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| Admit it. We had you at "foreplay" -- your earthier side got the better of you. "Foreplay" is our clever moniker for stuff you can read before you go to a show -- previews, think-pieces and such. There's one directly below this review, in fact, and sadly for you, it doesn't contain a single reference to sex. |
| Play by Play |
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been known to make or
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of particulars on shows,
featuring the coveted little
asterisk that denotes our
recommendation and has
been known to make or
break entire careers.
www.edarts.info
Inside job
The guest of honor
barely makes his own party
in Rep's Ain't Misbehavin'
BY MARTIN JONES WESTLIN
A passage in Fats Waller, the biography written by Waller's son Maurice and author
Anthony Calabrese, recounts the time a trio of gunmen spirited the jazz piano titan away
after a concert, only to deliver him to a birthday party for no less than the equally iconic
Al Capone. Al quietly reassured a terrified Waller he wasn't going to die – seems the man
of the hour only wanted to ratchet up the bash with a tinkle or two on the ivories, and he
needed some expert help. Three days later, a drunk and exhausted Waller emerged from
the venue and reassumed the cudgel that would carry him into music history.
If you see The San Diego Repertory Theatre's Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical
Show, you may want to keep that little story in mind. In fact, it's a good idea to take in the
book as a study guide before you head to the show. That's one of the only ways you'll gain
any insight into Thomas Wright Waller, into his lofty place in American jazz and, above all,
into the Rep's 32nd season opener. The piece has its merits as a revue, chiefly because
music director JMichael has painstakingly tricked out Waller's club-tinged tunes to
concert conditions. The problem is that creators Murray Horowitz and Richard Maltby Jr.
assume Waller and his jazz are alive and well, and they've chosen to craft his musical
legacy without crafting him.
The Capone fable is just the tip of Waller's anecdotal litany, peppered with lore about his
unflinchingly merry demeanor, his wholesale womanizing, his legendary drinking (he
used to line up shots on his piano), his mastery of the stride genre, his pro-American
military stance during World War II, the organ lessons he gave Count Basie and the
10,000-person showing at his funeral in 1943 (he died of pneumonia at age 39). The tales
had their genesis along Manhattan's roily Lenox Avenue, Ground Zero to the explosive
Harlem Renaissance and site of Fats' customary venues (Robin Roberts' set has a nice post-
deco feel, although he needs to lose the clumsy “Ain't Misbehavin'” sign above it). The
show's title, in fact, is also the name of one of the songs from Waller's Hot Chocolates, a
Broadway hit he wrote at the tender age of 25.
But as you watch numbers like the quirky “Your Feet's Too Big,” “The Viper's Drag,” a
terrific interpretive piece extolling the virtues of controlled substances, and the
melancholy anti-racism “Black and Blue,” you're reminded that the lack of personal detail
renders the portrayal of Fats' legacy nearly ineffectual. Cast members John Steven
Crowley, Lisa and Valerie Payton, Austene Van, TC Carson and Robert Barry Fleming turn
some decent vocals and some good intra-song character relationships in the second act;
and like I said, you can always bone up on Fats and his people before you go. The bottom
line, of course, is that you shouldn't have to.
This review is based on the matinée performance of Sept. 23. Ain't Misbehavin':
The Fats Waller Musical Show runs through Oct. 14 at The Lyceum mainstage, 79
Horton Plaza, Downtown. $28-$51. 619-544-1000 or www.sandiegorep.com.
Exit the king
Camelot is one of modern musical theater's better entries. The dialogue is pretty
simplistic, but that's OK -- the story itself is as unadorned as the speeches, and at least
there's a story to begin with, not just a trail of words whose function it is to introduce the
songs. And to boot, the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe piece is about cool stuff like
justice, truth, beauty and whatever other virtues the good King Arthur and his Knights of
the Round Table can dredge up at the mythological Medieval castle of the same name.
But for all its illustrations of human promise and hope, the show's Broadway/San Diego
turn doesn't punctuate itself particularly well. Director Glenn Casale thwarts much of the
complementary music-text relationship through his way too static stage pictures and
literal interpretations of blatantly figurative passages. As King Arthur, Lou Diamond
Phillips' physical prowess stacks up well against those of Lancelot (an excellent Matt
Bogart)) and Guenevere (Rachel de Benedet), who nicely temper their basic decency with
the private consequences of adulterous intent. But many of the tunes are simply out of
Phillips' vocal range, and that may be the main reason he ain't no singer here.
There's an almost tentative feel to this show, as though it's still in rehearsal. That doesn't
mean you won't enjoy familiar numbers like the title song and the iconic "If Ever I Would
Leave You" -- it's just that you may not leave the theater humming them.
Camelot runs through Sept. 30 at the Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown.
$19-$67. 619-570-1100.
The guest of honor
barely makes his own party
in Rep's Ain't Misbehavin'
BY MARTIN JONES WESTLIN
A passage in Fats Waller, the biography written by Waller's son Maurice and author
Anthony Calabrese, recounts the time a trio of gunmen spirited the jazz piano titan away
after a concert, only to deliver him to a birthday party for no less than the equally iconic
Al Capone. Al quietly reassured a terrified Waller he wasn't going to die – seems the man
of the hour only wanted to ratchet up the bash with a tinkle or two on the ivories, and he
needed some expert help. Three days later, a drunk and exhausted Waller emerged from
the venue and reassumed the cudgel that would carry him into music history.
If you see The San Diego Repertory Theatre's Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical
Show, you may want to keep that little story in mind. In fact, it's a good idea to take in the
book as a study guide before you head to the show. That's one of the only ways you'll gain
any insight into Thomas Wright Waller, into his lofty place in American jazz and, above all,
into the Rep's 32nd season opener. The piece has its merits as a revue, chiefly because
music director JMichael has painstakingly tricked out Waller's club-tinged tunes to
concert conditions. The problem is that creators Murray Horowitz and Richard Maltby Jr.
assume Waller and his jazz are alive and well, and they've chosen to craft his musical
legacy without crafting him.
The Capone fable is just the tip of Waller's anecdotal litany, peppered with lore about his
unflinchingly merry demeanor, his wholesale womanizing, his legendary drinking (he
used to line up shots on his piano), his mastery of the stride genre, his pro-American
military stance during World War II, the organ lessons he gave Count Basie and the
10,000-person showing at his funeral in 1943 (he died of pneumonia at age 39). The tales
had their genesis along Manhattan's roily Lenox Avenue, Ground Zero to the explosive
Harlem Renaissance and site of Fats' customary venues (Robin Roberts' set has a nice post-
deco feel, although he needs to lose the clumsy “Ain't Misbehavin'” sign above it). The
show's title, in fact, is also the name of one of the songs from Waller's Hot Chocolates, a
Broadway hit he wrote at the tender age of 25.
But as you watch numbers like the quirky “Your Feet's Too Big,” “The Viper's Drag,” a
terrific interpretive piece extolling the virtues of controlled substances, and the
melancholy anti-racism “Black and Blue,” you're reminded that the lack of personal detail
renders the portrayal of Fats' legacy nearly ineffectual. Cast members John Steven
Crowley, Lisa and Valerie Payton, Austene Van, TC Carson and Robert Barry Fleming turn
some decent vocals and some good intra-song character relationships in the second act;
and like I said, you can always bone up on Fats and his people before you go. The bottom
line, of course, is that you shouldn't have to.
This review is based on the matinée performance of Sept. 23. Ain't Misbehavin':
The Fats Waller Musical Show runs through Oct. 14 at The Lyceum mainstage, 79
Horton Plaza, Downtown. $28-$51. 619-544-1000 or www.sandiegorep.com.
Exit the king
Camelot is one of modern musical theater's better entries. The dialogue is pretty
simplistic, but that's OK -- the story itself is as unadorned as the speeches, and at least
there's a story to begin with, not just a trail of words whose function it is to introduce the
songs. And to boot, the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe piece is about cool stuff like
justice, truth, beauty and whatever other virtues the good King Arthur and his Knights of
the Round Table can dredge up at the mythological Medieval castle of the same name.
But for all its illustrations of human promise and hope, the show's Broadway/San Diego
turn doesn't punctuate itself particularly well. Director Glenn Casale thwarts much of the
complementary music-text relationship through his way too static stage pictures and
literal interpretations of blatantly figurative passages. As King Arthur, Lou Diamond
Phillips' physical prowess stacks up well against those of Lancelot (an excellent Matt
Bogart)) and Guenevere (Rachel de Benedet), who nicely temper their basic decency with
the private consequences of adulterous intent. But many of the tunes are simply out of
Phillips' vocal range, and that may be the main reason he ain't no singer here.
There's an almost tentative feel to this show, as though it's still in rehearsal. That doesn't
mean you won't enjoy familiar numbers like the title song and the iconic "If Ever I Would
Leave You" -- it's just that you may not leave the theater humming them.
Camelot runs through Sept. 30 at the Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown.
$19-$67. 619-570-1100.
Silent partner
No sooner had I shaken the hand of famed mime Marcel Marceau than a fellow theater
minor did me one better. Marceau had just finished a turn at a University of Toledo
student convocation – and instead of helping me tear down the set like she was supposed
to, the little skank pulled a fast one and ran away with Marceau's troupe! Sandy called
from Iowa five days later trying to score bus money, and the school's theater department
was all over the idea amid anticipation of the tales she had to tell. Marceau, Sandy said,
was a total prince, adding that she'd learned more about stage movement from him in
those five days than she'd ever pick up in a thousand labs.
Sandy doubtless marked Marceau's death at 84 on Saturday, Sept. 22, with something
cool. After her adventure, she was hopelessly infatuated with Bip, Marceau's signature
character, who sported a dowdy tophat, a milk-white face and a lifetime of comedies and
tragedies to share. Marceau often credited the idea for Bip to Charlie Chaplin and other
silent-film greats. And for better or worse, Michael Jackson regarded Marceau as the
inspiration for his fabled moonwalk (the two even met once).
Contrary to a stupid folk-tale belief in some quarters, Marceau could speak; in fact, his
English was quite excellent. Sandy, in fact, said he kept calling her his “partner” and
complimenting her on her killer smile. He reportedly gave her a big hug and kiss as she
boarded the bus for home – with his passing, she surely stroked her cheek at the memory
as the world bids Godspeed to an incomparable artist and at least one little skank's best
friend.
No sooner had I shaken the hand of famed mime Marcel Marceau than a fellow theater
minor did me one better. Marceau had just finished a turn at a University of Toledo
student convocation – and instead of helping me tear down the set like she was supposed
to, the little skank pulled a fast one and ran away with Marceau's troupe! Sandy called
from Iowa five days later trying to score bus money, and the school's theater department
was all over the idea amid anticipation of the tales she had to tell. Marceau, Sandy said,
was a total prince, adding that she'd learned more about stage movement from him in
those five days than she'd ever pick up in a thousand labs.
Sandy doubtless marked Marceau's death at 84 on Saturday, Sept. 22, with something
cool. After her adventure, she was hopelessly infatuated with Bip, Marceau's signature
character, who sported a dowdy tophat, a milk-white face and a lifetime of comedies and
tragedies to share. Marceau often credited the idea for Bip to Charlie Chaplin and other
silent-film greats. And for better or worse, Michael Jackson regarded Marceau as the
inspiration for his fabled moonwalk (the two even met once).
Contrary to a stupid folk-tale belief in some quarters, Marceau could speak; in fact, his
English was quite excellent. Sandy, in fact, said he kept calling her his “partner” and
complimenting her on her killer smile. He reportedly gave her a big hug and kiss as she
boarded the bus for home – with his passing, she surely stroked her cheek at the memory
as the world bids Godspeed to an incomparable artist and at least one little skank's best
friend.
| Openings A CATERED AFFAIR at The Old Globe Theatre mainstage, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619-23-GLOBE, in previews, opens Sept. 30, story of a Bronx family that has to decide whether to sink the family savings into business or opt to splurge on a daughter's wedding. $52. LUIS BRAVO'S FOREVER TANGO at Spreckels Theatre, 121 Broadway, Downtown, 619- 220-8497, Sept. 28, touring music-dance piece on love, loss and life, with the tango as interpretive backdrop. $40-$65. OSCAR AND THE PINK LADY at The Old Globe Theatre's Cassius Carter Centre Stage, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619-23-GLOBE, in previews, opens Sept. 27, story of a young hospital patient and the kindly volunteer who fills him with inspiration. $46. SEVEN CRIMES presented by Sledgehammer Theatre at Tenth Avenue Theatre, 930 Tenth Ave., Downtown, 619- 544-1484, in previews Sept 27, opens Sept. 30, celebration of murder and mayhem based on the Grand Guignol tragedies of 19th-century Paris. $10-$25. THE GLASS MENAGERIE presented by the SDSU School of Theatre, Television and Film at the Don Powell Theatre, 5500 Campanile Drive, SDSU, 619-594-6884, Sept. 28, story of a faded St. Louis family dealing with a lifetime of failed expectations. $13-$15. THE RUNT OF THE LITTER at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway, 858-748-0505, Sept. 29, story of unrealistic goals and false hopes that often drive individual success in the National Football League. $5-$39. Now Playing AIN'T MISBEHAVIN': THE FATS WALLER MUSICAL SHOW presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre at the Lyceum mainstage, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown, 619-544- 1000, in previews, through Oct. 14, story of jazz great Thomas Wright (Fats) Waller, his music and the tales that inspired it. $28-$51. See our review on this page. BRONZE at 6th@Penn Theatre, 3804 Sixth Ave., Hillcrest, 619- 688-9210, through Sept. 26, story of an ice-skating champion and her fall from grace amid the unrelenting pressures of stardom. $10-$18. CAMELOT presented by Broadway/San Diego at the Civic Theatre, 202 B St., Downtown, 619-570-1100, through Sept. 30, story of King Arthur, his court and the love story that sets the palace on its ear. $19-$67. COME BACK TO THE 5 AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN at 6th@Penn Theatre, 3804 Sixth Ave., Hillcrest, 619- 688-9210, through Sept. 30, story of the Disciples of James Dean, their 20th reunion in a small Texas town and the upshot from their self- deceptions. $18-$23. DEAR MISS BREED presented by Asian Story Theatre at the Lyceum space, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown, 619-282- 8709, through Sept. 30, story based on correspondence that San Diego Public Librarian Clara Breed maintained with more than two dozen San Diegans of Japanese- American descent interned by the government during World War II. $15. DEATHTRAP presented by GB Productions at North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe, 2031 El Cajon Blvd., 619-220- 8663, through Oct. 8, story of a terrible writer willing to go to any lengths to improve his fortunes. $13-$15. * HAMLET at The Old Globe Theatre’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619- 23-GLOBE, through Sept. 30, story of the Prince of Denmark and his quest to avenge his father’s death. $45-$62. HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE at Onstage Playhouse, 291 Third Ave., Chula Vista, 619-422- 7787, through Oct. 6, story of Lil' Bit and her role as both temptress and victim of her Uncle Peck over 20 years. $13-$15. MEASURE FOR MEASURE at The Old Globe Theatre’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619-23-GLOBE, through Sept. 28, story of the imprisoned Claudio, his sister Isabella and the triumph of civil justice. $45-$62. * THE ADDING MACHINE at La Jolla Playhouse's Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, 858-550-1010, through Oct. 7, story of Mr. Zero, the mechanization that eliminates his job and the unspeakable act his unemployment drives him to. $34-$60. THE HONKY TONK ANGELS at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987-D Lomas Santa Fe Dr., Solana Beach, 858-481-1055, through Oct. 7, story of three ladies from rural backgrounds who follow their dreams and become country singers in Nashville. $38-$43. THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE at Welk Resorts Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido, 888-802- 7369, through Nov. 4, story of a Midwestern girl who plans to take the New York of 1922 by storm. $42-$75. Dinner Theater CHALK IT UP TO MURDER presented by HIT Productions, Fireside Steakhouse, 439 W. Washington Blvd., Escondido, 619-561-8673, featuring a cavalcade of new clues for a terrible crime. $16-$29.50. JOEY & MARIA'S COMEDY ITALIAN WEDDING at Holiday Inn on the Bay, 1355 N. Harbor Drive, 800-944-5639, the fortunes and foibles at the heart of an Italian wedding. $49.50. WHERE THERE’S A WILL… THERE’S A WAKE presented by Mystery Café Dinner Theater at Imperial House Restaurant, 505 Kalmia St., Downtown, 619-544-1600, story of gangland figure Sonny Shoeleone, heir to the family fortune unless his siblings have their way. $56.50, $59.50. Ongoing TRIPLE ESPRESSO at the Horton Grand Theatre, 444 Fourth Ave., Downtown, 619- 234-9583, through Feb. 17, 2008, story of three dorks and their bid at fame on national TV. $10-$37.50. |