`What would you do if you finally got your chance to shine? Maybe it’s your first chance. Maybe it’s your last. In A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, two writers and a diva get that chance when the diva, Regina Comet, hires two jingle writers to create a song for her upcoming fragrance release, Relevance. The musical is goofy, charming, and tons of fun in a joke-a-minute journey through the emotions behind the creative process.
Regina is a star in decline. In an age of Instagram, she’s lost too many of the nuances of the 13-18 demographic that used to be her fanbase. Audiences don’t get an exact age, but we get the feeling the new tween fanbase is made up of the kids or even grandkids of the fans who once flocked to Comet’s concerts. Desperate to draw the spotlight again, her managers convince her that her best shot at teens catching her scent is through a fragrance, which she names Relevance. But all is not well: her commercial efforts have fallen short and, in a last bid to make things happen, she hires out a songwriting pair— the cheapest option available— to pen a jingle that will blast Regina’s career back into outer space. The show follows the efforts of the two songwriters— never named but billed as Man 2 and Other Man— and Comet as the three claw desperately at the promise of relevance and success.
The characters put their heads together to create One Hit Song
At the heart of the show beats Ben Fankhauser and Alex Wyse, who play Man 2 and Other Man and co-wrote the music, book, and lyrics for the show. Inspired by their real-life friendship and a desire to carve out their place in New York City theatre, the show is a comedy-of-errors reflection of the pair’s real search for musical success. And it is clear that the pair are in on the joke. When Fankhauser’s Man 2 is struck by musical inspiration, he pushes aside the show’s music director and keyboardist Alex Goldie Golden and takes over the music mid-song. To play bumbling, struggling versions of themselves in a musical with hit after hit is, to borrow a modern phrase, quite the flex.
Bryonha Marie Parham likewise shines as Regina Comet, commanding her scenes in a role she fills with perfection and enthusiasm that perfectly matches the show’s sometimes serious, sometimes absurd tone. Comet, who could be a plot device with a solo, comes alive under Parham’s stewardship, aided by the actress’s input in the creative process.
A Commerical Jingle for Regina Comet is a welcome return to live theater— light-hearted, fun, simple, and straightforward. It is the perfect way to venture back out into public, into theater, and head home laughing.
A Commerical Jingle for Regina Comet is playing at the DR2 Theatre. Learn more and get tickets at reginacomet.com
Pictured (L to R): Daniel Kornergay, Luis Guillen, and Joshua Lazarus. Photo by Izaliya Safiullina
Shakespeare was funny, and not the kind of humor that you’d expect from a literary titan. His work often had a Seth Rogan sense of humor, reveling in the crude, crass, and sexual. You’d expect that 9th graders would love The Bard.
But then again maybe not. That sense of humor and playfulness is often missing when you’re learning about Shakespeare in school, and that affects a lot of performances. Performers think they’re being respectful to the text, but they’re missing the point of it.
Director Thomas G Waites’ version of Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Gene Frankel Theatre embraces that bawdy humor and playfulness. If this was your first experience with Love’s Labour’s Lost, you’d be confused to hear that it’s considered one of Shakespeare’s least popular plays. The cast’s performance–themed around Woodstock 1969–pumps new life into the show with innuendo, physical comedy, timely references, and song and dance numbers. They breathe life into a side of Shakespeare’s comedies that rarely translates onto the stage. All while wearing the vibrant colors of hippie culture in all of its glory.
Pictured (L to R): Daniel Kornegay, Luis Guillen, Steven Smith (foreground), Joshua Lazarus, and Jonathan Mastrojohn. Photo by Izaliya Safiullina.
Pictured (L to R): Melissa Molerio, Grace Langstaff, Chandler Robyn, and Julia Spina. Photo by Izaliya Safiullina
Pictured (L to R): Josh Rubenstein and Brandon Hynum. Photo by Izaliya Safiullina
Waites’ Love’s Labour’s Lost is hilarious. The cast, especially the criminally under-utilized Brandon Hynum and Josh Rubenstein as Don Armado and his page, lean into the show’s humor and innuendo with physical comedy, pulling chuckles and laughs out of the audience. Most of Shakespeare’s patrons were peasants paying a penny to stand in a crowded yard, cheering and laughing in front of the stage. His audience was not high-brow. Some of the jokes are off-color by nature of origin, but Waite’s cast plays along with them to maximum effect. The effect is that a bell-bottomed and flower-dressed cast manages to transport you back in time much farther than 1969. You can almost hear the laughter in the yard.
Waites has also managed to rework many of the reference-based humor. And it’s needed. Even the best political jokes get stale after their subjects have been dead a couple of hundred years. What is a Muscovite? Did you know without googling it? What would it add even if you did know? Far better for Boyet to proclaim of four disguised lovers: “They do, they do: and are apparell’d thus/ Like Hippies or Beatles, as I guess.” The costumes, complete with wigs, had the whole crowd laughing. Other lines reference our own current events, as the originals did in their time. I’ll leave those as treasures for you to find on your own.
The biggest diversion, though, is music. Where Love’s Labour’s Lost is conspicuous for its lack of music, Waites’ production added a musical interlude between each scene, with characters singing ‘60s music and dancing to multi-colored lights. It feels like the musical transitions from the Austin Powers movies, but longer. The songs are all classics and the cast performs them well. But at the same time, the music rarely added anything and often detracted from the scene.
Pictured (L to R): Melissa Molerio, Julie Spina, Chandler Robyn, Joshua Lazarus, and Grace Langstaff. Photo by Izaliya Safiullina.
Pictured (L to R): Grace Langstaff, Robert Thorpe, Chandler Robyn, Melissa Molerio, and Julia Spina. Photo by Izaliya Safiullina
When the king and his men approach disguised as Beatles, the princess and her ladies resolve not to dance with them no matter their seductions. But as soon as the “Beatles” enter, the cast bursts into a rendition of ‘With a Little Help From My Friends,’ and all begin to dance. When the play resumes, the refusal to dance feels empty and the scene has lost all stakes.
Overall, though, the show is a lot of fun. The cast is energetic, the performance is sharp, and the joy the actors take in the work shines through in every scene. If you love Shakespeare, or if you hate Shakespeare, or if you just happen to be free one night, check out this unique and fun adaptation.
Cast
The cast of LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST features Luis Guillen, Olivia Hardin, Brandon Hynum, Daniel Kornegay, Grace Langstaff, Joshua Lazarus, Robert Thorpe, Johnathan Mastrojohn, Melissa Molerio, Chandler Robyn, Will Rosenfelt, Josh Rubenstein, Annie Sizova, Steven Smith, and Julie Spina.
LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST is adapted and directed by Thomas G. Waites. Set design is by Tekla Monson; costume design is by Jason Vincent; lighting design is by Gilbert Pearto; and props design is by Thomas R. Gordon, also serving as Stage Manager. Roger Cacciotti produces.
Have you been to the Kit-Kat Club, meine Lieblinge? It’s appeared in many places over the years; you can find it in Park Slope right now at Gallery Players. Make yourself comfortable cozying up to the stage at intimate candlelit tables. The regal Emcee and a diverse cast of sizzling entertainers will serenade you. Pay no attention to the impending rise of the Third Reich and violence in the streets. In the Kit-Kat Club, life is beautiful.
The Gallery Players’ excellent production of Cabaret takes a strong stance on the already dark classic. Cabaret examines the fall of the Weimar Republic through the eyes of everyman Clifford (Jonas Barranca), an American tourist searching for inspiration and sexual liberation. Cabaret begins with charming glimpses into the seedy bohemian utopia of Berlin: the surprisingly tolerant spinster landlady, the loose neighbor‘s endless queue of amorous sailors; the thriving queer community; the fading squeaks of the Roaring Twenties party horn. As the story progresses, Clifford falls for Sally Bowles (Erica Lustig), a delightful but self-centered English singer with delusions of stardom.
In this production, director David Thomas Cronin focuses on the real villainy of nationalism via the collective. We witness kindly neighbors, family, and friends yield to prejudice and paranoia. Cabaret delves into homophobia, abortion, and the destruction of democracy.
The lighthearted atmosphere of the first act takes a chilling turn when a swing lowers and a small boy sings the show’s Nationalist anthem, Tomorrow Belongs To Me. The song is revisited as the characters react to the dangerous political climate. The star-crossed romance between Fraülein Schneider (Liz Gurland) and Jewish fruit peddler Herr Schultz (Paul Page) reflects the personal tragedy of xenophobia. Despite Clifford’s growing concerns for their future, Sally blithely refuses to relinquish the bliss of ignorance and privilege.
The enigmatic Emcee, brilliantly played by Brian Levario, dials down the more traditional Greek chorus element and transforms into a ghoulish Pied Piper. The audience, through his interactions, also serves as the cabaret audience, and ultimately a stand-in for passive enablement.
“The role is a great kaleidoscope of the human condition,” says Levario. “The same darkness is creeping into so many of our present national conversations. Our Emcee is not one to see you safely through Berlin, but instead to show you just how through either mass action or inaction, the darkness can win.”
“What we have here is uniquely gritty, audacious, sexy, and…dangerous,” adds Lorinne Lampert, who plays Fraulein Kost, “David has mined every corner of the script to give roundness and clearer motivation to certain secondary characters.”
This proved to be a provocative artistic choice; many thoughtful questions could be heard in the chatter after the show. Cabaret at the Gallery Players is at once a rueful look at the rise of fascism and a cautionary tale.
Cabaret runs at the Gallery Players until 29 September. It is not to be missed, meine Damen und Herren.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 11: Cynthia Erivo attends the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The 71st Tony Awards premiered Sunday, June 11th and took place at Radio City Music Hall here in Manhattan, presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The Tony Award recognizes achievements on Broadway. Although there were mixed emotions regarding the performance from the host, Kevin Spacey, this show was full of outstanding talent.
Along with the talent in the crowd, the fashion was phenomenal. Not only was the Red Carpet full of those in Broadway productions, many other stars, related or unrelated to this industry, were seen there in support — looking fashionable as always, like Chrissy Teigen, who was there in support of her husband, John Legend, as well as Anna Kendrick, a former nominee.
Although there were many stunning looks, here are Downtown’s top 8 looks from the 2017 Tony Awards’ Red Carpet for this week’s Trend Report Tuesday.
Anna Kendrick in Miu Miu
Chrissy Teigen in Pamella Roland
Scarlett Johansson in Michael Kors Collection
Candice Swanepoel in Prabal Gurung
Laura Osnes in Badgley Mischka
Olivia Wilde in Michael Kors Collection
Jenn Colella in Elizabeth Kennedy
Cynthia Erivo in Chris Gelinas
Putting aside the amazing fashion, we would like to congratulate the following Tony winners for their achievement, as well as the other nominees in their categories. Here are the 2017 Tony Awards’ results.
Best Play:Oslo
Best Musical:Dear Evan Hansen
Best Revival of a Musical: Hello, Dolly!
Best Revival of a Play: August Wilson’s Jitney
Best Actress in a Musical: Bette Midler, Hello, Dolly!
Best Actor in a Musical: Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Best Actress in a Play: Laurie Metcalf, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Best Actor in a Play: Kevin Kline, Present Laughter
Best Book of a Musical: Dear Evan Hansen, Steven Levenson
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre: Dear Evan Hansen, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Michael Aronov, Oslo
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Cynthia Nixon, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Gavin Creel, Hello, Dolly!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen
Best Scenic Design of a Play: Nigel Hook, The Play That Goes Wrong
Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Best Costume Design of a Play: Jane Greenwood, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
Best Costume Design of a Musical: Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!
Best Lighting Design of a Play: Christopher Akerlind, Indecent
Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Bradley King, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Best Direction of a Play: Rebecca Taichman, Indecent
Best Direction of a Musical: Christopher Ashley, Come From Away
Best Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand
Best Orchestrations: Alex Lacamoire, Dear Evan Hansen
Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: James Earl Jones
Special Tony Award: Gareth Fry & Pete Malkin, Sound Designers for The Encounter
Regional Theatre Tony Award: Dallas Theater Center, Dallas, TX
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award: Baayork Lee
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre: Nina Lannan, Alan Wasser
Kudos to you all.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images for Tony Awards Production
Broadway celebrates and says farewell to ONCE on Tuesday, January 6th. The night started with a set from Ben Hope and the “Uptown Outfit,” and concluded with songs from ONCE, preformed by the beloved original cast. Ben Hope, the standby for “Guy” for three years running, played with his band the “Uptown Outfit” to start the show off right. The audience then enjoyed performances by original cast members, “Guy,” Paul Alexander Nolan, and “Girl,” Jessie Fischer. This was a night to remember for a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical production that touched the hearts of many. Before the event started DOWNTOWN was able to interview Ben Hope about his acting and musical career.
DOWNTOWN: What made you move from Alabama to NYC?
BH: I got the idea of moving to Manhattan ultimately because of my passion for theatre. In 2005, I finished up at the Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina. My plan was to move back home and figure out the next step. A few days later my friend called me to tell me he had a room open up at his place in NYC. I figured that I wanted to go eventually, so why not go now? It was a spontaneous, but good decision.
DOWNTOWN: What was your musical experience like in Alabama?
BH: I played mainly with my brother and father, they taught me the ropes. I had a band with my buddies in high school, but looking back on it I’m not sure we were all that great. We sort of peaked at our first gig for Miss Hoover High School, which was awesome, there were 4,000 students that attended the high school. We also played at the Alabama Theatre, which is a big venue.
DOWNTOWN: Who are your favorite country artists?
BH: My all time favorite country artist is Garth Brooks. He’s a member of a group of artists called, “The Class of ’89,” the artists who cranked up the Rock ’n Roll side of country and brought it to the forefront.
DOWNTOWN: Do you like any modern country artists?
BH: I am not completely familiar with modern country artists. I currently follow Hayes Carll, he is a great song writer with an awesome gravely voice.
DOWNTOWN: What is the best country song of all time?
BH: Of all time? That’s tough, I don’t think I could pick just one. I would probably say, “Lost Highway” by Hank Williams, “Much Too Young to Feel This Old” by Garth Brooks, or “Grand Tour” by George Jones.
DOWNTOWN: Do you prefer acting over music?
BH: Luckily, I have a degree in musical theatre, so I can combine the two. My theatre career is at a good level, so for now, I am putting it on back burner to focus on music. My goal is to get the band to a place that matches the level of my theatre career. Most of the band is made up of actors, which makes it hard to stay together due to the high demand.
DOWNTOWN: What was your experience with “ONCE”?
BH: It was a dream come true. This was one of the most talented groups of people I have worked with. Everyone was so easy to be around, we appreciated each other on and off stage. We are still all so in love with each other. The last three years working and performing together has made us into a family, it was truly a life-changing experience. It was a higher level of work than I was used to, which created a steady comfort in my life. I was able to get married and live more like an adult than I had before.
DOWNTOWN: What sets “ONCE” aside from other shows?
BH: “ONCE” has a pre-show, which makes it a unique production. It made the story that we melted into relatable for our audience. They could interact with us and then trust us as musicians and actors. This aspect really made for a special night.
DOWNTOWN: Did you have any interesting interactions with audience members during the pre-show?
BH: One thing I will always remember about the pre-show was when DP Kelly would dance with audience members. It was funny to see how they would react. Personally, I found in strange when my mother would come on stage during a pre-show. I would be interacting with audience members that I didn’t know and then be like, “Hey Mom!”
DOWNTOWN: Would your family come to a lot of your shows?
BH: Yes, my family is extremely supportive. If they didn’t live in Alabama they would be at every show. Otherwise, they work very hard to be present.
DOWNTOWN: How long has your band been together?
BH:“Uptown Outfit” has been playing together for five years. Tonight, we have three original members, which is very rare with how hectic all of our careers are. We have a new drummer and base player, who are both awesome.
DOWNTOWN: Where does “Uptown Outfit” typically play?
BH: We play everywhere, we try to spread love to all the boroughs. We play in the East Village, Queens, and Brooklyn. We haven’t played in Staten Island yet, but we are considering it for the future. As a band, we haven’t left the city, but we plan to hit the road late this summer or early this fall.
DOWNTOWN: What are your favorite places in downtown Manhattan?
BH: That’s tough, downtown has a lot to offer. I love the dessert/restaurant bar, Milk. My favorite dessert on the menu is cereal milk ice cream, it tastes exactly like the sugary milk at the end of a bowl of cereal. I am also a big fan of Momofuku, right across the street from Milk.
DOWNTOWN: What is the ideal venue to preform at?
BH: We played at Hank’s Saloon, in Brooklyn. It’s an awesome place, and attracts a crowd that is very fond of our music and country vibes. As a band, we are still kind of learning the best places to play. We have gotten way more love for our music in Manhattan and Queens than expected, since our music genre isn’t the most popular in this area. In the future, we would love to play at Skinny Dennis, in Brooklyn. It fits the dive-bar vibe that we give off as a band. In ten years, we hope to go big, hopefully ending up playing at the Garden.
-Writing and interview courtesy of Deirdre McAndrew
Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham both received Best Actor Tony nominations for their electric performances.
Many of us have wondered what our lives would be like if we found ourselves with an immense fortune. The road to riches normally requires hard work; it’s full of obstacles that must be persevered before fortune can be found. Of course, there are the few cases when a person is born into a fortune, with a silver spoon in their mouths. The legacies of millionaires and royalty face fewer challenges thanks to inheritance passed down to them.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is a story of inheritance earned through wrathful determination. The events of the musical unfold through flashback, as Monty Navarro (Bryce Pinkham) is in a jail cell writing a journal recounting the events leading to the eve of his possible execution. His first recollection begins with his days as a common Englishman in 1907, when he learns his recently deceased mother was an abandoned member of the royal D’Ysquith family. Upon realizing he is ninth in line to inherit the throne of Highhurst, Navarro decides to murder the eight D’Ysquith’s who stand in his way of opulent living.
Gentleman’s Guide was the recipient of four Tony awards at this year’s ceremony out of 10 nominations, more than any other production and taking home the coveted Best Musical and Best Book awards. Each of those victories was well-earned as the musical presents a spectacular display of one man’s greed wrapped in an uproariously funny show.
The musical is a grand showcase for all of its actors. Pinkham conveys Navarro’s diabolic intentions while also giving the audience a view into the character’s conflicted motivations. As he gets closer to his goal, Navarro must also deal with two women vying for his heart. Pinkham plays his one character to perfection, but the entire D’Ysquith family is portrayed by one man (Jefferson Mays), who completely dominates the stage with eight characters, each one funnier and more engaging than the last.
One of the most important aspects of a musical is, of course, the music. The songs of Gentleman’s Guide are just as funny as the dialogue spoken by the characters. The show opens with lyrics warning those in the audience with weak constitutions to leave the theatre, but irony is abound as even the most brutal events of the productions are delivered with punctual comedic timing and catchy tunes that will make you tap your toes, and leave you aghast and laughing all at the same time.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is a near perfect Broadway show. A show characterized by the murders of an entire family seems like an odd fit for a musical comedy, but the production is a perfect blend of foul and funny. Filled with terrific performances and every emotion on the scale of sensation, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder leaves nothing to be desired. The themes of selfishness and death have never been as hysterical as they are here.
Production information:
Walter Kerr Theatre
219 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036
Buy your tickets today.
Visit the A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murderofficial website.
