2014 Archives
October 29, 2014
Best of Rochester 2014 Best use of show tune superpowers Janine Mercandetti and Carl Del Buono There are plenty of excellent belters in town, but Mercandetti and Del Buono achieved a remarkable double play in September, playing leads in "Jekyll and Hyde" for Webster Theatre Guild, while performing in "The Last Five Years" during the Rochester Fringe Festival. "The Last Five Years" was a large-scale, wall-of-sound musical and an intense, emotional two-character show (which they performed successfully at the JCC CenterStage last spring). They sailed through both ... and one hopes, got just a little rest afterwards before moving on to their next show. — BY DAVID RAYMOND |
October 21, 2014
Theatre Review The Good, the Bad and the Jewish By David Raymond CITY Newspaper You don't have to be Jewish, or even particularly bad, to love Joshua Harmon's corrosive comedy "Bad Jews." An Off-Broadway hit last year, it is receiving its first regional theater production at the JCC CenterStage. Artistic Director Ralph Meranto was eager to get the rights for this play, and with good reason: as the title suggests, "Bad Jews" is extremely funny, extremely rude, and extremely thought-provoking. And best of all, it's exceptionally well directed and acted. "Bad Jews" takes place in an upper West Side apartment occupied by two brothers from a well-to-do Jewish family, Liam (Carl Del Buono) and Jonah (Justin Borak), who are hosting their cousin Daphna (Janine Mercandetti) after the funeral of their grandfather. (Most of the claustrophobic set is taken up by fold-up beds.) Liam has missed the funeral -- he dropped the iPhone with the call about his grandfather's death while on a ski lift at Vail -- and is just arriving with his girlfriend Melody (Samantha Buckman), who is not Jewish (when questioned about her ethnic origin by Daphna, she replies "Delaware"). All the above is enough to give Daphna an epic case of shpilkes, but there's more: She is determined to leave with a family heirloom, a gold chai (a Hebrew letter and the word for "life"). The grandfather kept this ornament hidden throughout the Holocaust and gave it to their grandmother instead of an engagement ring. Liam is equally determined to have it as an engagement gift for Melody, and in fact received it from his grandfather just before he died. Daphna, however, thinks that as the family's "good Jew," she has it coming to her. The ensuing struggle for "life" is, to put it mildly, ferocious. If you find it amusing, or perhaps distressing, that one of the characters in "Bad Jews" is a Jewish man with a Celtic first name, you are probably on this play's wavelength. Harmon pits a so-called "SuperJew", the super-observant, politically abrasive Daphna, against the more easygoing cultural Jewishness of the "bad Jews," Liam and Jonah. Harmon touches on questions about Jewish identity, family relationships and sense of entitlement, a close-knit group's treatment of outsiders, and quite a lot more. The arguments are fascinating (and occasionally jaw-dropping) to watch and to hear, as the characters pace and circle each other like tigers in the tiny apartment. Ralph Meranto has cast "Bad Jews" astutely, and his direction reflects his enthusiasm for the play; it has a tremendous, focused energy throughout that suits the script perfectly. Harmon has thrown these tigers some tasty red meat, and the actors in the CenterStage cast attack it like they haven't eaten in a week. Mercandetti almost runs away with the show as Daphna. This character is loudmouthed, ever-grudging, nagging, unendingly self-righteous, and just plain mean, and Mercandetti gives it all she's got; yet she also manages to find just a bit of sympathy and understanding for this character, giving a performance that is much more than a caricature. Daphna's spectacular mop of hair (much commented on by Liam) is practically the play's fifth character. Mercandetti and Carl Del Buono have performed together so often lately that audiences might be forgiven for thinking they're actually one (very talented) performer. They certainly work together as one here, giving full-out, but precisely detailed performances. For example, Del Buono gets a rage-filled aria soon after his entrance, and he nails every laugh in it, but he also subtly echoes Daphna in his body language -- showing that despite their mutual disdain, Liam and Daphna are indeed related. This is impressive acting and directing. Daphna and Liam have the showy parts in "Bad Jews," but Justin Borak and Samantha Buckman more than hold their own. The character of Melody at first seems brought in simply so Daphna can make some easy jokes about WASPs. Buckman is cute and clueless here, the pussycat in the tigers' den; but as the play gets nastier, Buckman shows Melody's stiffening spine convincingly. In fact, her insistence on hearing Daphna's side of the story leads to the play's violent climax. As Jonah, Borak brings genuine presence to what at first seems like a non-role, consisting of single-word answers, evasive replies, and frustrated silences. (The opening scene, an endless monologue by Daphna with random replies from Jonah, sounds almost like a parody of the beginning of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.") But it turns out this placid character has a genuinely surprising trick up his sleeve, which Harmon reserves for the end. |
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September 26, 2014
Best of Fest Honors It's been a crazy but joyful couple weeks of non-stop performing! I have some exciting news! The third annual Rochester Fringe Festival kicked off last week and I am thrilled to be a part of this creative and collaborate event again this year. There are over 380 acts in the Festival this year so it's with great pride and joy that I share that The Last Five Years was voted Best of Fest with special honors going to both Carl Del Buono and myself as we were voted Best Broadway Belters of the festival! I was humbled to win this award last year and am just elated to receive it again this year. Thank you so much CITY Newspaper for getting behind our work, production and artistry. It's truly an honor. Check out the review here and catch our last performance this weekend if you can! Hope to see you there! |
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September 10, 2014
Jekyll & Hyde Photos |
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September 3, 2014
This Is The Moment Webster Theatre Guild brings thrilling Jekyll & Hyde musical to life Rochester, NY – Take a journey into a captivating world of dark secrets with Frank Wildhorn, Steve Cuden, and Leslie Bricusse’s gripping musical thriller Jekyll & Hyde at Webster Theatre Guild this fall! Intended for mature audiences, this evocative tale of the epic battle between good and evil is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story about a brilliant doctor whose experiments with human personality create a murderous counterpart. Convinced the cure for his father's mental illness lies in the separation of Man's evil nature from his good, Dr. Henry Jekyll unwittingly unleashes his own dark side, wreaking havoc in the streets of late 19th century London as the savage, maniacal Edward Hyde. Jekyll & Hyde made its Broadway debut in 1997. Many international productions have since been staged including two subsequent North American tours, two tours of the United Kingdom, a concert version and a re-vamped US tour in 2012 ahead of a 2013 revival on Broadway. “Our production is based more on the concept of the book,” says the show’s director J. Simmons. “It has less Broadway shimmer and more raw grit. It’s an exploration into the human condition and our inception will be different from what audiences have seen before. I’m excited to capture some of the moment’s fans of the show love from the original incarnation but to also add a few of our own fresh new twists.” He goes on to say that, “The cast is made up of some amazing and accomplished local and regional actors. ” The stars of Jekyll & Hyde are a collection of powerhouse talent with Carl Del Buono as the passionate Dr. Jekyll and maniacal Mr. Hyde, Janine Mercandetti as the main attraction of The Red Rat Whore House Lucy Harris and Emily Putnam as Dr. Jekyll’s fiancée Emma Carew. The production also features Chip Atwood as Sir Achibald Proops, Mark Cataldi as Bisset, Kyle Critelli as Simon Stride, Wyatt Doremus as Mr. Poole, Michael Hall as John Utterson, Erica Hernandez as Lady Beaconsfield, Jad Jordan as Sir Danvers Carew, Wesley Lowe and Lord Glossop, James Morrison as Spider, David Morrow as Bishop of Basingstoke, and Esther Winter as Nellie. The ensemble also includes Beverly Bauman, Alicia Bradford, Rich Chester, Robert DiJames, Mandi Lynn Griffith-Gurell, Jeanette Gruttadauria, Anna herman, Holly Lowden, Myriah Marsh, Jennifer Overbeck, Christina Simmons, Amanda Walter, Brynn Wilkins, Myles Woolf and Trisha Zeller. Julie Covach serves as musical director with Kapil Dass as choreographer. Jekyll & Hyde offers an electrifying evening at the theatre and opens at Webster Thomas High School (800 Five Mile Line Rd, Webster, NY 14580) beginning September 12 and running through September 20. Performances are Friday’s, September 12 and 19 at 7:30 pm; Saturday’s, September 13 and 20 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, September 20 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased online at www.webstertheatreguild.org. If available, tickets can be purchased at the door beginning one-hour prior to performance. This production is intended for ages 15 and up. For more information regarding Webster Theatre Guild, please visit their website at www.webstertheatreguild.org. |
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July 14, 2014
Review: Rev. Mother still has it in ‘Nunsense’ Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper By Caurie Putnam Exiting Blackfriars Theatre after the Sunday evening staging of Nunsense, there was a bit of a crowd frenzy. Lead actress Phyllis Contestable of Hilton, who plays Reverend Mother, had stepped outside immediately after the show, still in her habit, and was quickly surrounded by theater-goers eager for a handshake, hug or selfie. Yes, a selfie with the Reverend Mother. A lot has changed in more than two decades since Contestable first starred in this musical comedy about a group of irreverent nuns at Rochester’s Downstairs Cabaret, but much has remained the same, including the show’s hilarity and audience’s love for the Reverend Mother. In the updated version of Nunsense, which was one of the longest-running productions in Rochester theater history in the late 1980s, Contestable still commands the crowd (no ruler or clicker needed)! She caught my attention even before the show started. I went to use the ladies room — which at Blackfriars is close to backstage — and Contestable peeked out from the stage door and sternly warned me to wash my hands after I was done. |
Quite caught off guard, I mumbled an “I will Sister,” before closing the door and foolishly realizing I addressed a layperson as a nun. Once the play started, though, I realized I really hadn’t made a faux pas at all. Contestable is so believable and perfect in her role as Reverend Mother that the line between reality and fiction blurs for about 90 minutes — a night of pure hilarity as she and four nuns from Hoboken try to raise money to cover the burials of several sisters who ate bad vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia, Child of God, at their convent. A frequent powerhouse at Blackfriars, Janine Mercandetti plays Sister Robert Anne, a spunky nun from Brooklyn who desperately wants to be a star. Mercandetti’s strong voice and dancing carries the group from start to finish, and it’s hard to imagine the cast without her. Elizabeth West plays Sister Mary Leo, a novice in the sisterhood who has the dream of being the world’s first famous nun ballerina. West has a shine and comfortable presence about her onstage that makes sense when you know she performed with the national tour of Nunsense 2: The Second Coming. The crowd favorite — second to Contestable — was Mandy Hassett in the hilarious role of Sister Mary Amnesia. Hassett, another regular at Blackfriars, embraces with gusto the role of this flighty, young nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. She particularly shines in one of the opening scenes where she must give a quiz to the audience about the history of the sisterhood and in a funny duet with a dirty-mouthed nun puppet. Rounding out the Little Sisters of Hoboken was a nun who flew under the radar for most of the show, but stole the closing scene — Sister Mary Hubert, played by Esther Winter. Sister Hubert is Reverend Mother’s righthand woman who has ambitions of becoming the leading nun herself. The play, written by Dan Goggin, is directed by Tom Vazzana of the play’s original team, who is currently a show director at Walt Disney World. At the beginning of the show, one of the “nuns” asked for a show of hands of the number of Catholics in the audience. Only about 30 percent raised their hands and wondered if those who didn’t would “get” the religious humor. My concern was unfounded. |
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July 1, 2014
Nunsense on Good Day Rochester |
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Reverend Mother and I were on Good Day Rochester this morning! Check out our interview and come see the show! We open on July 11 and tickets are going fast. Don't miss us! www.bftix.org
Click HERE to see the full interview! |
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June 15, 2014
Nun In July . . . Prostitute In September! Just my life in the theatre |
It's going to be an exciting summer for me and I am so grateful to share that I have two fantastic productions coming up! One rated PG and one rated R! Perhaps my favorite thing about the theatre is the chance to explore such a wide range of characters and find the humanity in all of them. Where else can you be a nun one month and a prostitute the next? I can't wait to get started on both of these projects!
First up is Nunsense! This is an incredible opportunity and I am elated that Walt Disney World Show Director, Tom Vazzana, is directing our production! I am playing Sister Robert Anne. Check out the show description below! Nunsense, which is written by Dan Goggin, begins when the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth grade production of “Grease.” Here we meet Reverend Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne; Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. We open July 11! For tickets visit www.bftix.org! |
Next up is Jekyll & Hyde where I will be making my debut with Webster Theatre Guild!
I have been listening to this CD since I was in middle school and have been dreaming of singing this lush score since then too. So I am ecstatic to take on the role of Lucy Harris, a prostitute and the main attraction of the Red Rat whore house in the show. I am also excited to once again play opposite Carl DelBuono. I adore and admire him so much. More on him below. Jekyll & Hyde is an evocative tale of the epic battle between good and evil. The musical is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story about a brilliant doctor whose experiments with human personality create a murderous counterpart. Convinced the cure for his father's mental illness lies in the separation of Man's evil nature from his good, Jekyll unwittingly unleashes his own dark side, wreaking havoc in the streets of London as the savage, maniacal Edward Hyde. We open September 12! For tickets visit www.webstertheatreguild.org! |
 With Carl Del Buono
Literally the day after we close Jekyll & Hyde, the doll pictured to my left and I will be reviving our production of The Last Five Years for the Rochester Fringe Festival at the Xerox Auditorium. Carl is the Mandy to my Patti and I just love him.
We will be doing two performances, one on September 21st and one on September 27th. I don't have ticket information for this yet but once I do, I will be sure to update that here! It's an exciting summer season for me. I couldn't be happier with the opportunities ahead and I hope to see you in theatre! XO |
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June 10, 2014
Nunsense is Habit Forming Disney’s Tom Vazzana returns to his home town to direct an all-star cast in the hysterical Rochester revival of Nunsense |
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Rochester, NY – It’s been twenty years since Rochester audiences have seen a full production of the smash hit off-Broadway sensation, Nunsense. This summer the wait is over as local star Phyl Contestable returns as the Reverend Mother Regina in Blackfriars production of Nunsense!
Nunsense, which is written by Dan Goggin, begins when the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth grade production of “Grease.” Here we meet Reverend Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne; Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. Featuring star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz, a score that pulses with merriment and an unabashed desire to make you laugh plus comic interludes paced at break-neck speed, this show has become an international phenomenon. With more than 5000 productions worldwide, it has been translated into 21 languages and is the winner of the Outer Critics' Circle awards for the best offBroadway musical and for the best book and best music and seen at London's Fortune Theatre in 1987. The prestigious Tom Vazzana, who has directed and choreographed several productions of Nunsense all over the country, returns to mount this inception as the director and choreographer of Blackfriars production this summer. In addition to a long career performing in Off-Broadway shows, Broadway tours and Broadway European tours, Mr. Vazzana is the Show Director at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida where he has directed Beauty and The Beast for Disney Hollywood Studios and the Hoop Dee DOO Revue. He is the creator and the director of the first Disney Glow in the Dark "Nightmare Before Christmas Parade", Senior Show Director for Disney Asia Pacific, and the development director of Hong Kong Disneyland and all Asian parades, shows and nighttime spectaculars. He is also the Senior Show Director for Disney markets in India, Vietnam, Korea, and China and is collaborating with Disney on the entertainment development for Shanghai Disneyland in the coming years. "Nunsense is a unique theatrical experience. The show has a simplicity and truth about it that resonates with everyone,” says Mr. Vazzana. “It's heartwarming and it's funny! The audience will have a one of a kind experience because this Blackfriars' company will have an authenticity, largely due to Phyl Contestable as Reverend Mother. I will be re-creating many moments from the original production that I believe are perfect and there will be some updated surprises too!” The production features an all-star cast with a collection of Rochester’s finest female talent including Phyl Contestable as Reverend Mother Regina, Esther Winter as Sister Mary Hubert, Janine Mercandetti as Sister Robert Anne, Mandy Hassett as Sister Mary Amnesia and Elizabeth West as Sister Mary Leo. Andy Pratt is the shows’ musical director and local seamstress extraordinaire, Lana Momano, returns to make the costumes. Blackfriars Artistic Director John Haldoupis, who is in his final season with Blackfriars, will bring his famous artistic talent to the stage for one of his last times as the productions set designer. “This is Nunsense refreshed!” says the shows’ star Phyl Contesteble. “This outrageously talented cast is larger than life. These women are artists and I am so excited to work with them!” Furthermore, “Disney has never been the same since they brought Tom Vazzana on board. He's a treasured friend who I've always admired and, in many ways, tried to emulate. Tom is brilliant and has an exhilaratingenergy onstage. Don't expect the predictable, same 'ol familiar show!” Nunsense offers a cornucopia of hilarity for the whole family at Blackfriars Theatre (795 East Main Street, Rochester 14605) beginning July 11 and running through July 20. Performances are Friday’s, July 11 and 18 at 8:00 pm; Saturday’s, July 12 and 19 at 8:00 pm; Sunday’s, July 13 and 20 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm; Tuesday, July 15 at 7:30 pm; Wednesday, July 16 at 7:30 pm and Thursday, July 17 at 7:30 pm Tickets are $29.50 and available in person at Blackfriars Theatre, online at www.blackfriars.org, or by calling 585-454-1260. If available, tickets can be purchased at the door beginning one-hour prior to performance. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m., and Saturday’s, noon to 4:00 p.m. MasterCard, Visa, and Discover are accepted at no additional charge. Blackfriars Theatre, a professional, not-for-profit theatre located on Rochester, NY's “Theatre Row is located at 795 East Main Street. Parking is available on site. Handicapped seating is available. For more information regarding Blackfriars Theatre, please visit their website at www.blackfriars.org. |
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April 3, 2014
The Hot L Baltimore is Beautiful |
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Here's our review from CITY Newspaper! Check it out and come see the show!
THE HOT L BALTIMORE A beautiful revival of a modern American classic by David Raymond |
With "The Hot L Baltimore," Blackfriars brings back an important play by an important American playwright, and does justice to an elusive piece. Lanford Wilson died in 2011, and his reputation seems to be undergoing that slight posthumous dip that many artists undergo. But I think he'll eventually rate very high among American playwrights for a string of plays he produced in the 1980's, including "The Fifth of July," "Talley's Folley," and "Burn This." And then there is the most famous of them all, or at least the most famous title of them all: "The Hot L Baltimore."
The play was a great success in the early 70's: the original Off-Broadway production ran for more than 1,000 performances, and it must surely be one of the very few plays to become a sitcom (which was considerably less successful). If "The Hot L Baltimore" is not performed very much, it is not because of the play's quality. Probably it's because it has no fewer than 14 leading parts, some of them very demanding, and it calls for a big, elaborate set -- not to mention a director who can weave it all together. I'm happy to say that Blackfriars provides all of the above. Wilson crafted a very interesting play that I guess you could call a mood piece: nothing much seems to happen in it, yet it turns out to be about any number of important things. It's a portrait gallery of the inhabitants of a once-elegant hotel from the 1930's, which is in fact condemned and facing the wrecker's ball. (The play's title reflects the missing "e" in the hotel's sign.) The building's residents come and go in the lobby, telling important and unimportant things about themselves. |
To choose at random, there is a gentle elderly lady given to reminiscences (Vicki Casarett); a noisy elderly gentleman who reminisces about nothing, spending most of his time complaining (Richard Mancini); a varied trio of prostitutes who ply their trade in their rooms and talk about it in the lobby (Mandy Hassett, Stephanie Roosa, Alexa Scott); and a forceful young girl (Marcy Savastano) plotting to get out of Baltimore and travel west with her shy, stammering brother (Devin O'Connell). There is also a young man (Jimmy Boorum) trying to find out what has happened to his grandfather, who lived in the hotel, and a woman (Dawn M. Sargent) whose son lives there and who spends much of the play walking back and forth removing his belongings. And there's also a put-upon hotel staff (Jeff Siuda, Morey Fazzi, Janine Mercandetti).
Wilson presents these characters with great empathy, and balances and interweaves their stories with great skill, but he has more on his mind than presenting a stage full of (mostly) loveable losers. "The Hot L Baltimore" was written in the era of Watergate and the end of the Vietnam War. The once-great hotel in decline is pretty clearly a stand-in for a once-great nation in decline, and many of the characters' speeches refer to better times gone by. ("The Hot L Baltimore" takes place in a single day -- significantly, it's Memorial Day.) By the end of the play, a few characters have escaped, some are planning to escape, and a few are dancing their worries away. This play may be 40 years old, but it doesn't really seem dated at all. "The whole damn country's double parked!" shouts a character as she is making her way out of the hotel near the end -- and several decades later, the meter's still running. The whole production has the wonderful sense of unity that comes from a cast and an artistic staff working in sync. Under David Runzo's direction, a play that could easily meander seems perfectly paced and balanced, with a constant underlying energy. Individual performances are vividly characterized, but they also support each other in a real ensemble. John Haldoupis has designed a beautiful, wonderfully detailed playing space, where shabby reality bumps up against faded art-deco glamor. I should add that "The Hot L Baltimore" contains some rough language, not to mention a brief flash (as it were) of female nudity, but I wouldn't let that stop me from seeing one of the most beautifully presented plays I've seen at Blackfriars. |
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January 24, 2014
Boeing Boeing Opens Tonight! |
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It's the day of the show y'all! Boeing Boeing opens tonight and I am very excited! I can't believe we put this show together in less than 3 weeks. This is usually the timeline for a show . . . when you're rehearsing it 8 hours a day . . . which we were not. So I'm ecstatic with where we're at! It feels fresh and it's a ton of fun! We're ready for an audience.
The cast is fantastically collaborative and director John Haldoupis is in his element with this comedic farce. I'm proud of what we've put together and I can't wait to take off tonight! Join us! www.bftix.org |
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