Displaying items by tag: Jonah Cochin

I think I’d better begin by answering some questions, starting with ‘WTF is the title of this show?’ to which I respond, the title actually is "[title of show]."

The play was conceived by a pair of artists in NYC, Jeff Bowen (Jonah Cochin) and Hunter Bell (Casey Coppess). Upon learning of the upcoming New York Musical Theatre Festival, they decide to write and submit a musical. There’s just a few problems with doing that: (1) the Festival is only three weeks away, and (2) they’re determined to write an original rather than an adaptation, but (3) they have no idea what to write about, or even (4) what to name their musical. Coming right down to the wire without a name, they end up using the space on the application form asking for [Title of Show] and name their musical [title of show].

Early attempts clearly illustrate that Hunter and Jeff truly do not have any idea what their musical should be about … not until they realize that their conversations about what to write are more interesting than what they’re actually writing! And thus it happens that these Two Nobodies from New York write a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical.

Shannon McEldowney (left), Jonah Cochin, Robert Ollis (at keyboard), Lexi Alioto, and Casey Coppess .

Jeff and Hunter ask their friends Susan (Lexi Alioto) and Heidi (Shannon McEldowney) to help, as well as Larry (Robert Ollis) to man the keyboard. The four converse and natter and brainstorm, kibitz, palaver and schmooze via a slew of hysterically funny songs, discussing the complexities of receiving money for art (is it success or selling out?) and the problems of loyalties vs. practicalities, learning unexpected lessons about themselves along the way.

I think you could call this a QueerMoot. Actually I don’t know if you could or not but I just did, so it’s done.

If you have any friends of the theatrical persuasion, you will find them depicted in [title of show] by Jeff, Hunter, Susan and/or Heidi; not surprising, as all four characters are (were?) (have been?) real people. I don’t know about Larry … we don’t get to learn much about Larry, who the Union prohibits from speaking any lines. But he sure knows his way around the eighty-eights!

The choreography by Britta Lynn Schlicht was lively and fresh, and wonderfully executed by the cast. It did, however, occasionally hinder hearing. I was ready to blame that on my rock-concert-impaired old ears, until my younger companion admitted having the same problem, from Casey Coppess in particular. I couldn’t tell if this was a problem with miking or with blocking, but I suggest both Director Jay Espano and Sound Designer Valerio Torretta Gardner take a look at this issue.

Props Designer Izadorius Tortuga and Scenic Designer Anshika Pathak wisely used restraint, keeping the set minimalist and letting the play tell the story. I have to give a shoutout for Aidan Lynn Smith, whose Lighting Design skillfully delimited separate scenes; and even louder shout to Projections Designer Joel Zishuk. His projections created an informative background for many scenes, but the piece de resistance was a kaleidoscopic panorama of the Playbill covers from a bazillion musicals!

The entire production crew was ably supported by Michael Lasswell (Technical Director / Scenic Design Consultant / My Favorite Bio Writer), Assistant Music Director Annie Liu, and Assistant Director Taylor Pasche. I once asked a theatrical friend ‘just what does a Stage Manager do, anyway?’, to which they responded ‘Everything.’ Kate Schnetzer assisted Julia Witty in doing Everything, and well.

[title of show] is running at PrideArts Theater at 4139 N Broadway, Chicago, through September 22 and comes recommended.

Whenever I review a theatre company for the first time I get a bit of "first date nerves", especially when a suburban company (unabashed City snob, c’est moi) is doing such an iconic show. The stakes were even higher cos this was my first time seeing HAIR – I was a little too young in 1968 and somehow never got a chance in the intervening years (never mind how many).

Skokie Theatre Company proved I was in good hands. The cast members greeting guests on the street set the mood, and I was charmed when Woof (Sam Hook) blew me a kiss from the stage. And then Dionne (Niki-Charisse Franco) began to croon the opening bars of ‘Aquarius’ and I relaxed. I knew I could sit back and enjoy the show.

HAIR includes copious profanity, overt drug use and full-frontal nudity, but there was so much MORE to love! Let’s start with the music: several of the songs, from ‘Easy to be Hard’ and ‘Good Morning Starshine’ to the iconic title song are still around today, but I hadn’t realized how very many songs are in Hair: 27 in Act One alone, and all wonderful: ‘Donna’, ‘Hashish’, ‘Colored Spade’, ‘Air’, and the fabulous ‘Initials’. And who knew HAIR had an actual plot? The cast was enormous: nine principals plus five in The Tribe – and each better than the last.

I could say HAIR was flawless, but that would set you wondering just how much of the Kool-Aid I drank; besides, there were a couple of teensy flaws. Sound Designer Chris Cook needs to make some small adjustments with the microphones -- for the most part the soloists came through, but I missed much of Crissy’s (Bridgett Martinez) solo. Mind, this sort of readjustment is routine for first-weekend performances, and my sitting in the front row may have been part of the problem.

Scenic Designer Scott Richardson and Props/Set Decorator Barry Norton wisely kept it simple: the tie-dye background effectively recalled the era, and multiple levels gave Director Derek Van Barham (with Asst. Directors Miranda Coble and Brennan Urbi) plenty of options for staging. Urbi, as Movement Asst, did a hell of a job with nearly continuous dancing and cavorting; good job he had the aisles to expand into. Beth Laske-Miller’s costumes were spot-on, evoking the flower-child tie-dyed-hippie-freak symbols of protest. She accentuated the principals just enough to distinguish them without dissociating them from the Tribe as a whole. And I loved the pansexual vibe that Intimacy Director Christa Retka achieved. Overall, the mood was effervescent, unselfconsciously joyous and totally infectious: we were all drawn into the Tribe.

I love seeing shows with this companion cos I learn so much from them. In one of my early I reviews I asked them, “Just what does a Stage Manager do?” Their reply: “Make certain every person and every prop is in exactly the right place at precisely the right time.” Their guidance let me appreciate what a phenomenal job Stage Manager Amanda Coble did with HAIR. Keeping a cast of 14 on cue through every moment of a 90-minute first act (and the 2^nd act as well); staging, with Musical Director Jeremy Ramey, a total of forty songs, at least 36 of them ensemble pieces … she pulled it off without a bobble.

My companion’s standard for Light Design is ‘if you notice the lighting, they’re doing it wrong.’ Lighting Designer Pat Henderson met, even surpassed this standard with a basic kit used to full advantage. She utilized every possible source of illumination, stage lights, house lights and spotlights, using one particular center-stage spot super-effectively. I loved Musical Director/Conductor Jeremy Ramey’s brilliant idea of placing Shraga Wasserman (Berger) and Joey Chelius (Claude) in the band during Sheila’s (Alexandria Neyhart) solo ‘Easy to be Hard’, bringing the men into the scene and the song without choreography or lines.

Okay, what am I forgetting? Director … stage manager … music … intimacy … aha! The cast!

In a word, ridiculously talented. Okay, that’s two words, and they aren’t mine but Julie Peterson’s (Jeanie), but I’m totally with her on this, for both cast and crew. There was not one single weak voice in the cast, not one. I saw Shraga D Wasserman play Roger in RENT and, though I wrote a ‘Highly Recommended’ review, I remember that Wasserman’s talent outshone the rest of the cast, making for a slightly unbalanced production. No such problem here! Wasserman’s Berger was as good or better than their Roger in RENT, but the cast of HAIR was so stellar that their genius fit in seamlessly. That face of theirs! like living Silly Putty, so incredibly mobile.

I already mentioned that Sam Hook (Woof) stole my heart when he threw me a kiss, and my infatuation grew with his every appearance on stage. It’s hard to believe he’s still a student; I hope he stays in Chicago so I can follow his career.

Claude (Joey Chelius) had perhaps the heaviest dramatic role and his acting was most definitely up to it during the hallucination sequence and the finale. Hud (Justice Largin) was gorgeous and ‘I’m Black’ was a brilliant piece. I already mentioned that Niki-Charisse Franco as Dionne wowed me with her opening performance of ‘Aquarius’, singing with near-operatic potency. The other three principal women, Sheila (Alexandria Neyhart), Jeannie (Julie Peterson), and Crissy (Bridgett Martinez) had equally powerful voices. Ben Isabel was absolutely hilarious as Margaret Meade.

Which leaves The Tribe: Jonah Cochin, Jack Chylinski, Cristian Moreno, Chevy Dixon Saul, and Hannah Silverman. I reiterate: there was not a single weak performer! Jonah Cochin stood out for his delightfully bawdy contribution to ‘Black Boys’.

HAIR revived a lot of old memories for me, both good (dyeing my own love beads) and not-so-great (nightly body counts on TV). The rebellions of the 60’s/70’s shaped what American culture is to this day, and HAIR captured it all: peace and protest, music and drugs, love and fury. In 1969 HAIR was the counterculture’s manifesto. Today it’s a documentary, and a must-see!

MadKap Production's HAIR is being performed at Skokie Theatre through July 30^th. For tickets and/or more information, click here.

Many of us already know the story of the spirited, loveable orphan girl who is saved from an abusive orphanage after a billionaire takes a liking to her and decides to adopt her. Daddy Warbucks is that billionaire, Miss Hannigan is the abusive, alcoholic who runs the orphanage and the musical is ‘Annie’. Yet, if you know the story or not, it is a musical that inspires, offers hope and shows us that positivity can go a long way.

Citadel Theatre, located in Lake Forest, is the latest to bring ‘Annie’ to the stage. Directed by Robert D. Estrin, ‘Annie’ is a fun production for the whole family to enjoy.

It’s 1933 and Annie (Sophie Kaegi) and her gang are often mistreated at the orphanage by Miss Hannigan (Ellen Phelps), who finds sadistic pleasure in disciplining the kids. Miss Hannigan drinks openly, flirts with every serviceman that enters the orphanage and resents Annie most of all. The only thing the kids can do is hope they get adopted and, in the meantime, praise Miss Hannigan on command and sing “It’s A Hard Knock Life” while scrubbing floors. But everything changes when a billionaire’s assistant, Grace Farrell (Chamaya Moody), drops in unexpectedly to pick out a child to spend with the powerful Oliver Warbucks (John B Boss) over the holidays. And guess who she picks? Yep. Annie.

After Mr. Warbucks takes a liking to Annie he offers to adopt her, but Annie is determined to find her real parents. So the billionaire offers a huge monetary reward to the father and mother that come forward and claim Annie as their own - though he must be careful of imposters.  When Miss Hannigan finds out the reward offerd by Mr. Warbucks, she, her jailbird brother Rooster (Kyle Ryan) and his girlfriend Lily (Becca Duff) begin scheming. But can they fool Mr. Warbucks and his sharp assistant, Miss Farrell?

Citadel makes the best of their space to accommodate such a large cast and include a changing set that that takes us from the orphanage to Warbucks giant mansion – and it works quite well. With this production you also get strong ensemble and individual vocal performances, particularly from lead Sopia Kaegi, Chamaya Moody and Bill Chamberlain who plays Franklin D. Roosevelt, Oliver Warbucks very good friend. The children actors add much of the show's charm while players of multiple roles like Nick Mendelson (who killed it in Hell in a Handbag's 'Poseidon! The Musical'), Alexander Rubin and Emily Lewis (to name a few) lend strong credibility to the ensemble's sturdiness.

The show's many catchy song and dance numbers (music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin) are admirably performed by its ensemble and there is a lot to like in this production although I would have liked to have seen a bit more put-up-your-dukes-spunkiness out of Annie, more gruffness from Oliver Warbucks so that we can more effectively feel him gradually soften to Annie's warmth and good-heartedness, and a bit more tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top, cruel and erratic behavior out of Miss Hannigan (not sure if there is a reason she is not portrayed as an alcoholic as much as we are used to seeing her, outside of her opening appearance in the orphanage). I also didn't feel that a romance was blooming between Miss Farrell and Mr. Warbucks until near the show's end scene. Still, the leading characters are effective, each having their share of fine moments, while the entire cast pulls off a solid all around performance and delivers a nice fun-filled production providing one hit after another including “Tomorrow,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and “Easy Street,” a deliciously pleasing song and dance number that has Miss Hannigan, Rooster and his girlfriend Lily (Becca Duff) setting their scheme into place.

‘Annie’ is an entertaining production that reminds us of the things we should not take for granted and the little things in life to be thankful for – sometimes it takes a special kid to show us the way. Extended through January 5th, ‘Annie’ is being performed at Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest.

For tickets and/or more show information, visit www.citadeltheatre.org.

Please note that Kayla Norris plays the role of Annie on alternating nights.