Next to Normal - Rhino Theater Pompton Lakes, NJ

Great theater, really great theater, should work on many levels at the same time: emotional, intellectual, physically. "Next to Normal" at the Rhino Theatre does just this. It isn't perfect, but nothing in life is. And that is entirely the point of this Pulitzer and Tony winning musical from Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey as directed by Jo-Ann Ventor and Carmela Wolosz which is moving on all these levels. Whatever your weekend plans for the new few weeks, consider making this production part of them. You will be rewarded wholly.

The show is dramatic from the opening chords to the soaring, uplifting, hopeful finale. It has something for everyone - young high school lovers who challenge and corrupt one another; family issues; ignored teens who get to stand up to their parents; love, denial, and ignorance, and an amazing score rendered wonderfully by the talented cast of six.

The show opens on a typical morning - mom making breakfast as family rushes out to school and work. Yet around the corner, something is different especially as mom makes sandwiches on the floor. Diana (Randi Seffinger) holds too tightly to her memories threatening the fiber of her family life - son Gabe (Rob Ryan) and especially her largely ignored 16 year-old daughter Natalie (Anna Nicole Ventor) and her husband Dan (Matthew Haines). Natalie flirts with stoner Henry (Robert Snyder) a biblical serpent - especially with his ability to render an ordinary apple into a bong. While Dan whisks Diana to a series of Doctors (Brendan J. Bartlett) to free them from depression. Heavy doses of pharmaceuticals and electro shock therapy -propel the family toward potential normalcy - despite Diana's losing 19 years of memories. This description really doesn't do justice to Kitt and Yorkey's original creation, which is ripe with intense musical numbers of longing, denial, memory, connection, hope and love.

This is Buzz' second production of Next to Normal - the first premiered in February in Ridgewood. At the Rhino - the set is a bit larger and closer to the original multi-level Broadway design. Yet it powerful and moving. My cohort hadn't seen or heard of the show and we were both moved to tears and laughter through out the evening.

There are wonderful moments writ large and small with this production - from the expressive face of Rob Ryan, the powerful emotive singing of Anna Nicole Ventor, and the overwhelmingly moving Matt Haines. Bobby Synder presents a relatable, loyal boyfriend in Henry and sings and acts wonderfully, capturing nice moments through out the show. Brendan Joel Bartlett's Doctors offer their Mephistophelian verve but also bring welcome emotional resonance and a sense of desire to heal. Randi Seffinger's Diana is plaintive and well acted and sung in a demanding role.

The band led by Sean Cameron comes on a little too strongly in some numbers and Ryan's choreography intended to be macho reads more as too tight pants - but this are quibbles especially as the cast gets to singing.

Sellinger and Ventor in "Superboy & Invisible Girl" movingly convey the loss of the neglect.

Ryan's Gabe pays off beautifully in "There's a World" in Act 1 and even more in "I am the One" his confrontation with Dan late in Act 2. Their harmonic voices blend amazingly.

Haines renders quiet hope and determination to piece his and Diana's life together while failing to see the potential for longer-term damage. While Seffinger's Diana offers a well nuanced performance cleverly showing a kaleidoscope of anger, fear, yearning, sorrow, guilt and the memory of what must have once been love in every note she sings especially in "I Miss the Mountains" her yearing for a life lived differently.

Next to Normal is a wonderfully written and performed musical that serves as a prism into the lives of those dealing with mental illness and the affects it has on family. It's adult themes - home, memory, relationships and the kaleidoscope of emotion touches the audience in a way few shows ever can. Ultimately it is a show about our willingness to rip off the band aid and move forward, past the memories and fear we've willingly allowed to fester far too long.

Theater is a communial experience -- allowing an audience to experience a range of thoughts and feelings, bringing their own experiences to bear but still coming away entertained and enthralled. Buzz and it's crew, cast, and band are to be commended for presenting compelling, moving, powerful theater. And I welcome their future productions enthusiastically.

The production plays weekends through June 20th at the Rhino Theater in Pompton Lakes. For tickets and information to go rhinotheater.com

Elves & The Shoemaker - Silly on Sixth

It is a sad day when your nine-year-old child is largely resistant to the charms of well-produced and executed children's theater. But for the three to seven year olds who are impressed by cute songs, nuanced - not cloying performances by charming actors with solid comedic timing that doesn't talk down, head over to Hudson Theater Ensemble's Silly on Sixth production of the "Elves and the Shoemaker."

Howard Richman's production focuses on Matilda Cobblestone (Nannette M. Matos) and Lockhart (David Silberger) a giving, generous, considerate shoemaker who seeks to have more than just soup for dinner. They owe money to the evil Sneerella Twerm (Florence Pape) who seeks nothing more than to evict them. The determine shoemaker has scraps of leather left but he makes a beautiful pair of shoes which he promptly gives to an old lady (Wendy Eaton) with no shoes. The Cobblestones are rewarded for their generosity by making additional shoes with the help of three elves played by Richard Dwyer, Leah Sayad, and Deborah Michels. The shoes catch on and soon everyone wants a pair. While the Cobblestones only want a factory that will employ everyone in their town and bring jobs and security to one and all.

The message is clear - pay it forward. Pass along something you have to someone else and you will feel good for your generosity. A nice message of teamwork and sticking with your dreams also comes through nicely. There are bits of audience interaction between the elves and even a kindly fairy godmother. The younger members of the audience were rapt with attention and fully engaged. My daughter perked up when one of the songs was sung to a tune she knew.

David Silberger brings a warm, welcome, goofy verve to his role of Lockhart. Florence Pape brings non-threatening evil to her dual roles of Sneerella Twerm and fun as a running obsessed Mrs. Snootbottom. The three elves have distinct personalities and win the audience over with their determination and desire to please. Wendy Eaton and Nannette M. Matos are pleasant and not over the top in their roles. Howard Richman's Mayor is well played and he has a fine cast and firmly directed this charming entertaining fairy tale.

The gift of Silly on Sixth is that even if you are a hot, overly tired nine year old or a three year old seeing your first show or a parent looking to stay cool on a June day - you will be entertained, learn something, and be impressed by the professional love gifted to children of all ages. Something in the script, an actor's turn with a line, a song will gather your attention and draw you into the fairy tale - even if you are firmly at the age of disbelief and prefer the auto tuned laugh track of commercial children's television. This polished production is well produced, fast moving, and wholly pleasant. Embrace the obvious magic of Silly on Sixth's "Elves & The Shoemaker." This production is a bargain with a wealth of benefits and morals compared to the more teenage oriented "entertainment" facing my daughter and I in the years to come.

The production runs weekends through June 20th at The Hudson School Performance Space - 601 Park Ave, Hoboken. Learn more at http://hudsontheatreensemble.com/silly_nowplay.html

Kids like Classical. Old people at Classical Concerts don't like Kids

Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture was originally written for the theatre. It was composed in 1807 for a performance, not of Shakespeare's Coriolanus, but of Heinrich von Collin's Coriolan.  This is a dramatic piece of music with two themes one representing Coriolanus' resolve and war-like tendencies, while the more tender represents the pleadings of his mother to desist.  The music is angular with deep chords illustrating angonized turmoil.

Played by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as seen on Sunday, June 7^th at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, conducted by Jacques Lacombe. The Coriolan Overture is a very short piece but seems more dramatic and substantial than many longer symphonies. Lacombe brought his own theatrical flair to the conducting building in a measure gradual manner underscoring the tight, concise form of the piece. The orchestra kayoed the staccato notes. There was a taut energy whose momentum seemed to carry through the beautiful lyrical passages and the more bucolic themes on the basses and cellos. The horns played with a respectful ear turned towards the flutes, a rapport which continued throughout the concert.

The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 – the Emperor - was Beethoven’s last piano concerto.  Soloist Marc-Andrew Hamelin played with utter delight and glee with regal touches.  The piece opens with a long piano solo of majestic flourishes which captivate the listener.  The orchestra mirrors the themes and Beethoven returns to them for the masterful conclusion of the piece.  In tandem with the orchestra and conductor, Hamelin brought an energetic, smart performance with lovely resonance and gripping mastery of the charm of Beethoven’s music. 

The afternoon concluded with my first ever hearing of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony live.  Sure we’ve all heard the electronic version from the 1970’s but there is nothing like hearing it live from a real orchestra.  This piece captivated my daughter who stood and conducted from her seat – luckily we’d moved further in the house to not annoy testy patrons around us.  Classical needs a younger audience people, feel free to thank me for exposing her.  But I digress…

This symphony is possibly the most well-know piece of western music in the world with the ridiculously famous opening four notes cascading through the hall. The work’s lesser known middle movements were rendered with skillful, engaged performances and the orchestra emerged energized into its final, regal movement. Hearing it live the piece thrills - no matter how often it’s performed. With its building repetitions and dramatic notes, the music moves us in ways that the more genteel music of other composers doesn’t.  How many other symphonies do people leave the hall humming?

andre watts with nj symphony

Andre Watts is in love with the piano and the piano loves him.  What other musician holds such a fascinating relationship with his instrument, offering a full bodied, playful, passionate, mesmerizing performance of Beethoven’s and Grieg’s Forth Piano Concertos.  His playfulness almost recalls Chico Marx on the keyboard with elegant, caring, zippy flourishes in Beethoven’s lighter movements.  For the more serious tones of the piece, Watts offers a more restrained, sterner touch.

Led by conductor Peter Bay, the New Jersey Symphony with Mr. Watts were in fine form, Friday evening at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Throughout the night, the orchestra along with André Watts enriched the hall with clear and brilliant sounds, enthralling the audience.

Pianist André Watts rose to fame in 1963 at age 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him, substituting for Glenn Gould, to play Liszt’s E-flat Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. Five decades later, Watts remains one of today’s most praised and prominent pianists. He regularly performs with the world’s great orchestras and conductors, appearing at distinguished international festivals while also serving on the faculty teaching piano students at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

The large and welcoming audience were treated to Beethoven’s Concerto No. 4 in G major for Piano and Orchestra. The first movement begins with a short opening phrase of the principal theme in the piano, instead of the traditional exclusively orchestral introduction. Watts welcomed us in a achieves a resonant piano. The orchestra takes over the melody. The movement continues with numerous arpeggios and chromaticism in the piano as the orchestra fluctuates between harmonic areas. Watts’s execution of these types of passages was breath taking and effortless. His playing was energetic as his sound shined over the orchestra, sometimes he seemed to be singing the notes to himself or cajoling the piano to keep up with his technique and passion.

The second half of the program included Stravinsky's ''Four Norwegian Moods,'' adaptations of folk or folkish materials from sketches originally intended for a Hollywood film. The four pieces are sprightly and well performed by the orchestra, handling their lightness and tone with sprightliness.

Grieg’s Piano Concerto is known from it’s opening descending tense flourish and in Watt’s hands.  Together with the orchestra it was masterfully evening with wonderously adroit performances, mixing novel tempi with awesome technique and breathtaking, tingling tension.

The NJSO season continues in Newark with a benefit for the UJA featuring Alon Goldstein on piano this Sunday and a broadway concert featuring Christopher SIeber and Beth Leavel on May 30^th.  More information is available at njsymphony.org

How to Dance in Ohio - as seen at Montclair Film Festival

Remember your first dance, maybe it was at summer camp or school.  And then consider the rash of emotions involved in going and finding someone to go with.  Factor in autism – “a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke)” and the excitement and trepidation of this rite of passage is illuminated in a whole new light.  Alexandra Shiva’s excellent documentary “How to Dance in Ohio” focuses on a series of young adults in Columbus with Autism preparing for their first dance.

The highest rates of autism in the country are reportedly in New Jersey— 1 in 45 children are diagnosed.  Experts do not know if more are being caught through better screening or an uptick in cases.  Nationally, one in every 68 children — nearly 1.2 million children under 21 years old — are estimated to have it.  According to the Center for Disease Control - boys are diagnosed in higher numbers — 1 in 28 boys in New Jersey and 1 in 42 nationally are on the autism spectrum.

The level of male diagnosis makes Shiva’s film even more potent- as it largely concerns itself with three females and their families.  The formal dance is the brainstorm of Doctor Emilio Amigo who runs a family counseling center with social skills classes in Ohio.  Over the course of the film he leads them through dancing, manners, how to ask someone to the dance, corsages and even crowns a king and queen. 

Shiva and her editor Toby Shimin create a brilliant montage that introduces us to a variety of teens at Amigo’s center and focuses on their interests – anime, electrical circuitry, and animals.  This allows us to see both the level of intellect, interests, and auto-didactic fixations typical of Autism.  They balance this with an explanation of the difficulty of reading and creations emotions by the Autistic while a male teen explains this he shows how he’s practicing to show emotion by raising his eyebrows.  Amigo brings this point home by stating, “If you’ve me someone with autism, you’ve only met one person with autism.”  While the young adults comment “we like to socialize, we just don’t know how.”

The film narrows the focus to three young women – Marideth (16 who loves computer time), Jessica (22 who has some independence through a job in a bakery), and Caroline (a college student who wants to work with 3 -5 year-olds and go to Japan).  Marideth’s parents crave their two minutes of daily interaction.  There is a touching scene between her and younger sister where they discuss Miley Cyrus and men with long hair while the younger girl brushes her older sister’s hair.  Ultimately, there is gown selection, fretting about whom to dance with or ask to the dance, a tender kiss, and crowning of prom king and queen.

This is a moving film that will get a larger audience through viewing later this year on HBO.  Shiva and her team place a loving lens on their subjects and craft an honest, affecting look around growing up with autism. Funny, engaging, and entertaining, How to Dance in Ohio celebrates a rite of passage and all the thorns on the roses along the way especially for those who don’t always read emotions but feel them anyway.

The Montclair Film Festival including a talk with Festival Director Tom Hall

Film festivals are multi-day events staged by arts organizations, universities, private organizations, and/or film societies. They provide an opportunity for filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds and films of all genres to get screened in front of a real live audience and sometimes get professional reviews and prizes. Filmmakers whose movies get accepted into a festival receive press attention, wider exposure to an audience that could include prospective agents, funders, and distributors.  New Jersey has the now four year-old Montclair Film Festival running May 1^st through 10^th in a variety of venues in Montclair. This year’s festival features over 150 films and events over ten days, includes awards, and expands to include two weekends to offer more repeat screenings and more films.

Festival Director Tom Hall who is in his first year in the role remarked that he is “looking for great films.  Half documentaries, half fiction, local, foreign, politics, character studies.  We aren’t trying to compete with Tribecca or Sundance.  We want to reflect the diversity of Montclair with savvy, smart, films that push the envelope but also connect with an audience.”

To that end, Hall and his committee traveled to other festivals to meet filmmakers, view films, and began an open submission process where anyone can submit an entry.  His committee “trusts one another’s taste in what makes a good movie and with each other’s point of view.  Selecting films was very much a collaborative process.”

The Montclair Film Festival is a nonprofit organization with a mission to unite, educate and celebrate the region’s diverse community and artistic heritage. Hall was brought on to help grow the nonprofit with year round education in filmmaking and he said, “see growth in New Jersey and support the whole film community.  We want to be a leader and an important stop for films and give attention and care.  We want to build community where people stay and connect with each other and the medium.  Long term we will use film as professional development, using tax incentives to build jobs in the film industry through educational programs in screenwriting, photography, and film making. While expanding into year round educational programs and screenings.”

An example of this mission proving itself is director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s “ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL”  Said Hall “the producer lives in Montclair.  I saw the film at Sundance and it was built to destroy an audience with tears and laughter.  I begged to get us the film. It is the closing night film and it is perfect for Mother’s day weekend.”  The cast includes Connie Britton and Molly Shannon and the plot is about a teen getting through his senior year of high school unscathed and unsociably while his mother has other plans for him including an unplanned friendship with a girl with Leukemia.

The festival includes special events include a discussion between Festival committee member Stephen Colbert (Late Show, Colbert Report) and actor Richard Gere around homelessness.  Gere’s latest film TIME OUT OF MIND centers on a homeless man struggling with life on the streets and a system that offers no comfort.  Hall chose the film and the forum with Colbert as a means of “using movies that address issues in the community.  The film and conversation between Stephen and Richard is a perfect platform to discuss what it means to the city.  The film humanizes issues and doesn’t place them on a soapbox.  It depicts a deep immersion into homelessness and focuses on people, not politics.” 

Mr. Colbert will also lead a discussion with the legendary singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples.  A documentary will screen that highlights performances, her career, and her message of equality. Hall is excited for the discussion and proud of the role Colbert and his wife Evelyn play in the development of the festival.  “They are a real gift, generous with their time.  We are lucky they live here and I never take it for granted.”

Hall and his committee have chosen a wide array of films that include documentaries on the development of the National Lampoon magazine, WFMU radio station, autistic teens going to a prom, Kurt Cobain, Barry Crimmins (the godfather of the Boston comedy scene), and fictional films including one featuring the late great actor Robin Williams (Boulevard). 

The ten day festival also includes talkbacks with director Jonathan Demme, actor Patrick Wilson leading a discussion with an artist to be determined shortly; documentary legend Barbra Kopple, actor/comic/film makers Michael Ian Black and Bobcat Goldthwait in conversation; and THE LOVE SONG OF R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER a "live documentary" by Academy Award-nominated director Sam Green (THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND) featuring a live score by the legendary indie rock band Yo La Tengo.

Film has clearly touched Hall from a young age.  His first film viewing was Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, which he saw at age four and remembers because “Wake Up Little Suzy” came on the radio and he and his father were late to get home to his mother Susan. 

A Kids of all ages short film festival with films made by local artists is as Hall sees it as a natural extension of the nonprofit’s educational programming with future classes providing an avenue for local students to make films that may screen as part of the festival.  “It is important for young people who don’t spend time with film to fall in love with it and inspire them to care about film,” he remarked.  “We want to be a leader and an important stop for films and build attention, care, and community.  We want this festival to be a home for great film and filmmakers.”

From the array of programming – special events and films selected – Hall, the Colberts, New Jersey, and Montclair are well on their way to presenting a durable, lasting, memorable program that offers education and community for those who love film.

For more information of the Festival, go to montclairfilmfest.org

Take The Stage With Broadway Stars - Carnegie Hall

As a kid, a grand aunt gave us tickets to the Young People’s Concerts at Lincoln Center.  While these concerts were great shows that exposed me to a lot of classical music, they never made me want to be a musician or performer. Music Director Leslie Stifelman and Director/Choreographer Melissa Rae Mahon, Director and Choreographer, brilliantly and successfully inverted the formula at Carnegie Hall with Take the State with Broadway Stars on Saturday, April 18^th.

Their noble mission packed the stage with a chorus of 18 singers and dancers, a group of teen performers, and Tony winner Jessie Mueller.  Co-host Thomas Cabinass and Stifelman frankly laid out the game plan, if you want to be on Broadway you have to sing, dance, and act.  And what better way to draw an audience in than “Hand Jive” from Grease – complete with learning the words and choreography.  Every audience member was on their feet, doing the moves and also singing along to “We Go Together.”

Once you can dance, you’ve got to sing. Jessie Mueller led the way with a rendition of “Do-Re-Mi” from Sound of Music.  If you want to inspire a generation of future Broadway performers, there is no talent more enthusiastic and vocally arresting than Ms. Mueller.  Looking not much older than the teens of the Celia Cruz High School who assisted from the audience, Mueller’s energy and bubbly, and joy for performance personality is infectious. 

Mahon introduced the audience to the concept of harmony through Jonathan Larsen’s “Seasons of Love” (Rent).  The adults learned one line, while the kids took another. Dan Scully’s video projections and animations lent a hand with both lyrics and for those who can read music – the notes. Tamika Lawrence (If/Then) added the finishing touches with her glorious voice.

Ms. Mueller talked about creating the character of Carole King, while also introducing her as someone who’d performed at Carnegie Hall.  She treated us with her winning chops with King’s “Beautiful.”  Kids of all ages surrounded her for a loving rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend.”

The afternoon’s highlights included kids from the audience being asked to come on stage to learn some choreography from “Hairspray.”  They then joined the entire cast and much of the audience in singing and dancing the just learned choreography to “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”  The adults seemed just as excited as the kids to be on stage performing with spirit and care.  The hall rang with a fairly tight production number.

“Hairspray” would have been a fitting conclusion and capped a glorious afternoon.  But there was more, as Mueller along with her sister, Abby, and Haven Burton performed a little Les Miz, and the afternoon concluded with the cast marching through the audience singing.

The audience was treated to a really professional, well put together master class with Broadway talents in a beautiful, classical hall.  The accessibility of the artists, their generosity both of spirit and talent, was infectious and made for a wonderful performance. My daughter, on the commute home, felt the afternoon was “awesome” wants more singing and dancing lessons and see “Hairspray” as soon as possible. 

West Side Story - Westchester Broadway Theater

It is incredibly difficult to a make a production of “West Side Story” your own.  The legendary show features a deft score by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a now dusty book by Arthur Laurents based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  What makes the production at the stalwart dinner theater Westchester Broadway Theater is Barry McNabb’s choreography.

This is a production that soars through dances and is visually arresting.  McNabb creates dynamic pictures through his athletic ballet moves, which evoke rape, torment, romance, and love.  The young cast moves gracefully and powers the story to another dimension.

Set in Hells Kitchen in the waning summer of 1957 the neighborhood is patrolled less by Officer Krupke (Mike Boland) and Schrank (Ed Romanoff) than by the rival gangs of The Jets and Sharks.  Owning and controlling turf is important to both groups.  The Sharks are Puerto Rican who are fighting for their piece of the American dream while the Jets – sons of immigrants take the newcomers for granted.  Modern day social workers would advocate for increased schooling or jobs to keep these kids off the streets.  Alas, toughened up by pride, these boys defend that which they know.

There’s artful Tony (Zach Trimmer) yearning for something more while working in Doc’s and painting a sign.  Off the streets and largely retired from gang life, Tony is compelled to help his friends by Riff (Adam Soniak) who’s itching for a fight to prove his leadership and supremacy over Berndardo (Brandon Contreras) and his Sharks.

Squaring off at a high school dance with a comic turn by Ed Romanoff as the ineffective principal, the boys agree to rumble.  Tony meets Maria (the beautiful Carly Evans) and romance becomes more important than turf.  McNabb’s choreography nice turns from athletic and macho in the early scenes to awkward, teen hormonal in the school dance.  His cast rewards the audience with individualized performances that create both character, motivation, and propel the story forward.  You really believe these Sharks and Jets love their territory, one another, and fear for being pushed around and out.

The production is also well sung particularly in group numbers like “Gee, Officer Krupke”, “I Feel Pretty” and “Tonight.”  Trimmer and Evans craftily evoke first love and tragic romance.  Allison Thomas Lee’s Anita tormented by Bernardo’s death turns on Maria after being overwhelmed by the Jets at Doc’s – she’s a tremendous actress whose actions bring on the tragic conclusion.

As well danced as the production is with McNabb’s choreography beautifully and deftly syncopated with Bernstein’s score.  Laurent’s book feels dated and cheesy.  One wishes for a fuller sounding orchestra to match the robust dynamism that dances before you. 

The production dances through July 5^th.  Jet on up to Elmsford, have the chicken marsala and enjoy a robust, taut production of “West Side Story.”

Love American Style -- Almost, Maine - Hoboken, NJ

Love, amour, distance, commitment, hope, loss, pain – these are the elements at play in Hudson Theater Ensemble’s charming production of John Cariani’s “Almost, Maine.”

Set in the not quite a town or on a map area of Almost, Maine, the show is a series of nine scenes about love.  Powered by a charming cast and graceful direction from Laurie Brongo, the play mixes whimsy, laughter, and heart. 

The offbeat, adorable residents -- fall in and out of love one enchanted Friday night as the Northern Lights crosses, exchanging unsolicited kisses, awkward confessions and a yearning for connection. Their brief stories are laced with magic realism, uncanny coincidences, metaphors taken literally and idioms come to life.  Some work better than others but all are short and (bitter)sweet.  This is a world beyond Tinder, OKCupid, or Match and one where people carry their broken hearts in bags and deliver bulging sacks of love.

Cariana’s light touch is evident in scenes like “They Fell” in which a bromance turns unexpectedly complete with physical falling for one another.  Victor Andres and Doug Schneider deftly handle the physicality and uncertainty of a new possibility.  A bit more heavy handed is “Where it Went” which tackles a marriage that goes south despite a wife (Laura DiCerto) trying to bring romance to the spot of a first kiss.

Victor Andres’ malleable facial expressions capture a tremendous mix of emotions especially in the prologue and “This Hurts” in which he plays a main who feels no pain. 

The cast of six plays a wide variety of characters in the town, as well as visitors to it hoping to see the Northern Lights.  They adroitly avoid cutesiness or  cloying, steering with balance. And the evening ends with the possibility of seeing the romance before you, accepting, and emphatically embracing it in a nice turn from actors Steve Yates and Jessica Sherr.

After a long winter, a fine spring romance as evoked by the Hudson Theater Ensemble’s production makes for a pleasant outing.

Hunchback of Notre Dame The Musical (Papermill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ)

Papermill Playhouse launched their newest musical “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” Sunday, March 15^th.  The production is backed by Broadway legends Alan Menkin (Music) and Stephen Schwartz (Lyrics).  The two teamed previously on the Disney animated movie of “Hunchback” and “Pochohantas.” Yet this is the first on stage collaboration between the two.  And they offer a lush, emotionally rich score and searing songs which veer from liturgical, ballads, to dramatic.   

Alexander Dodge foreboding set places us squarely in the cathedral.  Framed on both sides of the stage, we see scaffolding, above are the famed bells, behind the famed stained glass windows.  A chessboard floor hints at the characters strategic survival moves.  On the scaffolding is the impressive Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus whose 32 voices rouse the audience with a master class of oratorio in Latin and successfully – if a bit over-used – they sets the proceedings, comments, and cement the atmosphere.  Visually, the show is stunning, and Howell Binkley's lights against Dodge’s set works powerfully and reflect the gothic mode of Victor Hugo’s original novel.

Director Scott Schwartz's de-emphasizes the special effects and focuses on the performers. There are puffs of smoke and trap door exits but the most powerful theatrical moment is Quasimodo becoming a Hunchback by donning his hump and scars. Arden’s physicality and delicateness marks a delightful turn as the lead. While thespians change roles before our eyes and narrate the action in third-person direct address, forming a Greek chorus that largely only Quasimodo and the audience can hear.

There’s little in the way of Peter Parnell’s book, save for some exposition, he leaves the heavy lifting to the songs.  And there are some beautifully sung moments – though not enough for Arden who shines in “Top of the World” and leads with detailed, nuanced delivery, and outstanding vocal in “Made of Stone” While Page brings down the house with his wickedness-justifying anthem “Hellfire.”

Minister Claude Frollo (Patrick Page – icy perfection) watches his beloved brother dies and is left with a baby who he raises in the bell tower of the cathedral.  The baby grows up to be the famed Hunchback (Michael Arden).  Frollo is on a mission to cleanse Paris of lechery and foreigners – especially the gypsies who may have seduced his brother.  Quasimodo develops into a kind, yet isolated young man who yearns for a life outside the bell tower, but accepts Frollo’s perception that he is a “half-formed” monster who would be rejected by the outside world.  Esmeralda (Ciara Renée), the gypsy enchantress, emerges as the center of a love square which includes Quasimodo, Frollo, and the noble Captain Phoebus de Martin (Andrew Samonsky).  

There’s not much in the way of chemistry or for Samonsky and Renee to do.  She dances well in “Rhythm of the Tambourine.” Samonsky gets a few one liners but these characters are as static as the sculptures that adorn the cathedral.  

“Hunchback” deals with the complex shadings and backgrounds that shape who we are and who we should strive to be.  Quasimodo learns to embrace himself and grow into himself as a man, as he stands up to Frollo. And although Quasimodo may not be able to share his life with someone, as he deserves, the show ends with a hope that maybe the world will be better “one day, someday soon.”

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra - Bernstein & Mahler - at NJPAC

Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 The Age of Anxiety is a piece for orchestra and solo piano. It is titled and echoes thematically W. H. Auden's Pulitzer winning poem of the same name.  The poem is about man's quest to find substance, faith, connection and identity in a shifting and increasingly industrialized world. Bernstein creates a frantic and confused musical tapestry. One notable element of this work is Bernstein’s use of the piano throughout the score, both in the manner of a solo instrument and as a prominent orchestral member.

The composer, like the poet, breaks the symphony’s structure into six movements. Overall, if you’re unfamiliar with the piece, it does feel like a conversation in a bar one is overhearing.  There are snippets of Bernstein’s themes (Was that West Side Story?) but largely this is a unique, eclectic composition that allows flourishes from across the orchestra and piano soloist Kirill Gerstein who embraces the many moods of the piece with relish.

Conductor Jacques Lacombe led a taut performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Friday, March 13th, and the orchestra played this multi-hued music vividly. The piano line is jazz-tinged, poetic, and robust.  The orchestra builds Bernstein's climaxes with a palatable sense of relief.

Friday’s program concluded with Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major “Titan.”  The piece is lush and allows for flourishes from throughout the orchestra notably the violins, cellos, timpani, and brass. The most beautiful spun-out melodies are shared between the cellos and violins, with trumpet fanfares. Following Mahler's instructions, the seven horn players rise to their feet and play "as if to drown out the entire orchestra" in one of the most thrilling endings in the symphonic repertoire. Mahler gave the premise of the symphony broken down as: the first three movements with spring, happy dreams, and a wedding procession, the fourth is a funeral march representing the burial of illusions.

These pieces are dramatic and challenging.  Both the orchestra and audience embraced Mahler gloriously filling the hall with sweeping musicality and comfort. 

Performances continue in New Brunswick (March 14) and Morristown (March 15).