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AN ARIZONA ETHEL MERMAN |
CURTAINS! The musical comedy whodunit |
The curtain is up on the hilarious new musical, CURTAINS, at the Phoenix Theatre and it is a winner! There is no doubt in my mind who gets the loudest plaudits for a rave performance in this show. As soon as she opens her mouth to speak, it is clear that the spirit of Ethel Merman (in the guise of comedienne Johanna Carlyle) is right there on the Phoenix Theatre stage. What a fabulous performance by this local actress! With exquisite timing for her many “bada boom” lines and a singing voice that rings clear as a bell in its purity and energy, she literally steals the show. As the producer of a very bad pre- Broadway tryout which is plagued by murder after murder, Carlyle (as Carmen Bernstein) has the audience in the palm of her hand – especially when she swings, Tarzan like, onto the stage as she enters. She is a one woman laugh riot! That is not to infer that there are no other excellent performances by this talented cast. Rusty Ferracane has to be one of the most versatile actors I have seen since I came to Arizona. I loved him in a serious dramatic role in DOUBT; he was fabulous in the spoof, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY; and now he wows us as Cioffi in CURTAINS. As a slightly eccentric police Lieutenant, whose real love is community theater, he balances delicately on a seesaw between the two personas. He has a lovely voice and a flair for comedy which is superb. Sometimes he is the bumbling lover; sometimes, he is the efficient cop, but always he is the epitome of concentration and attention to detail in his characterization. There are several other cast members worthy of mention. Robert Kolby Harper is a perfect eccentric, high strung Stage Director as Belling (not too far from his real life profession, of course). Ben Tyler makes a striking appearance as Sydney Bernstein, Carmen’s husband, in a small but pivotal role. Shawna Quain is a suitably cute but ditzy Bambi (nee Elaine) who wants so to break into show business. David Jones as Aaron, the composer of the ill fated pre Broadway tryout does a magnificent job of singing the premier song in the show called I MISS THE MUSIC. And there are others too numerous to mention who turn in fine performances – Andi Watson as Niki, Jenny Hintze as Georgia, and Elizabeth Reynolds as Jessica who has the difficult task of being a good actress who has to be bad on stage. That ain’t easy. Mainly, however, this show was so good because it was a tight ensemble blessed with good direction (from Michael Barnard) and creative choreography (from Molly LaJoie), whose clever use of stage props was reminiscent of Susan Stroman at her best. Music wise, there are certainly better Kander and Ebb scores. I could find only two or three memorable songs (I MISS THE MUSIC, already mentioned above, a tour de force for Carlyle in IT’S A BUSINESS and a clever trio of songs introduced separately and finally melded into the complete version of IN THE SAME BOAT). Wonderful choreography and lighting helped most of the other numbers to rise a bit above mundane, but musically, the score left a lot to be desired. This is a very cute show though, in the style of those old fashioned musicals that we used to adore. However, I can see why it did not last long on Broadway. It does not stimulate the mind like CHICAGO and CABARET; it is merely a lot of laughs, but then maybe that is what we need in this year of recession and desperate straits for many. Since the play is billed as a musical “whodunit”, mystery buffs will find it rewarding as the murderer is finally unmasked. Visually, the show is beautifully staged, costumed and lit – kudos to scenic designer Robert Andrew Kovach, Costumer Timothy Slope and Lighting Designer Michael J. Eddy. I moved away from the east Coast before I had a chance to see the original Broadway cast of CURTAINS, but I imagine that David Hyde Pierce was one of the biggest attractions there. However, that is not the case here in Phoenix. You will get more than your money’s worth from the Phoenix Theatre production.
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