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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2000)
▼ Only two new musicals can be termed hits. A id a is Disney’s answer to the enormous Broadway-West End success of The Lion King, a show 1 found unwatchahle after the first 10 min utes. For its new blockbuster Disney has hired the tired pop-music dynamic duo of Elton John and Tim Rice to do a rockin’ version of Giuseppe Verdi’s kitschy operatic masterpiece. The idea is pretty lamebrained, hut the results are entertaining— if certifiably idiotic. T h e reasons A ida works have less to do with its writ ers than its interpreters, as the book and lyrics are utter ly forgettable, and Sir Jo h n ’s score seems like a series o f songs left over from his last five or six albums. In typical Elton fashion, they com bine infectiously catchy vamps and hooks strung together without much subtlety. W hile certainly no one was expecting anything remotely resembling Verdian artistry, it would be nice if the score reflected the action onstage with a hit more invention than simply veering into a minor key when things start getting a little heavy. Undeniably, the score does provide the show’s talented cast plenty o f chances to strut their stuff. W hile leading man Adam Pascal does little more than a passable Joe C ocker imitation, and his acting is nonexistent— his frequently exposed pectoral muscles show far more em o tion than he does— the show’s two leading ladies are a force to he reckoned with. Sheri Rene Sco tt as the Pharaoh’s daughter goes from Tori Spelling to soul ful diva and manages the transi tion with style, wit and a truly fabulous voice. Equally fabulous is leading lady and Tony recip ient Heather Headley, who is a true star-in-the- making in the title role. Headley’s stunning per formance is a torrent o f em otion, her powerful voice tearing out o f her contorting body with visceral abandon. This year’s Tony-winning new musical is Susan Strom an and John W eidm an’s C on tact, which is not really a musical at all, hut a lame trio o f modem dance pieces, which is only inventive if you haven’t been to a dance con cert or ballet in the last 15 years. I’m a huge fan of Strom an’s inventive, innovative and truly inspired work on other shows, hut I have to admit C on tact is the first disappointing piece I have seen from her. Set to a mishmash of hackneyed, prere corded musical choices, the show gives us three light-as-air vignettes that are connected by the flimsiest o f threads: people attempting to make co n tact— wow! what a concept! And, what is worse, Strom an’s usually exciting work seems repetitive and em otionally arid here. T h e cast, with one exception, doesn’t really help matters much. Boyd G aines is lightweight and only has one note in his Tony-winning turn, and Deborah Yates certainly has an unforgettable iconic presence in that much- discussed yellow dress, hut she hasn’t really much to do. It is left to the show’s other Tony winner, the multitalented trouper Karen Ziemha, to make the evening memorable. Her exquisite portrayal o f a goon’s repressed wife who finds a surprising, passionate release through dance is both liberating and heartbreaking. t is left to a pair o f musical revivals to pro vide the current season’s most delicious high points. Stroman’s fantastic reimagining of T h e Music M an proves why she is such a genius (and why Contact is such a letdown.) In her hands, this gor geously designed and wonderfully cast revival dances across the stage with delirious joy. As she has shown with her work in Crazy for You, Showboat and last season’s Oklahoma! in London (coming to Broad way this fall), Stroman is a master at creating dance naturally out of thin air. The cast of this sparkling revival is consistently wonder ful, hut there is espe cially fine work from the lovely Rebecca Luker as the perfect Marian the Librari an, Ruth William son in a high-camp tour de force as the Mayor’s Wife, and from a superb barbershop quartet. The produc tion’s Harold Hill is an oddity. Craig Bierko seems to have all the elements needed for a dashing leading man— great voice, great looks, great moves— but for some reason he seems to be channeling the role’s originator, Robert Pre ston, in a performance that’s more impersonation than interpretation. It’s a shame, hut it certainly doesn’t lessen the impact of this wonderful evening. Equally enjoyable is the current revival of C ole Porter’s K iss M e K a te, another perfect example of musical theater. Director Michael Blakemore and choreographer Kathleen Mar shall, along with a marvelous design team, give a polished shine to an old chestnut. Bristling with energy, the cast tears into the show as though it were written yesterday. Led by the magnetic and vastly talented Brian Stokes Mitchell, Amy Spanger and Michael Berresse, the sheer panache of this cast lights up the stage. Watching the audiences at both Kiss Me Kate and Music Man respond with such unadulterated, childlike ecstasy was a beautiful example of the transformative joy of live theater. (Stroman’s utterly shameless hut totally inspired curtain call for Music M an would bring out the inner child in the most hardhearted theatergoer.) * inally, for an example of the glory of dance, ! head north to Lincoln Center, where you can’t do too much better than the justly renowned New York City Ballet. Though the company is not quite what it was during the glory days of the Balanchine regime, it’s still a wonder ful company capable of greatness. The mixed-hill evening I caught showed off the company with bravado and was capped by a luminous account o f one of Balanchine’s most entertaining and beautiful works, the rapturous Vienna Waltzes. O ^ ricfay <5 ai'fy le sca p e s, 3 -3pm Enjoy live entertainment from fresh local hands as you break free and cruise the Willamette. Portland tfttsi $ 1 3 p e r p e rso n * Drink- s and hors uoeuvres are also available for purchase. Call (5 0 3 ) 2 2 4 - 3 9 0 0 or ( $ 0 0 ) 224*- 3 9 0 1 for reservations. ‘ Guests must be 21 yrs. or older. ■ JON K retzu is the artistic director o f Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland. H e is spending the summer renewing his creative juices and directing a play in C alifornia. C om m itm ent Cerem onies Available. G ift certificates m ake ¿real gifts! V isit www.portlan dspirit .com
