Theatre Schmooze
⊆ March 14th, 2007 by lorraine treanor | ˜Yankee Doodle Boy, Rapping Slaves and Feline Memories – Purr!
By Joel Markowitz
Jeffrey Shankle is a Yankee Doodle Dandy! This multi-talented pistol can tap dance, glide along the stage, perform cane tricks and sings with a beautiful, lyric tenor voice. He also is one helluva server. I learned that first hand at a matinee of George M on Sunday, March 10th.
When I first saw Jeffrey perform, he was one of the Newsboys in Signature Theatre’s production of Gypsy, and his stage presence and charm sparkled on the stage. His gorgeous voice and energetic dancing have filled Toby’s-The Dinner Theatre of Columbia’s small venue as Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Bill Calhoon in Kiss Me Kate, Fred Gailey in Here’s Love, and now as George M. Cohan in George M.
George M opened at The Palace Theatre on April 10, 1968 and closed on April 26, 1989, after playing 433 performances. It won a Tony for Joe Layton’s choreography, and was also nominated for Joel’s Grey’s performance as George M. Cohan. Bernadette Peters played Josie, George M. Cohan’s sister in the original production.
The show has rarely been produced since 1968, and now Toby Orenstein has mounted a very entertaining production, as Jeffrey supplies the tapping feet, the great lungs and beaucoup energy. And you have to see the gorgeous, colorful costumes that Larry Munsey (who is presently baring all in the Full Monty at Toby’s Baltimore) has created for George M.
I sat down with Jeffrey after the matinee and talked about his energy level and performance in George M, his career as an actor, his training as a tap dancer and singer, and his performances at Toby’s. Jeffrey glowed during our chat and with a wonderful sense of humor, shared his thoughts about George M. You can hear the podcast/interview here.
“Give My Regards to Broadway,” Jeffrey!
You can purchase tickets to George M, which runs through June 10, 2007, by calling (301) 596-6161. For more information on the show, go to www.tobysdinnertheatre.com and click on Columbia. Tap dance yourself “Over There” to Toby’s-The Dinner Theatre of Columbia, and you will have a Yankee Doodle great time!
ME-OUCH!!!!!!!!
I feel cat-atonic and quite frisky. I don’t want to pussyfoot around it. I still can’t believe what I heard - my eardrums are still throbbing. What did you say?
It’s Wednesday, March 6th and it’s press night at The Warner Theatre for the “When are they finally going to sing that damn song – Memory” musical – let me paws for a moment - -I mean Cats. The place is 1/3 full in the orchestra section. As the Eveready bunny-like actors playing pussies are giving their all, the stringless orchestra is pounding out the insufferable Andrew Lloyd Webber score.
Finally, Angie Smith, who plays Grizabella -The Glamour Cat - get this – whose character is shunned by the rest of her litter friends, despite being a Jellicle Cat, and who left the other kitties three years earlier to explore the outside world, and who wants to return now to the land of the felines, begins, “Memory all alone in the moonlight….” and then when she is about to hit the (well, purr along with me please..), “Touch me….”, someone in the sound department cranked the sound to an insufferable noise level! ME-OUCH! ME-OUCH! ME-DEAF! What a cat-astrophe! Put this show away for 25 years. Please?
March 14th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
I watched George M at Toby’s last weekend. It’s a wonderful show.
March 15th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
For some CATS is a wonderful show. Maybe you don’t like it, and maybe I don’t like it, but for some people it’s their first entree to the theater. So, I say “welcome, and enjoy the show.”
Besides, if you’re going to be “catty” at least get the lyrics right. The sound starts, “Midnight . . . ” not “Memory . . . ”
Maybe you need to see it again and pay a little more attention.
March 15th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Thanks DC SM for commenting, and I’m glad you like the show. You are correct: the song does begin with “Midnight. Not a sound from the pavement.Has the moon lost her memory? She is smiling alone.In the lamplight The withered leaves collect at my feet. And the wind begins to moan.” But it was here- “Memory All alone in the moonlight.
I can smile at the old days. I was beautiful then. I remember the time I knew what happiness was. Let the memory live again,” when the sound began to be cranked up. And then the incredible powerful microphone attacked, as I describe above at …”Touch me…” I loved Cats when I first saw it - it was new and exciting and I am always happy when kids see the show and love theatre because of it. But Memory is a gorgeous song and there is no need to crank up the volume when it’s sung like they did at the Warner the night I saw it. American Idolizing every song in the theatre today is destroying musical theatre and I needed to let my readers know that I am tired of it. Joel
March 19th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
I want to discuss the Camari Theater group’s performance of Hamlet that occurred in beautiful downtown Shirlington a couple of weeks ago. Is that allowed or does there have to be an article posted?