The Latest New York Revival of Jason Robert Brown's Two-Character Musical "The Last Five Years" Has Plenty of Heart, Soul And Passion To Offset Its Collective, Romantic, Tear-Stained Ninety Minutes of Song

 By James V. Ruocco

In "The Last Five Years," Jason Robert Brown's thrilling musical about the passionate and conflicted relationship of Cathy and Jamie, the actual story and its music are positioned and lensed through two very different time perspectives. Cathy's story is purposely told in reverse. Jamie's reenactment is portrayed in chronological order. Only intermittently, do they reunite (their wedding, for example).

This imaginative concept, impressively staged with bracing energy and harmony, pinpoints the couple's success, disappointments, tensions, viewpoints, breakdowns and career choices with collective analysis and seamless navigation. It's all pretty much easy to follow and understand (Cathy wants to be an actress, but is plagued by weight problems and audition mishaps); Jamie is an aspiring novelist waiting for his big break) and luckily for us, nothing gets lost in the translation.

Truthful.
Innovative.
Clever.
Romantic.
Lively.
Poignant.

The show - one of the best musicals of the year - pays homage to the well-honed reverse narrative of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" and elsewhere, depending on the song or situation, recalls the sting, pulse and angst of Jonathan Larson's 1996 Broadway musical "Rent." More importantly, it has plenty of dramatic spine, identity, edge, humor and complexity. It also dances to its own musical beat.

"The Last Five Years" comes gift wrapped with 16 individual musical numbers. They are: "Still Hurting," "Shiksa Goddess," "See I'm Smiling," "Moving Too Fast," "A Party of That,"  "The Schmuel Song," "A Summer in Ohio," "The Next Ten Minutes," "A Miracle Would Happen/When You Come Home to Me," "Climbing Uphill," "If I Didn't Believe You," "I Can Do Better Than That," "Nobody Needs to Know," "Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You." The song cycle, which produces strong storytelling moments throughout the presentation, is a diverse, sweeping mix of musical styles, ranging from pop, jazz, folk and classical to blues, rock, klezmer and Latino. 

Composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown whose Broadway credits include "Parade," "The Bridges of Madison County," "13" and "Honeymoon in Vegas," uses key but very different rhythms and musical elements to make the unfolding romance of "The Last Five Years" fly high without missing a single beat. It's a win-win situation because Brown knows exactly what he wants as his musical story shifts backwards and forward in time, showcasing point-of-view moments in both Cathy and Jamie's lives.

A master at programming and positioning, the composer/lyricist connects actor to audience using the right tempos, coatings, conceits, tones and expressions. This cohesiveness - alluring, flowing, climactic - brings charm and resonance to the proceedings as "The Last Five Years" goes from scene to scene cushioned by Brown's lyrical phrases, smartly-rendered orchestrations and his percolating structural clarity. It's all very original stuff with moments, here and there, that remind one of the already mentioned "Rent" and the cleverly pungent mindset of Stephen Sondheim.

Much of the power of this two-character musical comes from Jason Michael Webb who doubles as both director and musical director. Using a fast and fluid cinematic approach rather than a three-camera setup for photographing a live play, he delivers a savvy, intimate, detailed work that is controlled, connected and exhilarating. Asking his cast to move freely about the musical's roomy apartment setting, they perform their songs with ease, style and relaxation completely oblivious to the filming conceit, which, in turn, keeps their songs and performances remarkably fresh and musically effective. As the music evolves, both actors are completely lost in the moment, a directorial choice Webb utilizes to full advantage as "The Last Five Years" moves forward to its workable and justified conclusion.

That feeling is also beautifully expressed through Webb's decidedly different use of the musical's very talented band members - Cynthia Meng (keyboard), Brandon Brooks (drums), Sterling Elliott (cello 1 & 2), Orlando Wells (violin), Chelton Grey (bass), Jonathan Linden (guitar).  In this musical telling, they too are asked to move casually about in groups, pairs or simply alone, but without that orchestral back-up feeling. As the songs are being performed full-throttle (we see them; the cameras sees them; the actors don't) Webb brings a wonderfully layered emergence and ambitious entwinement to the material with nary a hiccup, a pause, a hesitation or a misstep. It's all very exciting to watch. More importantly, no two scenes are alike. 

"The Last Five Years" stars Nasia Thomas as Cathy and Nicholas Edwards as Jamie. As Cathy, Thomas offers a vibrant, fresh, realistic portrait of a woman forced to cope with the break-up of her five year relationship with Jamie and the growing discontent of an acting career that is going absolutely nowhere. Through song, she acquires a luminosity and shimmer that is exactly right for her character. Vocally, her voice is soulful and passionate in all of its pitch-perfect registers. She knows exactly how to sell a song -  and sell it does does - with a spirit-sounding bravura and a very playful, torrid abandon. Jamie, as portrayed by Edwards, is a sexy, cocky and charming smooth talker with a narcissistic glow and mindset that he utilizes to full extent to achieve his goal as a successful, working novelist.  As the musical evolves, the actor/singer displays an impressive command of Brown's different musical styles that's unleashed with a rich expressiveness, an abundance of self-assurance and a rousing originality that is perfect for this particular type of musical. Both he and Thomas are not only likeable in their respective roles, but as actors they share an obvious chemistry and love for the material and each other that gives it added bite, dazzle and honesty.  

"The Last Five Years" is one of those raw, eclectic, emotionally charged musicals that celebrates its own individuality and succeeds tremendously as a rocky relationship story spanning five years in the life of a man and a woman as they fight to save their once-happy marriage while moving in completely different directions. With music, lyrics and book by Jason Robert Brown, this two-character musical gets into your head and heart with catchy, upbeat music, refreshingly honest lyrics and a story arc that is wry, witty and profound.

The performances are immaculately conceived and portrayed. Jason Michael Webb's direction is full-bodied and revelatory. And when the lights fade and the story is over, you can't help but applaud the musical's creativity, its sharpness and its life-enhancing truthfulness.

  "The Last Five Years," produced by Out of Box Theatrics, Holmdel Theatre Company and Blair Russell, is being streamed online, now through May 9, 2021. Due to union/licensing rules, there are a number of tickets available per performance.

Tickets for Livestream are $32.50 (you can watch the production once at the posted performance time) and $47.50 for Premium/On Demand (includes access for a 48 hour period, closed captioning plus a behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and creative team).
To purchase tickets, go to ootbtheatrics.com and make your selection. An access link will be emailed to you 1-2 hours before the performance.

Production photos are by Gerald Malaval

Broadway Icon John Cullum Turns His New One-Man Show "John Cullum: An Accidental Star" Into a Profound, Savvy, Dynamic and Mesmerizing Evening of Theatre

By James V. Ruocco

"Shenandoah"

"On the Twentieth Century"

"Camelot"

"1776"

"Hamlet"

"Saint Joan"

"We Take the Town"

"On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"

"Urinetown"

"The Scottsboro Boys"

"My name is John Cullum. I've been performing in front of people since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Most of the shows I've done and the parts I've played have come to me through the back door. By accident, you might say. Or coincidence. Or just plain luck. And tonight, I'd like to share with you some of my lucky accidents."

And "share them," he does. 

With "John Cullum: An Accidental Star," the actor begins and builds his 80-minute showcase with smartly researched, in-depth material that fascinates, beguiles, mystifies and defines his very long theatrical career. Fittingly, he opens the show with "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)," a showstopping number from the 1965 Lerner and Lane musical that cast him as psychiatrist and widower Dr. Mark Bruckner opposite Tony Award winner Barbara Harris. Much later, during a segment titled "Bumps in the Road," he tells us that he "couldn't find any humor in the part" even after he auditioned "12 times" for the role and subsequently, didn't get the part until he replaced Louis Jordan, the original leading man when the show had its out of town tryouts at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. "It was a big deal," he recalls. "My first starring role" with only "five days to learn the part" before it reached Broadway.

Smart.
Effective.
Heartfelt.
Clever.
Intriguing.
Classic.

This is one of those shows that could not have come at a better time, and one that makes you long for live theatre again as Cullum stands tall and proud bringing angst and fire to a production that although streamed online, celebrates that one-on-one actor/audience conceit we all know and love with perfect dynamism and engaging indulgence. It's impossible to take your eyes off him for a moment for fear of missing something important or pivotal to the advancement of his thrilling one man show. Then and now, here is a man who loves musical theatre, loves being a performer, loves traveling back to the past where it all began and loves being able to recreate songs and stories that have kept him in the spotlight for more than 60 wonderful years.

Moreover, there's a satisfying grace and intellectual savvy to Cullum's return. And therein, lies its enjoyment. Ingeniously structured through titled chapters - The Early Years, Shakespeare, Changes, A Different Direction - to name a few, this nostalgic postcard respects the actor's roots, his Broadway auditions' balancing act, his joys, his struggles, his frustrations, his declarations, his true-to-life theatrical tales and his chosen oeuvre of lyrics, orchestrations and songs that propel the story forward. He also shares his fondness and appreciation for fellow performers he has worked with including Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, Robert Goulet and Robert Preston. There's even some choice commentary about co-star Madeline Kahn who left "On the Twentieth Century" only two weeks into the run ("Was she fired?" he asks) and was quickly replaced by Judy Kaye.

The musical scrapbook for "John Cullum: An Accidental Star" features a wealth of show tunes that the actor/singer handpicked (oddly, "Molasses to Rum" from "1776" is not featured) for this presentation. They are the title song from "On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)," "I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight" from "Camelot," "On the Street Where You Live" from "My Fair Lady," "There But For You Go I" from "Brigadoon," "I've Got a Girl" from "We Take the Town" ( the show starring Robert Preston folded during out-of-town tryouts), "Come Back to Me" from "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," the title song from "Camelot," "I Rise Again" from "On the Twentieth Century" and "Don't Be a Bunny" from "Urinetown." Cullum also includes "Meditation," "The Pickers Are Coming," "Papa's Gonna Make It All Right" and "I've Heard It All Before" from "Shenandoah."

Vocally, this is a somewhat different Cullum in terms of style, musicality, impact and performance, but nonetheless, a complement to his enduring longevity. He still knows how to deliver a song with power and command. But, in some cases, some of the lyrics are slightly spoken (think Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady") while orchestrations are tweaked or revised to adapt to Cullum's existing vocal range. Regardless, it's a task he does with ease and strongness (you can see it in his eyes and his body language), performing with just the right amount of heart and soul to create a musical sound that capitalizes on how personal each vocal moment was and is to him. He's amazing....and then some.

Staging "John Cullum: An Accidental Star," Lonny Price and Matt Cowart supply the production with its necessary vibe, personality and amplitude. Going in, the duo know that the material itself belongs to Cullum and they are there, as orchestrators, to tell his story honestly and naturally, which they do. As Cullum takes the spotlight, both men use simple staging, editing, close ups and reaction shots to propel the story forward via online streaming. This simplicity works especially well, accurately giving the show its atmospheric landscape, its nostalgia, its passion, its pain, its drive and its naturally rooted theatricality.

Working from David Thompson's ingenious play text (the actual concept was conceived by Cullum and Jeff Berger), Price and Cowart keep the action steady through well-placed songs, conversations and memories. References and thoughts unfold with genuine confidence. Words are energized with focused, in-your-face talk and intimacy. The madness and unpredictability of life in the theater is given ample strength and fury. That said, Cullum's enduring legacy never once hits a false note or low point. It plays out with a significant high and potency that commands and demands your attention most agreeably.

"Doing Shakespeare, I chewed the scenery to bits even though there was no scenery to speak of."

"I was the only white actor in ' The Scottsboro Boys.' "

"The title for 'Urinetown' was ridiculous. I thought 'How am I going to do crap like this?' "

" 'Shenandoah,' which I started at the Goodspeed Opera House was right down my alley."

Julie McBride, at the piano, serves as musical director. With Cullum as both storyteller and singer, the challenge, of course, is to make the music he sings fresh and vibrant with just the right dose of humor, pathos and playfulness. Some songs are sung in their entirety, Others are brought to life in bits and pieces, smartly orchestrated by McBride with crisp responsiveness and bite, melodic lyricism and lucid eloquence. It all comes together nicely with Cullum having a perfectly marvelous time traveling up and down the paths of his huge Broadway musical career.

A co-production with Vineyard Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals and the Irish Repertory Theatre, "John Cullum: An Accidental Star" puts the 91-year-old actor center stage - ready to perform - full of joy and gratitude. He laughs. He frowns. He sings. He tells jokes. He engages in splendid wordplay and conversation. He's happy to be back on stage. He packs an emotional wallop with his well-intentioned showcase of old-fashioned entertainment. And finally, he is up close and personal with his sincerity and emotionally honest spunkiness.

A bedazzling, impressive one-man show, "John Cullum: An Accidental Star" is one of those rare theatrical pieces that ignites power, passion, eccentricity and attitude. It also brings Cullum back to the theater for a profound, undeniably personal party that celebrates the man, the music and the cleverness of this iconic Broadway actor, singer and entertainer.  

"John Cullum: An Accidental Star" is being streamed online, now through April 22. To book the production, visit vineyardtheatre. org. Tickets are $55 (includes $5 service charge). For additional information, call (212) 353-0303.

Looking Back, An Interview With Actress Marlo Thomas For John Guare's Hit Play "Six Degrees of Separation"

By James V.  Ruocco

Even the famous get pigeonholed. Just ask Marlo Thomas.
"You wait and wait and wait for the perfect part to come your way," she explains. "And then you finally realize that there are all these wonderful parts that are absolutely perfect for you, waiting for you to play.
"Then, all of a sudden , the whole world opens up. Instead of being someone who can't find something to do, you find millions of things to do."

Thomas, of course, is perhaps best known for the ABC series "That Girl" and dozens of network telefilms.

The turning point in her career came a couple of years ago when she decided to play the part of the eccentric mother Beatrice in a Cleveland production of Paul Zindel's "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds." That was followed by the part of Martha in Hartford Stage's revival of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" last season.

In her current role, she plays Ouisa in the national touring company of John Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation." The two-act play, directed by Jerry Zaks, includes a one-week run engagement at the Stamford For the Arts Center, Feb. 16-21.

Assessing her career rebirth, Thomas says she feels completely liberated. "The joy of life," she says, stems from making choices."
Doing theater the last few years, the actress says that people began to look at her very differently.
"I have found that, in theater, people are much more open and fresh in their approach to casting. With TV and film, the things I get offered are always some kind of throwback to whatever."

Thomas says she likes the challenge of an audition.
"With 'Virginia Woolf,' I had to audition. I not only felt confident about it, but the director saw what I could do as an actress rather than just hearing about it from someone."

Still, Thomas, like others before her, faces typecasting.
"Once you play something in film, television or whatever, people add that to the list of things they now think you can do. Up till that point, they're not always sure about it until they see you do it.
"When I did 'Nobody's Child' (the actress won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of a woman who spent 20 years in a mental institution), everybody sent me every 'woman going crazy' movie,"she recalls.
"Then, you being to wonder if they can see you playing a crazy woman, why can't they see you as an alcoholic in 'Virginia Woolf? ' "

In "Six Degrees of Separation," the actress finds herself cast as a woman who has put aside the parts in her life that don't work in favor of the charming, more social aspects that do.
"The play is based on the real story of a young black man who pretends to be actor Sidney Poitier's son in order to mix with the rich, famous and self-involved.

"Ouisa and her husband are the couple he scams," she explains. "But as the story develops, we see that he's just someone who wants to get to know them because he wants to belong to a family and a better class of people."

Thomas quickly points out that "Six Degrees of Separation" is really a comedy.
"There's more laughs in this play than any comedy you'll see," she says."You've never heard so much  laughing."

As she tells it, that's because John Guare is a genius.
"With all this laughing, what you're actually seeing is a slice of your own life and the fact that you'd probably do the same thing as Ouisa."

Being the daughter of television star Danny Thomas, the actress says didn't exactly open doors when she decided to enter the business as a teenager.
"He would have helped me," she recalls, "but I didn't want that."

What she does remember was that her father was very much concerned about the whole idea of her becoming a professional actress.
"Much later in life, he told me that he was afraid I wouldn't make it, and he didn't want me to relive his first years again, which were very difficult."

After doing several college plays at the University of Southern California, Thomas was  discovered by Mike Nichols who cast her as Corrie in the London production of Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park."

Then came "That Girl, the smash ABC sit-com which the actress developed using her own life and family relationships as inspiration.
"That was a show about a girl who didn't want to get married and had just graduated from college, whose father was scared she was going to lose her virginity.
"All of the things I was going through with my father," she muses.

Once Thomas believed "the show had run its course," she took it off the air, moved to New York and studied acting with Lee Strasberg.
"I always knew I could do comedy but I wanted to see what else was out there. With the benefit of an early success with 'That Girl,' the right people saw me and I was on my way."

Today, Thomas says, she's expanding and developing her options as an actress.
"Right now, I'm stretching and stretching but opening up my whole perspective on things."

(This interview was originally published on February 7, 1993)

Looking Back, A Review, Direct from London, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sweet, Beguiling Musical "Aspects of Love" starring Michael Ball, Ann Crumb, Kathleen Rowe McAllen and Kevin Colson Opens On Broadway

By James V. Ruocco

Love is never easy.

Because people get more complex as the years go by, they have more sharply defined pyschological peaks and valleys. Therefore, the true romantic believer finds real-world air harder and harder to breathe. Yet in the back of his  mind, he is still obsessed with finding the perfect love - one that will fill his heart with joy and last forever.

With "Aspects of Love," composer Andrew Lloyd Webber  - taking a breather from stories about dancing cats, rollerskating trains and phantoms of the Paris Opera - has written a musical about real people who look at love and (naturally) sex with a practiced and understanding eye.

All four - Rose, Alex, George and Giulietta - hold up a wise mirror to life and love as we all know it can be lived, singing the merchandisable words and music of this passionate, uplifting and tender-hearted Andrew Lloyd Webber/Don Black-Charles Hart score.

In assembling "Aspects of Love," Andrew Lloyd Webber uses David Garnett's 1955 novella as his inspiration. The never-ending aspects - heterosexual couplings, lesbianism, voyeurism, promiscuity, May-December romance and obsessiveness - are entertaining, sexy, clever, amusing and never buffoonish or infantile. They are just passionate enough  to get under our skin and get us thinking.

When compared to Webber's previous works - "Evita," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Cats" and the West End production of "Starlight Express"- "Aspects of Love" is in a class by itself. It is catchy. It is fast-moving. It is charming. It is appropriate. It is direct. It is by no means awkward or silly as it dances about, working from a romantic, breezy musical blueprint where nearly every song and sequence is memorable.

 In the past, Webber has paced his songs - solos, sextets, romantic duets, ballads, upbeat chorus numbers - in accordance with the show's structure and central theme. Here, that signature effervescence and tempting melodrama is present throughout each act as Webber rotates the action from each scene seamlessly with songs that heighten the story's momentum and give each of the leading players some of the best-sounding material to sing and perform.

The production opens with the hauntingly beautiful ballad "Love Changes Everything," a song that Webber uses to address the ever-changing aspects of love. "Seeing is Believing," a romantic ballad where Alex and Rose express their love, is yet another gorgeous romantic tune that beguiles, charms and leaves you breathless as does "Anything But Lonely," which is sung by Rose in Act II. Other standouts that are given the full melodic treatment by the composer and his dual team of lyricists are "There Is More to Love," "Hand Me and Wine and the Dice," "A Memory of a Happy Moment" and "The First Man You Remember." All four are pleasantly assured, emotionally effective and lyrically pungent.


If there is a secret to the charm and freshness of "Aspects of Love," it's the way director Trevor Nunn sweetly blends the predictable with the unexpected surprise. Although "Aspects" presents lovers who everyone knows are meant for each other, the joy for the spectator comes from watching how Nunn orchestrates this wild, impromptu, arresting game of musical chairs and beds. How it all comes together romantically piques interest as does the musical's surprise ending where Alex makes his final choice in the name of love.

Michael Ball makes his Broadway debut after creating the role of Alex in the West End production of "Aspects." The boyish and personable Ball offers a splendid, polished performance that is sure to capture the attention of Tony Award voters in the months ahead. As evidenced in the London production of "Les Miserables" (he originated the role of Marius), Ball's singing comes straight from the heart. Every one of his vocals is rich, effective and expressive and showcased to the fullest throughout the two act musical.

Ann Crumb is a revelation as Rose Vibert. She sings with poise, command, vigor and sophistication, all befitting the character she is portraying. She has immediate chemistry with Ball, which works wonderfully well, given their very passionate, torrid onstage romance. As "Aspects" evolves, Crumb is also just as effective - both musically and dramatically - in subsequent scenes involving the show's other main characters, played by Kathleen Rowe McAllen and Kevin Colson.

 
McAllen, in the role of free-spirited, bisexual sculptress Giulietta Trapani, brings the right level of passion, humanity and boldness to her character. In Act II, she delivers her two big musical numbers numbers - "There Is More to Love" and Hand Me the Wine and the Dice" - with such natural strength and invention, they quickly become showstoppers that are not easily forgotten. Kevin Colson is well cast as Alex's uncle George Dillingham, who is also the former lover of Giulietta Trapani. It's a part that is instinctively emotional, cynical, poignant and righteous. In character, Colson hits all of these marks splendidly using his own propulsive energy and creativity to full advantage.


The Broadway production of "Aspects of Love" opened April 8, 1990 at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran through March 2, 1991 for a total of 377 performances. It starred Michael Ball as Alex Dillingham, Ann Crumb as Rose Vibert, Kathleen Rowe McAllen as Giulietta Trapani and Kevin Colson as George Dillingham. It was nominated for six Tony Awards including  Best Musical and Best Original Score, but didn't win any.

(This review was originally published on April 27, 1990.  Additional changes including minor edits, cuts, new commentary and verbiage were incorporated on June 18, 2020)

Looking Back, A Review, The Tony Award-Winning Broadway Production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard" Starring Glenn Close and Alan Campbell

By James V. Ruocco

Amidst the hype, advance ticket sales of $37.5 million, the ugly firings of Patti LuPone and Faye Dunaway, and reported backstage mishaps with scenery and costumes, "Sunset Boulevard" has finally arrived on Broadway.

And, it is a class act, so sophisticated and emotionally moving, it may surprise anyone prepared to hate it or hurl daggers at Andrew Lloyd Webber for tampering with Billy Wilder's celebrated 1950 film of the same name.

To Webber's credit, he not only retains the dark, sardonic tone of Wilder's hypnotic tale of broken dreams, but creates a musical drama with none of the soppy sentimentality of  "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats."

"Sunset Boulevard," through grand in scale, is a musical of ideas, nuances and intense intimacy. It asks much of its audience and it challenges them to think.

If anyone was born to play the faded, delusional, aging silent film screen star, immortalized on film by Gloria Swanson, it's Glenn Close.

Her Norma Desmond, a proud relic of Hollywood's glorious past who actually believes she hasn't been forgotten, is yet another one of those legendary stage performances theatergoers won't be able to stop talking about for years to come.

Close is an enthralling actress who takes hold of the part and makes it her own, but eerily conveys the sumptuous past of her character's glory days as "the greatest star of all."

At the center of the story (circa, 1949) is hapless screenwriter Joe Gillis (Alan Campbell), who, after fleeing car repossessors,  accidentally drives right into the estate of 50-ish film star Norma Desmond.

A strident women prone to "moments of melancholy," she is lovingly cared by Max von Mayerling (George Hearn), a former film director who acts as her trusted confidante and lackey.

However, once she learns that Gillis is a screenwriter, she engages him as her "script doctor" for "Salome," a silent movie with which she plans to make "her return" to the movies.

"Shouldn't there be some dialogue?" he asks.

"I can say anything I want with my eyes," cries Norma.

In exchange for free lodging, full salary and house privileges, Gillis eventually becomes her lover and kept man.

Closely modeled after Wilder's brilliant 1950 film, "Sunset Boulevard" is retold from Joe's point of view and retains most of its sterling catch phrases and scathing show biz observations.

Given the musical's shrewd, elaborate and seamless set-shifting of hydraulic mechanisms, director Trevor Nunn adapts a fluid, involving cinematic style that befits the impending dramatic action, plot ambiguities and musical numbers.

Here, as in Webber's beguiling "Aspects of Love," Nunn is a fiercely focused auteur highly sensitive to emotion, interplay, expression and piercing dramatic clarity.

Musically, Webber's "Sunset Boulevard" score (Don Black and Christopher Hampton did the lyrics) is his most thematically integrated work since "Aspects of Love."

From Norma's haunting ballads "As If We Never Said Goodbye" and "With One Look" to the jazzy irony behind Joe's "Sunset Boulevard," every song has been rigorously planned by Webber and his songwriting team.

Even the musical's romantic melodies ("Too Much in Love to Care," "Girl Meets Boy"), comic turns ("The Lady's Paying," "Eternal Youth Is Worth a Little Suffering") and vibrant ensemble numbers ("Let's Have Lunch," "This Time Next Year") are unobtrusively weaved into the storyline.

Kent resident Bob Avain, who staged "Sunset Boulevard's" musical numbers, is a sizeable talent whose choreography is extremely pictoral, ingenious and sensitive to the story, the period and its Hollywood surroundings.

As Joe Gillis, Alan Campbell is an exciting, charismatic performer with a strong stage presence who catches every nuance and mood swing of his character.

He's completely convincing as the youthful screenwriter-turned-gigolo. And when he sings, he brings bite, dimension and character to Webber's music, enunciating  every clever syllable of Black and Hampton's lyrics.

George Hearn, who portrays Max von Mayerling, looks a lot like Erich von Stroheim, who played the same part in the movie. He too brings a sense of mystery, dignity and creepiness to the role. His "Greatest Star of All" tribute to Norma will bring tears to your eyes.

The Broadway production of "Sunset Boulevard" opened November 17, 1994 at the Minskoff Theatre and ran through March 22, 1997 for a total of 977 performances. It starred Glenn Close as Norma Desmond, Alan Campbell as Joe Gillis, George Hearn as Max von Mayerling and Alice Ripley as Betty Schaefer. It won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Original Score.

(This review was originally published on December, 4, 1994)

"Hello, Dolly!" Is a Glorious, Showstopping Musical With a Bounce, Vigor and Charm That Is Completely Irresistible

By James V. Ruocco

It's everything you'd expect and so much more.
It's luminous and crafty.
It's bright and bouncy.
It's frivolous and snappy.
It's sinfully sweet and ice-cream shop flavorful.
It's a welcome return to the heyday of the big, old-fashioned Broadway musical.
It's a colorful journey back in time to the Victorian world of late 19th century America.
It sparkles and illuminates.
It sings and dances with the feel-good vitality and chutzpah it is famous for.
It has the winning charm of a long lost friend reunited.
It's a delightful uplift and spit-spot sugar rush.
And finally, it's just what the world needs right now.

That said, there's also something magically dreamlike and wistful about "Hello, Dolly!" the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that kicks romance, legend, courting and first love into high gear with an embodied sentiment and engagement that's as grand and extraordinary as this musical take on Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker" was meant to be. On tour through May, 2020, this elegant, freshly minted touring edition of the hit Jerry Herman musical (the first tour ended its run at Boston's Opera House on August 25) is brand-spanking new (it officially kicked off September 24 at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri), carrying with it a shine, pulse and glimmer that passionately reflects its flush and bloom, the excitement of a new cast headed by Carolee Carmello and John Bolton and a storytelling bravado that twinkles and delights in high-stepping, energetic fashion.

Taking its cue from Wilder's original story, the musical, penned by Michael Stewart, travels the same route as the original 1954 play. As "Hello, Dolly!" opens, matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi takes the train to Yonkers to find a suitable partner for Horace Vandergelder, an esteemed, half-a-millionaire looking to remarry. She, of course, plans on marrying Vandergelder herself. But before she sets her plan (i.e., trap) in motion, she travels back to New York accompanied by Vandergelder's sniveling niece Ermengarde, her intended suitor Ambrose Kemper and two of Vandergelder's Hay and Feed Store employees Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker with promises of adventure, money, romance, fancy dinners and sightseeing. Upon arrival, she fixes up Vandergelder's hapless, lovesick clerks with Irene Malloy, the attractive hat shop owner he has been officially courting (Dolly, of course, arranged the match) and giggly Minnie Fay, her shop assistant, who, like Hackl and Tucker, is just as inexperienced when it comes to good, old-fashioned love and romance.

Not to worry, though.
Through song, dance, dialogue, comedy, drama and cotton candy goodness, things end up on a very high note.
Dolly gets Vandergelder. Cornelius and Barnaby become merrily entwined with Irene and Minnie. And Ermengarde and Ambrose live happily ever after.

This glorious revival is being staged by Jerry Zaks who directed the 2017 production and the subsequent 2018-2019 first national tour that starred the extraordinary Betty Buckley in the lead role of Dolly Levi, a part she played and inhabited in the most amazing of ways using a polished spin and luster that gave the musical its heart, its soul, its passion and its sweet-natured intimacy and sparkle. Back in the director's chair for the 2019-2020 second touring edition of  "Hello, Dolly," Zaks
leads his new cast to victory using the same bubbly charm, earnestness and comic shuffle he brought to the previous two productions, firmly rooted in the classic spectacle, the comforting embracement and the harmonic complexity the show is famous for.

As director, Zaks pulls out all the stops and punches with a flair and flourish of fresh paint and vigor that is pure tonic for both everyone on stage and in the audience. This is "Hello, Dolly!" for a 21st century audience. Not a postcard replica or imitation of the "Dolly" of yesteryear. Nor it is an homage to the leading ladies of the past who gave it life - Carol Channing, Ginger Rogers, Pearl Bailey, Betty Grable, Ethel Merman, among them. Instead, it is reinvented and reworked by Zaks with a savvy mentality and repositioned grin and consciousness that incorporates many elements of Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker" back into the framework of the story, thus, breaking new ground for the characters, the original Michael Stewart book and its scene-by-scene conversational and musical evolution. It's funnier. It's tighter. It pulsates with enthusiasm and relevance. It's feel-good factor is truly uplifting. It doesn't waste a single breath, emotion, dance step or lyric. With Zaks pulling the strings, it is also fresh, lush and every inch what you'd expect from an epic Broadway musical with a very colorful past and much-ballyhooed history.

With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, the celebrated musical score for "Hello, Dolly!" features 17 original musical numbers reflective of the 1890's period of the show's setting and the blueprint set forth by Thornton Wilder in his 1954 play "The Matchmaker," which is the basis for the two-act musical. They are: "I Put My Hand In," "It Takes a Woman," "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," "Ribbons Down My Back," "Motherhood," "Dancing," "Before the Parade Passes By," "Penny in My Pocket," "Elegance," "The Waiter's Gallop," "Hello, Dolly!" "The Contest," "It Only Takes a Moment," "So Long Dearie," "Hello, Dolly! (Reprise)" and "Finale."

As penned by Herman, the songs for "Hello, Dolly!" - a richly textured patchwork of clean, pure melodies chock full of loud, proud, clear emotions and full-hearted optimism -  bristle with the familiar snap, crack, flavor and pop the composer/lyricist is famous for. They are creative, sunny and lyrical with an ever-pleasing sound that is moving, simplistic, romantic and invigorating. It's all very much inspired for the characters who sing them - leads, supporting characters and ensemble - and fits harmoniously into the framework of the story, its evolution, its very happy ending. Horace Vandergelder's big solo number "Penny in My Pocket," which was composed exclusively for David Burns in the original 1964 Broadway production but cut for time purposes, has been restored to its rightful place at the opening of Act II (the 2017 Broadway revival used it first), where it kicks the story into high gear with its musical freshness, comic gaiety and lyrical verve.

Throughout "Hello, Dolly!" Herman's lyrics - witty, pungent, driven, sweet, intricate -  mixed seamlessly with the composer's effervescent, unpretentious, tuneful music, give the production its sonic, rhythmic musicality. Musical director Ben Whiteley and his tremendously talented orchestral team tackle the popular musical score with the breezy, persuasive and expressive swagger and lilt it demands, offset by a mercurial freshness and melancholy mixed with a vibrant energy, zest and love in every bar. Even if you've heard the music of  "Hello, Dolly!" before, it doesn't really matter. Whiteley and company make it sound, brand-spanking new. It's a partnership that is bold and bright with an alertness and impulse that reflects the sounds, textures and tonality set forth by Herman. The playing itself is dispatched in spectacular fashion. It glides and soars. It is super confident and joyous. It is honeyed and stirring. There's so much to savor in Whiteley's articulation and dynamic, you eagerly go along for the ride, enjoying every single moment - "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," "Hello, Dolly!" "Before the Parade Passes By," "It Only Takes a Moment," to name a few - while humming along quietly as the entire "Hello, Dolly!"  cast - all enthusiastic and in very fine voice - delight and cajole as the two-act musical whirls and twirls toward it's cheery, cheeky, much-anticipated happy ending.

Much of the success of any big stage musical hinges on the choreography and "Hello, Dolly!" flies through the starting gate with lively, kinetic, harnessed dancing that is chock full of imagination, charm, lift and manner that mixes theatricality, color and late 19th century mindset with comfort, thrill and oozing confidence. As shaped by Warren Carlyle who helmed the choreographic wonderment of the 2017 Broadway edition, it dazzles and pops, bounces and soars and whiz-bangs and delights in the most resonant and magical ways an audience could wish for.

"Put on Your Sunday Clothes."

"The Waiter's Gallop."

"Hello, Dolly!"

"Dancing."

"I Put My Hand In."

"Before the Parade Passes by."

"Elegance."

From one big musical number to the next, Carlyle raises the roof, so to speak, using the simplicity and gusto reflective, in part, of the original dance work of Gower Champion, mixed with the "flash-bang-wallop, what a picture, what a photograph" nostalgia of  London's "Half a Sixpence" and a reawakened, Victorian pop-up-book stylization and class-conscious period shimmer that serves the material well as it glimmers and shines with tour de force validity and perspective. Not one to rest on his laurels, Carlyle also adds much more dancing and invigorating movement to many of the production numbers using reworked and extended orchestrations that are aesthetically pleasing, transformative and interpreted with playful dashes of bright sunshine, fully committed artistry and high-packed kicks, hops and flutter that snap into place effortlessly.

It's a role she was born to play and play it she does. As Dolly Gallagher Levi, Carolee Carmello offers her own personal spin on the much-loved character, offering a showstopping performance that is very different in style and tone from others who have played the part before her. She's a class act with one of the most beautiful voices ever who takes hold of the material and moves from scene to scene and song to song with the confidence, charm, polish and gait of a Broadway leading lady whose star burns bright from the moment she steps on stage right on through the final curtain call.  She bristles. She shines, She pops. She sparkles. She enthralls. She makes the part her own and never lets go.

John Bolton is the right and proper fit for the blustery, chauvinistic Horace Vandergelder who wants a wife "all powered and pink" and ends up with the forceful but loveable matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi instead. His vaudevillian charm, quick-mannered comic timing and confident embracement of  the "Hello, Dolly!" play text wins us over immediately as does his hilarious and joyous rendition of "Penny in My Pocket" at the start of Act II. As Horace Vandergelder's perplexed and tyrannized Hay and Feed Store clerks Barnaby Tucker and Cornelius Hackl, Sean Burns and Daniel Beeman cut loose with dance moves that dazzle, snap and pop, comedy shtick that is ripe and cleverly orchestrated and pitch-perfect singing that comes straight from the heart. They are so charismatic and engaging, one eagerly their every entrance.

Analisa Leaming, in the role of the beautiful New York City milliner Irene Malloy is completely captivating in a part well suited for her splendid acting and vocal talents. As "Hello Dolly!" evolves, she deftly projects the girlish glee and Victorian refinement associated with her character. As Minnie Fay, Chelsea Cree Groen is zany, sweet, bubbly, giggly and featherweight, which is exactly what the past calls for. In the roles of Ambrose Kemper and Ermengarde, the tremendously talented Laura Sky Herman and Colin LeMoine are ideally matched as a very cute 19th century couple who love to sing, love to dance and love to interact with just about everyone else on stage.

Energetic, irresistible and completely high-spirited, the national touring company of "Hello Dolly!" amazes at ever single turn. Everything about it is on fire from Carolee Carmello's showstopping turn as Dolly Gallagher Levi to Jerry Herman's infectious musical score, the dancing, the candy-coated sets and costumes designed by Santo Loquasto and every single person who steps forth on the grand, welcoming National Tour city-to-city stage to reenact the playful nostalgia and merriment of this high-stepping old fashioned musical. Watching it unfold in glorious vintage Technicolor, its charm and newness is so engaging, you wish it would never end. That said, it's not only nice to have Dolly back in town, but this is one of those musicals where you wish there was a "Replay" button that you could hit immediately after the final curtain call and watch the whole thing all over again. You won't be alone...not by a long shot.

Photos of "Hello, Dolly!" courtesy of Julieta Cervantes

"The SpongeBob Musical" Is a Bright, Colorful, Bubbly Production That's Sky-High Fun for Kids and Adults of All Ages. Its Jaw-Dropping Imagination is Staggering

By James V. Ruocco

A head-spinning musical jam-packed with enough jaw-dropping magic, color, brightness, imagination and flourish to cause an explosion of the highest order, "The SpongeBob Musical" is a thrilling theatrical experience that pays homage to the long-running animated cartoon, but with a style and mind of its own that is absolutely brilliant at every single turn.

Make no mistake about it, this is a bubbly musical delight that is giddy, charming and heartfelt. It has been reimagined for the theater with optimism, bounce and good cheer. It turns adults back into kids with a contagious, good-hearted spiritness. And for children, it excites with a freshness and a  hypnotic magnetism that is all too irresistible.

The show's book, by Kyle Jarrow, is chock full of upbeat reminders about life, friendship and togetherness as well as wisely-timed bits and bobs about family, survival and instinct as the citizens of Bikini Bottom find themselves in danger from a Mount Humongous volcano about to erupt and destroy everything in its path.

Not to worry, though. This is the world according to SpongeBob and not Quentin Tarantino or Roman Polanski. So by the time Act II reaches its big frenzied climax, you-know-who saves the day and things end happily for all and life continues - as they know it - in Bikini Bottom.

Staging "The SpongeBob Musical" is Tina Landau who directed the Tony nominated 2017 Broadway production of "SpongeBob SquarePants." A keen and crafty storyteller, Landau is completely akin to the well-imagined adventures of the title character, his aquatic friends and neighbors, the underwater city of Bikini Bottom and the musical story envisioned by Kyle Jarrow. She is the right choice to direct this grand and colorful musical that tips the light fantastic, raises the bar for avant-garde conceits, swims and basks in all its underwater glory and lovingly retains the light-hearted spirit of SpongeBob himself and his giggly, phantasmagorical thoughts, philosophies and ideals.

This is a big, expensive musical with mad attention paid to the look, feel and style of the watery playground and world conceived by the show's tremendously talented creative team including David Zinn (scene and costume design) and Kevin Adams (lighting design). No brain freeze, here. Or action that short circuits and gets swallowed up whole by the bigness of it all. Instead, Landau turns the SpongBob world into a giant 3-D coloring book of rainbow colors, bold colors and glow-in-the dark colors that keep the story alive and afloat with nary of hint of overexposure, overkill or calculation. Here, she knows what she wants and she goes for it. She also takes chances and giant leaps but never once sacrifices the story or its characters for the sake of larger-than-life visuals.

The musical, of course, is an eyeful but Landau's cleverly staged moments and revelations are genuine, crafty, rewarding and fulfilling. Things are fast, fluid and well-timed to move the action forward swimmingly (no pun intended). Everything happens for a reason. No two scenes are alike. No one gets upstaged. And nothing gets lost in the translation. What's fun here is watching how it all comes together with Landau pulling the strings and using some of the most ingenious staging imaginable. There are moments when you just sit there watching the action unfold, marveling at the directorial choices and bold strokes of Landau's creative vision and the humongous, take-charge attitude of it all. It's "Wow factor" every step of the way.

The musical score for "The SpongeBob Musical" is culled from a lengthy song register of pop and rock sounds from David Bowie, Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, Lady Antebellum, Plain White T's, Steven Tyler, John Legend and Joe Perry, among others. There are 20 songs in all: "Bikini Bottom Day," "Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise)," "No Control," "BFF," "When the Going Gets Tough," "(Just A) Simple Sponge," "Daddy Knows Best," "Hero Is My Middle Name," "Super Sea Star Savior," "Tomorrow Is," "Poor Pirates," "Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise #2), "Bikini Bottom Boogie," "Chop to the Top," "(I Guess I) Miss You," "I''m Not a Loser," "Simple Sponge (Reprise)," "Best Day Ever," "Finale: Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise)," and "The SpongeBob Theme Song."

The songs themselves are peppy, delightful, engaging and plot moving. They are strategically placed throughout the story and naturally reflect the musical's themes, undercurrents, animation, eruption and joy ride mania. Musical director Patrick Hoagland, doubling as both conductor and keyboardist, brings a flavorful style and rhythm to the musical numbers that feeds off the energy and mindset of the entire cast, all of whom display extraordinary finesse and total confidence under his inspirational leadership. His fresh perspective and full command of the orchestra also complements and heightens the unexpected textures, the thematic sunniness and the potent charm of the music itself.

The choreography for "The SpongeBob Musical" has been devised by Christopher Gattelli. Not your typical Broadway musical stuff, it is fun house glam and glitz, happy go lucky tap, jazz and hip-hop and contemporary playground carnival all rolled up into one. It is original. It is spiraling. It is animated. It is commanding and confident. It is reactive. It is sharp and soft. It is full of whimsy, color and chain reactions. It also has a wonderful robust harmony about it. From production number to production number, there's a choreographic versatility to Gattelli's work, mixed with cartoonish athleticism, lyrical expressiveness, frantic electricity and humorous prompting. The dancer's confront the challenges and the versatility of the movements, beats and patterns with fearless aplomb. And yes, they are amazing.

The two-act musical stars Lorenzo Pugliese as SpongeBob SquarePants, Beau Bradshaw as Patrick Star, Cody Cooley as Squidward Q. Tentacles, Daria Pilar Redus as Sandy Cheeks, Zack Kononov as Eugene Krabs, Tristan McIntyre as Sheldon Plankton, Morgan Blanchard as Patchy the Pirate, Ritchie Dupkin as Perch Perkins and Meami Maszewski as Pearl Krabs. Everyone is perfectly cast for their respective roles, each projecting the right attitude, mentality and personality associated with each of the parts they are asked to portray. As directed by Landau, they also offer more rounded, intuitive  portrayals of the popular SpongeBob characters with a smattering of Nickelodeon oomph and dash thrown in for extra measure. Vocally, everyone masters the melodic intricacies of the musical score and demonstrates an impressive flair for the show's different musical styles, mood swings, zaniness and important rhythmic influences.

As the show's self-titled SpongeBob, Lorenzo Pugliese is a dynamic, loveable and comical character with plenty of dash, presence and personality. Beau Bradshaw's Patrick Star is a sheer delight and Cody Colley delivers a show-stopping turn as the four-legged Squidward Q. Tentacles.

"The SpongeBob Musical" is sweet, frothy good fun in bright Crayola crayon colors that snap, crackle and pop with the adventuresome spirit the Nickelodeon TV show is famous for. Everything about it is Technicolor theatrical from the sets, the costumes, the props, the scenery and the lighting. The cast is engaging, cheerful and naturally high. The songs are perfectly in sync with the storytelling. And the happily ever after ending leaves you begging and wanting more of this contagious, exhilarating amusement designed for kids and adults of all ages anxious to be swept up in the SpongeBob story and its very magical, saltwater world.

Photos of "The SpongeBob Musical" courtesy of Jeremy Daniel