THEATRE REVIEW: "Stepping Out" at the Welk

The Welk Theatre Looses Its Footing with Lithe Yet Lackluster “Stepping Out”

By Donnie Matsuda

The Cast of "Stepping Out."  Photo courtesy of the Welk.

In 1974, Michael Bennett conducted a series of taped workshop sessions with a handful of Broadway dancers as they opened up about their personal lives, their fears and hopes for the future, and their passion for dance.  What emerged was the blockbuster Broadway musical A Chorus Line, which was an unprecedented hit at the time, receiving 12 Tony Award nominations in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  It went on to become one of the longest-running productions in Broadway history and has become nearly synonymous with the word “dance” in America.

Ten years later, British television writer Richard Harris visited his wife’s modern dance class in a dingy North London church basement and happened upon a beginning tap dance class across the hall.  There, he saw a gaggle of goosy middle aged gals having fun and indulging their delusional dreams of one day being decent dancers.  What emerged was the West End play Stepping Out, which ran for three years in London (from 1984-1987) before transferring to Broadway for a short-lived three-month engagement.  It has since fallen into obscurity as a play and is rarely (if ever) produced.  However, the Welk Theatre in Escondido has decided to dust off this old-fashioned play and has done the very best they can to breathe some life into its broad and mostly boring cast of characters.  Their current revival is a valiant effort with some stalwart actors and they do an incredibly impressive job of trying to salvage this lackluster play from stepping out and stepping off into la-la land.  

Tracy Reynolds as Vera and Megan Carmitchel as Sylvia in the Welk's "Stepping Out."  Photo courtesy of the Welk.

Without a doubt, the major culprit here is the humdrum writing and shallow characterizations of Richard Harris’s script.  For most of the play’s two hours and fifteen minutes, we are stuck listening to the agonizingly asinine quibbles of the eight students – seven middle aged women and one old man – as they enroll in their first-ever tap dance class taught by oh-so-patient dance teacher Mavis (a lithe Brenna Fleeman).  There’s Vera (a perfect Tracy Reynolds) who is “meddlesome,” Sylvia (a vulgar, gum-chewing Megan Carmitchel) who is “not in dance shape,” Andy (an appropriately meek Deidra Mohr) who is “shy,” and Dorothy (an anxious Jenny Powell) who is “uncoordinated.”  The rest of the cast is less clearly characterized and includes laid back Geoffrey (Steve Owsley), native Trinidadian Rose (Crystal Burden with a credible West Indies accent), good-natured Lynne (Lauren King), confident Maxine (April Henry), and crotchety piano player Mrs. Frazer (Susan Boland).

As the play captures the idle chitchat of these ladies as they assemble for each beginning tap class, we are treated to nothing more than boring back-and-forth banter and a handful of unfunny, juvenile wisecracks.  The conversations might be more entertaining if they focused on each character’s hopes and fears for the future or if the characters involved were more fleshed out with more clearly defined – and far more compelling – character arcs.  Instead, we are left with silly chatter and intentionally bad tap dance sequences (in mock rehearsals) that end up being less entertaining and more embarrassing than anything else.   

Crystal Burden (front) as Rose surrounded by the cast of "Stepping Out."  Photo courtesy of the Welk.

      

The one redeeming element comes in the play’s final five minutes, as these middle aged klutzes are magically transformed into polished, high stepping hoofers as they perform the number they have been practicing in their dance class all year.  Yes, they are still amateur dancers, and yes, their number is as hokey and as kitschy as it gets, but it is here that they manage to engage and entertain the audience with their bright smiles and fun, cleanly executed tap steps (thanks to veteran tap master Jon Engstrom who both directs and choreographs this Welk production with style and flair).  

While Stepping Out lacks most of the amazing qualities that made A Chorus Line a mega-musical success, it does introduce its audience to the world of middle aged British women who have the courage to step out of their busy day-to-day lives – as mothers, wives, and working women - and indulge their fantasies of one day becoming tap stars. 

Whether it’s a premise worthy of stage time (or a full fledged revival at the Welk), well that’s another story entirely.

Things to know before you go: Stepping Out plays at the Welk Theatre through May 20th, 2012.  Running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with one 15 minute intermission.  Performances are Wednesdays at 1pm, Thursdays at 1pm and 8pm, Saturdays at 1pm and Sundays at 6:30pm.  For more information or to purchase tickets, call (888) 802-7469 or visit www.welktheatresandiego.com.

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.

THEATRE REVIEW: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" at the Welk Theatre

"How to..." definitely succeeds:

The Welk Theatre mounts a handsome revival, full of professionalism and pizzazz

By Donnie Matsuda

From the mailroom minions to the top level corporate executives, the Welk Theatre’s current revival of the 1961 musical comedy How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is flawless, faithful, and a whole lot of fun.

Part of the show’s success has to do with writer Abe Burrow’s delightfully clever, tongue-in-cheek commentary about the “science of getting ahead” in the corporate world. Another part is Frank Loesser’s tuneful (if a bit tired) score which contributes greatly to the show’s bright and broadly comedic feel. But the final part, and perhaps the most important, is the first-rate casting and uniformly excellent direction and choreography created here by Ray Limon in the Welk’s spiffy new revival.

(L to R): Natalie Storrs as Rosemary and Allen Everman as Finch. Photo courtesy of Welk San Diego.

As a 1960’s period piece, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying chronicles the meteoric rise of lowly window washer J. Pierrepont Finch as he relies on a little “How to” guidebook and a whole lot of bum luck to climb the corporate ladder, rung by painful rung. As he rises from head of the mailroom to advertising executive at the World Wide Wicket Company, he bumps into (sometimes accidentally, most of the time intentionally) just the right people with just the right connections at just the right time. And every step of the way, his little guidebook provides some cynically crass commentary on what it really takes to get ahead.

As bright eyed and bushy tailed Finch, Allen Everman has just the right combination of ambition, charm, and humility. While Finch does not carry the show (he serves more as a foil to connect the other more interesting characters in the cast), he does need to be a credible character, one who can plot and scheme to get ahead, but also one who can be innocent and naive at the same time. Everman is not only completely convincing in the role, but he is blessed with a lovely tenor voice which is put to good use in his two big ballads, “Rosemary” and “I Believe in You.”

While Everman is outstanding as young Finch, he is aided and abetted by a large cast of colorful characters, all of whom are terrific in their supporting roles. Among them, Scott Dreier is perfectly nebbish and nerdy as Finch’s mousy nemesis Bud Frump, Walter Smith shows both the commanding and affecting sides of J.B. Biggley, President of the World Wide Wicket Company, Rich Little is appropriately authoritative as the Voice of the Book, and the five men who round out the chorus of executives are impressive in their minor roles as well as their song and dance abilities.

Scott Dreier as Bud Frump. Photo courtesy of Welk San Diego.

While the men are the focus of this male-dominated, corporation-centric enterprise, it is the women who steal the show with their bell-clear voices, sharp staging, and spot-on acting chops. Natalie Storrs is simply winning as Rosemary Pilkington, Finch’s love interest and the object of much of his clueless neglect. Her numbers “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” and “Paris Original” are richly sung and warmly delivered. Other standouts amid the female “steno pool” are Bethany Slomka as a strong voiced Smitty and Lindsay Martin as squeaky-voiced blonde bombshell Hedy LaRue. While all the ladies deliver top notch performances, the true surprise talent of the bunch is Marie Kelly as J.B. Biggley’s secretary, Miss Jones. Kelly shows off some smartly subdued acting chops early on, but when she begins belting out in the show’s penultimate show stopping number “Brotherhood of Man,” she (surrounded by an exuberant cast of fellow executives) really brings the house down.

Bravo to director/choreographer Ray Limon for his brilliant casting and seamless direction. Not only does his speedy and spry staging go off without a hitch, but his exhilarating and inventive choreography is so exciting to watch, you’ll want to jump on stage and join in the festivities. And, aiding him in bringing the boardroom to life is music director Justin Gray, who leads a very tight four piece orchestra through Loesser’s bright and bouncy score.

The cast of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Photo courtesy of Welk San Diego.

To top it off, every technical aspect of this production is done to perfection, from Mike Buckley’s handsome office building interior (complete with “working” elevators and a central turntable for quick scene changes) to the sharp, spiffy, period appropriate costumes provided by The Theatre Company in Upland.

When it all comes together so well (as it does in this first rate revival) it makes one ask: Who knew that a day at the office could be this much fun!?

Things to know before you go: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying plays at the Welk Theatre in Escondido through February 26th, 2012. Running time is 2 hours and 50 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. Performances are Wednesdays at 1pm, Thursdays at 1pm and 8pm, Saturdays at 1pm, and Sundays at 6:30pm. Tickets are $29-$59 (some ticket prices include pre-show meals). For more information or to purchase tickets, call (888) 802-7469 or visit www.welktheatresandiego.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.