By Julian J. Frazin
Retired Cook County Circuit Judge • Entertainment Critic
May it please the court…
He's back! Or rather, I should say "They're back!!" The multitalented writer, musician and dramatic re-enactor of composers George Gershwin, Frederic Chopin and Ludwig von Beethoven — Hershey Felder — returns to the Royal George Theatre Center, 1641 N. Halsted St., in the persona of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein. Working once again under the sensitive direction of Joel Zwick, Felder delivers his most tender and nuanced musical portrait to date in "Maestro — The Art of Leonard Bernstein."
In this fast-paced, one-man, one-act piece, Felder utilizes effective stagecraft and a wide range of storytelling techniques including photo and film projections, dramatic lighting and pre-recorded orchestral music to augment his own talents for singing and playing the magnificent grand piano that occupies center stage. Felder's ear for accents serves him well as he recreates the rhythms of his "yum-deedle-deedling" Russian-Jewish father, the whiney nasal arrogance of his friend Aaron Copland and the stern yet seductive tones of his European mentors Dmitri Mitropoulos and Serge Koussevitsky.
Hershey Felder in "Maestro — The Art of Leonard Bernstein."
He employs these voices to tell the story of Bernstein as a troubled icon, a man who longed to be recognized as an enduring serious classical composer, but had to be satisfied with the popularity of "West Side Story" and his televised "Young People's Concerts" that cast him in the role of America's music teacher at large. Felder, like Bernstein, uses his instructional skills not only to examine the works of Copland, Wagner and Gershwin, but also to tutor us in the intricacies and nuances of conducting a major symphonic orchestra.
Felder again captivates his audience with a riveting and convincing performance. His risk-taking at presenting a man of complexity who destroyed many of those who loved him earns a well-deserved standing ovation.
As any good sports fan can tell you, a wild and boisterous home crowd can provide that extra edge needed for victory. The phenomenon is sometimes described as "the sixth man" on a basketball team. So, too, in the world of musical comedy, it can be said that an appreciative and enthusiastic theater audience can become a valued asset to the cast. I observed this recently at the opening of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier as well as in a viewing of the Broadway production of the same show at the Marquis Theatre in New York.
In both instances, the audience's response played a very important role in the successful remounting of this classic musical about the reunion of the former showgirls of the Weismann Follies, who meet at their old theater as it is about to be demolished to relive old memories and renew old friendships and loves, accompanied by the phantoms of their younger selves.
Both times, the audiences were not only familiar with the plot and most of the songs, but also with the stage histories of its cast.
This was surely the case in Chicago when enduring local favorite Hollis Resnik, as Carlotta Campion, belts out the classic "I'm Still Here" and in New York when the incomparable, Bernadette Peters, as Sally, sings the plaintive, "Losing My Mind." The nostalgic nod is similar when both Marilynn Bogetich (Chicago) and Jayne Houdyshell (N.Y.) as the aging Hattie Walker give their respective renditions of "Broadway Baby." And the same can be said for Jan Maxwell as Phyllis singing the bombastic and satiric "Could I Leave You?" in New York and, when, in Chicago, Caroline O'Connor, in the same role, gives her best vaudeville version of "The Story of Lucy and Jessie."
And so, on and on it goes, with each and every performer, which raises the question of which production was superior. To compare the two would not exactly be like "apples and oranges," but considering Shakespeare's 510 seats to Marquis' 1,611 and Chicago's 11-person on-stage orchestra to Broadway's 23 members in pit, you could say it was comparing New York's Big Apple to Chicago's caramel Affy Tapple!
The big difference, of course, is money, which accounts for the more lavish sets, costumes and draping the entire Marquis Theatre, suggesting the place was about to be shuttered. Be that as it may, and confessing my insatiable taste for Affy Tapples, I found both productions to be the best I've ever seen.
I rest my case.
Final Verdict:
"Maestro — The Art Of Leonard Bernstein"
4 Gavels
"Follies" (Chicago)
4 Gavels
"Follies" (New York)
4 Gavels