Randuwa II: June 2025

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Sunday, June 8, 2025

"Falsettos" is a particular story told when the plague was fresh. Told from a decidedly Jewish perspective. Told by a man who risked losing his traditional family in order to be his authentic self, and then lost the one true love of his life to AIDS. It's told almost entirely through song, and it's over two hours in length. Yet, it doesn't feel like two hours because the story told is so relatable, so relevant even decades after its creation. I knew that the music and lyrics were written by the recently deceased (May ) William Finn, and yet at some point the second act I thought, this has got to have the hand of Stephen Sondheim on it. Then I saw at the end that the book was co-written by James Lapine--and it totally made sense.

The cast was wonderful. The only exception was the child actor, Nico Cabrera. His voice was so freaking nasal that it was almost a caricature of the annoying child's voice. But I wanted this to not be a distraction SO BADLY, that I was able to put it in a safe box and just let it be what it was. Kate McManus as Trina, the mother, was funny, furtive and forgiving in turns using her beautiful voice to tap the full range of the character's emotions. John Laughney, as Marvin, the now Gay father, brought is his A-game talent to the role. In the very end as he stands weeping over the coffin of his lover, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Top praise goes to Ryan Burke as the therapist who goes from treating Marvin to marrying Trina. His was the glue that held everything together, and he certainly, consistently had the funniest lines. It is an exquisitely well written libretto and he demonstrated a comic timing that was nothing short of genius.

A powerful show presented in a powerfully beautiful way.

The opening number: "Four Jews In A Room Bitching"

First Act cast: L-R Mendel the therapist (Ryan Burke), Whizzer the gay lover (Kaylen Morgan), Marvin the Father now Lover (John Loughney), Trina the Mother (Katie McManus) and Jason the Son (Nico Cabrera)

"Trina's Song"

"Making A Home"

"Falsettoland / It's About Time" Act II adds two characters, far L: Dr. Charlotte (Shayla Lowe) and Cordelia her Lesbian Lover (Kylie Clare Truby)

"The Year Of The Child"

"The Baseball Game"

"Everyone Hates His Parents"

"Racquetball" During this number's reprise, Whizzer collapses

"Days Like This"

"Unlikely Lovers"

"Jason's Bar Mitzvah"

"What Would I Do" after Whizzer's death

Saturday, June 7, 2025

Next stop Theatre Company: Footloose: The Musical

As much as I enjoyed the movie, the musical at this theatre company was an excuse to just finally get out to Herndon and experience this far western DMV Theatre Company. I did not know what to expect. What I found was a fairly spare operation, not unlike Iron Crow up in Baltimore, or 1st Stage in Tysons. Also housed in an industrial like series of buildings--it reminded me of a large storage for rent campus that has been retro-fitted to accommodate a wide range of business. The parking is very limited. Inside, there is a lobby space with a bathroom and a doorway into the theater. On the left against a wall is a series of seats in steeply ascending rows. All the seating is general. I arrived 20 minutes before the curtain and found limited options for a seat. I ended up one row from the top on the right side. Every row was so far above the one in front of it, that all the sight-lines were clean. The drive to the theatre midday on a Saturday took me about 1 hour. The trip home was just as long.

The company is semi-professional. The women sitting next to me described it as "a lovely community theatre." It has a history of winning Helen awards for excellence, which is another reason for making an introduction.

SO, lets come to today. What isn't there to love about Footloose as a story? Dance versus hypocrisy. Oddball kid liberates an oppressed community. In so doing, he redeems the oppressor, too. And the music. And the dancing. Yet, nothing is ever guaranteed, am I right? What did I like?

There are a lot of really funny quips all throughout. Honestly funny. In the hands of this cast, SO MUCH HEART. Lordy, they felt it, and the hometown audience? They ATE IT UP! It was not a standing ovation performance--but I realized within the first 15 minutes, a standing ovation was preordained. The acoustics were blunt. A lot of the singing was just loud. Thankfully, everyone could sing in key. The staging was interesting. The choreography was ambitious, pushing the limits of the cast, but keeping them from looking awkward.

It might seem like I didn't enjoy the show. That's not true. Heart covers over a multitude of sins. The lead was played by Jeremy Crawford, whom I had experienced before in the aforementioned Iron Crow production of Rent. He's earnest and energetic and he needs to know what nuance can do for a performance. But he was believable, which really counts for a lot. The quiet surprise was Jennifer Redford as Vi, the preacher's wife. Great presence, beautiful voice. Comedy silver goes to the trio Kimberly Camacho, Anna Marie Ferrari, and Amelia Jacquat as high school besties Rusty, Wendy Jo and Urleen. The most entertaining member of the cast was Ben Ribler as the hapless Wilber. He gets comedy gold.

Was it great? No. Was it fun? Yes. Is it worth schlepping back out again to see something else? The jury is still out.

The culmination of "I Need A Hero".

Urleen (Amelia Jocquat), Wendy Jo (Anna Maria Ferrari) and Ariel (Brigid Wallace Harper) the preacher's daughter at the local burger place.

Rusty (Kimberly Camacho) singing at a regional Dance Hall

Ren (Jeremy Crawford) and Ariel pleading their case for a high school dance before the town council.

The finale!

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Baltimore Center Stage: John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only!

This play is stunning. At the final scene as the barn burst into conflagration and the lights dropped, I was stunned! In some ways it was also the perfect play to see after last weekend's "We Gather Together". Both are world premieres. Both have leading roles held by moderately successful TV actors. Even if I don't watch television! (OMG, last weekend I was thinking that I had discovered some new talent in Nic Ashe, and come to find out in his young career he's already amassed a cool million in assets!) But I digress. Both freely broke the fourth wall between cast and audience. Both tackled themes that could easily be seen as controversial. And both expanded that theme to point out their relevancy in present political malaise. The primary difference being that "John Wilkes Booth" was well written, and "We Gather Together" wasn't.

The tightness and the cohesion created a space wherein the re-examination, even the rediscovery, of who John Wilkes Booth was, and is, was made not only possible, but compelling. It painted him neither as a demon nor a hero. Of all of the takeaways, perhaps the one that was most disturbing, was the possibility that he was simply inevitable. The person of JWB is the focus, the narrator, and lead thespian in this tale, the conceit of which being that he wrote it and is staging it in order to get his story told correctly. To assist him he resurrects two of his siblings--a sister, Asia, and his more famous actor brother, Edwin. Three other actors join in playing various roles from history to members of the stage crew. The are frequent gaffs and John breaks character to express his frustrations throughout. But subtly the way in which they are woven together tightens into an amazing tapestry layered with meaning. We see the bickering relationship between Edwin and John who was always placed within his shadow, and then at the apex moment of his "triumph," John is forced to allow Edwin to assume his character and play the part. It was nothing short of Shakespearean in the finest intention of that expression.

The cast was to a soul awe inspiring. I could wax eloquent on all of them, but let me preserve your sanity by only speaking of some. Ked Merwin plays the barely literate prompter whose physicality held such precision as to appear completely hapless. He's bumbles through his role without a shred of confidence until suddenly the master (JWB) demands he impersonate himself and deliver a soliloquy in his manner. Suddenly he is transformed and with the help of visual projections encapsulates 40 years of pre-assassination history detailing the decline and oppression of the Anglo-Saxon White male in early/mid 19th Century America. It was stunning. Jordan Boatman as Asia Booth Clarke brought a spontaneity and authenticity to every line she delivered that completely felt as if they had just come to mind. That she was fully alive in that moment. That what we were seeing was not theater, but reality. It was stunning. Robbie Tann as Edwin Booth was riveting and charming and tender. He handled the rivalry between the two brothers well, but didn't forget the love, in spite of the heinous crime that is always lurking in the wings. Stunning...

But wait, it gets better. Ben Ahlers, whom I'd never heard of in spite of a role in the cast of "The Gilded Age" which I once tried to watch, but just couldn't, Ben was a revelation. From his first lines, he was possessed by the spirit of John Wilkes Booth. I don't even know if I can explain it. It wasn't one single thing--it was EVERYTHING! Every word, every gesture, every grand movement; the way he held his hands and moved them in the air. The accent, so subtle and yet so perfectly consistent. The beguiling charm masking the deep inner turmoil. The carefully determined idiosyncrasies, little things that when combined create something overwhelming. Every note building to a crescendo that was both horrifying and perfect. The performance was sheer genius. I was so locked into it, that while I felt the humor, I didn't laugh because I didn't want to be distracted. Have you ever felt that way? Off the top of my head, I can't even tell you the last time I experienced anything like it.

The sets were beautiful, and the transformation from a Ford's Theater-like setting to the tobacco barn in rural Maryland where booth met his end was the ideal transformation in the final moments of the play to take us out of any of the farcical aspects of the play up until then, and place us firmly on the ground for the final moments of JWB's complex life. To this the lighting, sound, and audio-visuals were also seamlessly spot on.

Additionally, the last couple of things I saw at BCS were disappointing. Their up-coming season at first glance, likewise didn't catch me. Perhaps I need to give it another look-over. It's there until the 22nd of June, and I can't tell those who could enough that you should go and see it. It was also tell
ing that on a Thursday evening, the theatre was basically sold out.