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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Palatino">CATS prowl as Mercury SummerStock
finds new home; Interplay Jewish Theatre preview</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">(</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino">Member, American
Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Like many
local theatres, Mercury Summer Stock, has experienced a vagabond existence. <span> </span>Founded by Pierre-Jacques Brault and
Brian Marshall, the summer theatre seems to finally have found a permanent home
in the Regina Auditorium at Notre Dame College in South Euclid.<span> </span>The large venue, with a huge stage, lends itself to the free
wheeling choreography and staging by Artistic Director Brault.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Along with a
change of venue, the organization has altered its mission.<span> </span>Previously billed as a professional
theatre, though they seldom had more than one equity performer appear in any
production, that aspect of its theatrical explanation has been dropped, opening
the door for evaluating the shows based on expectations for their usual high
school and young college student performers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">A new home,
new performance schedule (the addition of Sunday matinees), and a new goal
statement which includes advancing theatre as a means of educating,
challenging and inspiring through family-friendly programming rarely seen are
all part of the changed vision for the company. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Mercurys 2012
opening production is Andrew Lloyd Webbers CATS.<span> </span>Based on OLD POSSUMS BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS by T. S. Eliot,
the show is a series of poems set to music. There is a loose story line about a
tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the choice of who
will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to new life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The only memorable
song in the score is <i>Memory</i>, whose
lyrics were written by Trevor Nun, based on the Eliot poem, <i>Rhapsody on a Windy Night</i>.<span> </span>It was made famous by Betty Buckley,
who played Grizabella in the original Broadway production.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The show originally
opened in London in 1981 and ran for 21 years.<span> </span>The Broadway production, which opened in 1982, ran for eighteen
years, and was performed 7485 times, making it the second longest continually
running show in history.<span> </span>(THE
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, which is still going in New York, is the extended-run
leader.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">CATS is a
difficult show to produce, even for professionals, let alone for a group of high
school and college students who are just learning their craft. Almost every
song requires a production number, so the key element of the staging is dance. <span> </span>In addition, the score has shades of
opera and is difficult to sing.<span> </span>Another
major issue is that since there is little drama or no humor, holding the
audiences attention is difficult.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">As evidenced
by the three tween girls who were sitting in front of me, wiggling, slumping in
their seats, and generally showing boredom, this is not a show for children and
may be a challenge for adults. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The Mercury
production, directed and choreographed by Brault, has some high moments, but
these are eclipsed by some issues. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">On the
positive side, Braults choreography is creative.<span> </span>He has cast some good dancers.<span> </span>Especially strong is Jake Washabaugh who appears well
trained in ballet and controls the stage when his long thin body whips high
turns, does flexible leg kicks, and executes powerful lifts.<span> </span>Also strong are Zach Pfeil, Katlyn
Dessoffy, and Taylor Bryan.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Traditionally,
the action takes place in a junk yard.<span>
</span>For some inexplicable reason Brault decided to switch that to a childs
room, complete with board games, a toy car, balls and building blocks.<span> </span>Nothing in the show references such a
setting.<span> </span>Maybe he thought making
the whole thing into TOY STORY would help.<span> </span>It only confuses.<span>
</span>Why would 20 cats be prowling a childs room?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Braults
costume designs are clever.<span> </span>He
suggests cats, rather than creating authentic cats.<span> </span>The same is true of the cast.<span> </span>They did not consistently become cats, they represented
them, with a minimal number of cleaning, preening and stretching gestures.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Eddie
Carneys orchestra puts out full sound, but, unfortunately, the large playing
space gobbled up the five pieces, making the sound slight.<span> </span>This was not helped by the squealing
sound system, and weak projection by some of the cast.<span> </span>Blinking lights at weird times also
didnt help.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Staging
highlights included<i> The Old<span> </span>Gumbie Cat</i>, <i>The Jellicle Ball</i>, and <i>Mr.
Mistoffelees</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:Palatino">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:<span> </span>CATS was not all that could have been
hoped for as an opening show in Mercurys new venue, but, considering the
difficulty of the show, and the developing abilities of the cast, Brault and
company can be commended for a nice try.</span></i><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">CATS runs
through June 30 at Mercury Summerstock.<span>
</span>Call <span> </span><a href="tel:216-771-5862" value="+12167715862" target="_blank">216-771-5862</a> or go to <a href="http://www.mercrysummerstock.com" target="_blank">www.mercrysummerstock.com</a>
for tickets.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:Palatino">Coming up:<span> </span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Up next for
Mercury Summerstock is THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA, with Brault as the in-drag
Wicked Queen!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The <b>Interplay Jewish Theatre</b> presents
DEFAMATION, a courtroom drama by Todd Logan on Sunday, June 24 at 2 pm, and
Monday, June 25 at 7 at Ensemble Theater.<span>
</span>Entrance is free, but reservations are requested.<span> </span>Call <a href="tel:216-210-3150" value="+12162103150" target="_blank">216-210-3150</a> or send an email to
<a href="mailto:interplayjewishtheatre@gmail.com" target="_blank">interplayjewishtheatre@gmail.com</a>.</span></p><p style="color:rgb(204,0,0)" class="MsoNormal"><br><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
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