics have been changed to Spanish. The tone has been shifted a bit darker, as gang members are no longer “lovable thugs.” And the choreography has been updated, as explained by choreographer Joey McKneely, in a recent interview:

The Jets. The First National Tour of West Side Story. Photo © Carol Rosegg 2011.

“What happened with the choreography, and with WEST SIDE in general, is that it had become a museum piece. It became stuck in a time warp, and it started to feel dated. And the material is not dated. The subject matter is not dated. The social content speaks so vibrantly to today’s audiences. But the choreography was missing a youthful zest, it was missing passion. [Director] Arthur [Laurents] wanted to break free of that museum quality. And he felt, as did many people, that the show needed to be updated in terms of its appeal to an audience. That included making the choreography look edgier, harder. He wanted to get rid of the musical comedy aspects of the choreography, and take it to a more reality-based place. It was difficult, because it’s not my work, and I wanted to be true to the integrity of the choreography. But if my director wants something changed, I have to try to acquiesce to his needs. I kind of walked a tightrope. But in the end, I think the adjustments that were made to the choreography really were the right things to do for Arthur’s vision.” –courtesy of Broadway in Cincinnati.

Evy Ortiz as Maria and Ross Lekites as Tony in the First National Tour of WEST SIDE STORY. Photo © Carol Rosegg 2011.

Broadway in Cincinnati brings a strong production of WEST SIDE STORY to the Aronoff.

Changes to the choreography are evident immediately in the opening Prologue. The dancing is more athletic and contemporary, yet choreographer Joey McKneely has done an excellent job of keeping the feel and look of the original. The number “Gee, Officer Krupke” is the most visibly updated number with its more contemporary “body movements.” Solid dance execution by the entire cast.

A personal favorite for me in this cast is triple-threat Michelle Aravena as Anita. She has a engaging presence on stage and is equally strong in the musical numbers as well as her scene work, especially near the end of Act II.

Ross Lekites has a great voice for Tony, but on opening night his mic needed to be bumped up a notch or two. During the “Tonight” quintet, I couldn’t find his voice at all when all five parts were singing. Lekites does a good job with Tony, but I don’t see the hints at the Tony who co-formed and ran with the Jets. He comes off a bit too much like the boy next door. Even reformed bad boys are still a little bad.

Michelle Aravena as Anita & Evy Ortiz as Mari in the First National Tour of WEST SIDE STORY. Photo © Carol Rosegg 2011.

Evy Ortiz packs a powerful voice in a petite package. Her vocals sounded great and it was nice to see Maria played with an inner strength of a young woman as opposed to a naive girl.

The various set pieces work well throughout the show. My favorite being the fly for the rumble scene. It is very impressive to see the overpass lower into place and it looks great.

Overall, I think most of the updates work well. WEST SIDE STORY is an enjoyable revival that should please all but the most hardcore of purists.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for WEST SIDE STORY.

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February 24, 2012 · 2:31 pm

ST. NICHOLAS Review

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my FaceBook fan page. You can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

Michael Shooner as Man. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

ST. NICHOLAS presented by New Edgecliff Theatre through March 10. You can read the show description here.

Michael Shooner is dynamic and real as the Man in this one- person show. Equal parts acting and storytelling, Shooner lays out the life of a faulted and, in many ways, not very likeable man, but at the same time we are able to empathize with elements of his life. Shooner does a great job with his Irish accent throughout the performance. Personally, from a character standpoint, I wouldn’t mind hearing a slightly stronger one.

In striving to create an intimate piece of theater, NET has added seating to the right and left of the stage and blocked off the last few rows of their “regular” seating. The lighting design of Glen Goodwin, however, seems to work against this goal. For the most part I found the lighting to be too harsh and bright for a story about vampires. It also clearly illuminates most of the audience members on both sides of the stage (I sat center), allowing normal audience movement to be distracting. Beyond that, I felt there were missed opportunities to add to the mood of the show. A lighting shift could have been used to complement the well-done sound design of Erin Waters. It might also have been interesting to see a shift whenever a vampire entered the “room.”

Michael Shooner. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

I was confused as to director Brian Robertson’s intent for this conversation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an engaging story, but who are we, the audience? Why is this story being told to us? Where is this story being told to us? The context was unclear to me.

Overall ST. NICHOLAS features strong, entertaining work by Michael Shooner that could have benefited from more cohesion on the part of the production team.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for ST. NICHOLAS.

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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February 1, 2012 · 1:57 pm

THE WHIPPING MAN Review

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my FaceBook fan page. You can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

Ken Early & Jarred Baugh in ETC's THE WHIPPING MAN. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

THE WHIPPING MAN presented by Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati through Feb. 18*. You can read the show description here.

*Please note that three performances have been added, extending the run to Feb. 18.

Bravo to ETC for giving Cincinnati audiences the experience of THE WHIPPING MAN.

Director D. Lynn Meyers delivers a well-focused and emotionally sincere production that would be satisfying in a black box staging.  The contributions of the crew elevates this production even further, making it the most memorable drama I’ve seen produced at ETC and my favorite of the 2011-12 season.

The script by Matthew Lopez is extremely-well written and layered. The themes explored in the work are well-defined and flow naturally from the three characters and their situation. No gimmicks are needed to prop up the story.

I was also impressed with the casting of the show. Both Jarred Baugh as Caleb and Mark St. Cyr as John are excellent in their roles. Exploring the ying and yang qualities of their characters is very fun to watch. Local actor Ken Early as Simon, personifies what hard work and determination can achieve. His performance commands the stage and he conquers every challenge the role demands. Physically his age and height, in comparison to his cast mates, serves to reinforce Simon’s father-figure status in Caleb’s and John’s lives.

The set by Brian C. Mehring is impressively detailed. When combined with his lighting, the two add weight to the atmosphere of the show. His efforts to mimic natural lighting during the day and lamplight at night, are very successful. Solid sound design by Benjamin Marcum also adds much to the overall feeling of the show. Also impressive was the attention to detail. Favorite examples are the wall lamps and the dripping ceiling.

It seems funny to say it, but part of me wishes that they had not been an intermission. I found coming back from the break into a “flashback” scene to be a bit jarring. It took a minute or two to fall back into the story. Perhaps a stronger visual clue would help.

A small note during John and Simon’s confrontation. I had trouble understanding what John reveals to Simon in that heated moment.

Overall a wonderful show that personifies why I love going to the theater. The momentum displayed by ETC this season is very exciting. I look forward to seeing it continue.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for THE WHIPPING MAN.

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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January 25, 2012 · 2:30 pm

DEAD ACCOUNTS Review

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my FaceBook fan page. You can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

Stephen Barker Turner as Jack & Susan Greenhill as Barbara. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

DEAD ACCOUNTS presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through Feb. 11. You can read the show description here.

Being a born-and-bred Cincinnatian, raised Catholic on the west side in the ’70s, I had high hopes for DEAD ACCOUNTS. Based on the preview articles and interviews posted by the local media, the “love letter” to the midwest that I expected never materialized.

I’m not saying this to be harsh, but overall I found the show to be shallow and emotionally flat. The characters were uninteresting and very stereotypical. If you remove all the Cincinnati references (which ALWAYS generate a laugh) there are few moments in the show that actually speak to Cincinnati.

Let’s start with “golden boy” son Jack. It bothers me that he is not successful due to his own merits (or that midwest work ethic), but simply married into money. Through nepotism, he was handed an executive position at his father-in-law’s bank. After seven years of marriage, and in response to his wife’s decision to divorce him, he commits a major white collar crime and hightailes it home to Cincinnati.

Carly Street as Lorna & Haynes Thigpen as Phil. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

At his childhood home, surrounded by pints of Graeter’s ice cream, Jack is confronted by sister Lorna, one of his five siblings (and the only one we actually meet). Lorna is single and living at home help their mother tend to an ailing father (who to me would be the embodiment of the  midwest work ethnic, but he is confined to bed off-stage for the entire show). As luck would have it, Lorna is, like all mid-westerners, on a diet, so there is much pining over the ice cream (and pizza, and coneys). Thankfully, both men in the show are there to tell her she doesn’t need to lose weight.

Stephen Barker Turner as Jack. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Next we are introduced to poor, befuddled mom Barbara. The character seems designed mostly for comic relief and hand-wringing. In fact, she even has her own comic tag line, something like, “I raised six kids, there are whole years I don’t remember.” As a change of pace, mom doesn’t chide her daughter for her weight, but instead reminds Loran that she isn’t as bright as Jack.

The second man I referred to earier, is Jack’s childhood friend Phil. Picked up on a food run, Phil is a single, middle-aged, accountant, who still conveniently has that high school crush on Lorna. I don’t think it gives too much away to say that they couple up.

Victoria Mack as Jenny, Susan Greenhill as Barbara & Carly Street as Lorna. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Rounding out the cast is Jack’s wife, Jenny. She is written as a typical, raised-with-money, nose-in-the-air, NYC bitch. As such, there is the obligatory general condemnation (during a cell phone call) of the midwest pride in where/how we were raised and specifically her mother-in-law’s choices in decor, dishes and flatware. Thankfully Barbara overhears the conversation and is quick to point out that she does have nice dishes and silverware…in the china cabinet. That certainly puts Jenny in her place.

Interesting themes such as Jack’s crisis of faith (isn’t divorce a Catholic fail?), his refusal to visit his ailing father who is BEDRIDDEN UPSTAIRS, and the effects of the current economy on the midwest middle class are brought up and quickly abandoned.

Stephen Barker Turner as Jack & Haynes Thigpen as Phil. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

The press materials call Jack “the prodigal son,” which references the Bible story taught at all Catholic schools. Hasn’t Jack “returned” to what he turned his back on when he left for New York? Isn’t he seeking solace in his family, friends, and memories of his childhood?

Where is the close-knit family that grew up in a too-small house, who circle the wagons in time of crisis? Where are the Catholic names, the obsession with local sports, the use of the word “please?” Where is the heart, the love and the values that Cincinnati represents to many of us? I expected little nods to Cincinnati to be peppered throughout the play. Instead we were hit over the head with local favorite foods. We are so much more than what we eat.

Regardless of how much you enjoy the performance, the lackluster non-ending of the show begs the question, “Where is the third act?”

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for DEAD ACCOUNTS.

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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