The Burnt Part Boys -- BSC Musical Theatre Lab
"The Burnt Part Boys" features musical compositions which are (quite favorably) "Rent"-like.
Chris Miller, the composer for the Barrington Stage Company show, won the Jonathan Larson (Rent-creator) Award three years ago. Any connections or influence in the air?
This musical, still evolving, fills the intimate, inviting confines of a basement theater at the Berkshire Atheaeum in Pittsfield with joy (amid darkness), harmony, and music in a minor key which often resolves. Pretty wonderful couple of hours.
Six adolescents (okay some seem post-teen) search for their fathers, whom they've lost through an accident in a mine. It's the early 1960s; the music is universal in time.
The director, Joe Calarco, and his obviously talented design team must have arrived at the performance space six or so weeks ago, taken a look, and smiled. Colarco and musical director/keyboard artist Deborah Abramson place three musicians on a landing which looks down upon the stage. The actors move along a rectangular plane as they play to theatergoers on either side. Everyone has an excellent view of the proceedings. Chris Lee, who lights, the show, is pivotal. He must create sunshine or shadow, according to need and mood.
What's going on here is that Pete (Daniel Zitchik), Dusty (Robert Krecklow), Frances (Katherine McClain).....seek to reconnect with their fathers -- who are gone, physically, forever. "Burnt Part Boys" is about journey: of the self; toward understanding of life and death; about moving onward in the midst of personal tragedy.
The music is absolutely stunning. A group of miners, including Joseph Breen, Robert Dalton, Drew Davidson, and Brian Litscher open with a truly moving acappella version of "God's Eyes."
That sets the tone and terrific numbers follow suit.
Soloist Halle Petro, as Annie, does a splendid job with "Loving the Boy," and, in a more comic vein, "Lost," during the second act.
With a book by Mariana Elder and lyrics by Nathan Tysen, "Burnt Part Boys" speaks of past, present, and, by implication, future. The mix of Equity with non-Equity acting personnel makes for a terrific ensemble.
But, without Joe Calarco's direction, this production loses zip, appeal, and its charismatic charm. I've directed more than thirty-five non-professional shows myself and (as a critic) have reviewed more than my share of high level regional stage Typically, I join hands with those who allow actors room to discover -- voices, character, physicality and so forth. That philosophy, however, would fall a bit short when it comes to "The Burnt Part Boys" at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Without an individual at the helm who makes specific blocking decisions, establishes pace, and facilitates flow, the musical cannot prosper. Kudos, then, to Colarco who must have been a galvanic figure during the rehearsal process.
Brian Prather is an imaginative set designer who utilizes ladders (on wheels), wooden chairs to symbolize wooded or hilly terrain. This scenic choice bests a literal representation.
This play demonstrates nifty symmetry as the miners open and (all but) conclude the production with their voices. That device is mood setting at the outset and it brings closure, too.
As a theater piece, this one needs attention and editing about two-thirds of the way through the opening act when the action flags just a bit.
Presented as a portion of Barrington Stage Company's Stage II: Musical Theatre Lab (led by the estimable William Finn), "The Burnt Part Boys" is most promising. Julie Boyd's notion to grant the public access to works in-process yet not quite at peak, is a fine and welcome idea. Audiences will gravitate. The run has just been extended through July 15.
Chris Miller, the composer for the Barrington Stage Company show, won the Jonathan Larson (Rent-creator) Award three years ago. Any connections or influence in the air?
This musical, still evolving, fills the intimate, inviting confines of a basement theater at the Berkshire Atheaeum in Pittsfield with joy (amid darkness), harmony, and music in a minor key which often resolves. Pretty wonderful couple of hours.
Six adolescents (okay some seem post-teen) search for their fathers, whom they've lost through an accident in a mine. It's the early 1960s; the music is universal in time.
The director, Joe Calarco, and his obviously talented design team must have arrived at the performance space six or so weeks ago, taken a look, and smiled. Colarco and musical director/keyboard artist Deborah Abramson place three musicians on a landing which looks down upon the stage. The actors move along a rectangular plane as they play to theatergoers on either side. Everyone has an excellent view of the proceedings. Chris Lee, who lights, the show, is pivotal. He must create sunshine or shadow, according to need and mood.
What's going on here is that Pete (Daniel Zitchik), Dusty (Robert Krecklow), Frances (Katherine McClain).....seek to reconnect with their fathers -- who are gone, physically, forever. "Burnt Part Boys" is about journey: of the self; toward understanding of life and death; about moving onward in the midst of personal tragedy.
The music is absolutely stunning. A group of miners, including Joseph Breen, Robert Dalton, Drew Davidson, and Brian Litscher open with a truly moving acappella version of "God's Eyes."
That sets the tone and terrific numbers follow suit.
Soloist Halle Petro, as Annie, does a splendid job with "Loving the Boy," and, in a more comic vein, "Lost," during the second act.
With a book by Mariana Elder and lyrics by Nathan Tysen, "Burnt Part Boys" speaks of past, present, and, by implication, future. The mix of Equity with non-Equity acting personnel makes for a terrific ensemble.
But, without Joe Calarco's direction, this production loses zip, appeal, and its charismatic charm. I've directed more than thirty-five non-professional shows myself and (as a critic) have reviewed more than my share of high level regional stage Typically, I join hands with those who allow actors room to discover -- voices, character, physicality and so forth. That philosophy, however, would fall a bit short when it comes to "The Burnt Part Boys" at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Without an individual at the helm who makes specific blocking decisions, establishes pace, and facilitates flow, the musical cannot prosper. Kudos, then, to Colarco who must have been a galvanic figure during the rehearsal process.
Brian Prather is an imaginative set designer who utilizes ladders (on wheels), wooden chairs to symbolize wooded or hilly terrain. This scenic choice bests a literal representation.
This play demonstrates nifty symmetry as the miners open and (all but) conclude the production with their voices. That device is mood setting at the outset and it brings closure, too.
As a theater piece, this one needs attention and editing about two-thirds of the way through the opening act when the action flags just a bit.
Presented as a portion of Barrington Stage Company's Stage II: Musical Theatre Lab (led by the estimable William Finn), "The Burnt Part Boys" is most promising. Julie Boyd's notion to grant the public access to works in-process yet not quite at peak, is a fine and welcome idea. Audiences will gravitate. The run has just been extended through July 15.
posted by Fred Sokol at 4:15 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home