“Curtains” Broadway Valentine In San Francisco: A Review
Kander and Ebb Musical Gets West Coast Staging
Review by Linda Hodges for Broadway Magazine
The Diablo Theater Company more than lived up to its tagline promise of bringing their patrons “the music and magic of Broadway” in Friday night’s opening of “Curtains.” With a book and additional lyrics by Rupert Holmes and music and lyrics by the legendary team who created Chicago and Cabaret, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Curtains delighted the audience and had them laughing and applauding – well – from the moment the curtains parted.
The story of the making of this musical comedy whodunit is not without its tragedy, though. It is the last one written by Kander and Ebb, as Ebb passed away in 2004, several years before the show opened on Broadway.
His death followed that of original book writer Peter Stone. Mr. Kander made the difficult decision to press forward, bringing in Tony-award winning writer Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Say Goodnight, Gracie), so that the show could go on, in true Broadway fashion.
Mr. Holmes kept the basic concept of a detective who loves musical theatre but a fresh start was deemed necessary, with the team making use of Holmes’ considerable skills to change the book completely. An inspired change he made was to set the show in the year 1959, in the golden heyday of American musical theater.
“Curtains” rises to the gold standard it sets for itself, freely acknowledging its venerable roots while at the same time establishing itself, in classic Kander and Ebb fashion, as a smart, funny and lasting new gift to Broadway, show people and the audiences that adore them.
The show opens with the final scene and curtain call of its show-within-a-show, “Robbin’ Hood.” The musical-western is set to move to Broadway pending a good turn in Boston but the show makes a turn for the worse with the on-stage death of its star, the exceedingly untalented Jessica Cranshaw, played with comedic aplomb by Julie Wall.
Opening night quickly begins to look like closing night when murder most foul – not to mention murderous reviews by the Boston Globe and other leading rags – threatens to close the show down.
The cast reluctantly gathers to lament the demise of their star, lead by their haughty and cynically precise British director, Christopher Belling (hilariously played to the hilt by Paul Plain) who does his best to lead them in a lament.
“…As thespians, I know you all would like to display your sorrow, as both a tribute and as an acting exercise,” he tells them, as the cast memorializes Jessica with the mock-dirge, “The Woman’s Dead.”
Enter Lieutenant Frank Cioffi (Tom Reardon) of the Greater Boston police homicide division. The seasoned detective has been assigned to investigate the murder but one suspects that he volunteered for the job in order to be close to the theater idols he adores. He’s an amateur actor, (”In ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ my Bottom was very well-received,” he confides) who is a fan of the show, as well as one of the show’s leads, Nicki Harris. Sharon Rieterk plays the frothy whipped cream topping ingénue, Nicki, with heart – her crystal clear, sweet soprano a perfect foil for the large and brassy, no-holds-barred show producer Carmen Bernstein played convincingly by Jessica Fisher.
Reardon is absolutely superb as the veteran gum-shoe and wide-eyed, stage-struck fan, striking just the right balance between the two things he loves the most – solving homicides and smearing on greasepaint. His shy mannerisms and charming Boston accent, together with his considerable wit, are delightfully humorous. In a wistfully telling song (Coffee Shop Nights) though, he confides to Nicki that perhaps there is still something missing in his life.
Nonplussed by something as easy to fix as a dead leading lady, Bernstein appeals to the company’s dedication to their craft to craftily convince them that the show must go on. (Later she reveals her true colors in the funnily acerbic song “It’s a Business,” a song she sings to her stardom-obsessed daughter Bambi.) “Robbin’ Hood’s” lyricist, Georgia Hendrix (Amy Nielson) has been tapped to take over for the dead diva, much to the chagrin of her former husband and writing partner Aaron (played eloquently by East bay favorite Derrick Silva) who had hoped to spend more time alone with her at the piano. This lovelorn former lothario realizes that he still loves her in the tenderly touching song, “I Miss the Music.”
But the company sees through the rouse – they know Bernstein’s more worried about losing money than losing them.
She is unexpectedly aided in her appeal by the pure hearted Cioffi who declares that, “Putting on a musical has got to be the most fulfilling thing a person could ever hope to do.” What follows is the show-stopping signature song “Show People” in which the cast is reminded about how lucky they are to be in show business.
Besides, they can’t leave the theater. Since the murder took place in the last moments of the show everyone is a suspect and the theater is on lock-down until the murder (s?) is solved. Fusing his two worlds together, Cioffi is determined to solve the mystery and save the show.
The cast continues to work on “Robbin’ Hood” aided by Cioffi, whose desire to find a fiendish murderer shares center stage in his heart with the equally compelling urge to dabble with fixing the show. One particularly glorious and raucous number called “Thataway” assures us that Georgia is more than ready take the show to Broadway – but what will the critics think?
Director Daren Carollo does an artful job of the staging, deftly moving between the rousing, demanding production numbers of “Robbin’ Hood” (choreographer Gia Solari) to the hilarious backstage antics of the cast and crew as they work to improve the show while simultaneously being questioned as murder suspects. Production stage manager G. Taylor Benedict needs to address a few issues. The show experienced some first night technical difficulties causing parts of Act 2 to be a tad uneven.
Scenic Designer Kent Homchick provides the show with a wonderful Colonial theater brick-walled backstage, and a theatrically campy Western Saloon, as well as a meant-to-be hokey western small-town set. His dream sequence set, replete with swags of gossamer curtains and an elegant staircase, perfectly frame the magical moment when the detective and his hoped-for love, Nicki, both fanaticize seeing themselves as Marge and Gower Champion. They sing the beautifully melodic “A Tough Act to Follow” while Nicki coaches him on some simple dance steps. As he takes her into his arms and the whole cast joins in, dressed in resplendent black-tie and evening gown (costumes beautifully designed by Carol Edlinger), our own Broadway fantasy is also complete.
“Curtains” is Broadway with a twist – murder set to music and mystery tunefully sung. A troupe full of talented actors and a dedicated creative team give this character-driven and charmingly funny period piece the showing it deserves. Lieutenant Cioffi says of his time in musical theater, “It’s an overture of hope, the curtain rising on the greatest joy of my life.” Go see “Curtains” at the Lesher Center for the Arts to experience the same thing for yourself.
The show opened Feb. 12 and continues for 12 performances, including matinees, through Feb. 28 in the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Tickets ($29-$42) are on sale there as well by phone, (925) 943-7469, (925) 943-7469, and online at www.lesherartscenter.org. More information is available at www.diablotheatre.org.
–Linda Hodges
