Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

Encore! Cast Performing Arts has struck theatrical gold again. Their 2015 production of AIDA left me with my jaw agape and drooling. Now, they’ve brought an absolutely gorgeous and lush production of one of my all-time favorite Broadway musicals, RAGTIME, to the stage of the Doctor Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. And although, like AIDA, RAGTIME is being billed as “The Musical In Concert,” there’s no mistaking that this mounting of one of the best musicals to ever grace the Broadway stage, is so much more than that. The show is acted out, in costume, complete with elaborate props and moving set pieces and well thought out staging and choreography. And except for the 200 choral members flanking the action on stage right and left, there’s an entire musical production being presented here. And this production is lightyears beyond the touring production of RAGTIME that has encircled the US for the past 7 months. The story of the show is quite elaborate and based upon source material by E.L. Doctorow. Three main sets of characters–some from a privileged upper White class, some from a struggling Black class, and some from a very struggling immigrant class–are immersed in the US during the turn of the century. These characters are surrounded by true historic figures from American history that help shape their stories, all of which eventually become extremely interconnected.

The talent on display here is second to none. Practically every performer in this cast would fit in just perfectly on any show on Broadway. In fact, I would even venture to say that not only does this ensemble surpass that of RAGTIME‘s recent tour, but also the Tony-nominated revival of the production that lived a very short life on Broadway back in 2010. Probably the biggest standout of the show is Michael Swickard, who plays the lovable and iconic foreigner Tateh. Interestingly, in almost every production of RAGTIME I’ve ever seen, the show tends to be punctuated by an outstanding performance by the actor portraying this character. Swickard brings down the house in his numbers. Andrew Meidernbauer’s Father, Natale Pirrotta’s Younger Brother, and Meghan Moroney’s Emma Goldman are also incredibly well performed and are all three extremely impressive. As the leads, Darnell Abraham is a fine Coalhouse Walker, Jr. His vocals are great; but he did lend a little bit of a pop vibe to the role which is slightly off character. Faith Boles portrayal of Sarah is spot on; her strong vocals brings “Your Daddy’s Son” to life with electricity. Hannah Laird, as Mother, is simply perfect. The audience even began a standing ovation after her incredible second act showstopper “Back to Before.”

Practically EVERYTHING about Encore!’s production of RAGTIME is flawless. The chorus adds to the ensembles beautifully (although they could be slightly louder) and the orchestra brings the strong score to the forefront. The only complaint I have is that in a couple of sections in four numbers (“Goodbye, My Love,” Till We Reach That Day,” “Back to Before,” and “Make Them Hear You”), the percussion overpowers the orchestra, creating a momentary “waltzy” feel to the songs, which is not how composers Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Aherns wrote the music. However, these moments are brief and would probably go unnoticed to someone more unfamiliar with the music. Beyond the magnificent performers, musicians, choral members and everyone else behind this incredible production lies my biggest praise. Over the years, the original book of RAGTIME became increasingly truncated. Numbers were shortened, pieces of dialogue snipped, and plot elements hastened. It appears the production team here is well aware of that, because they have gone out of their way to ensure those elements of the show, which I found to be so crucial to the story, are reunited within this production. I grinned ear to ear when I heard those lines restored and brought back to the show! Even the Entre ‘Acte, shortened in many of the post-Broadway stagings of RAGTIME, is played in its entirety here. There are simply not enough words of praise I can give to this production of RAGTIME. Everything from the acting, to the staging, to the singing, to the incredibly intelligent artistic team’s choices, Encore!’s RAGTIME is simply nothing short of a theatrical triumph! It is sad the show couldn’t have a longer run. It is so good it deserves to be seen by theater lovers over a period of weeks rather than days. A very few seats are left to Sunday’s final performance. Curtain is at 7:30pm and tickets can be purchased here: https://www.drphillipscenter.org/shows-and-events/Shows-Events/theater/201256-ragtime-the-musical.stml. Below, watch the creative team behind the show describe some of its creation:

Producers for the Broadway musical Bright Star, with music and lyrics by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, announced Tuesday that the show is closing. Despite winning the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical and Best Score, the musical undeservedly went home empty handed at the Tony Awards on Sunday, where it was nominated for 5 Awards, including Best Musical. Centered in two close time periods in the early-to-mid 1900’s, the show follows the story of parallel characters who are falling in love in the Deep South during a time when religion, proscribed morality, and family reputation trumped all else, including even life. The orchestra, who plays a prominent role in the staging of the show, is made of mostly strings and percussion. They bring a soaring score to life that is only made stronger by the incredible voices of the leads, Tony nominated Carmen Cusack (one of the finest actors and singers I’ve ever seen on stage) and Paul Alexander Nolan. The characters of Bright Star are totally loveable and relatable. And their story and struggles are real, heartbreaking, and at times, tragic. This coupled with the show’s incredible music brings their human experiences to life and truly solidifies the show as phenomenal! I selected the show for Best Musical of last season. But I knew it didn’t have a chance against Hamilton and would soon shutter after the Tonys. Bright Star plays its final performance at 3pm at the Cort Theater on June 26th. Below, watch the incredibly talented cast of Bright Star perform the opening number, “If You Knew My Story” on the Tony Awards:

#5: Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed
Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed
tells the true story of Shuffle Along, the musical sensation of 1921 that was the first to feature an all-Black cast on Broadway. The show is chuck full of talent, punctuated by Tony winners and Broadway legends Audra MacDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell, who have paired in many shows before, including Ragtime, one of the best shows to ever grace the stage. They are joined by Billy Porter, who shows a little too much Lola, his Kinky Boots drag queen persona that won him the 2014 Tony Award, here. His performance is so effeminate, he even has to jokingly explain to the audience at the show’s end that his character was actually married to a woman. While it got a chuckle from the audience, it resulted in me cringing a little in embarrassment for his lack of ability to downplay his flamboyance to bring this character to life.

And while McDonald and Stokes Mitchell are truly the masterful talent behind the show, the true beauty of Shuffle Along actually lies in its ensemble. Almost every scene of the show is stolen by the phenomenal dancers that tell the story of the musical’s incarnation in scenes from the story and the actual musical they were creating. Where the show struggles is in its book, written by George C. Wolfe. Always trying to maintain its cuteness, the show remains superficial, trading in the gritty details of how a show starring an all-Black cast during the 1920’s was brought to life, captured an audience, and changed history, with writing that keep the details slim and the dancing and song strong. The dialogue spoken at the end of the production detailing the fate of the characters does the history of the actual show more justice than what’s presented the prior 2 hours. That’s a serious problem for a show that deep down is telling the story of truly life events with real depth and significance. Still, it’s worthy of praise for its stars McDonald, Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Joshua Henry, and incredibly skilled ensemble.

#4: School of Rock

Andrew Lloyd Webber, an adored (and sometimes criticized) composer of some of the most iconic musicals of Broadway (and beyond) shows in School of Rock that his musical genius extends beyond the classic chords of Phantom and EVITA into the realm of Rock ‘n Roll. And I mean real Rock ‘n Roll! A lot of the music in the show (with lyrics by Webber’s longtime collaborator, Glenn Slater) is metal-laden, straying away from some of the more poppy music Webber is typically associated with. The show relies on its two star leads, Tony-nominated Alex Brightman (Dewey Finn) and Sierra Boggess (Love Never Dies), to bring to life the heartwarming story of a teacher with a love for music who realizes the impact he can make extends way beyond the notes on the page, even to privileged children, who might otherwise be unexposed to the realities of the world.

As someone who credits a music teacher as playing a major role in my personal development, the story of the show reverberates within my spirit. The stage show is written by Jullian Fellows and it follows the source material of the movie, written by Mike White, closely. And Brightman’s portrayal of Dewey, while funny, enjoyable, and loveable, is a mirror image of Jack Black’s performance in the film. These elements give the show a slight feel of lack of originality. And most of Webber’s music is unfortunately, forgettable. But the show is still fun and incredibly sweet and touching. It does a great job of showing audiences that music can play an incredibly formative power in the lives of children, making it one of the best and important shows of the season.

#3: Waitress

Like School of Rock, Waitress is also based on a film that shares the same name as its Broadway counterpart. I’ve never seen that film, so I cannot comment on how closely the Broadway production follows it. But I can certainly tell you that I absolutely loved every minute of the show. Tony winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful) plays Jenna, a waitress and pie chef extraordinaire who lives in a small rural town where everyone is in everyone else’s business and where dreams are easily made, but almost always, impossible to realize. She’s in a dead-end and abusive relationship when she becomes pregnant and simultaneously falls for her irresistible obstetrician, played by the handsome lead Drew Gehling. The two carry on an unlikely affair, and in the process, teach each other about life and just how difficult the ultimate pursuit of happiness, truly is. This is all happening while the supporting characters are defining their lives as well.

With an ensemble dripping with talent (including Tony nominee Keala Settle, playing Jenna’s best friend and colleague, Becky), Waitress is truly heartwarming and inspiring. The music, written by Grammy award winning superstar Sara Bareilles, is fun, poppy, and good! It’s made me excited for an OBC recording of the show! And the writing, by Jessie Nelson, is crisp, witty, and consistently excellent. The set design is great and accents the settings of the show perfectly. While I wouldn’t say Waitress is groundbreaking theater, it has enough ingenuity and heart that it could be a show loved by audiences for years to come. The question is, once Mueller moves on, will it have enough sustainability to realize its potential?

#2: HAMILTON

When it comes to theater history, there are only a handful of shows that have truly been groundbreaking works, ones that have made serious and unimaginable impacts and contributions to the craft. Shows with this distinction include Hair, one of the first-ever to bring a contemporary storyline of current political and social strife to the stage. Elaborate productions like Phantom of the Opera, TITANIC, and Wicked broke ground by dazzling audiences with spectacular special effects and unforgettable music. Les Miz remains timeless because of its unmatched orchestrations and humanistic story of forgiveness and redemption; and the modern Book of Mormon has shown that even shows that promote blasphemy with vulgarity and explicit language can make mad bank at the box office!

Now comes a show that will forever be included in the history books chronicling such shows that defined the theater, HAMILTON. Garnering an unprecedented 16 Tony nominations, including noms for practically every actor with a main role, HAMILTON tells one of the most important pieces of American history, using rap and hip-hop articulated from the mouths of an ethnically-diverse cast that looks nothing like the characters they are portraying. And yet this approach to the production is not only what makes it unique, but history changing, as well. Lin Manuel Miranda has created a show that is nothing short of a masterpiece. His performance is incredible as is those of his castmates, Christopher Jackson, Renee Elise Goldsbury, Daveed Digs, and Leslie Odom. The entire cast brings an insurmountable energy to a fresh and captivating production that layers one impressive scene after another.

HAMILTON breaks down the ethnic archetypes of traditional theater. And it shows that a culturally-diverse cast is more than capable of bringing non-culturally diverse characters and events, to life. HAMILTON is simply like nothing that has ever been staged before it. It will win essentially every Tony Award it is nominated for, and rightly so. Many might be reading this and thinking, “Geeze. If it’s worthy of so much praise and awards, is historic and groundbreaking theater in every way, why do you rank HAMILTON as #2 on the list rather than #1?” Keep reading and you’ll find out why.

#1: Bright Star

Okay, you can manually close your jaws and wipe up the saliva now. You read right. I ranked Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star higher than HAMILTON. No. It isn’t as good as HAMILTON. It isn’t historic and groundbreaking. It won’t be remembered in the history books as being a major contributor to musical theater. In fact, although I hope I’m wrong, the show will more than likely not win a single Tony Award and will be forced to shutter a week or two after the ceremony. But it has an absolutely gorgeous and lush score with orchestrations as beautiful as Jason Robert Brown’s Bridges of Madison County, a terrifically written book, incredible staging and choreography, and a story that will absolutely grab ahold of your heart and never let go.

The show was prized with the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and Best Score; and it garnered nominations in 5 other categories as well. Centered in two close time periods in the early-to-mid 1900’s, the show follows the story of parallel characters who are falling in love in the Deep South during a time when religion, proscribed morality, and family reputation trumped all else, including even life. The orchestra, who plays a prominent role in the staging of the show, is made of mostly strings and percussion. They bring a soaring score to life that is only made stronger by the incredible voices of the leads, Tony nominated Carmen Cusack (one of the finest actors and singers I’ve ever seen on stage) and Paul Alexander Nolan. The characters of Bright Star are totally loveable and relatable. And their story and struggles are real, heartbreaking, and at times, tragic. This coupled with the show’s incredible music brings their human experiences to life and truly solidifies the show as phenomenal!

Before I begin this review, let me preface it by revealing just how much I LOVED the original Broadway production of The Bridges of Madison County, the lush, lavish, and gorgeous musical that starred Steven Pasquale and Kelli O’Hara that heartbreakingly failed to gather enough traction to become the mega-hit it should’ve become. Musical genius Jason Robert Brown won the Tony Award for his score for Bridges; and both of its lead stars were Tony nominated for their performances (O’Hara would later go on to win for The King & I). When I heard the show was closing in NY back in May of 2014, I booked a flight to the final performance and sat in the theater in complete disbelief that this amazingly crafted and truly touching show was closing after such a short run. Of course, material that good can’t stay on the shelf forever; and a national tour was launched in the end of 2015.

In a nutshell, this tour has A LOT to live up to in-terms of its original Broadway predecessor; and I don’t envy the tall order the touring leads, Elizabeth Stanley (Francesca Johnson) and Andrew Samonsky (Robert Kincaid), must follow. And while no, their performances don’t eclipse the originals, they come awfully darn close. In fact, this entire production of Bridges comes awfully close! Creative decisions were wisely placed in the hands of almost all of the original members of the Broadway creative team. Bartlett Sher’s fantastic direction is mimicked perfectly by Tyne Rafaeli. Thus, what translates to the tour is essentially a carbon copy of what graced the stage of the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The set pieces, background scenery, and props are duplicated, as is the stage movement of the cast throughout the show.

Bridges isn’t Wicked; there aren’t elaborate set pieces and special effects to distract the audience from the core of the story. Instead, the production must rely an that absolutely gorgeous score and orchestrations and performances from the actors to succeed. Luckily, this production does so on every level. The leads knock it out of the park! And the supportive cast is so strong that the story (authored by novelist Robert James Waller) shines so brightly that the true beauty of this show comes through. Elizabeth Stanley’s unique portrayal of Francesca is punctuated by her remarkable vocals; and while Andrew Samonsky’s vocals aren’t quite as rich or deep as Pasquale’s, he more than nails the part and brings the true love his character has for Francesca to life.

The supporting leads, played by David Hess and Mary Callanan (the married neighbors who share a close bond with the Johnson family) and Cullen R. Titmas (Bud, Francesca’s lovable husband) are incredibly strong. “Get Closer” is Callanan’s solo in the first act and allows her talent to be put on display front and center (as does the equally incredible Katie Claus’ first act solo “Another Life”). The second act’s “When I’m Gone,” serving as a transition of time in the story, sung by Titmas and Hess, sent chills down my spine. The accent Hess puts on his execution of several of the lyrics conveys the emotion and strength of the number, and the power it has in helping to conclude the story.  “Before and After You/ One Second and a Million Miles” remains the showstopper number. Stanley and Samonsky perform the number beautifully with a perfect show of dynamics and tone control. The song is so incredibly moving. Its orchestrations feel almost immersive; the audience feels the same love and turmoil in their hearts as the characters on stage, thanks to the deeply lush combination of piano and strings Brown combined to chilling effect.

In conclusion, there are really not enough positive adjectives to describe this touring production of Bridges. The acting, singing, and entire production closely rivals the quality of the original Broadway production. The show had such a short life in NY, odds are you probably missed it. If you miss the show now, you’ve only got yourself to blame. The show is touring across the US. It’s worth taking the time needed to dedicate yourself to seeing this show. If the show isn’t making a stop in your town, then pop on its Web site and plan to a trip out of it! You’ll be very grateful you did! Tour dates and tickets are available here: http://bridgesmusical.com/tickets/. Below, take a look at footage from the recording of the Bridges soundtrack, featuring the original Broadway leads Kelly O’Hara and Steven Pasquale: