Chess

Photo: Chris Mueller

The production of Chess at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA, directed by Eric Schaeffer, is the umpteenth version of a show that started as a concept album and still hasn't made it to solid musical theatre. The score, by Abba's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, is energetic and frequently engaging, but many (most?) of the numbers lack the character revelation and dramatic arc that distinguish theatre songs from other sorts of music. The book's combination of love triangle, chess match, and geopolitics never gels, and many characters are given little, well, character. Euan Morton is wonderful as Anatoly, the Russian chess player, giving him a dimension and reality far past what's written. Jeremy Kushnier does pretty well with the obnoxious American chess player Freddie, although he is hampered by the character's sheer unlikeability. Jill Paice as Florence fails to take advantage of some of the best songs in the show to create a emotionally believable character. In singing the elegant "Someone Else's Story," she seems unaware of what the song means and too focused on showing off her (sometimes annoying) voice. Among the supporting cast, Christopher Bloch stands out as Anatoly's second, Molokov, and Eleasha Gamble sings beautifully as Anatoly's wife Svetlana, although her acting is marred by theatrical pauses that would put Elaine Stritch to shame. Chess is a reasonably entertaining evening in the theatre, but it would be no less entertaining simply to listen to one of the recorded versions, particularly the Original Broadway Cast CD with the amazing Judy Kuhn as Florence.

Exit/Entrance

The first act of Aidan Mathews' Exit/Entrance features a not particularly likeable old couple; the second act features a not particularly likeable young couple. They may or may not be the same couple. Much of the dialogue is elliptical. The wives want honest conversation; the husbands do not. Since both husbands are self-centered, manipulative, and condescending, it is unclear why their wives love them. Mathews seems to be attempting something along the Beckett-Albee line, but he lacks their wit, intelligence, and ability to be compelling. Linda Thorson rises above the material with a subtle performance that gives her character dimension; the other three performers fail to inflate their cardboard characters.

Roadkill Confidential

Photo: Carl Skutsch

Trevor is the stereotypical tortured and misunderstood artist, unable to satisfyingly connect with her lover or anyone else. In real life such people tend to be tiresome, but Trevor—though like everyone else here a very consciously written character—is written and played so well (by Sheila Callaghan and Rebecca Henderson respectively) that she's unceasingly interesting to watch, whether squirming silently in front of the war-blasting TV, politely seething during one of her neighbor's uninvited visits, or monologuing to the camera so that her face appears in creepy, giant video closeup.

Do her activities at her rural studio go beyond the merely disgusting (collecting roadkill and incorporating it into art installations) to include something more sinister? A cocksure FBI agent is on the scene to try and find out. Projection is used smartly and integrally throughout the production; kudos must also go to director Kip Fagan, whose overall vision keeps this talky piece moving smoothly, and to the artistic mastery of the tech crew.

Excerpted from Theater Review (NYC): Roadkill Confidential on Blogcritics.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Due to various circumstances, I have now seen Love, Loss, and What I Wore twice. Without these circumstances, I would not have seen it even once, as my interest in clothing is at the nano level. I would have missed a delightful and touching evening (well, two delightful and touching evenings). LLAWIW uses clothing as a launchpad from which to discuss growing up, romance, family dynamics, aging, and the strange and wonderful adventure of being a woman. At times it has the audience laughing hysterically; at other times, sniffles can be heard. Helen Carey, Victoria Clark, Nancy Giles, Stacy London, and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who make up the current cast, are all wonderful. By the end of the show, you want to go out to dinner with them and continue the conversation.

Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical

Photo: Caite Hevner

Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical tells the Jurassic Park story from the dinosaurs' point of view, commentingalong the wayon sexuality, family, musical-theatre tropes, and the struggle between science and religion. The plot, such as it is, is simple: the scientists who brought the dinosaurs back to life made them all female so that they couldn't reproduce, but one of the T rexes has suddenly developed a penis, along with a T rex-sized desire to use it. The story is narrated by Morgan Freeman, who may be Samuel L. Jackson, and who is in any event played by a white guy (the marvelously deadpan Lee Seymour), and the show features funny, energetic songs (by Emma Barash, Bryce Norbitz, Marshall Pailet, and Stephen Wargo) and top-level dance, fabulously choreographed by Kyle Mullins and energetically danced by the strong cast. Jurassic Parq provides a 70-minute good time, full of silliness and pointed satire. I suspect that the title is unduly optimistic;however, being an excellent non-Broadway musical is not chopped liver. (My 18-year-old nephew described it on his Facebook page as "the shit," which I understand is quite a good thing to be.)

Michael Feinstein & Barbara Cook "Cheek to Cheek"

Photo: Mike Martin

Considering that they both have devoted their lives to the American Songbook, Barbara Cook and Michael Feinstein make a surprisingly odd couple. While Cook uses her voice in service to the songs, Feinstein uses the songs in service to his voice. As a result, each piece that Cook sings reflects the unique life of the unique song, while most of the songs that Feinstein sings get the start-slow-and-soft-and-end-fast-and-loud treatment (an exception being his delicate treatment of Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich's beautiful "Ever After"). I prefer Cook's approach--there's a reason that many people (including Feinstein) consider her the preeminent interpreter of the American Songbook--though Feinstein is in fine voice and his love of the songs is evident. The short evening (70 minutes) combines solos and duets and runs the gamut from well-loved standards ("Tea for Two," "Cheek to Cheek," "I've Got You Under My Skin") to lesser known finds such as the sweet and touching "Here's to Life" by Artie Butler and Phyllis Molinary. The between-song patter ranges from mutual-admiration-society declarations of love to funny professional and personal anecdotes; unfortunately, it is hard to hear some of the patter in parts of the room. The wonderful back-up band includes musical director John Oddo, Aaron Heick on reeds, George Rabbai on trumpet, Warren Odze on drums, and David Finck on bass.