Tonight's Lowdermilk reading at Makor (Fraser, Arden, Bolger)

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 8:50am

I'm surprised that this has flown under to radar all this time, given the way folks dote on that Arden fellow.

Music and Lyrics by Brian Lowdermilk
Book and Lyrics by Kait Kerrigan
Add’l Book and Concept by Zach Altman

Featuring:

ALISON FRASER (The Secret Garden, Romance/Romance)
MICHAEL ARDEN (Bare, Big River)
SARA CHASE (Boston’s Bat Boy)
JOHN HERRERA (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Man of La Mancha)
CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee)

Sunday, April 3, 7:00 p.m.
At Makor, 35 West 67th Street
(between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue)


Tickets are $15 and can be ordered online under

"Theatre" at http://www.makor.org or by calling [phone].

I bought my ticket a few weeks ago, when I heard it was to star ALISON FRASER!! I love Celia and Michael both, but seeing Alison in a musical is a bit more rare these days. And she is among my favorite ladies of the theatre. From what I've read and heard so far, the show should be pretty impressive on its own merit. You can listen to some of the music at

http://www.brianlowdermilk.com/sambrown.htm

Wow, I just realized I'll be seeing both the original TRINA and the original MENDEL today, and technically the original MARVIN too if you count "In Trousers". I'm ushering the matinee of Chitty (in which Chip Zien is fabulous), then hauling ass to Makor for the reading. anyone else going?
Updated On: 4/3/05 at 08:50 AM

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:42am

I really wanted to go, but I can't make it. I love Michael and I think Brian Lowdermilk is an amazing composer. Post a review after the show

[Trisky]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:48am

Flown under the radar? Oh no, no my friend... plans for that made quite a bit ago.

Though I fear I already know the ending if it's the same show (with a different title now) that Michael spoke about at one of his concerts.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 12:33pm

not only will I post a review, I'll wear a silly hat while I do it! I had a bowler hat. and a wife. but I digress.

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 3:11pm

Yeah- no flying under the radar here, either.

Expect a review.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 4:31pm

Lowdermilk is really going to be going places. And though I love Fraser, the recording of her singing in "The Woman Upstairs" on Brian's website is pretty horrendous. She must have been sick or something, b/c she doesn't normally sound like that. Wish I lived in NY!

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 4:35pm

I <3 Michael Arden, Alison Fraser, and Celia Keenan- Bolger SO much. But I can't go tonight and I'm very sad.
It never occurred to me that when living in New York, one cant just SEE EVERYTHING all the TIME.

[bwaybabe85]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 4:39pm

Yeah, Fraser got sick sometime during the first and last show of The Woman Upstairs. I saw the first show and she sang beautifully, but I also saw the last show, and by that time she was barely able to sing at all.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 4:42pm

That's too bad. "His Arms" is one of my favorite songs. I think that Mary Testa needs to be in that show either as the homeless lady or the lesbian boss.

[Jwaa]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 5:29pm

I wish i was in nyc sooo bad!!! The U.K is just waaay too far waway! sooo unfair!!!

Please write a vivid review!!!
Xx

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 9:47pm

Okay... first review. (Although, now that I've prefaced this with those words, I KNOW someone is going to beat me to it...) Anyway...

"The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown" is a story about growing up and finding oneself, even if that means sacrificing comfortability and normalcy. Samathan Brown is a senior in high school- she has two loving parents, a best friend, Kelly, and a loving boyfriend, Adam. All of the characters are stereotypes of themselves to illustrate Sam's discontent with her mundane existence. (At the beginning of the show, Sam attempts to pass off a fictional drama as her life for the audience because she feels that her real life is simply not that interesting.)

All of these people surrounding Sam have great influence over her life, and she realizes throughout the course of the piece that the things that THEY want for her might not be the things that she wants for herself. In the end, Sam is forced to make a choice- cater to the wants of others and follow a future that is clear and well thought-out (not by her, however), or take a risk, choose the existence that SHE wants, and never look back. In the end, she DOES risk everything, and the message to the audience is clear: Don't settle for discontent or even NORMALCY. Go after the things in life what you want. Look to others for encouragement, but make your own decisions.

I'll start my review by mentioning the very, very fine cast. Celia Keenan-Bolger (who is going to be appearing in the upcoming Broadway debut of "Spelling Bee"), who plays the title character, is simply phenomenal. She plays the role of Samatha Brown to perfection. Her acting is refreshingly genuine. All of her inflections are ridiculously appropriate for the character. Her voice gorgeous and dynamic. She really can't be on a Broadway stage soon enough.

Alison Fraser, who plays Sam's mother, didn't necessarily have the vocal stamina for her portion of the score. Her singing was adequate and nothing more. HOWEVER, Fraser's comedic timing is just wonderful, and she really shines on the acting front. Very, very good characterization. She was probably the best actor on the stage this evening.

John Herrera, who plays Sam's father, is probably the weakest link in the cast. He isn't bad by a long shot, but he doesn't seem to try to make anything of the material other than the most basic, superficial character choices. His singing is nothing to write home about, either.

Sara Chase, who plays Kelly, Sam's best friend, is adequate in the role. Her characterization was well-done, and she is a powerful singer (perhaps a little rough around the edges). I got the feeling that she'd be great after working on the part for a little while longer.

Finally, there is Michael Arden, who plays Adam, Sam's boyfriend. Arden is a powerhouse singer... The only complaint that I have about him is the fact that, when he sings, he always sounds like he is portraying the same character. He uses the same inflections and money notes in EVERYTHING he sings, and it gets a bit tiresome after a while. I digress, though. That's more of a nitpick than anything else. His acting was very good. His character is one that I think could easily be overacted... and Arden walked that fine line deftly. Like his counterpart, Keenan-Bolger, he is very genuine, and that greatly enhances "Samatha Brown"'s material.

Now, let me address the story. The book, overall, is very strong. There are some shaky bits, some dialogue that seems contrived, but the message of the show definitely comes through. The relationships between the characters and the influence that they have on one another (an extremely important factor in the central theme of the show) are explored well enough. The show's concept is also executed nicely- Sam complains at the beginning of the show that her life is mundane and uninteresting, and yet the musical constructed around this boring life is engaging and fun.

My only real complaints about the book lie in the fact that it plays up the characters' stereotypes a bit too much... For instance, Kelly is the typical blonde "Clueless" best friend, Adam is the not-too-bright but well-intentioned boyfriend, the mother is the typical overprotective parent, etc. There is a real danger of these stereotypes overshadowing the actual complexity of the characters... While the sterotypes are necessary, it is equally important that these characters be realistic, relatable people for the story's message to be fully fleshed-out for the audience.

Finally, there is Brian Lowdermilk's score. Very, very good. Can't say enough good things about it. The tunes are so complex yet so catchy. His music has a unique quality- it is contemporary without crossing over into the mainstream sound. There are lots of memorable numbers from this evening's show, including Arden's hilarious "Proposal", the confrontation between mother and daughter about sexuality over oatmeal cookies, and a song about a disastrous driving lesson. This comedy is perfectly intertwined with other numbers that are beautiful and deeply moving... wonderful, poignant ballads that filled the tiny stage space with rich singing. The score was definitely the most refined aspect of "Samantha Brown".

I'm so glad that I had the chance to witness this reading. There was a TON of potential in the show.

Updated On: 9/20/05 at 09:47 PM

[Ad_Libbing]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 9:55pm

I am so happy that Brian is making a name for himself in his composing. While I'm not too familiar with anything save 'Elliot and the Magic Bed,' which premiered here, what I do know, I love; 'Elliot' is widely regarded as one of the best childrens theatre shows to be performed here in the past thirty years, and I hope to see it or another of Brian's works again someday soon.

Bravo!

[holden]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:41am

I was there tonight too, and I just loved the show. So much of it was so funny, and yet it was also quite touching. I hope to get to see this one performed again soon.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 8:59pm

Interesting evening with SAMANTHA BROWN
That Celia Keenan-Bolger is a Major Talent,
than match her up with Michael Arden (Ardent Arden Fan Here)
and good backup from Allison Fraser, John Herrera, and esp. Sara Chase, and who can really complain,
some of the lyrics didn't work for me and the story gets a little confusing and I thought the piece lacked a "point of view".
But $15 to see Keenan-Bolger and the Adorably multiTalented Arden, I have no complaints.
Keep up the good work Mr.Soffer!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 3:55pm

so what's the future for this show?