‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: Corey Cott & McKenzie Kurtz. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL
An original stage musical inspired by the songs of Huey Lewis and the News
Book by Jonathan A. Abrams
Story by Tyler Mitchell & Jonathan A. Abrams
Music supervised, arranged & orchestrated by Brian Usifer
Choreography by Lorin Latarro
Directed by Gordon Greenberg
The James Earl Jones Theatre
138 West 48^th Street
https://heartofrocknrollbway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Jukebox musicals are a gamble. When they actually use the songs of an artist to tell a biographical story, as in Tina or Jersey Boys, they can be amazing musicals. Using the songs of an established pop or rock artist to weave through a narrative that has nothing to do with the artist or his or her story can be risky and tricky. However, sometimes Broadway surprises us with this type of jukebox musical—one that actually works. The Heart of Rock and Roll, “inspired” by the songbook of Huey Lewis and the News, is this type of rare exception. It works in so many ways, from the seamless replication of “golden oldie” Huey Lewis songs from the 1980s to the great performances, nostalgic set and costumes to the colorful, lively choreography.

Set in a Midwest factory in 1987, the story focuses on Bobby (Corey Cott), a factory worker at a cardboard plant who has a rock band called The Loop on the side. He is trying to move up in the company. He tries to break out into corporate sales without the approval of owner Mr. Stone (John Dossett) but ends up getting fired. Mr. Stone’s daughter Cassandra (McKenzie Kurtz) likes Bobby and she tries to get his job back.

Bobby follows Cassandra and his pal and HR director Roz (Tamika Lawrence) to a big meeting in Chicago and attempts to get his job back by obtaining the account of eccentric Swedish furniture store mogul Fjord (Orville Mendoza). Meanwhile, Cassandra’s preppy ex-boyfriend Tucker (Billy Harrigan Tighe) is trying to win her back, and Bobby realizes he wants to go back to his band.

The plot is light and silly, but there is nothing wrong with that for a show that simply exists to entertain. Bobby wants his band to make it big, and Cassandra has designs on becoming the CEO of her father’s company. The real star of the show is, of course, the music, and there are plenty of great opportunities for the cast to sing such Huey Lewis classics as “Hip to Be Square,” “Workin’ for a Livin’,” “Do You Believe in Love?,” “I Want a New Drug,” and many more.

One of the show’s strongest assets is Lorin Latarro’s energetic, visually appealing and complex choreography. Ms. Latarro uses props brilliantly, from having dancers portraying employees sliding on cardboard sheets to one production number in which the cast jumps on Bubble Wrap, and this brings down the house with thunderous applause. Ms. Latarro demonstrates here that she is fast becoming one of Broadway’s most innovative choreographers, right up there in the modern Broadway pantheon with such superb contemporaries as Jerry Mitchell,  Jennifer Weber and Casey Nicholaw.

Director Gordon Greenberg gets great performances from the cast. Corey Cott is the perfect leading man and “jukebox hero” for this show, and his take on Bobby has the audience rooting for him at all times. McKenzie Kurtz is equally endearing as Cassandra, and she is in fine voice here. Also worth noting is the spunky Tamika Lawrence, and her portrayal of no-nonsense Roz is outstanding. Ms. Lawrence has great comic timing and gets many laughs from her delivery of some of the show’s best lines. The Heart of Rock and Roll beats with vivacious life and is one of the nicest surprises of the spring 2024 season.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 14, 2024
Reviewed at May 2, 2024 press  performance

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: (center, left to right) Billy Harrigan Tighe, McKenzie Kurtz & Zoe Jensen. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: Corey Cott. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: Corey Cott, Raymond J. Lee, John-Michael Lyles & F. Michael Haynie. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL’: John Dossett & McKenzie Kurtz. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘PARADISE SQUARE’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

PARADISE SQUARE
Book by Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare
Choreography by Bill T. Jones
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.ParadiseSquareMusical.com

By David NouNou

It’s certainly not the lack of a good storyline that plagues Paradise Square. It has a riveting and compelling story, but the book hammers and repeats itself again and again. In case you missed it in the book, the score will hammer it some more, and if you still missed it, the repetitive choreography will tap, stomp and body slap the message home.

Paradise Square is a fictionalized historical version set in the Five Points area in Lower Manhattan and the events leading up to the violent Draft Riots of 1863 that started as immigrant protests against the Civil War draft, but then turned to violent attacks against the Blacks. As I mentioned earlier, it is a complex and riveting tale, but it is presented quite heavy-handedly.

Nelly Freeman O’Brien (Joaquina Kalukango) is a Black owner of a saloon—left to her by her father who was a slave—in the Five Points. Nelly is married to a white military Irishman, Willy O’Brien (Matt Bogart) who helps her run the saloon until he is drafted. Matt’s sister Annie Lewis (Chilina Kennedy) is married to Reverend Samuel Jacob Lewis (Nathaniel Stampley), Nelly’s brother. The four share the duties to run the saloon. The saloon is open to all immigrants, people of all races down on their luck and even prostitutes. Nelly is the leader of Five Points and a mother figure that makes sure everyone is welcome.

Reverend Samuel takes in a runaway slave and changes his name to Washington Henry (Sidney DuPont), a man who allegedly killed his master in Tennessee. The reverend keeps Washington hidden to protect him. Add to the mix Annie Lewis’ nephew from Ireland, Owen Duignan (A. J. Shively), a recent immigrant who also needs lodging. Washington and Owen end up dancing in the saloon to pay for their stay. Of course, in every Garden of Eden, there is a snake; here, he is a boss man and elected official, Frederic Tiggens (John Dossett). He is the man that will blow Paradise Square by destroying the bond between the Blacks and the Irish.

There is a lot to digest here, but the story isn’t as convoluted as it sounds once you get to meet the characters. It’s that their tale is repeated again and again through the book, score and dance numbers. The book meanders, the score is unmemorable, and Bill T. Jones delivers some excellent dance steps, but they keep recurring with every song and it gets monotonous after the fifth round. Moises Kaufman’s direction doesn’t add much but moves characters from one end of the stage to the other, and from upstage to downstage and reverse.

However, all is not lost. The incandescent, dynamic powerhouse Joaquina Kalukango blows the roof off the theatre with her soaring voice and heartbreaking, gutsy performance. She has a lovely opening number entitled “Paradise Square,” and her final song “Let It Burn” is theatrical history in the making. Her emotion-packed delivery of the song thrills the audience and they erupt with thunderous applause. Last year, she was nominated for a Tony for Slave Play. This year, she has to be the shoe-in to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 4, 2022
Reviewed at May 3, 2022 performance.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: (left to right) Joaquina Kalukango, Nathaniel Stampley, Chilina Kennedy & the cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango & Matt Bogart. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Ellis Quinn, Chloe Davis & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Sidney DuPont & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Chilina Kennedy & Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: A.J. Shively. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Colin Barkell & Garrett Coleman. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Nathaniel Stampley & Chilina Kennedy. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Kevin Dennis, John Dossett (5th & 6th from left), A.J. Shively (6th from right) & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

Video clips from Paradise Square

The post ‘Paradise Square’: Blacks & Irish in 1863 NYC appeared first on StageZine.

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & Patti LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

WAR PAINT
Book by Doug Wright
Music by Scott Frankel
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Directed by Michael Greif
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(877-250-2929), www.warpaintmusical.com

By David NouNou

Due to a scheduling mix-up, I had the good fortune to see War Paint as the last show of the season. After seeing so many movies turned into mediocre musicals, I can honestly say it was a thrill to enjoy this gem of an original musical. I am not saying it’s perfect, but for an audience that can remember the wonderful musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, this is as close as you can get to such wonderful heights.

With a witty book by Doug Wright, an excellent melodic score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie (all three of Grey Gardens fame) and deft direction by Michael Greif, they have created a highly entertaining musical about world-renowned cosmeticians Helena Rubinstein (Patti LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Christine Ebersole).

Rubinstein was from a Polish shtetl and Arden came from a poor farm in Ontario, Canada. Both women came to America and reinvented themselves as the prima donnas of beauty. Madame Rubinstein, as she became known, catered to wealthy European immigrants, while Arden catered to New York society. They competed with each other for more than 50 years, never having met, but they revolutionized the beauty industry. In addition, they were the only females who owned their own businesses at the time. They had their ups and downs and unfortunately for them, they didn’t know when it was time to change with the times. When things were being re-branded for the young market, they clung to their “exclusive” roots.

I did mention earlier this is not a perfect musical and that’s because the two protagonists never met.  You have these two magnificent titans and there is no conflict between them; they just refer to each other as “the other one.”When you think of Grey Gardens, the two women were constantly together, thus creating the friction. Here you have two giants who live parallel lives and they don’t intersect, thus creating a vacuum.

However, when you have two legendary actresses the likes of Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, there is little to fret about the vacuum. These women know how to manipulate a line and an audience. Their presence and outstanding vocal gifts fill any gaps in the story line. Their performances are award worthy; they recently both received Tony nominations for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and deservedly so. I only wish that the score was nominated as well. Mr. Greif, the director, got the nomination for Dear Evan Hansen.

War Paint earned two additional nominations for the lovely costumes by Catherine Zuber and a sublime set by David Korins. Thanks to Mr. Korins, audiences finally get to see a realized set that moves like a Swiss watch and not some tacky cheap set that is moved by actors or stagehands. That was the norm back in Broadway’s golden years, with sets that moved effortlessly and transported you to another world. Thanks to War Paint and its creators and designers and especially to Ms. LuPone and Ms. Ebersole, we are transported again.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 4, 2017
Reviewed at performance on May 3, 2017

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Pattil LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: (left to right) Jennifer Rias, Steffanie Leigh, Christine Ebersole, Mary Claire King, Stephanie Jae Park. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Douglas Sills & Patti LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Douglas Sills & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

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