Well, I can scratch off the last entry on my Musical Theater bucket list (and the one that was on it the longest). Wicked is now appearing at the newly refurbished, newly renamed Altria Theater courtesy of the Broadway in Richmond series. Up until now my only experiences with the prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” have been through “Glee” and the obsession of my old friend DJ. It was worth the wait.

Wicked starts where “The Wizard of Oz” leaves off, but then, through a flashback of Glinda the Good, we learn how the wicked witch became wicked (and how several other of the characters from the childhood classic book and movie became who they were) as Glinda explains why wickedness happens.

The power of the show is in the two principal actresses; Gina Beck as a glitzy and ditzy Glinda and Emma Hunton as Elphaba, the little green girl who becomes the wicked witch of the west. Beck’s sweet soprano vocals blend and contrast masterfully with Hunton’s powerful, rich voice. Hunton also flawlessly transitions from a meek, sensitive and insecure teenager to the powerful and domineering witch we all love to hate.

Added to their Broadway quality performances are spectacular special effects that are dazzling and visually stunning from the opening to the final curtain. Smooth, seamless scene changes flow like clockwork, as the set resembles the workings of a giant clock presenting the passage of time.

The cast is filled with great supporting performances as well; most notably Nick Adams as Fiyero, the love interest of both Glinda and Elphaba, Alison Fraser as Madame Morrible and Tim Kazurinsky (Of Saturday Night Live fame) as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

I can’t help but say, for great Broadway quality, family friendly entertainment, make it a point to catch this show while you can. You will have a Wicked good time.

The Cast (in order of appearance)

• Glinda: Gina Beck
• Witch’s father: Keith A. Bearden
• Witch’s mother: Marina Lazzaretto
• Midwife: Leslie Becker
• Elphaba: Emma Hunton
• Nessarose: Jenny Florkowski
• Boq: Jesse JP Johnson
• Madame Morrible: Alison Fraser
• Doctor Dilamond: Jud Williford
• Fiyero: Nick Adams
• Ozian Official: Keith A Bearden
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; Tim Kazurinsky
• Chistery: Raymond Joel Matsamura
• Monkeys, students, denizens of Emerald City, Palace Guards: Keith A Bearden, Shayla Beck, Leslie Becker, Nikki Bohne, Lauren Boyd, Kyle Brown, Nirine S Brown, John Carroll, Rick Desloge, Timothy A Fitz-Gerald, Heila Karls, Trevor Ryan Krahl, Rebecca Kritzer, Marina Lazzaretto, Raymond Joel Matsamura, Jonathan McGill, Shannon Mari Mills, Daniel Switzer

Disclaimer: Broadway in Richmond provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

With a plethora of shows opening in Richmond this weekend, I still had to add some more insanity to my life by scheduling one more show from my bucket list. I have wanted to see The Addams Family (the musical) since it opened on Broadway in 2010 with my college friend Carolee Carmello (yes I just name-dropped).

The musical contains the familiar creepy and kooky characters that first appeared in cartoons by Charles Addams for the New Yorker Magazine in 1938 and have gone on for every generation since, in a 1960’s TV series, 1970’s cartoons, and 1990’s movies.

In the musical, Gomez and Morticia most closely resemble the characters as portrayed in the movies by Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston. There is shtick and sight gags, plays on words, dark humor and all the other eccentricities that have kept these characters going for four generations.

The truest test of its entertainment potential for me, was my teenage son enjoyed it just as much as I did (he kept telling me how funny it was and kept pointing out how well done many areas of the show were — I guess I am training a future critic).

There are some updates to the story. The Addams now live on two acres in Central Park in New York City. Little Wednesday is now all grown up and wants to get married into a “normal” family from Ohio; but how will she get the two families to get along?

While the story is simple, the special effects are extraordinary; with puppets and zombies and even a flying Uncle Fester. Of course there’s Cousin Itt and another “thing” or two.

Among the talented cast, Jennifer Fogarty stands out as Wednesday, with her dead-pan voice and face and gorgeous vocals. Jesse Sharp (Gomez) and Shaun Rice (Fester) turn in strong comedic performances, with expert timing.

While I am a stalwart advocate for supporting the local theaters; I also feel that national tours like The Addams Family as a part of the five-year-old Broadway in Richmond program are a valuable asset to the local arts scene. With just two performances left, I hope the seats are filled for this highly entertaining and lighthearted production. It will leave you wondering how’d they do that?

Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg

The Cast

The Addams Family

• Gomez Addams: Jesse Sharp
• Morticia Addams: Keleen Snowgren
• Uncle Fester: Shaun Rice
• Grandma: Lexie Dorsett (understudy, but performing on the night of this review)
• Wednesday Addams: Jennifer Fogarty
• Pugsley Addams: Connor Barth
• Lurch: Ryan Jacob Wood

The Beineke Family

• Mal Beineke: Mark Poppleton
• Alice Beineke: Blair Anderson
• Lucas Beineke: Bryan Welnicki

The Addams Ancestors: James Michael Avance, Chloe O. Davis, Jake Delaney, Julia Lancione, Steven Mooney, Maggie Pitts, Calloway Stevens, Jillian Van Niel, Julio Catano Yee

Disclaimer: Broadway in Richmond provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

As regular readers of my reviews know, Jersey Boys was one of the shows on the top of my bucket list. As both a boy from Jersey myself, who grew up there in the 60’s and 70’s (yes, I’m old) and a theater reviewer who has heard so many great things about this show, I was excited to bring my son with me to see it.

I was not disappointed. More importantly, neither was my 15-year-old son.

Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. While utilizing songs the group made famous (and you’d be amazed at just how many of their hits are still classics today) the show avoids the trappings of other “jukebox musicals” that develop a flimsy script around rock music of say ABBA or Billy Joel. The real life back story of the Jersey Boys themselves is interesting and funny yet dramatic.

In a great touch, the plot is set in “four seasons.” Each of the Four Seasons serves as the narrator of one of the “seasons” telling their story from their perspective.

Tommy DeVito (Nicolas Dromard) who was the initial driving force in developing the group tells of their “spring” — their birth and intial growth and development. Bob Gaudio (Jason Kappus) the writing genius tells about their “summer” when they became hot. Nick Massi (Adam Zelasko), who did much of the arranging, tells of the autumn, once they passed their rise to fame. Lastly but certainly not least Frankie Valli (Hayden Milanes) the front man for the group who has been performing for over 50 years now, tells of the winter as things fell apart and one by one the others left the group. While all the performers were talented, I remain in awe of Milanes’ ability to sing Valli’s falsetto songs for 8 shows a week.

The only real negative for me was the audience themselves. I’ve read and heard from people who’ve seen the show on Broadway, that the greatest part of the experience is the shared energy of the audience. Now, I don’t know if it was a weeknight crowd, or the string of cold weather; but I found myself wanting to clap and dance in a sea of statues. Hopefully the weekend crowds will be livelier!

Jersey Boys is part of the Broadway In Richmond series presented by Jam Theatricals. It really is a show the whole family can enjoy — “It’s Just Too Good To Be True.”

Photo Gallery

Nicolas Dromard, Brandon Andrus, Brent DiRoma, Jason Kappus. On sofa: (l to r) Nick Cosgrove and Barry Anderson	‘Sherry’
‘My Eyes Adored You’

Photos by Joan Marcus

The Cast

• The Four Seasons
  • Tommy DeVito: Nicolas Dromard
  • Bob Gaudio: Jason Kappus
  • Frankie Valli: Hayden Milanes
  • Nick Massi: Adam Zelasko
• Bob Crewe: Barry Anderson
• Gyp Decarlo: Thomas Fiscella
• Ensemble: Tommaso Antico, Kaleigh Cronin, Marlana Dunn, Larry Esparza, De’Lon Grant, Wes Hart, Bryan Hindle, Leo Huppert, Ian Joseph, Michelle Pruiett, John Rochette, Rachel Schur, Skye Scott, Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Robert Townsend

Disclaimer: Broadway in Richmond provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

When I first heard that War Horse was coming to town, I have to admit I had never heard of it. Then, as I started telling people I was reviewing it, I received universal responses of “Oh, I loved the book,” “Oh, I loved the movie,” and “Oh, I’ve been dying to see the play.”

I then did some research and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The plot seemed very complicated, and I wondered when I saw that the horses were puppets, whether this would be similar to A Lion King.

War Horse is a play based on a book of the same name by children’s writer Michael Morpurgo, and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford. It is being presented as a part of the Broadway in Richmond series at the Landmark Theater. The quickest way to summarize the plot would be to say, boy meets horse; boy loses horse, boy gets horse back.

To tell a bit more without divulging too much of the plot; a captured foal is sold at auction. Two brothers fight to bid for it, with one brother, Ted, who is a known drunk and deemed a coward for not having fought in Africa with his brother Arthur, winning. His son, Albert, then raises and trains the horse and names him Joey. As World War I breaks out, Ted sells Joey as a War Horse. This is back in the days before modern warfare, where horses are ridden into battle and are used to cart ambulances and weaponry.

The remainder of the story focuses on what happens to Joey and Albert during the war.

On the one hand, the special effects, especially the puppetry of the animals was magical and awe-inspiring. The horses were so elaborate and lifelike in their movement that they each required 3 people to maneuver them. The principal performers were strong and entertaining as well. Michael Wyatt Cox carried the show capably as the 16-year-old Albert, who is just as spirited as his horse, Joey. Catherine Gowl also stood out as his strong and loving mother, Rose.

On the other hand, the plot seemed to drag and get too complicated in Act II. It may have been too ambitious to try to include so many plot details and characters from the book. Also, between the various accents (which were also hit or miss among the actors) and the acoustics, it sometimes became very difficult to follow what the actors were saying.

I must also note, while I realize the ushers are probably all volunteers, their “performance” actually detracted from the show. Only 2 doors were open on the main floor, causing a major back up entering the theater. Once inside, groups of them were just standing together, not helping seat patrons. Then, once the show started, they continued to seat patrons without waiting for scene changes, and without attempting to shine their flashlights down, out of the audience’s eyes!

And the eyes were indeed the most important sense organs for War Horse. Not only were the special effects extraordinary, but the set itself was fascinating. While sparse, it was highlighted with a fragment of a screen above it, which resembled a page from a book. All kinds of imagery were then used to create the scene; almost as if the audience were using their collective minds to create the images from the written page.

It is these visual effects which make War Horse a gem of a play to be seen by the entire family. They bring World War I to life for children of the fast-paced internet age, and will entertain and impress the adults as well.

Photo Gallery

Andrew Veenstra as Albert and Christopher Mai, Derek Stratton, Rob Laqui as Joey	Joey (Christopher Mai, Derek Stratton, Rob Laqui)

Photos by Brinkhoff/Mögenburg

Cast

• Joey as a foal:Mairi Babb, Nick Lamedica, Andy Truschinski
• Joey: james Duncan, Adam Cunningham, Aaron Haskell
• Topthorn: Jon Riddleberger, Curt James, Gregory Manley
• Coco: Brian Robert Burns, Jessica Krueger
• Heine: Brendan Murray, Caden Douglas
• The People
  • Song Man (Instrumental): Spiff Wiegand
  • Song Woman (Vocal): Megan Loomis
  • Lieutenant James Nicholls: Brendan Murray
  • Arthur Narracott: Andrew Long
  • Billy Narracott: David Hurwitz
  • Albert Narracott: Michael Wyatt Cox
  • Ted Narracott: Gene Gillette
  • Chapman Carter: Chad Jennings
  • Allan: Michael Stewart Allen
  • Thomas Bone: Brooks Brantly
  • John Creig: Brian Robert Burns
  • Rose Narracott: Catherine Gowl
  • Priest: Andrew May
  • Captain Charles Stewart: Caden Douglas
  • Sergeant Thunder: Andrew Long
  • Private David Taylor: Andy Truschinski
  • Paulette: Mairi Babb
  • Private Schnabel: Brooks Brantly
  • Captain Friedrich Muller: Andrew May
  • Private Klausen: Michael Stewart Allen
  • Doctor Schweyk: Brendan Murray
  • Colonel Strauss: Gene Gillette
  • Sergeant Fine: Brooks Brantly
  • Corporal Klebb: Chad Jennings
  • Emilie: Ka-Ling Cheung
  • Paddy: Brendan Murray
  • Manfred: Chad Jennings
  • Ludwig: David Hurwitz
  • Matron Callaghan: Catherine Gowl
  • Veterinary Officer Martin: Joe Osheroff
  • Goose: Gregory Manley

Disclaimer: Broadway in Richmond provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

The presentation included a short video on the making of the Jersey Boys and then a talk back with Greg McQuade from WTVR, and three of the cast members from the actual tour which will be coming in January. Matthew Bailey plays the “bad guy”  Tommy Devito in the 2006 Tony Award winning musical about the forming of the Four Seasons. Alayna Gallo plays Frankie Valli’s girl friend Lorraine (among 15 quick change roles) and John Michael Dias plays the famous front man himself, Frankie Valli. Dias, who has been playing Valli since 2006, treated the audience of season ticket holders to a medley of the Four Season’s greatest hits. Having attended “Frankie Boot Camp” to make it into the cast after 6 or 7 auditions, Dias had the voice and the mannerisms down pat.
 
The event served its purpose, because this Jersey Boy is really looking forward to seeing the full production. There will be 16 performances from January 7-16 at the Landmark Theater. Tickets are on sale now.

The theme for this week seems to be reviewing the classics in theater. Even people who are not big fans of Musical Theater have to have been living under a rock for the past year to not be familiar with Les Miserables.

The Broadway musical became a multiple Academy Award winning film this year, starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. As such, it is hard not to make comparisons. This 25th anniversary production of Boublil & Schönberg’s musical is presented by Cameron Mackintosh with new staging and scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.

For those who have indeed been living under a rock, the story is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It revolves around Jean Valjean, who is paroled after a 19 year prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his family in 1815 France. With the brand of a parolee, he can not find work, so he recreates himself and starts a new life. He becomes a Mayor and a factory owner. A worker in his factory, Fantine, is fired and suffers numerous indignities which lead to her death. Before she dies, she entrusts the care of her daughter Cosette to Valjean. All the while Valjean is fleeing from Prison Guard Javert amidst the backdrop of the French Revolution.

Having seen the original Broadway run, several national tours, the various PBS anniversary broadcasts and the movie, I came in with quite a lot to compare this production to. I have to say there are only 3 words to describe it: A-MAY-ZING!

The sets themselves are breathtaking (especially the three-story buildings), and combined with the backdrops of Hugo’s dark and haunting paintings; each scene becomes a portrait in and of itself. As my guest for the evening, Emily, said, compared to the movie, it was “art.”

The performances are just as awe-inspiring. Peter Lockyer exceeds Hugh Jackman both in voice and in his ability to portray Valjean; not only in youth, but as an old man as well. His transformation both physically and vocally make him literally unrecognizable as the same actor.

Andrew Varela as his nemesis Javert possesses everything Rusell Crowe lacked. His booming baritone and commanding presence are only upstaged by the show-stopping special effects in his death scene.

While much was made of Anne Hathaway’s “one take” songs, that is what Broadway actresses do every night. And while Genevieve Leclerc’s Fantine lacked some of Hathaways’s emotions and tears, she more than compensated with her vocal quality, purity and control.

The toughest shoes to fill for me were left to Eponine. While Samantha Barks (who was in the movie and the 25th anniversary concert) is the epitome of Eponine, Briana Carlson-Goodman comes a close second. She made the character and the signature song “On My Own” — her own. Her death scene is like a master class in acting and singing.

Lauren Wiley and Devin Ilaw were young, sweet and innocent as Cosette and Marius. Shawna M. Hamic was a show stopper as Madame Thenadier, and together with understudy James Zannelli as Thenadier, the pair were a much better fit for the roles than Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. Gaten Matarazzo was also a scene stealer as young Gavroche.

The only flaws I could find were with minor things like poorly placed head mics and slightly askew wigs, plus a couple of dropped lyrics (with music this familiar, it is noticeable).

Beyond that, I can not encourage you enough to catch this tour. If the only Les Mis you know is the movie; you are missing a lot!

The Cast

• Jean Valjean: Peter Lockyer
• Javert: Andrew Varela
• Farmer: John Rapson
• Laborer: Matt Rosell
• Innkeeper’s wife: Natalie Beck
• Innkeeper: Joseph Spieldenner
• The Bishop if Digne: Joseph Spieldenner
• Constables: Ian Patrick Gibb, Alan Shaw
• Factory Foreman: Richard Todd Adams
• Fantine: Genevieve Leclerc
• Factory Girl: Jessica Keenan Wynn
• Old Woman: Katie Beetham
• Wigmaker: Cornelia Luna
• Bamatabois: John Rapson
• Fauchelevent: Eric Van Tielen
• Champmathieu: Aaron Walpole
• Thenardier: James Zannelli
• Little Cosettte: Erin Cearlock
• Madame Thenardier: Shawna M. Hamic
• Young Eponine: Ava Della Pietra
• Gavroche: Gaten Matarazzo
• Young Whore: Brittney Johnson
• Crazy Whore: Andreane Bouladier
• Eponine: Briana Carlson-Goodman
• Cosette: Lauren Wiley
• Thenadier’s Gang
  • Montparnasse: Matt Rosell
  • Baber: Richard Barth
  • Brujon: Aaron Walpole
  • Claquesous: John Rapson
• Students
  • Enjolras: Jason Forbach
  • Marius: Devin Ilaw
  • Combeferre: Eric Van Tielen
  • Feuily: Weston Wells Olson
  • Courfeyrac: John Brink
  • Joly: Alan Shaw
  • Grantaire: Joseph Spieldenner
  • Lesgles: Richard Todd Adams
  • Jean Prouvaire: Ian Patrick Gibb
• Loud Hailer: Aaron Walpole
• Major Domo: Joseph Spieldenner
• Ensemble: Natalie Beck, Katie Beetham, Andreane Bouladier, Erin Clemons, Mia Sinclair Jenness, Britney Johnson, Cornelia Luna, Alexandra Melrose, Jessica Keenan Wynn

The Crew

• Directed by: Laurence Connor and James Powell
• Associate Director: Anthony Lyn
• Musical Director: Lawrence Goldberg
• Musical Supervisor: David Caddick
• Stage Management: Trinity Wheeler, Heather Chockley, Mitchell B. Hodges
• Musical Staging: Michael Ashcroft
• Set Design: Matt Kinley
• Lighting Design: Paule Constable
• Costume Design: Andreane Neofitou
• Additional Costumes: Christine Rowland
• Sound Design: Mick Potter
• Conductor: Lawrence Goldberg
• Dance and Fight Captain: Ben Gunderson
• Assistant Fight Captain: Heather Chockley

Disclaimer: Broadway in Richmond provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

I have now been able to check off another show at the top of my bucket list: Billy Elliot.

To be honest, the evening had a rough start. Construction scaffolding lines the entrance way to the Landmark Theater, and the ticket windows are outdoors, under that scaffolding (in temperatures near 20 degrees.) The show started right on time, however, surprisingly the ushers made no attempts to have late arrivals wait, so there was a steady stream of patrons walking about throughout the opening number. Also, numerous understudies were announced for the evenings’ performance.

But Billy Elliot is all about; well, Billy Elliot. And Billy Elliot is all about dancing. The performance of Drew Minard as Billy was well worth the wait in the cold! By evenings’ end it was clear the audience was watching a star in the making.

For those not familiar with the Broadway Musical, or the movie that inspired it; Billy Elliot is about an 11-year-old boy from a poor, working class family in 1980’s Northern England. Set amidst the 1984-85 coal miner’s strike involving Billy’s father and brother; Billy Elliot is about a boy coming of age and discovering himself. While Billy’s father wants him to learn to box; Billy wants to be a dancer.

A local dance teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson portrayed by Janet Dickinson, takes Billy under her wing. Dickinson gives a stand out performance as the caustic, frustrated and hardened woman. Dickinson was reminiscent of a young Swoozie Kurtz. Also noteworthy were understudy Susan Haefner as Billy’s senile and bawdy grandmother and Jake Kitchin as Billy’s cross dressing friend Michael. Kitchin showed excellent comedic timing and energy for his age.

But, again, the show is all about Billy. Minard had such exuberance and stage presence that no matter who else was on stage, even the entire ensemble, his performance was riveting. His acting, comedic ability and consistency in cockney-like English dialect were good, but it was his dancing that was awe-inspiring. He displayed professional skill in his lines, control and ability to tell a story and display emotion with his body and movements. In “Expressing Yourself,” his skill stands up against an adult ballet dancer/his older self. He leaps, and twirls and yes, even flies effortlessly and doesn’t ever seem the slightest bit winded or tired. His anger, anguish and rage in the “Angry Dance” show amazing talent and range.

Not everything worked for me, however. Some aspects of the movie did not translate well. Some characters became more caricatures. The dancing policemen seemed more appropriate for Mary Poppins. Some of the supporting actors accents seemed garbled at times. While most of the sets worked, some did not; such as Billy’s bed at the top of a short mobile platform. It was great for choreography; not so much for acting.

Be sure to stay for the curtain calls. Many audience members started to leave when the final curtain fell and missed an excellent tap number. Billy Elliot will surely dance his way into your heart.

The Cast (as performed on 2/1/13)

• Billy: Drew Minard
• Mrs. Wilkinson: Janet Dickinson
• Michael: Jake Kitchin
• Dad: Craig Bennett
• Grandma: Susan Haefner
• Tony: Cullen R. Titmas
• George: Joel Blum
• Debbie: Samantha Blaire Cutler
• Small Boy: Cal Alexander
• Big Davey: Damien Brett
• Lesley: Danielle Kelsey
• Scab/Posh Dad: Tim Funnell
• Mum: Molly Garner
• Mr. Braithwaite: Patrick Wetzel
• Tracey Adkinson: Rebecca Marlowe
• Older Boy/Scottish Dancer: Christopher M. Howard
• Mr. Wilkerson: David Light
• Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Sam Poon
• Postman: Colin Pritchard
• Clipboard Woman: Cara Massey
• Audition Panel: Sasha Ely-Judkis, Jillian Rees-Brown, Patrick Wetzel, Branch Woodman
• Expressing Yourself Dancer: Peyton Royal
• Ensemble: Paul Aguirre, Tim Funnell, Molly Garner, Christopher M. Howard, Danielle Kelsey, Patrick Lavallee, David Light, Cara Massey, Joel Newsome, Jeffrey Pew, Robbie Roby, Patrick Wetzel, Marisa Kennedy, Colin Pritchard, Peyton Royal.
• Ballet Girls: Madison Barnes, Sydney Burtis, Natalie Edwards, Maria Knasel, Rebecca Marlowe, Yanna Nikitas, Brionna Trilling, Lexi Viernes, Alison Solomon

The Crew

• Director: Stephen Daldry
• Choreographer: Peter Darling
• Associate Choreographer: Kathryn Dunn, Alison Levenberg
• Associate Director: Julian Webber, Justin Martin
• Supervising Resident Director: Steven Minning
• Musical Director: Bill Congdon
• Production Stage Manager: Gregory R. Covert
• Stage Manager: Melissa Chacon
• Assistant Stage Managers: Aaron Gonzalez, Jennifer A. Shenker
• Set Designer: Ian McNeil
• Design Supervisor: Edward Pierce
• Lighting Design: Rick Fisher
• Associate Lighting Design: Kristina Kloss, Daniel Walker
• Costume Design: Nicky Gillibrand
• Associate Costume Designers: Claire Murphy, Rachel Attridge
• Hair and Wig Design: Bernie Ardia
• Sound Design: Paul Arditti
• Associate Sound Design: Tony Smolenski IV
• Conducted By: Bill Congdon
• Musical Supervision: Martin Koch, David Chase
• Music: Elton John
• Book and Lrics: Lee Hall

Disclaimer: Broadway in Richmond/Centerstage provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.