Drama-queens.net

By Robert Greene

The world is starting to see the light – through the grit – but still seeing it. In fits and starts as well as planned change we are now looking to heel our bodies.

Bodies, here, can be euphemistic many times over.

We have polluted the main body – the earth; we have polluted our government with a war and crippling inflation; we have polluted out minds with Internet imagery; and there is no doubt we have polluted our own bodies. Whether it is through the inertia of slothful inactivity or ingesting harmful chemicals or tortured animals (I’ll have my antibiotic-filled hamburgers super-sized, please), we are hurting ourselves and want to stop.

Enter The Magic Apothecary. Creating a line of hand made products that – through herbal properties and aromatherapy – will help you heel.

Heel can be euphemistic many times over.

The Magic Apothecary is a line of soaps, bath products, oils, incense, candles, and meditations designed to empower you to better living. Named after ancient deities long associated with various strengths and powers, these simple handcrafted items, mixed with your own desire for better health and happiness, assist in your body’s natural desires for everything from courage to calm.

Each bar of soap, each candle, each bag of incense is handmade with real ingredients. Real herbs from bay leaves to chickweed and genuine essential oils including the likes of Rose of Damascus (a rare and expensive item in and of itself) are found in each. Each shower or bath opens your senses to the properties in these herbs; each mediation over a candle or incense fills your soul with the temperament of that particular god or goddess.

Make no mistake, The Apothecary’s weight-loss soap bar or her scented love candle will not magically make you thin and popular; the money soap and High-John the Conqueror candle will not get you the job at HBO, but the herbs in them will help strengthen your natural resolve to pull the god or goddess out of you. Sometimes all we need is that special aroma or texture to make us say, “I deserve it.”

Skeptics abound, even within the very community that supports such ideologies, so I asked a few of her clients (without telling them why). I got these comments:
Bob of Brooklyn said had been alone for far-too long. He bought a love kit and now he and his girlfriend are very happy (she just met mother); Mitch from The Bronx remarked on how he was living from paycheck to paycheck. He showered with the money soap until he could see the penny in the center of the bar. A loan came through enabling him to move to a better apartment; and even deeper, is Pat from PA – recently diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy – was allergic to most lotions and perfumes, so the burn of her treatment seemed unstoppable. She was able to sooth her chemo-seared skin with The Magic Apothecary’s Moon bar … safely, naturally.

The Magic Apothecary does not have a product that washes away skepticism but at costs below similar chemically made, factory-produced, store-bought items… what’s the harm? And she even supplies certificates of authenticity with her merchandise.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie at The Narrows Community Theatre, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

Reviewed by Amy M. Frateo

Agatha Christie is arguably one of the finest mystery writers of our time. She has given us intricate plots and twists that always leave them gasping … if not screaming… on stage and in the audience. Narrows Community Theatre delivered just such a scream/laugh/gasp night with its version of Christie’s “And Then There Were None.” How PC of them to NOT call it “Ten Little Indians” and to have the famed rhyme be ten soldier boys.

First a bravo is to be given to the 35+ year-old company for delivering a classic drama when so many companies of its ilk stick to all tuners for their season.
The next bravo is to director George Ferencz for bringing a generally brisk (act one plodded just a bit) paced night of murder and mayhem and for some nice stage pictures.

The plot is all too well-known: bunch of pedestrian ne’er-do-wells invited to a lonely island where they are picked-off according to a nursery rhyme (of course kids are warped with rhymes like “ten little soldier boys” and “rock-a-bye baby”). The fun is in the condemned company’s reactions and deductions.

Toshi Nakayama & Anne Govin as the Itos, the manor’s faithful retainers played it camp thus lighting the mood and setting us up for intermittent laughs. The parts seemed written for older actors as the reactions (such as Mr. Ito’s decision to keep working after his wife is found murdered) seemed meant for those of another era. This made it hard for Nakayama & Govin to come across as real as the other characters but the two supplied a nice humorous set-up for the story. Equally camp was Rob Aloi as the bumbling seaman escorting the guests to their doom. Aloi’s bug-eyed glances and bugs bunny style exits again harkened back to a campier time.
The lovers – and there has to be at least one pair – were played commandingly by Dain Alexandra & William Doyle. Here we have solid murder-mystery characterizations complete with blunt honesty from the heroic Doyle and damsel-in-distress jitters from Alexandra. Their characters were sturdy enough to make them visible even in the background.

As Marston, the weaselly wise-guy, Rocco Buonpane was really excellent. Tough-guy tones and ugly jacket, Buonpane turned the camp to gallows humor and – as the first to suffer at the hands of the mysterious killer, Mr. U.N. Owen (or unknown) – set the pace nicely for the rest of the night.

It is the first rule of the murder play that each death must be rationalized as to prepare the audience in a Greek tragedy sort of way. This production gave us twists and turns allowing us to usher each victim to their deaths. David Forsyth as the in-disguise private detective commanded the stage. He came out strong giving us a hard-bitten cop on a case but showed his cowardly side by the third act; Ted Lewis as the grief-stricken military man added a new twist by making him shell-shocked, creating a wild mad-scene for him; Dawn Barry gave a us a Hitchcockian Mrs. Brent complete with bible-belting solo all to cover her evil heart; Larry Gutman’s Dr. Armstrong was the tensest nerve specialist you will ever meet, complete with his own mad-scene done under great mood lighting of practical lights and candles; and Al Whidden’s soft-spoken almost timid Judge Wargrave masked a powerful revelation in latter moments. Whidden’s presence was solid and compelling, and the scenes with him, Doyle and Alexandra were the best of the night.

The set was a bit big for the stage impeding some of the company’s movement; the lighting, when sparse was terrific, but lost the atmosphere when up to full; the costumes implied a modernized production but did not root us exactly where, which was most likely intentional, giving us an unconfined vantage to identify.

The title of community theatre has taken a beating over the last generation or so. Happily, NCT brings us back to it’s real meaning: quality theatre and affordable prices for the cultural betterment of the community. After seeing this production and their rousing “Music Man” last season, the community is certainly better for their presence.

The Bronx Opera’s spring season at Lehman College and Hofstra University

by Mitchell S. Liegh
So here’s the pitch: Max and Leo want to put on an opera. They need money so they call a gangster type to front them the bucks. He wants his two molls to be the stars. One is a tough chick covering her rough edges in furs, diamonds and phony accents, the other is a blonde glittery bimbo with plenty of chest … voice. No, this is not The Producers 2: Deep Throat Culture, this is The Bronx Opera’s 40th anniversary send-up of itself in the form of Mozart’s quickie romp, The Impresario. The production, under the direction of Ben Spierman, hands us a Carol Burnett sketch with perfect pitch. Ed Friedman and Mathew Rzomp play a Bialystock & Bloom of the classical circuit complete with sharp to-the-audience quibs by Friedman followed by high-pitched exclamations and innuendos by Rzomp. It is a tribute to the actors that the oldest of jokes seemed perfect in this setting. The boys were almost outshined by a terrific performance by Gary Giardina as the corporate capo with a taste for the sopranos – pardon the pun. And as the sopranos: two excellent actresses with really impressive pipes. Katherine Wessinger teased the audience more than her hair with her dumb-blonde take on the second mistress wowing them with her lovely voice, but Nicole Lee Aiossa wins the night as the grande dam of the opera complete with rapid-fire delivery and a genuinely beautiful and enthralling voice.

The back stage set seemed too bare and would have been helped if maybe we saw the lighting instruments thereby making the excellent lighting seem part of the action.

Laugh at all the demeaning comments made in the translation (also by Spierman) about The Bronx Opera and then go home and think about it. Clever very clever.

The second of the double bill was Pagliacci, utilizing the stage wonderfully as the theatre was transformed into a band shell somewhere in a borough park. The story of Pagliacci, which comes straight from a police desk blotter as the playbill synopsis implies, fitting perfectly into the modernized translation. A few moments of suspension of disbelief are needed but nothing that stops the enjoyment or the story.

This highly recognizable opera tells us of a commedia style theatre troupe and the lead performer’s discovery of his cheating wife. The eventual accusation and grim finale is played out “on stage” during one of the free shows. Considering its era and its “ripped from the headlines” nature, it seems to fit with France’s Grand Guignol of the same era.

Roger Ohlsen delivers a terrific performance as the clown with the broken heart. His rendition of the opera’s famed aria was breathtaking.  Matthew Rzomp returns and stands out in this piece in the somewhat thankless role of Beppe; Jenny Searles and Jeremy Moore played the conspiring lovers brilliantly. Moore’s inner character life made his presence undeniable, even when skulking in the background. Jerett Gieseler opened the show for us and then became the undesirable Tonio filled with leers and shifty-eyed glances.

The company double-casts its works and word is the standouts of the other cast are Kirsten Chambers as Nedda, the unfaithful spouse, and Juan Jose Ibarra as the damaged Tonio. Accolades on the entire production were made but special mention goes to these two.

The production scheme implies that this company brings gorgeous works to those who cannot normally afford to see them… and they are beloved for it. Cry at the pagliacco’s pain, and then go home and think about it. Clever very clever.

Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Grant Winner Conducts Opening Night of The Bronx Opera’s Spring Productions

Major League Baseball VP Elizabeth Scott wields the baton for modernized versions of The Impresario and Pagliacci –
two great classics presented in ENGLISH. Opening May 9 at Lehman College’s Lovinger Theatre.

In The Bronx:
8:00 p.m., Friday & Saturday, May 9 & 10
The Lovinger Theatre @ Lehman College (718) 960-8833

In Hempstead, Long Island:
Friday & Saturday, May 16 & 17
Friday @ 8:00 p.m. Saturday @ 2:00 p.m.
John Cranford Adams Playhouse @ Hofstra University
(516) 463-6644. Tickets can be purchased online at www.tickets.com

Productions directed by Benjamin Spierman
Michael Spierman & Elizabeth Scott, conductors
Log on to www.BronxOpera.org for further information

Elizabeth Scott, newest recipient of the prestigious Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Assistant Conductor Grant will open the final productions of The Bronx Opera’s 40th season on May 9, 2008 at Lehman College’s Lovinger Theatre. Another Bronx Opera assistant conductor, Eric Kramer, is also a recipient this year, a rare occurrence. An interesting note is that Ms. Scott is a vice president for Major League Baseball, so when she is not at the Bronx music halls dealing with scores; she is at Yankee Stadium doing the same.

The productions under Ms. Scott’s baton will be Mozart’s The Impresario and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. The season opened at the top of 2008 with Orpheus in the Underworld.

Making classical opera accessible by performing them in English has been a trademark of The Bronx Opera for 40 years. The two opera-world favorites at Lehman College in The Bronx (May 9 & 10) and Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island (May 16 & 17)

The assistant conductors will be known for the 2008-09 season as holding the Bruno Walter Conductor’s Chair. This is the sixth year of awarding Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Emerging Conductor Chair awards. The purpose of this annual program is to highlight the importance of assistant conductor positions as essential mentoring and learning experiences for emerging conductors. In this time when potential opportunities for emerging conductors may be diminishing, the Foundation believes it is important to take a leadership role in assisting institutions and assistant conductors by highlighting the importance of these positions to the training and careers of our future orchestral leadership. The Foundation also wishes to encourage the development of training and mentoring programs for assistant conductors. These grants are intended to remind musicians and the general public of the invaluable contribution Maestro Walter made during his lifetime to opera, symphonic music and the training of young conductors.

Mozart’s The Impresario, Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo. In The Bronx: Friday, May 9, 2008 @ 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 10, 2008 @ 8:00 p.m. at The Lovinger Theatre @ Lehman College. In Hempstead, Long Island: Friday, May 16, 2008 @ 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 17, 2008 @ 2:00 p.m. at The John Cranford Adams Playhouse of Hofstra University.

Meredith Willson wrote of his childhood in a small town in Iowa nearly one hundred year ago in a musical which is now fifty years old and featured artists, some of which are gone from the Broadway skyline for decades, but the art and the heart is still as pungent now as it ever was in The Music Man.

The Narrows Community Theatre’s production of the grand old musical was a sweet trip down theatrical memory lane.

Director J. Michaels paints for us a Norman Rockwell style picture complete with angel faced bad boys chasing precocious ribbon wearing girls while round faced townsfolk look on in bewilderment. Just like a good Rockwell, he added deep-in-the-heart subplots and his own healthy dash of slapstick physical humor. He does this all with a cast of over 40 people … and does this beautifully.

The play opens with a countrified Greek chorus of traveling salesmen who in a dizzying patter piece done acapella tell not only the story that is about to unfold but also how the world is now changing in this new (20th) century. The irony is if you listen closely, and change Biscuits to TV and Ford Model Ts to ipod and iphones, the parable might evoke what we are feeling now in this new (21st) century. The curtains swing open fiercely to reveal a singing dancing town of stubborn Iowans who are about to have their world turned upside down by the presence of a two-bit symbol salesman who plans on selling them music they don’t need. The titular role of Professor Harold Hill – the “music man” – was played to perfection by John Stillwaggon. Breaking the mode of the dark-haired stranger and replacing it with a sharpie with movie star countenance, Stillwaggon presents a very real Harold Hill whose mercenary demeanor is covered by an irresistible well-planned charm. The second act’s change in character for Hill is a subtle transformation that is totally believable. His love-interest is Marion the Librarian played by the operatic voiced Megan Taylor. She proves a perfect foil to the greedy train traveller as Taylor presents a sadder wiser Marion in public but whose attempt at holding on to her dreams is at times heartwarming and heartbreaking. Michael Ruocco as Hill’s on-again off-again accomplice in crime, Marcellus, is pure comic joy. All arms and legs, Ruocco evokes the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz – delightfully dimwitted while worldly-wise all along.

Hill’s targets are all terrific rural style characters: Denise Higgins-Regan hands us a clever Mrs. Paroo filled with Ethel Merman vigor and Mary Martin charm; Cliff Hesse’s Mayor Shinn looked and sounded like the best of Gilbert and Sullivan, hoisting malapropos and turning red thereafter; Claudia Gilchrist’s Mrs. Shinn was far more ladylike thus her transition at the end that much more exciting and Mike Raymond and Michelle Rabbani glide across the stage as an enjoyable MGM musical couple as Tommy and Zaneeta. Mike Whalen, Dustin Cross, Chris Robin, and Eric Pratt are truly hilarious as the singing school board. Whalen as the over the top high tenor was wildly funny while the silliness of Cross and Pratt was cued up by Robin’s befuddled round face. And out of the mouths of babies often come gems with exuberant Timothy Sundholm’s Winthrop stealing many a scene from all except Allison-Frances Johnson as Amaryllis whose flare for comedy was evident. (The second weekend brought Griffin Brackley to the stage as Winthrop. Brackley gave us depth and charm and talent far beyond his years).

The Pick-A-Little Ladies lead by Ann Gubbiotti and the agile Bieje Chapman were a perfect comedic bird complete with Chareen Meeks fanning tail; and Bryan Sotomayor as Charlie Cowell reminded us of every villain from every Charlie Chaplin movie complete with thick beard make-up and bowler hat.

The massive ensemble seemed to be having great fun running and double-taking through some of musical theatre’s most beloved tunes including a show-stopping “Trouble in River City” which – sincerely – is the best I have seen of this number; and the parade of children dancing in unison is a great tribute to choreographer Michael Fascianella, who supplied some truly joyous moves. Musical directors Kristen Rosenfeld and Chris Kong (who played and conducted the show) brought out the best in this huge complement of people. Assistant directors Eric Fitzgerald (who designed, built, and even executed the Saturday Evening Post cover set and scene changes) and Sarah “Sam” Pincus (omnipresent in the dance numbers, undoubtedly as an unofficial dance captain) are to be congratulated for being an integral part and not just unknown back-up. The stage was awash in hats and feathers and bows, collars and watches and vests, all thanks to some truly amazing work by Marialana Ardolino, Kathryn Stein, and Sona Sood, and Denise Higgins-Regan. Adding to this were actual trombones through a fine ensemble of musicians (including Jeff Arzberger, Walter Birkhold, Ryan King, and Min Ho Shin).

At the final scene (don’t read this if you don’t know the ending by now) as the River City parents were poised to congratulate and photograph their children’s attempt at music, the townsfolk of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, each raised their cameras to snap a moment of their own kids, friends, and family. And with that, the message of the play was clear: happiness has its own tune that so few can truly hear … unless they listen with an open heart. River City heard it. Bay Ridge apparently did too.

Narrows Community Theatre presents a full season of productions at the lovely Theatre at St. Patrick’s. Bay Ridge is a bit of a schlep but with ticket prices criminally cheap and free parking, it’s worth the Belt Parkway or a ride on the R, which, like the number 8 at River City junction was late again… or was it early.

Two Tablespoons of Crazy
Written by Julian Rojas  Directed by Shaun S. Orbin
Thursday & Friday, October 4 & 5 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, October 6 & 7 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
$15 all seats  The Crowne Theatre at The Producers Club
358 West 44th Street  South side of West 44th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues
Closest subway: A, C, E to 42nd Street. Exit 44th Street.
Reservations: 1.256.874.2795

NEW YORK – Loving, liking, and living in the 21st Century in Julian Rojas’ new play, TWO TABLESPOONS OF CRAZY presented by the young artists of Test Tube Productions and directed by Shaun S. Orbin. The limited one-weekend engagement will be at Manhattan’s familiar setting for new works, The Producers Club.

Two Tablespoons concerns the friendships, relationships, and everything in between of long-time roommates Jason, Julius, Gaspar, and Illeana, and their friendships, relationships, and everything in between with Leandro, Vida, and Jaimito. The realities and fantasies of these seven souls spin interweaving plots and subplots designed to ask the question, what is the sanity level needed to live in the world of today… the answer may surprise you. The cast includes Paige Fockler, Adam Feingold, Kahlil Gonzalez-Garcia, Jason Cutler, Sarah Shaefer, Adam Wofle, Eric Cole, and playwright Julian Rojas as Leandro. Test Tube is a new theatrical company operating under the umbrella of The Field Organization ( www.thefield.org) so donations made to Test Tube Productions are tax deductible. Checks should be payable to The Field with “Test  Tube Productions” written on the memo line.

Test Tube Productions is a multimedia company established by artists to produce and support all other artists with an honest and true vision and voice. Test Tube Productions understands the needs of the 21st century arts professional and is committed to producing not only theatre and film but also who are reaching out to musicians, poets, dancers, and other fine artists to create a platform for expression – regardless of the particular medium.