"Scandalous!" composer-lyricist Glyn Bailey, second from left, framed by fellow book writers Theasa Tuohy and Keith Thomas. Director Stephen Duckham is at center right.
Almost every week that I have time to do so, I am usually in a theatre viewing one or more of the local productions that are presented at various venues about town. As a member of the Big Easy Theatre Committee, it is my duty to watch upwards of 100 productions a year. For someone who loves theatre it is both blessing and a curse. The New Orleans theatre community bounced back from Hurricane Katrina much more quickly than other segments of the city did. Now, three years after the storm did away with the Saenger Theatre, the only professional venue for touring shows in the city, many of the smaller theatres are up and running with very well-done presentations. Throughout the year there are a number of shows that are done with great care, but because of a lack of resources or limitations in the casts and technical crews, they come off with less-than-stellar productions. Typically, a small coterie of very talented actors and producing companies seem to take the lead in presenting the best shows each year. These include Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, Southern Repertory Theatre, Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre, Rivertown Repertory, Actor's Theatre of New Orleans, Anthony Bean Community Theatre as well as producing companies like FourFront Theatre, Running With Scissors, All Kinds of Theatre, NOLA Project and InsideOut Productions. One of the consistently powerful producing companies is the Jefferson Performing Arts Society led by Artistic Director and maestro Dennis Assaf. Under Assaf's leadership, JPAS has consistently produced winners in theatre, opera and more popular presentations. Now, their latest production, "Scandalous!", a musical based on the life of British authro D. H. Lawrence, is enjoying its United States premiere and it is among the very best musicals I have ever seen. Glyn Bailey, the composer and lyricist wrote the show some nine years ago and presented it a few times in England before moving to Covington, Louisiana with his wife. He and Assaf go together and the two elected to mount this production for just four shows. Bailey convinced fellow book writers Theasa Tuohy and Keith Thomas and director Stephen Duckham to come to New Orleans for the shows. New York veteran actor Bart Shatto ("Les Miserables," "The Civil War," and "Dracula") and West End actress Lindsay Hamilton led the cast and chorus filled with local talents. In short the show is a smash. Assaf, who led the orchestra with precision, played Bailey's enchanting and compelling music with panache and I count "Scandalous!" as one of the finest presentations I have ever seen. I am only sad that the auditorium was only half filled at the matinee yesterday and that just two performances remain on Friday or Saturday nights. For more information, check out the web site for "Scandalous!"
1 comment:
I was in attendance for the opening night of "Scandalous" and couldn't have been more impressed had I been at a Broadway production. Musically speaking, this show ranked among the best I have ever seen. I laughed and I cried. My emotions were pulled in every direction, which to me, means the author/lyricist/composer did his job. When there is music that doesn't play with my heart, it isn't real music to me. NOT only do I want to be entertained when I attend a show, but I want to FEEL a myriad of emotions. Glyn Bailey and the cast of "SCANDALOUS" accomplished this tenfold. I could NOT believe my ears when I heard the talent on that stage - whether it was local or Broadway didn't matter to me. It was nothing less than brilliant. I hope to see this show go far. I loved the seriousness of Mr and Mrs Arthur Lawrence singing to each other about coming from two different worlds. And I equally enjoyed the priest saying keeping "one little copy" wasn't going to hurt anyone. "Lady Chatterly's Lover" was a pick-me-up tune that had everyone dancing in their seats. There were so many moving moments that it's impossible to name all of them. The closing number of "I Will Rise Like A Phoenix" is almost worn out on the cd I bought just one week ago. I have put it on repeat and haven't stopped playing it yet. Kudos to Mr. Bailey and his partners and staff and the entire cast of "SCANDALOUS"!
Post a Comment