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The powerhouse vocal talent is there. The eye-popping costumes and scenery are there. The fluid set changes and high-octane performances that keep the pace from sagging are there. So what’s missing from this entertaining, and at times exhilarating, touring revival of Dreamgirls, shaking and baking the rafters at The Colonial Theatre in Boston till February 14?

In a word – soul.

Chronicling the unprecedented rise of the R&B girl group The Dreams (think Supremes) to the top of the pop charts from 1962 to 1975, Dreamgirls is as much about fighting for success as it is about the ideals that are lost in achieving it. This isn’t a simple feel-good story about heretofore marginalized black artists “making it” in the world of mainstream pop music. Rather it’s a gritty look at record industry graft, painful betrayals, personal sacrifices, and the distasteful compromises that are made in order to create what will eventually become known as the Motown Sound, a new, softer kind of Rhythm and Blues that will appeal to a wider, translate “whiter,” audience.

At the center of this new era in crossover music is the ambitious car salesman turned promoter, Curtis Taylor, Jr. Smart, charming, persuasive, and ruthless, Taylor worms his way into becoming manager of The Dreams and sets sparks flying when he replaces Effie, the large framed and even larger voice lead singer, with Deena, the slender, gentler sounding back-up with a more marketable image. When Taylor replaces Effie with Deena in his bedroom as well as on stage, it’s clear that his choice of woman has as much to do with his dream of success as it does his personal attraction.

For all the backstage drama and underhanded dealings that create a pulsating tension in Dreamgirls, however, this production somehow hides its dangerous dark side beneath a perpetually shiny veneer. The glitz and glam of the megawatt onstage performances don’t recede enough into murky shadows offstage when the cocaine is snorted or the payola exchanged. A key theme song for the men behind the Dreams may be “Steppin’ to the Bad Side,” but when the “I’m Too Sexy for My Shirt” staging and choreography look like they would be more comfortable on a fashion runway than onstage at the Apollo, the bad isn’t bad enough.

The slick computer-generated digital projections that suggest larger-than-life television monitors and movie screens also create an anachronistic disconnect between the very suitable 1960s and 1970s wigs and wardrobe and the contemporary high-tech scenery. Granted the black metal mesh panels and inventive lighting design make for stunning visual effects and seamless scene changes, but the cleverness of the set often overwhelms the actors. There is a general lack of subtlety or nuance throughout the production. Too much of the design and direction seems self-indulgent. For example, a Busby Berkeley-style dance routine is so elaborate in its use of projections to mirror the pattern that the dancers are forming on the floor that it’s hard to remember exactly what the point of the scene was in the first place. Instead of working in service to the story, much of the design and hyperkinetic choreography becomes the story.

Several fine performances are the saving grace that make this Dreamgirls thrilling, if not totally satisfying. Chester Gregory as flamboyant R&B king James “Thunder” Early wears his anguish on his sleeve as he riles against assimilating into homogenized pop culture. When in his tour de force number “The Rap” he finally breaks free of his manufactured Johnny Mathis persona and lets his freak flag fly, he has all the energy, intensity, and sexual heat of the late great James Brown, the legendary “Godfather of Soul” that Early obviously represents.

Syesha Mercado as the elegant Deena Jones effectively conjures the spirit of another musical legend, Diana Ross. Blossoming from back-up singer into full-blown star when she takes over the lead spot from the less “sellable” but more talented Effie, Mercado’s Deena evolves from shy teen to luminous celebrity. Her vocal inflections, warm smile, and fluid movement evoke the essence of her real-life counterpart without becoming parody. Whenever Mercado sings, Deena sparkles.

As the indefatigable Effie, newcomer Moya Angela is a powerhouse singer, making a very impressive debut. Given the thankless job of trying to banish memories of Broadway’s original Effie Jennifer Holliday and the recent movie’s inheritor Jennifer Hudson, Angela makes Effie her own, leaving absolutely nothing on the table when she delivers the iconic show-stopping number “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” While her acting in the scenes leading up to her big moment is a bit postured and shrill, making her less sympathetic than she needs to be, she redeems herself as soon as she starts to sing. With tears streaming down her face and heartbreak threatening to choke her every breath, Angela harnesses a determination deep inside herself that rescues her Effie from the brink of collapse and then catapults her onto a level of awareness that makes her next number, “I Am Changing,” a testament to her maturity and self acceptance.

Supporting players offer strong vocals and energy to burn in their production numbers. Adrienne Warren is a particularly fine Lorrell Robinson, the third Dream who grows from naïve back-up singer to Jimmy’s bitter long-term mistress. Trevon Davis is a kind if nondescript C.C., a songwriter whose desire to rise along with the Dreams estranges him from his older sister Effie.

Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Curtis is the one major disappointment in Dreamgirls. He plays his canny manager too one dimensionally, making him a charmless villain instead of a man so hungry for success that he’d manipulate anything and everyone – even the women he claims to love – to get them and himself to the top. He’s supposed to be “the best man” Effie’s “ever known.” There’s no evidence of that in Shepherd’s performance.

Despite the fact that this touring revival of Dreamgirls has put too many layers of polish on the surface and not enough layers of honest emotion underneath, it is nonetheless a welcome return of a ground-breaking piece of American musical theater. The cast is filled with talent and bursting with exuberance, and while the overall production doesn’t necessarily make an impact beyond “one night only,” there’s enough soul-stirring music to make up for the lack of soul in Longbottom’s direction.

PHOTOS BY JOAN MARCUS: Adrienne Warren as Lorrell, Syesha Mercado as Deena, and Moya Angela as Effie; male ensemble “Steppin’ to the Bad Side;” Chester Gregory as Jimmy; Moya Angela

Posted by theatrecritic at 10:42 PM | Permalink

When the marquee at the Neil Simon Theatre on West 52^nd Street in New York went dark on Sunday, January 10, the critically acclaimed Kennedy Center revival of the Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning musical Ragtime that transferred to Broadway in the fall came to a disappointing end. This powerful drama – which many aficionados say is destined to become an American musical theater classic – closed after only 65 performances.

So what went wrong?

Did Ragtime come back to Broadway too soon? Was the 1998 original – which solidified the careers of stars Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, and Audra McDonald on the A-list – too fresh in people’s minds? Was the show, with its somber themes about racism, immigration, social injustice, and terrorism, too dark for our politically and economically challenged times?

Perhaps, to some extent, all of the above are true. But I have to believe that this revival of Ragtime could have found a larger audience if the marketing had been more emotionally compelling instead of esoteric and self-important.

1. Create excitement by playing up the show’s stunning pedigree.

The original production of Ragtime was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and won four of them, including Best Book and Best Score. Ragtime also earned 13 Drama Desk Award nominations, winning five, including one for Best Musical. Where were the references to these awards in the revival’s advertising? Buried in body copy in small type. They should have been proudly and prominently displayed – in bold – on every ad, poster, web page and window card.

2. Get personal, not political.

One of the major criticisms of Ragtime is that it can come across as too “preachy,” a “history lesson” set to music. I personally don’t find this to be the case. For me the book is fluid and captivating while the score is one of the most emotionally stirring I have ever heard. It’s a brilliantly written musical drama that tells the story of three very different families whose worlds collide at the turn of the 20^th century. Characters are beautifully drawn, and when played for truth and simplicity, the show resonates on a very visceral level.

Unfortunately, the ad campaign for this revival only fed into the notion that Ragtime is an “important” work that you “should” see instead of an exhilarating experience that you “must not” miss. Television ads featured clips of speeches from FDR, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. The show poster was a complex illustration that created a towering Statue of Liberty out of historic, social, political, cultural, economic, and industrial iconography. At the base of the statue, which morphed into an upright piano, sat a lone black musician, his arms reaching upward and his back to the viewer.

This symbolic approach distanced the audience from the material from the get go. The emphasis was unquestionably on “big themes” and not everyday people. The kaleidoscope of details overwhelmed the nondescript man whose face we didn’t even see.

3. Connect emotionally with a message that is clear and uplifting.

The ad slogan for this Ragtime revival was vague and uninspiring: “Their Time. Our Time. Ragtime.” What does that mean? Who are “they?” What does anything about the show have to do with me here, now, today? Nothing in that bland message would encourage a tourist from Idaho to plunk down $130 to see Ragtime instead of Mamma Mia during Christmas vacation. That slogan presumes a prior knowledge of the show’s subject matter. For most Americans, I’d wager that’s a false assumption.

If I had been involved in the development of Ragtime’s ad campaign, I would have gone with something more upbeat and descriptive. The first goal would have been to hit people where they live emotionally by using words that are dynamic and positive. The second would have been to communicate the essence of the story while generating curiosity and interest.

My approach:

Three key themes emerge from the central characters in Ragtime, all trying to live out their own versions of The American Dream. Tateh is a Latvian immigrant, trying to find success in a strange and unwelcoming new world. Mother is a proper Victorian housewife struggling to find and express her emerging feminist’s voice as new dreams and opportunities spark new hope. Coalhouse is an African American, a pianist two generations removed from slavery and eager to seize the fruits of freedom and equality. Their stories unfold and intertwine at the turn of the 20^th century against a backdrop of tumultuous socio-economic change. Their challenges and choices are underscored by a bold new music - ragtime. My ad campaign would have clearly communicated all three themes.

The result:

The evocative pulsating headline weaves the three story arcs together in a potent triptych which can be illustrated easily using expressive close-up photos of the three principals. Tateh = New World. Mother = New Hope. Coalhouse = New Music. The tagline is added to punctuate the fluid, and musical, nature of the characters’ changing lives while also fixing the story in its proper time period.

Additionally, the themes subtly offer parallels to our world today. We, too, seek hope for positive change at the beginning of a tumultuous new century. Perhaps our leaders can come together to write “new music” for our generation.

This personal, character-driven approach that I would have taken “explains” the show while giving the audience something to connect to, people they can identify with, and ideas they can easily understand. The branding gives people a sense of the epic scope of the musical but it does so by grabbing them by the emotional collar.

In conclusion:

Ragtime is first and foremost a great piece of musical theater. It is not a “lesson” that must be endured because it is “important” or “good for you.” The original ran for two solid years on Broadway. Still today music from its thrilling score is regularly performed by symphony orchestras around the world.

I can’t say whether or not this particular production of Ragtime moved its audiences enough to warrant a longer run. Perhaps for some it seemed as distancing and didactic as its incoherent ad campaign. Most reviews seem to suggest otherwise, although some critics did complain about a lack of “star quality” among the cast members. Perhaps even with compelling promotional materials, this show would not have been able to become a success. If it lacked that intangible emotional spark that can elevate a “performance” to make it an “experience,” then the best marketing in the world would not have given it life beyond the initial advance.

Ultimately, hits resonate with people and generate enthusiastic word of mouth. Once a show gains popular momentum, the public’s tail begins to wag the marketing dog. The initial challenge of any ad campaign, therefore, is to attract that all important baseline audience that builds exponentially once positive response is passed along. For this revival of Ragtime, that critical mass was never achieved.

Posted by theatrecritic at 12:46 PM | Permalink

Arlington’s Erin Maguire makes her Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre debut as the national tour of “The 101 Dalmatians Musical” parks and barks in Boston during Christmas week.

Arlington, Mass. native Erin Maguire will have lots of friends and family in the audience when she appears on stage at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre December 23-27. On the road with the national tour of The 101 Dalmatians Musical, Maguire is ecstatic at the prospect of strutting her stuff on home turf during Christmas week.

The brand new Broadway-style musical, which had its world premiere in Minneapolis in October, is on a 25-city tour that includes Miami, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and New York at the Wamu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks and starring Broadway leading lady and Drama Desk Award winner Rachel York as the infamous Cruella De Vil, The 101 Dalmatians Musical draws its inspiration from the original Dodie Smith novel instead of the popular Disney films that were adapted from the same source. B. T. McNicholl (Billy Elliott, Spamalot) has written the book, and co-founder of the legendary rock band STYX Dennis DeYoung (Jefferson Award winner for The Hunchback of Notre Dame) has written the music. McNicholl and DeYoung co-wrote the lyrics. Choreographer is Warren Carlyle (Finian’s Rainbow, A Tale of Two Cities).

The challenge in staging a musical based on the classic children’s novel is representing the story from the dog’s point of view. Smith gave voice to her spotted creatures and made them seem more human than the humans in her tale. In her book, the dogs were the “owners” and the humans were the “pets.” The canine adventures were paramount, and the relentless efforts of Dalmatians Pongo and Missus to rescue their 15 puppies from the evil clutches of the ruthless Cruella De Vil gave the story its heart and soul.

To stay true to this topsy-turvy perspective, The 101 Dalmatians Musical has put all of the human characters on 15-inch stilts, making them seem larger than life to the dog characters on stage. This allows the adults and children who play the dogs and puppies to walk upright and still be smaller than Cruella, her henchman, the Dearlys and the nannies. In addition, there are 15 real Dalmatians, most of them rescued from shelters, which make grand appearances at the end of each act.

Is the stilt work cause for trepidation among the cast members? According to Maguire, who plays the quirky but doting Nanny Cook, it’s now just another skill to add to her resume.

Erin Maguire: I’m a stilt champion now! (Laughs) Famous last words, right? I’m knocking on wood. But actually they just feel like an extension of your leg, which is deceptive because you get so comfortable in them that you think that you can function in them like they’re your regular feet. And you really can’t. You need to be aware. Your stride needs to be different. It needs to be longer. But I can feel when things are off in them and I can fix them right away.

It’s funny. Every time I do a new show, I’m always doing some sort of weird stunt. I could be doing The Cherry Orchard and they’d have me tap dancing on a beach ball while spinning plates and balancing something on my head. So this is just one in a long line of cool stunts that I’ve gotten to learn like stage flying or animatronic puppetry.

And I feel like I could run a marathon in them. I wouldn’t want to try, but I feel like I could.

BroadwayWorld.com: How cool is it for you to be hitting Boston at Christmas?

EM: You have no idea. I mean aside from the mere fact that I’m going to be with my family for Christmas – and I’m employed – those things are always well and good. But I grew up going to see shows at the Wang on Christmas night with my mother. It was such a sentimental thing. She would get me tickets and give them to me Christmas Eve and then we would do our Christmas day family festivities and leave and go into Boston for Christmas night. We’d see whatever big show was touring through town. Well, now I’m the show that’s going to be playing!

I know it’s going to be overwhelming. I’m anticipating crying as soon as I get on the stage of the Wang.

BWW: Would that be in character?

EM: Ab-so-lute-ly. I would make it work. My training and my BFA, after all.

BWW: So you cut your teeth pretty much at Arlington High. Or do you go back even further to elementary school?

EM: The first show I ever did was with Fidelity House in the center of Arlington in a church basement. Up until that point I had just been a dorky kid who sang in her room. And then I saw an audition they were having and I went. I sang something from Annie and I remember seeing the reaction of people in the room. I was like, “Oh wait, I can do this?” So I became obsessed with singing and did the show there. I did the FiHo Players Tribute to Broadway in the sixth grade. The videotape still exists somewhere, God help me.

Then I did some plays in junior high but really jumped in feet first when I was in high school. Frank Roberts (a director with the Reagle Players in Waltham) was my teacher and mentor. He saw that I was so passionate about it, so committed to it, that he brought me over to Waltham. While I was rehearsing for whatever the school musicals were I would also go and rehearse for Reagle Players. And you know they job in Broadway stars, which I just think is so ironic because Rachel (York) was just there this past summer and she was the Broadway star they jobbed in. When I was in high school I was nothing but enamored with those people who came through. I would just watch and absorb what they were doing. I haven’t been back to Waltham since but I would love to – to go back to the Reagle Players and be one of those Broadway people.

But for now it’s just a huge thing for me to be able to come back to Boston with a show, and most specifically a big Broadway touring show. There are so many plusses to what I’m doing right now. I’m performing a role that I’ve created from scratch and I’ve put my own personal stamp on it. It’s also absolutely amazing that I’m understudying Cruella.  And if I get to go on while I’m in Boston, glorious day! (Laughs)

But seriously, I would rather my family see the character I’ve built. It’s something that Jerry Zaks saw at the audition in me and let me have carte blanche in creating. It’s such a great featured role. I have a fabulous number with Rachel and we have a blast working together. She’s really phenomenal in this show and it’s amazing to keep learning from her.

BWW: So describe your Nanny Cook for me.

EM: She’s doting, and high pitched, very quirky. The person that I based her on originally in the audition was Daphne from the TV show Frasier. That was the basic vocal approach I took. She’s sort of bumbling. The dogs get stolen on her watch and she’s an absolute wreck about that.

BWW: That’s the number “Hail to the Chef” that you do with Cruella.

EM: Yes. And I love singing that with Rachel every night. There’s not a night that goes by that we don’t go completely bonkers. Building that number together was an amazing experience. Rachel is a consummate professional. I’ve known about her, I’ve heard about her, I’ve seen her in shows. So to be able to work with her is such a coup. We get along very well, and we work off of each other’s comic styles very well. It’s been a privilege. It’s also been a privilege to watch her work and to create her role.

BWW: So in your opinion, is Cruella evil or just misunderstood?

EM: I think she is evil but believes she is misunderstood. Her hard wiring is clearly different from that of the average Joe. She is motivated by greed, power and money, but feels completely justified in her actions.

BWW: As an understudy you’ve got to keep your own role and the role of Cruella up to speed. I know you did go on for Rachel once already pretty early in the run. What was that like?

EM: That was wild because the show opened in Minneapolis, and Appleton was the next stop. The week that we opened they were still changing things every day so we were still in rehearsal during the day while performing at night. So when we got to Appleton the only time that we had to rehearse was to do a sound check and suddenly we’re in the show. And then the next day Rachel was out. So I didn’t have a rehearsal. I had a put-in rehearsal and suddenly I’m on stage with all of her costume pieces, the hair, wigs, everything. Usually you’ll have understudy rehearsals during the course of the run to get a feel for what it is like to walk in somebody else’s shoes.

BWW: Or stilts in this case.

EM: Yes, stilts. Fifteen inches in the air! It was phenomenal and exhausting and chaotic and I’ve never been so calm. (Laughs) Because, you know what, I’ve been there before. I’m a very good kamikaze understudy! When I was doing the national tour of Seussical with Cathy Rigby she went out opening week. She hurt her back during rehearsal and I had two hours notice. It was like, “Bam, you’re on.” And I had to fly in that show! I had never flown onstage, and I didn’t have costumes yet so they put Cathy Rigby’s costumes on me. Do you have any idea? She’s 4’10” and I’m 5’7”. It was hilarious. Ever since that point nothing phases me. No-thing.

I knew about Appleton in advance but it was still sort of an out-of-body experience going on for Rachel that night. The strangest part was to be on the opposite side of “Hail to the Chef.” You’re so used to singing your own harmonies and it’s a really specific number. Things are placed in a certain way, so to be the person doing the opposite action was truly out-of-body. And it went so…shockingly…well. I was like, “If I’m going to crap out on anything in this show tonight it’s going to be this song.” But it was one of the best numbers! It was so great. The next day I felt like I got hit by a truck but it was a blast.

BWW: I understand that you’re still reworking the show.

EM: We’re here in Dallas and Jerry and the whole creative team just came back last week and tweaked it some more and made some more nips and tucks. They’re adding real live dogs to more parts of the show, as well.

EM: Well, it’s tricky with the scenes that we’ve already established with humans playing the dogs. You don’t want a dramaturgical mishmash. The real dogs’ big moment comes at the very end of the show when they get to remake Hell Hall and do all of their tricks. But they’re trying to place the dogs in various spots throughout the show in little cameos, sort of as teasers. Jerry still considers us in previews, so he’s still working to hone it and refine it and tell the story more effectively.

BWW: Some of the audience members have commented about the “adult” humor in the show. And some of that centers on your character Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler. Now, I don’t want to give away the joke…

EM: Well, let’s just say that it’s going fly in certain cities and in others it’s going to tank. But it’s such a crap shoot. Like, in Austin, Texas, people could not get enough of those jokes. But in Detroit I thought I was going to be lynched. It’s an interesting choice, but even in the movies it’s there on a very, very small level. It’s just hilarious to me. And the way they’ve physically designed it, Nanny Butler looks like Dudley Moore in Arthur. And I’m all frou-frou cute like Bernadette Peters. I think in New York it’s going to go over really well. And I think maybe even in Boston. They’re conservative but savvy.

BWW: Do you have a sense – are you getting adults coming without kids in tow or is it pretty much just families?

EM: It’s actually a nice cross section, I think. Sometimes the solo adults who are there are friends of ours or family members. But we’re part of a subscriber series so we’re going to get a cross breed of people. The show is really geared for the kids, but you’ve got to have something in there for the adults to laugh at that’s going to go right over the kids’ heads.

BWW: Has the fact that this is not Disney been an issue for people expecting the Disney version?

EM: Occasionally. They’re a little bit disappointed that they don’t hear the standard song, “Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil.” But people are quick to realize even though it’s not Disney, it’s equally entertaining. There’s only so much leverage you can get out of a short animated piece. By going back to the source there’s more juice to be found. And the music by Dennis DeYoung is so catchy. He encompasses so many different genres of music that there’s something for everybody in there. There’s a vaudeville number but then there are these rock powerhouse ballads that Cruella gets to sing. The number she and I do together is very traditional musical theater. So it runs the gamut. There’s too much material in there for people not to come out humming something, loving something, and sort of leaving that Disney idea at the door.

BWW: I heard that there are plans for a cast recording. Is that going to be happening?

EM: We’re in hold right now because I think they are still making some changes to the show. Lyrical changes and such. So I think when the dust settles we’ll get to do it. I hope so. I would love to check another goal off my list.

BWW: So how many people are going to be in the audience here in Boston for you on opening night? Are you going to have a cheering section?

EM: Oh, my God. We’ve got busloads of people coming! (Laughs) A lot of my family’s coming right after Christmas. I have friends coming to the performances leading up to it. I’m going to see people there that I haven’t seen for years. Someone from my elementary school found me on Facebook and told me she’s coming to the show. I haven’t seen her since sixth grade! There are going to be people coming out of the woodwork. I’m going to have somebody there every day. I’m going to have to do backstage tours - and I’m going to live for every moment of this! I can’t wait.

Tickets for The 101 Dalmatians Musical in Boston are available on line at www.citicenter.org or by calling 866-348-9738. Performances for this special holiday schedule are Wednesday, December 23 at 1 and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, December 24 at 1 p.m.; Saturday, December 26 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, December 27 at 1 and 6:30 p.m. There are no performances Christmas Day.

For more information, visit www.the101dalmatiansmusical.com.

PHOTOS: Erin Maguire; Erin Maguire as Cruella De Vil

PRODUCTION PHOTOS BY JOAN MARCUS: Rachel York as Cruella De Vil and company; Madeleine Doherty as Nanny Butler, Erin Maguire as Nanny Cook, Julie Foldesi as Perdita, Mike Masters as Mr. Dearly, and Kristen Beth Williams as Mrs. Dearly

 

Posted by theatrecritic at 04:06 PM | Permalink