Local girl makes good - as Girl

That's a classic (even clichéd) newspaper headline, but it was true last night at the State Theater in New Brunswick, N.J., where the second national tour of the Broadway musical Once stopped in.

The local girl, starring as the character literally called Girl, is Mackenzie Lesser-Roy, all of 20 years old and still a student at the Boston Conservatory. However, she's known to us in Mamaroneck, N.Y. from the middle school musicals and, for this writer, for playing Ado Annie in Oklahoma! in 2009. Even then, she was a pro, only able to play one of the four shows since she had a filming date on a TV series called Salamander.

Mackenzie Lesser-Roy

Along with a former middle school friend who was also in Oklahoma!, and her college roommate, we headed down for the show.

As I blogged in 2012, I had fond memories of the Broadway run. Winner of eight Tony awards, Once was pure magic for me. 

Based on the 2006 film, it's the story of a Dublin street musician and the Czech immigrant who pushes him to greater artistic heights.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova created the original show, based on their story, and the Oscar-winning song, "Falling Slowly," as well as the rest of the wistful score.

In this cast, Sam Cieri brings a tentative sadness to Guy, who gains confidence as Girl expresses her belief in him and participates in his music with her piano playing.

Sam Cieri and Mackenzie Lesser-Roy in rehearsal

Not a conventional musical, the actors play instruments onstage and perform choreographer Steve Hoggett's stylized movements to underscore particular emotions in a scene and for scene changes.

Mackenzie beautifully transmits Girl's charming intensity -- "I am always serious. I am Czech." -- and wisdom, as she knows she and Guy's relationship is facing serious obstacles.

A scene from Once.

Her piano work is beautiful and, like all the greats, she makes it look so darn easy. There's no lessening of Broadway quality in this tour company, with a uniformly excellent cast. The tour winds through the east and Midwest, ending in Denver on May 24. I highly recommend seeing this show. Mackenzie, we are so proud.

Farewell, Brian Bedford

Another great Stratford actor gone. I first encountered Brian Bedford in a 1966 movie called Grand Prix, where the driving sequences were rendered in glorious 70 mm Cinerama. The intense racing scenes were interspersed with a delicious soap opera-y plot that had drivers hopping in and out of bed with each others' wives, groupies, etc. Bedford played a sensitive British driver struggling to come back after a terrible crash and my 12-year-old heart thought this was all very thrilling.

Later, I saw him on Broadway with the enchanting Tammy Grimes in Private Lives and as far as I'm concerned, he was the definitive Elyot Chase,whose suavely elegant exterior fell apart when provoked by the love/hate of his life, Amanda. 

What a joy it was, therefore, upon moving to Canada to discover that Bedford was a stalwart at the Stratford Festival. He played many great roles, including the Shakespeare tragedies, but I loved most the way he could unearth the most poignant humanity in a comedic role.

The only time I met him was on a flight from London to Toronto. He was studying the script of London Assurance, the great Dion Boucicault comedy. Usually, I believe in leaving people alone, but a long flight breeds a certain informality. I stopped by his seat and simply said, "Hello, Mr. Bedford. I enjoy your work." He thanked me very warmly and we had a word or two about the famous London production in the 1970s, which I'd seen, starring Donald Sinden.

Months later, he was wonderful as Sir Harcourt Courtly, pursuing a much younger woman and not aging particularly gracefully.

Stratford's tribute is here:

MEDIA RELEASE

Stratford mourns the loss

of beloved actor and director Brian Bedford

Macbeth will be dedicated to his memory

January 14, 2016… The Stratford Festival has been dealt a double blow with the death of two beloved actors within 24 hours. Brian Bedford, 80, one of the Festival’s very brightest stars, died of cancer on Wednesday, January 13, a day after the passing of theatrical pioneer William Needles.

Mr. Bedford was one of the defining geniuses of the Stratford Festival, admired and loved by audiences and fellow artists.

“Brian Bedford was the prime reason I went into the theatre,” said Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “I saw him in Molière’s Misanthrope, and it made me feel that he embodied the spirit of comedy itself. And yet he was entirely himself. Here was an actor who knew who he was and we loved him for it. He was brilliantly witty, completely relaxed, and made us all adore him. 

“But to see him in tragedy was another revelation. He was absolutely in the moment, with a strongly personal point of view, a vital intelligence keyed to a modern sensibility. 

“When I had the great privilege of working with and eventually directing Brian, I was overwhelmed by his generosity. He became a mentor, a role model and an inspiration.”

Mr. Bedford’s credits read like a list of Shakespeare’s greatest hits: Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Jaques in As You Like It, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Richard III, Timon of Athens, Macbeth, King Lear.

His comic pairings are the stuff of dreams: Benedick to Martha Henry’s Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing; Elyot Chase to Maggie Smith’s Amanda in Private Lives; Charles to Carole Shelley’s Elvira in Blithe Spirit; Garry to Domini Blythe’s Liz and Seana McKenna’s Monica in Present Laughter.

His work with Noël Coward was as near perfection as any could be, and with good reason: his degrees of separation from the playwright? Zero. Widely regarded as an authority on Coward’s work, he has not only directed and acted in his plays numerous times, but he also knew the playwright personally.

His portrayal of the suave sophisticate appeared so effortless that it was almost impossible to reconcile with the reality of his childhood. He was born to a poor family in Yorkshire in 1936. Two of his brothers died of tuberculosis and his father committed suicide.

The young Brian found escape in the theatre, first performing in amateur theatrics and then, at 18, winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he studied alongside Peter O’Toole, Alan Bates and Albert Finney. He was a protégé of John Gielgud, who coached him as Hamlet and directed him in the acclaimed Five Finger Exercise. The two shared the stage in 1958, when Mr. Bedford played Ariel to Mr. Gielgud’s Prospero in The Tempest.

Mr. Bedford’s star rose quickly in the U.K., with leading roles in The Young and the Beautiful and A View From the Bridge. In 1959, Five Finger Exercise transferred to Broadway, where the play found great success and Mr. Bedford found a happier existence. He had a dozen Broadway credits and a Best Actor Tony to his name when then Artistic Director Robin Phillips lured him to the Festival.

He made his Stratford debut in 1975, playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night and Angelo in Measure for Measure, opposite Martha Henry’s Isabella – the first in a long series of legendary performances. Over 29 seasons, Mr. Bedford performed in more than 50 Stratford productions and directed another 20.

Timon of Athens and The Importance of Being Earnest moved on to Broadway, swelling his Tony nomination tally to seven. The Festival’s 1998 production of Much Ado About Nothing, featuring Mr. Bedford as Benedick and Martha Henry as Beatrice, toured to New York’s City Center, and was recently remembered by Charles Isherwood of The New York Times as one of the great moments in 20^th-century Shakespeare performance.

Though he was primarily a stage actor, Mr. Bedford could be seen on some of the day’s most popular television shows, including Cheers, Frasier and Murder, She Wrote. He starred opposite James Garner in the 1966 film Grand Prix, and was the voice of Robin Hood in the Disney animated classic.

Mr. Bedford’s most recent Stratford credits included the title role in 2007’s King Lear, Lady Bracknell in 2009’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and his one-man show based on the letters of Oscar Wilde, Ever Yours, Oscar, all three of which he also directed. His 2013 production of Blithe Spirit would turn out to be his final project at Stratford.

“Over the years Brian’s luminous presence on our stages made his performances ‘must sees’ for countless audience members,” said Mr. Cimolino. “We were blessed indeed that he chose to make Stratford his artistic home. And we are bereft to think that we shall not see, or hear, his like again.

“Brian, we thank you, we honour you and we miss you.”

Mr. Bedford leaves behind his partner of 30 years, Tim MacDonald, also a Stratford Festival veteran.

The Festival will dedicate the 2016 production of Macbeth to Mr. Bedford’s memory. Details will follow of a memorial, to be held in Stratford at a later date. 

William Needles (1919-2016)

Having attended the Stratford Festival since 1986, I saw William Needles onstage many times. The word "grace" is used below in the festival's media release and it is so appropriate. His presence onstage reached the heights of "acting" - it looked utterly natural. 

His exit from the stage was equally graceful and full of energy. His obituary is a joyful read.

MEDIA RELEASE

02/16

Stratford Festival bids farewell to the dean of Canadian actors

William Needles, a veteran of 47 seasons, dies at age 97

January 13, 2016… It is with sadness that the Stratford Festival bids farewell to the man who was Canada’s oldest working actor. William Needles died January 12, at the age of 97, surrounded by his family, at a hospice in Alliston, Ontario. Just days earlier, he had left his adopted hometown of Stratford, after suffering a massive heart attack on December 19.

True to form, Mr. Needles surprised doctors and loved ones, showing enormous resilience despite a dim prognosis. The Stratford General Hospital saw a steady stream of actors pour through its doors during the Christmas period, as faithful friends visited a man whose support of the theatrical industry is unparalleled. Expecting to find an invalid drawing his last breath, his visitors instead found their longtime friend and mentor reciting Shakespeare – the Chorus from Henry V one day, Shylock’s admonition to Antonio another. His mind was razor sharp, though his body was letting him down.

Mr. Needles, with the help of his daughter, Jane, reached out to friends near and far. Calls came in from every corner, including from his former student Jon Lovitz, who immortalized Mr. Needles with his classic Saturday Night Live character “Master Thespian.” 

His achievements and honours are many: a Member of the Order of Canada, a founding member of the Stratford Festival company, a co-founder of the Actors Fund of Canada, a Master Teacher Cum Laude from the University of California, Irvine, and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Waterloo and the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.

“The Stratford Festival has lost one of its pioneers, a gifted actor and a favourite uncle. Bill Needles was the embodiment of grace and generosity. His humour, humanity and sense of fun infused his work on and off the stage,” said Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. 

“Bill was a brilliant comedian who could bring the house down with laughter while appearing quite nonchalant. His work seemed effortless. His voice and manner were rich with nuance.

“But perhaps the greatest of his many talents was his gift of mentorship to several ‎generations of young actors. In what can be a difficult way of life Bill was there for so many during the tough times. His honesty, decency and kindness could balm almost any hurt and sooth a bruised spirit. After a talk with Bill you'd be ready to get up, smile and try again. 

“Billie Noodles – as he was fondly called – will be dearly missed."

Mr. Needles was born in Yonkers, New York, on January 2, 1919, and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, just down the road from Stratford. His father, Ira Needles, was the founder of BF Goodrich Canada and co-founder of the University of Waterloo.

In the late 1930s, Mr. Needles studied for two years at the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago, and then moved to Winnipeg to work as a stage manager for the John Holden Players. In 1940 he moved on to Toronto, where he joined the cast of the CBC Radio soap opera John and Judy, playing John. After serving in the Second World War he returned to the role of John at CBC. He made a name for himself in radio drama, and served as a manager for Lorne Greene’s Acting Academy and Dora Mavor Moore’s New Play Society before joining the Stratford Festival in its inaugural season.

He made his Stratford debut in Richard III, under the direction of Tyrone Guthrie, playing Norfolk and the 1^st Murderer, and as Rinaldo in All’s Well That Ends Well. The next season he was celebrated for his portrayal of Petruchio in Guthrie’s Wild West production of The Taming of the Shrew. He became an indispensable member of the Stratford acting company, appearing in more than 100 productions over 47 seasons, including as Duke Senior in As You Like It (1959), Chorus in Henry V (1956 and 1989), Albany in King Lear (1964 and 1972), Cymbeline (1970), Monsieur Loyal in Tartuffe (1983 and 1984), the Duke in The Merchant of Venice (1996), the White King in Alice Through the Looking-Glass (1996), the Lord Mayor in Richard III (1997), the Shepherd in Oedipus Rex (1997), Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest (2000) and Mortimer in Henry VI (2002).

He retired from the stage at the age of 87 and, as the oldest working actor in Canada, turned in two final masterful performances: Adam in 2005’s As You Like It – his last performance on his beloved Festival stage – and Castruchio in 2006’s The Duchess of Malfi.

During his career, Mr. Needles performed at theatres across North America and abroad, including the Broadway productions of Hadrian VII with Alex McCowan and Next Time I’ll Sing to You with James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons. His many film roles included Banquo in the 1961 production of Macbeth, with Sean Connery in the title role.

He was a teacher of acting, serving for many years at the University of California, Irvine, and a mentor beyond compare to hundreds of people starting out in the profession.

Though retired for a decade, Mr. Needles made almost weekly visits to the Festival, travelling through the halls on his scooter and sharing lunch with his many friends in the greenroom. The Festival was truly his second home, and the theatre’s people his second family. He will be sadly missed and long remembered.

Mr. Needles leaves behind his wife, Dorothy Jane Goulding, whom he married in 1946, five children, Jane (Ted Bradley), Arthur (Linda), Dan (Heath), Reed (Clare) and Laura Ann, 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, his sister, Lauranna Jones, many nieces and nephews and countless friends and colleagues.

The Stratford Festival is dedicating the 2016 production of As You Like It to Mr. Needles’ memory. Mr. Needles performed in four different productions of the play at Stratford, as Duke Senior in 1959, Duke Frederick in 1972, Duke Senior in 1983 (which was televised on CBC), and Adam in 2005.

A celebration of Mr. Needles’ life will be held at the Festival in the spring. A family funeral will be held on Saturday, January 16, in Alliston, with burial to follow at Avondale Cemetery in Stratford at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the William Needles Guthrie Award Fund at the Stratford Festival, the Actors’ Fund of Canada, or Matthews House Hospice in Alliston, Ontario.

-30-

Family drama

The theater is not like the movies. The stage version of The Lion King notwithstanding, theater doesn't need vast landscapes and special effects to create drama. A simple living room with a couch and two chairs can be a setting for high emotion, as seen in The Danaid by Thomas Michael Quinn, produced recently in downtown Manhattan's Thespis Theatre Festival and directed by Quinn.

The play's title and poster (see below) indicate an intriguing merger of mythology and theme. The Danaid is a sculpture by Rodin that shows a daughter of Danaos collapsing in despair over her impossible task -- filling up a bottomless barrel with water in punishment for killing her husband on their wedding night.

The rest of the poster? A spilled drink over a birth certificate, which in this case belongs to a girl given up for adoption. There's a secret involved and the two sisters squaring off at the center of the play -- tall, blond, self-assured Joan (Karen Forte) and meek, sweater-wearing Claire (Phyllis Lindy) -- hold pieces of it.

It seems that the baby given up years ago -- Sarah (Lauren Tyrrell) -- is now a young woman and will shortly be coming to call, since Claire has contacted her.

This is a premise ripe with potential, but it's not fully realized in The Danaid. As Joan, Forte stalks the stage like a long-legged lioness, spitting anger, bullying her sister,

Karen Forte

spurning Sarah and lashing out at her husband, Tim (James Reed). Although we're given some insight into why she's a ball of rage, it seems out of proportion. Her character also doesn't develop; she begins at a high emotional temperature and stays there - a tiring experience for an audience.

As for Lindy's Claire, you want to walk up onstage and give this woman a hug but eventually you also want her to show a little backbone. Again, the play also keeps her on one level - meek and scared.

Phyllis Lindy

Tyrrell's Sarah early on shows promising signs of what's called a character arc. She arrives intent on proving she's is an extremely well-adjusted young woman, polite and accommodating, then takes an interesting turn as she stands up to Joan and matches her blow by verbal blow. In the end, however, the language could be more varied to hold our interest.

Reed and Odera Adimorah, who plays Sarah's boyfriend Mark, ably portray two decent guys with varying reactions to a three-way female boxing match, but director Quinn hasn't given them much to do in the way of blocking (stage movement). A couple of times, actors seem to just walk offstage without making a definitive exit.

There was no question about one thing in this production, however -- the heartfelt commitment of the cast  to Quinn's script and director Quinn's smooth work with actors and text. Here's hoping The Danaid has a longer life.  

 

Salt Lake on the Hudson

Planning for my first trip to Salt Lake City in late June, I decided to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, only to discover they were on tour and would be at Carnegie Hall in the following week.

So, ironically, I saw them at home - my home, that is. Since I sing in an Episcopal church choir, I am interested in choral music and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has become one of those American monuments, like the Grand Canyon or Mount Rushmore, that is both a must-do and an apparent cliche.

I don't know what I thought I would encounter -- a fine choral group singing a few hymns, I suppose. However, the thing about monuments is that their familiarity may create a false sense of complacency and this certainly turned out to be the case with the singing Mormons.

A surreptitious photo snapped at Carnegie Hall. Chorus is seated behind orchestra. I'm not sure why there was a video projection of what seem to be cloud patterns on the stage wall.

What I discovered was a program of astonishing sophistication, with the musical intelligence of Music Director Mack Wilberg clearly evident. For example, throughout the first half of the program, Wilberg wove various arrangements of sections of the familiar hymn "Old Hundreth." Here's how it goes:

My photo from Temple Square: dominated by a magnificent Aeolian Skinner organ, vintage 1948, the interior of the Salt Lake Tabernacle - due to the building's shape - somewhat resembles an arena. The acoustics, however, are impeccable.

 

The choir sang the haunting "Requiem aeternam" from Wilberg's own Requiem. They used no books throughout the concert, exhibiting memorization of an impressive amount of music, and also played handbells on Pritchard's hymn "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." Their sound is pure and clear, with about 200 voices onstage at Carnegie singing with remarkable diction, accompanied by the excellent 50-piece Orchestra at Temple Square.

The first half contained "Hymn Tune Settings of the Masters," featuring Mendelssohn's "Von Himmel hoch" and Holst's "Psalm 148," plus "19th Century Sacred Song" with Gounod's "Unfold, Ye Portals" and Rossini's "Cum Sancto Spiritu from Petite messe solennelle.

Ending the first half with "Old Hundredth," the choir drew out the final "Amen" with a long, long diminuendo that floated in the air like a single bell-like breath. "Now, Mr. Wilberg," I thought, "you're just showing off. That was amazing."

The program's second half was even more exciting, as this group of 99% white people sang a Russian song ("Glory!") by Rimsky-Korsakov, a Sephardic wedding song arranged by Wilberg and the American folk hymn "Pilgrim Song."

You never heard so many white folks sound so African as when the Mo-Tab swung into the Nigerian carol "Betelehemu," swaying from side to side with the rhythm, accompanied by African percussion and soloist Laurent Neu.

The choir's mastery of styles continued with two African-American spirituals - "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me" and "I'm Runnin' On." Soloist Alex Boye brought intense expressiveness and nearly-James Brown moves to his performance. You can see him here:

At St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck, N.Y., we've sung "Old Hundredth," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me" and most especially the Mormons' finale - the Wilhousky setting of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Wilberg gets to shape this number with an orchestra and an army of throats, but we produced a mighty sound with just 16 voices and our magnificent music director, Noel Hart, on the pipe organ.

At Carnegie Hall, it was just the last of many goosebump moments, courtesy of one of America's natural wonders. Enjoy:

Poem for a jazzman

Rainy night in Manhattan

Old music school auditorium
Jammed with the faithful.

Concert shiva eulogy celebration
Funeral for a jazzman.

Lew Soloff
Don't the words just roll off
The tongue of the trumpeter.

Legendary horn
Born to crumble walls
Within music and without.

Spinning Wheel solo
Poured Blood, Sweat and Tears
Over rock and jazz together.

From the back of the house
Wynton Marsalis leads
A New Orleans brass band.

Paul Shaffer leading the orchestra
 at the Lew Soloff memorial.

Jazz fame walks mournful steps
Down the side of the hall,
Just A Closer Walk With Thee.

Then, the turn at the stage,
Didn't He Ramble?
Playing out the joy.

Almost met him.
A promise made
To an orchestra in Westchester -
He would play classical chops in
Shostakovich No. 5.

Then the terrible news
On the eve of the first rehearsal.
We were left only with the ashes
Of a concert program dedication.

At the show,
Emotions flow
And sometimes they use words.

Improvised solos, big band, classical,
Even a young cello protege.

Asian singer Grace Kelly
Bears lightly a famous name
And the future face of jazz.

Grief stalks the room
Like a living thing.
Bravely, their music
Rages against the dark.

Yet Lew is alive in every soul,
As music always lives.
Farewell, brass man.
Show the Angel Gabriel
How to blow.

Celebrating a theater legacy

Emotions were high both onstage and off as Byram Hills High School in Armonk, N.Y. on April 13 staged a performance of the musical Next to Normal with Broadway actors to benefit the school’s theater program and honor retiring teacher Joy Varley.

Her 28 years at the school (out of a 36-year career) were commemorated by a surprise announcement from Principal Christopher Borsari that each year’s theater troupe would be renamed the Varley Players. “In the life of an institution, the people who shape it should never be forgotten,” Borsari told a sold-out audience of parents, friends and alumni in the BHHS auditorium.

In addition, the performance’s music director, BHHS alumnus Jason Loffredo, premiered a song composed for the occasion and sung by the cast, called “Song to Joy.” He prefaced it by saying, “I would not be where I am in my life were it not for Joy Varley.” Loffredo is a well-known theatrical music director, pianist, composer and arranger.

Joy Varley

Both tributes were a surprise to Varley, who responded, “Thank you all for everything. This school district will be in my heart forever.” Before the performance, she noted the powerful impact of the arts and theater in particular on young lives, saying “the people who will create the future of our culture are standing on a high school stage today.” She announced that the benefit had so far raised $24,000.

The Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning show’s composer, Tom Kitt, returned to his old high school as keynote speaker for the evening, observing that “it feels like no time has gone by, then it feels like years and years.” (He graduated in 1992.) “To come back was a no-brainer to raise money for this wonderful program,” he said.

Participating in BHHS theater “changed my life,” he said, remembering a production of Into the Woods that powerfully influenced him. That Stephen Sondheim show uses fairy tales to tell stories of real people and he said he “started to go after theater that told more of those stories. The seeds of Next to Normal began there.”

 He spoke of theater’s ability to change lives, noting that the subject of Next to Normal, a family coping with the mother’s mental illness, was discussed at two school assemblies on the day of the performance. “Art is the great savior. It talks about issues that might be scary,” he said.

Talking about Next to Normal’s journey, he said it took 11 years for he and lyricist Brian Yorkey to bring the musical to Broadway, starting with a 10-minute version as part of a musical theatre development workshop. He also called his welcome at BHHS “quite overwhelming.”

As reported earlier on allaboutarmonk.com, alumni of BHHS who are professional actors and musicians gave up several Mondays off to rehearse and perform for the benefit. The semi-staged performance featured a seven-piece orchestra, including Loffredo conducting from the piano.

Lauryn Ciardullo (BHHS graduate 2004) brought a fragile and brittle edge to the character of Diana, a mother whose bipolar disorder haunts her family. As her husband Dan, BHHS Theater Director John Anthony Lopez conveyed the desperation of a man realizing his love for his wife may not be enough to hold the family together.

Jared Weiss (BHHS 2003) played the family’s compelling son Gabe with charm and an undertone of mischief. As daughter Natalie, Katerina Papacostas (BHHS 2006) portrayed a young woman longing for her mother’s love and attention and trying to understand she might only get crumbs. Guest artist Johnny Stellard played Natalie’s boyfriend Henry as a decent, caring person who in his way might be as steadfast as Dan.

As Dr. Madden, Jonah Piali (BHHS Assistant Theater Director) served up medical platitudes with compassion and also the right amount of bland professional attitude.

Orchestra members included J.J. Clarke (BHHS 1995) on drums and percussion, Craig Magnano on guitar, Kathy Shelhart (H.C. Crittenden Middle School Orchestra Director) on cello, Alan Lounsbury (BHHS Stage Conductor) on bass, Lori Horowitz (BHHS alumni parent) on violin and Robert DelGaudio on synthesizer.

The technical crew included BHHS Production Assistant Jim Gulick (production assistant), BHHS Tech Director Jamie LaJoie (sound design) and BHHS 1993 alumnus Mike Cummings (lighting design).

Ticket holders were invited to pre- and post-show receptions where alumni, parents and friends mingled with Varley, Kitt and the cast and crew.

This article originally appeared at allaboutarmonk.com.