The Baker's Wife

By Joseph Cervelli

When I hear the name of some past musicals a smile comes to my face. One of which is the enchanting (what other word could apply?) "The Baker's Wife." While it never came to Broadway back in the '70's there was an unfinished  studio recording with Paul Sorvino and Patti LuPone who were supposed to have starred. I did see the Papermill production quite a few years ago. It was charming but somewhat overproduced. 

Well, thankfully, that is not the case now as presented at the Classic Stage Company under the wonderfully intuitive direction by Gordon Greenberg. It is astonishing how he makes do with such a large and terrific cast in such a small space. Credit must also be given to the excellent choreography of Stephanie Klemons. And, of course, the gorgeous score by Stephen Schwartz and the sweet book by Joseph Stein ("Fiddler on the Roof.")

Nicely designed by Jason Sherwood the action takes place in a small town in Provence, France. The townspeople are mostly genial to each other living a quiet life. Of course, two of them Claude (the always welcome Robert Cuccioli) and Barnaby (Manu Narayan) refuse to speak to each other for reasons unbeknownst to either. It has been a grudge started by their grandfathers. It is a joy to have Judy Kuhn as Claude's wife Denise back at Classic Stage where she shone in the recent revival of "I Can Get it For You Wholesale." Included is the priest (a humorous Will Roland) and the tipsy Antoine (Kevin Del Aguila who walked off with the disappointing recent musical "Some Like it Hot.") There is the witty Marquis (a delightful Nathan Lee Graham) and his supposed three "nieces" (Savannah Lee Birdsong, Samantha Gershman and Hailey Thomas). Arnie Burton as Teacher always has that playful sparkle in his eye in the many roles I have seen him in and does not disappoint here. They are all anxiously awaiting for the new baker and his wife. The last one just recently died and they cannot bear to be without their daily bread. 

Scott Bakula plays the new baker Almable with the charm that Bakula brings to any role. Think back to his performance in "Romance, Romance." He arrives with his much younger wife Genevieve (a stunning Ariana DeBose) whom the townspeople think is his daughter. They seem very much in love  though you do find out that Genevieve had an affair with a married man and sings the lovely "Gifts of Love." It is apparent that she seems in love with him yet has the look of uncertainty. Things go immediately sour when she sees the hunky Dominique (Kevin William Paul) the Marquis' chauffeur. He surely is infatuated with her and married or not he has to have her. She rebuffs his moves until his handsomeness overwhelms her. And it is here that she sings a number that so many of leading musical stars have the simply glorious "Meadowlark" about not passing up an opportunity to take a chance on someone whom you are overwhelmingly obsessed by. DeBose conveys the song’s meaning perfectly.

It is obvious that they will leave together and that things will eventually go sour. Being with someone who is exceedingly physically appealing can only last so long if there is little more to the relationship. DeBose whose voice is captivating does a memorable rendition of "Where is the Warmth?" Having seen DeBose as the fiery Anita in the film verison "West Side Story" and in the Donna Summer musical it is clear how well she can sing but here it is different. She needs to convey the feelings of the various songs at different junctures in her character and could not be better. 

Bakula gives a beautifully nuanced performance as a man completely in love with his wife as witnessed in the sweet “Merci, Madame.” And when she runs off with Dominique, he doesn’t want the town people to think ill of her so it just makes up a story that she’s visiting her mother. 

The show would never have worked without the charisma that both she and Bakula have. You need this possibly even more in a miniature sized show as this particular one.

I would most definitely hope that this production could move to Broadway in a very small house. Circle in the Square would be ideal though it is now taken. Hope the producers could find another. This is too good a production for it to just fade away.

PHOTOS: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Tickets are available at the Classic Stage Company 136 East 13th Street. 

Crooked Cross

By Joseph Cervelli

The title of the 1934 novel by Sally Carson "Crooked Cross" refers to the swastika.  She later adapted it into a play for the British stage in 1935, and it was presented again in 1937. It caused a sensation as it deals with the rise of fascism in Germany and the way young men who feel they have no future in the work force join the Nazi Party. Wearing a uniform and being paid was the enticement. Carson wrote of the horrors that just started against the Jewish population. All of this did not go over well with a number of British audiences especially since a good deal of them were pro-Germany. It has never been produced here before and the almost always wonderful Mint Theater Company decided to present it. The Mint for those not acquainted with it produces shows that are basically unknown, since they were from the 20's or 30's for the most part. Most were a joy and even those few that might have felt a bit stodgy had themes that felt years ahead of its time. It is just wonderful they are there to present these plays.  Even if several might not have always worn well the performances in all that I have seen were excellent. 

However, in this production of "Crooked Cross" at the Mint there is a severe misstep. Almost all the performances are below par with amateurish results. Does it hamper the essence of the show? Unfortunately, the answer is yes it does. It is hard to get into the mood of the substance of the play when the actors are giving lackluster performances. And Jonathan Banks's direction is off kilter. More on this later. 

The opening has the Kluger family seen in their quaint home in Bavaria (fine turn table set design by Alexander Woodward) at Christmas time. We meet the Kruger family,  Lexa (Ella Stevens) decorating the Christmas tree with her brother Helmy (Gavin Michaels) along with their mother  (Katie Firth), father (Liam Craig) and brother Erich (Jakob Winter.) Who also appears is Lexa's fiance Moritz Weissmann (Samuel Adams.) Moritz's mother was German while father is Jewish. A friend of Erich's, Otto (Jack Mastrianni), joins the festivities. You know something is up when you see the father giving  unpleasant glances towards Moritz. 

In the second scene which is New Year's Eve things start to turn. Moritz who is a physician informs Lexa that he has been fired from the hospital. He gives her a made up story about the other doctors don't approve of his being involved with members of the Communist Party. The real reason is that he is Jewish which comes out later. There is no doubt this will interfere with their June wedding plans.

For some reason Craig (not sure if under the direction by Banks) plays his role several times for laughs. We see him wearing lederhosen and for no reason seems to be exercising which produces chuckles from the audience. Later on near the end of the play he is in discomfort with his leg but plays it again in a silly way with supposed pain. I can only blame the director for the character to behave like this. 

What starts out as a pleasant time for Lexa and Moritz at a Munich Hotel Bar turns nasty when he accidentally bumps into a Young Man (Ben Millspaugh) wearing a swastika and calling him a "filthy Jew." 

The brothers who have joined the Nazi Party want Lexa to stop seeing Moritz because to them being half German does not matter. For them and their father he is Jewish.  Helmy in full uniform goes to Moritz's basically empty one room flat he shares with his dad (Douglas Rees.) Rees gives what I felt to be the best most authentic performances of the evening.  Helmy tells Moritz he wants him to stop seeing Lexa. The Germans have now taken away their passports which his father feels they will give back so Moritz can emigrate to England and practice medicine. Moritz realizes he will never be granted the privilige to leave. 

In the second act you learn that Erich has been teaching skiing and had sexual encounters with older women for money before he found his niche by joining the Party. He goes catatonic when Lexa confronts him on this. Lexa and Moritz feel their only way to freedom is to get out of the country by crossing a mountain range. While near the Austrian Frontier things take a bad turn for them which you sadly expect.  

The play is an expert indictment of the Nazi Party and how easily they sway young people to join who feel they have nothing in their lives. The play needs to have actors who can handle the transformation in their characters. For the two brothers something as pleasant as enjoying the holidays and being happy to suddenly becoming such unlikable characters is never realized. 

Michaels' basic pleasantness in his character remains when he is in the Party. That is fine if he had shone moments of anger so we see what he has turned into but to keep his general cheery disposition does not work.   

Winter is way over the top in one particular scene and seems unsure how to play the role. And the scene where he falls on the sofa in hysterics never rings true. Mastrianni seems totally lost and little more than a stick figure. Adams was fair enough and could have been better with a director more intuned to his character and a better lead actor to play off of. 

Sad to say but Stevens is, perhaps, the least effective as Lexa. I am not sure if it was the sometimes bizarre direction of Banks who has her in one upsetting moment put her hands to her mouth expressionless when she realizes something terrible has happened. That is what seems to be the key to her performance. There is very little emotion. And why does Banks on several occasions have her come to the front of the stage looking out in bewilderment to the audience. It makes no sense. 

This play deserves passionate performers and a steady directoral hand. It sadly comes away minus both.

PHOTOS: Todd Cerveris

Tickets are available at Theater Row Theaters 410 West 42nd Street. 

Gene & Gilda

By Joseph Cervelli

Just by the title alone "Gene & Gilda" you know exactly whom this sweet and likable play written by Cary Gitter at 59E59 Theaters produced by Penguin Rep Theatre is about. Two incomparable comic actors, Gene Wilder ( Jonathan Randell Silver) and his wife Gilda Radner (Jordon Kai Burnett. ) My first thought was I hope this is not going to be just an interview with both performers the guests of Dick Cavett  since there is a logo from his show on the back wall before the play begins.  But far from this being an interview play. Yes, Cavett does want to interview Wilder about not only his career but the untimely passing  of his wife at the age of 42.  Then suddenly Gilda come out on stage and urges Wilder to provide more information about their lives than he wants to. Wilder states emphatically that anything about his late wife is off limits but not to her. She wants the world to know about their loving and sometimes not always easy relationship.

They met on the set of a flop of a film they both were appearing in. It was truly a love at first sight relationship even though Gilda was still married and Gene had been married several times before. 

What I enjoyed about the way it is written and well directed by Joe Brancato is that it is told in chronological order so you are privy to not only the happy times but the bumps in the road of their relationship. And Gilda makes sure that we as part of the studio audience see the "good, the bad and the ugly." Wilder's career takes off while Radner's never goes that far other than on Saturday Night Live. Yes, she did make a few films and could have made more but illness prevented that. Her real claim to fame were several characters the most famous ones Roseanne Rosannadanna, Emily Litella and Baba Wawa. Burnett does well in the smart aleck remarks and most certainly in the dramatic ones. The last scene with her and Silver sitting on a bench in Paris is lovely and moving. Unfortunately, her impersonating Radner as the three characters mentioned is not as funny as I had hoped for.  True, no one could imitate Radner to the extent that she created these hilarious characters, but I was hoping for something more spot on. Still Burnett does give a good performance, and I admired her devotion towards Radner. 

On the other hand, Silver personifies Wilder. He looks and sounds like him. His imitation of Wilder portraying the unforgettable character Leo Bloom from the hysterical film "The Producers" is incomparable. I could swear I was watching a clip from the film. While it feels like it was just shoehorned in when not really necessary,  it worked. 

There are a couple of dance numbers which did not really work that well for me. The dramatic one which is near the end would have been just fine while the others turned into something too silly. 

I was impressed by Christian Fleming's simple but effective set and Brian Pacelli's stunning projections of among other locales the Carlyle worked perfectly. Also, Jose Santiago's lighting was evocative of the mood of the play. 

If you were fans of both or either of the couple then I would highly recommend a visit. It runs only about 80 minutes but it incorporates a lot about their work and relationships. You just wish that their life together could have lasted much longer. 

PHOTOS: Carol Rosegg

Tickets are available at the 59E59 Theaters 59 East 59th Street. 

 Lunar Eclipse

By Joseph Cervelli

Whenever I read that Reed Birney is going to be appearing in a play, I will be there. There are few actors who are as believable in their portrayals of characters as this immensely talented man. He and his son were outstanding in the last outing I saw him in "Chester Bailey." He and his co-star Lisa Emery are  incredibly moving in Donald Margulies latest poignant play presented by 2ndStage at The Pershing Square Signature Center's "Lunar Eclipse" gorgeously directed by the always exceptional Kate Whoriskey. 

At first glance not a lot goes on and most of the play is a reflection on aging. The play takes place on the farm that George and his wife own.  He comes from a lineage of farmers.  Birney is the curmudgeon George married to the more uplifting and grateful Em (an endearing Emery.)  Reflecting is not uncommon with older people and in most instances they look for the wonderful times they had though here there are differing attitudes. Despite the death of an overdose of drugs that their adopted son succumbed to they seem to have a good long distance relationship with their daughter. Yet, even then George seems to be tied up in a coil of sadness about not seeing her often saying that he was more distraught by the death of his dogs than his son. And what is surprising is that George was more upset that his son stole his beloved telescope to pay for drugs. George has always been fascinated with astronomy and the title of the play which deals with the Earth's shadow falling on the moon covering it completely is a metaphor for his falling into a blackening period in his life. Not helpful is the fact he may be developing dementia.

Em tries to comfort him every way she is able to. She is uplifting and hoping to convince him that they still have many years ahead of them. According to the predictions George has decided up there are about 22 years. They bicker (well George bickers and Em tries to calm things down) about whether he should be wearing a sweater since it has gotten colder as the evening goes on. There is a lot of humor throughout and  yet there is an aura of sadness. 

As the play goes on you begin to wonder if George was ever happy. He has the cloud of senility overhanging but was he always like this. But then Margulies does something wonderful near the conclusion, and you see both characters as teenagers. Having adults playing younger people is always a slippery slope. It rarely works, but when you have two exceptionally fine actors as these two, it works beautifully. They have found each other and there is definitely a love connection here. The growling George is smiling and tender while Em is exactly the same lovable person. It is a beautiful scene played to the hilt by both.

Walt Spangler's set design is bucolic and peaceful and the lighting design byAmith Chandrashaker along with the gorgeous video design by S. Kathy Tucker make the sky look amazingly realistic.

There is not one false moment in this shining show. Looking at it you think about your own personal life and wonder if you could have done anything to have improved up it or are you just happy with the way things turned out. Hopefully, the latter is the way you wish you have gone. And if you are a young person it would be wonderful to see the joys that lie ahead with someone you love and do everything to make it work.

PHOTOS: JOAN MARCUS

Tickets are available at The Pershing Square Signature Center 480 West 42nd Street. As of this date the show ends its run June 22.

The Black Wolfe Tone

By Joseph Cervelli

The two major questions in the emotionally moving solo play "The Black Wolfe Tone" with a hauntingly memorable performance by Irish actor Kwaku Fortune playing at The W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre at the Irish Rep are what caused his mental illness and how to deal with it. 

Fortune created a deeply disturbed character named Kevin suffering from bipolar disorder and as performed and with arresting direction by Nicola Murphy Dubey it will grab you from the very start of its 65 or so minutes. 

The very simple set is the outside of a mental institution in Ireland showing a tree minus any leaves. The symbolism there is apparent. Kevin is just as depleted. 

Being only a six row theater Fortune as Kevin  bears right into you. He looks at the audience smoking on his break and states that he has created us. What is almost frightening is how he  stares with a searing focus  from one person to the next  almost want them to understand his pain. Before the show started, I moved back a bit and happen to be in full line of his vision. I felt immediately immersed in his psyche as he looked at me asking "was it my parent's fault?" Then goes on to speak about his father who he doesn’t believe was responsible, although he was emotionally detached from his son.

He speaks about racism when accosted on a bus by a man who tells him to go back to his own country and Kevin responds by speaking in Gaelic with comments about this is his country. 

The play as written by Fortune is in stream of consciousness so while easy to follow there is some dialogue that is purposely convoluted in meaning. One of the most upsetting feelings he expresses is how "mania is the best drug on the planet." This truly expresses the feeling of someone with severe mental issues. They cannot deal with life as it is so enter another world which is easier for them to cope. 

The only other character is the voice of the nurse we hear (Clare Barrett). Fortune portrays the doctor who is taking care of him explaining about the drugs he is on to keep him as stable as possible. There is a playful give and take between he and the doctor who slowly is losing patience with Kevin trying to get him to understand he must work as hard as he can to deal with his illness so he can eventually leave the  institution. 

He had been transferred from a prison after writing in fecal matter "Fuck Da Guards" on the walls of his cell and starts to sing about raping their children, etc. It is apparent he needs a great deal of psychiatric help. 

He compares himself to Theobald Wolfe Tone who was an 18th Century figure who strived for Irish independence but not understanding he is not capable of leaving under his current situation. 

As he continues with his monologue things seem to be getting the worst of him. It is as if he has been all consumed by his mania. He explains being chased by boys with bats, crashing into a wall with his car, and then fighting with his brother that causes severe injury to him. And worse yet what occurs between he and his father.

He poses a question at the very end to you the audience he believes he created. You almost want to answer him but know it is not the answer he may want, though he knows the outcome. 

I would be amiss if I did not mention the excellent lighting by Adam Honore. I remember Honore's on target lighting for "Cats: The Jellicle Ball" among other shows and here the lighting is especially good. 

I urge you to see this overwhelmingly consuming new play with a volcanic performance by Kwaku Fortune. 

PHOTO: Carol Rosegg

Tickets are available at Irish Rep 132 West 22nd Street.

 

The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse

  By Joseph Cervelli

When the large canvas (set design by Stephanie Osin Cohen) comes down at the well acted but mostly juvenile new pop musical "The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse" at The Pershing Square Signature Center, I could recognize Paris Hilton but for a moment or two did not make the connection between the other two namely, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. They were more infamous than, perhaps, famous and the New York Post really tore into them naming them "Three Bimbos of the Apocalypse" about 20 or so years ago. In this new show designed for the Gen Z audience (a lot of the comments and dialogue I must admit went over my head) we meet teen detective Brainworm (apparently "worm" means something to the younger members in the audience.)  She is a YouTuber sleuth whose job is to try to find "missing girls." Brainworm is played by a wonderful Milly Shapiro whose character is agraphobic though she does venture out after four years in her apartment where she has her internet program to find the missing young woman Coco. 

This Coco (joyously played by Keri Rene Fuller)  is a not very well known pop artist but Brainworm notices the bracelet with her name printed on it. Apparently she has died right after the photo was taken. And there is also a still photo of Coco with her insane mother (think the mother of Carrie from the film here played by the always excellent Sara Gettelfinger) and some unknown person Kiki (Natalie Walker). 

There are two other "worms" in the show namely the flamboyantly gay Earworm (Luke Islam) and the supposedly straight Bookworm (Patrick Nathan Falk.) While both actors are fine they really are not given much to do and basically act as backgrouind singer/dancers. It takes a while to figure out not that they also are YouTubers but from different parts of the country. 

Things get more incoherent when Brainworm finally meets up with Coco who apparently has been kidnapped by her mother telling her daughter the world is coming to an end. But then later on Coco makes a comeback in appropriately garish costumes by Cole McCarty without much of an explanation except for the help of Brainworm. For some bizarre reason she is suddenly surrounded by her mother (when did the mother suddenly become part of her world?) and Kiki (you will find out who she really is.)

Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley are responsible for the book, music and lyrics. While the book is a mess and, at times, you almost give up on trying to follow it their score is tuneful and not as loud as you would think. Yet, it was not always easy to understand the lyrics. 

Jack Ferver is responsible for the energetic choreography along with Olivia Palacios who provided additional choreography and Rory Pelsue both directed and developed it. I wished he had paid more atttention to individual scenes making them coalesce into a flowing narrative. It appears to be linear in a non linear format.

But the young audience was having a most enjoyable time and with some work it could have been a lot better. You most certainly will not be bored!

Photos: Monique Carboni

Tickets are available at the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street. For theater schedule and tickets please go to: thenewgroup.org.

 Kowalski

By Joseph Cervelli

The title of the new play by Gregg Ostrin "Kowalski" at The Duke Theater should conjure up what you are about to see. Yes, it is that Kowalski. Stanley himself from one of America’s greatest plays  "A Streetcar Named Desire" by one of America’s greatest playwrights Tennessee Williams.  Unfortunately, the play really does not reveal all that much and becomes both talky and tedious.

While taking place at Williams' beach house in Provincetown 1947,  the play actually starts in 1977 with the playwright being interviewed by an unheard voice wanting to know about his latest play namely "Streetcar."  Now we are back to 1947 seeing Williams played much too affectatiously by Robin Lord Taylor who turns campy almost immediately.  Having seen interviews Williams liked to be grandiose but nothing like presented here. Not sure if the director Colin Hanlon's aim was to show the exaggerated humor of Williams or Taylor decided to exaggerate the character he was portraying, but it becomes annoying as the 85 minute play moves along sometimes at a snail's pace. 

We meet Margo Jones (an excellent Alison Cimmet) who is a good friend of Willams and co-directed his masterpiece 'The Glass Menagerie." Williams’ partner the volatile and inebrietated Pancho (a very good Sebastian Treviño) comes in and wants to go with Williams to pick up some sailors at a local bar. Williams is waiting for Brando to arrive to audition  him for the role of Stanley Kowalski as requested by "Streetcar's" illustrious director Elia Kazan, but he is already three days late. Pancho leaves for the bar and Margo goes to makes sure he gets in no trouble. 

While Williams is trying to get the toilet to work (there are also issues with fuses) in a rather cheap looking (terrific design by the always reliable David Gallo) beach house, Brando (Brandon Flynn) comes in and with a brash attitude starts making himself at home opening the refrigerator and acting like the house is his. Williams comes out to introduce himself and wants to know who this fellow is. For some unknown reason Brando only says that he is from New York. What was the point of playing coy? Williams thinks he is just a fan. It takes a while before Brando announces himself which makes little sense. 

The saving grace here is that Flynn not only resembles Brando but never comes on too strong or does an imitation. He is headstrong and full of arrogance but never goes too far over the top to become a caricature. He is perfectly cast for the role of Brando. Most of the play is banter between both of them. He explains why he was late in coming and talks about his acting and being on stage with the always controversial Tallulah Bankhead. Williams thinks he is too young for the role. After Williams tells him what tragically happened to his sister, Brando creates some story about a young woman he knows who also went through terrible mental treatment at a facility. However, he madehis story up for no apparent reason.d

Williams keeps asking Brando why he mumbles. The problem is that Flynn does not mumble which is something Hanlon should have paid more attention to. Flynn is so good that there is no reason I could see why he would not be able to make himself unclear as Brando sometimes did. This is brought up several times which is contrary to how Flynn sounds. 

A number of scenes are based on fact including Brando's  girlfriend who arrives with him. Only here for which gives Brando and Williams more time to blandly converse, the girlfriend is left at the bus station so comes to the house late. Ellie Ricker (Jo) is terrific as Brando's girlfriend in a thankless role which goes no where except for Williams fawning over her to make Brando angry. Why? There is a humorous moment offstage in which as Brandon Flynn calls Jo as he would yell out "Stella!" Williams looks perplexed for Brando told him he did not have the script to the play. You later find out he did.

A mistake is in not giving Flynn a few moments in reading lines from the play. Since Jones was according to what I read actually there when Brando  read it and was amazed by his delivery it would have worked beautifully here.

There is a great deal to work with but with Lord's overplaying the role of Williams even Flynn's terrific portrayal and Cimmet's equally fine performance they cannot do much to improve upon the  play which lumbers along. I doubt if Tenessee Williams would have approved. 

PHOTOS: Russ Rowland

Tickets can be purchased at The Duke on 42nd Street 229 West 42nd Street.

The play's limited engagement is scheduled to close on February 23.