Sound of Music, Civic Theatre - 12/1/13

A seat in the first row balcony provides an entirely new perspective of this beautiful theatre, which was packed with families this afternoon. But seeing a version of the original stage play also made this an unsettling performance.

We all know the movie, the songs, and in which scenes the songs are performed. This started right off with “My Favorite Things” in the Abbey, when we all know that’s the song sung “during the storm” scene. The play gave us “The Lonely Goatherd” during the storm instead.

There’s no “I Have Confidence” but there are three additional songs unknown to movie audiences, “How Can Love Survive,” “No Way To Stop It,” and “An Ordinary Couple.” The love story plot is changed and the end result remains the same but without “I Must Have Done Something Good.” Rolf is not a snitch in this play but was in the movie - major change-up.

So other than these shakeups, the production was quite effective, complete with singing nuns dispersed throughout the theatre for the opening number. Maria mis-stepped slightly while climbing her stage hill for her “The Hills Are Alive” and the choreography during the song was clumsy. Her voice went slightly sharp or flat on several numbers and she doesn’t have near the octave range of Julie Andrews (maybe Mother Abbess) but then who does?

Spot on was Mother Abbess, Darla Wortley. Looking up her bio information in the program during intermission, I found she is a member of the Opera Grand Rapids chorus; her voice was so controlled and stunning, and with a huge range. She blew the house away with her rendition of “Climb Every Mountain.”

Max Detweiler (Andrew Schneider) was hilarious and the children were all good to great. Rolf and Liesl (Joshua Regan and Lydia Blickley) were sweet in their “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” number and had obvious ballet training.  When the children sang together, the harmonies were beautiful and mesmerizing. All in all, the cast was a wonderful ensemble.

The second to the last scene, when the Von Trapp family is performing at the festival while planning their escape, came complete with Nazi banners rolled out and soldiers placed strategically throughout the theatre, including up in the lights (middle section in photo). It was a little eerie.

What’s left to say other than either due to the balcony acoustics or the attendees, I heard candy paper rustling and audience whispering the entire time. My seat was a little too far right but all in all, first row balcony is pretty sweet seating. Cheers to live theater!

Disappointing Shows This Weekend in Grand Rapids

We started with “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” at the Civic Theatre Saturday night, and what a disappointment it was. The actors were fine and did the best they could do with the material, which is the problem.

The story is lifeless and plot lines are eviscerated. Relationships and characters are undeveloped and we really don’t care about them. Singer’s soliloquy at the end is an attempt to tie things together and explain what we’ve just seen, but it’s too little, too late.

Ten reasonably intelligent people were in our group, and one understood what we were seeing (because I was the only one familiar with the 1968 movie). Thankfully we had a lovely pre-show dinner at Cottage Bar so the evening was not a total loss.

Watch the movie of the same name and you’ll come away with a much richer appreciation of this story. The sign language placement in the movie is so well done that no projections or subtitles are ever used, unlike this production. Mick (Sondra Locke) and Singer (Alan Arkin) were both Oscar-nominated performances.

The 1940 novel is by Carson McCullers, the 1968 screenplay is by Thomas C. Ryan, and  this adaptation is by Rebecca Gilman. The program states that Gilman’s “plays are typified by economy of language and an unflinching desire to make her characters honest rather than idyllic.”  This “economy of language” has decimated the story lines, and these “honest” characters are without depth.  

But on to Sunday afternoon that brought me to Flashdance at DeVos. I’m a big fan of musicals and love powerful singing/dancing numbers, and they are present here. Generally based on the 1983 movie, this production has yet to hit Broadway.

The basic musical numbers and story are still here but suddenly we have Vegas showgirls and their stories, ear-popping loud music, and way too much skin and gratuitous body writhing. The flashing and strobe lights were killers but there were warning signs in the lobby.

I pity the mothers who took their very young daughters to this show and were treated to “Manhunt”, complete with male dancers gyrating in animal masks and tights. Yes, girl makes good in the end and gets with Prince Charming, and both of them are incredibly talented actors. Emily Padgett plays Alex and Matthew Hydzik is Nick Hurley (son of her boss, and her love interest). He is more natural with the dialogue and she is an amazing dancer. "Justice" was an outstanding number feature Hydzik.

Overall, it’s not a good show and I can see why it's winding its way through the country before it attempts Broadway. Dialogue is mostly stilted but I think that’s more the fault of the script than the actors. The Maniac reprise that closes Act One provides the classic Flashdance image. Maybe it will all be improved by the time it hits Broadway... 

Bye Bye Birdie, Civic Theatre - 2/25/12

With very few exceptions, our experiences at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre over many years have been very positive. Tonight, unfortunately, was one of those exceptions.

At first we thought our luke-warm reactions were due to our recollections of the 1963 movie starring Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Maureen Stapleton, Paul Lynde, Bobby Rydell, and Jesse Pearson as Conrad Birdie. Who could possibly compete with those indelible performances? 

By the conclusion, we knew this was not the case. This entire production lacked life. Dancing was weak, unimaginative, and repetitive, and we’re not sure if it was the limited capacity of the actors with the choreographer doing his best with the talent he had or if it was the choreography. We’re going with the former. 


Check out the Shriner’s Ballet on YouTube with Chita Rivera, who made the role famous on Broadway. Shriner's Ballet - Chita Rivera, choreographer Gower Campion


Singing was consistently pitchy in all of the solos. But a few numbers stood out and they were all group efforts. “One Boy” was exquisitely harmonized by three women, and the “Hymn for a Sunday Evening” was equally impressive. “Kids” was ably performed by a parent ensemble. Obviously, these are voices that sing well together but shouldn’t be asked to stand alone. 


The play/movie parodied Elvis and the time he was drafted into the army. Jesse Pearson played this role to the hilt in the movie. Along with the other leading roles tonight, this one did not fit the bill.  

Darla Wortley as Mrs. Peterson was a stand-out and had all the funniest lines, and the younger ensemble performers were energetic and entertaining. Otherwise, we would highly recommend you see the movie instead of this production. 

Hairspray, Civic Theatre - June 18, 2011

“Hairspray” began its life as a 1988 film. A Broadway production in 2002 turned it into a musical, and a movie musical was released in 2007.  Along the way, musical numbers were added and dropped but the basic plot remains the same and takes place in Baltimore in the 1960s.

The Civic put on a fine performance and certainly did the show justice. I’m not going to reveal the plot because if you are not familiar with it, you should see it fresh. It’s smart and funny.

The singing was excellent with wonderful performances by all involved. Choreography was well done, although many of the same moves/dance steps were frequently repeated. The dancers were light on their feet and joyful in their movements. The moving parts of the large dance crew were smooth at all times.

They did not receive top-tier billing, but Mike Frankey as Link Larkin, and Richard Carnegie as Seaweed Stubbs were outstanding performers, both in song and dance.  

Motormouth Maybelle was played by Lisa Whitley-Butler, and although she had one weak note, and once addressed Tracy as Penny, her voice was strong and beautiful, and her acting was superb. “I Know Where I’ve Been” was a show-stopper.

The Turnblad family is always the star of the show and all three actors did a fine job with their singing, dancing, and delivery of some very funny lines (Jolene Frankey, Todd Avery, and Davin Lepisto).

The players occasionally surprised us by appearing in the aisles of the theatre, and at one point long strands of confetti were shot out over the audience. A curtain that refused to fall near the end of the show surprised everyone but the actors quickly worked around it.

So enjoy this well-directed (Penelope Notter) romp back into the sixties with its big hair, small TVs, and the beginning of the civil rights movement. It’s energetic and entertaining from beginning to end and you can see it at the Civic until July 2. You will agree that “You Can’t Stop the Beat!”

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Civic Theatre - 3/6/10

If you’ve never seen a production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, here’s a brief summary: it’s the Biblical story of Joseph and his brothers, taken from Genesis and placed in a world of craziness. The show has a long, interesting history, first composed as a 15-minute program by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for a high school program in 1968. Over the years, it was expanded, recorded, produced again and again, and was finally promoted as a follow-up to the popular “Jesus Christ Superstar”. It hit Broadway in 1982 and a movie video was released in 1999.

Tonight we watched it performed by a talented group of children and adults, and it was impressive, and yes, crazy, in a Mel Brooks kind of way. The story is completely told through song (transitions provided by the narrator, in song), and quickly and humorously moved through the major events of Joseph’s life. To say that the musical numbers do not adhere to any one style would be an understatement. Suddenly, Joseph's brothers were in Paris performing a sort-of French ballad. Later, while groveling before the un-recognized Joseph in Egypt, they turned in a great calypso/reggae performance.

Children remained in current-day clothing, as did the narrator. The rest of the cast maintained their Biblical-age attire with the notable exception of Pharoah; in what began as a stately Egyptian musical number, complete with two Anubis gods, suddenly became a Vegas-style Elvis impersonator show. The wonderful, singing Elvis-Pharoah (Tom Bush) walked down into the audience and asked a woman to stand up with him. She responded with “are you kidding?” “No, I’m not, Ma’am - that’s how we do it in Egypt.”

Joseph (Addison Reid Coe) did a nice job, although his voice became slightly nasal at times. The time-traveling narrator (Peggy Keuning) had a stunningly beautiful voice that moved effortlessly from one scene to another, defying any range limitations. The brothers gave strong performances and were as adept with a country-western song as they were with a disco number (and we won’t quibble with why Benjamin was included as one of the trouble-making brothers). This was a very entertaining musical, joyful and hilarious, and just great fun to watch.