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A CurtainUp Review
Iron Curtain
By Elyse Sommer
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Ah! what a sorry state I'm in; Split! Like the city of Berlin --- Hildret, the teutonic director who lusts for one of the kidnapped American songsmiths and ends up wondering wistfully " Is it true what they say? A frau divided. . .must fall!" |
Instead of a small town barn, the Prospect Theater Company, has brought their let's put on a show spirit to the tiny theater on the second floor of a church on Manhattan's upper West Side. Iron Curtain, the company's new 1950s era musical comedy about a pair of wannabe Broadway songsmiths kidnapped by the KGB to inject some Yankee pizzazz into a USSR propaganda musical.
This show has no big name performers or glitzy sets with smoke, mirrors and chandeliers. What it does have is a deliciously ditzy book by Susan Dilallo, song after melodic song by Stephen Weiner with devilishly clever lyrics by Peter Mills. And talent galore to sing and dance up a storm without any amplification. That chance to hear a full-fledged book musical performed without head mikes or any other gadgetry to interfere with the natural voices, is in itself a rare enough pleasure unlikely to be part of the scheme of things in the event some producer decides to give this fun show the legs for a longer commercial run.
For a small budget show, Iron Curtain boasts a large cast (14 strong) as well as a 9-piece orchestra neatly tucked away in a space at the side of the stage, and a multi-level set complete with roll-out props for various locations by Nick Francone. You have to see the size of the stage to really appreciate Francone's versatility.
Under Cara Reichel's direction the zany plot takes composer Murray (Jeff Edgerton) and his best friend and partner pencil-chewing lyricist Howard (Marcus Neville) from one premeditatedly silly situation to another: first auditioning their latest venture for a New York producer; visiting Howard's girlfriend Shirley (Maria Couch) at the restaurant where she waitresses; answering a mysterious ad from a producer named Onanov (Gordon Stanley) and landing mouths taped and hands tied in the USSR, courtesy of Schmearnov (Larry Brustofski), Onanov's prop assistant whose equipment comprises all manner of kindnapping (and worse) paraphernalia. In Russia, they meet a riding crop yielding teutonic director named Hildret (Bethe B. Austin whose name is another sly bit of punning) and Masha, a Russian blonde bombshell (Jessica Grove) with whom Murray falls in love.
While more than a little reminiscent of The Producers, this big little show also resembles those golden oldie Road movies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. But for all the premeditated silliness, the songs are so tightly woven into the plot that it's hard to break out any one as a free-standing hit -- shades of The Threepenny Opera in which one one song, "Mac the Knife", became a breakout number. As long as I'm bringing up Threepenny , Hildret's "A Frau Divided" is marvelously Brechtian, though there's also plenty of sweetness to offset such dark, noirish humor -- notably Shirley's " Missing. ".
As with Prospect's memorable The Pursuit of Persephone (music & lyrics by Mills and directed by Reichel --review), Iron Curtain would benefit from some judicious trimming -- dropping a stanza here and there and since, the songs so effectively elucidate the character conflicts and situations, tightening the spoken dialogue.
I'm posting this review more than half way through it's run, so plan to catch it before it's final curtain and don't bank on it having that future life it deserves.
| IRON CURTAIN Music by Stephen Weiner Lyrics by Peter Mills Book by Susan Dilallo Directed by Cara Reichel Choreographed by Christine O'Grady Cast: Jeff Edgerton (Murray), Marcus Neville (Howard), Gordon Stanley (Onanov), Larry Brustofski (Schmearnov), Maria Couch (Shirley), Bethe B. Austin (Hildret), Jessica Grove (Masha), Amber Dow (Olga / Ensemble),Dara Seitzman (Ticket Agent / Ensemble), Doug Shapiro (Producer / Underling / Ensemble), Brad York (Khrushchev / Cop / Ensemble) ,Robby Sharpe (Desk Clerk / Ensemble), David S. Miller (Super ! Ensemble), Rich Silverstein (Border Guard / Ensemble) Set Design: Nick Francone Costume Design: Sidney J. Shannon Lighting Design: Stephen Arnold Sound Design: Yoshi D. Lee Music Director: Daniel Feyer Running time: 2 1/2 hours, with one 15 minute intermission Prospect Theater Company at West End Theatre 263 West 86th Street (Broadway/West End Avenue in the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, second floor)212-352-3101 From 4/08/06 to 4/30/06. Thu to Sat at 8pm; Sun at 3pm. Tickets: $18; $15 students/seniors Reviewed by Elyse Sommer based on March 16th matinee performance |
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Musical Numbers
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Act One
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Act Two
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