Theatre Droppings: God Bless Us, Every One Day More

I freely confess that Les Miserables has been near the bottom of my list of favorite musicals, ever since the First National Tour settled in Los Angeles and bored the crap out of me. I sat in the nosebleed section, which should not have made such a difference for such a gigantic production, but it did. I could not make heads nor tails of the story, all the characters looked and sounded alike, and by hour number three, I was ready to storm that barricade myself.

But I'm glad I succumbed to the temptation to check out Signature Theatre's re-conceived, scaled-down version, as the cast includes several of my favorite performers, and the word on the street has been very good. I enjoyed this production far more than that monstrous snore-fest I saw in L.A., though I have to confess that I have not changed my mind much about the material itself. To call Les Miz a musical is a bit of a misnomer, as it was one of the first pieces to be called a "pop opera," and it resembles a traditional opera far more than a traditional musical.

Signature has done a bang-up job telling the story, which I never could follow in the L.A. version. Here, the large cast of characters was all very clear to me, as was the plot, which is a bit unwieldy. As has become common in Signature musicals of late, several leads have been imported from New York, with at least three of them having played their respective roles before, in Broadway or touring versions. But our local gang has stepped up to the plate as well, with Tracy Lynn Olivera and Felicia Curry powering through their ballads as well as any Broadway Babe. The music in the show tends to grab hold of your brain and refuse to let go, but the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Is it only in translation that so many of the songs are built around a question mark? Or are French lyricists really so, um, questionable? So many numbers in the show have a Rhetorical Question as motif that the material would make any Debate Team feel at home. It seems like every song includes some sort of "Who Am I?", or "Can This Be?" or "Do You Hear The People Sing?"at its core. Once you notice it, you can't hear anything else.

Chris Sizemore is a solid physical and vocal presence in the one-note role of the leader of the student revolutionaries, and the lone comic interludes in the evening are handled exceptionally well by Chris Bloch and Sherri Edelen. The strong ensemble is populated with Signature regulars, most of whom were handling leading roles for the theatre when it was building its reputation in that crummy garage space around the corner from the current, swankier digs. With Sigulars like Stephen Gregory Smith, Chan McQuay, Amy McWilliams, Tom Simpson, Matt Conner, Eleasha Gamble, and James Gardiner in the large ensemble, the story is being told clearly and robustly. This production is a success, even as I continue to struggle to embrace the material. The creators are pretty shameless in attempting to yank at the heartstrings, with each Power Ballad soaring past another, reinforcing traditional opera's tendency to Tell Us About the character, rather than, you know, show us. And as soon as that charming little mite Gavroche turns up, you just know he's doomed.

Another waif in danger on current local stages is that little dickens Tiny Tim. I popped down to see Fords Theatre's annual Christmas Carol only to lend support to several buddies in the cast. I am not a big fan of this story, and I've freely confessed that my favorite version of the tale is Mr. Magoo's. So, I surprised myself by being completely sucked in by the show. Billed as a "ghost story of Christmas," this perennial production is in dynamite shape. Heading the cast for several years running is Martin Rayner, an actor who, incredibly, manages to underplay Scrooge. In fact, the entire cast treats the piece as a work of realism, and the result is a completely believable production, even as spooks materialize through doors, in balconies, and in mid-air. The Cratchit scenes, lead by MJ Casey and Kim Schraf, should be shown to acting students as examples of how to make very familiar text seem new and spontaneous. Generous support is provided by my buddies Steve Carpenter, Clinton Brandhagen, Elliot Dash, and Claudia Miller (I never cease to be amazed by the fact that my friends are always stand outs in their shows. It's a phenomenon.) I never in a million years expected to be so moved by a production of this old story, but Mark Ramont, who has restaged the classic for Fords, really pulled it off. I think I embarrassed myself by weeping more than a few tears. At A Christmas Carol!!!

Majel Barrett Roddenberry

1932-2008

The First Lady of Star Trek

Barrett's sporadic acting career was dominated by her involvement with the Star Trek franchise. She can be glimpsed in a number of films and television shows, including Westworld and Dr. Kildare, and as a contract player for Desilu Studios, she appeared in the Lucy Show episode in which Lucy dons a kangaroo costume. Her career received a boost when she was cast in Gene Roddenberry's first pilot for Star Trek, called The Cage. Her role as the second in command on the starship Enterprise concerned NBC executives, who were sure audiences would not accept a woman in such a position of authority. When the pilot was completely revamped a few years later, she was demoted to nurse, changed her name, and donned a platinum blond wig. Her recurring role as Christine Chapel occasionally moved center stage, usually in relation to her character's romantic attraction to the inscrutable Mr. Spock.

Barrett's involvement with Star Trek continued well beyond the original series, and as the wife, and later widow, of creator Gene Roddenberry, she remained the caretaker of the "Roddenberry Vision."

On screen, she followed up her stint as Nurse Chapel in the original series with another recurring role in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, that of the flamboyant busybody Lwaxana Troi. Trekkies love her humorous encounters with the stoic Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard.

Barrett can be heard on almost all of the Trek vehicles, including animated and live-action series and features, as the voice of the computer. Before her death this week, she had completed work in that capacity, on the upcoming Star Trek prequel film.

Beam me up, Scotty.

Van Johnson

1916-2008

Famous for his matinee-idol looks and boy-next-door quality, Johnson achieved his greatest stardom in the 40s and 50s. His early life was inauspicious, as he was deserted by his alcoholic mother and ignored by his father, a plumber. He headed to New York with $10 in his pocket, and landed in the chorus of New Faces of 1936, which included Imogen Coca in its cast. He understudied Gene Kelley in Pal Joey, (with whom he would later appear in the film Brigadoon, above) and was in the chorus of Too Many Girls when it moved to Hollywood to be filmed. Desi Arnaz was in the cast, and Lucille Ball was one of the film's players; he became friends with the new couple. Johnson gives Ball credit for igniting his film career when she introduced him to the MGM Head of Casting. During the 40s, he rivaled Bing Crosby as the studio's number one box office draw, and for the next two decades, headlined musicals and dramas with Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Deborah Kerr, June Allyson, and Judy Garland.

Johnson lead a stormy private life as he struggled with his sexuality. When he hit 30 without a steady girl, Louis B. Mayer apparently forced him into a marriage with his best friend's wife, Mrs. Keenan Wynn, only four hours after her quickie divorce from her husband. It was said that the studio honcho threatened to drop Keenan's contract if he did not allow the union. Evie Wynn Johnson provided a daughter but not much comfort to the marriage, which ended in a bitter divorce in 1968.

As Johnson's film career slowed, he returned to the stage in the original London cast of The Music Man, which he played several years, and was a regular on the summer stock / dinner theatre circuit. He made regular television guest shots, including two episodes of the campy Batman series, in which he played "The Minstrel" (at right). He appeared on Murder, She Wrote, MacMillan and Wife, The Love Boat, and other episodics. He spent the majority of 1985 in the original Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles, inheriting the "masculine" role of Georges earlier played by Gene Barry and Keith Michell. Below is a backstage shot of Johnson and his co-star George Hearn during the run, with Janet Leigh and her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis:

In his retirement he became a painter, and held several one-man shows displaying his artwork. He continued to live a solitary life throughout his 70s and 80s. Johnson died of natural causes this week.

Scroll down to the next entry, or click here, to enjoy Johnson cutting a rug with Lucille Bremer in 'Till the Clouds Roll By," 1946.

Friday Dance Party: Van Won't Dance

Allow me to suspend the Holiday theme for the weekly dance party in order to showcase this clip from "Till the Clouds Roll By," starring Van Johnson, who died this week. A brief overview of his life appears in the blog entry preceding this one.

Next week, a return to the Holiday Dance Party, unless another hoofer "hits the road."

Robert Prosky

1930-2008

DC audiences are mourning the loss of an actor who spent the majority of his artistic life in our midst. He was probably best known for his stint on Hill Street Blues, where he had the unenviable task of replacing the beloved Michael Conrad in the squad room. Conrad, who died of cancer after the show's early seasons, had a catchphrase which became famous, "Let's be careful out there." Prosky's sargeant had his own way of sending his men out into the field: "Let's do it to them before they do it to us!"

Prosky was a multiple Tony nominee (Glengarry Glen Ross, Walk in the Woods) and a long-time presence on big and small screens. He joined Arena Stage in its early decades and remained in the DC area for the rest of his life, making his home and raising his sons on Capitol Hill. Even after Arena disbanded their resident company, Prosky continued to appear on local stages, including a recent stint at Theatre J in Arthur Miller's The Price, a touring production in which he appeared with his two sons. An earlier appearance in a new play at Arena was panned by the Post's theatre critic, and in a very uncharacteristic move, Prosky wrote a now famous letter to the editor eviscerating the critic (the man in question, Peter Marks, reminds us of the incident here). I remember applauding Prosky when I read that letter, which in a way, was an attempt to defend actors everywhere from the opinions of critics who claim objectivity but rarely display any.

I saw Prosky onstage several times here in the city, but more frequently on the streets of Capitol Hill, walking toward Eastern Market. My strongest memory of him took place on the small screen. It was a quiet scene from Hill Street Blues, a holiday episode, though I can't remember if it was Thanksgiving or Christmas. After a day filled with mayhem (each episode covered a single day in the precinct of an inner-city, crime-filled district), the audience watched various characters at home enjoying their holiday meal. Prosky's gruff Sgt. Jablonski was seen alone in a tiny apartment, boiling some bratwurst, which he sat down to eat after sharing a bit with his dog. It was a sad, poignant moment which spoke volumes about the character and his history, brought to tender life by an exceptionally gifted actor.

Beverly Garland

1926-2008

In a career which spanned half a century, Garland achieved cult status as the star of many low budget noir and horror films, including It Conquered the World and The Alligator People. Her long television career included an Emmy nomination in the 50s (Medic, in which she played a leukemia patient) and what many consider a history-making role, that of Decoy, the first dramatic series with a woman in the title role. In the show, Garland portrayed the first female police officer ever to be seen on television.

She is largely remembered today as a comedic presence on the small screen, including the final three years of My Three Sons, in which she played Fred MacMurray's second wife. Earlier, she worked on Bing Crosby's 60s sitcom, playing his wife as well.

Later in her career, she maintained a presence on television, playing the mothers of Stephanie Zimbalist (Remington Steele), Kate Jackson (Scarecrow and Mrs. King) and Teri Hatcher (Lois and Clark). Her third husband, a real estate developer, built a resort hotel in her honor; the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, CA, is still operated by Garland's family.

Friday Holiday Dance Party

In keeping with the holiday theme announced last week, please enjoy the clip below. After watching it, you may wonder what the hell it has to do with the holidays. It actually has nothing to do with the holidays, but as it appears in the film White Christmas, I feel justified in presenting it.

I really don't know why I enjoy that movie so much; it's hugely bloated with production numbers which have absolutely nothing to do with the slender plot of the film. I am not a big fan of Bing Crosby or Danny Kaye, and the piece is a good half hour too long. But Rosemary Clooney is beautifully cast, and one of my favorite character actresses of the period, Mary Wickes, contributes another scene-stealing performance. But best of all, the movie's music is from the Irving Berlin songbook, which makes the many extraneous musical numbers enjoyable.

It's also fun, when watching the big production numbers, to pick out young George Chakiris in the dancing chorus. This film was shot only a few years before he rocketed to stardom (and the Oscar) in West Side Story, and only a few years more before his star waned. I understand he's now a jewelry maker. Ah, the dancer's life. The chosen clip below does not feature our future / former star, however, but a young hoofer named John Brascia.

At any rate, this short clip is indicative of most of the numbers in White Christmas: it has nothing to do with the plot, or with Christmas. But it is another opportunity to show off dancer Vera-Ellen's disconcertingly long, slender legs, and another opportunity to see some first-class tap-dancing.