THEATRE REVIEW: "2 Across" at The Vista Broadway Theater

“2 Across” is an easy, breezy romantic comedy:

Vista’s Broadway Theater stages Jerry Mayer’s cute but lightweight two person play

By Donnie Matsuda

It is funny how some insignificant things – like whether we finish our crossword puzzles or not – can sometimes serve as apt and appropriate metaphors for how we live our lives.

Take, for instance, Janet.  This bespectacled, uptight, and professionally mannered psychologist always uses a pen to complete her New York Times crossword puzzles, making sure to perfectly cross her t’s and dot her i’s along the way.  Not only that, but she’s got a copy of Webster’s dictionary, as well as an atlas, packed in her purse in case she comes across some “crossword emergencies” and needs the extra help.  It is perhaps no surprise that she lives her life as “Type A” as they come, and it is perhaps somewhat ironic that her personal life is messily crumbling around her as she works so diligently to keep everything on the right track.

Eileen Bowman and Marc Sylwestrzak in "2 Across."  Photo courtesy of Vista's Broadway Theater.

She’s the polar opposite of Josh (a starving actor who masquerades as “Tom Cruise” for much of the play’s first act).  He’s your typical unkempt and unemployed free-spirit from Berkeley who dabbles superficially in the art of crossword puzzles, but can easily – and frequently – be distracted by the headlines on the sports page.  Wielding his Number 2 pencil and eraser, he is a casual puzzler who is not afraid to make mistakes, and as a result, ends up making quite a few along the way.   

Of course, the crossword gods dictate that these two distinct souls meet on a 4am BART train, as it leaves San Francisco en route to the East Bay.  We, the audience of 2 Across, are with them for the entire duration of their bus trip, which plays out over the course of two scenes, which are here split into two 45-minute acts.  And what happens during this rather brief journey can best be described as sitcom style comedy, filled with rather implausible scenarios, giddy role play, and lightweight one-liners as our dynamic duo banter back and forth about their shared fetish for the fill-in-the-blank.  Of course, we learn a little bit about these characters as they begin to peel away the layers of their personal lives and start to let their hair down, but in the end, nothing about them remains very deep or very complex.  Playwright Jerry Mayer (who perhaps not surprisingly made a career out of TV screenwriting before moving on to writing plays) keeps it simple and light throughout: there isn’t an ounce of conflict or dramatic discord in the entire script and the closest thing we come to surprise is learning that neither Josh nor Janet are married, despite the fact they both wear wedding rings.

Eileen Bowman and Marc Sylwestrzak.  Photo courtesy of Vista's Broadway Theater.

But despite its deficiencies, it is the performances that make this play work, and here, director Randall Hickman has found a winning pair with the real-life husband and wife team of Eileen Bowman and Marc Sylwestrzak.  Bowman (who herself is a beloved San Diego actress most recently seen as the female lead in "Joe Vs. The Volcano" at Lambs Players Theatre) plays the nebbishly neurotic and nasally-voiced Janet to a tee, delivering her lines with a sort of sophisticated polish and well-rehearsed air.  She’s got some fine comedic chops which are put to excellent use here, and oftentimes, her facial reactions are even more engaging than her actual lines.  Sylwestrzak provides a near perfect counterpoint to Bowman’s tightly-wound tenacity, with just the right amount of slacker swag to make his character both credible and likeable.  Together, the two of them share great (albeit, intentionally awkward) chemistry and play off each other beautifully.  And, to top it off, Hickman’s staging is sharp and crisp and he uses every inch of space on his simple set, which is composed of two bus benches across the aisle from each other. 

While Mayer’s writing veers a bit too much toward the cute and kitchy, 2 Across is simply his attempt to provide an easy, breezy evening of light and innocent fun.  And that it is, thanks to Hickman’s skillful staging and his cast of two dynamic actors who bring this mostly charming story to life.             

  

The newly remodeled Broadway Theatre where "2 Across" is being performed.  Photo courtesy of Vista's Broadway Theater.

Things to know before you go: 2 Across presented by Vista’s Broadway Theater plays at The Broadway Theater at 340 East Broadway in Vista through September 23, 2012.  Running time is 2 hours with one 15 minute intermission.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.broadwayvista.com or call (760) 806-7905.

THEATRE REVIEW: "THE PRODUCERS" by Premiere Productions at the Welk

Keep(ing) It Gay

It’s a two man show as real-life partners Randall Hickman and Douglas Davis strive to be “Producers,” both on stage and behind the scenes

By Donnie Matsuda

There are a lot of firsts with Premiere Productions current revival of The Producers, Mel Brook’s fiercely farcical character comedy about the makings of a fictional pro-Nazi Broadway musical.

This production marks the first time Vista’s Broadway Theatre (housed in two locations in downtown Vista and working under the auspices of Premiere Productions) is producing at the Welk in Escondido and The Producers kicks off their mini-season of three shows in this exciting, new venue. This is also the first time a community theatre in San Diego has dared to tackle a mounting of this massive, monstrosity of a musical. It is a spectacle show that is enough of a budget-buster to drain even the most abundant riches of the most stalwart producer on Broadway. Hence, it is quite remarkable that Vista’s Broadway Theatre owners Randall Hickman and Douglas Davis have stepped up to the impossible task of reviving this outrageous, over-the-top show and they both deserve kudos for their valiant effort. While theirs is far from a perfect rendition, in many ways, their tireless efforts have paid off in a largely likeable (and at times highly entertaining) production.

Show poster for "The Producers" presented by Premiere Productions at the Welk. Courtesy of Premiere Productions.

It seems as if The Producers has been around forever, but it is such a crowd-pleasing, rafter-raising, spectacle show that it will no doubt continue to be revived to all eternity. It of course made its delicious Broadway debut in 2001 with the quintessential comedy tag-team of Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane and then embarked on a very well-received national tour in 2002. Since then, it has seen countless reincarnations and revivals (at regional theatres, community theatres, and children’s theatres) and is now being given a durable, if a bit demure, do-over by the small but strong theatre troupe Premiere Productions.

As the producers of the show’s title, Randall Hickman and Douglas Davis are a match made in musical theatre heaven. Hickman is not afraid to tackle the brazen and larger-than-life Bialystock, but he also paints his character with a sweeter, softer side that makes Max a little more endearing and a lot more likeable. To top it off, Hickman boasts some incredibly lush, pitch-perfect pipes that do more than justice to his hilarious patter song “The King of Broadway,” his bright and bouncy “We Can Do It,” and his tour-de-force, eleven o’clock, show-stopping number “Betrayed.” Douglas Davis is perfectly cast as neurotic-accountant-cum-song-and-dance-man Leo Bloom. With dashing good looks, a terrific tenor, and an appealing personality, Davis makes the most of his nebbish role and gives his all in the splashy, tap-happy “I Wanna Be A Producer” and the more subdued, saccharine-sweet “That Face.” Together, Hickman and Davis are two terrific leading men and their long-standing relationship (both on and off the stage) really pays off in their snappy back and forth banter and comfortably shared command of the show.

Also strong is Tracy Ray Reynolds in a slightly more downplayed version of the leggy blonde bombshell with a bad Swedish accent, Ulla. She’s definitely got it (the talent, that is), but doesn’t quite flaunt it with the sass and sultriness that the role often demands. Still, she brings a bright exuberance to every scene she is in and is playful enough in her vampy solo, “When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It.”

Tracy Ray Reynolds as Ulla, Douglas Davis as Leo Bloom, and Devin Collins as Franz Liebkind. Photo courtesy of Premiere Productions.

The rest of the supporting characters are a little hit and miss, but they do their best to deliver the show’s broad comedy with as much tongue-in-cheek teasing as they can. Among them, Bob Himlin really knows how to camp it up as flamboyant director Roger DeBris, Conor Tibbs is a hoot as his swishy, flighty assistant Carmen Gia, and Devin Collins gives a spirited performance as Nazi composer Franz Liebkind (though he sadly doesn’t have the acting or vocal chops to convincingly pull off the role). And in the cameo role of Hold Me, Touch Me, Patricia Sullivan is simply adorable and spot on in her mousy rendition of the secretly sex-crazed senior citizen.

Director Randall Hickman (he’s a busy guy) should be commended for his first-rate, fluidly paced staging. He makes judicious use of a proscenium drop-down curtain and smartly ends most scenes early so the actors can finish their shtick in front of the curtain while set changes are occurring behind the curtain. It all keeps the action moving along quite seamlessly and there really aren’t any dead spots in the production’s long-ish three-hour run time.

Hickman’s mostly spry staging is further enhanced by the snappy, tap-happy choreography of Ray Limon. Time and time again, Limon has proven he can mount large and lavish musical numbers on small stages and this show is no exception. While he borrows judiciously from Susan Stroman’s original Broadway choreography, his splashy numbers still pop with plenty of his own creative pizzazz and he manages to delight and dazzle with his walker-dance “Along Came Bialy” and his show-stopping, Nazi-inspired “Springtime for Hitler.”

Randall Hickman as Max, Tracy Ray Reynolds as Ulla, and Douglas Davis as Leo. Photo courtesy of Premiere Productions.

And Hickman does triple duty here as costume designer while Davis was busy constructing the sets. These two tireless guys also take on a fourth duty as real-life co-producers of the show. Since this is essentially a two-man operation, it is completely understandable that a significant amount of cost- and concept-cutting needed to occur for the show to go on. And for the most part, things have been smartly shaved down in areas that don’t detract terribly from the overall enjoyment of the piece: the somewhat wobbly walls of Max’s office set in Act 1 aren’t given a completely whitewashed version in Act 2, the outrageously over-the-top “Springtime for Hitler” costumes are given more modest recreations here, and the twenty-three piece orchestra is substituted with pre-recorded tracks of music.

Unfortunately, the show’s opening night was fraught with plenty of clumsy transitions, costume malfunctions and sound gaffes, but that’s probably to be expected with a small community theatre’s attempt to mount a show of this magnitude. No doubt these issues will fix themselves in due time and the show will begin to tighten up as it continues on its three-week run. And when it does, it is sure to bring the house down with its two terrifically talented leads, a handful of vibrantly choreographed musical numbers, and a tuneful tale of anti-Semitism and success on the Great White Way.

While it’s not (yet) all that it could be, Premiere Production’s The Producers is still hilarious and entertaining enough and it’s an admirable “first” in what will hopefully be a very prolific partnership between Premiere Productions and the Welk Theatre in Escondido.

Things to know before you go: The Producers presented by Premiere Productions plays at The Welk Theatre through March 25, 2012. Running time is 2 hours and 50 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 1pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 1pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 1pm. Tickets are $36-$47 with the option of adding a pre-show brunch or buffet for an additional cost. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (888) 802-7469 or visit www.welktheatersandiego.com.

Bringing Broadway to Vista: Randall and Doug Respond and Introduce Their 2012 Season of Shows

Continuing in my quest to find out what San Diego theatre folks are most excited about this coming year (and what kind of resolutions they have for 2012), I was happy to hear from Randall Hickman and Douglas Davis, both beloved local actors and trailblazers who have successfully produced theatre in downtown Vista for the past seven years. Now, as they embark on their 8th Season of shows at The Broadway Theatre (a season of seven shows just announced today), they are also producing a "mini-season" of shows at a new venue over in Escondido. Read on for more details...straight from the producers' mouths:

Randall Hickman and Douglas Davis
Owners / Vista's Broadway and Off Broadway Theaters
WEB: www.broadwayvista.com

What shows and/or projects are we MOST excited about?

In 2004 we opened The Broadway Theater, our adult show venue, which will produce 6 shows this year. In 2007 we opened The Off Broadway Theater our youth show venue that will produce 5 shows this year. And now in 2012 we begin our latest venture...We are producing mini season of three shows at the Lawrence Welk Resort Theater beginning with Mel Brooks, The Producers in March. And the best part is we (Doug Davis and myself) get to appear opposite each other as Bialystock and Bloom. We can't wait for the auditions on the 15th and 16th to get a cast together and start this project!

What is our resolution?

My wish for 2012 is that we don’t see any more theatre companies fold. San Diego needs to remain a thriving arts community and to do so we need a diverse group of companies to reflect all styles of theatre. So, if you love the theatre, get out there and support the rich tapestry of stage shows San Diego has to offer.

And here is the 2012 Season of Shows being presented by The Broadway Theatre in Vista:

GRACE AND GLORIE

By Tom Zeigler

Disenchanted with her empty existence in New York City, Gloria "Glorie" Greenwood heads to the country, where she becomes a hospice worker to reluctant, Grace Stiles, an illiterate, backwoods Octogenarian who wants to be left alone. Gradually, the two women realize that they have far more in common than they ever could have imagined.

And Randall and Doug are kicking off their collaboration with the Welk Theatre in Escondido by staging a "mini-series" of three shows there. The shows and dates are as follows:

Mel Brooks' THE PRODUCERS from March 8-25

TOO OLD FOR THE CHORUS, BUT NOT TOO OLD TO BE A STAR! from June 14-24

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CARPS from December 7-23

For more information about the 2012 Season at the Broadway Theatre in Vista, call 760-806-7905 or visit www.broadwayvista.com.

For more information about the 3 show "mini-season" at the Welk Theatre in Escondido, call 888-802-7469.