Theater review: Say hello to 'Bye Bye Birdie' at the Heights Players

By Louise Crawford

“Bye Bye Birdie,” that musical war-horse by Charles Strouse, Lee Adams and Michael Stewart, performed in high school auditoriums nationwide since its award-winning Broadway run in 1960, stands strong at the Heights Players in Brooklyn Heights.

You’d have to be a curmudgeonly lout not to put on a happy face during a show with a chorus of real teenage bobby-soxers, an Elvis and Ed Sullivan impersonator, a Jewish mother to end all Jewish mothers, once-topical jokes about Henry Luce, Fidel Castro, Peter Lawford, Lamont Cranston and Mussolini, and a score that includes such songwriting gems as “Kids,” “A Lot A Livin’ to Do” and “Telephone Hour.”

Casting is always a strong card at the Heights Players and there were many standouts in the well-oiled, multi-age ensemble, well directed by Thomas Tyler. Marlene Berner as Rosie, the part played by Chita Rivera on Broadway, is a performer to watch. Berner can sing, dance and act with subtly, humor and gusto (calling all casting agents, this woman is good). Long-time Heights player Thomas Urciuoli, in the role of Harry MacAfee, gives Paul Lynde a run for his money as the very funny, hyperventilating dad who goes apoplectic at the word puberty. Adam Kemmerer’s punky, gyrating and understated Conrad Birdie (pictured) is winning, as is the uber-comedic Gail Lemelbaum as Albert’s kvetchy mother. Ashley Fedor as Kim is a charmer with an effortless and expressive soprano and real acting and comedy chops. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Sabrina Fernandez as Kim’s little sister, Randi. This cutie is well beyond her 11 years when it comes to credible singing, acting and comedy.

The “How to Kill A Man” dream sequence choreographed by Aurora Dredger was unexpectedly original and highly amusing. Other highpoints in a show of musical high points include the brilliant, “Hymn for a Sunday Evening,” the rollicking, “Lot A’ Livin’ To Do,” the always endearing (and oft-quoted) “Telephone Hour,” and “Baby Talk to Me,” with the very tall and talented Andrew Schoomaker as Albert and the adult ensemble.

The Heights Players always add unexpected touches (and forgivable liberties) and the “no cellphone” speech added to the beginning of the show was a slam-dunk positing Harvey Johnson (Chad Fusco), the show’s iconic nerd, as the inventor of the cellphone.

My guess is that this effusive “Bye Bye Birdie” will get better and better as its talented, big and big-hearted cast performs it through May 29.

“Bye Bye Birdie” at the Heights Players [26 Willow Pl. between State and Joralemon streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 237-2752], now through May 29, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. Tickets $18. For info, visit www.heightsplayers.org.

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Theater review: One golden Heights Players production

By Thomas Tracy

The Heights Players is finally feeling its age with its production of Noel Coward’s light-hearted comedy “Waiting in the Wings” — but the plucky Willow Place troupe has never been more charming.

With the exception of a few miscues and a botched line or two, the community theater group masterfully breathes new life to Coward’s team of tarnished golden girls bravely facing the sundown of their lives in a charity home for retired actresses with a sly smile on their lips and a song in their hearts.

“Waiting in the Wings,” Coward’s 50th play, was a critical flop and considered too old fashioned for contemporary audiences when it premiered in Ireland back in 1960.

Yet today, as baby boomers begin retiring, the doddering old ladies are again relevant as they reminisce about past conquests and gossip about the latest addition to their ever-so humble home.

As the play opens, Lotta Bainbridge (Susan Faye Groberg, above left) is the newest old kid on the block. Once the toast of Tinseltown, she’s now too old to act, too poor to live on her own and fears her impending final death scene at the Wings.

As it turns out, moving into a charity home for septuagenarian starlets can be pretty off-putting. Everyone — and I mean everyone — can drop a Shakespearian soliloquy or a Vaudeville song and dance number at the drop of a hat.

Yet things get far worse when Lotta finds out that May Davenport (Valerie O’Hara, above right) is also a resident — and still hates her for stealing her boyfriend some 30 years earlier.

Much like a classic sports car, “Waiting in the Wings” needs a little time to warm up before it gets going.

But once it does, the laughs don’t stop — thanks mostly to actress Margaret Sullivan, who brings out all of Coward’s funniest one-liners with a biting Irish brogue in her role as Deidre O’Malley. Other standout performances include Bill Wood’s Osgood Meeker, a lovesick movie fan who makes a daily pilgrimage to the Wings to visit one of its bedridden residents, and Elizabeth Bove’s Miss Archie, the former drill sergeant who runs the whole place with military precision.

Each cast member brings a sliver of sweet sentimentality to “Waiting in the Wings,” even though it quickly becomes clear that some are stronger actors and more comfortable on stage.

Whatever minor weaknesses it has, the cast operates very well as a family unit, making the lighter moments around the piano — the centerpiece of the stage — a joy to watch.

“Waiting in the Wings” was a perfect choice for the Heights Players as it reaches the end of its 55th season. The theater group, much like the play’s characters, is old, but far from done.

“Waiting in the Wings” at the Heights Players [26 Willow Pl. between State and Joralemon streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 237-2752], through April 17; Fridays–Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets $15. For info, visit www.heightsplayers.org. 

Photo by Harry Marc Hermann

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Theater review: Heights does 'Hamlet' right

By Louise Crawford

Half the fun of a Heights Players’ production is a look at the program. Such a talented group of New York actors manage to find their way to the company’s auditions. Indeed, it’s the cast that makes this new production of “Hamlet” worth a trip to Willow Street.

Brian Richards as the not-so-great Dane brings the melancholy intelligence, energy, humor and pitch blackness of the title character to life. Richards remained psychologically true to the character as he grappled with grief, betrayal, revenge, incest, anger and love (you know the story), enacting Shakespeare’s poetry and punditry with great energy and dynamic lyricism.

Energy, expressivity and narrative clarity were obviously director Robert Weinstein’s M.O. for this production. His modern-dress “Hamlet” opens with a tone poem of sorts as the actors recite the words “to be or not to be” in a roundelay, a fitting start to a production that strives to make this brilliant drama accessible — and memorable — to all.

The cast is uniformly excellent. Raven Pease is very good as a delicate and enchanting Ophelia, and Emily Taplin Boyd is a very stylish Gertrude. 

The set, designed by Gerry Newman, manages to evoke a dark winter night and the interior of the castle with simplicity and versatility.

“Hamlet” at the Heights Players [26 Willow Pl. between State and Joralemon streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 237-2752], now through March 20. Tickets $15, $13 for seniors and children. For info, visit www.heightsplayers.org.

Photo of Hamlet (Brian Richards) by Tom Callan

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Theater review: This ‘Frost/Nixon’ is like the president himself — riveting, but flawed

By Meredith Deliso

The Heights Players prides itself on its intimacy, and that couldn’t be more evident in its current production of “Frost/Nixon.”

When the play opened on Broadway five years ago, its staging employed dozens of TV screens to show close-ups of the actor’s faces for audience members in the cheap seats. Not here. The Players’ production relies on the performances and intimate setting to bring the audience in. And though both have their moments, the end result is mixed. Thanks to the strength of Peter Morgan’s script, “Frost/Nixon” is a largely enjoyable, at times gripping delight, even for non-political junkies, though it’s often bogged down by the heavy-handed delivery of that material and one key production flaw.

The play is a fictionalized account of the 1977 showdown between Richard Nixon, fresh off his pardon, and British journalist David Frost. After unique personal failures, both yearn to be major players again, and their interview holds the key, if only for one man. In this David-and-Goliath setup, mere “talk show host” Frost appears to be the clear underdog to the seasoned Nixon, who had battled interviewers before on such subjects as divergent as Vietnam, Watergate, and a dog named Checkers.

Director Steve Velardi clearly considered that dynamic in his effective staging — it’s a boxing match without gloves. In one corner, you have Nixon’s camp — the ex-president, his chief of staff, and smarmy agent. In the other, there’s Frost, his producer, woman, and “crackpot” team of investigators. Whether they’re at Nixon’s California home or at the TV studio, they never cross sides.

Like the best Nixon performances, Jason Hewitt’s doesn’t lend itself to caricature. He does one two-armed “Victory” shot that’s obviously played for laughs, but other than that, his Nixon embodies the brashness and gravitas of the man. Jere Williams is appropriately goofy and showy as Frost, a toothy smile almost constantly planted on his face, though he exudes depth and empathy.

Despite these strong performances, the production suffers at times from over-acting and heavy-handedness, especially in the narration by one of the investigators, Jim Reston, played by Michael Nigro. And a particularly powerful moment from Hewitt, where Nixon drunkenly calls Frost on the night before their last interview, was the type of tour de force performance better suited for a larger space, and would have been more effective turned down a notch. The otherwise swift show was also interrupted by an intermission added simply to sell concessions, it seems.

The play’s ending should be no spoiler — Frost emerged the victor, getting a confession from Nixon. As mentioned earlier, this staging forgoes any props to aid the story, instead relying on intimacy. Though as Reston’s narration highlights the look of defeat on Nixon’s face and the “reductive power of the close-up” during this climatic moment, I couldn’t tell you how powerful that close-up was. With the audience seated on all four sides of the stage, I was unfortunate enough to be seated behind Nixon, deprived of that catharsis. Intimacy wasn’t enough.

“Frost/Nixon” at the Heights Players [26 Willow Pl. between State and Joralemon streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 237-2752], through Feb. 20; Fridays–Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets $15. For info, visit www.heightsplayers.org. 

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Heights Players take on ‘Frost/Nixon’

By Alex Rush

The director of The Heights Players’ upcoming rendition of “Frost/Nixon” jumped at the chance to direct the play because he’s constantly reminded how lame modern interviews are compared to the 1977 face-off between the disgraced former president and the enterprising British talk-show host.

“There’s nothing like that now,” said director Steve Velardi, whose production of the Broadway hit premiers on Feb. 4 at The Heights Players. “Matt Lauer’s interview with George Bush could have been the new Frost/Nixon, but the most that came out of that interview was that Bush was offended Kanye called him a racist.”

Indeed, Richard Nixon’s televised confession to David Frost about his involvement in the Watergate schedule was a major milestone. And the play, which started on Broadway in 2007 and became an Oscar-nominated film, mixes the historical account of the interview, with fictional scenes. One of the most famous made-up sequences is when Nixon drunk-dials Frost on the night before their final interview.

“It’s a fascinating snapshot of history combined with scenes that didn’t really happen, but they feel real and work well in the narrative,” said Velardi.

One of the reasons that The Heights Players narrative works so well is Jason Hewitt, the actor playing Nixon. Like Frank Langella in the Broadway and film version of “Frost/Nixon,” Hewitt doesn’t attempt a dead-on impression of the paranoid prez, but still manages to channel his brash personality.

“His facial features and expression even resemble Nixon’s,” Verlardi said.

Actors’ facial expressions are especially noteworthy during the interview scenes between Frost and Nixon, and the Broadway production featured 36 TV screens so that the audience could see every grimace and grin close-up. The Heights Players’ Willow Street theater isn’t that high tech, but who needs TVs? At 120 seats, the space is intimate enough that you won’t miss a single crook, er, we mean look.

“Frost/Nixon” at the Heights Players [26 Willow Pl. between State and Joralemon streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 237-2752], Feb. 4-20. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets $15. For info, visit www.heightsplayers.org.

Photo: In the hot seat: Jason Hewitt (left) plays President Nixon, and Jere Williams portrays journalist David Frost in the Heights Players’ production of “Froxt/Nixon,” which opens on Feb. 4. This photo was from a dress rehearsal. Photo by Noah Devereaux

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Theater review: In the end, this 'Mikado' rules

Jennie Mescon in “The Mikado,” a
Gilbert and Sullivan classic

By Meredith Deliso

“The Mikado” is a big production — full orchestra, large ensemble, elaborate costuming — which makes it an ambitious choice for a community theater.

The Heights Players rise to the challenge, staging the Gilbert and Sullivan classic at its Brooklyn Heights space — though not without a few groans.

The comic operetta is set in the made-up Japanese town of Titipu, where the emperor — the Mikado — has just instituted a ban on flirting, with punishment by beheading. A wandering minstrel named Nanki-Poo has arrived, looking for his love, Yum-Yum, who, to his dismay, is to marry the Lord High Executioner, Ko-Ko, that day. To Ko-Ko’s dismay, he learns that the Mikado wants the executioner to do some executing, and he must come up with a head, fast, or be beheaded himself.

It’s all serious stuff — though really just a satire of British cultural mores of Gilbert and Sullivan’s times.

David Schaefer does a fine job at the piano, but a full orchestra is missed during subtle moments, like when Nanki-Poo whips out his mandolin-like companion and strums a few chords. Instead of the anticipated accompaniment of plucking, it’s, yep, still the piano. It’s a small moment, but it makes you too aware of the company’s limitations in staging this show. (In one charming moment, though, in the absence of a curtain, Japanese lanterns rise to mark the start of the show).

Whatever orchestral limitations, it is more than made up by the sheer size of the Heights Players’ cast. There’s so many actors, in fact, that they often spill out into the aisles, mainly because they all can’t fit on the stage. When they’re not having fun with the crowd, the actors remain static, in the kabuki style, though it’s lifeless to have so many people on stage at one time with nothing happening.

But those gripes are minor considering the triumph of the music and lyrics. And, more important, the performances are enjoyable. Stephen O’Brien is a great Ko-Ko, well adept at the physical humor (after one back-bending feat, it’s evident this man does yoga), and he has his timing down. Akira Fukui as Nanki-Poo gives a charismatic, heartfelt performance, and he sings with a pretty tenor. His rapport with Yum-Yum (Renee Heitmann) is also fun to watch, and she strikes the right level of airheadedness.

Other good turns come from Jennie Mescon as the spunky Pitti-Sing, one of the “three little maids from school,” and the Mikado himself, Michel Schneider. He strikes a commanding figure on stage, and, arriving for only the second act, you wish he were there longer.

The best moment comes when the Lord High Executioner rattles off people who are on “his list” — those who we should, to put it delicately, get rid of — in the song “As Some Day it May Happen.” It’s customary at this point to replace Gilbert’s own dated list with more contemporary references (this was written in the mid-1880s, after all), and those who make the Heights Players’ “list” include drivers of ozone depleting SUVs, Facebook posters, twitters, and texters, Sudoku doers, Tea Partiers and a certain rouge politician “who can see Russia from her house.” The crowd went wild for it — the Heights Players certainly knows its audience.

Though marred at times by its own limitations, this “Mikado” wins you over in the end, just in time for the rousing finale. 

“The Mikado” at the Heights Players [26 Willow Pl. between State and Joralemon streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 237-2752], now through Oct. 24. Tickets $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and children under 12. For info, visit www.heightsplayers.org.

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Two takes on theater

Two of Brooklyn's community theaters launched their new seasons last weekend, and we were there.

See what we had to say about the Gallery Players's production of "What The Butler Saw" (pictured) and the Heights Players's production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" to help you plan your next date night.

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