NEW MUSICAL BY
THE
TONY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER & LYRICIST
OF URINETOWN THE MUSICAL |
April 17 - May 24, 2009
The Girl, The Grouch
and The Goat
Book by Jack Helbig
Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann
Directed by Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen
Musical Direction by Bill Strongin
Choreographed by Kelly Todd
- 03/06/09 ARTICLE: Festival of New American Musicals - TheaterMania
- 03/06/09 ARTICLE: Chance featured in state-wide Festival - Broadway News
- 04/20/09 REVIEW: Stage Scene LA
WOW! - 04/20/09 ARTICLE: Mark Hollmann interview - Examiner
- 04/22/09 REVIEW: Fullerton Observer
- 04/22/09 REVIEW: Orange County Register
- 04/22/09 REVIEW: Back Stage West
- 04/22/09 ARTICLE: From 'Urinetown' to Ancient Greece - Los Angeles Times
- 04/24/09 REVIEW: Los Angeles Times
- 04/28/09 REVIEW: EDGE Los Angeles
- 04/30/09 REVIEW: Stage Happenings
- 05/06/09 ARTICLE: Talkback with Tony Award winner Mark Hollmann
- 05/07/09 ARTICLE: 'Urinetown' composer comes to O.C. to see his latest and talk
THEATER ARTICLE
Michael Friedman, Mark Hollmann, David Zippel, and More to Participate in 2009 Festival of New American Musicals
by Dan Bacalzo, TheaterMania.com
March 6, 2009
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The line-up has been announced for the 2009 Festival of New American Musicals, a four-month musical theatre festival, to be held April through July, throughout Southern California. The Festival encompasses full productions, staged readings, workshops of musicals in progress, cabaret events, concerts, master classes, and other events.
Events will include That Beautiful Laugh, conceived and directed by Orlando Pabotoy; The Los Angeles premiere of No Way To Treat A Lady by Douglas J. Cohen; the West Coast premiere of The Girl, The Grouch and The Goat, featuring a book by Jack Helbig, with music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann; the developmental production of The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk; the world premiere of Set Up And Punch, with book by Mark Saltzman, and original songs by Berton Averre and Rob Meurer; the first public reading of The Water by Tim Werenko, Jeff Hylton, and Georgia Stitt; Everyman -- The Musical by Bill DeLuca, directed by Naomi Buckley; the West Coast premiere of the William Finn revue Make Me A Song; Fools In Love, performed and created by students from the PUC Charter Schools; Dirty Dancing -- The Classic Story On Stage, adapted by Eleanor Bergstein, directed by James Powell, and choreographed by Kate Champion; and the world premiere of Peter Pan: A New Musical, written by Jordan Beck with music by Jonathan May and orchestration by Nolan Livesay.
Additional performances will include the world premiere of The Green Room; the premiere of Plymouth 2.0, with book and lyrics by Jeff Lantos and music by Bill Augustine; the premiere of The Brand New Kid, with music by Michael Friedman, book by Melanie Marnich, lyrics by Michael Friedman and Melanie Marnich, and direction by Shelley Butler; Forbidden Broadway" 25th Anniversary Special Edition, created and written by Gerard Alessandrini; the first broadcast of the complete recording of Ricky Ian Gordon-Michael Korie musical adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath; Ring of Fire, a jukebox musical of Johnny Cash songs conceived by William Meade and created by Richard Maltby, Jr.; the premiere of Water And Power, with book and lyrics by Jeff Lantos, music by Bill Augustine; Violet, featuring book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley, and music by Jeanine Tesori; and a first reading of Prodigy, with book, lyrics and direction by Ken Cazan; music and additional lyrics by Billy Pace.
In addition, the festival will include The Annual 15 Minute Musicals from writers from the Academy for New Musical Theatre Core Curriculum program; iGhost, with book by Doug Haverty, music by Adryan Russ, lyrics by Adryan Russ & Doug Haverty; the world premiere of The Best Is Yet To Come featuring the music of Cy Coleman adapted and directed by David Zippel with musical direction by Billy Stritch, choreography by Christopher Gatelli, and featuring Lillias White; and We Still Can't Stand Still, featuring kids age 2-12 at the William Grant Still Center in their own original musical.
Participating venues and institutions include Orange County Performing Arts Center, Pantages Theatre, Alex Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, El Portal Theatre, La Mirada Theatre, Colony Theater, Rubicon Theatre, Boston Court Theatre, Blank Theatre, The University of Southern California, Fullerton College, and Marquez Elementary School.
For more information, visit www.lafestival.org.
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THEATER ARTICLE
2009 Festival Of New American Musicals Held April-July
by Broadway World
March 6, 2009
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Stephen Sondheim |
The 2009 Festival of New American Musicals, a four-month musical theatre festival, will be held in April through July, 2009, throughout Southern California. Marcia Seligson, Bob Klein, and Linda Shusett are the Executive Producers of the second annual Festival.
The Festival of New American Musicals is home to full productions, staged readings, workshops of musicals in progress, cabaret events, concerts, master classes and other events. The producers are working in partnership with over thirty Southern California area performing arts organizations, each of which will produce a new American musical during the Festival time period.
The venues include Orange County Performing Arts Center, Pantages Theatre, Alex Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, El Portal Theatre, La Mirada Theatre, Colony Theater, Rubicon Theatre, Boston Court Theatre, and Blank Theatre. The University of Southern California, Fullerton College, and Marquez Elementary School are also participating.
Seligson, Klein and Shusett are working closely with two primary creative advisors, celebrated Broadway composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, composer-lyricist of "Wicked," "Pippin," and "Godspell," and Michael Kerker, Director of Musical Theatre of ASCAP, the major organization which represents American theater composers.
The honorary co-chairs of the Festival are Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Jason Alexander and Angela Lansbury.
Marcia Seligson said, "We learned a lot from the first Festival last year - including the fact that we began working with theatres on their 2009 offerings before the 2008 Festival was completed.
Linda Shusett said, "This year, we have purposely broadly defined 'new musicals,' in order to draw as much attention as possible to this art form. For the Festival, a new musical can be anything from a show having its very first public reading, to a recent Broadway show that didn't receive the attention it fully deserved. And we are working hard to enlarge the scope of the support that we lend to the theatres that participate in the Festival."
Bob Klein said, "When you look through the offerings, you will find world premieres, recent musicals, and even the 25th anniversary of the longest running off-Broadway revue in American musical theatre, 'Forbidden Broadway.' All of it attests to the liveliness and variety of the telling of stories through words and songs. There are some of the greatest American musical theatre talents represented here, as well as grade school students who are learning to sing their stories."
Last year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor as saying, "Los Angeles is pushing this country's cultural envelope across the arts spectrum - from experimental architecture to our unabashed pursuit of edgy, young composers - and I could not be prouder to add performing arts to the list. I hope this ambitious festival blossoms into a magnet for new talent for years to come."
The impetus for this Festival was born out of observing how many new musicals are launched from Southern California's regional theatres. Some of Broadway's biggest hits, "Wicked," "Jersey Boys," "Drowsy Chaperone," and "Curtains," and the upcoming "9 to 5," and "Minsky's" were developed in Southern California.
Festival advisor Stephen Schwartz said, "In my capacity as artistic director of the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop and as one of the judges for the Jonathan Larson Foundation grant, I have heard the work of so many promising and talented young musical theatre composers and lyricists. The fact that this Festival will give many of them a chance to be showcased and celebrated very publicly here on the West Coast is a truly fantastic gift."
A major element of the Festival is the education component - to bring new musicals into the schools and students into the theatres. Honorary chair Stephen Sondheim said, "What impresses me most about the Festival is its producers' vision for developing new and young musical theatre audiences all around Southern California. By working directly with ethnically diverse high schools and colleges and helping them produce new musicals in their schools, the organizers of the Festival hope to ignite a passion for theater in these young people."
Seligson founded and was Producing Artistic Director of Reprise! Broadway's Best, which has become the leading Southern California musical theatre presenting classic American musicals, from its inception in 1995 until 2005. Bob Klein was a founding board member of Reprise!, and headed the company's successful effort to market rarely revived Broadway musicals. Shusett was a producer on last year's Festival, has worked in the film business and is also a performer.
The Festival of New American Musicals is presented by Bank of New York Mellon. Main sponsors are the ASCAP Foundation, KUSC, BACKSTAGE, Greenberg & Glusker, and The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
The Festival's website is now online at www.lafestival.org.
The events of the 2009 Festival of New American Musicals:
"The Girl, The Grouch and The Goat" (West Coast Premiere)
Book by Jack Helbig, music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann. A farcical, musical romp through ancient Greece from Mark Hollmann, the co-creator of "Urinetown." Journey with the Chance into a parched village on the outskirts of Athens that has been in a drought for decades. The only working well in town is controlled by a nasty old grouch named Clemnon, who delights in price-gouging his neighbors. His obsession with maintaining his water monopoly is only matched by his determination to keep his daughter away from all the men in town -- however, what will happen when she falls in love with the son of Clemnon's sworn nemesis, a wealthy and strong-willed widow? Will the gods create mischief? Will it finally rain? Will someone catch one of those wild goats?
Chance Theatre; April 17 - May 24. Ticket Information: (714) 777-3033/ (866) 811-4111; www.chancetheater.com. [Media Contact: Casey Long casey@chancetheater.com ].
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THEATER REVIEW
The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat
by Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA
WOW!
April 20, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
"The Chance Theater scores a real coup in presenting the West Coast Premiere and first professional production of the latest musical by Mark Hollmann, the Tony-winning composer/co-lyricist of Urinetown. (I guess this means that it could well be billed as the show's Professional World Premiere.)"
"The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat is a musicalization of Dyskolos, by Greek dramatist Menander (342-291 BC), and though it has a different book writer from Urinetown's (this time, Chicago playwright-journalist-teacher Jack Helbig has taken pen to paper), and though not in Urinetown's league, the resulting musical has the same brand of quirky irreverence-plus Hollmann's catchy melodies and clever lyrics. With master director Oanh Nguyen at the helm, The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat makes for a delightfully merry & gay evening of theater."
"Gutierrez gets maximum laughs from poor Xander's tied-up tongue, and when he finally gets the words out, who should show up but the grouch, informing his daughter that Xander is 'just the kind of boy I warned you about.' "
"As he did in Urinetown, Hollmann proves himself a master of melody (one wishes a cast recording were available in order to hear the songs again) and rhyme ("trustable" and "combustible"). Helbig's book is deliciously silly, with running jokes about busses (somehow Myrrhine gets it in her head that boys and busses are one and the same) and a girl named Elektra DeLuxe (who had "such a Daddy Complex"). Bill Strongin provides bouncy piano accompaniment, though one wishes that the show's budget would permit a few more instruments. Kelly Todd's choreography delightfully spoofs various dance genres. (In addition to several already mentioned numbers, "There's No Stopping Me" features Xanthippe, a black feather boa, and the two slaves dancing like swivel-hipped Vegas showboys.)
"Director Nguyen, who's handled deeper fare like Jesus Hates Me and Rabbit Hole, and reinvented Sondheim in Into The Woods, this time takes things a bit easier and just has fun with the wacky goings on, to charming and amusing effect.
"The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat is filled with all-around snappy triple-threat performances, and though sassy ball-of-fire LaMarr steals pretty much every scene he's in, there are plenty of other gems, from Karliak's cute, pizzazzy slave boy to Cannons' sweet, nubile Myrrhine to Guttierez's charming, earnest Xander. Koppel is humorously overbearing as Clemnon, and shows off his opera-ready voice in "One Day You'll Understand." Coopersmith is a vibrant, voluptuous Xanthippe, Pierce a sensational diva-in-training as Daria, and Anne Of Green Gables' McLean a sexy revelation as Aphrodite.
"John Robinson's set and Cassandra L. Stone's costumes have a nice Ancient Greece feel, and are well complemented by Jeff Brewer's lighting and Bryan Barton's sound design."
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THEATER ARTICLE
Anaheim's Chance Theater mounts new musical by Tony winner
by Jordan Young, Examiner
April 20, 2009
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Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Chance Theater, Anaheim Hills' award-winning storefront company, lives up to its name-as usual-with the West Coast and professional premiere of The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat, now through May 24. The show, "a musical romp through ancient Greece" with music and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Mark Hollmann and book by playwright Jack Helbig, is part of the region-wide Festival of New American Musicals that includes dozens of new productions throughout Southern California.
I asked Hollmann--co-creator of Urinetown the Musical-to reflect on the state of the art.
JY: Just how tough is it these days to get a new musical off the ground?
MH: In some ways, the climate for new musical development is better than ever, in that there seem to be more festivals for new musicals and awards for emerging musical-theater writers than when I started writing in 1985. Getting beyond development and into production, however, remains tough--it was not until the off-Broadway production of Urinetown in 2001 that I received the first professional production of one of my musicals. Sixteen years is a long time to wait for a professional production. Every production is a learning opportunity for young writers, and I see in my own career and the careers of my colleagues that we theater writers are getting precious few of those opportunities.
JY: Any advice for aspiring creators of musical theatre, on how to get a foot in the door?
MH: My best advice is to keep trying to get your work produced, and if you can't find anyone to produce it, produce it yourself. Then write your next show and keep going onward and upward from there.
JY: Do you find Broadway depressing? What gives you the most hope for new musicals today?
MH: I actually do not find Broadway depressing because it is the seat of commercial theater in the U.S., and I believe strongly in the free-market system of an audience voting with its ticket dollars to help determine what gets produced. Urinetown was turned down by scores of not-for-profit theaters across the country. You would think it would be a not-for-profit theater that would be willing to take the risk to produce a show with an off-putting title like Urinetown. Instead, it was a group of commercial producers that discovered the show at a fringe festival and took it all the way to Broadway, where it was a hit and earned a profit for its investors. I know from my own experience that the commercial theater that Broadway epitomizes can find and reward artistic excellence.
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THEATER ARTICLE
From 'Urinetown' to Ancient Greece
For 'The Girl, the Grouch, and the Goat,' 'Urinetown's' Mark Hollmann reunites with Jack Helbig and a script they'd left for dead.
by Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times
April 22, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
"If at first you don't succeed . . . wait till you do -- then try again" could be the moral behind how an unlikely musical, "The Girl, the Grouch, and the Goat," arrived at its first professional production at the tiny Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills.
Loosely based on the comedy "Dyskolos" ("The Grouch") by the ancient Greek playwright Menander, "GGG" was one of the first things composer-lyricist Mark Hollmann turned to after the off-Broadway run of "Urinetown." His score, with co-lyricist Greg Kotis, later won him a 2002 Tony Award, and "Urinetown" ran for nearly 1,000 performances after transferring to Broadway.
Just as success began to hit, Hollmann reconnected with Jack Helbig, who proposed pulling "Grouch" out of the dead script file and having another go, 10 years after they'd given up on it.
The composer, who hadn't yet quit his day job in word processing, liked the new approach Helbig suggested, and wrote 15 fresh songs, keeping just one from the version they'd first crafted in Chicago in 1988. It began as an assignment for a post-collegiate musical theater class that Hollmann was taking. Helbig, a friend from the Windy City's improv-comedy scene, suggested a Menander musical. Hollmann insisted that he write the libretto.
Hollmann, 45, admitted over the phone recently from his New York City home that he had momentary misgivings about revisiting an old piece just as he was about to make it big with "Urinetown." "What overrode that was I was 10 years smarter and maybe I could solve problems in the score that had stumped me before."
Helbig, 50, teaches English at a Chicago high school in addition to freelance writing about theater. The unfinished "Grouch" musical had nagged at him ever since it stalled in 1991. He and Hollmann had taken it to New York for a workshop performance but failed to entice prospective producers. The experience, however, had planted a seed in Hollmann.
Previously a jack of many musical trades, he moved to New York in 1993 to focus on musicals.
Helbig says he revitalized the script with elements of Story Theater, an approach pioneered in the 1960s and '70s by Paul Sills, founding director of Chicago's Second City troupe. A comic duo of slaves would function like the Lead Player in "Pippin," doing double duty as characters and as entertaining narrators who step aside from the action to keep the audience clued in.
In a nod to "Urinetown," Helbig conjured a plot Menander never imagined: a drought in the ancient Athenian suburbs, with one lucky fellow, the Grouch himself, holding a monopoly in the water market thanks to his bountiful well. Swerving from the eclectic style of "Urinetown," Hollmann anchored the score in the old-line musical comedy tradition of the 1950s and '60s.
The co-creators sent "GGG" on an informal shakedown tour of new musical festivals, including a 2007 reading at the Thousand Oaks Festival of New Musicals. There the Chance's literary manager, Jonathan Josephson, liked what he heard, approached Hollmann after the performance and kept in touch.
"The Girl, the Grouch, and the Goat" had its first full staging last year in a student production at the University of Kansas. Now comes the Chance's turn.
Having survived 10 years under founding artistic director Oanh Nguyen (pronounced ahn win), the theater has long-range ambitions of one day paying full union wages yet maintaining its pocket-size quarters. That, says the stocky, amiably low-keyed Nguyen, hinges on quadrupling the current annual budget of $400,000.
Nguyen has directed a good deal of heady Sondheim at the Chance, but he was drawn to the light-as-cotton "GGG" by the challenge of taking an audience along on a low-budget fantasy excursion. The story is your basic young-lovers-thwarted-by-their-elders-until-the-old-folks-come-to-their-senses scenario. However, along the way it calls for the staging of a wild-goat chase, a family quarrel among the ancient Greek gods, the plummeting of most of the main characters into the aforementioned well -- where they remain for a good stretch of the second act -- and, oh yes, the climactic transformation of the two lovers into soaring birds, and back again.
Helbig says he isn't keen on ever seeing the Disney Theatricals version of all this.
"I wanted to come up with a show that could be done with as little money as possible. I see a good production being done with just lights, a stage and a few props."
He plans to catch the show in Anaheim Hills, but Hollmann probably won't; he's relying on his writing partner to report back on his one remaining concern: whether a humorous Grouch-and-daughter number is superfluous because of a more tender song between them later in the script.
Apart from that, after 21 years' gestation, he and Helbig consider the play finished. "I'm quite ready to step back and see what other people bring to this," Hollmann said. He has plenty else to attend to, including "Yeast Nation," the true successor to "Urinetown," in which he and Kotis move from the sociopolitical implications of human effluvia to the sociopolitical crises facing a civilization of singing microscopic creatures in Earth's primeval oceans. He also has the requisite old-movie-to-new-musical gig, providing songs while playwright-composer Rupert Holmes does the book for a planned adaptation of "My Man Godfrey."
Nguyen says he isn't nervous about handling the first professional production of the Tony-winning composer's first show in the 48 contiguous states since "Urinetown" (the premiere of "Yeast Nation" took place last year in Anchorage). He says he rehearsed the flying-birds scene with choreographed roller-skating for "a very 'Xanadu' feel" but thought better of it. Just as Helbig granted himself free rein to augment Menander, Nguyen's directorial concept gives the love goddess Aphrodite more stage time and thematic sway than the written script indicates.
"We've got little secrets," he said. "You'll see. We've had lots of fun."
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THEATER REVIEW
The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat
by Joyce Rosenthal, Fullerton Observer
April 22, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
Title aside, The Girl, the Grouch and the Goat provides a very pleasant evening's entertainment. Music and lyrics are by Mark Hollmann, the book is by Jack Helbig and Chance Theater's presentation is the show's West Coast and professional debut.
The story is loosely based on an ancient Greek play. The players include Clemnon (the Grouch), his daughter Myrrhine (the Girl), Xanthippe (a widow), Xander (her son), Daria (her daughter), Aphrodite (a Goddess) and Man 1 and Man 2 who play multiple roles as needed.
There has been a drought in Greece for a long time. In a small town on the outskirts of Athens, Clemnon owns the only water well and charges whatever he pleases for a pail of water. He also constantly watches his daughter Myrrhine to make sure she keeps away from all men. However, she has other ideas and is in love with Xander, who would gladly return this love but is stymied by Clemnon at every turn. In addition, his mother has always been at odds with Clemnon and is not too fond of Xander's pursuit of Myrrhine. Little sister Daria provides a running commentary on conditions and events throughout the play while twirling a baton. Man 1 and Man 2 also provide verbal and physical comments at appropriate moments.
The villagers face many trials and tribulations and there are consultations with the gods who don't always respond as you expect them to. Will Clemnon ever lighten up? What about the feud between Clemnon and Xanthippe? Will the young lovers get together? And the goat? He is a wild one and difficult to catch.
The set design (by John Robinson) suggests a Grecian temple in the background. Up front is a very large stone well which rotates at times to display anyone unfortunate enough to fall into it. The costumes (by Cassandra L. Stone) are bright, colorful and add measurably to the show.
Musical direction by Bill Strongin and Choreography by Kelly Todd are the strong points of this production. The entire cast is talented and are delightful to watch as they sing and dance through, over and around the set using every inch of it. Brooke Cannons (Myrrhine) not only sings well but shows off her dancing ability admirably. Glenn Koppel (Clemnon), John Paul Karliak (Man 1), David LaMarr (Man 2) and 12 year old Sarah Pierce (Daria) also turn in strong performances.
The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat plays at Chance Theater through May 24, 2009.
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THEATER REVIEW
'Urinetown' creator's new play debuts in Anaheim Hills
'The Girl, the Grouch and the Goat' is a family-friendly musical.
by Eric Marchese, Orange County Register
April 22, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
"As the book and lyrics gently spoof various aspects of Greek mythology, The Girl, the Grouch, and the Goat is poised to deliver at least one laugh per minute. The show's humor is slick, the lines and lyrics are well-honed to strike the funny bone, and director Oanh Nguyen's cast injects the songs and scenes with youthful vigor.
"Cannons and Gutierrez are attractive and innocent as the young romantic leads and are especially winsome in song. Koppel brings solid comedic and dramatic skills to the table as the grumpy old Clemnon, who long ago ceased to find joy in anything. Koppel, though, humanizes this potentially one-dimensional role, bringing genuine emotion to lines like 'I'm anxious and tired and tense.'
"Eloise Coopersmith brings a powerful vocal style to the role of Xanthippe. She can belt out her lyrics à la Ethel Merman, yet where needed, she's able to dial it back.
"As Xanthippe's two goofy yet hip slaves, John Paul Karliak and David LaMarr are aptly frivolous, their characters evoking the comedic Roman slaves of "Forum." The comedically gifted LaMarr, in particular, is adept at both slapstick and verbal comedy, garnering huge laughs even on lines of essentially neutral comedic content.
"Another natural scene-stealer is young Sarah Pierce as Daria, Xander's blunt, precocious, baton-twirling kid sister. McLean's similarities to Christina Applegate serve her well in the role of Aphrodite, where she gives her lines Valley-Girl inflections."
"Technical elements like costumes (Cassandra Stone), set design (John Robinson), lighting (Jeff Brewer) and sound design (Bryan Barton) suit the show well. The focus of Robinson's set is a large, circular well that revolves, allowing us to see inside. Choreographer Kelly Todd has the cast dancing up and down the set; her loose, silly, fun dance steps are perfectly suited to this loosely silly, lighthearted show."
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THEATER REVIEW
The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat
by Eric Marchese, Back Stage West
April 22, 2009
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Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
"The songs are light, breezy, and enjoyable, with only a few self-referential comments by the actors about being in a play (and one that refers to Urinetown when a character notes that at least the bad guy, who charges for water from his well, "doesn't charge you to pee!"). The romantic leads, Brooke Cannons and Armando Gutierrez, are innocent and attractive, while as the parents who don't like the idea of their kids seeing each other, Glenn Koppel and Eloise Coopersmith get in a lot of comedic huffing and puffing.
"As the male lead's younger sister, Sarah Pierce conducts herself like an old showbiz pro, whether twirling her baton or trying to get the adults around her to open their eyes. Closer to the spirit of A Funny Thing Happened are John Paul Karliak and David LaMarr as slaves to Coopersmith's character. The two are obviously closeted gays, and with his slapstick skills and solid comic timing and line readings, LaMarr basically walks off with his every scene.
"Production values are solid too, from John Robinson's set design with its huge, revolving well to Jeff Brewer's lighting, Bryan Barton's sound, and Cassandra Stone's costumes. Kelly Todd's choreography is aptly loose, silly, and fun. Holding it all together is Oanh Nguyen's staging and Bill Strongin's music direction and live piano performance of the score."
"In its gentle spoofery of various aspects of Greek mythology, Helbig's book makes good on the show's ability to pay homage to A Funny Thing Happened. This show will deliver at least a chuckle per minute for adults while diverting and entertaining the audience's younger members."
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THEATER REVIEW
The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat
by David Ng, Los Angeles Times
April 24, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
"With its comically anachronistic gloss on antiquity, the musical invokes 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' and any number of BC farces. The songs were written by Mark Hollmann, a Tony winner for 'Urinetown,' which itself used a drought as a premise for its plot. The book by Jack Helbig is witty without being overly clever and moves the action along at a well-paced rhythm.
"This production by the Chance Theater is the first time that 'The Girl, the Grouch and the Goat' has been produced by a professional company following several workshops. There's a great deal of commercial promise in the material, and it could easily land a spot off-Broadway based on its name association with 'Urinetown' alone.
"The supporting cast is goofy and endearing (especially John Paul Karliak and David LaMarr as a pair of swishy narrators). Oanh Nguyen's direction never mistakes the show for more than it is - a whipped-cream dessert entertainment."
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THEATER REVIEW
The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat
by Obed Medina, EDGE Los Angeles
April 28, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
Composer and lyricist Mark Hollman has a thing for water management. This time around, though, his new musical, The Girl, The Grouch,and the Goat, with a book by Jack Helbig, does not focus on a pay-to-pee storyline (there is a quick passing reference to Hollman's Tony award-winning "Urinetown" that fans of that show will pick up on).
Set in Greece and based on Menander's "Dyskolos", this new musical, which was presented as a workshop production in Thousand Oaks, California in 2007 and is currently enjoying its West Coast Premiere at The Chance Theatre, is all about a pay-to-drink storyline with a tongue in cheek spirit that is sure to become a staple in family entertainment.
"The Girl, The Grouch, and the Goat" centers on Clemnon (Glenn Koppel), also known as the Grouch, who is taking advantage of the dire drought situation in a village on the outskirts of Athens. He is the only villager with a working well and he charges an outrageous amount for use of his water supply while keeping all the available men from his beautiful daughter, Myrrhine (Brooke Cannons).
As we all know with such whimsical musicals, things never go as planned and so we find that his daughter has fallen for the wrong boy (at least in the eyes of her father): rich boy Xander (Armando Gutierrez).
The Greek Gods, including a meddling Aphrodite (Jessie McLean) get involved, Xanthippe (Eloise Coppersmith), the wealthy widow and mother to Xander sends her incompetent slaves (John Paul Karliak and David LaMarr) on a wild goat (that's right, a goat, not a goose) chase, half the cast ends up at the bottom of a well, and by the end of the evening, all is mended.
No doubt a less bawdy nod to "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and a bit of a departure from the more satirical "Urinetown" to a more family-friendly conventional musical, "The Girl, The Grouch, and the Goat" is a solid win across the board. Coppersmith and Koppel play off of each other in classic rivalry.
Notable in her role as Xander's younger sister, Daria, Sarah Pierce is the stand out youngest cast member with an already set flair for showmanship. LaMarr easily has the comedic timing and deadpan delivery that can stop a show.
Oanh Nguyen, again, delivers a tight, fun production of a new musical and proves that with the right set (impressive rotating well, designed by John Robinson), costumes (by Cassandra Stone), and simple choreography by Kelly Todd, anything is possible on a smaller scale with big satisfying results.
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THEATER REVIEW
The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat
by Shirle Gottlieb, Stage Happenings
April 30, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
"It's not 'the what' that makes a successful production, it's 'the how." And WOW! what a "how" this Chance production delivers!
"Under the superb direction of Oanh Nguyen, the derivative plot is performed with such gusto, such style, such panache, verve and energy--it raises the bar on the Helbig/Hollman material to a new level. As a result, the audience is electrified."
"And wouldn't you know it: The only well in town is owned by a nasty old grouch named Clemnon. Glenn Koppel is terrific as a Greek-styled Scrooge who delights in gouging his neighbors when they come dying of thirst and begging for water.
"Of course Clemnon has a beautiful daughter (Brooke Cannons); of course he's determined to keep her away from all the men in town; and of course she falls in love with Xander (Amando Gutierrez), the handsome son of Xanthippe (Eloise Coopersmith)--a strong-willed, wealthy widow who is the grouch's arch enemy.
"Throw in Xander's precocious little sister Daria (Sarah Pierce) and the Goddess Aphrodite (Jessie McLean), who comes down from Mt. Olympus to cause mischief. Then add two charming slaves (John Paul Kariak and David LaMarr) who serve as the play's Greek chorus and keep the audience informed about all of the craziness.
"The stage is now set for another zany romp through ancient Greece as told through 17 jazzed-up musical routines, directed by Bill Strongin from the piano, and choreographed with sizzle and spice by Kelly Todd. As for The Goat, you can't ask for the Gods to send rain without offering a sacrifice, can you? So the slaves are ordered to go up the mountain and catch one.
"You can probably guess what happens next, or can you?
"The Chance cast is in top-form and the action is non-stop--with a special nod to Karliak and LaMarr who (each in his own distinct style) narrate the tale and weave the comedy together. Go see "The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat." It's a delightful, light-hearted musical, guaranteed to entertain the whole family."
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THEATER ARTICLE
'Urinetown' composer comes to O.C. to see his latest and talk
by Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register
May 7, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
So how did Orange County's Chance Theater manage to land the first professional production of a new musical by Mark Hollmann? After all, Hollmann, whose songs for "Urinetown" launched his career as a creator of irreverent, devilishly subversive musical theater, could have chosen a much bigger and more illustrious venue for his ancient Greek fable, "The Girl, the Grouch, and the Goat."
"He just liked us I guess," said Oanh Nguyen, Chance's producing artistic director.
One of Nguyen's Chance colleagues caught an early reading of "Girl/Grouch/Goat" a couple of years ago in Thousand Oaks. (It's a project Hollmann says he's been working on since his student days two decades back.) "When we were looking for scripts, he brought it up," Nguyen recalled. "It went through our normal (vetting) process and we said, 'Go for it!'"
Hollman and co-creator Jack Helbig were approached, and they green-lighted the request. "Girl/Grouch/Goat" opened last month and has been getting healthy houses and decent reviews, Nguyen said. Nguyen directed the show.
Now for the coup de grace: Hollmann is flying from his New York home next weekend to see the production.
"He'll see all three performances, and he'll talk to the public after the third performance," Nguyen said. "We're very excited about it."
Hollmann's talk-back session will take place after the 7 p.m. show on Sunday, May 17. Anyone attending that performance is invited to stay and participate.
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THEATER ARTICLE
Talkback w/ Tony Award winner Mark Hollmann
by Musicals in LA
May 6, 2009
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Photo by Tanae Beyer |
Fans of Mark Hollmann will have the opportunity to participate with him in a special post-show discussion of his new musical, The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat following the May 17 evening performance. The show is currently running at Chance Theater through May 23, directed by Oanh Nguyen with musical direction by Bill Strongin.
I saw an earlier version of The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat at the Thousand Oaks Festival of New Musicals in 2007 and it is absolutely delightful. Based on the play Dyskolos by Menander, it tells the story of a very dry village in ancient Greece where the owner (the grouch) of the only well in town is torn between protecting his water monopoly and keeping his daughter (the girl) away from the men in town. What about the goat? You'll have to see the show yourself to figure that one out!
The cast features Brooke Cannons, Armando Gutierrez, Glenn Koppel, Eloise Coppersmith, Paul Karliak, David LaMarr, Sarah Pierce, and Jessie McLean. Hollmann received the Tony Award, the National Broadway Theatre Award, and the Obie Award for his score to Urinetown the Musical, which itself won Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and Lucille Lortel Awards for best musical.
For more information, call 714-777-3033 or visit http://www.chancetheater.com/.
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PATRON REVIEWS
This was an amazing show!!
posted by Hannah on 5/24/09
I was so pleased with it and so thrilled with the results! Brooke Cannons, the lead, was AMAZING! Awesome show!!! Congrats to the cast!!!
Just delightful
posted by Cordells on 5/8/09
Just delightful. A real tonic for any parent of a teenage daughter or son...We loved it.
What excitement!
posted by Ann on 4/24/09
A new comedy that is family friendly. Oanh Nguyen and staff have created almost the impossible set in a small space. Myrrhinne can not only sing, she can act and dance. The show allowed her to show the aspects of her voice from the soft love song with Xander to the powerful presentation of "I Fly When I Fall". Ensemble presentations by the cast of comedy and musical numbers was ongoing and great. Never a dull moment. If you don't have tickets, get them now. As this is a small theater, you don't want to miss out.
Forever memorable
posted by Fran Riggs on 4/24/09
Last night's performance of GGG was outstanding, and made forever memorable by the "chance" occurrence of a 4.0 earthquake just as the last notes of "I'm Doomed" left Xander's lips. (Some in the audience thought it was part of the show!)
After the cautionary, unscheduled intermission to make a safety check, the cast resumed their characters (with very funny adlibs), as "the show must go on."
This is a fast, funny, and family-friendly show with a great cast, terrific choreography in a creative set that showcases the best of the Chance.
I'd recommend this show to anyone
posted by Michael Kellogg on 4/20/09
Having no idea what to expect, I went to see "The Girl, The Grouch, and the Goat" last night and had just a tremendous time. The singing was superb from every member of the cast, including 12-yr-old Sarah P. And there was plenty of laughter, too, especially from the hilarious duo of "Man 1" and "Man 2". Even the staging was breathtaking at times. I'd recommend this show to anyone, including families with kids above the age of around 10.
Very funny musical and Sarah Pierce is a star in the making.
posted by Alan Dixon on 4/20/09
I had my doubts coming into see this play last night, but I laughed from beginning to the end. One of the characters even snuck in an Souljah Boy "Crank Dat" dance. Very clever, well-written, I will definitely see this performance again!
GO SEE THIS!
posted by Anonymous on 4/18/09
WARNING! If you suffer from bladder control problems, do NOT see this musical. You will laugh so hard you will . . . well, you know. This musical is hilarious and the cast and crew have done an amazing job making it feel like a big musical comedy in a very small space. Even big dumb ESPN junkies like me will have a fantastic time. GO SEE THIS!
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