SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Connecticut
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
Encores! Lost in the Stars
By Elyse Sommer
|
How many miles to the heart of a child?— Stephen Kumalo as he is about to leave the tranquil countryside to find his missing son in Johannesburg. Th penalty of death is death.— the locked in hate and bigotry Arthur Jarvis. |
Quentin Earl Darrington as the choral leader
(Photo: Joan Marcus) |
Yet, while atypical musicals have become very much part of our contemporary musical theater scene and the once ground breaking orchestration for just twelve musicians has also stopped being a rarity, Lost in the Stars with its huge cast and problematic book is as true to the real Encores! mission as you can get: A show without the chops to make a big Broadway comeback, but with enough going for it to make it a perfect fit for the Encores! dedication to showcasing its strengths in a semi-staged, limited run format.
While set in pre-Arpatheid South Africa, the story about a murder in Johannesburg, the murderer the son of a black minister and his victim the son of a rich white landowner (both from the same country village), is quite eloquent despite itsflaws. It's also especially timely, given that the Encores! production was astutely scheduled for the first week of Black History Month,
The reival's enhanced the eloquence with excellent performers cast in the non-singing parts, notably Daniel Gerroll as the bigoted white landowner and Daniel Breaker of Passting Strange as the minister's doomed son Absalom. Also good but wasted in small roles were John Douglas Thompson (Othello, Emperor Jones, etc.) as the minister's brother John and James Rebhorn as the Judge at Absalom's trial, and Stephen Kunken as a sympathetic parole officer.
But the big reward for all who heeded opportunity's knock was the music —- especially as thrillingly sung by Chuck Cooper as The Reverend Stephen Kumalo and Quentin Earl Darrington as the leader of the splendid chorus. The staging is more an oratorio with movement than the old-fashioned musical. However, the emphasis on choral singing is interspersed with two fine Gershwinesque reminiscent ballads by Sherry Boone's Irina and , one jazz inflected and dance punctuated sizzly number by a sultry lady in red (Patina Miller). A show-stopping comic number by Young Jeremy Gumbs, who was so touching in The Scottsboro Boys displayed his flair for comedy with the show-stopping "Big Mole" that relieved some of the darkness of the ever more somber second act.
Cooper and Darrington's majestic anthems spans the bitter journey to a sad but hopeful handshake between Jarvis and Kumalo, beginning with Darrington and the chorus's "The Hills of Ixopo" and Cooper's "Thousands of Miles." to the glorious —"Cry, the Beloved Country." For all who were there, it was a journey that won't be quickly forgotten.
|
Lost in the Stars Music by Kurt Weill Book and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson Based on the novel Cry, the Beloved Countryby Alan Paton Directed by Gary Griffin Music director: Rob Berman Choreography by Chase Brock Cast: Sherry Boone (Irina), Daniel Breaker (Absalom Kumalo), Kieran Campion (Arthur Jarvis), (Stephen Kumalo), Quentin Earl Darrington (Leader), Clifton Duncan (Matthew Kumalo), Daniel Gerroll (James Jarvis), Jeremy Gumbs (Alex), Chike Johnson (Johannes Pafuri), Stephen Kunken (Mark Eland), Patina Miller (Linda), James Rebhorn (the Judge), Ted Sutherland (Edward Jarvis), John Douglas Thompson (John Kumalo) and Sharon Washington (Grace Kumalo). The Dancers: Amy McClendon, Justin Prescott Chorus: Adam Alexander, Sumaya Ali, Alvin Crawford, Andre Garner, Sosena M. Hill, Mary Illes, Emily Jenda, Amy Justman, Joy Lynn Matthews, Andre McRae, Patricia Phillips, Devin Richards, Lindsay Roberts, Nathaniel Stampley, Eric van Hoven, Kevin Vortman, J. D. Webster, Christian Dante White, Jorell Williams Sets by John Lee Beatty Costumes by Paul Tazewell Lighting by Paul Miller Dound by Scott Lehrer Concert adaptation by David Ives Music coordinator: Seymour Red Press Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes Encores! at City Center, 131 West 55th Street (212) 581-1212, nycitycenter.org From February 3 to 6, 2011 Reviewed by Elyse Sommer at February 5, 2011 matinee |
|
Musical Numbers
| |
Act One
|
Act Two
|
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. Visit Curtainup's Blog Annex For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted add http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter Subscribe to our FREE email updates: E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message. If you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
Slings & Arrows-the complete set
You don't have to be a Shakespeare aficionado to love all 21 episodes of this hilarious and moving Canadian TV series about a fictional Shakespeare Company
