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Thursday, October 25, 2007
‘Comparing Books’ @ Jewish Theatre
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Grade: C-
Dominic — the preening gangster at the heart of Marc Goldsmith’s play “Comparing Books” — is equally inept at low-level crime and major assaults on the English language.
Charles Dickens, he says during his bungled attempt to collect a college kid’s gambling debt, was a “prophylactic writer,” and he himself has friends and associates of “semantic” descent. Watch your back, Mrs. Malaprop.
By the looks of this Jewish Theatre of the South world premiere, Goldsmith is a lover of bad wordplay, revolving-door farce, last-minute reversals of fortune and the kind of squishy, 11th-hour sermonizing typical of after-school specials. This isn’t necessarily a good thing.
When cocky Ivy Leaguer Brad Feingold (Eric Mendenhall) tries to pay off his bad bets with the “Israel bonds” he got for his bar mitzvah, everything in his parents’ Upper East Side apartment goes haywire —including dramatic logic. As characters arrive unexpectedly, Brad and Dominic (Jeff Portell) scramble to keep their risky business under wrap.
It takes supreme gullibility to believe that Dominic is Brad’s college professor. And as it turns out, Brad’s sister Michelle (Sharon Zoe Litzky) ain’t exactly college material, and his father, Leon (Mark Gray), is loaded on booze and pain-killers after a skiing accident. His mother, Sylvia (Vicki Ellis Gray), is so high-strung that she fails to notice the eccentric behavior transpiring in her own living room.
As directed by Melanie Martin Long, the parents come off as sit-com caricatures, while Portell, Mendenhall and Litzky transcend the inherent weakness of the writing. As Dominic’s boss, Panucci, Barry Stoltze transforms himself into a toupee-wearing, cane-waving, tush-slapping, lasagne-cooking old geezer.
Though you feel Goldsmith straining to cover up his wafer-thin premise with ridiculous situations and low comedy, “Comparing Books” is a disappointment. In the final minutes, the story makes an unexpected turn into territory that is blatantly sentimental and wretchedly inspirational.
Jewish Theatre’s commitment to new work is commendable. But its lack of dramaturgical rigor is starting to take its toll. Soon, if not already, it’s going to find itself comparing flops.
THE 411: 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 3 p.m. Sundays. Through Nov. 4. $18-$30. Jewish Theatre of the South, Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. 770-395-2654, jplay.org
BOTTOM LINE: A comedy that’s as dysfunctional as its characters.
‘High School Musical: The Ice Tour’ @ Philips Arena
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
REVIEW. “Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour.” Grade: D+
The ice has not been nice to “Disney’s High School Musical.”
Gliding into Philips Arena for a weekend-long run, “Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour” puts a chill on the tween phenomenon that began in early 2006 with a made-for-TV film, then spawned an avalanche of hit singles, a concert tour, amateur and professional stage versions across the land and a ratings-busting August sequel.
Now all-American sweethearts Troy and Gabriella and flamboyant sibling thesps Ryan and Sharpay have hit the ice with a family singalong that turns the candy-colored slush into the artistic equivalent of a snow-cone accident.
Splat!
OK. Hold on. That’s not exactly fair. The skating is breathlessly executed by a dynamic young ensemble of athletes who have their heads (and toes) fully into the game of Charles “Chucky” Klapow’s intricate choreography.
For a story that hopscotches from a basketball gymnasium to a golf course to a baseball diamond, an arena-size skating spectacle is a smart way to create stunning visual pictures at breakneck speed (although it’s worth pointing out that the Arizona desert looks a little odd on a surface of ice).
But by all accounts, it’s virtually impossible to “getcha, getcha, getcha” axels in a triple while carrying a tune. The solution, then, is to lipsynch the songs and dialogue to a recorded soundtrack — an approach that runs counter to the very idea of putting on a musical. Instead of acting, you get a lot of exaggerated hand-waving and over-the-top pantomime.
And since fabulous hair is such a big part of the “High School Musical” hipness factor, many of the performers are required to cover their sensible real-life dos with frightful fashion don’ts: bad wigs.
Everyone knows there’s no way Sharpay would ruin her Gucci-Prada-Dolce wardrobe with clumpy blonde locks. And why would Troy want to kiss Gabriella and risk getting a fake hair in his mouth? G-ross.
What must be said about “High School Musical: The Ice Tour” is that the performances sizzle. The former professional ice-skater I invited to the show pronounced the artistry impressive and the choreography daunting.
Indeed, Brad Santer (Troy) and Amanda Billings (Gabriella) skate like angels. Their duet to “Breaking Free” (“We’re soaring, we’re flying”) is breathtaking, particularly when Santer lifts off the ice for an airborne second or two.
With his fluttery mannerisms and slender physique, Adam Loosley captures the essence of Ryan — with that trademark cap parked at just the right angle. Only Kristen Treni (Sharpay) disappoints, with a diminutive silhouette and attitude that seems too subdued for the bristling diva-devil.
“High School Musical” is a pop-culture force that is covering the planet like a carpet of karaoke kudzu. Kids know every lyric, parents cringe over empty wallets, and Disney celebrates the magic of the East High School brand. Shiver to think it: But this cavalcade of frost-friendly lipsynchers may just be the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
THE 411: 10:30 a.m and 7:30 p.m. today. 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday. Through Sunday. $15-$35. Philips Arena. 404-249-6400, highschoolmusicaltheicetour.com
BOTTOM LINE: The beloved tween brand gets rinky-dink treatment.
