Williamston Theatre Wins With a Classic.  3/29/2019

Williamston Theatre has delighted us over 13 years with fresh plays, funny plays, new plays and heartwarming plays. 

This time they are digging into the trove of classic theater to present the Pulitzer Prize winner, “The Gin Game”.  First opening in 1977, it became the star vehicle for Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronin. 

The story is simple but powerful at the same time.  It takes place on the patio of a not-very-fancy retirement home.  It’s visitor’s day, but Weller Martin (Hugh Maguire) doesn’t have any visitors.  And neither does Fonsia Dorsey (Ruth Crawford) who finds him shuffling cards on the patio card table.

They approach each other carefully, like two cats.  They are both smart, sharp tongued, and eager for companionship.

The audience at once realizes that Crawford and Maguire are true professionals at their craft.   Directing them is another professional and actor, Williamston’s Executive Director and frequent star, John Lepard.

At first, I marveled at the absolutely natural and realistic way the dialogue was created by playwright D.L. Coburn. I felt that this play was written so well that it couldn’t fail, even in the hands of average actors. 

But I was wrong.  Yes, the flow of the words, as Fonsia and Weller reveal their lives to each other, was seamless, the acting of Crawford and Maguire was filled with subtly, nuance and perfect timing. And it was that brilliant acting that made this such a memorable production.

When the two first meet, the arrogant Weller goes about “mansplaining” the game of gin rummy to Fonsia.  She had never played gin before and Weller was ready to give her the ins and outs of the game.

But almost from the beginning, Fonsia understands the game perfectly and sets forth to trounce Weller in almost every match.

Fonsia comes across as a delightful, sweet, and principled Presbyterian lady.  But we soon find out that there is far more to her than what we first see.

Even though “Gin Game” is 42 years old, there is nothing in the subject matter that makes it dated.  And Crawford and Maguire create two characters with absolute believability.  Their timing, humor, and reacting to each other make the conversations and relationship true.

The play is not all sweetness and light, as the retirees continue to play cards and talk.  There is anger, swearing, vindictiveness and even violence.  In fact, the explosions of anger and violence are important climaxes of the play and are superbly acted by Maguire.

Adding to the effectiveness of this production is the detailed set by Gabriella Csapo. The retirement home looks properly dilapidated and old (a bit like the residents).

Frankly speaking, I saw “Gin Game” decades ago, but now that I am closer to the age of these characters, the more real it becomes. But it’s OK, youngins’ will enjoy the play, too.

Performances through April 20, 2019

Yefim Bronfman at Wharton.  “A Monster Pianist”

In recent years, the classical offerings at Wharton Center have been sparse.  And the presence of a single solo artist playing a recital has almost been non-existent.

Which makes the appearance on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, of piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman a special event for Wharton.

In this day of highly produced shows - lights, projections, amplification, moving stages - a solo classical artist may seem like a minimalist throwback.

Bronfman will perform on the Great Hall stage by himself with a Steinway Grand piano only. He will likely not speak, there will be no microphones - just spectacular music to engage your mind and brain.

Lansing’s resident piano superstar Ralph Votapek has a great regard for Bronfman.  “He’s a monster pianist – huge technique. I would put him in with the half-dozen or so greatest pianists in the world”.

Bronfman is a man of the world.  He was born in the Uzbekistan region of Russia. His parents are from Poland and the Ukraine, he moved to Israel when his was 14 and four years later came to the US to study at Julliard and has lived here ever since.

He tells me, “When I was first in New York – in the late 70s and early 80s – it was a great time for music.  Bernstein was active, as well as Isaac Stern and there was a very high level of quality in the orchestras”.

Today he plays about 125 concerts per year, worldwide.  The Wharton concert will be the same program he will perform the following weekend at Carnegie Hall (I bet the tickets will be cheaper here).  “I play in Carnegie Hall 2-3 times a year.  It’s a wonderful stage.  But, really, there are great stages throughout this country.”

Bronfman is a very humble person, low key and self-effacing. As many pianists have faded from the public eye over the past 20 years or so, Bronfman’s career has gained strength.  “I’ve had a lot of lucky breaks”, he says.

Certainly, one reason for his success is hard work.  “I’m working harder than I ever have.  I play much more for myself. I’ve worked harder in the last 20 years than I did my first 20 years.  Maybe I wasn’t as smart then as I am now.  Now, I always want to be in top form. Somehow the music seems more important to me now than it did then.

“There’s lots of rules in life, there aren’t any for how many hours of practice it takes to be a great musician.  Everyone has different hands and different bone structures; different body and different mind.”

Bronfman has chosen a program which is not showy, just beautiful and meaningful.  Votapek says of the music - The Debussy Suite Bergamasque (which includes Claire de lune), Schumann’s Humoreske and Schubert’s Piano Sonata No 19 - “These are works of great maturity and depth but not bombast and flourish.”  

INFO:  Yefim Bronfman, piano

Wharton Center Great Hall

Tuesday, April 2, 7:30 PM

Tickets: from $25

MSU Opera Double Header Sweep   3/26/2019

The Michigan State University Opera Theatre swept a double header last week with its presentation of two short operas, Rossini’s “La Scala di Seta” (The Silken Ladder) and Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi”.  These two operas are rarely performed together, but it resulted in a lovely pairing of musical styles and wacky story lines.

The MSU opera theatre is one of the great success stories in the mid-Michigan music landscape.  Under Melanie Helton, the company presents classic grand operas, American operas, contemporary operas, and operettas.  The program has grown so large, that the twice-a-year performances use double casts to give more students a chance on the stage.

Of all the operas I’ve seen at MSU, this is one of the finest. The cast was relatively small, with all members having a singing role. One well-designed set (Alexander von Blommestein) served both operas nicely.

Although Rossini is a well-known opera composer (The Barber of Seville) “La Scala di Seta” is known mostly for its wonderous overture.  The entire opera (only about 75 minutes long) is hardly ever performed.

Conductor Steven Mosteller set the stage beautifully with a superb rendition of the overture.  Lots of sparkling woodwind parts and energy gave us a preview of what the entire opera was going to be.

The silly romantic plot was fun and the cast was committed to the site gags.  In the show I saw, Shannon Crowley was Giulia, a young woman who lives in her tutor’s home. Her soprano voice was shimmering as she negotiated the difficult Rossini arias, but she also had a vibrant personality and stage presence.  I understand that she is a Freshman which means she has a bright future ahead of her.

She dominated the operas, but Eric Frost, John Henrickson, Cole Harvey, Savanaah Hegyi and Ben Reisinger also were excellent in their supporting roles.  The trios and other vocal ensemble movements were very well sung – voices were balanced with matched music phrasing.

After intermission, it was refreshing to go from the Mozart-sounding Rossini score to the familiar romantic sound of Puccini.

“Schicchi” had a larger cast but, but it wasn’t a chorus per se.  Each character had a name and identity and had a solo line or so to sing. 

Here the female roles were subservient to the male roles.  The plot was clever – a wealthy man has just died, and his sleazy family want all of his inheritance.  They finally find his will which designates all of his money to go to the Church.  In comes everyone’s shady friend, Gianni Schicchi who will make things better. 

Jadrian Tarver as Schicchi had a robust baritone voice and plenty of charisma to spread around.  He was the perfect Schicchi.  He mugged the audience, had a few dance steps and generally had loads of fun with the part.  At the end of the opera, he even jumped up and kicked his heels – not a common move in opera.

One more factor that makes MSU operas so enjoyable, is the recently refurbished Fairchild Theater. The intimate theater seems to be a perfect venue for a small opera.  The acoustics produce a  warm and natural sound which enables the audience to hear the singers without amplification – the way opera should be.

MISS SAIGON - 2019 National Tour, March 20

When Miss Saigon first hit the Broadway stage back in 1989 it was a huge hit for a few reasons: The show, now playing through Sunday at Wharton Center, came on the heels of the crazy success of Les Misérables (written by the same team), filled the stage to overflow with huge spectacle, and the politics and emotions of the Viet Nam war were still raw.

 As we view the current national touring production, the history seems as old as the Civil War, but the story remains strong and poignant. It’s a tragic love story using the story line of Madam Butterfly. In the last moments of the Viet Nam war Kim, the lovely and naive country girl, is snagged by a sleazy pimp to work at a bar/brothel in Saigon. She promptly falls in love with a US soldier.

 When the show opens the audience is assaulted with the decadence and debauchery of a Saigon bar that caters to American soldiers. The busy stage vibrates with neon lights, gyrating bar girls and naughty language. Not a show for kids.

As "Saigon" continues, the stage is miraculously transformed, seemingly within seconds, from bars, to helicopter pads, to village huts, to communist rallies, to a fancy hotel room and so on. It’s a struggle to take it all in. And yes, he famous helicopter landing scene is still there – and still jaw dropping.

The music (orchestrated by MSU alum, William David Brohn) is a scintillating combination of American rhythms and Asian melodies with wooden flutes. Fans of Les Miz will be able to hear many of those harmonies as well. The difficult score is played by a traveling pit band, rather than local contractors.

Although it’s really Kim’s story, the star of play is The Engineer (Red Concepcion) who is the epitome of the money-loving opportunist and survivor, only out for himself and dreams of living the high life in the U.S .of A. Concepcion seems to revel in this part, prancing around in garish outfits and treating everyone with equal disdain. He clearly has the star power to pull off this demanding role, but previous actors have displayed more subtly and better dancing.

In general, the entire cast is excellent. They are required to perform great feats of singing, dancing, militaristic marching and acrobatics. Emily Bautista as Kim does a lovely job of creating empathy for her character. Her voice could have been stronger, but electronics helped it along. Her acting bought us all in with her.

Maybe the most impressive actor on stage was J. Daughtry as John, the buddy of Kim’s lover, Chris (Anthony Festa). In many ways he is the heart and soul of the show and his performance was real and powerful. His character was an important element of the drama and his superb acting made it believable.

For opening night, Miss Saigon was a full house, and I predict that this will be the biggest hit of the current Wharton Season, after Hamilton, of course.