Curtains

Set at the Colonial Theatre, Boston, it is the opening night for Bernstein Productions of Robbin’ Hood and their untalented leading lady, Jessica Cranshaw, collapses as the curtain falls. Murdered!!!  Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a sharp-witted detective with a passion for musical theatre, locks down the theatre to investigate, while also lending a hand in reshaping the struggling show. With just 24 hours until Robbin’ Hood reopens with a new star; the pressure is on to solve the crime and save the production.

I was very excited to see this not often performed and, in my opinion, much underrated musical. I had tickets to see the pro production in 2020, which the Pandemic put paid to, but they released a recorded version which I loved.  BMT, you did not disappoint, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you as well, for letting me come in a bit early to accommodate my travel arrangements and operated foot. It was lovely to meet some of you offstage and see the great camaraderie you seem to have as a company.

Neil Baker who designed the set deserves a special mention as it was truly impressive. The painted brick wall flats, and the industrial scaffold to create a Juliet balcony with added entrance, set the scene for the backstage area of the Colonial Theatre. The level of detail painted around the theatre was so good. Four impressively painted Periaktoi quickly changed the scenes from onstage and backstage keeping the pace up throughout. It all worked very well.

Lighting was well thought out and executed and distinguished between the onstage and backstage well. The spotlight was used appropriately to highlight the key moments and enhance the storytelling.

With the sound, there were a few moments where individual lines were lost, particularly for those without microphones, and occasional slight delays in bringing up the mics. I also felt that maybe there were times when the ensemble singing was a little quiet when not all of the cast were on-stage (I believe others were trying to support unamplified from the wings then), but these were minor issues in an otherwise well-managed sound design.

Costume, Hair and Make up were all in keeping for the period, in both the Robbin’ Hood scenes and the backstage 1950’s era.

The Direction by Megan Fitzpatrick kept the momentum going. It’s a really long musical, so it’s vital that the pace remains up. You used the stage effectively, moving smoothly between the onstage and backstage worlds. Using the cast to change the scenes for the majority of the changes worked well. The scene change into the fantasy number was a little loud, but there was a lot to do in a very short time frame.

  The 10- piece band was very ably led by Musical Director Helen Heaton. You had clearly worked hard on the Ensemble singing, the harmonies were great, and soloists performed confidently.  As mentioned before, I did feel that on occasion the ensemble numbers were a little quiet alongside the full band, but I’m unsure if that was more of a microphone/sound issue.

Choreography by Samuel Mitchell was well -pitched to the company abilities, there were a lot of different styles throughout, from the “Oklahoma-esque” Robbin’ Hood numbers, The Tap number, and the Fantasy Golden age style sequence. I particularly enjoyed “He Did It” which was very effective with the torches.

In reviewing the Principal Cast:

Firstly, I note that for 5 of you this was your first Principal role, so well done to all of you.

Frank Cioffi:I really enjoyed your portrayal of this quirky character, some really excellent physical acting choices, you really embodied the role, and it worked so well.

Niki Harris:  an engaging portrayal of this sweet character. Lovely vocals.

Carmen Bernstein: You had some of the best lines in this show… and you delivered them on point, really getting the comedy from them. Some great facial expressions as well.

Georgia Hendricks:  a confident performance, I really enjoyed “Thataway” in particular.

Aaron Fox:  A great interpretation of this character, I felt the angst, and the feelings of rejection.  

Christopher Belling: A brilliantly theatrical comic role, with a razor-sharp tongue, which you clearly enjoyed. You had me laughing out loud (for the right reasons)

Bambi Bernet: This interpretation had me switching between disliking the character and feeling really sorry for her, which I liked.  

Bobby Pepper:  A confident performance as the show’s romantic lead and third part of the Georgie-Aaron love triangle.

Sidney Bernstein:  Suitably slimy as Show owner and blackmailer to the whole cast.

Oscar Shapiro: Convincing as the show’s financial backer. I enjoyed “What Kind Of Man”

Jenny Harmon:  Changing this to a female role worked well, A strong performance, depicting the stage manager, trying to keep the company in line and the whole production running smoothly. A dramatic yet entertaining death too!

Daryl Grady:  A suitably smug and self-important performance as the theatre critic with a secret.

Jessical Cranshaw:  you got across well that this fading diva/ leading lady was lacking both ability and empathy.

Randy Dexter, Harv Fremont, Sasha Iljinsky, Officer O’Farrell  You all got across well your individual acting or singing moments.

Curtains is a real company show, with several lively ensemble numbers. The Supporting cast and the Ensemble all worked so well together, and their sense of enjoyment really shone through. There were some lovely harmonies coming through and the choreography was well-executed. Every company member had their own clearly thought-out characters which added to the interest for the audience.

I would also like to mention the wonderful programme, I couldn’t see a credit in there for whoever designed it, but it was so good, I loved the Playbill at the reverse, a really nice touch.

Bonus points as well, for performing in that heat, the auditorium in the Redgrave was extremely hot, so I can only imagine what it was like on the stage, under those lights.

Congratulations to all involved on a really enjoyable performance.

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