THEATER
Karen Mason (2nd from left) as the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland
   
Welcome to Wonderland
Wonderland, Alice’s Adventure, all grown up, hits Broadway.
Marquis Theater
46th St. Btwn Bway & 8th Ave.
877-250-2929
If asked what Wonderland, which opened on Broadway April 17, reminded me of most, I would have to say the short-lived musical Elf. Now, don’t write it off just yet. Why do the two seem so similar? Wonderland is vaguely gaudy, beautiful, unexpected, and humorous- but most of all, it doesn’t seem like it’ll work, but it works. This applies in the extreme to Wonderland, with music by Broadway veteran Frank Wildhorn, famous for such shows as Jekyll and Hyde and The Scarlet Pimpernel, the latter of which garnered him a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Music. Wonderland is good, and it’s in-your-face about it. The gifted actors dance, sing, and joke because they know they can, and that they can get away with it, no matter what “it” is.
Wonderland’s been around, traveling from Tampa to Houston back to Tampa and finally to Broadway. It originated as an edgy workshop, and you can tell: the plot is faintly odd. Fully titled Wonderland: A New Alice, the musical revolves around Alice Cornwinkle and her daughter Chloe, who are both tricked into coming to Wonderland, a fully equipped pseudo-paradise that is actually Alice’s psyche in a very pretty disguise. This becomes a bit of a boundary for Alice during her adventures, as evidently, she is- in layman’s terms- pretty messed up. Over the years her impression of herself has devolved so greatly that it has become a deranged, female version of the Mad Hatter that seeks to overthrow the ruler of Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts, played laudably by Karen Mason. (see accompanying interview). Along the way, Alice picks up a few metaphysical hitchhikers, including a tardy rabbit, an introspective caterpillar, a suave cat, and a White Knight who desires to protect her and is also in a boy band. So, average day in Queens? Who knows?
Point being, Wonderland is weird. But the music is great, the singing is fantastic, the acting is quality, and the jokes are numerous. Beginnings lead to endings, and the show doesn’t spiral out of control at any point. It’s exciting, smart, and just plain entertaining. So enjoy yourself, and pay it a visit. You may discover that the Broadway stage holds a whole new genre - one we’ve never seen, and that Wonderland pioneers for the good of all who seek creative insanity.
Karen Mason and James in Her Dressing Room.
Photo: Hal Drucker.
James’s and My Backstage Visit with Singer/Actress Karen Mason.
By Hal Drucker
Karen Mason had just completed her matinee performance in the dual roles of the Queen of Hearts and Edwina, a fashionable grandmother, in the new musical Wonderland and welcomed James and me to her dressing room, where she graciously offered me her Papasan chair. “I’m happy to stand,” she told us.
I told her it was familiar territory to me, since I wore a hard-hat 25 years ago, with the construction crew who were putting the finishing touches on the opening of the Marquis Theater in preparation for its first musical Me and My Girl. I oversaw the Grand Opening entertainment in the atrium of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, whose host was the late Jerry Orbach
”I was cast in August, 2009,” she told us, “began rehearsals in October , did the show as a workshop in Tampa in November and December and took it to the Alley Theater in Houston, January, 2010. We did a lot of readings because the writer and director were still working on it.”
James asked: “Is the present Wonderland version your favorite version or is there any you prefer?”
“That’s a very good question. What I like about this version is that the role of the Queen is more clearly written for me. With the other versions – they really didn’t quite know what to do with the queen. They knew she was an important part of the story but didn’t know how to fit her in because they were telling a story between Alice and the Mad Hatter. In one of the versions – the Hatter was the ego, Alice was the id and I was the super ego. I got a little lost in that one.”
James nodded and said: “It was all her psyche then.”
“Correct. Now it’s a dream and less cerebral as you lose the heart of the story for Alice. But it is for my journey the clearest written; it allows me to be goofy and kind of crazy, but also has the power that’s needed to be queen of hearts. In a couple of versions she is so daffy that you really couldn’t believe that she could overthrow or maintain power over anybody. Now, all of the characters get the pay-offs. You work really hard to find it in the show. Now, not so much in the writing; all we have to do is deliver that. We can do our jobs instead of having to make something happen.”
Susan Hilferty, costume designer of Wonderland who is considered an astute aficionado of musicals, was quoted as saying "Karen Mason is the real deal with that great voice of hers and the Queen's wacky persona."
“Were Tweedledum and Tweedledee in the original version?”
“Actually they were. We had Jabberwocky in it. It was altogether different. They just kept trying to finding a balance as to what was the story they wanted to tell. It’s really not Alice in Wonderland and so that’s where some of the confusion comes in. It’s the dream of a separated modern mother named Alice (Jane Dacal) whose child Chloe is Edwina’s granddaughter (Carly Rose Sonenclar) using some of the characters from Alice in Wonderland to kind of figure things out.”
I recalled that I had seen the 1947 production of Alice and Wonderland with such notable actors as Eva Le Gallienne as The White Queen, Eli Wallach as The Knave of Hearts, Julie Harris as The White Rabbit, Margaret Webster as The Cheshire Cat, a male actor John C. Beecher as The Queen of Hearts and Bambi Linn as Alice. In a previous interview, Karen Mason maintained she’d like to be marooned on a desert island with (folk singer) Bonnie Raitt whose father John Raitt was Billy Bigelow in Carousel, which she cited as her favorite musical . In a case of six degrees of separation, Bambi Linn was in the stage and screen versions of Carousel’s as Bigelow’s daughter Julie.
“I actually sang at a benefit with John Raitt about 15 years ago. He was sitting off in the wings. When he stood up and sang the Soliloquy from Carousel I could swear he was 25 years old.”
“I’m so excited about your writing this up. It’s been an interesting journey. This is the first time I’ve worked on a show from its very inception, rather than ‘covering’ a role. By the time Mamma Mia opened with us, it was, well- ‘machined.’ When it opened on Broadway, it had two touring companies. In Toronto and London. So it was pretty well in the pocket, whereas Wonderland was written around us.”
Where were you raised?
“ I was born in New Orleans but I grew up in Chicago, beginning with high school in ’64 or ’65. A southern belle and Midwesterner. My dad was an LSU boy and my mom went to Tulane when it was all-girls.
“I went to an all-girls Catholic high school, Sacred Heart of Mary in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. It no longer exists.”
What did you do at school assemblies?
“Funny that you asked. One of the shows I did in the auditorium was Alice in Wonderland. I played the caterpillar.”
And I volunteered that I played the Mad Hatter at the Mad Tea Party in P. S. 144, Forest Hills, Queens.
“Maybe it was rite of passage for all of us.”
Where do you reside now?
“The Queen lives in Queens. Specifically, Jackson Heights, New York. My husband, Paul Rolnick and I have been together 20 years. He’s a great guy. I’m very lucky. He’s an Emmy Award-winning record producer who’s done five of my CD’s and is comfortable with pop, rock, folk, country and jazz. Like Anne Meara’s Jerry Stiller and Anne Jackson’s Eli Wallach, I married a nice Jewish boy.
“When I was growing up, we always had music around the family. My mom was trained as a concert pianist. Then she met my dad – they fell in love, got married and had three beautiful girls. She said she never really enjoyed playing in front of people. As a concert pianist it’s kind of hard to have a career if you’re not performing in front of people.”
Are your sisters musically inclined?
“My younger sister is. She’s got an incredible voice. She likes choral stuff. I don’t. My older sister is ‘an appreciator.’ I learned that my mother’s mother, Juanita, whom she didn’t know growing up, was actually a band singer. My great aunt told me that I sing like Juanita. So I come by it honestly. Music was a big part of my life. My parents would take us around to shows. We put on Frank Sinatra albums (my mother’s favorite). But we had a wide variety. She also loved Beethoven, so we heard a lot of that. “
Let’s get to your favorite movie, which I understand was “Random Harvest.”
“That whole movie, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, made me cry. Greer Garson was so elegant and sophisticated. And that voice of hers and that of Ronald Coleman were incomparable. Then there was that whole war story theme and amnesia. You can grab me with amnesia any time.
“My first movies? Certainly all the Disneys. My parents would take us to see Pinocchio. The movie that s impacted on me was West Side Story.
“Even though we recorded the original Wonderland cast album while we were doing previews, they were making changes in the show as late as last Friday. With press coming to see it, you want to have it in your bones, and not have to think about it.”
Other than your husband or siblings, what are you proudest of?
“I think I’m proudest of my work ethic. I really love what I do and I’m very lucky to get a chance to do it. I feel a great responsibility to do it. Back in 1984 I had a paralyzed vocal cord. When that happened I was living in expectation of being a star. Now I feel comfortable as an over-50 woman who enjoys what she does and really works at being responsive to the opportunities I’ve been given. “
[Sadly, Wonderland closed after 31 previews and 33 regular performances at the Marquis Theater in Manhattan, Sunday May 14.]
* * *
God Loves Mormons and He Wants Some More
The Book of Mormon - loud, proud, crude, and perfect- begins its surely years-long run at the Eugene O’Neill Theater.
230 W. 49th St.
212-239-6200
Are you looking for more in your Broadway experience than just a night out? Do you intend to celebrate the life, the passion, and the genius that encompasses what the Great White Way is all about? Ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce you to The Book of Mormon, the greatest piece of writing, acting, and all-around stage-readiness I’ve ever seen in a theater or on screen. So powerful, so hilarious, so amazing is this show, that without proper precaution, an audience member may happily succumb to its hypnosis and slump into an unresponsive coma, all to be completely immersed in the wonder that is the Book of Mormon. I can happily and truthfully say that I would gladly watch this show multiple times.
The irreverent and blatant crude humor makes for an extremely satisfactory backdrop, but this show is smart and legitimately uproarious. It spends its valuable time making fun of a religion that is ripe to be made fun of, and it does so quite successfully. The plot is a simple coming-of-age tale, as two young Mormon missionaries - one talented and adherent, one a pathological liar with an amusingly pitchy voice - are sent to lower Uganda, where no baptisms have come to pass despite the efforts of the established proselytizers, one of whom is a closeted gay who insists Mormons should “Turn it Off.” Unfortunately, the liar - christened Elder Cunningham (a delightful and eccentric Josh Gad) takes things a little too far in his attempts, with some disastrous, yet witty, results.
In reference to this show, Jon Stewart said, “When the aliens come, thousands of years from now, it may exist as our only memory of Earth. And I’ve got to say, I'm happy to go down with that.”
This show may truly run for thousands of years. Actors who are still enjoying themselves may dance about in the ruins of our civilization, crying, “Tomorrow is a latter day!” When the aliens land, this pinnacle of truth and hilarity may stand as a monument to our lives and to the lives of the brilliant minds who conceived it in an attempt to bring joy to all those who watch it, and it may represent our hopes, dreams, and attempts for perfection. And I, too, am very, very happy to go down with that.
* * *
We Live on Avenue Q
Another foray into the world of Robert Lopez.
New World Stages
340 West 50th St. (646) 871-1730
The story of the origin of The Book of Mormon is nearly as compelling as the musical’s own plot. In 2004, when Trey Parker and Matt Stone were deep into work for their puppet film, Team America: World Police, they visited Broadway to wind down, choosing to see, perhaps in empathy, the puppet musical Avenue Q. Replacing the perpetual joy and spirit of learning on Sesame Street with songs such as “If You Were Gay,” “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” and “You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want When You’re Making Love,” the musical, presumably also an attraction to Parker and Stone for its vulgarity, was written by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. (Later that year Avenue Q won the Tony for Best Musical.) Lopez, as he later confided in interviews, was inspired by the film musical: “South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut” to create Avenue Q, and was greatly surprised to see its creators in his audience. After the show, the three went out for a drink, and discovered that each had been thinking of doing a parody of the Mormons on a much larger scale than a 30-minute episode. And thus, The Book was born.
It has been seven years since Avenue Q opened on Broadway, and my parents went to see the show that same year. As The Book of Mormon inspired me to begin watching South Park, I allowed it to draw me in a different direction - following the musical’s composer, Robert Lopez, to the New World Stages on 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, a block away from “The Book.” The theater, which once acted as a film multiplex, now hosts seven shows (the newest, a revival of Rent, premiering in July) and a remarkable ethic of keeping the shows high-quality and a credit to their Broadway predecessors. Avenue Q, which will play indefinitely (another credit to the Stages), is no exception. However, it needs to be no better than it was on a smaller stage, and would be fantastic anywhere.
My thirst for Broadway greatness in the style of The Book of Mormon did not go unquenched. Avenue Q is raunchy, no doubt, but spectacularly written with music to boot. The best thing about this show (discounting perhaps a few of the better-performed numbers) is its anti-Sesame Street spirit. Throughout, it maintains that life isn’t perfect, as evidenced by its opening number, “It Sucks to Be Me” and shouldn’t be treated as such.
Avenue Q itself is a great representation of how unfair life is. The nonexistent New York street is portrayed as three small apartment buildings inhabited by a wide array of characters. In the first, lives unemployed aspiring comedian and his Asian-American therapist wife, Christmas Eve, and a neurotic, goody two-shoes schoolteacher, Kate Monster (monster being a new, furry ethnicity created to further poke fun at Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster and his ilk). In the second, lives a closeted gay Republican stock-broker (who insists he’s straight in the slapstick tune “My Girlfriend Who Lives In Canada”), Rod, and his straight, green-skinned roommate, Nicky (a blatant lampoon of Bert and Ernie).
In the third, lives the shaggy, porn-addicted pervert Trekkie Monster (a twisted orange Cookie Monster), the new kid in town, Princeton, struggling to find his “purpose,” and the building’s super, Gary Coleman (whose first entrance is accompanied by the strains of the Diffrent Strokes theme), who in Avenue Q’s world is apparently still living. Their struggles to interact with each other without causing offense or hurt is a clear example of how tough life is, and how if you don’t deal with it you’ll be stuck living in either a false reality or the past forever (a fact accepted by Princeton, Nicky, and Kate in “I Wish I Could Go Back to College”).
Avenue Q is enacted expertly - not just sung or acted, but also with the help of its puppeteers. The puppets interact with the human actors similarly to its infamous similar show on PBS, and the players controlling them remain unnoticed in black, tight clothing, and, after a while, unnoticeable even to the audience. The fact that “Q” remains so great after almost a decade, while being staged with different actors, on 50th, stands as a tribute to its excellence in every area of the arts. The show knows how to use its fame - it closed only two years ago after having made $117 million, donates all funds collected during the showstopper “The Money Song” to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and has played in 17 countries. It’s going to Germany, #18, in 2012. Let’s just say that after my little experience, I can conclusively say that Robert Lopez is a musical genius. Good luck to Avenue Q wherever it may roam.
* * *
The Company Way
Daniel Radcliffe, John Larroquette and Anderson Cooper make their musical debuts in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Al Hirschfeld Theater
302 W. 45th St.
212-239-6200
There are many angles to How to Succeed that are intriguing - its music, its humor, and of course, its actors throughout history. Ranging from stars of stage such as Robert Morse to stars of film such as Matthew Broderick to stars of television such as Walter Cronkite, the cast of characters in this show has always been as diverse as it was entertaining. This is so evident now, as Daniel Radcliffe takes the stage as J. Pierrepont Finch, a polished businessman who climbs rapidly to the top of World Wide Wickets, a company run by philandering (and knitting) tycoon J.B. Biggley (John Larroquette, Night Court) with the help of his extremely descriptive book: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – sonorously intoned by an off-stage voice, (CNN’s Anderson Cooper).
Though the show in itself is greatly entertaining and rightfully twice revived, the greatest appeal of the show is watching Radcliffe (the 21-year-old actor who starred in all eight of the Harry Potter films) sing, dance, and act - and end up being really good at it. There you have it, I suppose. Radcliffe steals the show, especially in his final (mainly) solo number, Brotherhood of Man, where he performs feats unheard of from a star mostly known for casting spells. In a new environment, he casts a spell on his audience, and as if entranced, they stand and applaud him, laughing hysterically at his jokes, gobbling up his every word, amazed to be in the same room as an actor of such magnitude, and of such obvious depth. And who wouldn’t be?
I shouldn’t slight the rest of the cast - their performances were greatly admirable as well. Larroquette delivers as a CEO unsure what to do with his power besides exercise its perks, and Christopher J. Hanke shines as his nephew, the villain of the show who is so jealous of Finch’s success that he wheels and deals his way to a position of power to have power over Finch - only to end up back in the mailroom once again. Also unforgettable is Rob Bartlett, who plays two roles - first, the timid Head of Mailroom-soon-to-be-Head of Shipping who is willing to do anything to stay employed, and second, Wally Womper, a former window washer who grew to be Chairman of the Board of World Wide Wickets but dislikes high-rolling style. The show also boasts an amazing, multi-purpose set designed by Derek McLane, who won a Tony in 2009 for his sets in 33 Variations. However, when all of these elements converge and a product such as the one I’ve just seen is the result- well, that’s when you know you’ve got a musical that knows a little something about how to succeed.
* * *
Seth Numrich (Center) is Joey’s master in War Horse.
Photo: Paul Kolnick.
Lincoln Center Theater Production of
War Horse
Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center
150 W. 65th St.
New York, NY 10023
(212) 362-7600
It’s a play, and a musical, and a puppet show, and a war. War Horse has literally everything, and there’s nothing to regret about this incredible display of talent and craftsmanship. Documenting the story of a boy whose horse is sent to fight in World War One, War Horse uses enormous puppets, which are controlled by three people who work together with the elegance of ballet dancers. The show’s acting is superb, and its occasional singing of British battle songs merely livens up an already excellent time. Even jokes are littered throughout the wartime epic, and the audience loves them. War Horse does absolutely everything right, and there’s not one thing they scrimp on. The special effects are amazing, if a little loud, and the puppetry cannot be matched. The horses are so realistic that you begin to believe in them. The goose is so real that you begin to sympathize with it when it gets the door slammed in its face. This show is amazing. I am not exaggerating when I say it is the best play I’ve ever seen.
* * *
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Welcome to the world of “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”
Palace Theater
877-250-2929
B’Way & 47th St.
Two drag queens and a transsexual drive through the desert in an RV.
Sound like a bad joke? Well, you wouldn’t be far off, as this is the premise of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, an adaptation of Stephen Elliot’s hit 1994 film and the most successful musical ever to come out of Australia. Whether the musical standards are lower or this is an average Australian showcase, who knows, but this show- or revue, as it appeared- seemed like an inside joke by the gay community aimed directly at those expecting a night of good fun and discovering not a musical, but a frankly erotic and inappropriate display of costumes and scenery. The acting, it seems, is merely a backdrop, if not much of one at all.
Will Swenson, flush with success from the recent heralded production of Hair, and a song list dating from the greatest times in musical history could do nothing for the fact that this show seems unacceptable on Broadway, not living up to the standards of its fellow musicals and diluting hits such as I Will Survive into nothing but gaudy dance numbers on stilts and in plastic wigs.
Jokes sprung to the surface occasionally, but failed to disguise the rest of the show as being anything more than an excuse to sit on a shoe in a sequined jumpsuit and sing opera. I honestly believe that musicals are worth more than this and should be treated with respect. If anything, Priscilla does not deserve to be classified as a show, as it includes essentially no plot, uses pre-written songs and second-class actors, and instills no feelings of joy or wonder whatsoever in the expectant theatergoer. |
