Singing aloft...
Equity Showcase (closed)
by John Paine. . January 20, 2001
Good news, this is not a drama! It's a spoof of all the bad ideas there have ever been for musicals down through the years, and it just might explain how some of them got on in the first place.
In this backstage story of the musicalization of the Zeppelin disaster, playwright/director Brian C. Petti has cast a troupe that thankfully does not fear looking foolish by going all the way. Anything less would have left all the wicked humor in his writing on the page, instead of the stage. And his staging makes as good use of the oddly shaped space as one can imagine.
The very funny choreography by Lawrence Merritt and Rich Hotaling also does not betray the limitations of the space. Having directed two three-character pieces on the tiny second-floor Beckmann stage at ATA, I can vouch that this is a feat in itself. In one number, My Nazi Shatzie, they also brilliantly manage to spoof the dance styles of about 10 Broadway shows and choreographers in as many seconds.
With ten cast members, eleven counting the Musical Director/accompanist (not to mention his keyboard) on this tiny stage at once, an intricate set was not an option, however, since all the action takes place on the stage of an off (off off?) Broadway theater, any stage at all is authentic enough. The crayon-sketch backdrop by Kathryn Hunter Luciana perfectly conveys the shortcomings of the production-within-a-production, and yet transforms into a fully-painted version for the opening night scene, giving one the feeling that this show just might go over after all.
On to the cast: Sarah Dawson is all you could ask for as the terminably perky newcomer Millie, while Jill Carroll is perfect as her contrast, a native New York lesbian up for the same ingenue role. Handsome James Elmore* as lecherous Rick can't seem to make time with either of them, though not for lack of trying. Mary Ellen Nelligar was well chosen to carry the show's first and last songs (not quite "opening" and "closing" numbers as this is more a play with music than a musical.) She is a true comic actor and song stylist. But you don't want to keep this girl from her Coca-Cola. Rich Hotaling does the funniest version of Mr. Cellophane I've ever seen. That's from another show? Well, yes, but they get around that...
Joel Flowers as the musical director steals every scene he's allowed a get an underplayed line into, while Collin Warhaftig does the same by going completely over the top as gay Jay the chorus boy. Lawrence Merritt* however, steals the entire show with his portrayal of theatre queen Rodney, the star who would be a has-been if he weren't wise enough to be sleeping with the producer. Sal Polichetti, although appearing a bit too young and goyish for the part, brings out all the humor in the role of Rodney's— and soon, everyone else's— agent. As the director and stage manager, Joe P. Morgan and Peter J. Dawson skillfully manipulate this crew into performing an hilariously camp show without their knowledge.
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