Lynne Wintersteller and Robin de Jesus star in Mother Jones at NYMF

By Rob Hartmann

Mother Jones and the Children’s Crusade, with book, music and lyrics by Cheryl E. Kemeny, is currently in rehearsal for its run as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The show focuses on turn of the century labor activist Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, as she leads a march of mill children from Philadelphia to the home of President Theodore Roosevelt in New York, protesting child labor conditions — young children were routinely injured while they worked in mines and mills for starvation wages.

The NYMF production stars Lynne Wintersteller, perhaps best known for her iconic performance in Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever; the cast also features two-time Tony nominee Robin de Jesus.

I spoke with Benjamin Edward Simpson, an actor who stepped into the role of producer to bring Mother Jones to New York, and also with director Michelle Tattenbaum (who directed Nobody Loves You at Second Stage and the Old Globe.)

ROB HARTMANN: Ben — I understand that you were actually in this show when you were a kid?

BEN SIMPSON: It’s kind of a crazy story how it all started. So the author, Cheryl Kemeny, runs a not for profit children’s performing arts center in Norwalk Connecticut, the Crystal Theatre. So, growing up, instead of doing Annie or Bye Bye Birdie, you’re doing one of these original musicals that she writes. And they’re written for a cast of sixty so everyone has a part. So this show was one of the shows I just signed up for as a kid. Robin de Jesus was in it as a kid as well.

These days, I’m primarily an actor — I was in between shows and I just kept thinking about this show, and how it’s really relevant to what’s going on in the world today.

MICHELLE TATTENBAUM: That was one of the things about the script that I really responded to — this feeling of utter timeliness. I think the Gilded Age is on everyone’s mind right now, and I think that is very telling. To have the chance to tell a story from that era — well really, it’s a plea for trying to change things for the better. That we can’t just sit by. That, to me, is the universal message that needs to be heard right now.

I feel this incredible sense of fatalism about how things are right now, in terms of income inequality, in terms of the ways in which our society is completely unsupportive of families. The indignities of that are everywhere and daily — trying to operate in a world where you need to have both parents in a family working full time, or otherwise you can’t afford to have a safe and comfortable life. And yet at every turn the culture is not set up to support that.

BS: I always thought Mother Jones was Cheryl’s best material — I’ve grown up loving big Broadway musicals like Ragtime and Parade, and I thought that this show had that kind of epic story. It’s a star vehicle, but it also has the kids — they’re the heart of this story. I would tell anyone to come see it, whether you’re ten or seventy five.

MT: It was originally written to be performed by kids — but, while I think it’s still quite suitable for a family audience, it’s not a “kid’s show.” We’re not approaching it in that way. We’re approaching it with a greater level of complexity and sophistication. Obviously, people can bring their kids — there are four kids in it — but we’re not approaching it in a “family theater” kind of way.

RH: And you have Lynne Wintersteller as Mother Jones.

BS: Lynne Wintersteller is so amazing. She’s gone through this script and score so thoroughly, finding all the dimensions of the character. The truth of the matter is that Mother Jones wasn’t always likeable. Cheryl has tried to stay true to that, really showing all her flaws. Lynne sounds amazing — she’s so game for anything. What’s exciting is, she’s really inspiring some of the changes we’ve made. We’re tailoring it to her — she is our Mother Jones.

MT: Cheryl is incredibly open — she’s a very smart writer. She’s written a lot of shows, so she’s not precious about any of it. She brings a lot of experience and maturity to the table. She’s a pragmatist.

BS: Cheryl’s been staring at this piece for years and years. And I’ve been attached to it for so long that I thought it was really important to have Michelle, who could be fresh set of eyes on the show. On the first day, she gave us all a little history lesson about the world of this show. Like, “I’m wearing this new pair of pants — these were made in some factory by some person who has a story – and that’s the story we’re telling.” All her detailed research and her excitement for the piece — she’s just so invested, it gets everyone excited.

MT: I talked about individualism, and how deeply ingrained this idea is — that everything that happens to you is based on your worth as an individual. And if you work hard enough, and if you’re a worthy enough person, then you will get ahead. And nothing has anything to do with the societal structures we’re operating in or the water we’re swimming in or the air we’re breathing in, it’s all your personal worth. I talked about that, and laissez faire economics and social Darwinism (laughs.) Those are my three things. And I wanted to talk about Calvinism, because I feel it really goes all the way back to the Calvinistic attitudes of the Puritan and the other folks who founded this country — that sort of judgment — “you deserve what you got” —it feels so pervasive, and we don’t even talk about it.

RH: How are rehearsals going?

BS: We’re just taking it day by day. Cheryl never had this dream to be a big Broadway composer or anything — we were actually talking about this in the car. She used to perform, and traveled the world with her sister, singing. And she found this calling, you know, teaching and composing — and she never cared about the glitz and glamor. But now that we’re getting a taste of working with Lynne Wintersteller and Michelle and people who are challenging her creatively, I think it’s just incredibly exciting. And the piece is only getting stronger and stronger.

RH: And you’ve got Robin de Jesus in the cast.

BS: We’re really good friends — he’s just the sweetest guy. He’s at a point in his career where he just goes from job to job to job, but he really made sure that he could clear his schedule to do this. For him to turn down these big movie auditions and these big readings and workshops that he could easily have been doing  — that’s such a big thing. He said, it’s not about the money, it’s not about the credit, it’s about honoring the woman that gave him his start. I mean, Cheryl got him the audition for Camp, where his career took off. So it’s like coming full circle for him, and for me.

Mother Jones and the Children’s Crusade. www.motherjonesmusical.com

Book, music & lyrics by Cheryl E. Kemeny. Directed by Michelle Tattenbaum. Music direction by Micah Young. Choreography by Clare Cook. Produced by Benjamin Simpson and The Crystal Theatre, Inc.

Featuring Lynne Wintersteller, Frenie Acoba, Tessa Grady, Robin de Jesus, Lizzie Klemperer, Lulu Lloyd, Zachary Mackiewicz, Robert Mammana, Johnny Marx, Grace Matwijec, Marissa Miller, and Kevin Reed.

For tickets, www.nymf.org. Performances at PTC Performance Space, 555 W. 42^nd St. Thursday, July 17 at 8:00 pm; Saturday, July 19 at 1:00 pm; Sunday, July 20 at 12:00 pm; Monday, July 21 at 1:00 pm; Thursday, July 24 at 9:00 pm.

“Prison Dancer: The Musical” – Return to Oz?

By Mark A. Newman

The New York Musical Theatre Festival has done it again. Every time I attend a production, I walk away amazed at the talent on the sparse stages as well as the creative talent behind the scenes. This year the hot ticket is based on a viral YouTube video of Filipino prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” While that tune is nowhere to be found in “Prison Dancer: The Musical,” the tunes that are included are just as dance-worthy.

Written by Romeo Candido (book, music, and lyrics) and Carmen De Jesus (book), two Filipino actors who both appeared in “Miss Saigon,” their goal was to create a show that had Filipinos playing Filipinos on stage. Mission accomplished! While not based on the specific prison in Cebu, the musical tells how the choreography-inspired exercises brought the inmates closer together, reduced violence, and drew a clear distinction between rehabilitation and punishment. The show has a distinct message but tells it in the most entertaining and original manner I have seen in a while.

The cast—some newbies and some Broadway workhorses—get their Pinoy on and all of the characters are surprisingly well drawn. While the entire cast is outstanding, a true diva has been born on the stage of the Theatre at St. Clement. Jeigh Madjus—a Toronto-based actor—plays the titular role of Lola, a cross-dressing inmate who swishes and struts his stuff yet ably puts down the prison thug with ease. I have never heard of Madjus before but he is nothing short of amazing. What could have been a shrill, irritating performance (i.e., most of the characters in “Priscilla: Queen of the Desert”) became a nuanced, sensitive portrayal of a tortured soul who gets through life with a fresh mouth, lacquered lips, and a kick punch that would render you senseless.

The prisoners are somewhat divided into two groups with Lola being the makeshift leader for the feminine “lady boys” that also includes Oo Oo (Nathan Ramos) and Nana (Enrico Rodriguez). The tough guys’ leader is Hookaps (Marc Delacruz), and includes the doomed Tondo (Albert Guerzon), to a lesser degree Shakespeare (Moses Villarama), and the newly imprisoned Christian (Broadway stalwart Jose Llana). The cast is rounded out by Christian’s girlfriend Cherish (Catherine Ricafort) and the Warden (Andrew Eisenam), who takes credit for the prisoner’s sudden internet fame because it was “his idea.”

While Oo Oo and Nana serve more as a Greek chorus to Lola, the other characters are more deeply developed. Shakespeare is the smart one: reasonable, likable, but harboring a harsh and disturbing secret; Tondo is the murderer on death row who finds a new lust for life through dance; Hookaps is the suave cellblock major domo who’s an expert at acquiring contraband getting things done; and Christian is the stoic lovelorn newbie who wants nothing more than to be with Cherish. How these archetypes intertwine and work together to be a part of an Internet sensation is truly a work of art and takes the audience on an interesting journey that is both joyous and heartbreaking.

Guerzon is enlightening as Tondo, the “dead man dancing” who’s new quest to live is at times desperate and joyful. As Hookaps, Delacruz brings a cool authoritative demeanor to the cell block and his realization that prison is the only place he belongs has a sad acquiescence and makes the character vastly likable. Also, Delacruz is a great dancer and is fun to watch. Villarama’s Shakespeare fits the bill as the show’s “everyman” because he’s so darn nice. When you find out why he’s in prison it’s hard to be appalled because by that point you’ve really grown fond of the character. Llana, one of Broadway’s Asian-American stars for over a decade, brings a quiet, resigned dignity to the role of Christian while also seemingly on a constant low boil. Is he going to explode? You never quite know but Llana gets the chance to show off his singing chops nicely in a second act solo that all but rattles the stained glass windows in the sanctuary of the Theatre at St. Clements right out of their leading.

“Prison Dancer” is as innovative and passionate a production you are likely to see on Broadway or off, off, off, off Broadway. With a desire to create a show that is strictly unique to the Philippines, Candido and De Jesus have successfully told a story about a forgotten group of people, but the themes of love, loss, redemption, and forgiveness are universal.

Final performances: Friday, Jul 27th, 2012 at 5:00 pm; Saturday, Jul 28th, 2012 at 5:00 pm; and Saturday, Jul 28th, 2012 at 9:00 pm.

Prison Dancer: The Musical

Theatre at St. Clement’s 423 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036

Featuring: Marcus Calderon, Marc Delacruz, Andrew Eisenman, Albert Guerzon, Jose Llana, Jeigh Madjus, Nathan Ramos, Catherine Ricafort, Enrico Rodriguez, and Moses Villarama.

Book by Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus

Music and Lyrics by Romeo Candido

Director/Choreographer: Jenn Rapp

Scenic Design: Josh Zangen

Costume Design: Sky Switser

Lighting Design: Betsy Adams

Sound Design: John Westin

Musical Director: David Madore

Fight Director: Rick Sordelet

Tickets: nymf.org/prisondancer

http://www.prisondancer.com/

Review by Sacha Tengler

The Brain That Wouldn't Die! In 3-D!!! is a musical spoof of the 1962 film "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," a sci-fi flick "so bad it's good."  The original film, made on a shoestring budget, delved into themes such as medical ethics (a doctor's experimentation with the burgeoning science of transplantation drives the plot), and features many moments of operatic drama, making it a natural for musicalization.  It is also so absurd (and badly directed) that it is a natural for parody, and here arrives just that musical parody, in the tradition of such pieces as Little Shop of Horrors and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Brain... is receiving a top-notch NYMF production making a strong case for it to enjoy a longer life.  The A-list cast, superbly directed by Tim Drucker, gives an unusually strong ensemble performance, and the creative and design elements add up to a textbook example of how best to present a show on a NYMF-type budget. 

The music by T. Sivak, performed to perfection by a sizzling rock trio led by the energetic Annbritt DuChateau, is at its best when edgy, chromatic, and delightfully moody.  The comedic tone of the book is a bit scattered, however, and as a result of this, there are occasional longueurs, as well.

Fortunately, a production this strong should provide the writers with a great look at their show, and allow them to make the few judicious cuts to sharpen the satirical elements at play here.  There is a framing device, introduced in an opening number (perhaps meant in the tradition of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd") that could be seriously truncated -- the opening number is too long, and the framing device doesn't precisely work yet.

Further, songs like "My Dick!" a '50s-style doo-wop song making excessive fun of a characters' name being Dick (one of several running jokes throughout) digress from the story, have nothing to do with the original film, and become overly long musical genre pieces.  The writers have ladled on every style of comedy but the kitchen sink; I wish its methods were more focused. 

The show is at its best and funniest when the characters, so expertly drawn by this fine cast, play it straight, rather than commenting on the story.  In other words, it's hovering between the model of Little Shop (in which the characters are honest and real, and the humor is genuine) and that of Rocky Horror (which is pure camp), and I wish they would zero in on the former.  I would love to get my hands on the script, because there is nothing that needs to be added -- but some heartless cutting could strengthen it immensely. 
Great ingenuity has gone into the modest scenic elements, making the show seem uniquely suited to the low-budget requirements of a festival production.  A scene leading up to pivotal car crash is great fun, partly because of the way simple cut-outs are used to tell the story.  The sound design was strong as well, as each lyric was heard and the drama of the music was driving and balanced.  Lighting also used spare means to lend just the right atmosphere.  Overall, The Brain... is a great success, and I hope this twisted and very funny show finds a wider audience and finds even more edge and laughs in its next incarnation.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die! In 3D!!!

Book and Lyrics by T. Sivak and E. Gelman
Music by T. Sivak

at TBG Theater (312 W. 36th Street)

Thursday, Oct 6th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 9th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 9th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Monday, Oct 10th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Wednesday, Oct 12th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Friday, Oct 14th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, Oct 16th, 2011 at 1:00 pm

Review – Austentatious (From the Top Productions and the New York Musical Theatre Festival)

Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison

There are two shows called Austentatious currently playing at the Julia Miles Theater. One of them is a horrifyingly bad adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ being put on at a local community theatre by a group of mediocre thespians. The other is the fun musical about the birth of that production with music and lyrics by Matt Board and Joe Slabe, and book by Board, Slabe, Jane Caplow, Kate Galvin and Luisa Hinchliff. The former is as deliciously terrible as the latter is clever and amusing.

Austentatious the musical follows the birth of Austentatious the play being performed by the Central Riverdale Amateur Players. Their long-time creative director has left to do bigger and better things – dinner theatre – leaving the company without a leader. Hoping to fill that gap is Emily (Stacey Sargeant), a dancer/playwright/behind the scenes director, who has written Austentatious and is staging it with the help of Dominic (Stephen Bel Davies), a pretentious, wannabe director who has little knowledge of the theatre and even less of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (he owns the DVD and is shocked to discover they made a book out of it).

The production is plagued by problems from the beginning. Only five people show up for the audition: Emily, who plans to star in the show she’s written; Jessica (Lisa Asher), a veteran of the Central Riverdale Amateur Players; Blake (Paul Wyatt), a young man with a bit of a drug habit who is using the play to get out of his group therapy sessions; and a couple, Lauren and David (Amy Goldberger and George Merrick) – she plans to play Elizabeth and he’s there to help her, not to audition. David, of course, ends up as Mr. Darcy, while Emily is cast as Elizabeth by her boyfriend, Dominic. Watching over them all is Sam (Stephanie D’Abruzzo), the stage manager. She is above the egos and the in-fighting. She only wants to see the show succeed.

What follows is a little bit of Waiting for Guffman with some Noises Off thrown in. Along the way there are some wonderful songs, a love story, a full-fledged meltdown by the overworked and underappreciated Sam, and a dance-off between Elizabeth Bennet and her sister, the Pirate Queen, on 42nd Street in New York City (seriously). It’s a fun, silly, crazy adventure that culminates in an awful, but wildly amusing production of the play.

For a musical, however, Austentatious seems a little light on music. Board and Slabe’s songs are good, especially Sam’s “I Manage,” David’s sweet “By the Book,” and the full company number “Tech,” which shows the technical rehearsal before the play opens. But several of the songs merely peer into the characters’ inner lives and motivations, which is interesting, I suppose, but in most cases doesn’t cover anything that the book and the actors themselves haven’t conveyed.

In addition, it’s worth noting that the most hilarious portion of the musical, the actual performance of Austentatious has no musical numbers, other than the dance-off.

Acting is solid throughout the production, with particularly good work by Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Stephen Bel Davies, and Paul Wyatt.

Austentatious, like most of the musicals in the festival, shares its space with other productions. Given that limitation, set designer Jesse Poleshuck and lighting designer Jeff Croiter do an excellent job. Also commendable is Sarah Maiorino’s costume design. The costumes for the play within the play were marvelous, and the street clothes worn by the actors seemed to fit each one’s personality to a tee.

Austentatious is a fun musical with a few flaws that might bother critics, but probably won’t interfere with your enjoyment of the show. It’s well worth a look.

Music and Lyrics by Matt Board and Joe Slabe
Book by Matt Board, Jane Caplow, Kate Galvin, Luisa Hinchliff, and Joe Slabe
Directed by Mary Catherine Burke
Musical Director: Matt Castle
Choreographer: Rhonda Miller
Asst. Choreographer: Jennifer Littlefield
Stage Manager: Leah McVeigh
ASM/Prop Master: Marianne Ward
Scenic Design: Jesse Poleshuck
Lighting Design: Jeff Croiter
Lighting Programmer: Ku’uipo Curry
Costume Design: Sarah Maiorino
Costume Assistant: Elizabeth Ektefaei
Technical Supervisor: Nathan Watson
Set Construction: No Time for Love Productions, Ken Larson Company
Publicity: Sun Productions, Inc.
Producing Consultant: David Carpenter

Featuring Lisa Asher (Jessica), Stephen Bel Davies (Dominic), Stephanie D’Abruzzo (Sam), Amy Goldberger (Lauren), George Merrick (David), Stacey Sargeant (Emily), Paul Wyatt (Blake)

Featured Musicians: Matt Castle (Piano), Christopher Downes (Bass), Michael Klopp (Drums)

Julia Miles Theater
424 W. 55th Street

Closes Sunday, September 29th

Review – The Brain From Planet X (Kritzerland, Inc. and the New York Musical Theatre Festival)

Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison

Science fiction films from the ’50s and ’60s have provided marvelous fodder for parodists. Their bright-eyed optimism, cheesy special effects and unabashed anticommunist messages seem to be especially fertile ground – witness such shows as Little Shop of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Zombie Prom, and Reefer Madness (okay, not technically sci fi based, but it has the right vibe). Also consider Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show created to mock these over-earnest, over-acted films.

For The Brain From Planet X, writers Bruce Kimmel and David Wechter have created a show that is, at its best, a kitschy send-up of those sci fi groaners. Unfortunately, due primarily to a weak book, static direction by Kimmel, some lame borscht belt one-liners and sight gags, and a rather uncomfortable audience participation segment, the show never really lives up to its full potential.

The Brain From Planet X, predictably, deals with an invasion from outer space. It’s 1958 and aliens have set their sights on the San Fernando Valley. They won’t stop until all mankind is enslaved. The Brain (Barry Pearl), with sidekicks Yoni (Alet Taylor) and Zubrick (Cason Murphy) in tow, has the ultimate weapon, a Mind-Bending Ray, that saps the will from anyone who gets zapped by it. Only the Bunson family - good, upstanding, God-fearing Americans - stand in their way. Can the Bunsons stop the invasion and save mankind? Probably. But it’s the how and when that make it fun.

The show is certainly not without its charms. Foremost among these are Bruce Kimmel’s delightful songs. The opening number “The Brain from Planet X” gets the show off to a rousing start, aided by some able choreography by Adam Cates. Kimmel shows good range throughout the show with such songs as “Good Girl/Bad Girl,” “The World of Tomorrow,” his ironic look at the future from the standpoint of the ’50s, the fun and Sondheim-styled “Things Are Gonna Be Changing Around Here,” a duet featuring Amy Bodnar and Rob Evan, and the wild, though totally inappropriate for the show, “The Brain Tap,” a tap dance number which sounds like it could easily find a home in The Drowsy Chaperone.

Even the book has its moments. The role of the Narrator (played with mock seriousness by Benjamin Clark) is spot on. From his notice that a nurse is standing by to assist those whose constitutions might too weak for a show this terrifying to his explanation of the wonder of Feel-O-Rama (a brilliant touch by Kimmel and Wechter), he pokes fun at the terrific excesses of these films. Indeed, when the dialogue is following or even slightly mocking the overwrought dialogue from the ’50s films, it works. It’s when the show veers toward total camp, cheesy one-liners, and novelty songs that it loses steam.

Even when the book doesn’t come through, the acting goes a long way toward making up for it. Of particular note are Merrill Grant as Donna Bunson, the good girl who really wants to be bad, Alet Taylor as the man-hungry space alien, Yoni. The pixyish Grant shows off her athletic ability and comic timing in “Good Girl/Bad Girl,” while trying her best to seduce her beatnik boyfriend (Paul Downs Colaizzo). Taylor shines at several points, most notably during her song “I Need An Earthman.” Chad Harlow deserves praise for his work as Private Partz, a non-speaking role that he plays with much aplomb. A mere roll of his eyes is enough to get the audience laughing.

Also worth noting is the herculean effort put forth by Barry Pearl as the Brain. Covered from neck to feet by a black sheath and wearing a gigantic brain helmet (one of many wonderful costumes designed by Jessa-Raye Court) so he appears to be a giant floating brain, he nonetheless manages to be dynamic and amusing.

The Brain From Planet X has its share of flaws, but if you are a fan of the old sci fi movies it sends up, or just want to enjoy some good music, it’s worth checking out. If you have a low tolerance for cheesy one-liners, this one probably isn’t for you.

Book by David Wechter and Bruce Kimmel
Music and Lyrics by Bruce Kimmel
Directed by Bruce Kimmel
Choreographed by Adam Cates
Scenic Design: Heather Wolensky
Costume Design: Jessa-Raye Court
Lighting Design: Jason Scott
Sound Designer: Sara Even
Orchestrations: Larry Moore
Additional Vocal and Dance Arrangements: Lawrence Goldberg
Technical Director: Travis Walker
Stage Manager: Rachel Maier
Music Direction/Conductor: Lawrence Goldberg
Casting: Michael Cassara Casting
Publicist: Sun Productions, Inc.
General Management: Martian Entertainment, Carl D. White, Lauren P. Yates

Featuring Amy Bodnar (Joyce Bunson), Benjamin Clark (Narrator/Professor Leder), Paul Downs Colaizzo (Rod), Rob Evan (Fred Bunson), Merrill Grant (Donna Bunson), Chad Harlow (Private Partz/Ensemble), Joe Jackson (Ensemble), Naomi Kakuk (Ensemble), Cason Murphy (Zubrick), Denise Payne (Ensemble), Barry Pearl (The Brain), Richard Pruitt (General Mills), Alet Taylor (Yoni), Erin Webley (Ensemble), Steven Wenslawski (Ensemble)

Featured Musicians: Lawrence Goldberg (Keyboard 1), Brian Cimmet (Keyboard 2), Greg Thymius (Reeds), Marc Schmied (Bass), Aaron Russell (Drums)

Acorn Theatre
410 W. 42nd Street

Closes Sunday, September 30th, see www.nymf.org for schedule and tickets