[NEohioPAL] Rave review of CURTAINS at the Youngstown Playhouse!

[Michael Dempsey]

*A WELL-DESERVED PLAYHOUSE CURTAIN CALL*

By MILAN PAURICH

news at vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Old-fashioned fun has been conspicuously absent on the community-theater
circuit this season.

Sure, there have been unforgettable productions of Pulitzer-winning dramas
(the Oakland Center for the Arts’ “Wit” and “Dinner With Friends”) and a
spectacular Top Hat rendition of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ socially
conscious musical epic “Ragtime.”

But if divorce, terminal cancer and racism aren’t your idea of a jolly night
out, the pickings may have seemed a tad on the lean side.

Thank heaven for the Youngstown Playhouse! The high-energy Playhouse
production of “Curtains,” which opened to a packed house Friday night, is a
veritable cavalcade of delights.

Michael Dempsey’s brassy, glitzy, well-nigh irresistible staging of John
Kander and Fred Ebb’s 2007 Broadway hit officially announces the return of
unadulterated pleasure to the area theater scene.

If “Curtains” is an example of what’s in store at the Playhouse under the
tutelage of new Executive Director Mary Ruth Lynn, the old gray lady
deserves to be around for another 100 years.

Largely stripped of the bone-weary cynicism that distinguishes Kander and
Ebb’s most famous works (“Cabaret” and “Chicago”), “Curtains” just wants to
entertain. Rupert Holmes’ book is an affectionate pastiche of both classic
backstage musicals and Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries. (Think “And
Then There Were None on 42nd Street.”)

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And if the songs don’t quite grab you with the home-run swagger of an “All
That Jazz” or “Maybe This Time,” the peppy score bounces merrily along,
serving up one double (“Thinking of Him”) and triple (standout number “A
Tough Act to Follow”) after another.

When the despised leading lady of Broadway-bound musical “Robbin’ Hood of
the Old West” drops dead during the opening-night curtain call, Boston
detective Frank Cioffi (Josh Lewis) is called in to investigate.
Sequestering the cast and crew inside the theater, Frank begins his inquiry
into the mysterious death of Jessica Cranshaw (Regina Reynolds). Since Frank
also is an unabashed theater buff, he uses the opportunity to play script
doctor for the troubled production. By the end of Act Two, Frank has not
only cracked the case but fixed the show and won the heart of “Robbin’ Hood”
ingenue Niki Harris (Lindsay Heath) as well.

In an astonishing Playhouse debut, Kent State senior Lewis delivers a bona
fide star-is-born performance that’s as remarkably assured as it is
effortlessly charming. Also terrific are Heath (another Playhouse
first-timer), Geri DeWitt (tough-talking “Robbin’ Hood” producer Carmen
Bernstein), Tom O’Donnell (so deliciously over the top as twitty British
director Christopher Belling that he’s just about perfect), Eric Kibler
(long-suffering co-producer Oscar Shapiro) and Rob Dumovic and Kayla Boye
(two more wonderfully gifted YP newbies). Reynolds, Bernie Appugliese, Alan
McCreary, Amy Russell and Glenn Stevens round out the bustling ensemble in
stellar fashion.

One of the most eye-popping Youngstown Playhouse shows on record, “Curtains”
features Broadway-caliber production values courtesy of Jim Lybarger and
Cherie Stebner’s luxurious scenic design and costumes. (Kudos also to
Backdrops Beautiful and JaDuke Scene Shop for their invaluable
contributions.)

Musical director Gary Kekel does splendid work leading his seven-member
orchestra (thanks to some snazzy new sound equipment, no YP show has ever
sounded better), and choreographer Carrie Mazzuco clearly put her heart and
soul into staging the many elaborate dance routines.

While Dempsey may lack New Castle Playhouse guru Michael Cavalier’s genius
for staging dioramalike human tableaux (which might have come in handy with
this super-sized cast), he maintains such a jaunty pace that you’ll hardly
notice. Not even some second-act longueurs — or a few misplaced kicks and
thrusts among the otherwise sterling chorus — can rain on Dempsey’s
ticker-tape parade.

“Curtains” runs through next Sunday at the Youngstown Playhouse. For
tickets, call 330-788-8739.
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