FRIGID New York Interview - Kirsten Stephens of "iMime, There's An App For That"

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Kirsten Stephens

Show: iMime, There's An App For That

Website: LaughingNomadProductions.com

Kirsten Stephens studied for three years with world-renowned Marcel Marceau in Paris, France and graduated from his school in 1997.  Following graduation from l’Ecole International de Mimodrame de Marcel Marceau, she toured France and Europe with the company Mime de Rien, a group she and four of her classmates formed. Upon returning to the US, Kirsten moved to Minneapolis to continue training and performing with the MargolisBrown Co. before teaming up with Dean Hatton in 2002 with whom she has created and performed numerous shows for festivals, universities and a steadily growing fan base. Kirsten is eager to re-introduce this art of theatrical minimalism to a new generation, with a few updated tweaks. Call it Mime 2.0.

What’s your show about?

Inspired by irretrievable hours sucked into Angry Birds, YouTube, and deciphering privacy settings. Each “app” opens a window into the bizarre, addictive, and sometimes surprisingly human things we follow, share and become with our gadgets. iMime tells the stories of our lives, both real and virtual, through stylized, poetic movement.

What inspired you to write it?

Mime is an art form I love, though it is not well known.  When it is done well, it is magical.

Who else is involved with the show?

Just me.

Who is your dream audience for this show?

Smart phone addicts, like me!

Who are your biggest influences?

Marcel Marceau, Red Skelton, Etienne Decroux, Buster Keaton, French and Saunders (a British duo)

What other shows are you planning to see at FRIGID?

Losing My Religion, Bathtub Jen and the Henchmen, A Day in The Life of Miss Hiccup, and as many others as I can.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

I will be performing and teaching in Kansas City, then working on a collaboration with a couple other mimes in LA.

Lightning round

Paper or plastic? Paper

Comedy or drama? Comedy

Beach or mountains? Ouch! Uh… beach!

Black box or proscenium?  Black box

Glee or Smash?  Smash, because it's what the Hulk does.

Cats or dogs?  Cats

Musical or straight play? Depends who's singing.

iMime, There's An App For That plays at Under St. Marks on the following dates:

Feb 21, 5:30 PM
Feb 23, 6:50 PM
Feb 24, 2:05 PM
Feb 25, 10:15 PM
Mar 02, 12:30 PM

“The Pilo Family Circus” - Where Horror and Despair Brilliantly Walk Hand-In-Hand

By Judd Hollander

Photos: Sean Dooley

Lawrence Jansen as
Gonko The Clown

Godlight Theatre Company goes for a wild run to the dark side with their unsettling and rather macabre presentation of The Pilo Family Circus. Based on the novel by Will Elliott and powerfully adapted by Matt Pelfrey, the play chronicles the journey of Jamie (Nick Paglino), a man in a dead end job who, after nearly running down a mysterious figure one dark night, finds to his surprise that said person is actually a circus clown-- complete with makeup, costume, clown shoes and a balloon--named Gonko (Lawrence Jansen). Gonko's words, however, are anything but welcoming. Seeing something special in Jamie, Gonko presents him with a gift before vanishing. Soon Jamie begins to have strange dreams about the clown and others like him; dreams which begin to manifest themselves in reality. Not long after, Jamie and his roommate and fellow slacker Steve (Craig Peterson) are kidnapped by Gonko and his crew and taken to a sort of surreal location in another dimension where the clowns have their home base - the strange and faction-divided Pilo Family Circus. A place complete with fortune tellers, magicians, acrobats and other circus performers.

The circus is run by the feuding Pilo brothers - Kurt (Gregory Konow) a being over 10 feet tall, and George, a tiny marionette who's always accompanied by his mild-mannered accountant, Roger (Brett Glass). The circus often sets up shop in the real world, luring unsuspecting costumers into see their various routines. Ones which are not at all what the uninitiated expect. Initially Jamie resists becoming a part of this clown entourage, first trying desperately to wake up from what he considers to a dream, and later trying to escape from wherever he is, but Gonko and his cronies have other ideas. Soon Jamie finds himself being transformed into the evil clown JJ, who becomes even more terrifying than Gonko and his crew expect, and who would like nothing better than to destroy all traces of Jamie's existence.

The play presents a fascinating look at the dark side of human nature and the monsters hidden deep in one's soul and just beyond the warmth of the bedroom nightlight, waiting patiently in the darkness. As JJ becomes ever stronger and Jamie learns his connection to the circus stretches much further into his past than he ever realized, the story becomes not so much a battle between good and evil but rather a bleak look at the not-so-innocent trying to survive in world gone mad. It's a place where freedom is taboo, where everyone suffers and evil can only be temporarily held in abeyance, but never totally destroyed or defeated. Especially not by the faint, flickering light of hope occasionally trying to illuminate the darkness.

Director Joe Tantalo should be especially commended for staging the story with just enough elements to give it a familiar circus feel, yet at the same time keeping things dark enough to allow the horror of the unexpected and unexplained to come through full force. He also nicely handles the smaller moments of the piece. Such as the yin and yang relationship of the feuding Pilo brothers; and the marriage between one of the clowns and a plant, something which is far more tragic than funny; guiding these instances with the same even hand used when presenting the overt sexual outbursts that spew forth from several of the circus inhabitant's mouths.

Paglino makes for an interesting if not totally relatable Jamie. A man who used to drift through life, he finds himself longing for the monotony of his former existence now that it's been taken from him. Though the more things change, the more they ultimately stay the same, as he eventually finds out.

Michael Shimkin as Goshy the Clown
Gregory Konow as Kurt Pilo
and Nick Paglino as Jamie

Jansen is great as Gonko, with Chris Cipriano, Jarrod Zayas and Michael Shimkin all working well as his demented sidekicks. Having no real grounding in reality, these fellows are free to be as over the top and as evil as they need. Which, given the circumstances presented, ring totally true. Other memorable turns come from Dre Davis as the mysterious fortune teller; Glass as a half-man, half-fish creature; and Michael Tranzilli as the stalwart "oldster" clown Winston, who just may hold the key to Jamie's escape. Special mention must also go to Konow for effortlessly standing on some rather large stilts for most of the show.

The costumes by Orli Nativ are wonderful to look at, especially the clown outfits. All of which are nicely bright and garish, as befitting the characters in question. The lighting and sound effects, by Maruti Evans and Ien DeNio respectively, are also superb.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, or for young children prone to nightmares, The Pilo Family Circus looks at the darkness of the soul from the outside in, with Godlight taking the raw materials present and ramming them home for maximum effect.

The Pilo Family Circus

Featuring: Nick Paglino (Jamie/JJ the Clown), Lawrence Jansen (Gonko the Clown), Michael Tranzilli (Winston the Clown), Chris Cipriano (Rufshod the Clown), Jarrod Zayas (Doopy the Clown), Michael Shimkin (Goshy the Clown), Gregory Konow (Kurt Pilo), Brett Glass (Richard/George Pilo and Roger the Accountant/Mugabo the Magician/Fishboy/Carnie), Craig Peterson (Steve/Sven the Acrobat), Dre Davis (Svetlana/Enzo the Acrobat/Shalice/Carnie), Jenny Stulberg (Randolph the Acrobat/Carnie)

Lighting Design: Maruti Evans

Fight Choreography: Rick Sordelet

Masks: Brendan Tay and the Puppet Kitchen

Production Stage Manager: Megan Miller-McKeever

Press Rep: David Gibbs/DARR Publicity

Choreography: Maiysha Cade + Michael Blackmon

Sound Design: Ien DeNio

Costume Design: Orli Nativ

Dramaturg: Christina Hurtado-Pierson

Presented by The New Oho Theatre

154 Christopher Street

Tickets: 212-868-4444 or www.smarttix.com

Information: www.NewOhioTheatre.org

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes, no intermission

Closes: February 23, 2013

“Clive” - A dark human drama without the humanity

By Judd Hollander

Photos: Monique Carboni

The New Group presents a powerful look at one man's hedonistic descent into self-destruction with Clive, now at Theatre Row Studios.

Based on, inspired by and stolen from the German version of Bertolt Brecht's Baal -written in 1918 and retold here by Jonathan Marc Sherman - as noted in the press notes, Ethan Hawke directs and stars as the title character, a man who is basically a walking train wreck. A struggling New York musician who lives in a seventh floor walk-up, attempts to get his career going are continually stifled by his excesses of sex, drugs and alcohol. His having an affair with the wife of the man who might have become his music producer was also probably not a good idea. In short order Clive takes one woman after another into his bed, all the while snorting cocaine off everything from a woman's breast to his own guitar.

One can safely state that Clive is a totally despicable character in every way, yet for some unknown reason, women fall all over themselves to please him, to be with him and ultimately fall in love with him. Yet he feels nothing in these encounters but his own need for pleasure and release. Or does he in reality feel something so deep one can only catch a fleeting glimmer of it? He does at rare moments display a moment of regret, though it quickly vanishes, if it were ever actually there in the first place. It's this aspect of not knowing which makes the story and character so interesting, as one tries to make sense of what is presented.

It's also not only the ladies who wind up permanently hurt by Clive's actions. Rather, just about everyone whose path he crosses winds up damaged, such as Joey (Aaron Krohn), an earnest fellow who ends up becoming a drunk in his own right, at least part of that end game having to do with Clive's encounter with Joanna (Zoe Kazan), Joey's once-virginal girlfriend. Clive's one true friend is the mysterious Doc (wonderfully played by Vincent D'Onofrio), a big burly enigma of man who at one point almost seems to embody the darker side of Clive, if such a thing is possible, continually urging his friend to go deeper and deeper into the moral abyss.

This running theme of reaping what one sows also serves to undo the play somewhat, as there is no emotional or intellectual connection offered as a means to get inside Clive's head and see just what is driving him. It's a problem that also hinders other character development of the play time and again. So while the production in itself is quite interesting, said interest comes from watching what happens and seeing how far Clive can go, rather than caring at all about just where he or the others in the play end up. Thus the story becomes more vicariously powerful than anything more meaningful.

Hawke does do a great job as Clive, portraying someone whose life has been spiraling out of control long before the show began. Directorially, Hawke keeps the action moving and the information imparted interesting enough, where just as one thinks events can't get any worse, they do. However, as mentioned above, having a little more emotional connection with Clive would have made the play work better. Whether this is a problem that lies solely with Hawke's interpretation and direction, or in Sherman's adaptation of the original tale, or in the original tale itself is open to question. The show does a good job in setting events in no particular point in time--it supposedly takes place in the 1990s, but could actually be happening pretty much anywhere over the last 35 years or so.

The rest of the actors, most of whom play multiple roles, all do quite well. Kazan is effective as the innocent yet questioning Joanna, while Krohn offers a somber look at his own moral collapse - going from a seemingly principled young man to what is essentially another Clive in training. D'Onofrio is excellent as the stranger that is Doc, a person who offers far more questions than answers and who latches onto Clive with a figurative death grip, one which Clive eventually learns to embrace. So much so that Clive tries to destroy Doc's own little moments of personal happiness. Kazan is also particularly poignant as Sophie, a woman who, like all the others should run as far away from Clive as she can, but who also like all others is captivated by the mysterious magnetism that Clive exudes and finds she cannot leave, nor does she want to.

The various sets by Derek McLane nicely fit the atmosphere of play and the sound design by Shane Rettig works well.

An interesting piece to be sure, Clive presents a fascinating tale of one human being's destruction and degradation, without really including the human factor in the equation. A choice which has both its pluses and minuses in the finished product.

Clive

By Jonathan Marc Sherman

Directed by Ethan Hawke

Featuring: Brooks Ashmanskas (2nd Man), Vincent D'Onofrio (Doc) Ethan Hawke (Clive), Stephanie Janssen (1st Woman), Mahira Kakkar (2nd Woman), Zoe Kazan (3rd Woman), Aaron Krohn (1st Man), Dana Lyn (4th Woman), Jonathan Marc Sherman (3rd Man)

Set: Derek McLane

Costumes: Catherine Zuber

Lighting: Jeff Croiter

Sound: Shane Rettig

Music & Sound Sculpture: Gaines

Assistant Director: Marie Master, Sam Creely

Fight Director: David Anzuelo

Production Supervisor: Peter R. Feuchtwanger, PRF Productions

Production Stage Manager: Valerie A. Peterson

Casting: Judy Henderson, C.S.A.

Public Relations: Bridget Klapinski, Seven17 PR

Presented by The New Group

Acorn Theatre

Theatre Row Studios

Actor theatre

410 West 42nd Street

Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com

Information: www.thenewgroup.org

Closes: March 9, 2013

Running Time: 1 Hour, 45 minutes, no intermission

“Fiorello!” - An interesting political tale

By Judd Hollander

Photo by Joan Marcus

The Encores! series at New York City Center goes back to its beginnings with a production of Fiorello! (book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick), a 1983 presentation of which launched Encores! two decades ago. Telling the story of New York City 's first three-term mayor, Fiorello H. LaGuardia (Danny Rutigliano), also known as "The Little Flower", the musical won the Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama when it first premiered on Broadway in 1959. The current production, which recently finished its seven performance run, offered an enjoyable if not altogether stellar rendition of the tale.

After a brief 1933 prologue, the musical flashes back to 1912 where a young and feisty LaGuardia is working as a lawyer, helping the city's downtrodden, i.e. the immigrants, sweatshop workers and the like, while railing about the injustices and corruption that are rampant in the New York political system. Convincing Ben Marino (Shuler Hensley), the local Republication political boss, to give him the nomination for the city's 14th congressional district, a district long controlled by the infamous Tammany Hall, and a seat no Republican has ever won, LaGuardia scores an upset victory. He then proceeds to live up to his mantra of sticking to his principles, especially when he feels he's in the right, no matter whose feathers he may ruffle. This becomes evident when he helps enact the Draft Act as the U.S. heads into World War One, LaGuardia himself enlisting to join those he helped send to war. With his star on the rise, LaGuardia also finds time to marry Thea (Kate Baldwin), one of the striking women he encounters on the picket line, much to the consternation of his long-suffering secretary Marie (Erin Dilly), who has long carried a torch for her boss.

Fiorello! is both a love story, (several in fact) and an enjoyable satire on the world of politics. In the latter case, the number "Politics and Poker" sung by Ben and his cronies is both hilarious and telling. It's also interesting to see a Republican painted as a crusading reformer working for the people while the Democrats are the ones neck deep in corruption. However the musical is also rather dated and often lacks the urgency needed to really make the story shine. Not only does the entire work feels like a nostalgia piece, but it also never really gives one a sense that it's actually taking place in the time and era depicted.

A dynamic and forceful presence, Rutigliano is competent enough as LaGuardia, but there is not that much of an emotional connection to the man portrayed, making one feel more a passive viewer to what is going on rather than an active participant. Hensley on the other hand makes for a wonderful political boss, while Andrew Samonsky and Adam Heller are good as LaGuardia's loyal assistants--Samonsky having an excellent singing voice and Heller providing some nice comic relief. Baldwin is fine as LaGuardia's wife and Dilly is rather endearing as Marie. Also quite enjoyable are Jenn Gambatese and Jeremy Bobb in a subplot that starts off sweetly and provides an interesting counterpoint to the main plotline. Sadly, these two characters are suddenly dropped in the middle of the second act which results in their story being more than a little unfinished.

The score by Bock and Harnick is wonderful and is probably the main reason to see the show in the first place. In addition to the afore-mentioned "Politics and Poker", another good number is the wry "The Bum Won", sung in the wake of LaGuardia's first Congressional victory. Other highlights include the very lovely "I Love A Cop", sung by Gambatese; "Marie's Law", a great piece combining the topics of politics and matrimony, as sung by Dilly and Heller; and the haunting ballads "When Did I Fall In Love" and "The Very Next Man", sung by Baldwin and Dilly respectively. Elsewhere, Emily Skinner does a nice job with "Gentleman Jimmy", a political song about James J. Walker, LaGuardia's opponent in the New York Mayoral Race. It's a song which doesn't do much to move the plot along but it's very nicely staged and fun to watch.

The Encores! production also boasts a new song by Bock and Harnick, according to the show program, one added at a pivotal emotional point for LaGuardia. Sung by Rutigliano, it includes some rather pointed political musings about how the voters can get swept off their feet by a politician who's more style than substance, and how those voters must then pay the price for the choices they make at the ballot box.

Direction by Gary Griffin works well, keeping the story moving nicely with no feeling of extra padding or lag time. The Encores! Orchestra under the direction of Rob Berman is excellent as always.

Fiorello! makes for a fun time at the theatre and even though this just finished Encores! production was not all that spectacular, it was still nice to see the company look back on where they started as they start getting ready for the next 20 years of presenting forgotten or overlooked musicals to a new generation of theatregoers.

Fiorello!

Featuring: Rob Gallagher (Announcer), Danny Rutigliano (Fiorello LaGuardia), Andrew Samonsky (Neil), Adam Heller (Morris), Richard Ruiz (Mr. Lopez), Cheryl Stern (Mrs. Pomerantz), Ray DeMattis (Mr. Zappatella), Jenn Gambatese (Dora), Erin Dilly (Marie), Shuler Hensley (Ben Marino), Justin Barnette, Rob Gallagher, Kevin Ligon, Steve Routman, Nathaniel Stampley, Kevin Vortmann (Political Hacks), Christine DiGiallonardo (Nina), Meggie Cansler (Sophie), Jeremy Bobb (Floyd McDuff), Kate Baldwin (Thea), Steve Routman (Senator), Justin Barnette (Chadwick), Kevin Ligon (Judge Carter), Steve Routman (Commissioner), Rob Gallagher (Politician), Alison Jantzie (Chorus Girl), Emily Skinner (Mitzi Travers), Rau DeMattis (Frankie Scarpini), Nathaniel Stampley (Reporter), Kevin Vortmann (Frantic Man), Justin Barnette, Meggie Cansler, Ray DeMattis, Christine DiGiallonardo, Yurel Echezarreta, Leah Edwards, Rob Gallagher, Jordan Fife Hunt, Alison Jantzie, Lizzie Klemperer, Kevin Ligon, Lauralyn McClelland, Rebecca Robbins, Adam Rogers, Steve Routman, Richard Ruiz, Lainie Sakakura, Tommy Scrivens, Carly Blake Sebouhian, Nathaniel Stampley, Cheryl Stern, Kevin Vortmann (Shirtwaist Factory Strikers, Hecklers, Soldiers, Politicians, Newsreel Voices, Chorus Girls, Bodyguards & New Yorkers)

Book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott

Music by Jerry Bock

Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

Original production presented by Robert E. Griffith & Harold S. Prince

Scenic Consultant: John Lee Beatty

Costume Consultant: Jess Goldstein

Lighting Designer: Ken Billington

Sound Designer: Scott Lehrer

Concert Adaptation: John Weidman

Music Coordinator: Seymour Red Press

Original Orchestrations by Irwin Kostal

Orchestrations: ("The Name's LaGuardia - Reprise") Larry Blank

General Management Services: Over-Sky Productions

Production Stage Manager: Tripp Phillips

Casting: Jay Binder/Jason Styres

Choreography: Alex Sanchez

Featuring: The Encores! Orchestra

Music Director: Rob Berman

Associate Music Director: Ben Whiteley

Assistant Music Director: Josh Clayton

Directed by Gary Griffin

Encores!

New York City Center

151 West 55th Street

January 30 - February 3rd, 2013 (Closed)

“A Civil War Christmas”- A Yuletide Tale with a Sobering Backdrop

By Judd Hollander

It's not easy to combine the intimate with the epic, but playwright Paula Vogel has done just that with A Civil War Christmas, now at New York Theatre Workshop. Set in and around Washington, D.C. and told in the style of a sweeping tableau, the story looks at various individuals on both sides of the American Civil War, along with those caught in between, on a cold Christmas Eve in 1864.

Among those portrayed are President Abraham Lincoln (Bob Stillman) who is so preoccupied with matters of state he almost forgets a Christmas present for his wife; said wife Mary Todd Lincoln (Alice Ripley) still grieving for the death of her son two years earlier and who is prone to sudden mood swings; Hannah (Amber Iman), a runaway slave trying to head north with her young daughter Jessa (Sumaya Bouhbal); Decatur Bronson (K. Todd Freeman), a free man of color carrying a deep bitterness against those responsible for the fate of his wife; Raz (Rachel Spencer Hewitt), a young Virginia boy eager to join up with the Confederate Army; Ward Hill Lamon (Sean Allan Krill), the President's chief of security, determined to protect his boss from an assassin's bullet; Elizabeth Keckley (Karen Kandel) a Negro seamstress who lost her son to the war and who is trying to finish multiple holiday orders while also providing some joy for those less fortunate than herself; and John Wilkes Booth (Krill) who, with his associates, has some very special plans for Mr. Lincoln this night.

As the various stories are played out, sometimes with great detail, sometimes with no more than a few lines, the narrative quickly takes hold, drawing one into the time period depicted. Told on basically a bare stage, the cast, all of whom play multiple roles, - including acting as narrators and effortlessly switching from one part to the next - are able to make the story come alive, helping to create both a sense of place and allowing the various characters to seem real quite real. While many of those shown have different pasts, purposes and outcomes, none feel phony or forced; all coming across naturally via the dialogue and performances delivered.

The show is also helped by a generous selection of period music, including Christmas tunes, folksongs (i.e. "Follow the Drinking Gourd"), and military and patriotic tunes of the day. All of which help to illuminate the era shown and give one an idea of the amount of research that apparently went into this project.

At times however Vogel does seem too close to her material, getting a bit preachy here and there, such when she tries to draw a parallel about government taking care of its citizens to the present day economic situation, and there are a few moments in act two that tend to be a bit on the cutesy side. Additionally, there are a few scenes that would have worked better spoken instead of sung, and also possibly edited a bit (such as when the characters search for Jessa and the final outcome in that regard), but for the most part, the show works very well indeed. Not surprisingly, the smaller and quieter moments have the most emotional impact, rather than the more sprawling scenes. There's also some interesting historical information tossed in. Such as how back then one could simply walk up to the White House, knock on the door and ask to see the President - a practice long gone. There's also a nice bookend to the piece with three men at the beginning and end of the show, different characters each time, reflecting and reminiscing during a quiet moment as they wait for what the next day will bring.

Tina Landau's direction is very good, helping to move the story from one setting to another with ease, with no abrupt break during transitions. The entire cast is excellent, with Stillman doing a good job as Lincoln and Ripley powerfully putting a relatable face to the mentally and emotionally tormented Mary. Other standouts include Bouhbal as Jessie, Iman as Hannah, Kandel as Keckley and Krill in various parts - from Booth and Lamon to Generals Robert E. Lee and William Tecumseh Sherman.

Costumes by Toni-Leslie James are all nicely done, and the choice of having period photographs on the wall of the theatre is a nice touch.

A touching if sometimes overlong tale, A Civil War Christmas presents a sweeping story of the many different people touched by war, as well as the innate goodness, depths of pain and demands of revenge that they carry inside.

A Civil War Christmas

Featuring: Sumaya Bouhbal (Jessa, Little Joe and others), K. Todd Freeman (Decatur Bronson, James Wormley and others), Chris Henry (Chester Saunders, Ulysses S. Grant, John Surratt and others), Rachel Spencer Hewitt (Raz, Mary Surratt and others), Antwayn Hopper (Walker Lewis, Jim Wormley and others), Amber Iman (Hannah, Rose, Mrs. Thomas and others), Jonathan-David (Ely Parker, Silver, Frederick Wormley, Mosey Levy and others), Karen Kandel (Elizabeth Keckley, Willy Mack and others), Sean Allan Krill (Robert E. Lee, William Tecumseh Sherman, John Wilkes Booth and others), Alice Ripley (Marry Todd Lincoln, Lewis Payne and others), Bob Stillman (Abraham Lincoln, Raider and others)

Written by Paula Vogel

Musical Supervision and Arrangements: Daryl Waters

Musical Director: Andrew Resnick

Scenic Design: James Schuette

Costume Design: Toni-Leslie James

Lighting Design: Scott Zielinski

Sound Design: Jill BC Du Boff

Incidental Music: Daryl Waters

Dialect Coach: Deborah Hecht

Production Stage Manager: Lori Lundquist

Directed by Tina Landau

New York Theatre Workshop

70 East 4th Street

Information: www.nytw.org

Closed: December 30, 2012

Running Time, Two Hours, 30 Minutes, with one intermission

Interview - Nick Lawson of "Collision"

By Byrne Harrison

Nick Lawson is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and a long-time member of The Amoralists. He studied Commedia Dell’Arte, Burlesque and Vaudeville in France with John Rudlin, in Italy at Antonio Fava’s International School of Physical Comedy, and at The American Mime Theater in New York. His past credits include The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side, Happy in the Poorhouse, Amerissiah, Ghosts in the Cottonwoods, The Hallway Trilogy, Squealer, HotelMotel, and The Bad and the Better.  He is currently appearing in Lyle Kessler's Collision at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.

First, Nick, I'd like to thank you for taking time for this interview.  I believe this is the fifth Amoralists production I've seen you in, and I'm excited to hear about your work with the company.

How did you first get involved with The Amoralists?

I went to the American Academy of Arts a couple of years before the founding members did (Matt, James, and Derek). I met Derek first, when I was cast with him and Sarah Lemp in a play up at 78 Street Theater Lab, called Seven Stories. So I knew Derek first as an actor. Actually, Sarah was in the company at school right before me and I saw her in a showcase there. She was the first person I ever saw perform in New York and I thought to myself, wow, I’d like to work with her. I've worked with her now probably more than I've worked with anyone else other than James. Anywho, I ran into Derek at a movie theater a couple months after the show had ended and he told me he had written a play with a character in it that needed to look young and since I have a baby face (I still play 17 year olds and I’m 29), he wondered if I’d be available. I said yes and he sent me this really bizarre play called While Chasing the Fantastic (I played the ghost of a fetus named Justice) and we did it at the Kraine and nobody came, but we just kept doing it, and Derek wrote this play called Pied Pipers of The Lower East Side and I’m still here. First acting member to join.

Tell me a little about Collision.

It’s a play about lost people who find each other and do a lot of damage. It’s about family and neediness and how people control each other out of love as well as selfishness. It’s about microcosmic tyranny and how potent it can be.

How does it compare to the other work you've done with company?

We usually do classic two-act kitchen sink dramas - I never understood why people called us avant-garde. Derek writes in a very classic Aristotelian way, and so does Adam Rapp in a sense: no scene changes really, just full steam ahead in real time. The Bad and The Better was a departure from this: using vignettes and time change and so forth. This play is more in that vein: character arcs are rapid and intense - the motif is less grounded and more abstract. We don’t really know where the college [where Collision is set] is, etc. Our other plays are specifically grounded in different locals around New York City. There’s something almost alienating, Brechtian (to be pretentious) about this one- a fine line runs between the real and the allegorical. 

The night I saw Collision, I was amazed at the number of people who stood outside the theatre afterwards discussing the show with friends or even strangers.  What do you think it is about the show that makes people so eager to discuss and work through it?

Oy vey. It touches on a lot of controversial topics and people want to talk about those kinds of things - it’s not the kind of play that satisfies-its meant to stir up shit and upset. You either hate it or are confused or maybe you love it… I don’t know. It’s all so bloody subjective.

You play a college student named Bromley.  I found it fascinating to watch your character's interactions with his roommate Grange, played by James Kautz.  I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but the relationship radically changes Bromley.  What do you think would have happened to him if he had never met Grange?

Faded away? Gone on to great things? I wish I knew.

Collision is a pretty intense play.  What was the rehearsal process like?

Intense. Ever changing. Best idea in the room wins kind of things. There were lots of re-writes and re-arranging, and debating and sitting around and thinking aloud. It was very fun. All new plays are challenging and stressful and really hard and fun to make. It’s a serious group effort.

What has it been like working with Kautz, Anna Stromberg, Michael Cullen and Craig 'muMs' Grant?

I have spent thousands upon thousands of hours with James on stage. He is like an older brother and we have gone through a lot of shit together. Being a part of a small theater company is like being a part of a gang (without the profit motive), so we are very tight and our work together is very instinctual. Michael had been in the biz for along time and I've learned a lot from his poise-he is a very confident, relaxed guy and I’m always stressed out and he is always reminding me to have fun and not take myself too seriously. MuMs is one of the most fascinating individuals I have ever met, and we instantly clicked. He’s an older cat with a lot of wisdom and love and intense creative energy and the gods were very kind for getting mixed up with the Amoralists. I saw Anna Stromberg years ago in Dracula at the Academy and I told the guys, “yo, you gotta check this girl out, she’s the real deal kinda thing”, and she has been an incredible addition to the company. Anna is an actors actor to the top degree and she keeps me always wanting to do better. 

What is coming up next for you and The Amoralists?

The Amoralists are doing a new Mark Roberts play, Rantoul and Die, coming up in the spring, and Derek is putting on new play he wrote called The Cheaters Club, which is coming up this fall. As far as I’m concerned, ya never know, I’m an actor, so you know “if you wanna make god laugh, tell him your plans.”

I have a lot of readers who are students.  Do you have any advice for students who are planning a career in theatre?

Work on the craft first and than worry about the other stuff. You can be the hardest worker, networker, industry wiz in the world--it’s important to be savvy--but if you don’t really LOVE the WORK, don’t do it. You need serious patience. It takes time and if you don’t make it your life and your passion and you treat it like a hobby than you’re screwed.

And one question just for fun - do you have a dream role that you would like to perform some day?

I would love to play Baptiste in the yet unwritten theatrical version of the Marcel Carne film Children of Paradise, with Derek Ahonen in the role of Frédérick Lemaître. I hope Derek would write the damn thing some day.


Collision plays through February 17th at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place.  For more information, visit the website.

Mark’s 10 Best (and 2 Worst) Theatre Moments of 2012

By Mark A. Newman

Another year has passed into posterity and since everyone else has been making “Best of” lists, I thought I would get into the act. Thankfully, 2012 saw more hits than misses, more cheers than jeers, more praise than…well you get the idea.

The following is a list of my favorite theatre moments from the last year, as well as a couple of my resounding duds. You will undoubtedly have your own thoughts on what you loved and loathed in 2012 and you should share those in the comments section. Also, feel free to call me stupid, crazy, or simply uninformed; you won’t be the first, or the last!

And here’s what I liked and loathed:

10. Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking

Even though this is a brand new production of the multi-decade, Off-Broadway standby, there’s something about Forbidden Broadway that always takes me back to the first time I saw it in a little theater on the Upper East Side in 1990. This production takes on the usual suspects: Newsies, Ricky Martin in Evita, Follies, and all the other shows that make for ripe parodies. However, this version contains the first spot-on Matthew Broderick impression I have ever seen. Scott Richard Foster deftly skewers Nice Work if You Can Get It with the number “Nice Song If I Could Sing It.” This is one of those shows I could definitely see myself seeing more than once due to the abundance of belly laughs and an impressive cast.

9. Working: The Musical

Speaking of seeing a show more than once, I saw this “revisal” at the tiny Keegan Theatre in Washington D.C. twice. This musicalized mishmash of Studs Terkel’s oral history of everyday working folks should strike a knowing chord with everyone. Theatre enthusiasts know the show’s tortured history despite the stellar talent (Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Craig Carnelia, etc.). The Keegan’s game cast was not particularly “Broadway-caliber” per se but they were affable, talented, and a pleasure to watch. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s two newer contributions were highlights and helped bring the framework and the feel of the show out of the late 1970s. I hate I missed the production in New York at the 59E59 Theatres in December, but when a show has a limited run, you need to act fast. 

8. Now. Here. This. 

To say I was eager to see the gang from [title of show] up to their old tricks again would be an understatement. This crazily charming show at The Vineyard Theatre in New York was just as engaging as the team’s earlier work and felt more like a reunion tour or an unofficial sequel to [title of show], since we’ve already been on one journey with this motley crew. The gist of the show was about living in the moment and appreciating what you have. The fact that the songs were sung and the stories were told by Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, Heidi Blickenstaff, and the insanely hilarious Susan Blackwell made Now. Here. This. a must-see for any true theatre fan. I would be remiss if I did not give special props to Bowen who recounted his high school years of being a closeted gay man who hid behind impressions to fit in. While his Martin Short was awesome, I guffawed to the annoyance of people around me at his Madeline Kahn impression from “Clue,” of all things. The show is no longer with us but the cast recording is. Get. It. Now.

7. The Addams Family Tour

Despite the star power of Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, and Terrence Mann on Broadway, the show landed with a dull thud for me. The tour, however, was fun since this version had an altered book from the mess on Broadway (that whole bit about the love song to the giant octopus is axed, thankfully) and the cast was a hoot to watch. Douglas Sills –whom I had not seen since his star turn in The Scarlet Pimpernel – was a riot as Gomez and Sarah Gettlefinger was purely charming as Morticia. Admittedly, I only saw the tour at the Kennedy Center thanks to a discount via Goldstar.com, but it was more enjoyable than what was full-price in New York, despite the absence of the aforementioned actors as well as Jackie Hoffman and Kevin Chamberlain. If the tour comes to your hometown, don’t miss it. My biggest complaint with the tour is the same as it was with the Broadway production: why was the classic Addams Family TV theme not featured in its entirety? Seems like an opportunity missed.

6. John Lithgow in The Columnist

To see John Lithgow in the title role in David Auburn’s The Columnist was easily one of the biggest treats I had this past year. I’ve always been a fan of Lithgow and haven’t seen him in anything on stage since his tour de force role as Lawrence in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. As famed columnist for The Washington Post Joseph Alsop, Lithgow played the arrogant gadabout with a perfect mix of ego and pathos. Yes, Alsop was a piece of work but he was a lonely man who suffered for his “art,” that of being a newspaper columnist during the Cold War era. While Lithgow fully inhabited the role, there were still the explosions of typical “Lithgowisms” that made this a truly memorable theatrical experience.

5. Prison Dancer: The Musical 

Who would’ve thought that a scrappy little show about a YouTube video would be one of the most entertaining shows I saw all year? Prison Dancer: The Musical’s run at the New York Musical Theatre Festival was sold out through its entire run so I was lucky to snag a single ticket to this hot show. My original review [http://www.stagebuzz.com/search?q=prison+dancer] goes into greater detail about this off, off, off-Broadway gem, but I am amazed and disappointed I haven’t heard anything further about this show, which was clearly a hit at the festival. Luckily the concept album is available and after a recent listen I was reminded as to just how catchy these tunes were. Honestly, it’s the best prison-set musical I’ve ever seen (Sorry, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman!)

4. Evita Revival on Broadway

While there were certainly a number of things to dislike about this production – namely Elena Roger’s caterwauling portrayal of the title character – I found that there was much more to enjoy, especially since I ended up seeing it three times. First, I found Lloyd-Webber’s score performed live utterly entrancing. The only other versions of the show I had seen before were regional tours. In Alabama (“Don’t Y’all Cry for me now Argentina, ya hear?”). So to hear a newly re-orchestrated version performed by a real live orchestra was in itself a treat. Secondly, I loved the sets, lighting, and costumes; I thought they fit the production ideally. Thirdly, I am a Ricky Martin fan, period. So, yeah, that happened. Yes, I know that Ricky Martin is no Mandy Patinkin and personally I’m thankful for that. A little Patinkin goes a long way in my book. The Tony-nominated Michael Cerveris was definitely another highlight of this production as he found the vulnerability in Peron that I hadn’t seen – or heard – in other productions. Plus, it’s a legendary musical that hasn’t been on Broadway in over three decades. It was pure joy to see it live.   

3. Dogfight, the Musical

Based on a little-seen River Phoenix movie from the 1990s, Dogfight: The Musical was one of the most lovely and touching productions of 2012. The show played a limited engagement at the SecondStage Theatre off-Broadway and was truly a revelation, both for leading lady Lindsay Mendez as well as for the composing team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book writer Peter Duchan. Mendez plays the role of Rose, a less-than-gorgeous waitress in San Francisco in the early 1960s. Picked by soldier Eddie Birdlace (Derek Klena) in a game of who can get the ugliest girl, Rose rises above and she and Eddie actually end up spending a tender night together. The pop/rock-flavored score kept the action moving along with Christopher Gatelli’s choreography. Dogfight was one of those many overlooked off-Broadway treasures that ended up being one of the year’s theatrical highlights. 

2. Les Miserables: The 25^th Anniversary Tour

While much has been written of late about the movie version of Les Miserables, lest we forget the show is still very much alive on the stage…just not on Broadway. I actually caught a performance of the 25^th Anniversary Tour at the National Theatre in Washington D.C. the night after I saw the movie for the second time. As much as I enjoy the movie, I have to admit that nothing will EVER replace seeing this show performed live on stage by actors WHO CAN SING AND ACT AT THE SAME TIME! Be warned: this is not the Les Miserables of your childhood; the show has been restaged, re-designed, re-orchestrated, and essentially reborn in a faster-paced production that sometimes seems like the original cast album LP has been sped up to 45 rpm! And to that I say, thank you very much, directors James Powell Laurence Connor! From the opening scene where Jean Valjean (the amazing Peter Lockyer) is in the bowels of a slave ship, you know that this is going to be a very different experience than what you saw in the 1980s or 1990s. Andrew Varela’s Javert is a breath of fresh air and he has the stoic, driving, baritone that we’re used to and that is more suitable for the role than poor Russell Crowe’s warbling. Devin Ilaw as Marius was a champion at playing the young star-crossed revolutionary with equal parts heroism and innocence and Jason Forbach’s Enjolarus soared mightily. It was easy to see why the students would rally around this charismatic leader. Every singer in the 25^th Anniversary Tour is better than those on the silver screen and that should come as no surprise. Not that all of the movie actors were bad, just that all of the tour actors were better, every last one of them. The tour has engagements in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and a variety of other U.S. cities and if you’re in the neighborhood, do yourself a favor and re-acquaint yourself with this show LIVE! 

1. Bring it On: The Musical

First off, let me just stay that In the Heights by Lin-Manual Miranda was the closest to a religious experience I have ever had in the theatre. So the fact that he is one of the major components of Bring it On – along with Tom Kitt and Amanda Green -- had me chomping at the bit to see it. I even considered a seven-hour road trip to Charlotte or a flight to Toronto to take it in. Thankfully the musical planted itself on Broadway for a limited run where I got to see it a couple of times last year. This is one of those rare musicals where I have absolutely nothing negative to say about it. The direction, choreography, acting, dancing, singing, and – most importantly – the score, were all dazzling. Granted, it was hard to be bored by such an energetic cast who spent the majority of the show bouncing all over the stage. But the score works just as well on your iPod – unlike the equally energetic Lysistrata Jones from last season – as it did on the stage. The cast was filled with throngs of young actors – and they were ALL young – making their Broadway debuts, some of them from the professional cheerleading world. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of these kids, especially Taylor Louderman, Adrienne Warren, Ryann Redmond, Jason Gotay, Gregory Haney, and Nicolas Womack. Let’s hope the Tony Committee remembers some of these actors, as well as the show itself, when awards season rolls around. 

…and the 2 Worst of 2012, if not of all time!

2. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia

As I said in my original Stagebuzz.com review [http://www.stagebuzz.com/2012/09/dont-mess-with-texas-best-little.html], this show is just bad. Despite the talent ensconced at Arlington’s Signature Theatre, there was no way to save this dreck. Whorehouse should never, ever be revived. It is easily the worst musical I have ever seen. Well, except for…

1. Leap of Faith: The Musical

Awful, dreadful, and horrid cannot begin to describe this inept production that stunk up the St. James Theatre worse than a train full of vomiting hobos. In fact, recalling this musical actually makes me angry. The only good thing I can say about this debacle was that at least it didn’t take up too much valuable theatre space for too long. I don’t know what I disliked more, the lackluster score by the usually solid Alan Menken or the collecting-a-paycheck-but-would-rather-be-in-ANY-other-show performance by Raul Esparza. Esparza, who is easily one of the brightest lights currently shining in the world of theatre, was woefully miscast as the con artist preacher stuck in the middle of nowhere with his band of cohorts. Seriously, was Esparza blackmailed into the role or did he lose a bet? He had neither the charisma nor the passion to portray the damaged soul the story needed. This would’ve been a role made in heaven for Norbert Leo Butz…that is, had the score had any redeeming tunes (Paging David Yazbek!). Leap of Faith is the absolute worst show I have ever seen on or off Broadway…and I saw Shogun: the Musical, Good Vibrations, Pirate Queen, and Dracula!

2nd Annual Poetic License Festival Runs Through This Weekend

By Byrne Harrison

I was lucky enough to have attended the first Poetic License Festival and was amazed both by the creativity of the participants, and the way they integrated poetry into their works.

This year's festival promises more exciting work by new participants and several of those from last year, including Darian Dauchan, Caroline Rothstein, Takeo Rivera and Eboni Hogan.

The festival is in full swing.  The remaining performances are:

Wednesday January 23rd
6PM   6@6 reading of The Will To Knowledge written by Takeo Rivera

8PM   Breaking Our Silence featuring by Joanna Hoffman, Charan P Morris, Storm Thomas & Elliott D. Smith

Vibrant LGBTQ poets share their experiences of coming out, finding love and crashing through the barriers of shame and silence to emerge into a new world.

Thursday January 24th
6PM   6@6 reading of Love in a Time of Blood Quantum written by Tanaya Winder

8PM   Black Girls Don’t Smile Mosaic in Front of Strangers written by Mahogany L. Browne

Directed by Kamilah Forbes, Featuring choreography and dance by Keomi Tarver, Co-Presented with Hip Hop Theater Festival

Come witness the transformative journey of a woman in the heart/cracked globe of a city where apples, lights and love seek refuge. Where the stereotypes are challenged and blackness finds safety in a woman's smile.

Friday January 25th
6PM   6@6 reading of Braided Sorrow written by Marisela Treviño Orta

8PM   Foreign Bodies written by Eboni Hogan

Directed by Nicole A. Watson, Featuring Eboni Hogan, Samantha Cooper, Ayo Oneké Cummings, Joell Jackson & Teniece Divya Johnson

On a mania-driven trek from NYC to Ghana, poet Eboni Hogan delivers an unflinchingly true testament to the complexities of the fragile mind, the breakable body and the resilient heart.

Saturday January 26th
6PM   6@6 reading of She Who Struggles by LaTonia Phipps

8PM   faith written & performed by Caroline Rothstein

Directed by Alex Mallory, Winner: Oustanding Production of A Solo Show, 2012 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity

One woman's gut-wrenching struggle to cope with the expectations and turmoil of coming of age.

Sunday January 27th
2PM   Foreign Bodies written by Eboni Hogan

Directed by Nicole A. Watson, Featuring Eboni Hogan, Samantha Cooper, Ayo Oneké Cummings, Joell Jackson & Teniece Divya Johnson

On a mania-driven trek from NYC to Ghana, poet Eboni Hogan delivers an unflinchingly true testament to the complexities of the fragile mind, the breakable body and the resilient heart.

6PM   6@6 reading of Untitled conceived by Natalia Duong

8PM   From Table to Stage written & performed by Warrior Writers NYC

Original Veteran writing in a staged, multimedia performance that explores a range of experiences from recruitment to homecoming, from surviving war to the conquest for life.

All performances will take place at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street. Tickets range in price from $5 to $15 and can be purchased at the door on the day of the performance.  For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Poetic Theater website.

"The Great God Pan" - A Powerful Tale about an Uncomfortable Subject

By Judd Hollander

Selective childhood memories and hints of something horrible are explored in Amy Herzog's riveting drama The Great God Pan, now at Playwrights Horizons. 

Jamie (Jeremy Strong) leads a relatively uneventful life. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, has a decent relationship with his live-in therapist girlfriend Paige (Sarah Goldberg), and a cordial one with his New Jersey parents Cathy (Becky Ann Baker) and Doug (Peter Friedman). However his mostly stable existence is completely upended when he meets Frank (Keith Nobbs), a childhood friend whom he hasn't seen in more than 20 years. Frank reveals he was sexually abused by his father when he was very young, and there's the possibility his dad also molested other children during that period, including Jamie. An encounter Jaime, who would have been about five years old at the time, has absolutely no recollection of.

It's this not knowing that forms the crux of the play as Jamie tries to reconstruct memories, feelings and images from that long ago time - such as a scratchy couch - and then have them confirmed by those who were there. People such as his parents, or Polly (Joyce Van Patten), Jamie and Frank's childhood babysitter. While Jamie is attempting to find out if he was actually abused, the emotional stain of such a possibility causes his life to unravel.

Presenting a tightly written story, Herzog adds to the tension by tossing in numerous elements of guilt among the characters, all of which Jamie is forced to confront in his search. Such as from Doug and Cathy who in hindsight were more concerned about their own problems then that of the children involved; and who may have inadvertently put their son in harm's way. There's also Polly who, while she may have thought Frank's dad a bit strange, never considered him capable of what he stands accused of and more importantly, what he has admitted. Things don't get any easier for Jamie when Paige tells him he's going to be a father, a situation he finds himself completely unable to deal with at the current moment.

Strong is perfect as the angst-ridden Jamie. An everyman who never knows more than the audience, he ends up becoming a de facto victim through association rather than fact. In the hands of Strong, Herzog and director Carolyn Canter, Jamie is presented as a totally conflicted soul, one who eventually explodes with rage and anger as he's forced to reevaluate everything and everyone he knew through the prism of these new potential experiences.

Nobbs is deceptively powerful as Frank, someone who appears only briefly in the play, yet his presence is eventually felt by all. In a particularly deft bit of acting, Nobbs is able to instantly turn Frank from a seemingly perennial slacker to a someone who immediately elicits sympathy and compassion.

Goldberg works well as Paige, the actress having the most difficult job in the piece in terms of making her character fit into the story. Not a part of Jamie or Frank's past and initially kept in the dark about this whole situation, Paige finds Jamie becoming more and more distant without knowing the reason why. Yet at the same time she must also think of her own needs and those of her unborn child before deciding if she wants to stay with in her current relationship. 

Baker and Friedman are good as the concerned, if somewhat stereotypical parents, with the news of what may have gone on forcing them to reconsider their relationship with their son. Van Patten is compelling as Polly, a woman struggling with dementia and trying desperately to pierce an ever-growing veil of confusion in order to be able to give both Frank and Jamie the answers they seek. Rounding out the cast is Erin Wilhelmi who turns in an excellent performance as one of Paige's patients; a young woman battling an eating disorder and who, despite Paige's best efforts, may be falling off the recovery wagon.

Cantor's direction is picture perfect, keeping Jamie's search for the truth at the forefront of the tale and allowing the tension to slowly build as Jamie emotionally bottoms out. Jamie's scenes with Frank, which bookend the play, are particularly moving, the two characters playing off each other quite well. The only pacing problem occurs in Goldberg's scenes with Wilhelmi. While those moments are certainly compelling, they also feel somewhat disjointed as they're not part of the main thrust of the play.

Mark Wendland's sets are nicely appropriate, as is the lighting by Japhy Wiedeman, the latter being especially effective in the final scene. Costumes by Kate Voyce are okay.

Tapping into the fear of the unknown and the terror of discovering a dark truth, The Great God Pan is a stimulating and sobering play about hidden memories and the effects they can have when finally uncovered.

The Great God Pan

Featuring: Keith Nobbs (Frank), Jeremy Strong (Jamie), Sarah Goldberg (Paige), Becky Ann Baker (Cathy), Peter Fitzgerald (Doug) Erin Wilhelmi (Joelle), Joyce Van Patten (Polly)

Written by Amy Herzog
Directed by Carolyn Canter
Scenic Design: Mark Wendland
Costume Design: Kaye Voyce
Lighting Design: Japhy Wiedeman
Sound Design: Darron L. West
Casting: Alldaffer, CSA
Press Representative: The Publicity Office
Production Stage Manager: Cole P. Bonenberger
Production Manager: Christopher Boll
Assistant Stage Manager: Marisa Levy

Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42nd Street
Tickets: 212-279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
Information: www.playwrightshorizons.org
Running Time: 85 minutes, no intermission
Closes: January 13, 2013

CD Review: Telly Leung, “I’ll Cover You,” Yellow Sound Label

By Mark A. Newman

Full disclosure: I’m already a fan of this young Broadway stalwart and have been since I first saw him in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures in 2004. So I knew his solo album was on the horizon and I was eagerly anticipating it. The problem with some of these recordings by Broadway favorites is simply that they don’t sound like they did when you saw them in that show that time. Sometimes it’s disappointing (Brian Stokes Mitchell). But sometimes it’s a revelation.

Thankfully, Telly Leung’s “I’ll Cover You,” is indeed a revelation. Anybody who saw Leung in the recent revival of Godspell can attest to his ability to rattle the rafters with one lung tied behind his back. However, on this collection he is accompanied by a jazz combo and he tends to – as so many performers say – “bring it down a notch.” But this notch is definitely Leung’s musical sweet spot.

I’m not saying that the belting – one of Leung’s trademarks – is not present, but it’s not overdone. After all, he’s not on stage selling a scene, he’s in your ear buds selling a song. And it’s well worth the price.

The 13 tunes on the disc is an eclectic treasure trove. There are timeworn standards from the second half of the last century (“In My Life,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “I Can See Clearly Now”) as well Broadway covers one of the most effective of which is “I’ll Cover You” from RENT, a show where Leung played the tragic role of Angel. In the show the song is presented as a rollicking duet between Angel and his new love Collins during the first act. However, in the second act the song is a reprise sung by a mourning Collins at Angel’s memorial. [Oops, spoiler alert.] Leung has opted to take a more melancholy approach. However, instead of being mournful (if you had a heart, your eyes were not dry during the second act reprise in RENT), it has the feel of a quiet celebration of a devoted romance that has either lasted through the ages or is just beginning.

The collection starts off with a rollicking rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet” that truly soars and Leung’s vocal acrobatics are perfectly matched to a tune that celebrates being in crazy love. It is an ideal prelude to what’s to come. His take on the Beatles’ “In My Life” is my favorite rendition since Johnny Cash recorded it late in his career. It’s also my favorite Beatles tune of all time and Leung’s thoughtful interpretation is one of the collection’s many aural pleasures.

His take on “Before the Parade Passes By” puts him in the company of several male singers who’ve adopted this song as of late (it’s even Norm Lewis’ favorite audition song). From the gentle rumbling of the snare drum the arrangement has a driving feel and Leung rejoices and makes the most of this song about being determined not to miss any opportunities that may present themselves. The same is true with oft-recorded “Children Will Listen,” a song that feels like it has even more meaning for the singer due to his work with youngsters. Leung really means what he sings here.

A couple of the tunes are far from typical Broadway vocalist fodder – Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach” and Katy Perry’s “Firework” – both of which come off remarkably well and devoid of camp. One minor quibble was keeping the lyric in “Papa” in its original context, specifically: “’cause I was always your little girl.” Makes you wonder who he’s singing it to. Then again if he was going for a gender-neutral feel then, well, my hat’s off to him. A less popular song from the pop canon is The Indigo Girls’ “Galileo,” a song I’ve never heard before but was immediately charmed by.

I would be remiss if I did not commend the arrangements by Gary Adler and Mary Ann McSweeney. So many vocalists’ CDs are fairly staid affairs but the use of a small string section as well as a jazz trio (piano, bass, drums) make this a collection that will not gather dust on a collector’s shelf – it begs to be listened to. The instrumentation is ideal accompaniment for Leung’s clean tenor and provides enough variety that no two songs sound alike.   

The collection takes the listener on a jazzy journey through a variety of styles and tunes. Aside from the aforementioned numbers, there are also tracks by James Taylor, Nat King Cole, and Holly Cole. But the disc’s coda is a live track of Whitney Houston’s “I Believe in You and Me.” You can feel the energy of the live audience responding to the panache that Leung brings to a live performance (there’s even a “Whoop!” in there by an enthused audience member). It’s a great finale to an immensely likable disc and a tribute to the late Whitney Houston that she would undoubtedly adore.