Venice Theatre

Venice's 'The King and I' suitable for royal eyes

February 17, 2011
Jay Handelman, Herald-Tribune

The Venice Theatre production of “The King and I” pushes all the right buttons to give a lovely voice to this enduring Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.

Director and choreographer Steven Flaa treats the show with respect for tradition while encouraging a freshness to keep it from being a museum piece.

And it gets much of that spirit from its charming leads, Kathryn Parks as a graceful Anna Leonowens and Brian Rudolph as a fierce-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside King of Siam.

Anna is an English widow who comes to Siam to teach English to the king’s many children. She’s a stubborn woman who stands her ground, which causes clashes with the equally determined king. But as the show develops, Parks and Rudolph let you see the affection that builds between them, not quite a romance but something close to it.

Venice's “Falsettos” hits its high notes in Act 2

January 10, 2011
Jay Handelman, Herald-Tribune

From the opening song "Four Jews in a Room Bitching," "Falsettos" sets audiences off on a refreshingly comic and emotional journey through love, family dynamics and the specter of AIDS. The musical follows Marvin as he tries to maintain a sense of family after he leaves his wife, Trina, and son, Jason, to live with his lover, Whizzer. The story is told solely through songs by William Finn that alternate between tender ballads and humorous patter numbers.

The cast struggles to establish a sense of purpose and character in the weaker first act, which sets up relationships, including Marvin's psychiatrist. But the performances grow touching in the involving second act, which focuses on Jason's bar mitzvah and introduces a lesbian couple -- a kosher caterer and a doctor who first sees signs of a disease claiming the lives of gay men.

“Ragtime” has something to sing about at Venice Theatre

November 3, 2010
by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Herald-Tribune

The waves of change are always around us. Sometimes they come in mighty blows like this week’s election results, but usually they come in more subtle ways, like the societal shift of an American melting pot depicte in Venice Theatre’s rousing production of Ragtime, The Musical.

The show, based on E.L. Doctorow’s novel, is about the coming together of upper class whites, blacks seeking a sense of equality and Jewish immigrants hoping for a better life. And it is told with energy infused by the sound of ragtime music.

With a cast of more than 40 performers, director and choreographer Brad Wages keeps the action moving freely (for the most part) on a wide open stage (designed by Alan Reynolds and John Andzulis) of steel platforms and moving metal staircases that shift the action from a New Rochelle home to a Harlem nightclub, an assembly line and other locales.

Venice Theatre's “Shout!” is a fun trip to the '60s

November 21, 2010
Susan L. Rife, Herald-Tribune

A little trip back in time to the early '60s and the British Invasion of the pop music scene makes for a gently pleasant diversion at VeniceTheatre with "Shout! The Mod Musical." Capably directed by Colleen Buchmeier, the show offers a lively roundup of bright tunes made hits by Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Lulu and Marianne Faithfull, among others, starting with "Round Every Corner" and "I Know a Place" and wrapping up with "Downtown."

The cast of five, virtually all at least a generation too young to remember the '60s, are identified only by color: Blue Girl (Renee Cordonnier), Green Girl (Andrea Keddell-Heintz), Orange Girl (Laurie Colton), Red Girl (Jennifer Baker) and Yellow Girl (Rebecca Phippard). There's a bit of characterization attached to each: Yellow Girl, for example, is the American chick among the lot of British birds; Green Girl is "a bit of a slut" and Orange Girl is in the midst of a marital crisis.