Category Archives: Reviews

January 20, 2012 · 5:22 pm

BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL Review

Kylend Hetherington as Billy in BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL. Photo by Kyle Froman.

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.

BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL presented by Broadway in Cincinnati through Jan. 29. You can read the show description here.

If you are on the fence about whether or not to see BILLY ELLIOT during its two-week visit to Cincinnati, I’d recommend you take the plunge. If not, you may be missing one of the best productions of the season.

This was my first time seeing BILLY ELLIOT, and it was a bit overwhelming trying to take it all in. It is one of those productions where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and most of its parts are very good.

The Script
Based on the 2000 movie, from what I remember the book for the musical hits most of the major plot points. There are many themes running throughout the show: following your dreams; the importance of friendship, family and community; the heart of the working class, the importance of teachers and the arts; and a parents wish for a better life for their children to name a few. These themes did not feel forced or bog down the show.

Kylend Hetherington as Billy & Maximilien A. Baud as Older Billy. Photo by Kyle Froman.

The Staging/Choreography
I really enjoyed the unique staging in this production. Visually my favorite numbers include  “We’d Go Dancing, ” Billy’s “Angry Dance” and “Once We Were Kings.” For choreography, my favorites were “Solidarity” and Billy’s “dream ballet.” Both the director and the choreographer enjoyed playing with the idea of hard vs. soft throughout the production.

A couple of the scene changes did came off a bit “clunky,” but I attribute that to it being a demanding show to tour, on top of it being their first night in a new venue.

The Company. Photo by Kyle Froman.

The Cast
BILLY ELLIOT features a strong ensemble and great character work.

Opening night, Billy was played by Kylend Hetherington.  This is a hugely demanding role for any performer and young Kylend carried it well. The audience response to his solo performance of “Electricity” briefly halted the show.

I also enjoyed the emotionally strong performances of both Leah Hocking as dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson and Kat Hennessey as Billy’s Mum.

Leah Hocking as Mrs. Wilkinson with The Ballet Girls. Photo by Kyle Froman.

Ben Cook does an outstanding job as Billy’s friend Michael. Both boys showcased their tapping skills (with a bit of help from the ensemble) in “Expressing Yourself.” Also a treat to watch was the comic antics of Morgan Martin as ballet girl Susan Parks (pictured at right in purple.)

My biggest complaint is that it was hard to understand some of the dialogue due to the heavy accents. In musical numbers, where groups of performers were singing different lyrics, it was difficult to make out what was being sung.

Kylend Hetherington as Billy & Rich Herbert as Dad. Photo by Kyle Froman.

The final number/curtain call, “Company Celebration,” is a very fun farewell from the entire cast.

For me, BILLY ELLIOT was a very enjoyable evening and definitely a show I would want to see again.

BTW here is the content advisory from the Broadway in Cincinnati website: A few mildly violent riot scenes and a 2+ hour running time may make the show unsuitable for your own youngsters, but the show’s message, content and story and content are a definite don’t-miss for ‘tweens and above.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL

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 13, 2012 · 5:39 pm

LOVE SONG 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.

Christopher Dooley as Harry & Colette Thomas as Joan.

LOVE SONG presented by The Untethered Theater Company through Jan. 15. You can read the show description here.

UTC aims high with their sophomore production, taking on a demanding script (in character and set). LOVE SONG is described as a “quirky, off-beat comedy.” Quirky is hard to pull off. Opening night, it seemed the cast had yet to find their rhythm with each other.

The lead of Beane is played by Glenn Schaich. His interpretation of Beane came across more as emotionally detached rather than socially awkward. I understand why, for the first scenes of the show, you had Beane dressed as he was, but the fully buttoned trench coat came off a bit “flasher-ish” to me. It would have been welcome to see a bit more personality come through. The more the audience is rooting for Beane, the more successful the show.

MaryKate Moran as Molly & Glenn Schaich as Beane.

Early scenes with Beane’s sister Joan (Colette Thomas) and her husband Harry (Christopher Dooley) were not as successful as their later, happy scene. The two actors didn’t seem to be performing at the same level in emotion and energy. I understand that the relationship is troubled but I didn’t get a good sense of why.

Rounding out the cast is MaryKate Moran as Beane’s girlfriend Molly. I enjoyed the level of intensity she brought to the character initially, but as Molly begins to soften, so did the energy of the character.

Colette Thomas as Joan & Glenn Schaich as Beane.

One of the most successful scenes takes place near the end of the play in the heart-to-heart with siblings Beane and Joan in his apartment. I do think there is a bit more humor to find in the script, especially during the scene in the restaurant.

The three playing areas for the show required the set to run the length of the building. I wish there had been some way to get the set pieces off the floor a bit. Actor’s heads tended to disappear into the audience whenever they sat on stage in either living space. The required special effect for the apartment didn’t read very well from across the room. The white on white walls made it hard to tell, visually, what was happening.

Overall, the pieces are there for a good production and I’m confident that the performances will get stronger as the run continues. The connections between the characters just need to be better defined.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for LOVE SONG.

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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December 8, 2011 · 12:42 pm

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA Review

Simon Powell as Mark Antony and Robyn Novak as Cleopatra. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

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.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA presented by Northern Kentucky University through Dec. 11. You can read the show description here.

NKU Theater and Dance takes on, and mostly succeeds, with an ambitious production of this Shakespeare drama. If you plan on attending, you can read the play’s synopsis on Wikipedia to better follow the plot.

Upon entering the Stauss Theatre audience members are greeted by a huge double-raked set, designed by Mark Halpin. One side marbled to represent Rome and the other sand-colored and covered in hieroglyphs to represent Egypt. Also impressive is the Roman seal and the raise-able platform dominating opposing ends of the set. A few times, group entrances on one side of the stage were a bit distracting to the scene on the opposite end.

Bradley Jennings Evans as Octavius Caesar. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The hard-working cast of 29 does well in maintaining focus and energy throughout the production. With such a large cast, it’s hard to comment on everyone individually.

Overall good work from the leads. A few small observations: I enjoyed the intensity Simon Powell brought to Marc Anthony, but I would have liked to see a little more emotional range. Good emotion and delivery from Bradley Jennings Evans as Octavius Caesar, but he tended to “freeze” during conversations when you weren’t speaking. As Cleopatra, Robyn Novak seemed, at times, to allow her character’s histrionics to cross over into the comedic. Also I thought the portrayal of Cleopatra’s serving maids (Carey Parsons as Charmian and Monica M. Weber as Iras) would have benefited from a bit more grounding in their position as servants. At times they seemed a bit like sorority sisters. There was also some awkwardness in the physical contact between Mark Anthony and Cleopatra during one of their first scenes together.

Seth Wallen as Enorbarbus. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Good, solid work from Seth Wallen as Enorbarbus. Also some great moments in smaller roles which included Jordan K. Pruitt as Eros in his death scene with Marc Anthony and Cynthea Mercado as Seleucus, Cleopatra’s treasurer.

Costumes constructed for the production (designed by Gretchen Vaughn) were successful for the most part.  I can’t say I was a fan of the hooded Roman costume. I would have liked to see some color on Caesar’s initial costume, perhaps some gold fabric or accessories, to break up the white. Also if some adjustments could be made to Decretas’ costume to allow the actor to navigate stairs hands-free.

Overall, a job well-done on a huge undertaking.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.

Simon Powell as Mark Antony & Jordan K. Pruitt as Eros. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

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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November 15, 2011 · 7:16 pm

IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY 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.

IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY presented by The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center & the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Department of Drama through Nov. 20. You can read the show description here.

The set. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Congratulations to members of the technical team, led by technical director Nick Koehlke*, who were responsible for creating such an impressive environment for this play. This includes a set design by Jennifer M. Rhodus*, lighting design by Gustavo E. Valdes*, and the work of properties artisan Stacey Szczepanik* Also excellent was the wig and makeup design by Suseon Bok* (* indicates CCM student.)

Jared Wilson as Mr. Dalby, Clare Ward as Annie, Mary Malloy as Sabrina Daldry and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Production values aside, the play itself was…fine. This was the fifth Sarah Ruhl play I’ve attended, and of those, it’s probably my favorite script to date. In this interpretation, it seemed to be staged more as a period drama instead of a comedy/drama that explores contemporary themes by setting the play in “the dawn of the age of electricity; and after the Civil War; circa 1880s.” I found the production to be slowly paced (with a running time approaching three hours), emotionally flat and static in its blocking.

Jared Wilson as Mr. Dalby and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

In a Ruhl play, the voice of the playwright is usually heard strongest in the female lead. Generalized, the lead is likable, intelligent, a bit quirky, stuck in an unhappy situation but determined to pursue opportunities to change it. The audience sympathizes with her and gains satisfaction when those goals are achieved.

Catherine Givings (played by Caroline Shannon) comes off more as a somewhat whiny victim of her unhappiness, drawn to the happiness of others, as opposed to someone who sees the happiness in others as a means to gain knowledge and find her own happiness. Where we should be sympathetic that Dr. Givings abandons his wife every evening to discuss the merits of electricity at the club, part of me thinks, “who would want to sit home and listen to that every night.”

Mary Malloy as Sabrina Daldry and Caroline Shannon as Catherine Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Regarding the play being emotionally flat, while I understand the notion of polite society, in this play it should serve as a contrast to what goes on behind closed doors and also to the characterizations of the patients after their “treatments.” Considering that Sabrina Daldry (Mary Malloy) and Leo Irving (Parker Searfoss) are suffering from “hysteria,” I found their pre-treatment personas to talk about their conditions but not actually show outward signs of their conditions. For example, Mr. Daldry (Jared Wilson) is not bringing his wife in for this radical treatment out of concern for her well-being, but instead out of concern for how he is perceived because his wife is unable to mask her condition in polite society (hence having her face covered in public). I want to see the cracks in the facade come through the acting.

Parker Searfoss as Leo Irving and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Patient Leo Irving is a self-professed painter who has been unable to paint for nine months. Yet in his first meeting with Dr. Givings he is impeccably dressed, not a hair out of place and discusses his condition as if it belonged to someone else. I’m not seeing the burden of his “hysteria.” I did think that after his treatment, Searfoss was successful in his characterization and that Irving’s energy and emotional level was exactly where it needed to be.

Mariel Tompkins as Elizabeth and Parker Searfoss as Leo Irving. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

I also enjoyed Mariel Tompkins as Elizabeth. She seemed to have a strong sense of the core of her character and maintained that character through the various situations and strange conversations she was a part of.

I honestly wish I could speak more to some of the smaller roles. Unfortunately I found my attention to the second act repeatedly distracted by some of the most ill-mannered theater patrons I have ever had the misfortune of experiencing. These scenes included the kiss between Mrs. Daldry and Annie (Clare Ward), the painting scene with Irving, Elizabeth and Catherine, the unwanted advances of Mr. Daldry to Catherine and the “sensation” discussion of Catherine, Sabrina and Elizabeth.

Caroline Shannon as Catherine Givings and Parker Searfoss as Leo Irving. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The final scene with Leo and Catherine is a good example of the static blocking I referred to. These stoic conversations do not make for dynamic theater. Neither does repeatedly watching people slowly dress and undress.

Caroline Shannon as Catherine Givings and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The final scene, while visually stunning, again falls in the trap of being slow, deliberate and unemotional. Catherine and her husband FINALLY having this emotionally-satisfying love-making in the snow and it’s rather dull.

Overall I wanted more energy and emotion from the actors. The cast has capable performers but the seven individuals didn’t coalesce into a strong ensemble.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY.

I would enjoy hearing your opinions 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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November 11, 2011 · 11:03 am

TROUBLE IN MIND Review

Terrance E. McCraney as John Nevins, Romeo Armand Seay as Sheldon Forrester, Suzanne Sefinatu Ayoka Blunk as Mille Davis, Laura Madden as Judy Sears & Yunina C. Barbour-Payne as Wiletta Mayer.

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.

TROUBLE IN MIND was presented by Northern Kentucky University Oct. 2- Nov. 6. You can read the show description here.

Many thanks to Mark Hardy for bringing this script to the NKU stage. The production was well-staged and well-directed. Pacing suffered slightly from slow line pick-ups and when the cast was broken up into smaller groups the transitions from one group to another were a bit abrupt.

Yunian C. Barbour-Payne did an excellent job as Wiletta Mayer. I enjoyed the strength and dignity she gave the character, especially during her “tirade” in the second act.

Travis Black did well in maintaining 73 year-old Henry and giving him emotional weight in his scenes with Wiletta.

Terrance E. McCraney’s John Nevins did come off a bit one-dimensional, and I would have liked to see more difference between Nevins the man and Nevins’ role in the play.

Romeo Armand Seay also did a good job playing the much older character of Sheldon Forrester, but his energy level seemed to drop when Sheldon didn’t have lines.

Laura Madden did well with the role of Judy Sears as the inexperienced actress but I would have liked to have seen her be a bit more genuine in her scenes with John.

Sam Rueff turns in a good performance as Al Manners, but personally I found the John Waters-esque characterization a bit distracting. It seemed to introduce an element that worked against the themes of the script.

Miles Conger does well as Eddie Fenton in his NKU debut.

Chris Bishop’s Bill O’Wray would have benefited a bit from stronger choices for the character. I wanted to see a more of the personal struggle in his interaction with the cast inside the theater and out in the real world.

The costume design by Daryl Harris greatly added to the production and set the period. Personal favorites were the choices made for the characters of Wiletta and Millie.

Bottom line, a thought-provoking well-executed production with a few small hiccups here and there.

Click here for a complete list of show times, articles and other reviews for TROUBLE IN MIND. I would love to hear 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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