<p><font size="4"><b>A WELL-DESERVED PLAYHOUSE CURTAIN CALL</b></font><br></p><p></p><p>By MILAN PAURICH</p>
<p><a href="mailto:news@vindy.com">news@vindy.com</a></p>
<p>YOUNGSTOWN</p>
<p>Old-fashioned fun has been conspicuously absent on the
community-theater circuit this season.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.”)</p><p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.)</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“Curtains” runs through next Sunday at the Youngstown Playhouse. For
tickets, call 330-788-8739.</p>