Carol, Bricktop, Stephen, Act Two and The Boar
Here’s why they call me the Wandering Jew.
This month alone I attended two National Symphony concerts, two Kirov Opera performances, press openings of a Neil Labute play and a Jewish memoir turned into a play, took a tour of the new spacious high tech theatre that graces Shirlington, and participated in its wonderful Open House, where I qvelled while listening to the great Euan Morton and cabaret extraordinaire Judy Simmons, spent an evening with Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and Cinderella and a not-so-charming prince, prayed for Jean Valjean to defeat the evil Javert, and welcomed back Dolly at The National Theatre’s Monday Night Cabaret.
Can you believe this schedule? What theatre riches we have in our area.
Well, Hello, Carol, and Hello, Richard. It’s So Nice To Have You Both Back Where You Belong ….
Richard Skipper as Carol Channing (Photo: Heather Sullivan)
Here I was on a late Sunday night in a small hotel in Dupont Circle interviewing a legend – or was it two legends? Was it Carol Channing or was it Richard Skipper as Carol Channing? I’m still confused. See if you can decide.
Richard is back in DC to celebrate Carol’s 86th birthday with George Fulginiti-Shakar on piano. Listen to Carol tell us how important The National Theatre was in the creation of what became a Broadway classic – Hello Dolly!. Wave your little hand and whisper “So Long Dearie” and slide into The National Theatre’s Helen Hayes Gallery for TWO FREE SHOWS on Monday night, January 29th at 6 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are distributed 30 minutes before showtime and seating is limited. The podcast is at the end of this article, so scroll w-a-a-a-y down. You won’t want to miss it.
Go to Richard Skipper’s website to see video clips of Richard and Carol in performance.
Raspberries!
Twirl Those Mini Drums – This Joint Is Jumpin’!!
Want to see a show that’s just plain fun, where you can kick back your shoes and join in the joy that’s enveloping you?
Welcome to Bricktop, now playing at Cabaret Metro Stage. Your hostess the Parisian based jazz singer Bricktop and her friends – the blues infused Mabel Mercer and Alberta Hunter are her special guests – sounds good – No?
What do you get when you mix a swinging 5-piece band with a talented cast who sing like angels, glide around the stage and pull you into their world?
You get a sizzling, toe-tapping, come dance on the stage, mini drum banging evening.
There are moments of sheer pleasure – where you shake your head and say, “Um, Um, Go Girl!” like C. Kelly Wright’s heartachingly beautiful Mabel’s Lament. Roz White Gonsalves shakin’ the rafters rendition of Downhearted Blues, and when the house rocks when Peggy Ann Blow and the boys (Helen Hayes’ Award Winner for his musical direction of Crowns) William Hubbard, the energy-filled Gary Vincent, and quick-footed Anthony Manough and the bubbly Robin Massengale lift the audience out of their seats and lead the boogying to Compared To What, I saw a local critic shimmy on the stage, and let me review her performance – she was hot!
Slide over to Metro Stage, mes amis, and park yourself at Bricktop. Mabel, Alberta, Bricktop, Fats Waller, Cole Porter, Bojangles, and Jack Johnson are waitin’ for you. It’s a knockout evening of fun.
Stephen’s Adorable Jack Brightens The Beans and Warms The Woods
It was the night The Ushers Group had been waiting for all year, their first show in the Max Theatre in the new Signature. But, Mother Nature wasn’t cooperating.
I have been using the Farmer’s Almanac for 17 years to plan Ushers’ events, and only once in that time did the farmers disappoint me – when we had the major blizzard in 2000 – and this time they got it wrong again
It was snowing, and you know how life comes to a halt in our area when a flake hits the ground. Being from Buffalo, NY, I can only laugh while watching people freak out. At 3 PM, the phone began to ring and Ushers were canceling because of the weather. But, it takes more than snow and ice to stop most of us from trekking to a show. 24 Ushers make it to dinner at Carlyle at 5 PM and the 7 PM performance of into The Woods, while seven decide to stay home.
“Into the woods
And down the dell,
The path is straight,
I know it well.
Into the woods,
And who can tell
What’s waiting on the journey”
And down the dell,
The path is straight,
I know it well.
Into the woods,
And who can tell
What’s waiting on the journey”
What was waiting on our journey was a 45 minute delay. Rapunzel and Lucinda were trying to find their way into the woods, and were a little late. It must have been all that hair and the missing sole. The theatre was courteous to give attendees some extra time to get into their seats. It was live theatre at its best, and I was impressed how professional and calm the Signaturites were.
And then it began… And the costumes were gorgeous and we were enveloped by the brilliant glow of the shimmering lighting (we sat in front of one of Spotlight Operator Pamela Kalinowski –Bressi). We were finally in the woods.
And Donna Migliaccio and Stephen Gregory Smith hit the stage running with those wonderful Sondheim lyrics:
”Listen well, son. Milky-White must be taken to market.
But, mother, no- he’s the best cow-
look at her.
There are bugs on her dugs.
There are flies in her eyes.
There’s a lump on her rump
Big enough to be a hump-
…Son,
We’ve no time to sit and dither,
While her wither’s wither with her-
And no one keeps a cow for a friend!
Sometimes I fear your touched.
There are flies in her eyes.
There’s a lump on her rump
Big enough to be a hump-
…Son,
We’ve no time to sit and dither,
While her wither’s wither with her-
And no one keeps a cow for a friend!
Sometimes I fear your touched.
I wish my son were not a fool.
I wish my house was not a mess.
I wish the cow was full of milk.
I wish the house was full of gold-
I wish a lot of things…”
Don’t you love it?
Donna (until she gets squished by the Giant) and Stephen are an udder delight, and all through the evening it’s Stephen who captures the innocence, the “I don’t get it” the “I mean well”. Stephen is simply adorable and is the heart of this production. And when Jack glumfully sings good-bye to Milky-White with his innocent puppy face we could all share in his udder despair of selling his best friend – a real mis-steak..
When you look at the picture above, you will see what I mean. His brilliant performance brings life to the woods and much needed comic relief. Kudos to you, Stephen, for warming up a very chilly and icy night. You glowed on the stage. And I loved your hair. Give that boy some extra beans!
Do You Hear The Children Sing? Act Two Brings It Home
We have so many talented young actors and actresses in our area. Do you know where some of them are hiding? They are at Imagination Stage and
at ACT Two.
I love Les Miserables. I was there on opening night in 1987 at The Kennedy Center, where the show fine-tuned itself before capturing Broadway. I was there on opening night in NYC when Randy Graff, who was playing Fantine, fell off the stage into the orchestra pit, and was lifted back on the stage, where she finished I Dreamed A Dream to the rousing applause of the audience.
I saw the show 15 more times as I traveled around the country managing large litigation trials in my former paralegal days. I know you are thinking I should be in Les Miserables therapy, but I can’t help it – I love this show.
So when I was invited to see the School Edition of Lez Miz at The Olney Theatre Center, performed by ACT Two, I didn’t know what to expect. Could this Lez Miz fanatic be won over by a group of young talented actors? What was I going to see?
What I saw was a brilliantly staged and sung production, with fantastic performances by the leads:
Nate Betancourt’s (16 years old) performance as Jean Valjean was powerful and vocally stunning. His rendition of Bring Him Home was spine chilling. I closed my eyes when he was singing it and I thought Colm Wilkinson and Tim Shew, my two favorite Broadway Jean Valjeans, were on the stage again. Hannah Hudson (17) sang Fantine’s I Dreamed A Dream with heart wrenching power. Jenna Kress (11) Young Cosette, sang Castle On A Cloud beautifully and innocently, and Alex Greenburg’s (12) spunky Gavroche reminded me so much of Harrison Chad’s performance on Broadway – he commanded the stage with incredible confidence. Alex was the understudy for Max Talisman in the role of Noah Gellman in Studio Theatre’s production of Caroline or Change. He went onthe day Max had his Bar-Mitzvah. Mazel Tov, Alex, for getting to play the role. Tracy Ramsay (16), who played Eponine, belted her 11:00 number On My Own with sheer beauty and power, while the very sly Michael Brick (16) and Lilly Goldberg (15) who played the Thernardiers aced their comic number Master of The House. Collin Ball (17) and Hope MacDonald (18) sang A Heart Full Of Love beautifully with Tracy Ramsay. What a cast!
I saved the extra special kudos for Andrew Ennis, who is 18 years old, whose portrayal of Jalvert was chilling and vocally brilliant, spine chilling and downright scary. Andrew has a great career ahead of him. When he sang Stars I couldn’t believe what came out of his mouth. The theatre shook. Andrew has an incredible gift. I spoke with him after the show, and he told me he is studying voice with local vocal coach Rosie Dyer. He was off to Broadway to watch his hero Norm Lewis perform- take a guess –Javert in the revival of Les Miz now playing at the Broadhurst Theatre. Andrew, you can be a star!
Act Two Executive Director Keith Titternary Answers My Questions:
(1) Tell us about the history of Act Two.
Act Two was formed in Spring of 2005 out of a need for quality pre-professional theatre training in the Montgomery County area. We chose Gaithersburg as our home and Olney as our home theatre
(2)Tell us about the children who audition for your shows. Where do they come from and what kind of training do they have?
We have a variety of children auditioning for our shows. Some of the younger cast members (3rd graders) have never been on a stage before to one of our seniors being a graduate of Signature Theatre’s Overture Program. A majority of our students are enrolled in private voice lessons, or dance and acting classes, either in Act Two or elsewhere. Four of our actors came from Centerville, VA, and one came from Frederick, MD.
(3)Tell us how about the Les Miz auditions and rehearsals.
We started rehearsals on September 12th and rehearsed two week nights and Saturday since. We started off learning all of the music up front before any staging and character work was started in order to make the vocal sound in this very difficult musical sound refined and polished. The auditions occurred in late August. All students were asked to sing a song from Les Miz and we had them sing other parts of the score to see how they sounded. We wound up with our cast, without having call backs, because the casting fell in place.
(4) The lighting and orchestra were stupendous. Can you tell me about the fantastic lighting team?
Thank you! We spend a great deal of time (and money) on these. I always hate seeing shows with a great cast, but mediocre orchestras and technical elements. There were 7 live musicians: Flute, Oboe/English Horn, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet. Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn and a Drum Set. The rest of the orchestra was powered by Symphonia, a product of Real Time Music Solutions in NYC. They provide “enhancement” for a majority of National Tours (not Broadway, due to the contract with the musicians’ union). The “enhancement” of the Les Miz score is synthesized keyboards, guitar, and strings. It’s the same as having two keyboard players (one on keys and one on strings) and a rhythm section, It’s powered by a MiniMac computer and processed through a sound module, and while I was conducting, I was playing a keyboard along with the show that was then following my beat pattern in time with the live players and feeding it through the sound module that produced the rest of the sound. We rented the system form RealTime music Solutions. I have training in the system. So, the orchestra was not just playing along with a CD, but rather a sequenced synthesizer.
(5) Tell us about your upcoming season and how the public can purchase tickets.
Buried Child (March 23-25, 2007);Blood Brothers (June 1 & 2, 2007) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (June 8-20, 2007). Tickets are available four weeks prior to the show by calling (301) 990-3499.
See more pictures of this Act Two’s incredible production of Les Miserables here
Thanks, Keith and Act Two! Break a leg!
A Spectacular Welcoming of The Year of The Boar
Being the ham I am, I was so honored to have been invited by Chris Ye of New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) to celebrate the Year of the Boar at their 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium. On January 26th. NTDTV fosters understanding between Chinese and Western societies, assists fellow Chinese immigrants to adapt and assimilate into mainstream society, and helps to provide the flow of information by providing accurate news and information to the Chinese-language media.
And it was spectacular – with gorgeous multi-colored costumes, athletic dancers, lovely traditional Chinese music and fantastic singers.
I loved The Festive Fan Dance that had the gorgeous dancers turning fans into beautiful lotus flowers, a joyous celebration of American holiday imagery and traditional Chinese Fan Dance, representing harmony among both cultures, the Mongolian Bowl Dance, a Chinese unkosher version of the Wedding Bottle Dance from Fiddler on The Roof, and The Resounding Drums, where folk drums were combined with Classical Chinese dance movements. It was great to end the New Year celebration evening with a bang!
See pictures of the beautiful costumes here and watch video highlights from the show here.
Being the son of a Cantor, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for tenors, and hearing Chinese legendary tenor Guimin Guan (two songs he helped compose – Finding Myself and Chakravartin (A mythical Indian king who was known for his virtues and said to turn a wheel of dharma), was the highlight of the evening for me. His voice is similar to the voice of the great Italian tenor Benjamino Gigli with a glorious sweet upper range-and crystal clear diction, sung with great emotion. Both songs express the hope of all Chinese citizens and those who sponsored, performed and created the spectacular – to find the truth, to follow the path of the divine and to pray that the Chinese government will honor human rights:
From Finding Myself:
“Until one day I finally came upon the truth
Until the Way I had sought pierced the ear, like thunder
Only then did I find myself
And know to hasten my steps on the divine path.”
From Chakravartin:
“Highest of Kings-enlightened is He
‘Tis truth that he comes bearing
Turning the wheel, the firmament is rebuilt
And the ancient gateway opens anew.”
May these hopes and prayers be answered in The Year of The Boar.
Great job Joel. You make the theater come alive
I was in the ensemble for Les Miserables, and I would like to thank you for your review, and say that im glad you liked the show!
Hi John:
I’d like to learn more about Mr. Guan. Email me at [email protected]. I enjoyed the spectacular very much and appreciated the wonderful hospitality I was shown last Friday. I’m glad you liked the article. Happy New Year! Joel
Joel:
I am quite impressed by your comment on Chinese legendary tenor Guimin Guan. I remember that I heard Mr. Guan’s song on radio almost everyday about 35 years ago when I was a middle school student. His voice has a magnetic effect that almost every Chinese likes listening to his songs. I have been wondering if westerners would like his voice or not until I read your review. In China, people use bamboo to make a flute which sounds quite close to the sound of nature and the voice of Mr. Guan is quite like a sound of bamboo flute. I really enjoyed show when it was played in Kodak Theater in Hollywood three weeks ago, which enhanced the culture exchange of the west and the east.
hi
I appreciated the article on NTDTV’s beautiful New Year Spectacular. I see a top quality show every year but somehow NTDTV managed to make this one even better. Great article!
Pam: Thanks for enlightening me with the correct spelling of your name. We’ll correct it shortly.
How’s it feel to be in the spotlight?
Bill: It’s Richard Skipper as Richard Skipper and Carol Channing in the interview. He’s pretty good isn’t he? Come to the show tonight and you’ll be amazed and you’ll leave with a smile on your face. Joel
Joel,
Great interview with Carol Channing. She (he) is a real “dolly” even at 86, and has always been one of my favorites. Interesting story she (he) tells about the National Theatre. I have seen “Hello Dolly” so many times that I have forgotten where I saw it the first time. Each time it has been a theater event to remember.
I am confused, who is the real Dolly? Carol Channing or Richard Skipper?
Bill Cotton
Thanks for the wonderful review of Into the Woods! It was lovely speaking with you before the show and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I also would like to mention that, sadly, my name was misspelled in the program. My name is actually spelled Kalinowski-Bressi (without the funky “bv” at the end).
Thanks again for the kind words!
– Pam