[NEohioPAL]Beacon Journal Rave Review of MUSICAL OF MUSICALS at Actors' Summit

Fri Jun 1 11:44:08 PDT 2007

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=20
`Musical' hits all its parody  notes=20
Plenty of redundancy to the  comedy as well as the title of spoof=20
By Kerry  Clawson=20
Beacon Journal staff  writer=20
To get an idea of what The Musical of  Musicals (The Musical!) is like, thin=
k=20
of the popular musical parody  Forbidden Broadway, but with even more=20
cleverness and  depth.=20
The show with the sillily redundant  title is a load of fun at Actors' Summi=
t=20
of Hudson, spoofing the work of musical  greats Rodgers and Hammerstein,=20
Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd  Webber, and Kander and Ebb.=20
You'd have to be a musical theater nut  to get all of the musical references=
=20
in this show, of which there are  scores. But anyone with a healthy knowledg=
e=20
of the American art form will get  plenty of the jokes.=20
Director Neil Thackaberry's cast --  including MaryJo Alexander, Joe Bishara=
,=20
Kathleen Culler and Keith Stevens --  works as a tight comedic team. This=20
musical is like five shows in one, with the  common thread being the=20
tried-and-true melodrama plot of the ingenue not being  able to pay the rent=
, the evil=20
landlord insisting on her paying the rent and the  hero coming in to save th=
e=20
day.=20
Creators Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart  must have delightfully warped mind=
s=20
to have come up with all the wacky  variations to this basic theme, all=20
portrayed in the recognizable styles of  musical theater legends. Audiences=20=
will=20
delight in seeing everything from a  demented re-creation of Oklahoma's drea=
m=20
ballet to the evocation of  Chicago's merry murderesses behind bars, complai=
ning=20
about their  landlords in a spoof of the hot song Cell Block Tango. =20
Only here and there is a strain of  famous musical line heard. The show=20
contains nearly entirely original music by  Rockwell, which music director M=
arcia=20
Snavely handles with finesse at the piano.  The creators have done an=20
exceptional job of composing songs in such similar  styles to the originals,=
 we know=20
which songs are being  parodied.=20
This production abounds in delightfully  bad taste, including some off-color=
=20
jokes and even the ingenue being crushed by  a chandelier (you get to use yo=
ur=20
imagination  here).=20
Especially funny is the Webber segment,  starting with an homage to =E2=80=
=9CJunita''=20
(Evita). You never know what to  expect from this show, which has actress=20
Culler morphing between characters Eva  Peron and Christine Daae (from The=20
Phantom of the Opera) in the same  scene.=20
Too bad the cast didn't don real roller  skates, though, during the spoof of=
=20
the ridiculous Webber musical Starlight  Express. =20
Culler is a lovable dimwit as the  ingenue, June; Alexander entertains as th=
e=20
older, seasoned Abby; Bishara gets  laughs as the villain Jitter; and Steven=
s=20
creates a comically incompetent hero  in Willy.=20
Sly references to an entire musical can  be handled in just one or two lines=
,=20
such as when Big Willy says, ``That  lease'll never hold up in court,'' to=20
which villain Jitter says, ``Don't call me  Lisl!'' from The Sound of Music.=
=20
Bishara's best moments are as the Emcee  from Cabaret, mocking the tune=20
Willkommen with alohas and  holas.=20
``Drink your wine, because life is a  cabernet,'' he later croons.=20
In the Kander and Ebb scenes, the cast  also strikes over-the-top Fosse-esqu=
e=20
poses all over the  place.=20
Only this nutty show could make the  normally heartbreaking line from=20
Carousel, ``Sometimes you can get hit --  hit real hard -- it feels like a k=
iss,''=20
seem  funny.=20
At Actors' Summit, it's enjoyable to see  totally new fare that also has=20
plenty of elements of the familiar in this  Midwest premiere. The Musical of=
=20
Musicals (The Musical!) opened  off-Broadway in 2004, where it received thre=
e Drama=20
Desk Award  nominations.=20
Singers joke about the theater  ``cognoscenti''in this show. True, audiences=
=20
are more likely to get references  to the likes of Oklahoma!, Chicago and=20
Cabaret -- dominant in pop  culture -- than they will allusions to Sondheim,=
 whose=20
work is lovingly mocked  in song as ambiguous and dissonant.=20
``Don't feel obtuse, yes,it's  abstruse,'' the cast sings in a parody of Int=
o=20
the  Woods.=20
 =20
____________________________________

Staff writer  Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or at=20
_kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com_ (mailto:kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com) . See=
 her theater=20
blog at  _http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com_=20
(http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com/) . =20

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com=
.

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<DIV>
<P class=3DHeading11 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><FONT size=3D5><FONT=20
face=3DGeorgia><STRONG>`Musical' hits all its parody=20
notes<o:p></o:p></STRONG></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DHeading21 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><STRONG>Plenty of redundancy t=
o the=20
comedy as well as the title of spoof<o:p></o:p></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DHeading51 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">By Kerry=20
Clawson<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DHeading61 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Beacon Journal staff=20
writer<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><=
FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>To get an idea of what <I>The Mu=
sical of=20
Musicals (The Musical!) </I>is like, think of the popular musical parody=20
<I>Forbidden Broadway, </I>but with even more cleverness and=20
depth.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>The show with the sillily redund=
ant=20
title is a load of fun at Actors' Summit of Hudson, spoofing the work of mus=
ical=20
greats Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd=
=20
Webber, and Kander and Ebb.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>You'd have to be a musical theat=
er nut=20
to get <I>all </I>of the musical references in this show, of which there are=
=20
scores. But anyone with a healthy knowledge of the American art form will ge=
t=20
plenty of the jokes.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Director Neil Thackaberry's cast=
 --=20
including MaryJo Alexander, Joe Bishara, Kathleen Culler and Keith Stevens -=
-=20
works as a tight comedic team. This musical is like five shows in one, with=20=
the=20
common thread being the tried-and-true melodrama plot of the ingenue not bei=
ng=20
able to pay the rent, the evil landlord insisting on her paying the rent and=
 the=20
hero coming in to save the day.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Creators Eric Rockwell and Joann=
e Bogart=20
must have delightfully warped minds to have come up with all the wacky=20
variations to this basic theme, all portrayed in the recognizable styles of=20
musical theater legends. Audiences will delight in seeing everything from a=20
demented re-creation of <I>Oklahoma's </I>dream ballet to the evocation of=20
<I>Chicago's </I>merry murderesses behind bars, complaining about their=20
landlords in a spoof of the hot song <I>Cell Block Tango.=20
</I><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Only here and there is a strain=20=
of=20
famous musical line heard. The show contains nearly entirely original music=20=
by=20
Rockwell, which music director Marcia Snavely handles with finesse at the pi=
ano.=20
The creators have done an exceptional job of composing songs in such similar=
=20
styles to the originals, we know which songs are being=20
parodied.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>This production abounds in delig=
htfully=20
bad taste, including some off-color jokes and even the ingenue being crushed=
 by=20
a chandelier (you get to use your imagination=20
here).<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Especially funny is the Webber s=
egment,=20
starting with an homage to =E2=80=9CJunita'' <I>(Evita)</I>. You never know=20=
what to=20
expect from this show, which has actress Culler morphing between characters=20=
Eva=20
Peron and Christine Daae (from <I>The Phantom of the Opera</I>) in the same=20
scene.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Too bad the cast didn't don real=
 roller=20
skates, though, during the spoof of the ridiculous Webber musical <I>Starlig=
ht=20
Express. </I><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Culler is a lovable dimwit as th=
e=20
ingenue, June; Alexander entertains as the older, seasoned Abby; Bishara get=
s=20
laughs as the villain Jitter; and Stevens creates a comically incompetent he=
ro=20
in Willy.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Sly references to an entire musi=
cal can=20
be handled in just one or two lines, such as when Big Willy says, ``That=20
lease'll never hold up in court,'' to which villain Jitter says, ``Don't cal=
l me=20
Lisl!'' from <I>The Sound of Music</I>.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Bishara's best moments are as th=
e Emcee=20
from <I>Cabaret, </I>mocking the tune <I>Willkommen </I>with alohas and=20
holas.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>``Drink your wine, because life=20=
is a=20
cabernet,'' he later croons.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>In the Kander and Ebb scenes, th=
e cast=20
also strikes over-the-top Fosse-esque poses all over the=20
place.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Only this nutty show could make=20=
the=20
normally heartbreaking line from <I>Carousel, </I>``Sometimes you can get hi=
t --=20
hit real hard -- it feels like a kiss,'' seem=20
funny.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>At Actors' Summit, it's enjoyabl=
e to see=20
totally new fare that also has plenty of elements of the familiar in this=20
Midwest premiere. <I>The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) </I>opened=20
off-Broadway in 2004, where it received three Drama Desk Award=20
nominations.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Singers joke about the theater=20
``cognoscenti''in this show. True, audiences are more likely to get referenc=
es=20
to the likes of <I>Oklahoma!, Chicago </I>and <I>Cabaret </I>-- dominant in=20=
pop=20
culture -- than they will allusions to Sondheim, whose work is lovingly mock=
ed=20
in song as ambiguous and dissonant.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DNormalWeb1 style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>``Don't feel obtuse, yes,it's=20
abstruse,'' the cast sings in a parody of Into the=20
Woods.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<DIV class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"=20
align=3Dcenter><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>
<HR align=3Dcenter width=3D"100%" color=3D#cccccc noShade SIZE=3D1>
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT=20
size=3D3><SPAN class=3Dtagline><I><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Staff w=
riter=20
Kerry Clawson may be reached at </SPAN></I></SPAN><st1:phone=20
phonenumber=3D"$6996$$$" o_x003a_ls=3D"trans"><SPAN class=3Dtagline><I><SPAN=
=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">330-996-3527</SPAN></I></SPAN></st1:phone><SPAN=
=20
class=3Dtagline><I><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> or at <A=20
href=3D"mailto:kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com"><FONT=20
color=3D#000099>kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com</FONT></A>. See her theater bl=
og at=20
<A href=3D"http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com/"><FONT=20
color=3D#000099>http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com</FONT></A>.</SPAN></I></SP=
AN><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">=20
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style=3D"co=
lor: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style=3D"MARGIN-TOP: 10=
px">See what's free at <A title=3D"http://www.aol.com?ncid=3DAOLAOF000200000=
00503" href=3D"http://www.aol.com?ncid=3DAOLAOF00020000000503" target=3D"_bl=
ank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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