"Carmelina" - Musicals In Mufti Series at The York Theatre Company - Through February 3rd

Original Poster
"Carmelina"
1979

It is a truism in the world of theater that "there are no small parts - only small actors." Never has that cliche been more true than in the case of the current enchanting production of "Carmelina," the opening salvo in this year's York Theatre Musicals in Mufti series. The role of Roberto, a humble fisherman.s son (Antonio Cipriano) does not offer much in the way of solo opportunities throughout the musical, but it is crucial, in that Roberto opens the play by introducing the first strains of "It's Time For A Love Song." Roberto enters from the rear of the house, accompanying himself on the guitar, and meanders down the aisle and onto the stage. Mr. Cipriano's voice and stage presence are such that with the opening note, I turned to see where the sound was coming from and who might be producing such perfect music. From that moment, I was drawn into this fisherman's net, and into the charming web woven by Alan Jay Lerner's story and lyrics and the melodious music of Burton Lane.

Antonio Cipriano as Roberto
"Carmelina"
Musicals In Mufti Series
The York Theatre Company
Through February 3rd

The plot is based upon a 1968 film, "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell," starring Gina Lollobrigida. The story line is remarkably similar to that of "Mama Mia," with a young woman having conceived a daughter during wartime, and not knowing which of three men may be the father.

For this staged reading limited production, Director Michael Leeds has assembled a stellar cast, ably supported by Musical Director David Hancock Turner on piano, and Joseph Wallace on bass.

Carmelina (Andrea Burns) shimmers when she embraces the beautiful songs written for the protagonist. In particular, "Someone In April," which she shares with her cook, Rosa (the brilliant Anne L. Nathan) is memorable. Not only is the song lovely, but it brilliantly provides back story to explain how the sweet sixteen year old Carmelina could have had three lovers in the course of one short month.The role of Rosa is written and acted in a way that brought to mind the comic relief provided by Juliet's nurse in "Romeo and Juliet."

In order to protect her reputation among her pious neighbors in the small Neapolitan village, Carmelina invents a story of a husband, American GI Lt. Eddie Campbell, who died heroically in the war. In the meanwhile, she has convinced each of the three soldiers with whom she shared a night that he has a daughter who needs support. She has been receiving three checks each month for seventeen years!

Vittorio (Joey Sorge) has been in love with Carmelina forever, but she refuses to accept his offers of marriage in order to preserve the charade of being a grieving widow. Mr. Sorge gets to showcase his powerful voice in "Carmelina," "You're A Woman," and "I Will Kill Her," as well as a reprise of "It's Time For A Love Song."

The three "father's" are part of a regiment of veterans who come from the U.S. to revisit the site of their war service in Italy. The three actors, Evan Harrington, Timothy John Smith, and Jim Stanek really shine as they harmonize in "One More Walk Around the Garden," a highlight of this delightful score.

Jim Stanek as Smith
Timothy John Smith as Karzinski
Evan HArrington as Braddock
"Carmelina"
Musicals In Mufti Series
The York Theatre Company
Through February 3rd

Carmelina's daughter, Gia (MaryJoanna Grisso) has been off at finishing school in Switzerland, but makes a surprise visit home after Roberto calls to tell her the Americans are coming. She can't wait to interrogate them about her war hero father. Naturally, complications ensue! Ms. Grisso has her vocal moment in the sun with the lovely "Smiling at Me."

MaryJoanna Grisso as Gia with her three "fathers"
"Carmelina"
Musicals In Mufti Series
The York Theatre Company
Through February 3rd

This production has as Scenic Consultant James Morgan, and Lighting Design by Steve O'Shea. If you want to see this delightful little gem, this coming weekend will provide the last opportunities. The 2019 Musicals in Mufti Series continues with "The Day Before Spring" (February 9-17) and "Lolita, My Love" (February 23-March 3).

Cast
"Carmelina"
Musicals In Mufti Series
The York Theatre Company
Through February 3rd

Enjoy!

Al

"Master of the Crossroads" by Paul Calderon - Presented by Primitive Grace Theatre Ensemble

Playwright/Director Paul Calderon has crafted a compelling and masterful drama in "Master of the Crossroads." The play draws in the audience at a primal level as we see three individuals struggling with the affects of PTSD upon each of them, and upon an unseen innocent victim.

The action is set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as Yolanda (Sarah Kate Jackson) enters in a frenetic state, frantically downing pills and alcohol to try to find a way to calm herself so she can convince her ex-brother-in-law, Jim-Bo (Obi Abili) to intervene in an unfolding tragedy. Her ex-husband, Cornbread (Nixon Cesar), is off of his medications and has taken a hostage, whom he plans to crucify. Yolanda has discovered this heinous situation when she dropped by to check on Cornbread. Jim-Bo is reluctant to intervene for a whole host of reasons. He and his fraternal twin are estranged, each choosing to wrestle with their demons in isolation. Jim-Bo clearly has adopted a dual coping mechanism to handle his own PTSD and moral guilt. He has emotionally barricaded himself behind a facade of church and religiosity. He also is clearly someone who hangs onto sanity using Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD) rituals. The playwright shows this OCD behavior clearly when Jim-Bo obsesses over the color of the shirt and tie he will wear that day. It is also clear that Jim-Bo fears what may happen to shatter his fragile shell of normalcy if he engages with Cornbread.

It becomes clear as the narrative develops that Yolanda and Jim-Bo have a history that transcends their former relationship of brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Yolanda finally persuades Jim-Bo that he has an obligation to intervene, and the scene shifts from Jim-Bo's place to Cornbread's hovel. Cornbread enters naked, emblematic of the fact that by the end of the play each of these three characters will have been stripped naked emotionally and psychologically. As Jim-Bo tries to reason with Cornbread, the well-dressed brother - a Dr. Jekyll figure - devolves into a manic Mr. Hyde. At some point in the drama, each of the three characters erupts in a primal scream that we know comes from the depth of their troubled souls.

Mr. Calderon explores themes of hyper-religiosity, betrayal, guilt, denial, rituals, mental health, the trauma of war, and the insidious effects of poverty and racism to weave together a troubling tapestry of three lives hanging on by a thread. The acting by this trio is mesmerizing and believable. They are directed by Mr. Calderon in a way that gives them free rein to vent their rage, frustration and fear.

Be warned that the play features nudity, racially sensitive language, and violence, none of which is gratuitous, but is firmly rooted in the text and subject matter of the play.

The play runs through February 9th at the Bridge Theater at Shetler Studios, 244 W. 54th St.

Enjoy!

Al

"Intelligence" by Helen Banner - Presented at Next Door Theater by Lucy Jackson in Association with Dutch Kill Theater

Helen Banner's play, "Intelligence,"is a timely and poignant examination of the consequences - intended or unintended - of the current administration's evisceration of the U.S. diplomatic corps. The action takes place in the basement of a State Department building in Foggy Bottom. Three women - a senior State Department official and two young rising stars - are trying to figure out how to interact with a deadly leader in the Middle East whose cooperation they will need if any semblance of peace is to be achieved. It turns out that dealing with the off-stage enemies within the administration is just as challenging as dealing with an avowed jihadist.

Playwright Banner is not only a dramatist and librettist, she has also been deeply involved in creating choral works. So it makes sense that there is almost a musical quality to the rhythms and volumes of the dialogue that takes place among these three women as the tension mounts. As snippets of information flow into the isolated conference room, it becomes more difficult for each of these women to know who than can trust - within the trio, and in the world beyond. The three actors are superb in creating  characters wrestling with being intelligence professionals in an administration that clearly does not value intelligence - in both meanings of that word. They are Actors Equity members Kaliswa Brewster as Lee Culvert, Amelia Pedlow as Paige Smith, and Rachel Pickup as Sarah MacIntyre.

The playwright cleverly paints with white space - allowing the audience to learn about developments outside the room, elsewhere in D.C. and in the Middle East, through inference from bits of gossip that each of the women bring back from their brief forays outside the room.We also get to imagine events that are transpiring in the outside world through the limited electronic communication available in the room.

I have wondered how professionals within our State Department are coping with being marginalized by our current POTUS. Ms. Bonner provides some credible answers, and they are disturbing in terms of America's role in shaping global policy now and into the foreseeable future.

"Intelligence" is tautly Directed by Jess Chayes, with Scenic Design by Carolyn Mraz, Lighting by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Sound and Original Music by Sinan Reflik Zafar, and Costumes by Sophia Choi.

The play is presented by Lucy Jackson in association with Dutch Kills Theater. It runs through February 3 at Next Door@NYTW at 79 E. 4th St.

Enjoy!

Al

"Power Ball" by Rob Neyer - Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game

In writing "Power Ball," author Rob Neyer has very cleverly, and very effectively, chosen to dissect the details of a single baseball game as a way of examining the state of Major League Baseball as a whole. The result is an inning-by-inning, sometimes a pitch-by-pitch,, chronicle of a game that was played late in the 2017 season between the Houston Astros and the Oakland A's. This book stands of the shoulders of Michael Lewis's iconic "Moneyball." In choosing to examine one game as a microcosm of baseball, Neyer also follows in the footsteps of Arnold Hano, who wrote "A Day In The Bleachers," and Dan Okrent, who authored "Nine Innings."

This is simply one of the most engaging baseball books I have read in recent memory. The author uses specific situations in the unfolding game between the Astros and the A's to highlight significant changes in baseball: the emergence of a whole generation of power pitchers who can hurl over 100 MPH, the role of the defensive shift, the disappearance of the bunt, the changing perception of strikeouts by batters, the pace of the game, the out sized dominance of players of short stature, the new generation of super statistics, launch angle, exit velocity, etc.

Having attended literally thousands of baseball games in my lifetime, and having taken in thousands more via radio and TV, I am more than a casual fan of the game, Yet each chapter of this book offered me new insights into aspects of the game I had not previously considered.

If you love baseball, then this book is a MUST READ!

Enjoy!

"The Leader's Guide To Mindfulness" by Audrey Tang - How To Use Soft Skills To Get Hard Results

The topic of Mindfulness has been - well - on everyone's mind in this millennium. Each author, speaker, and guru seems to have his or her own definition of exactly what mindfulness is. As a core practice of Buddhism, the concept of Mindfulness has been around for centuries. Author Audrey Tang offers her opinion that the practitioner ought not worry too much about having a firm definition of Mindfulness, but should be willing to use any technique or practice that brings tangible results.

This is a very practical and pragmatic book. The subtitle gives a good overview of the author's intent:"How to use soft skills to get hard results." The three major sections of the book are entitled: Practical Applications, Personal Applications, and Mindful Growth. In each chapter, Dr. Tang offers templates or scripts for guided meditation specific to the topic at hand.

A chapter I found particularly helpful delineates the differences between Problem Solving and Decision Making. The different mindset needed for each of the two distinct situations is carefully explained. In the next chapter, she explores the key differences between Creativity and Innovation.

This book serves as a helpful handbook for anyone committed to becoming more self-aware, more present, more emotionally available, and more productive, using techniques steeped in Eastern practices of relaxation and meditation.

Enjoy!

Al