Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tomfoolery

Public Playhouse
September 11 - October 3, 2009

Review by peanutduck

Inspired by Tom Lehrer’s 50’s/60’s era satire, yet there’s something for all generations, from "New Math" to "Masochism Tango." Evening’s performances uneven, but Russ Cowan and James Sharinghousen consistently charm. Wanted more polish, something to carry the show visually in addition to ensemble’s enthusiasm. Enjoying varicolored Converse trend this season.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Um....

I think maybe I just didn't get it.

Anonymous said...

Big talent. Awesome Voices. Matt Insley is fabuloso on the keyboard and piano.

Russ Cowen terrific. Great comic timing, perfect role for him. Nice voice. Easy to watch on stage.

Margo - strong lovely voice, funny carol burnette-esque quality to her presence. Costume choice was not good, (whose idea was that dress - not funny enough to be funny, or pretty enough to be pretty) but her showmanship helped me to look past it. The silent e song was quite touching, and her tango with russ was hilarious.

James S - Terrific performance, superb talent. really steals the show with his ability to demand that we adore him. The math song was my fave - althoguh the ballad was sweet even though the content made me ashamed to love it.

nathan - what a beautiful voice - solid performace, funny funny funny. I liked him in into the woods too - he's a talent, no doubt.

I will say that the harmonies were sacrificed for the staging at times, but I suppose that the material made it hard to keep that a priority. Some voices were stronger than others causing the blend to suffer.

I found myself checking my watch toward the end. maybe two numbers too long. But all in all - a terrific show - worth seeing once, for sure.

Anonymous said...

What's not to get?!:-) Great satire!

Anonymous said...

Maybe if you're over 50.

It seemed like the songs might have been clever when they were written, but it really seemed dated now...

Anonymous said...

Finally got the chance to see this on closing night. I'm agree with Peanutduck's review BUT I'm not so sure how ANY review can be written without mentioning the stellar piano player!