#1
Posted: 2/23/05 at 5:03am
(excerpts from my published review)
The Toronto premiere production is being presented by Hot Feat Productions in association with Morris Berchard for a limited run at the Bathurst Street Theatre. It’s the perfect setting for this decidedly offbeat, campy show.
From the opening moments where he cavorts around the darkened stage in the buff, through to the late show moments when he shows off his buff bod, Jay T. Schramek perfectly plays the titular fledermaus. It’s a wonderfully athletic performance – he even sings while hanging upside down at one point, without it ever affecting the quality and control of his voice. He does get some of the more absurd moments in the show including a lament for dead cow and a bizarrely comic number where learns manners from his adopted family.
The family is equally well played. Laura Caswell as the teen-aged daughter who eventually falls in love with bat Boy has a wonderfully strong voice and a winsome stage presence making even the most absurd situations believable. Jayne Lewis brings a wonderful “June Cleaver-esque” take on the family matriarch, subtly manipulating her husband with empty promises of rekindling their faded love.
In the role of the husband David Rosser offers a strong voice and a nicely shaded performance that conceals the character’s evil intents. In fact all the voices here are strong and enunciate O’Keefe’s wordy lyrics with good diction. It helps that the sound design balances the singers nicely with the five-member Bat Boy Band, conducted by Bob Foster.
Director Michael McGinn does a good job keeping the action moving at a crisp pace and works in several “inside” jokes. The second act number “Children Children” with Duff MacDonald as Pan is five of the funniest moments in musical theatre this city has ever witnessed. Unfortunately, after this, the script begins to run out of steam as the plot begins to meander though a number of strange twists that neither McGinn nor his cast can quite compensate for. Still the excellent musical values and the solid performances go a long way towards redeeming the show.
The Toronto premiere production is being presented by Hot Feat Productions in association with Morris Berchard for a limited run at the Bathurst Street Theatre. It’s the perfect setting for this decidedly offbeat, campy show.
From the opening moments where he cavorts around the darkened stage in the buff, through to the late show moments when he shows off his buff bod, Jay T. Schramek perfectly plays the titular fledermaus. It’s a wonderfully athletic performance – he even sings while hanging upside down at one point, without it ever affecting the quality and control of his voice. He does get some of the more absurd moments in the show including a lament for dead cow and a bizarrely comic number where learns manners from his adopted family.
The family is equally well played. Laura Caswell as the teen-aged daughter who eventually falls in love with bat Boy has a wonderfully strong voice and a winsome stage presence making even the most absurd situations believable. Jayne Lewis brings a wonderful “June Cleaver-esque” take on the family matriarch, subtly manipulating her husband with empty promises of rekindling their faded love.
In the role of the husband David Rosser offers a strong voice and a nicely shaded performance that conceals the character’s evil intents. In fact all the voices here are strong and enunciate O’Keefe’s wordy lyrics with good diction. It helps that the sound design balances the singers nicely with the five-member Bat Boy Band, conducted by Bob Foster.
Director Michael McGinn does a good job keeping the action moving at a crisp pace and works in several “inside” jokes. The second act number “Children Children” with Duff MacDonald as Pan is five of the funniest moments in musical theatre this city has ever witnessed. Unfortunately, after this, the script begins to run out of steam as the plot begins to meander though a number of strange twists that neither McGinn nor his cast can quite compensate for. Still the excellent musical values and the solid performances go a long way towards redeeming the show.
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
