"The Fantasticks" at Nautilus Music-Theater

It may be spring (almost) outside, but inside Nautilus Music-Theater's tiny studio space in Lowertown St. Paul, it's most definitely September. The kind of September "where grass is green and grain is yellow," and "no one weeps except the willow." A lovely hopeful youthful September that slowly fades into a wiser, darker, and nostalgic December. While Nautilus is primarily dedicated to developing new works of music-theater, with their newest full production (which are few and far between, their last one was almost three years ago), they are presenting a new take on the longest running musical in the world. 56 years ago, The Fantasticks was just the kind of piece that Nautilus would have developed, supported, and produced - an inventive piece of music-theater storytelling that pushes the envelope of what the genre can do. While that glow of newness and inventiveness has somewhat faded over the years, Nautilus is bringing it back in a new way with age-conscious and gender-conscious casting, and by presenting the piece as it originally was - in an intimate small-scale setting that allows the simple beauty and humor of the piece to shine. With limited seating and only 12 performances, make plans soon for this rare opportunity to see this classic musical performed by some of the Twin Cities best theater artists up close and personal.

"Yeston & Kopit's Phantom" at Artistry (formerly known as Bloomington Civic Theatre)

There's a new Phantom in town. OK it's not exactly a new Phantom, but rather one that's lived under the shadow of the musical theater juggernaut that is Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, the longest running show on Broadway and "the most financially successful entertainment event to date." What hope, then, does any other musical adaptation of the early 20th Century French novel have? Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit (who also wrote the 1982 Tony-winning Best Musical Nine) had already begun their musical adaptation when Webber's premiered in 1986 and took over the world. Consequently, Yeston and Kopit's version never made it to Broadway, but it has had many productions around the world, and now, in Bloomington MN at the newly renamed Artistry. Not being a huge fan of Webber's version (read more about that here), I was curious to see what another version might look like. While it's still not my favorite story, I found Artistry's production of this different sort of Phantom to be lovely, touching, and well performed by the cast and orchestra.

This Phantom follows the same general outline as the book and other adaptations, although they all differ on the details. The general outline: a disfigured man haunts the Paris Opera House, he falls in love with and kidnaps the beautiful young opera singer Christine, and tragic things happen. The details: in this version, the Phantom, aka Erik, has lived below the Opera House all of his life, having grown up there after his mother dies. He tutors Christine in opera technique, and only kidnaps her to save her from the diva who's trying to sabotage her. She seems to genuinely love him, but alas, they can't be happy together, because this is still Phantom.

I've only seen ALW's Phantom once, and I found it to be a bit difficult to follow, slow and draggy in parts, and way too melodramatic. This Phantom doesn't have those problems. It's still a preposterous story (why does someone who basically grew up in a sewer and rarely appears in public go about dressed in pristine tails and a fancy cape?), but Erik's origin story explains more of why is he the way he is, the show moves along with a fairly good momentum, and while it's still dramatic, it's a bit sweeter and with some lighter moments.

Yeston's score is lovely and melodic, with the duet "You Are Music" a highlight. As per usual, Anita Ruth's 20-piece pit orchestra plays it wonderfully, and the cast is full of strong singers. Courtney Groves is radiant as the young Christine, and has a sweet and lovely voice. William Guilness brings great dark and conflicted emotion in his portrayal and his strong deep voice. She's all lightness, and he's all darkness (which I guess is the point of the piece), and they sound beautiful together. Other highlights in the large and talented ensemble are Riley McNutt as Christine's patron, Alan Sorenson as Erik's friend with a secret of his own, and Carl Schoenborn and Angela Walberg as the new owners of the Opera House, the latter adding humor with her diva-like scheming.

One of the main focuses of that other Phantom is the huge chandelier that almost drops on the audience. While there is a dropping chandelier here, it's less of a spectacle, but still impressive, as is the set. The massive two-story structure with movable steps, multiple doors and entrances, and surprising nooks and crannies may be the most elaborate I've seen on the Artistry stage. It doesn't overpower the story but provides the appropriate grandeur for the Opera House (set design by Benjamin Olsen). Ed Gleeman's luscious costumes complete the look of Paris high society.

If you're a big fan of ALW's Phantom, you might want to give this one a try just to see a different take on the story. If you're not a big fan of ALW's Phantom, you might find this one more to your liking. It's less of a spectacle and more of a story, with a beautiful score beautifully realized. Yeston & Kopit's Phantom continues through November 14 (discount tickets available on Goldstar).

Christine and the Phantom (Courtney Groves and William Guilness)

"And the World Goes 'Round" at Jungle Theater

Legendary musical theater composing duo John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote over a dozen musicals for the American stage, from their early success Cabaret in the 1960s, through their final collaboration Scottsboro Boys, premiering after Ebb's death (with a pre-Broadway engagement at our own Guthrie Theater). And the World Goes 'Round, now playing at the Jungle Theater, is a musical revue of their songs, taking its title from the movie New York, New York. Surprisingly, I've only see four of their shows (including their two most recent ones which are not in this collection), so many of the songs were new to me. It was a delight to hear the work of this talented composing team performed by a fantastic cast of seven.

There's very little dialogue or context for the songs, just one hit after another. Director John Command notes in the playbill that he learned from Liza Minnelli (Kander and Ebb's muse) "to perform every song as if it were 'a one-act play!'" He accomplishes that here, as each song tells a story, whether funny or tragic, and makes me want to see the full musicals from which they came.

the cast of And the World Goes 'Round
(photo by Michel Daniel)

Music director extraordinaire Raymond Berg leads an onstage six-piece band that sounds impossibly smooth. The whole show has a bit of a swanky, jazzy feel, including Bain Boehlke's rich set design and the choreography that's reminiscent of the original shows. The talented cast includes Bradley Greenwald (who memorably played the Emcee in Frank Theater's gloriously seedy production of Cabaret four years ago), Tiffany Seymour, Jon Whittier, Therese Walth, William Gilness, Emily Rose Skinner, and Betti Battocletti.

Highlights include:

• The title song, which is nicely woven throughout the show and occasionally serves as transitions between songs.
• A super high energy performance of the song "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup*," a song I love but didn't know it was Kander and Ebb!
• All of the Chicago songs, including and especially "All That Jazz."
• Mournful love songs were paired together and a bit overlapped, including Bradley and Bill singing "I Don't Remember You" and "Sometimes a Day Goes By," and Jon, Therese, and Emily singing "We Can Make It," "Maybe This Time," and "Isn't This Better!"
• A rousing Act I ending number "Life Is" from Zorba, which continues "what you do when you're waiting to die, life is how the time goes by!"
• Bradley's delicious performance of the title song from Kiss of the Spider Woman (calling local musical theater companies - please stage this show and cast Bradely as the lead!).
• A very funny double duet of "The Grass is Always Greener" from Woman of the Year by Tiffany, Emily, Bill, and Bradley.
• A super jazzy version of "Cabaret" featuring the entire company, unlike I've ever heard it sung before.

And the World Goes 'Round is a cleverly staged homage to two of our greatest musical theater composers, beautifully performed by cast and band - a perfectly pleasant evening of musical theater (continuing at the Jungle through May 24).


*You can get Dunn Brothers coffee in a cardboard cup at the concession stand for only a dollar - best coffee deal in town!

"Les Miserables" at Bloomington Civic Theatre

I'm not one of those Les Mis fanatics. I first saw it on tour over a dozen years ago, and what I remember most about it is that it was really long. I liked it well enough to buy the soundtrack, which I listen to periodically; the score is gorgeous and includes some wonderful songs. But I've never really connected with it like I have other musicals (I'm more of a RENThead). That changed a little when I saw the movie last year, but that too felt long and a little exhausting. But after seeing Bloomington Civic Theatre's new production of Les Miserables, I finally see what all of the fuss was about. It does not feel long or tedious; every moment is completely engaging. The music soars in the hands of this talented cast of singers and the big gorgeous pit orchestra (Anita Ruth has written some new orchestrations to replace the synthesizers, adding bassoon and guitar and doubling some instruments), and the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and love are so compelling. I've seen just about every musical production at BCT for the last few years and I always enjoy what they do, but Les Miserables is the best thing I've seen there so far. It's absolutely thrilling.

In case you're unfamiliar with the theater juggernaut that is Les Miserables, here's a quick primer. The musical premiered in London in 1985 and arrived on Broadway in 1987, and became one of the longest running musicals in both locations. Based on the 19th century novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, it follows the life of Jean Valjean from the release from his 20-year imprisonment for stealing food, to his involvement in the French Revolution, and many points and characters in between. Always on the run from Inspector Javert, Valjean tries to make a good life for his adopted daughter Cosette while struggling with his past. As director Karen Weber (who went back to the original text to inspire the tone of this production) writes in a note in the playbill, "It is a sprawling morality play, set against a tumultuous period in French history. That setting illuminates and encapsulates the suffering and oppression of generations of the French people, the human spirit crying for an end to that suffering, and the desperate measures taken to end it."

Valjean and Javert
(Dieter Bierbrauer and William Gilness)

One of the reasons I was so excited to see BCT's production of Les Mis is the cast. As anyone who's read this blog with any regularity knows, I'm a big fan of Dieter Bierbrauer, and have been since I saw him play Tony in West Side Story at the Chan years ago. I will see him in anything (even a musical that takes me back to the 80s, my least favorite decade), and I love seeing him in iconic musical theater roles like Jean Valjean, the troubled hero of Les Miserables. In addition to Dieter's typically perfect vocals, this is a very physical performance as he transforms from a young man beaten down by years in prison, to a respected businessman, to an aging man who walks like he's lived long and suffered much (but can still easily sling a young man across his shoulders). He carries the character's suffering in his body and his voice. "Bring Him Home" is a highlight, so beautiful and heartfelt. I didn't think anything could top hearing Dieter sing "Being Alive," but this just might have.

Of course Dieter is not the only star in this show. There are so many characters who have great moments in song, and BCT has chosen the perfect actor for each one. William Gilness is a great adversary as Inspector Javert, strong and unmoving in his goal to find Valjean, until Valjean shows him mercy and he is unable to process it and doesn't know how to go on with life. Laurel Armstrong beautifully embodies the tragedy of Fantine. The talented Aly Westberg is an incredibly sympathetic Eponine, another tragic character, and her "On My Own" is another highlight. Riley McNutt has a strong voice as Marius, with Molly Jo Hall as his lovely Cosette. Carl Shoenborn and Sally Ann Wright are entertaining as the comic relief innkeepers. Dominique Wooten is magnificent in a scarlet jacket; his cries to war make me want to climb a pile of rubble and wave a red flag! From the oldest to the youngest, this cast brings these characters to life. In a post-show discussion, Karen said that she told her cast that it's not enough to sing beautifully (as they are all capable of doing), but they also need to tell the story in a compelling way. Mission accomplished.

Once again, Michael Hoover designed a functional and appropriate set. Stairs to a balcony provide many levels on which Karen effectively places the action. A rotating center piece allows set pieces to enter and leave the stage smoothly, most effectively the barricade in the second act. As it spins we see both sides of the barricade. Costume designer Ed Gleeman has dressed the cast in period clothing both desperate and opulent.

Les Miserables is such an inspiring story. Through a moment of kindness, a man's life is changed and he goes on to affect others' lives by passing on that kindness. But through it all he's still just a man, with doubts and regrets and struggles. In short, it's the human experience. I see a lot of theater, and it's not often that I'm moved to a standing ovation (in fact sometimes I resent it when everyone stands up and I'm obliged to follow). But this is one of those times when I was eager to stand up and applaud and show my appreciation for all the work that went into creating this marvelous theatrical experience. Les Miserables is playing at BCT through November 16, get your tickets now before it completely sells out! (If you have no plans for Halloween, discount tickets are available on Goldstar.)