Reliving the Magic of Motown...in Wilmington

"The Supremes" in MOTOWN: The Musical.
Photo courtesy of The Playhouse on Rodney Square.

By Carol Van Zoeren
With powerful voices and a rockin’ five-piece pit band, the current show at The Playhouse on Rodney Square is a raucous good time. The show follows the history of the Motown record label from its early precursors in the '50s, growth into a major force in the recording industry and evolution in the face of competition and a changing pop landscape.

Motown’s founder and driving force, Berry Gordy, had a gift for identifying and bringing together musical talent, and carefully managed his artists' public images, making Motown a major national and international success. Eventually, many of Motown’s stars chafed under Gordy’s tight control (or were lured away by bigger paychecks) and the label lost its prominence. But the immense catalogue of nearly 15,000 songs lives on.

I was curious whether MOTOWN: The Musical would follow the jukebox musical format, where well-known songs are woven into the plot narrative. Or, would the songs simply be performed stand alone, as they were in Motown’s heyday. Turns out, it’s a bit of both. The show includes 55 Motown hits. 

To squeeze it all in, many are excerpts — snippets long enough to be recognized but not a full song. Often, these are combined into expertly crafted medleys and mash-ups. A highlight is the Jackson 5’s medley, which keeps the audience in anticipation of what’s next.

The show also include three songs written specifically to serve the narrative. Most notable, Kenneth Mosely as Berry Gordy gives a tour de force performance of Can I Close the Door. In this, Gordy struggles to reconcile his disappointment that his stars have deserted him with the knowledge that they still share a great deal of love.

There are a lot of fun and funny moments. Diana Ross (American Idol alum Trenyce) gets the audience singing along with Reach Out and Touch. The developing romance between Ross and Gordy is touchingly sweet. The friendly rivalry between the Temptations and the Four Tops in the opening scene is great fun. And as the young Michael Jackson, the talented Chase Phillips is a delight.

Because Motown had such a deep bench of artists, each ensemble member gets a chance to shine. These include Devin Holloway as Jackie Wilson, Quiana Holmes as Mary Wilson, Erick Patrick as Rick James, and Cartreze Tucker as Stevie Wonder. I must also commend Rob McCaffrey on his hysterical, over-the-top Ed Sullivan.

If I had one quibble, it’d be that reproductions of some of the iconic performances could have been tighter in both vocals and movement. Not that these were not well executed, but it’s hard not to compare to what we’re familiar with from television or YouTube. I also thought juxtaposing the difficulties at Motown with the wrenching societal upheavals of 1968 was a bit heavy-handed.

The costumes by Emilio Sosa — both glamorous stage costumes and everyday wear —effectively evoked the time. And there were a lot of them...the dressers backstage must have been very busy! The action moved seamlessly thanks to moving panels and excellent projection design by Daniel Brodie.

In all, I thoroughly enjoyed MOTOWN: The Musical and highly recommend it. Not just for those of us of a “certain age” who grew up with this music, but also to introduce this great era in music to the younger set.

See The Playhouse on Rodney Square.

At the '80s Altar with "The Wedding Singer"

By Mike Logothetis

Theater is designed to entertain…And Wilmington Drama League’s production of The Wedding Singer does just that. You’ll definitely leave your seat satisfied and with a smile on your face.

The Wedding Singer is a 2006 musical based on the 1998 Adam Sandler film with book by Tim Herlihy and music by Matthew Sklar. The plot is fairly simple and straightforward, but the actors make this production charming and fun. Tight direction by Lauren Hope Gates keeps the action and humor flowing.

Set in 1985, the story is focused on titular wedding singer Robbie Hart (Anthony Vitalo), who provides the soundtrack to receptions in the small town of Ridgefield, New Jersey.  Robbie and his band open the show with the rollicking It’s Your Wedding Day, where his charisma shines.  Robbie proudly tells the crowd of his upcoming nuptials to Linda (Laura Velarides) the next day.  New waitress Julia Sullivan (Emily Elborn) is charmed by Robbie’s kindness, but is pining for her own eventual wedding to Wall Street banker Glen Guglia (Nick Castillo).

Robbie ends up being left at the altar with only a note from Linda claiming that she wants to be the wife of a rock star and not just a wedding singer.  Meanwhile, an anxious Julia goes out to dinner with Glen, hoping that he will ask for her hand in marriage, which he does (“Pop!”).

Robbie falls into a deep depression, but is emotionally supported by his bandmates Sammy (Joseph Cartagena) and George (Patrick Yarrington).  Even Robbie’s roommate grandmother (Suzette Burgess) steps in to help right the sinking ship.  But it’s not enough, as an angry Robbie takes out his situation on an unsuspecting wedding party (Casualty of Love).

With a new aversion to weddings, the band shifts its focus to bar mitzvahs (Today You Are a Man).  After one bar mitzvah, Julia convinces Robbie to help her plan her wedding because her fiancé Glen is busy with his job.  Robbie is a natural helping Julia customize her wedding day – and a true connection between the two is formed.

Julia’s cousin and best friend Holly (Meg Cranney) convinces Julia that she needs to practice her wedding kiss.  Robbie and Julia awkwardly and lovingly kiss, only to be interrupted by the reality that Julia is marrying Glen.  After seeing the passion in Robbie’s kiss, Holly decides that she should go out with him.  The four of them go on a double date in New York City where Robbie learns that Glen is a serial cheater.  During the date, Robbie also realizes that he is in love with Julia, but can offer her very little in comparison to Glen’s material success.

As expected, we never see much chemistry between the kindhearted Julia and bombastic Glen.  Unfortunately, the script doesn’t allow us to see much attraction development between Julia and Robbie until the aforementioned kiss and in Act 2 when the lovers sing the duet If I Told You. Oddly, the star couple sing most of their traditional duets (physically) apart until the beautiful Grow Old With You late in the show.  But the audience does root for Robbie and Julia to be together in the end.

All the songs when Robbie is “in character” as a wedding singer are top notch.  Vitalo has a powerful voice plus his natural charm makes you understand how his character is so beloved as a small-time entertainer.  Elborn provides girl-next-door sweetness as Julia and adapts her lovely voice to both quiet or dynamic moments.

Cartagena’s Sammy is a funny portrayal of a 1980s wanna-be lothario.  The men’s song Single was a show highlight.  Yarrington is always comedic relief as George.  His Hebrew “prayer” is a riot!  Velarides plays Linda in an over-the-top way which works every time she’s on stage.  Her performance of Let Me Come Home is a rowdy delight.

All these celebrations and outings require guests and the marvelous ensemble cast more than just fill the seats.  Choreographer Dominic Santos saturates the stage with dancers who energize the story and the action.  Kudos to the ensemble performers for their enthusiasm and the times they take on bit roles.

Back to the action… Robbie tries to change himself for Julia by asking Glen for a job at his firm.  Sammy tries to woo Holly (Right in Front of Your Eyes), who is starting to see past his flaws (and mullet).  Linda is starting to have second thoughts about ending her relationship with Robbie.  Most importantly, Julia realizes she’s in love with Robbie.  But she and Glen have hopped a plane to Las Vegas to elope.

Can Robbie get to Sin City and profess his love before Julia gets married?  I think you know the answer, but the conclusion is absolutely worth seeing.  It’s as good as “a Sgt. Slaughter body slam” and includes all sorts of 80’s celebrity cameos.

This production of The Wedding Singer at Wilmington Drama League runs through May 6 at its Lea Boulevard location in Wilmington.  Tickets cost $12-20 for both evening and matinee shows.  Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. and the Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m.

It’s a show you can “enjoy down to your pancreas.”

See www.wilmingtondramaleague.org

A Chemist Recalls Her Admiration of "The Memory of Water"

Vi played by Susie Moak. Photo by Peter Kuo.

By Carol Van Zoeren
The Memory of Water, now showing at Chapel Street Players in Newark through April 28, 2018, was written by Shelagh Stephenson and is directed by Kathleen Kimber.

Three sisters come together before their mother's funeral, each haunted by her own demons. The three each have different memories of shared childhood events, causing constant, and often very funny, bickering about whose memories are true. As the three women get together after years of separation, their hidden lies and self-betrayals begin to surface.

As is often the case, the eldest sister, Theresa, is the "responsible one." Lori Ann Johnson clearly conveys Theresa’s resentment — that her family has always forced her to subsume her own needs to cover up family dysfunction. In one uncomfortable (though perhaps overlong) scene, Johnson expertly shows us Theresa’s inner battle whether to reveal a family secret that she has kept for decades and at great emotional cost.

Middle sister Mary (Susan Boudreaux) is superficially the "successful one." In her professional life, yes. In her personal life, not so much. Mary works hard to distance herself from her mother. Perhaps this is why mother Vi (Susie Moak) only interacts with Mary in dreamlike sequences. Boudreaux navigates the emotional roller coaster well. The opening scene of Act II between Moak and Boudreaux is especially moving. 

Youngest daughter Catherine (Cyndie Romer) is the "free spirit." But her pot smoking and binge shopping are clearly cries for the attention she never got as a child. And attention she still doesn’t get from a committed, loving partner. Romer skillfully shows us the vulnerability hiding behind the bravura.

All of this sounds like a real downer, right? But no! There are wonderful bon mots, put-downs and zingers, delivered with deadpan, spot-on comic timing. And, a hysterical scene when the somewhat stoned sisters play dress up with Mom’s outlandish wardrobe. It is simply wonderful to see an ensemble (which includes Dave Hastings and Frank Newton) gel. It’s clear that they enjoy being on stage together, and that is all to the credit of director Kathleen Kimber.

I really enjoyed this production, but I've gotta say, I’m not sure the British accents were necessary and sometimes got in the way of enunciation, especially of rightfully tossed off bon mots which the audience sometimes couldn’t hear clearly. Yes, the playwright is British and the script included a number of British terms and slang. Just saying I might have made a different choice for an American audience.

Reflecting on the play itself, I was impressed with the frequent touchpoints on memory, which rose organically from the dialog. For example, that Vi suffered from Alzheimer's. And that Mary is treating a patient with amnesia. And especially the concept that human memory isn’t just some repository of information, but is used to ensure survival. Indeed, the differences in how the sisters remember their childhood demonstrates that each remembers it in the way she must, for her own well-being.

And, OK, full disclosure. I’m a chemist and my favorite molecule is water. It touches me to the core that the title of this play is not so much about how we remember water, but rather how water remembers us. That which birthed us, remembers us. Playwright Shelagh Stephenson was known to draw inspiration from science. 

And to that I can only say (Britishly) — Huzzah!

See http://chapelstreetplayers.org.