By: Tom Dooney
Bring On The Men, a revue concocted especially for Curtain Up! at the Alleyway, is conceived, written, collated, directed and designed by Todd Warfield, who also performs in the show. Musical support is provided by Michael Hake.
Oh, there are few others involved as well and I will get to them in a while. However, with creative control in the hands of Warfield and Hake, names that should be familiar to local audiences, you know what to expect before you walk into the Main Street Cabaret. (1) Musical direction that is practically impeccable. In BOTM, all the singers, from veterans to tyros, sound fine and are accompanied by Hake on piano. (2) An abundantly designed show.
Brief and slickly packaged, BOTM is akin to a Ziegfeld show in miniature with a dose of Viagra. Warfield’s design is the star of the show. Keeping in mind a decade of work, Warfield seems to have worked more diligently and productively on this show than any other to date. (But then, designer Warfield has a very special relationship with the director of BOTM.)
This is the point where, usually, a stitch-by-stitch description would prove the point at hand. However, the vignettes in BOTM are defined through the costumes and it would be unfair deprive future audiences the laughs enjoyed by those who attended opening night.
As with any new show, there are ups and downs but each cast member has a sterling moment or two. BOTM borrows its score from Broadway, pop charts and the American songbook with most tunes given a mildly raunchy interpretation. Marcel Duchamp set out to shock the audiences when he sketched a mustache on the lip of the Mona Lisa. If this task was given to Todd Warfield, Mona would be flashing her ta-tas for Mardi Gras beads. But, damn, those beads would be fan-TAS-tic. Snap-snap-snap.
David Bondrow sings “Sara Lee”, a love letter to the titular baker/goddess. This is an almost forgotten song written by Kander and Ebb, famous for their masterpieces Cabaret and Chicago. With an erudite outward presentation and a perverse inner life, Bondrow wrings the best out of this trifle. Stephanie Bax opens Act II with “Is That All There Is?” That’s right, the Peggy Lee standard. She creates a character whose blood is colder than her iced martini and doesn’t suffer any regret. The patter leading into her third verse is more blunt recitation leading into her third verse is more blunt than Ms. Lee’s timeless patter, but Bax is used to good comic effect.
Kim Piazza juggles a Sondheim twofer with a medley that had been created for Dorothy Louden. The soulful “Or Am I Losing My Mind?” collides insanely with the snarky “You Could Drive A Person Crazy”. She follows Louden’s original note for note and pause for pause, but Piazza’s strong voice serves each of the songs brilliantly.
Having appeared in choruses of other shows, Micah Andrew Stanton takes a memorable step into the spotlight showing deft charm as a comedian. He tackles some chancy material in the guise of a ghetto-fabulous talk show hostess who is quite pregnant. A list of preposterous baby names (“…Aloevera, Maybelline, Gingivitis, Brylcream, Cruex, Nyquil, Gangsta-Q and Daffodil.”) is set to the tune of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire”. The parody “Who Is My Baby Daddy?” is borrowed from controversial comedian Chuck Knipp sung by his blackface alter ego Shirley Q. Liquor. Stanton’s off-handed, breezy delivery is successful.
Warfield’s designs give the songs implication beyond their original meaning. He set you up with a performer representing one look only to deliver a sartorial surprise… perky waitress uniforms, luxurious furs, bondage gear, décolletage au deux. The capable actors fill in the blanks. The costumes are clever, even witty and, in their own demented way, are stylish. The original written material performed is not always up to the woven material worn but no one seeing BOTM will be deprived of entertainment.
On opening night there were a number of “not ready” moments… missed entrances, reading from script and the like… but these will work out. Shows which open a theater’s season are often caught short on rehearsal time. However, the better wish for more time would be for further development of this script. The best moments of the show suggest there is potential for a show of greater range, wider perspective and a variety show with more variety.
Who will like BOTM? If your entertainment needs are met by a couple of bawdy laughs, a few swell songs and faboo costumes, BOTM would be a bankable start to your theater season.
Bring On The Men: (through September 25); starring Stephanie Bax, David Bondrow, Michael Hake, Kim Piazza, Micah Andrew Stanton along with director and designer Todd Warfield. Presented by Theatre Plus at Main Street Cabaret (Alleyway Theatre), 672 Main Street. Alleyway.com or (716) 852-2600.
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Sing-froid: Stephanie Bax in Bring on the Men (photo courtesy of Alleway Theatre)