Miss Saigon

Chris and Kim share a moment in Saigon

Miss Saigon is being produced on Walnut Street Theatre’s main stage through July 24. Inspired by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, composers of Les Miserables, collaborated with Richard Maltby Jr. to create this masterpiece. It is the love story of an American soldier and a Vietnamese girl who are separated during the fall of Saigon.

Following its London premier in 1989, Miss Saigon appeared on Broadway in 19991 and earned 11 Tony nominations, including Best Musical.  A bit of London and Broadway are appearing on the Walnut Street stage. Melinda Chua, as Kim gives an exceptionally powerful performance. Her voice is strong and her anguish is palpable. Eric Kunze, as Chris also gives a commanding performance.  It is no surprise that they both have performed in Miss Saigon on Broadway stages. Bobby Martino, who plays The Engineer, performed the musical with the original London cast. Although Kate Fahrner, as Ellen, plays a minor role, she is certainly not lacking in talent.  Choreographer Michelle Gaudette must be commended for the several intricate pieces designed for the large ensemble cast. Whether portraying ladies of the night or Viet Cong soldiers, they execute their steps perfectly. Scenic Designer John Farrell has done an excellent job with set changes. A series of screens slide in many directions to create the illusion of more space and different places. Did I mention the helicopter? What a feat to have a camouflaged helicopter hover over a barbed wire fence as soldier climb in and make their last exit out of Saigon before it falls while native Vietnamese plead to be freed. Miss Saigon is not for the faint of heart but it is for everyone with a heart. This is a wonderful must-see production. Keep tissues handy if you must, but don’t miss it. For more information or tickets, call 215-574-3550 or visit online at www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.

My Wonderful Day

Paula apologizing to Winnie

My Wonderful Day is being produced at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, through June 19, 2011. A very talented Opal Alladin portrays Laverne, a Caribbean cleaning woman who has wealthy London clients. Laverne has aspirations of saving enough money to return to her native Martinique where the local language is French. She encourages her young daughter, Winnie, artfully played by Philadelphia native Lavita Shaurice, to speak only French on Mardi (Tuesday). You don’t have to understand French to catch all of the nuances of this extremely funny production, but a smattering of French vocabulary is helpful. Winnie accompanies her mother to work, ostensibly because she doesn’t feel well enough to go to school, when in truth; she is worried about her pregnant mother’s health. As an obedient child, she sets about to do her homework assignment-- to write about “My Wonderful Day”. Following her mother’s admonitions to speak French on Mardi, she responds to all the adults in the house in that language.  They therefore make the mistake of assuming she doesn’t speak English nor understand their use of inappropriate language nor references to inappropriate behavior.  As Winnie’s eyes open wide she jots down sentence after sentence in her notebook. And the audience roars. When her mother is taken to the hospital in labor, even more havoc ensues. Lavita Shaurice, a Temple graduate with a BA in theatre, does an outstanding job of convincing everyone that she is an innocent preteen. David Andrew Macdonald, as Kevin, is quite a credible sleaze-bag. He is supported by friend Josh, played by John Zak and girlfriend Tiffany, played by Kelly O’Sullivan. Kate Eastwood Norris is on stage for a short period of time as Paula, Kevin’s wronged wife, but she gives a very strong performance.  Lynne Innerst, voice and dialect coach is to be commended for the first-rate accent mastered by Opal Alladin. Recognition must also be given to set designer Lee Savage. The set is brilliantly conceived and will certainly be given a Barrymore nomination. It not only revolves on a turntable, but also makes partial turns so that characters can be seen in different rooms of the house at the same time. This is a delightful play that will enjoy many wonderful days.  Make sure that you catch one of them. For more information or tickets, call 215-546-7824 or visit online at wilmatheater.org.

In A Daughter's Eyes

Krista Apple and :Lynnette R. Freeman

In A Daughter’s Eyes is a world premiere inspired by Philadelphia history. It is being presented by the InterAct Theatre Company on the main stage of the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, through June 19, 2011.  Mumia Abu-Jamal is an activist who was briefly a Black Panther and has been incarcerated in Pennsylvania prisons for the past thirty years for  the murder of a Philadelphia Police  Officer. There are those who disagree with his guilty verdict and the veracity of the eye witness account and therein lies the basis for the beginning of this riveting saga. Don’t get too comfortable in your seat for you’ll soon be sitting on the edge of it. Lynnette R. Freeman is phenomenal in her role as Rehema Salaam, the sophisticated Stanford educated attorney/cum daughter of the imprisoned Abu Jamal. The impassioned vitality she brings to her character electrifies the stage. Krista Apple layers many dimensions to her role of Kathryn Tinney, daughter of the slain police officer. At times meek and friendly with Rehema, who wants Kathryn to testify on her father’s behalf, she becomes argumentative and belligerent when the two don’t see eye to eye. More than one tragedy befalls these two daughters who cannot seem to escape the destiny of their family’s history. With each calamity their need for each other temporarily overcomes their innate mistrust…until it doesn’t. Hold onto your seats for the ride of your life! For tickets or further information about this superb performance, call 215-568-8079 or visit online at www.InterActTheatre.org.

Playing Leni

Robert DaPonte and Amanda Grove

Playing Leni is being presented by the Madhouse Theater Company at the Adrienne Theatre Skybox, 2030 Sansom Streets, through June 11, 2011. A result of the collaboration between playwright David Robson and John Stanton, Playing Leni is a fictionalized account of an Allied soldier’s arrest and transport of the Nazi filmmaker and propagandist, Leni Riefenstahl, to a detention camp. Packed with emotion, this story is vividly told.  Leni is brilliantly played by Amanda Grove.  Staunchly denying any culpability for her filmmaking for the Third Reich, she rants at the unnamed solder as he tries to take away her film. She demands that her journey with him be documented on film. With script in hand, she frequently calls, “cut!” and requests a scene be reworked, much to the audience’s amusement. The soldier pipes in with rewrites of his own,  many of which Leni begrudgingly approves. While Leni and the soldier are on their way to the detention camp, the audience is taken back and forth from the past to the present. As seen through Leni’s eyes, the audience sees her past portrayed as that of an innocent who has been caught up in a whirlwind beyond her control. She almost commands empathy until brought back to the present day. Director Seth Reichgott states that “Playing Leni is really about how we all as individuals rewrite and reedit our own memories and our own experiences so that we can live with ourselves and the decisions we’ve made.” Robert DaPonte engages Leni both as her allied captor in the present and as a Nazi soldier in the past. Neither one seems to suit Riefenstahl. The ending is dramatic, but one that is long anticipated. For further information or tickets for this fine performance call 267-271-9623 or visit online at www.madhousetheater.org.

  

Vigil

Leonard C.Haas blathering as Ceal Phelan looks on

The Lantern Theater Company, located and 10^th and Ludlow Streets, is presenting Vigil through June 12, 2011. “No one likes me so I’m not surprised that you don’t,” Kemp, played by Leonard C. Haas, announces to his aunt as he arrives in her apartment. For the most part, the audience agrees with his estimation. He is not a very likable character, albeit a somewhat pathetic one. An elderly Grace, portrayed by Ceal Phelan, responds to his unusual greeting with a shocked stare. And so the first act continues-- Kemp with his brief monologues, pitifully complaining about his life; whining about the lack of attention he has received from his parents and his aunt; begrudging strangers in the neighborhood their moments of apparent happiness; and wondering why the woman in the apartment across the way continues to stare at him. Grace, with her responses, arches an eyebrow; drops a jaw; cocks her head to one side; or opens her eyes wide. The first act encompasses a year, and Kemp, who has quit his job and traveled cross country to help his aunt prepare to die, gets tired of waiting. Passage of time is very cleverly revealed. Scenes are brief and quickly end in a blackout. Snow outside the window and Christmas carols herald winter. A baseball thrown into the window is an earmark of spring. Music from a Mr. Softee ice cream truck indicates the summer and leaves blown through the window designate the fall. The acting in Vigil is excellent. Leonard Haas has a series of virtual monologues that has the audience feeling a range of emotions from apathy to pity, to shock, and eventually compassion. But it is Ceal Phelan who steals the show. She has only a few lines and they occur in the second act, but in reality, she does not need all of them. The range of her facial expressions is immense. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then one of Ceal Phelan’s looks is worth a whole script. Lighting Designer Janet Embree has done an excellent job with this production. There are many blackouts during which characters change position on the stage. To enable them to see their way to their new “mark”, the set is designed with small strategically-placed glow-in-the-dark lights. These enable the actors to find their way around the stage and to move unseen during a blackout. Christopher Colucci must also be commended for his sound design.  Not only do various sounds signify the seasons, but additional music also adds a touch of the macabre. Be sure to see this powerful, heartrending production unfold before June 12 and watch out for the surprise ending. For more information or tickets call 215-829-0395 or visit online at www.lanterntheater.org.

Ruined

Sophie reads a romance to Salima and Josie in their room

Ruined, the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, is being produced by the Philadelphia Theatre Company at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre located at Broad and Lombard Streets through June 12, 2011. Set in a small Congo village in an establishment run by Mama Nadi, Ruined gives a peek at the life of women in a country torn apart by the strife of civil war. Heather Alicia Simms brilliantly portrays Mama as she staunchly protects her girls, keeps peace between warring factions by insisting ammunition be checked at the door before the soldiers can be served, and sings to the  beats of the African drums. Although Mama is a “tough cookie,” Christian, endearingly played by Oberon K.A Adepong, provides a perfect foil.

Ruined has been written with precision by Lynn Nottage  It is the back-story that tells the  true stories of the characters as the  play unfolds. Any question the audience might have at the end of the first act is answered by the end of the second. Erika Rose’s portrayal of Salima, one of Mama Nadi’s newest acquired girls, is heart-wrenching. Chandra Thomas, in her role as Josie, the more experienced girl at Mama’s, gets an opportunity to display her outstanding athleticism and excellent dancing ability as she slithers in front of the patrons and across the stage. Keona Welch does an excellent job of portraying Sophie, the pretty girl who is ruined but reluctantly accepted by Mama because she can sing.... and does she ever sing those African melodies! The all star ensemble cast is rounded out by U.R., playing Jerome Kisembe; Paul Meahejian, playing Mr. Harari; Jamil Mangan, portraying Commander Osembenga, James Ijames, as Fortune; Sean-Michael Bowles and Khris Davis as soldiers and Jordan McCree playing the drums. It is not difficult to see why several of these actors have had Barrymore nominations as well as other acting awards. Many also have Broadway, off-Broadway, TV and movie appearances to their credits.

Kudos must be given to costume designer Janus Stefanowicz for Mama’s colorful garments and to set designer Antje Ellermann, for the ingenious way not only of devising a set on a turntable so that costumes changes could be made behind while acting continues in another room, but also having three scenes at once- the inside of Mama’s establishment, outside her side porch, and in front of Mama’s place.

There are many categories that have great potential for Barrymore nominations in this wonderful production. For further information or tickets call 215-735-7356 or visit online at PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.

Little Women

The March girls with their Marmee

The Bristol Riverside Theatre, located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol, Pa, concludes its regular 2010-2011 season with the Broadway musical, Little Women.  The all star cast features several award winning actors in addition to some Broadway performers. Their experience and expertise work to form an ensemble cast that succeeds in projecting a family image. Jennie Eisenhower, who plays Jo March, wows the audience with the breadth of her voice. She is almost constantly on stage and is able to project a wide range of emotions as the oldest March sister who is independent, and, as a symbol of hope, is determined to make her own way in the world. Kara Dombrowski, in the role of younger sister Amy, has a smaller, but equally demanding part. She begins the play as a young impetuous girl and ends the play as a sophisticated young woman. Both Stephen Schellhardt as Laurie Laurence and Michael Sharon as Professor Bhaer do an excellent job in their roles as foils for Jo. Very cleverly staged, Jo frequently reads the short stories she is trying to get published while characters dramatize the action on the side of the stage. Her enthusiasm is contagious and the audience is with her 100%. Many story lines have a character that everyone loves to hate, and Cathy Newman, as Aunt March plays the role brilliantly with her stern demeanor and her insistence on “proper etiquette.” Special mention must go to costume designer Millie Hiibel for the authentic Civil War period costumes and to set Designer Roman Tatarowicz for creating such an effective set that enables the audience to literally go three places within a period of seconds. A sliding screen fence opens and closes to reveal two sets that rotate on a circular device. While actors are on stage in one, the other can be changed before it rotates to the front. To see a charming musical with wonderful voices and strong ensemble acting, head out to BRT by May 22. For tickets or further information, call 215-785-0100 or visit online at www.brtstage.org/