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1776
"The
Palmdale Players' presentation of the Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards
musical '1776' was something to be as proud of as our nation's heritage.
"Though
certain characters were created to be antagonists, even the most biased
audience member had to have appreciated the oh, so pompous and officious
Pennsylvanian John Dickinson played by Joe Montgomery. Unashamedly propertied,
Montgomery, with a constant eye to propriety, strutted, stomped and snorted
- politely. His soliloquy was a fine example of why live theater requires
superior talent over cinema's cut-and-retake prerogative. Steering the
conservative delegates through their turns in "Cool, Cool Considerate
Men," he slipped perfectly into the ensemble intent of the piece,
never upstaging his fellow minuet dancers. He is a credit to his craft."
-Antelope
Valley Journal, March 23, 2001
A Little Night Music
"The roving chorus is bolstered by two strong male voices from Joe Montgomery and Roland Shroyer."
Antelope Valley Press
Bye Bye Birdie
"Particularly in the generations-worn song of parental despair, "Kids," Joe Montgomery and
Jennifer Dinsmoor are outstanding as Harry and Doris MacAfee, overwhelmed by making their home
into a bed-and-breakfast place for the singing star."
Antelope Valley Press
Ragtime The Musical
"Musical Theatre Of Los Angeles’ sensational
revival of Ragtime The Musical is the kind of production they say
“can’t be done,” and yet, miracle of miracles, they’ve done it. One
of the most truly epic shows ever to have filled a Broadway stage,
the original production featured a cast of 50. MTLA’s production
scales that down somewhat (the program lists 37 performers) but even
so, merely to fit those three dozen actors on the Hudson Backstage
Theatre’s stage (plus a 10-piece orchestra and conductor) seems nigh
on impossible, let alone have them move, interact, even dance.
But they’ve done it. Yes, indeed, they’ve done it!
For
those who may not have caught Ragtime in its previous local
incarnations (it had its world premiere at the late lamented Shubert
in 1997, and was more recently revived in big stage productions in
Thousand Oaks in 2004 and in Long Beach in 2006), Ragtime takes us
back 100 years to a time of historic change in the United States.
The country was divided between the haves (the super-rich like Henry
Ford and J.P. Morgan, both of whom are supporting characters in
Ragtime) and the have-nots (African Americans and European
immigrants). Though the haves wanted to believe, as they sing
in Ragtime’s opening number, that “there were no Negroes and there
were no immigrants,” people like Ragtime’s fictional “Father,”
“Mother,” “Younger Brother,” and “Little Boy” were soon to find out
otherwise. Mother takes in an African American baby found in her
garden, and later the child’s unwed mother Sarah. Younger brother
becomes inspired by anarchist Emma Goldman, and not long after joins
Sarah’s lover, musician Coalhouse Walker, Jr., in the forced
takeover of the Morgan Library. And Mother’s life eventually
becomes intertwined with those of immigrant Tateh and his young
daughter.
Based on E. L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel,
Ragtime The Musical (book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen
Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens) manages to be both epic and
personal, and the virtually unheard of feat of presenting it in a
99-seat venue works for both, thanks in great measure to the
Herculean work of director Zeke Rettman. Being seated only feet away
from three dozen actors singing the rousing opening number or the
stirring “Till We Reach That Day” or the grand finale reprise of
“Wheels Of Your Dream” is akin to sitting close-up to a widescreen
Hollywood blockbuster with Dolby surround sound. At the same
time, the small theater intimacy of the Hudson makes Ragtime’s
personal stories (Coalhouse’s efforts to win Sarah back, Tateh and
his daughter’s first steps towards becoming Americans, Mother’s
growing disillusionment in her marriage) more affecting than they
could ever be on a big CLO stage.
Flaherty’s exquisite music
has probably seldom sounded better than it does as performed by
MTLA’s vocally gifted principals (Joe Montgomery as Father, Megan
Johnson Briones as Mother, Aaron Jacobs as Younger Brother, Jon Jon
Briones as Tateh, Josie Yount as Evelyn Nesbitt, and Eduardo Enrikez
as Harry Houdini), and though in some cases the acting is not at the
level of the singing, the quibble is minor compared to the overall
achievement. Child actors Michael Arnold as Little Boy and
Danielle Soibelman as Little Girl prove themselves consummate
professionals at a very ripe age. Adam Mayfield (Willie
Conklin), Mario Di Gregorio (Grandfather) and David Edward Perry
(Brooker T. Washington) provide excellent support, and Amy K. Murray
is an imposing and inspiring Emma Goldman.
If this production
could be said to “belong” to any of the actors, it would most
certainly be to the all-around breathtaking work of Kevin Yarbrough
as Coalhouse Morgan and Rachae Thomas as Sarah. Their duets of
“Wheels Of A Dream” and “Sarah Brown Eyes” are about as beautifully
sung and acted as they come, as are Thomas’ “Your Daddy’s Son” and
Yarbrough’s “Gettin’ Ready Rag.”
It would be nearly
impossible to list all of Ragtime’s memorable moments, but Yount’s
sassy “Crime Of The Century” (wheeee!), the exquisite “New Music,”
Briones’ jaunty “Buffalo Nickel Photoplay Inc.” and his lilting
“Gliding,” Briones’ and real-life wife Johnson Briones’ touching
“Our Children,” and Johnson Briones’ stirring “Back To Before”
couldn’t be better performed. Murray and Jacobs shine in two of the
evening’s most moving numbers, “The Night That Goldman Spoke At
Union Square” and “He Wanted To Say.” In a lighter vein, there’s the
baseball inspired “What A Game,” sung by the male ensemble with much
simulated spitting. “Ptooey!”
Several fine dance numbers
including “The Gettin’ Ready Rag” and “Atlantic City” merit kudos
for choreographer Stephanie Simpson and her talented dancers. Under
the musical direction of Kelly L. Dodson, the voices of Ragtime’s
ensemble blend in gorgeous harmony. Conductor Greg Haake leads
an excellent onstage 10-piece orchestra, which in the Hudson sounds
twice as big, with high marks due to sound designer Fernando Vasquez
for insuring that voices raised in song are not overpowered by
musicians. The set design (by Oscar Arevalo, Rettman, and Carl
Ruoff) is mostly successful in situating the action in Ragtime’s
various locales (the homes of the rich, the ghettos of the poor) and
silhouetted figures behind a center stage screen (a fine lighting
design by Jeffrey Porter) are used effectively in several
scenes. Rosalie Alvarez’s costuming (and what a challenge that
must have been) makes the show look like a million
dollars.
The production is not without its occasional
problems. It is sometimes unclear where a scene is set, and Ragtime
neophytes may not realize that Coalhouse is behind the wheel of his
Model T when he is twice stopped by hooligans. The devastating
incident which precedes the Act 1 finale happens too quickly, and
the words “She’s got a gun” were unheard by my guest, who was
unfamiliar with the story and therefore didn’t understand why what
happened happened.
Still, the plusses in this production make
any caveat seem minor by comparison. No more is this true than
in Rettman’s staging of Ragtime’s opening number, which climaxes
with upper class citizens, African Americans, and immigrants coming
face to face for the first time, our close proximity to them making
their acute discomfort palpable.
Last night’s standing room
only audience rose cheering to their feet as the lights went down on
the final notes of “Wheels Of A Dream.” I recommend getting tickets
now, as Ragtime is likely to be selling out performance after
performance once reviews and word-of-mouth get around. Musical
Theatre Of Los Angeles has set the bar for their future productions
high indeed. Kudos to MTLA founder/CEO Bonnie McMahan, director
Rettman, and the entire cast and crew for this
triumph.
--Steven Stanley
September 20, 2008
StageSceneLA.com
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