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World Premiere of Also see John's recent review of Currently on Broadway there is a musical titled A Class Act and it is based on the music of lyricist Ed Kleban. Kleban's only true claim to fame is that he wrote the lyrics to A Chorus Line. But he was also a composer and had a boatload of songs that only his Broadway friends heard, or they sang in their cabaret acts. A Class Act was met with mixed reviews and is playing to sparse houses on Broadway, but yet is treasured and beloved by hard core theatre folk. The above commentary can also apply to Lyric Stage of Irving's world premiere of a musical revue titled As Long As I Can Sing - The Songs of David Friedman. How? Well, like many of you, I said, "David who?". His songs are sung by solo artists, cabaret acts, and he wrote a trunk load of songs that never reached the masses. By the looks of the audience attendance Saturday night, like A Class Act, this show might have a tough fight on its hands to find an audience. Which is too bad, because even with its flaws, this evening of theatre will leave you with tears in your eye. What is most problematic for the show is clear - there is not one shred of evidence of a book. Not one word is spoken' instead it is just song after song, with no thread of communication connecting them. Thus, you don't have a theme, plot, or understanding of what type of journey you are taking with the music. Another problem is that while the music is gorgeous, there are just too many ballads. At times there are two or three ballads back to back; you need variety for balance. As it stands, I think there are only two or three up tempo songs in the entire bulk of music. Also, there is not enough company numbers or duets, there are a lot of solos, but not enough music for the entire company to perform. Finally, I think the show could use a little deleting of a couple of songs, don't get me wrong, the performances of all the songs were perfect, but the show could use a cut here and there of a song, losing one or two ballads could tighten it up. Director Ann Nieman has assembled a cast of five performers that truly understand the art of communicating a song beyond the stage and out to the audience. Julie Johnson will always have a fan in me, period! I saw her in The Rocky Horror Show, then The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; she is one of the city's true megastars. This actress/singer needs no body mike, the girl can belt to the back of the house like a true pro! Johnson's finest moments in the revue are her renditions of "My White Knight", "You'll Always Be My Baby", and "Only My Pillow knows". "You'll Always Be My Baby" is a song to her mother, and you will get a lump in your throat as she sings those final lyrics. Her soprano vocals wrap the notes like soft velvet, and she softly ends the song, with tears in her eyes. It was just magical; as I applauded, I wiped a tear from my eye, it moved me deeply. In act two she again pulls at your heartstrings with "Only My Pillow Knows", a haunting ballad that has some of the finest lyrics ever written. Johnson knows this, and you feel every inch of pain in this song; its heartbreaking. Brava Madame! Amy Stevenson has officially blossomed into bona fide diva stratosphere! Stevenson is the only female cast member with the comedy numbers, and the girl brings the house down with each of the them. Her takes on "I'm Not My Mother" and "My Simple Christmas Wish" are delightful pieces of bon-bon pleasures. Her use of comic timing and facial expressions to create little comedic gems are just downright perfect. But Stevenson is blessed with the only "arc" in the cast. By this I mean she not only has comedy songs to perform, but she also has ballads, none of the others do Therefore, she really gets to show both her comedic skills and dramatic talents, and when she does her share of ballad solos, it shows the range of a true gifted performer of music. Her performance of "He Comes Home Tired" will bring tears to your eyes as you feel this woman's heart express the love of her husband. Just beautiful. The final number, "As Long As I Can Sing," has both Stevenson and Johnson becoming Lyric's answer to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey! These two women belt strong pop soprano vocals that go higher and louder, then they just rip into the song's ending chords that leaving you speechless! This song and these two women performing create one of the major highlights of the evening. Dara Whitehead completes the trio of women in the company. Whitehead does not have the belting soprano sound as do the other two, but she brings to the table a gorgeous operatic soprano voice that has a nice strong balance of vibrato in it. Whitehead's vocal notes are pure, clean and not once does she go into the shrieking operatic tones that befall a lot of sopranos today. When Whitehead performs a song called, "Nothing In Common", let me tell you, it marks one of the most beautiful moments that ever graced Carpenter hall. Whitehead feels the dark pain of the song. With only lighting above her, she sings this ballad like a torch song from those bygone days. As the song ends, tears are streaming down her eyes, she holds that note, it floats softly above you, and she ends it as light as a feather. Steve Barcus and and Dan Carne are the men of the cast, both classically handsome, and they perform superbly. Barcus has performed old fashioned musical theatre, but when he shifts his tenor vocals for rock or pop, you so wish he would record a solo CD! Take a listen to his performances of "Trick of Fate", "Trust the Wind", and my personal favorite highlight of the evening, "Catch Me." This song will again put a lump in your throat - notice the trend here? In this haunting ballad of a person not able to hold on, needing someone to help him before he just lets go, as maybe in suicide, it is amazing to watch Barcus push and force the pain written into the song into the audience. It shows why Barcus is just so damn good. Newcomer to Dallas audiences, Dan Carne, delivers a perfect performance - not a bad calling card, if you ask me. Carne has a very strong tenor sound that is crystal clear, rich and full. The vibrato is strong and provides a solid platform for his notes to stand on, but when he goes into falsetto for some of the music, it's soft, clean, and perfect, floating above the notes with such beauty, it's pure gold. Listen to his take on such songs as "I'll Be Here With You", "I Can Hold You", "What I'd Had in Mind" and you will agree with me, Carne is just outstanding. Musical Director Mark Mullino deserves kudos for playing the music with such passion and care. Mullino keeps the pace of the songs right on the money, not once letting the music sag, or the tempos drag or become uneven. He keeps pushing song after song, making sure each performer has his/her "moment", and then moves it along with his professionalism as a truly gifted musical director should do. Bravo Maestro! Director Ann Nieman also earns praise for taking a no book production and providing at least visual subtext moments. Her blocking on the double-tier set is quite interesting to view. She gives the songs at least some sort of basis for what might be if they were placed in a book musical. She also knows not to let her actors just stand center stage and sing, but instead move around the set with purpose and reason. Applause must also go to Lighting Designer, Susan A. White. She is the unsung hero of the evening for her use of color to create mood for each song. She bathes the back wall in striking shades of fuchsia, lavender, red, and other stark colors, but she gives special lighting to the sides of the stage and onto the performers themselves. This adds so much to the mood and feel of the music. The Songs of David Friedman deserves sold out houses. Why? Because you might be missing five thespians and a musical director providing an evening of an art form that is difficult to do well, the art of showing the true emotional core of a song, to comprehend the lyrics and give them back to the audience to enjoy. And I promise you, you will enjoy it so much, that you will wish this cast would record this evening of music for you to buy. The Songs of David Friedman runs Through May 5, 2001 at the Dupree Theater, Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving Texas, for Lyric Stage. For tickets, call 972-252-2728. Staged & Directed by Ann Nieman *CAST* Julie Johnson |
