Alliance Theatre Reviewers Blog

"Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" -- Wendell Barnes

Entering the Paris cabaret created by set designer Leslie Taylor, I knew I would be in love with the show before it even began!  The use of eclectic chandeliers and Chinese lanterns, along with the settees and love seats surrounding the playing area, the small cocktail tables for two at the edges of the stage, the end tables with beaded lamps, the small stage with piano and footlights, transported us to Paris as we enjoyed our glasses of wine from the bar on set.  Director Susan Booth and lighting designer Pete Shinn worked the room by placing the actor/singers around the room--on the stage, on the settees, on platforms in the audience, up and down the aisles.  The entire production made the audience feel a part of each tune from the incredible songbook of Jacques Brel.  I did witness however a few members of the audience being a bit uncomfortable, not knowing whether to arch their necks or turn around when an actor had been blocked directly behind them.  I confess to being a fan of the show before it began.  Each of the four actor/singers brought unique stylings to Brel's emotional songs.  Courtenay Collins stopped the show with her rendition of "Ne Me Quitte Pas."  You didn't need to understand French to be moved by her performance as a sort of mezzo-Piaf but with more emotion.  I was weeping by the end of the song and didn't even know what the French lyrics meant.  Miss Collins is a force of nature and delivered a tour de force performance in each song.  Lauren Kling's performance in "I Loved" took me to other emotional heights--her radiant facial expressions and tears brought out the same emotions in me as well.  Joseph Dellger's matinee idol looks and strong presence also stopped the show especially during "Amsterdam," and Craig A. Meyer's voice and smooth stage choreography have had me remembering the ensemble's performance all day (and singing "Fanette" under my breath.)  When "Timid Frieda" dropped the F-bomb, it wasn't even offensive because it was so appropriate in response to her critics!  Make your reservations now for "...Brel..."  It may be a long time before you will see such an inclusive production as an audience member as four amazing but unique of the best singer/actors ever make you laugh and cry several times in the course of a far too brief two hours.

Jacques Brel: Bodhisattva of the Bordello by Amy Lighthill

Crimson-swathed walls, cheap Chinese lanterns, a mannequin bejeweled with an extra arm, all anchored by a functioning bar: were we riding a rave in Little Five Points, or mining the riches of a French bordello?  No, we were succumbing to bewitchment by a boutique of beautiful ballads birthed by the late French troubadour, Jaques Brel. Bookmarked by “Marathon” and “Carousel”, two rueful yet passionate song-chants celebrating the pleasures and perils of this short sharp life, the evening’s program burst with love’s ecstacy and wept with its loss. A quartet of boffo singers, led by the scintillating and sexy Courtenay Collins, waltzed the audience through a bouquet of blossoms, including the naked need of “Ne Me Quittez Pas”, the eerily beautiful lament “Sons of”, and the rousing anthem “If We Only Have Love”. One began to feel both warm and awakened, even without wine. It felt like lolling in a box of bittersweet chocolates.

Brel sang to bless and curse the dramas of the heart. His songs never rest easy on a trite lyric or catchy tune. They expose his endless longing, even through a funny and arch look at the dance of the sexes in “Girls and Dogs”. The fading couple, finally separated by death in “Old Folks”, had many of us teary. Brel’s openhearted blessings-- for all of life’s experiences-- mark him as a wise and wily scribe of love and spirit. Even an occasional stumble, like “The Middle Class”’s tepid satirical effort to ‘epater le bourgeoisie’ with the very bourgeois audience, failed to shut the doors of our hearts.

 Susan Booth’s clever and trenchant staging brought out the ironies as well as the operatic emotionalism of Brel’s torch songs. A love song that could have been cloying turned acrid when a male lover, partway through the song, abandoned the singer, who continued to try to ‘comfort’ him from the emptiness of her room. 

     This evening’s enchantment would be wasted on the young. Their unripened souls do not yet thirst for this hearty and bitter French brew. They will come to it by and by. Those of us blessed with our banner years are the beneficiaries of this beautiful bibelot.

 

 

 

Review of Jacques Briel… by Jada Genter

     The Alliance production of Jacques Briel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris was exquisite, but in service of what? The Hertz Stage was transformed into a French cabaret through brilliant set and lighting design, the acting was unparalleled, the musicians daring, the staging and audience configurations purposeful. And I absolutely did not get it.

     It would seem impossible not to enjoy Jacques Briel, if for no other reason than because the actors’ performances were so entrancing. Courteney Collins’ “Ne Me Quitte Pas” and Joseph Dellger’s “Amsterdam” reminded me why I love live theatre, translating my emotions to another realm. But then…there was no follow-through. Certainly not in terms of storyline (as a musical revue it didn’t need one), but emotionally I felt the play had no destination, and it detracted from my enjoyment.

     I wondered if I was supposed to simply sit back and enjoy the music and performances for their own sake. But this isn’t the kind of production that lets the audience off the hook like that. Normally I say more power to them—I love theatre that makes me think and pay attention. This production challenges its audience members to involve themselves emotionally with the action both with its atmosphere and through the staging of the actors. But why? We were in the car, and the road was beautiful, but where were we going?

     One of the reasons I left so frustrated was because the production *was* so good, and the actors *were* so committed to the message they were communicating, that I felt like I was doing them a disservice by having not the faintest idea what they were trying to tell me. I understand pretty for pretty’s sake and when presented with it I enjoy it a great deal, but this play wasn’t doing that. There was most definitely a point, a message, a grand idea, and I searched the lyrics, song placement, actors’ movements and ever-so-expressive faces to find it—all to no avail.

     I have to recommend this play—it is too well-done to miss, and perhaps you will find what I missed. Perhaps you will not leave emotionally wrung-out from the monumental (yet fruitless) effort of trying to find meaning beyond simple enjoyment. Or like me, you may be frustrated because you know that the play was trying to tell you something…but you just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Jacques Brel is Alive at the Alliance- Shana Basnight

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris was directed by Susan Booth, Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre. The set designer did a great job of transforming the Hertz Stage into a French nightclub with paintings, cocktail tables, and the classic silver standing microphone. Four actors are featured in this performance and they are all vocally talented. Booth did a wonderful job of having the actors utilize the entire space, not just the stage. The actors move around the room, using the back of the theater to sing their solos, and strive to engage the audience from every direction possible. This play is great for the person that is familiar with Jacques Brel’s songs and wants to see a good cabaret show.

The design of the set suggests that the play is taking place in the 50’s or 60’s, but the costumes do not match the time period. The play consists of four actors that sing Jacques Brel’s songs and that’s it. Since there is no true storyline, and perhaps that is the point of the revue, it is difficult to follow along. The actors alternate between upbeat and downtrodden songs but you do not understand the catalyst for each song. You have to listen to the lyrics and figure out that perhaps someone is in love or getting ready to experience a tragedy. Unfortunately, this was not my favorite cabaret performance.

Final Thoughts:

See the play if you like cabaret. It is fun and light entertainment with a few humorous moments. The actors sing their parts well. You won’t fall asleep because the actors are constantly moving on and off of the stage. The songs are relatively enjoyable. The play was warmly received by most of the audience. I would recommend this performance for the seasoned patrons that enjoy the cabaret style of theater.

Jacques Brel - Maria Surprise

It’s official, Atlanta.  Paris is alive and well and living in the Woodruff Arts Center! 

Many visitors to the Woodruff Arts Center will be sure to take in the Louvre exhibit at the High or catch the Symphony performing La Bohème, but your Parisian tour will not be complete until you go underground – literally – and experience Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris on the Hertz stage at the Alliance theatre.

Get there early, relax on one of the comfy sofas in the back or grab a bistro table on the floor.  There’s a bar next to the stage, so buy a bottle of wine to enjoy throughout the evening.  For the next two hours, you’ll be transported to an intimate, candle-lit Paris cabaret filled with songs of love and loss, friendship and camaraderie, life and death.  As an added bonus, you won’t have to worry about the exchange rate or the 8-1/2 hour flight home.

Like the city that serves as its setting, Jacques Brel has something for everyone.  There are more than two dozen tuneful pop songs, expertly delivered by the cast and led from the piano on stage by music director Michael Fauss.  The chemistry between Courtenay Collins and Joseph Dellger alone is worth the trip.  Ms. Collins brings the house down in the first act with her rendition of “Ne Me Quitte Pas.”  Lauren Kling and Craig A. Meyer round out this supremely talented foursome.  Ms. Kling deserves special recognition for her intimate rapport with the material and the audience – her emotional vulnerability on stage is thrilling to watch, especially in “I Loved.”

Sometimes cabaret shows can drag in sections, but not so this production.  When the cast delivers its rousing performance of “If We Only Have Love” to close the second act, you’ll be thirsty for more.  The encore performance of “Carousel” is one of the best I’ve seen, and I’m already planning my return trip to the Hertz and its lovely Paris cabaret.  Vive la France!

Hertz Stage Opener -- A Cabaret Musical Revue

Our five Alliance Theatre Reviewers will see Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris on Wednesday, September 26, 2007.  Come back to see what they had to say about this World Premiere musical.

"The Women of Brewster Place"

The electricity in the air for a new musical world premiere was palpable throughout the theatre as the curtain went up on ten women on what was essentially a bare stage.  But for the next two and a half hours the audience was transported to a tenement that contained ten of the most varied personalities of 1970's African-American womanhood.  And what a ride we shared together last night!  The ensemble explained to us at the start that they were "Gonna Sing Loud," and loud and proud they did!  The gorgeous harmony at the end of the opening number heralded a new voice in musical theatre.  Tim Acito's talents in writing book and lyrics as well as the multi-hued score surprised us constantly with its variety, rhythms, humor and heartbreak.  "Makin' the Rounds" was one of the funniest songs ever presented in musical comedy, and Terry Burrell as Mrs. Browne led us through "Then Know This" at the opposite end of the emotional continuum, dramatic and touching in its lyrics about parenting.  When Tina Fabrique as Mattie sang of her heartbreak in losing her son in "Leave the Light On," not a parent in the house was dry-eyed at the end.  Monique L. Midgette proclaimed her pride in her new-found African-American identify as "Kiswana Browne" with boundless energy, and Harriett D. Foy as Lorraine stopped the show with her hilarious and athletic rendition of "Smile" in Act II.   Marva Hicks as Etta May had  the eyes and the smile that would make any preacher leave his flock, looking beautiful every time she graced the stage in a different outfit and wig, besides displaying vocal chops that astounded the audience in "Man of God" and other tunes.   Tijuana T. Ricks as Cora Lee seemed so natural that it did not seem she was acting, especially in her song to her children, "Dumbass" that conveyed her motherly skills with humor and love.  Suzzane Douglas as Tee shone in the duet with Lorraine, "When the World Gets Into You," with director Molly Smith's blocking shown to its best advantage as the two women skirted around their "forbidden" relationship, ending with a somewhat shocking passionate lesbian kiss.  When Shelly Thomas as Ciel proclaimed "Make Me Forget," we all hurt for her, especially as Mattie reinforced her feelings with "This Ain"t a Prayer" to end Act I on a chilling dramatic note.  We couldn't wait for intermission to end so we could get back to Act II to see how the women would fare.  Cheryl Alexander as Sophie and Eleasha Gamble as Wanda completed the amazing ensemble, proving that at times even minor roles can effectively move the plot along, especially in the moments when the two of them teamed with Terry Burrell to act as a Greek chorus of harpies commenting on the action and characters on stage, reminiscent of the Church Ladies in "The Color Purple."  The music and lyrics, actors and direction were all excellent, but I would be remiss not to mention the outstanding job done by Ann Patterson's sets, Darren W. McCroom's lighting and Paul Tazewell's costume designs.  Patterson's sets were simple walls with window cutouts, but when Adam Larsen added projections of tenement walls, the ever-changing configuration of set pieces came alive in a very impressive manner.  When the large square rose up from the stage level to become the preacher's limousine, I was impressed with the simplicity of the idea.  Larsen's other projections on the floor:  psychedelic rear projections, a stained glass window during the church scene, twirling flower power projections during Kiswana's song among others, added so much to the very simply rendered set and made Brewster Place come alive. Tazewell's obviously authentic (please tell me that it is too soon to call that vintage!) '70's costumes, and especially the shoes and wigs, transported us back to that decade and made us wonder why we ever thought those things were stylish!   McCroom's lighting from the bad circuitry of the tenement to the electrocution scene effectively helped convey the squalor of Brewster Place and made the audience understand why everyone was so anxious to get out.  I especially enjoyed the concept of no one but the ten women being onstage, so that the men and children involved in the story were invisible to the audience but very effectively conveyed by the actors to be seen and experienced by them.  Garth Hemphill's sound design, especially with the baby noises, added so much to making these imaginary characters real to the audience.  The only flaws I found in the production were two:  at times, I felt that Tina Fabrique dropped character when she was not speaking, and I noticed this from the opening number when she appeared to be looking around at the other actors who were all facing front.  It seemed that her perpetual facial expression of screwing her eyebrows together rarely changed, and I felt that she was not always in the scenes when she was not speaking or singing herself.  But I forgave her this because her voice was so beautiful and so powerful, and because her characterization of Mattie was so strong and so moving.  I also felt that Act II could still use some editing.  Act I moved along at a rapid clip, but after 2 1/2 hours the audience is ready to reach the conclusion and go home, and the second act tended to drag a bit as the hour got later.  But DO NOT MISS the amazing performances by these ten multi-talented women.  I can't wait to see it again, and this is bound to be the most talked about production of the year in Atlanta. There is no doubt we will soon be seeing this show on Broadway, and I hope they develop the CD soon so that I can listen to this beautiful and dramatic music over and over again.  The Alliance has another huge winner in its 50th world premiere.  I promise you will not soon forget any of "The Women of Brewster Place."

--Wendell Barnes

Review of the Women of Brewster Place- Shana Basnight

The first question that I have after watching The Women of Brewster Place at the Alliance Theatre is: Can you purchase the soundtrack? The women in this production are incredibly talented and the musical arrangement and vocal performances are truly the best parts of the play. Of course, the play is infused with humor, wit, drama, and suspense but this is a musical and it lives up to its name. You will not be disappointed with this performance.

The director is clever. Only women are featured in this play. You are instantly engaged in the creative approaches the women use to act out the scenes that would normally have a male counterpart. The play is provocative and challenges you to question your own beliefs and relationships with people in your immediate space (family, friends, neighbors, etc). The play is about sisterhood and the power we have on the inside of us to face adversity together. What happens when we tear down the internal walls we have built out of self-preservation and fear? What happens when you decide to take a stand for what you believe in? Is there strength in vulnerability? After watching this play, you will answer each of those questions differently.

As I mentioned earlier, the storylines and the music in this production are fantastic. However, the set could use a little work. The actors were given excellent props, such as sledgehammers, but there was not a physical wall for the women to tear down. Instead, the actors, with great sledgehammer props, pretended to hit a virtual wall. If the visual aesthetics of this production were to be improved, the play would be perfect. 

My last recommendation is that I would try to read the book before you go see the play. Although the play is similar to the movie, it is more closely aligned with Gloria Naylor’s book. Simply stated, you will have a better experience at this musical production with prior knowledge of the characters. The play does not delve deeply enough into the past lives of some of the women to fully understand their journey into Brewster Place. You are able to grasp the inner-workings of the community and you understand that each woman has a critical role to the neighborhood but you may not understand how each person arrived there.

Final Thoughts: This is a play you cannot afford to miss. I truly believe this play is destined for Broadway and it is only a matter of time before it gets there. The characters will keep you highly entertained as they share their journey and experiences living in Brewster Place. You will walk away feeling empowered and inspired. You will truly enjoy the rollercoaster of experiences that each woman has to share as you enter into the world of the Women of Brewster Place.

Brewster Place is a Dead End by Amy Lighthill

An oppressive brick wall, looming over the monochrome and minimal set of “The Women of Brewster Place”, stood as the only metaphor within this trivialized resuscitation of Gloria Naylor’s expressive and popular novel. Every effort to move deep into the meanings of the characters’ thwarted lives dead-ended. Despite some entertaining moments, the evening’s sparkle was primarily cast by the glittering dresses worn by the well-connected audience, including Mayor Shirley Franklin.

 

Like the shiny disco costumes he loves, Tim Acito’s script and music seemed to bounce off the surface of the heart-wrenching Naylor story of tiny triumphs amid massive tragedies. Opportunities to see the world from inside the heads of the ten women trapped in squalor and sadness were consistently lost, while peppy, repetitive tunes relied on shallow lyrics to convey the bare outlines of the story. In the novel, a mother almost died of emotional “freezing” after the death of her much-loved child; she was tenderly thawed back to life through the warmth of her own waterfall of tears, as they were evoked by the powerful touch of her loving aunt. This cathartic scene was literally watered down on stage to a scene of the aunt pouring water over the silent actress in a tub. No release was possible for the character, or the audience. Similarly, an intense rape scene was flattened and drained by harsh lighting and farcical miming. Simply turning off the lights, and letting us hear the terrifying sounds of a gang rape, would have connected the audience to the victim in a powerful moment that would have shaken everyone in the theatre to the core. Several of the novel’s central characters were, sadly, totally eliminated from the show, which nonetheless felt much longer than its 2 ½ hour running time.

 

The bold and interesting decision to exclude all male characters from the show underscored the utter absence of men from the fundamental life of the community on Brewster Place. But the directorial decision to cut out all children, who represent the only hope for most of the women who live in this forlorn and neglected part of the city, cauterized the play from a source of its vibrancy. Pretending-- that children sit in strollers or cut up next to their mothers-- seemed a sterile way to represent the lifeblood of the group.

 

Some of the actresses, particularly Marva Hicks as the slowly fading femme fatale Etta Mae, and Tina Fabrique as her “rock” of a friend, Mattie, gave their parts their all, and warmed the evening to the best of their very extensive vocal abilities. And several scenes had the audience laughing heartily—notably, disco-diva fairies doing “Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the neighborhood in platform shoes and Donna Summer fringe, and a community meeting gone bad when two matrons go at each other in an all-out catfight.

 

Ironically, the emotional core of the play was provided by the only love story allowed to flourish onstage, that of the two shunned lesbians of Brewster Place. Their tortured and tragic love culminated in an onstage kiss that took the audience into one of the play’s very few profoundly moving moments. Tim Acito’s rendition of Naylor’s book seemed to have a special feeling for the doubly-despised lesbians. If only such compassion could have grown through this play for all the fierce and fragile women of Brewster Place.

Review – The Women of Brewster Place by Jada Genter

I love musicals. Be they grandiose—Les Miserables—or high cheese—High School Musical 2, I love productions in which characters’ emotions boil over into song. Pursuant to this, I am predisposed to like a production if it involves breaking into song and dance. Such was the case with The Women of Brewster Place. While unfamiliar with the story, I knew it was a musical; I was prepared to be like it, and like it I did. While not without fault, the Alliance’s original production of Gloria Naylor’s seminal novel was visually intriguing and powerfully acted. It was an evening well spent.

An aspect of theatrical performance that I particularly enjoy is when subtext and meaning are effectively communicated via technical elements as they were in this play. The women (and their props) were the only real, tangible elements on the stage. The set was projected onto flats built at conflicting angles, suggesting that the women were the only truly substantial things in their world. The only exception was the “driving wall” that segregated their existence from the rest of the world, which carried symbolic resonance of its own.

For the most part, I enjoyed the original music. While most of my favorites—“Gonna Sing Loud”, “Dumbass” (a comic delight), “Sing, Billie” and “Leave the Light On”—were in the first act, “Smile”, the dazzlingly acted solo tribute to the dream vs. the reality of teaching, was in the second. This was an interesting reflection of the difference in tone between the two acts. The key character of Luciellia exited to be replaced by the persecuted lovers Tee and Lorraine(the latter of whom was the teacher in “Smile”). While one act was not necessarily better than the other, the difference was noticeable and a bit distracting. That may have been the point, as this sort of change occurs in life when people we love leave and new friends and neighbors enter into and change our lives, but if so, the idea was a bit vague.

This brings me to the one aspect of the production which I did not care for, that being the overabundance of character exposition. I eventually arrived at the understanding that the lack of inciting event was reflective of the sameness of these women’s existence, but there were so many introductory and explanatory songs that it wasn’t until the beginning of the second act that I reached that conclusion. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy these numbers (“Dumbass”, in particular, was a pointedly honest look into the life of  mother); however, they seemed to go on without end. It wasn’t until Etta Mae’s “Man of God” that the play moved on to character development as opposed to character introduction.

Once the play did move on, it was singularly enjoyable, showcasing the lives of these “fierce, powerful women”, to quote Susan Booth’s opening remarks, and the actresses did a brilliant job of bringing these characters to life. Tina Fabrique, as the central character of Mattie, brought a comfort level to the stage that I have rarely seen. She had no artifice as she traversed the ups and downs of the life of a matriarch—I believed that these struggles were her own and that we were being given a glimpse of this woman’s inner self.

My favorite character arc was that of Tijuana T. Ricks’ mother of seven, Cora Lee. Ricks’ had to communicate her character’s fundamental alteration in the perception of motherhood, and she did so subtly and powerfully. Watching Cora Lee learn to love all of her children was a beautiful experience.

Any of the other actresses may be given similar praise. Suzanne Douglas, Harriett D. Foy, and Marva Hicks as Tee, Lorraine, and Etta Mae, respectively, all gave performances worthy of official recognition. What a stunning group of women supported by an equally stunning production team. Come see it—this play is well worth your time and attention. Be prepared to laugh, cry, hate and have your heart broken—just as in real life.