[NEohioPAL]Reviews: La Mancha/Halle; Music/CPT; Silvers/Ensemble

[Roy Berko]

MAN OF LA MANCHA AT HALLE, I’VE GOT THE MUSIC IN ME AT
CPT, THE SILVERS AT ENSEMBLE

Roy Berko  (Member, American Theatre Critics
Association)

The Times Newspapers
--Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times


MAN OF LA MANCHA GETS A DREAM PRODUCTION AT HALLE

In the dark days of the Spanish Inquisition, the poet
Cervantes created Don Quixote, his alter ego, an
errant-knight who dares "To Dream the Impossible
Dream."  Through the writing device of a
play-within-a-play we watch as Quixote, aided by his
sidekick, Sancho, and his "lady" Dulcinea, go forth on
a quest  "to fight the unbeatable foe, to reach the
unreachable star," and to see life, not as it is, but
as it ought to be.  During the play when questioned
about his absurd valor Quixote replies, "I hope to add
some measure of grace to the world."  It is this
premise that was used as the lynchpin by the musical’s
script writer Dale Wasserman, musical writer Mitch
Leigh and lyricist Joe Darion as the basis for the
amazing musical MAN OF LA MANCHA.

The musical is a challenging task for any theatre to
undertake.  The music is difficult to play and sing,
the cast is large, a strong men’s chorus is a
necessity, the lead male must be outstanding, and fine
technical features are needed to enhance the cast. 
The Halle Theatre production, under the masterful
directing hand of Fred Sternfeld, the musical
direction of Larry Hartzell, and the choreography by
Martin Cespedes, is outstanding!  Keith Nagy’s
lighting and scenic designs and Alison Hernan’s
costumes amplify the happenings. 
	
The intimacy of the Halle Theatre aids the production.
 As in its original New York staging at the now-gone
ANTA Theatre, the production is "right in your face."
It makes the happenings intimate and involving. 

The Halle cast is generally strong.  Tom Fulton leaves
nothing to be desired in his performance as
Cervantes/Don Quixote.  His voice is powerful, his
stage presence striking, his acting skills
character-focused.  David Robeano is delightful as
Sancho, but his constant cuteness becomes wearing
after a while.  Tracee Patterson, who sings adequately
well, fails to make a real harlot out of Eldonza at
the start of the production, thus robbing the audience
of the true depth of her transformation to the pure
Dulcinea pictured by Don Quixote, a center theme of
the story.  R. Scott Posey displays an impressive
singing range as The Padre.  Scott Spence as the
Barber and Kevin Joseph Kelly as the
Governor/Innkeeper are also strong.  The men’s chorus
is vocally outstanding, as was the orchestra. 

MAN OF LAMANCHA is a well-thought out, impressive
production.    This, along with the stagings of PARADE
at Beck Center and Cassidy, give further evidence that
the musical theatre is alive and very well in Greater
Cleveland’s local venues.

Notwithstanding the excellence of this production one
must ask, as the program notes do, "So what’s a
theater with a mission of producing plays on Jewish
themes doing opening its season with MAN OF LAMANCHA?"
In spite of dramaturg Faye Sholiton’s well-written and
impassioned attempt to explain, the question is not
answered.  Halle Theatre plays a role very different
from other local theatres.  It is subsidized by and is
an important part of the Jewish community.  It has an
obligation to do what other local theatres do not
do...present exclusively Jewish-themed plays.  When
they stray from that, they betray the mission of the
theatre.

MAN OF LAMANCHA runs at the Halle Theatre, 3505
Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights, through October 27. 
For tickets, which are $24 to public and $20 call for
JCC members, call 216-382-4000, extension 274.

I’VE GOT THE MUSIC IN ME! A DELIGHT AT CPT

The stage is dark.  The music, "Make Your Own Kind of
Music" fills the theatre.   A vision appears, a tall,
long legged, muscular, full-busted woman with flowing
red hair appears.  Varla Jean Merman is here!  Well,
in actuality it’s Jeffery Roberson portraying Varla
Jean.   Don’t get the idea that this is a drag show. 
It’s not.  Jeffery is Varla Jean.  He/she also does
all her own singing.  No tapes of Liza, Bette or
Barbra here.  As Varla states, "I’m too self absorbed
for that."

The show, which is audience-inclusive, is part adlib,
part music, part video, part double entendre, and
full-time fun!   This "woman" can sing.  "She" can
sing even when shooting canned cheese whiz down her
throat.  This "woman" can bat her eyelids and convulse
an audience.  Her rewritten version of MY FAIR LADY’S
"Why Can’t the English" as a rap song is clever.  Her
Yodeling Weiner ventriloquism act convulses.   The
video of her attendance at her prom was delightful. 
Her final goodbye, complete with a plea to the
audience to buy her c.d., left the audience laughing. 

Go to the show expecting the outrageous and you’ll go
with the right attitude.  Do go, you’ll be enraptured.

VARLA JEAN MERMAN’S I’VE GOT THE MUSIC IN ME! runs at
the Cleveland Public Theatre until October 20.  For
tickets, which range from $15 to $20, call
216-631-2727.  For information go online to
www.cptonline.org. 

THE SILVERS SHINE AT ENSEMBLE	

Dorothy and Reuben Silver are the crown jewels of
Cleveland theatre.  They recently donated their
services for a series of benefit performances to raise
funds for Ensemble Theatre.  Their program LAUGHTER IN
THREE LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, YIDDISH AND "YINGLISH"
delighted the audience.  It was a unique and
entertaining evening of reading by the master
storytellers.


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