Haubenstock Hallelujah

Posted by Bruce Miller

I woke up this morning to good news in the Richmond Times-Dispatch! Guys and Dolls earned its first rave.

Under the headline "Rendition of Popular Musical Full of Dreamy Performances," Susan Haubenstock wrote:

"Finally it comes: the first notes of 'Fugue for Tinhorns,' sung in the new Barksdale-at-Empire production by the supremely gifted Jason Marks. Harmonized and counterpointed by the grittier voices of Landon Nagel and David Malachai Becker, the song is the signal for the treat about to come."

"It's the 1950 Frank Loesser / Abe Burrows / Jo Swerling hit based on Damon Runyon's tales of New York touts and tarts. And in Patti D'Beck's luscious staging, it's a summer dream, set in a Candyland-pallette Manhattan (even the sewer is lollipop-colored) with cheerful lighting by Lynne M. Hartman. Ron Keller's scenic elements cleverly spin, slide and unfold as D'Beck takes us through a fantasy New York where the Save-a-Soul Mission can actually convert a hard-boiled gambler."

I LOVE great reviews, particularly when the show is as deserving as this production of Guys and Dolls. We have approximately 15,000 seats available for sale this summer, and we have high hopes of filling them all.

Here are quotes we'll be excerpting from Suzie's review:

"Irresistible!
One blockbuster number after the next.

Fabulous Throughout ~ A Summer Dream
A Lovely Performance *** A Fantasy New York
Flashy! Snappy! Supremely Gifted!
Perfect!"

We hope you'll make your plans now to join us this summer for this "especially noteworthy" (one last Haubenstock hallelujah) classic American musical. I know you'll be glad you did!

--Bruce Miller

Haubenstock Heaps Huzzahs

The first critic has spoken:

“Splendid!

Fine Performance / Perfect Balance

Irene Ziegler, as the nun, and Duke Lafoon, as the priest, must dance on a razor’s edge of morality; in fact, they virtually leap and pirouette in their verbal warfare.

Produced with blinding clarity under the direction of Keri Wormald

Won the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize in 2005

It is healthier, safer, better always to Doubt!”

--Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Coffee & Conversations on Tuesday Morning 2/12

Posted by Jessica Daugherty

Coffee & Conversations Tomorrow at 9:30 AM

Critically Speaking:
A Look Inside the Minds of Richmond's Theatre Critics

Panel:
Susan Haubenstock
Mary Burrus
Dave Timberline
Joan Tupponce

Moderator: Jill Bari Steinberg

Tuesday, February 12
9:30-10:30 AM at Willow Lawn
Open to the public. No RSVP required.
Suggested $3 Donation includes Rostov’s Coffee, Hot Tea and Pastries

Reviewers Hail Boogie Woogie Blockbuster

Posted by John Steils

The first two reviews are in for Swingtime Canteen and we couldn’t be happier.

On Richmond.com, Joan Tupponce raves ...

“Magical!

Set in an Air Force concert in 1944 London, the musical revue includes more than 30 sentimental hits made famous by everyone from The Andrews Sisters to The Benny Goodman Band.

The five actresses – Jan Guarino, Vilma Gil, Katrinah Carol Lewis, Debra Wagoner and Audra Honaker – are as adept at belting out a high-powered tune as they are at easing into a nostalgic ballad.

A Hoot! Right-on-the-Money! An Absolute Delight!

A finger snappin’, hands clappin’, toe tappin’ musical!
A Swingin’ Good Time!!

Perfection!”

--Joan Tupponce, Richmond.com

At the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Susan Haubenstock adds her appreciation …

“Swingtime Hums with Music!

It’s London, 1944, and five American lovelies are putting on a USO concert to boost Air Force morale.

Swingtime Canteen brings back some great songs from the Big Band era, along with some lesser-known gems. It’s heart is the GREAT MUSIC.

Cute! Fresh Faced! Entertaining!

Don’t get much better than this!”

--Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Tickets are going fast, so if you or yours would like to join us over the holidays for this boogie-woogie blockbuster, call the Barksdale Box Office today at 282-2620. You’ll be glad you did.

--John Steils

Propping Up "The Odd Couple"

How nice it was to see a prop gain attention in Susan Haubenstock’s rave review of The Odd Couple, now playing at Barksdale Hanover Tavern. “Terrie Powers and David Powers provide the shabby Manhattan apartment set, with the requisite swinging door to the kitchen,” Haubenstock comments in the Times-Dispatch. “There’s even an A&P grocery bag for authenticity.”

Well, actually there are three, sitting jauntily upstage center as the curtain rises (if we had a curtain), filled with authentic-looking garbage from the mid-60s. Judging from his rubbish, Oscar Madison has a bit of a sweet tooth (Junior Mints, Little Debbie Snack Cakes) and limited cooking ambitions (lots of crushed Campbell’s Soup cans, Lays chips bags, and empty egg cartons). He also seems to enjoy the occasional drink.

But what about those A&P bags? I decided to go directly to the source—the brother/sister design team of Terrie and David Powers.

“Actually they’re Ukrop’s bags,” confessed Terrie, “but I turned them inside out, removed the paper handles, ironed them, and then glued vintage A&P logos onto each bag. Including the staining (I wanted each bag to look like it had been there for a while, so I ‘painted’ grease stains onto the appropriate places), the three bags took me about five hours.”

“I didn’t know at first what grocery chains would be appropriate for mid-60s Manhattan, so I went on-line to research grocery trends during that period. I learned that A&P was a market leader in Manhattan throughout the mid- and late-60s. And when I researched A&P logos, I eventually found the 1964 logo that we’re using. Luck was with me. The vintage logo is red, orange and yellow (the one pictured above is slightly newer and all red). The orange and yellow worked perfectly because those colors and shades are in sync with the color palette I’m using throughout the set.”

“I transferred the logo onto Picasa, the image system I use on my computer, and blew it up to the correct size, adjusting the colors to be sure they didn’t fade as the image enlarged. I then printed the logos, cut them out and adhered them to each bag.”

“The part I hadn’t counted on was how wrinkled the bags would become as I turned them inside out. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t flip them without the wrinkles. So that’s when I decided to iron the bags, mainly so that the logos would adhere properly. With just a little bit of steam, the ironing worked perfectly. After gluing the logos on, I ironed them too, until they really conformed to the bags’ surface.”

As producers, we’re so appreciative of the hard work of our props staff. Our directors and casts need no “propping up,” but our productions do. Jay Dempsey’s props for Into the Woods, and Terrie’s props for The Odd Couple and the upcoming Disney’s High School Musical, show just how much can be achieved by going the extra mile.

When you go to The Odd Couple, take a minute to notice the 1964 Manhattan White Pages that sits on the downstage phone table. That was about a 6-hour project, and it’s authentic in its appearance, complete with cover ads for the New York World’s Fair.

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller