[NEohioPAL] Review of "Curtains" at Summer Stages

[Bob Abelman]

'Curtains' doesn't rise quite high enough

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 7/23/10

Every so often, art forms are given a close, hard look by those who engage in them. They arepaid homage for their achievements or met with a sobering dose of parody because of their shortcomings.  This is certainly true of musical theater of late, as reflected in such shows as The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Urinetown.  

 

Curtains , which made its Broadway debut in 2007 and is in production at Summer Stages' Factory Theater, is both a love letter and a satirical send-up to the big Broadway musical form.

 

The show takes place on a stage in Boston in the late-1950s, as a cast workshops a very bad production earmarked for New York.   When the star, a movie actress with no talent whatsoever, dies mysteriously during the curtain call, Boston police lieutenant Frank Cioffi is called in to investigate.  

 

Homicide is his forte, but theater is his passion. True to the musical theater tradition in which this play is rooted and simultaneously razes, our hero predictably solves the crime, fixes the musical, wins the girl and gets a solo in the 11 o'clock number.

 

The show's strengths lie in its collection of wonderfully acerbic, overly dramatic theater-types as its central characters and the murder's prime suspects and, in the Broadway production, David Hyde Pierce as Lieutenant Cioffi.  Hyde Pierce set the tone for the production by generating just the right balance of boyish charm and theatrical flair, which earned him the show's only Tony Award.  

 

Although the music in Curtains is written by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, the same royalty who penned Cabaret and Chicago, there is more ebb than flow in this creation.

 

In fact, for a musical takeoff on musicals, it lacks the well-conceived and memorable songs that are the basis for why we love musicals in the first place.  It also fails to generate the sustainable laughs required to support a really good spoof despite its share of hilarious one-liners. 

 

As can be seen in the Summer Stages' staging, director Michael Mauldin clearly adores the art form of musical theater and its traditions.  This is shared by choreographer Martin Cespedes, musical director John Krol and costume designer Teresa Pieritz, who apply all that is historical and hackneyed in their respective crafts to this production.  

 

Still, there exist some odd and unfortunate choices that accentuate the flaws implicit in the material and keep the show from really taking off.

 

The first pertains to the characters who populate this backstage musical.

 

The show starts well.  Stephanie Wilbert is a hoot in her brief moments as the abysmal, self-absorbed star walking her way through a brassy musical number just before her demise.  Shortly thereafter, it becomes apparent that not all of the actors are on the same page.  There is a significant difference in being an over-the-top character, which this show within a show requires, and acting over-the-top.  The former feeds the funny and quickens the pace; the latter detracts from these things.

 

George Roth as the show's director, Jean Kauffman as its producer and Sainty Reid as the producer's daughter are authentically affected and hilarious.  Mark Seven as the producer's unfaithful husband, Stephen Farkas as the theater critic, and Eric Perusek in his brief appearances as Detective O'Farrell are not. 

 

Other characters, which do not require such broad depiction, are played well.  Particularly delightful are Ursula Cataan as the show's composer who takes over for the departed star and Jessica Dyer as the ingénue.  The eight talented members of the ensemble are also quite good.

 

Tom Woodward plays Lieutenant Cioffi and has created an adorable and accessible persona.  He brings a Mike Myers coyness to the role, which is immediately engaging.  However, he lacks the singing chops required to carry the show, making him an odd choice.  

 

Other disparities in this show's production concern the sound and set design.

 

The timing of punch lines and the effectiveness of lyrics are thrown off by the audience's inability to consistently hear them because of the faulty sound system and the huge orchestra in close proximity. 

 

 The illusion of an out-of-town tryout of a big Broadway musical is undermined by the under-utilization of scenic designer Russ Borski's significant skills.

 

Works that throw bouquets and briquettes at their own art forms work when all the pieces and parts are in balance.  Curtains falls just short.     

 

Curtains continues in repertory through August 5 at the Factory Theater on East 24th Street, Ceveland.  For tickets, $10 to $15, call 216-687-2109 or visit http://csu.ticketleap.com.  
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