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Broadway musical will “rock” Cedar Rapids

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Jacob Smith by any other name would be — Dennis.

The last time we saw the Monticello native onstage, he was a Dennis. Next week, we’ll see him be a Dennis again.

But neither of these Dennises are menaces. Smith was knightly Sir Dennis Galahad when the national tour of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” played at his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, in January 2012. This time, he’s Dennis Dupree nightly in the national tour of “Rock of Ages,” coming to the Paramount Theatre on May 23.

“This Dennis is very, very different from the other Dennis,” Smith, 30, now based in New York, says by phone from a recent tour stop in Shreveport, La. “Dennis Dupree is basically a relic from late ’60s and early ’70s. He’s seen it all, he’s done it all, he’s been around the block a few times. He’s the owner of the bar where ‘Rock of Ages’ takes place, and really, really likes to indulge in the extracurricular activities, if you know what I mean.”

Enlighten us.

“He’s a big pot smoker; I show that a little bit in the show,” Smith says. “But for the most part, though, he’s a really cool guy. He’s very down to earth, he’s very chill — he’s not somebody you necessarily want to cross or upset, but for the most part, he’s really easy-going — a real stereotypical ’70s hippie kind of guy, like ‘Hey man, how ya doin’, what’s goin’ on.”

What’s going on is a rock ‘n’ roll trip through the music of Smith’s childhood — the overindulgent ’80s where big hair and sparkly clothes ruled both sexes, and musicians proved their mettle from glam to metal.

Built on  hits from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, Poison and their ilk, the 2009 Tony-nominated musical takes audiences back to 1987 on the Sunset Strip, where a naive girl with stars in her eyes steps off the bus and quickly finds out she’s not in Kansas anymore. Instead of landing a big role in Hollywood, she lands a job waiting tables at Dupree’s seedy club and hooks up with the busboy, a wannabe rocker. Their dreams and their loves harden their hearts until they just can’t fight their feelings in the heat of the moment.

“It’s a good time, it’s not deep theater,” Smith says. “You’re not going to see ‘Hamlet,’ you’re not going to see ‘Camelot.’  You’re going to see some of the most awesome rock songs from the ’80s with a great script, a lot of humor. It’s a great show for especially guys who aren’t necessarily into musical theater or haven’t really seen a lot of theater, because of the humor. The girls are gorgeous and the songs are just awesome.”

The details

But he warns that parents should think twice before bringing kids younger than 12 or 13 to this event filled with ‘80s excesses.

“There’s drug use in the show, there’s some very scantily clad ladies, there’s some foul language and a lot of sexual references that are really not appropriate for young kids. Everybody else going to have a blast,” he says.

He’s been a little worried about having his family see the show — including parents Joel and Sally Smith of Troy Mills. His mom saw it in Chicago and survived, so now he’s looking forward to seeing other familiar faces in the Cedar Rapids crowd, including his dad, and having them see “a really, really fun show.”

“It’s going to be a  bit of an eye opener for them, because I’ve never really done a role like this,” he says.

“When my mom came to see it for first time, I had to warn her, ‘Mom, I say some bad words on”stage and I smoke pot onstage. I don’t really smoke pot, but it looks like I smoke pot. And the girls are strippers. I’m really sorry, but this is my job.’ She was totally cool with it. She was fine, but I wasn’t prepared for that — to have my mother see me do something like that.”

 

Related:

 

♪ “Rock of Ages” Trivia:

 

♫ On July 1, 2009, after a matinee performance of “Rock of Ages,” the Broadway cast set a new Guinness World Record for what?

— It broke the Guinness World Record for the Largest Air Guitar Ensemble. A total of 810 participants, including audience members and fans make this record happen. It shattered the previous record of 440 people playing air guitar simultaneously.

 

♫ During the 2009 Tony Awards, what rock star was injured while performing with the Broadway cast of “Rock of Ages?”

— Bret Michaels of the band Poison was knocked down by a set piece that broke his nose.

 

 ♫ What Broadway star originated the lead role of Sherrie in the original Los Angeles production of “Rock of Ages?” Hint: She also played the lead in the Broadway production of “Legally Blonde.”

— Answer: Laura Bell Bundy.

 

♫ Chris D’Arienzo, the author of the book for “Rock of Ages” is also an actor. He appeared in a couple episodes of this popular 1990s sit-com. Name the TV show. Hint: The show is named after the first name of this gay comic and actress.

— Answer: “Ellen”

 

♫ “Rock of Ages”was made into a New Line Cinema film directed by Adam Shankman. What other film musical based on a hit Broadway show did he direct?

— Answer: “Hairspray” starring John Travolta.

 

♫ “Rock of Ages” was first produced in Los Angeles at what type of venue?

— Answer: At a Los Angeles night club called the Vanguard Hollywood in 2006.

 

♫ Name two songs in “Rock of Ages” that were first introduced by Pat Benatar.

— Answer: ”Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” and “Shadows of the Night”

‘Spank!’

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"SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody " (Copyright © 2013 50 Parodies LLC)

On the stiletto heels of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which dominated last summer’s literary pop culture scene, comes “SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody.”

Technically, it is not associated with or authorized by author E.L. James or Vintage Press, but considering James’ kinky trilogy made a mint in the fan-fiction genre and spawned plenty of print parodies, it only seems fitting someone would whip out a play in the same vein.

“SPANK!” is so popular that two casts are crisscrossing the country, with no end in sight. One troupe is landing at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids on Friday (5/10). That show is nearly sold out, but it’s also playing tonight in Fairfield and Saturday and Sunday in Dubuque.

The details:

  • “SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody”
  • 7:30 p.m. Friday (5/10)
  • Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids
  • Cost: $28 and $38 (nearly sold out), (319) 366-8203 or Paramounttheatrecr.com

Additional dates:

  • Fairfield: 7:30 p.m. Thursday (5/9), Sondheim Center, 200 N. Main St.; $20 and $25, (641) 472-2787 or FairfieldACC.com
  • Dubuque: 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday (5/11) and 2 p.m. Sunday (5/12), Mississippi Moon Bar, Diamond Jo Casino, 301 Bell St.; $29.75 to $39.75, (563) 690-4758 or Diamondjo.com

The books cranked up the heat on a 2012 summer already baking in record temperatures. The musical parody has been following suit since November, luring scads of middle-aged females and the men who submit to tagging along.

“You’d be surprised how many gentlemen get dragged to the show — there’s always a good number,” lead actor Patrick Whalen says by phone from a tour stop in Bethlehem, Pa. “I see them enjoying themselves, as well — at different parts than our female audience. I  don’t think I’ve seen any of our male patrons walk out disappointed.

“We tried to make sure show the show would be enjoyable not only to the people who have read the books, but to broader spectrum, as well.”

Patrick Whalen of Toronto is whipping up plenty of heat in “Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody,” coming to the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids on Friday night. (Photo credit: Aaron Cobb)

He plays Hugh Hanson, based on the books’ megamogul Christian Grey, who turns an innocent virgin into his S&M plaything, only to have her really lead him around by his gray silk tie. The play’s Anastasia Steele homage follows the same path.

“Our character, Natasha Wood, goes on an excellent emotional journey throughout this,” says Whalen, who helped write the musical. Like Steele, Wood becomes “more self-actualized as this show goes on,” evolving into a woman in control.

Christian Grey fans will like what they see in Whalen’s role, too.

“Hugh Hanson is, as we say in the show, ‘perfect, going on godlike,’ ” Whalen says with a laugh. “He’s impenetrable and impenetrably wealthy. … Things that seem absolutely ridiculous to you and I are absolutely commonplace to someone of his stature. And of course, (he’s) domineering.”

In keeping with the whole steamy sex thing, Whalen, 27, a Halifax native now based in Toronto, brings a burlesque background to the show and spends plenty of time shirtless in the spotlight.

“I was cast for a particular reason I guess,” he says, adding that he “works out constantly” while on the road. “I was cast in this show with my particular background, because what I love is combining sexy with funny. I love the comedy of sexuality and I don’t want to take any of this too seriously. The sexuality is meant to be enjoyed. Hugh Hanson probably finds that same parallel, but maybe with a little bit more of a steely look to my goofy chuckles.”

Whalen hadn’t really heard much about the books until diving into the writing project last August, but he did read them, and enjoyed them.

“What I liked about them is the permission that they give women to explore their sexuality on a broad spectrum,” he says. “… It’s good for people to start talking about things like that instead of it being a shrouded in mystery.”

The play employs a narrator to set up the show and get the audience involved.

“The whole show starts off almost like a rock concert,” Whalen says. “We have a sexy dance number right off the top of the show, where we get the audience involved. The narrator introduces the show and gets everything started with a good line of jokes. Then we start off right in the office, and it kind of departs from the typical narrative of the books for a bit. We tried not to hammer on every single point, but more like commenting on the movement of the books, more than the actual plotlines themselves. But we do hit on all those major plot points.”

He says it’s more like sketch comedy than a traditional Broadway-type musical. It “runs the gamut” from “The Sound of Music” to Marilyn Manson, with dances from waltzing to grinding. The set is plain and simple, with lots of red backdrops and black curtains.

“Lighting design is really what we use to paint our picture,” he says, along with lots of imagination, bound to evoke myriad audience reactions.

Reactions run the gamut, too, he says. “Anything from gasping in horror to toppling over to standing up and throwing their arms up in victory.”

His mother and his fiancee both love the show, and he hopes all of the audiences walk out of the theaters “either in a state of hysterical laughter or shocked or straight-up turned on, because this show has it all.”

"SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody " (Copyright © 2013 50 Parodies LLC)

Wicked fun

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(Photo: Von Presley Studios)

 

Under the green makeup and flowing gown, the Wicked Witch of the West is — GASP — a man.

David Morton is stepping out of his comfort zone and into heels for the first time for Theatre Cedar Rapids’ third trek down the Yellow Brick Road. The journey starts Friday and continues through mid-May.

Even though he’ll be dressed as a woman, he’s more interested in the character than in specific gender identity. He’s taking a more androgynous approach to the witchy woman immortalized by actress Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 movie version of “The Wizard of Oz,” seared in our collective pop culture consciousness.

“I kinda want people to believe she’s a woman, but I want it to be organic. I don’t want it to be like a caricature, although it is Oz,” says Morton, 49, of Cedar Rapids. “It’s more the idea of a witch, whether she has a gender or not. Most people think of them as a woman.”

So he’s putting on the heels and clunking around his house, “freaking out” his pretty parrot and his three little dogs, too, as he develops his character.

“It’s pretty funny — and it’s also kind of scary,” he says. “There’s just this weird kind of feeling you have when you’re putting on women’s clothes and parading around. It’s something I hadn’t expected. You’ve got to really feel comfortable in that stuff, so that’s the challenge for me as an actor — to not be afraid of looking ugly or weird or whatever. That’s part of the fun of creating something like this — to let yourself play like a little kid.”

That’s not totally unfamiliar turf, since he used to play Oz with his sister in their backyard in San Diego. He was the Wicked Witch and she was Dorothy. It was his chance to be mean to her, he says with a slightly evil laugh.

“I’ve seen the movie a million, million, million times. It’s one of my favorite movies of all times,” he says. “I think the story is timeless. What I love the most about it is how even though there’s evil in the world, there’s still more positive — more love than there is evil. I just love that story.”

The movie made another lasting impression on him.

“Actually, it’s what inspired me to even be in theater or do acting, because I thought that Judy Garland was so convincing,” says Morton, who worked professionally in Los Angeles for 13 years, before moving to the Corridor and plying his art with various professional and community troupes.

“I just really believed her. … I didn’t think she was acting for one minute — she was really that little girl — and I still believe that when I watch her. She just had a talent. You never questioned whether these things were really happening to her. At least I didn’t, and I still don’t — my imagination just won’t allow it. That’s what inspired me.”

Stepping into the dual role of bicycle-riding, dog-napping Almira Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West was a leap of faith not only for Morton, but for director Leslie Charipar, as well.

“When we started talking about auditions, I didn’t want to exclude anyone from auditioning,” says Charipar, 46, of Cedar Rapids. “Though Dorothy is traditionally Judy Garland, and there are traditional castings, I wanted everybody to feel like they could come down.”

They did just that: 201 kids tried out to be Munchkins and monkeys. A dozen were cast, ages 5 to 9, joining the principal characters and another 10 adult Ozians, adding up to about 30. That’s a big cast for a big-budget TCR show, Charipar says.

And Morton flew into Oz, ready to play ball.

“The witch is not a particularly feminine character,” Charipar says. “Well, David got it in his head that meant come down and audition for the witch. I gotta tell ya, honest to Pete, he earned it with his audition. It just didn’t matter that he was a man. He looked the part, he got the physicality of the role and just killed it in the audition — and we just couldn’t imagine anybody else in that role.”

Aside from the gender switch, Charipar is trying to keep the staging all fairly traditional, while still adding a few other twists to put TCR’s stamp on the tale.

“That’s absolutely important,” she says, when staging a show audiences know so well. “Making it our own is a lot about what can we actually do theatrically to meet the expectations of a movie audience. We really sat down and said, what are the images I would really want to see? I want to see the ruby slippers, the green witch, the witch melting. I grew up watching the movie. I’ve seen it 45 million times, and so I know it backwards and forwards.

“I knew what I wanted to hear and to see,” she says. “I want to see the Lion with a crown and the red cape and the scepter during ‘King of the Forest.’ So we just did a list of those images that we needed to have in there, and then anything else, we interpreted as we felt we could do it the best in telling the story.”

The same is true of the well-known songs, says musical director Janelle Lauer, 43, of Cedar Rapids. The familiar tunes are in there, she says.

“It’ll be all the songs everybody recognizes. It has some cinematic flair, so there’s a lot of underscore throughout the show. Music always tends to help the emotion along.”

She’ll be in the pit playing keyboards, alongside another keyboard player, percussion and a string quartet. Singer/songwriter Ben Schmidt of Iowa City will conduct the show.

Lauer likes the new touches in this version.

“You have to pay homage to the story and give the audience things they can anchor to, that are iconic. There’s some darkness to it that maybe wouldn’t have been there in the past two versions that TCR’s done. But if you give people something to anchor onto, then they’re more likely to go along with you for the ride for the rest of the show,” Lauer says.

Some change is inevitable when moving from screen to stage, Charipar says, like finding new ways to create a tornado.

“It’s one of those things we’re going to try to make simple and let the audiences’ imagination fill in the blanks. …

“When a theater tries to replicate a film, it’s gonna be a disaster,” Charipar says. “I think our audiences are savvy enough to know (they’re) not seeing a movie. I’m not disappointed, and it’s one of my favorite movies in the whole world.”

The details

  • “The Wizard of Oz“
  • Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE
  • When: Friday (4/26) to May 19; 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday
  • Tickets: $20 to $30, TCR Box Office, (319) 366-8591 or Theatrecr.org
  • Extra: 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday (4/27), join the cast for a day of Oz fun at Ushers Ferry Historic Village, Cedar Rapids; $13 and $14 children, free for adults, register at (319) 286-5731 or crrec.org

Dorothy (Melissa Tormene of Cedar Rapids) gets a kiss from Toto (local canine Kramer). The two star in "The Wizard of Oz," onstage at Theatre Cedar Rapids from April 26 through May 19.

‘Jekyll and Hyde’

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Constantine Maroulis as Henry Jekyll, Laird Mackintosh as John Utterson and Deborah Cox as Lucy in "Jekyll & Hyde"

Ryan Hoagland and Deborah Cox are two minds with the same mission: chasing their Broadway dreams with “Jekyll and Hyde.”

Hoagland, 32, of Cedar Rapids, is playing drums and percussion toys for the musical’s national pre-Broadway tour, coming to the Civic Center in Des Moines for eight performances Tuesday through March 10.

Multi-platinum recording artist Cox, 38, of Miami, plays the female lead in the sexy, blood-drenched show that’s based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s tragic tale of good vs. evil, set in 19th century London.

After Des Moines, the tour moves to Chicago and West Palm Beach, Fla., before opening a 13-week engagement in New York from April 5 to June 30. Cox will continue in her leading lady role, but another drummer has been hired for the New York run. Hoagland is savoring every moment of this odyssey, which began in San Diego back in September.

“This is it — these are the top tier. This is Broadway,” he says by phone from a tour stop in Los Angeles.

The details:

  • “Jekyll and Hyde The Musical”
  • When: Tuesday (2/5) to March 10; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through March 8, 2 and 7:30 p.m. March 9, 1 and 6:30 p.m. March 10
  • Civic Center, Des Moines
  • Tickets:  $25 to $73 at Civic Center Ticket Office, Ticketmaster, 1-(800) 745-3000 or DesMoinesPerformingArts.org
  • Show website: Jekyllandhydemusical.com

In “Jekyll and Hyde,” Cox stars opposite “American Idol” season 4 finalist Constantine Maroulis, who was nominated for a Tony for his star turn in “Rock of Ages,” which came to Des Moines in April 2011.

Deborah Cox as Lucy in "Jekyll & Hyde"

Cox plays Lucy Harris, a prostitute and singer who plies her trades at London’s seedy Red Rat, where Dr. Jekyll goes for his bachelor party. Their lives entwine in a love triangle through all facets of Jekyll’s journey.

His search is noble — to create a potion to rid people of the evil he believes has caused his father to fall into a coma. He tests the chemical formula on himself, unleashing an all-consuming evil known as Mr. Hyde.

“It is a very dark, thought-provoking show,” Cox says. “It’s very suspenseful …. You see a person who really has good intentions and really is striving for something better.”

That theme permeates the surrounding characters, including Lucy, who is seeking a way out of her darkness. The action plays out to a driving musical beat, with such showstoppers such as Jekyll’s soaring anthem, “This is the Moment,” and Lucy’s “Someone Like You.”

Drummer Hoagland, who has played many musicals at Theatre Cedar Rapids, loves the rock and R&B twists to this revamped musical score. He gets to cut loose on Jekyll’s transformation and the song “Alive,” where audiences meet Mr. Hyde.

“It’s really, really rocky and edgy,” Hoagland says. “There’s spots in there where I’ve basically been given the freedom to play whatever fill I want. … I change it up every show that I can. It’s just full-out, whatever-I-feel-like-doing in that section.”

Ryan Hoagland

Back home, Hoagland is married, has a toddler daughter, teaches percussion and coaches high school drum lines. Now he’s the one with the learning curve.

“I’ve learned so much just about everything involved in putting a musical together,” Hoagland says.

“I still have to pinch myself every now and then,” he says, when he realizes, “Ohmigod, I’m actually playing for a Broadway show.”

“It still blows my mind.”

Beauty and the Beast

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The cast of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” (Photo by Joan Marcus)

This tale as old as time never grows old for Belle and the cast of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”

The lavish Broadway musical that sprang from the animated movie will be bringing all the magic of dancing candlesticks, flirty feather dusters and a little chipped tea cup to the Paramount Theatre stage for two sold-out performances Sunday (2/17).

“We’ve just hit seven months — over 150 shows. It’s amazing, and surprisingly, it has not gotten old or stale for me at all,” says Belle actress Hilary Maiberger, 27, of Redlands, Calif.

“It’s still a challenge every night to keep her honest and likeable and just real. I think that’s one of the hardest things for me to do, because she is a Disney character, but you don’t want to make her cartoony. You just want to keep her real and honest – that’s why the audiences love her so much,” Maiberger says.

“I can’t wait for the next four months I get to do this. I’m so excited.”

The cast finds little ways to keep things fresh, as they travel from city to city, day after day.

“My fellow actors surprise me every night,” she says by phone from Panama City, Fla., before heading to the next tour stop in Montgomery, Ala. “The show for all of us is still not old and we’re still discovering moments. When they make different choices, obviously it surprises me. My fellow actors keep me on my toes, which is so refreshing and so great — and why the show doesn’t get old for any of us.”

Maiberger likes strolling through the lobby after the show, out of costume, out of makeup, just wearing her street clothes.

“I’m usually not recognized. I see all the little girls in their beautiful, beautiful Belle dresses and their little Beast stuffed animals,” she says. “It’s amazing. The audience reaction has been so overwhelming, in a great way. It just reminds me how awesome my job is. The little girls believe that Belle is real. It’s the real world to them, so it’s awesome that I get to tell this story to them every night.”

The Beast and Belle (Photo by Joan Marcus)

The details

It’s the story of a young maiden, 16, who is admired for her beauty, not her brain. She prefers books to boys, dreaming of an adventure to rescue her from her provincial life.

That dream turns into a nightmare when she rescues her father from the dungeon of a dangerous and magical castle ruled by a hideous beast. She begs for her father’s freedom, agreeing to take his place.

The beast is actually a vain and handsome prince, imprisoned for 10 years in the body of a beast because of a witch’s spell. Belle holds the key to his freedom, too, but first, he must learn to love her and she must learn to love him.

Despite a mountain of obstacles and improbabilities, they develop a friendship that grows into love.

“‘Beauty and the Beast’ was my first Broadway show, that I saw when I was 10 years old,” Maiberger says. “I remember telling my mom during the show that I wanted to be Belle when I grew up.

“She’s not your average Disney princess. I’ve played Cinderella and Jasmine, and Belle is my favorite by far. She’s really, really smart. That’s what I really, really love about her. She’s not your damsel-in-distress type of girl. She’s witty, she’s fun, she’s just so beautiful inside and out,” Maiberger says.

“One of greatest things I love about her is that she’s smart. She doesn’t panic. She has control of the situation. And she has this huge passion for something bigger. She has huge dreams, which so many people can relate to. I could go on and on about Belle. She’s odd – she’s a little quirky just like her dad, but she embraces that in the end.

“That’s one of the messages of the show, that it’s OK to be a little different. And of course, she has this amazing ability to love. She falls in love with the Beast for all that he is, and looks past his horns and sharp teeth and mane of hair,” Maiberger says.

“If she was a real person I’d want to be friends with her. She’s amazing.”

Belle’s intelligence and passion help make her a wonderful role model for young viewers – as well as for the adult actress playing the role.

“She loves to read, she loves to learn. She’s just so dedicated to her father, and that relationship is really, really great,” Maiberger says. “She’s open to giving people chances and second chances, and willing to open up her heart to let someone in and help them feel comfortable about who they are. It’s never about her – it’s always about the other person. That’s such a beautiful quality in a person, and you don’t see that a lot in this industry, especially.

“It’s a gift that I actually get to play someone like her and it’s a reminder to keep me grounded. I hope I share some of her qualities. I think I do.”

They do differ in one big way.

“Belle has no need for material things and I love to shop,” Maiberger says with a laugh.

She also identifies with Belle’s quirky ways.

“I’m definitely an oddball in my family,” says Maiberger, who grew up in Yucaipa, Calif., about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. She dabbled in theater a bit in school, but had her heart set on a music career.

Hilary Maiberger

“I just wanted to be a pop star,” she says. She cut a demo, hoping for a record deal, and made it to Hollywood Week in “American Idol” season six. In college, however, she discovered the joys of singing and acting, and ventured into musical theater, opera graduate studies and summer stock roles.

“My sisters are business women and so, so smart. They’re both married and settled and I’m single, I’m out on tour traveling, and I get paid to dress up and play a Disney princess. So I’m definitely an oddball in that sense,” she says.

Maiberger embraces Belle’s wit, wisdom and warmth, too.

“Belle is such a good friend. I think I’m a very loyal friend and have huge, huge dreams just like Belle does, and I’ve definitely reached one of these dreams. Those are some of the qualities Belle and I share,” Maiberger says.

“I like to think I’m witty and smart. I have so much passion for life. I’m so excited to see what’s next.”

‘Book of Mormon’

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Naive Mormon missionaries learn as much about life as they try to teach, when they're sent to Africa in "The Book of Mormon." This scene is from the hit Broadway show, which won nine Tony Awards in 2011, including Best Musica. The first national tour is coming to the Civic Center in Des Moines for 14 performances Jan. 24 to Feb. 3, 2013.

 

Profanity and blasphemy aside, one of the major players in “The Book of Mormon” says the creators of the raunchy “South Park” and “Avenue Q” have crafted a charming show that parodies not only organized religion, but Broadway musicals, as well.

The laugh-riot that swept the 2011 Tony Awards is making its first national tour, landing in the Civic Center in Des Moines for 14 performances from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3, 2013.

“This show is so frigging brilliant. I’m so proud to be part of this show,” says Mike McGowan, 42, a Sioux Falls, S.D., native and graduate of Drake University in Des Moines.

He plays several roles in the hit musical, including Prophet Joseph Smith, who published the Book of Mormon in 1830 and established what is now The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The actor says Smith is treated like a rock star in the script.

“He’s idolized, because he usually appears as a tool that the missionaries use,” McGowan says, adding that “All-American Prophet” is his favorite song in a show full of peppy, bouncy numbers that harken to everything from “The Sound of Music” and “Up with People” to “Wicked” and “The King and I.”

With a cast of 31, it’s the story of two Mormon missionaries who are sent to Africa, where they try to introduce their lord to villagers oppressed by their warlord. All sorts of hilarity ensues, wrapped around much deeper issues, but also filled with images of horror and pop culture through the likes of Hitler, hobbits, Yoda and dancing cups of coffee.

The details

  • “The Book of Mormon“
  • Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines
  • Jan. 24 to Feb. 3; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday
  • Tickets: $35 to $130 at the Civic Center Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, 1-(800) 745-3000 or CivicCenter.org
  • Warning: Contains explicit language
  • Show website: Bookofmormonbroadway.com

“Part of the charm of the show is that it’s like a Rogers and Hammerstein musical,” says McGowan, son of a Navy musician dad and news anchor mother.

A self-proclaimed theater nerd, he was bitten by the theatrical bug at an early age in Sioux Falls, and moved to New York City 14 years ago, where his  impressive resume includes roles in “The Producers” and “Ragtime” on Broadway and a stint as ringmaster for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. A dramatic tenor, he also sang Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass” with Cedar Rapids native Tim Shew in New York.

“The Book of Mormon” musical is “very old-fashioned in its structure,” McGowan says by phone from a tour stop in Seattle. “Bobby Lopez, the composer, has even said the model is ‘The Music Man,’ which is a very Iowa story — the idea that the stranger comes to town to sell a fake idea, but in end, the idea is real and it works. It changes people’s lives, it buoys their spirits. That’s what happens in ‘The Music Man.’

“That also works because Mormons are such an affable people — so friendly and generous and kind,” he says.

“This musical could be a musical about any religion. It could be about Muslims, it could be about Catholics. But what makes it so quintessentially American and perfect for musical theater is because Mormons have that happy, shiny sensibility,” he says. “It’s a brilliant combination of things that way.”

It is, however, rife with profanity and does poke fun at the Mormon way of life, which could easily draw a backlash of wrath and protests. Instead, the Mormon church has taken the high road in its response to the show.

“Officially, the church is very classy,” McGowan says. “They don’t comment on the show. Actually, in every city we’ve been in, they’ve put out three pages of ads in our playbill, saying, ‘You’ve seen the play, now read the book.’ I think that’s just a smart move, because the more attention they bring to it, the more attention we get — not that we need any. The show’s wildly successful.”

McGowan describes himself as a very spiritual person who was raised Catholic, has left the church, but loves theological dialogues. Most of the Mormons he’s spoken with after performances actually are ex-Mormons. “They appreciate the show on a totally different level,” he says.

“It really boils down to this notion at end of show — I don’t think I’m giving away too much by saying it — that when we talk about religion, number one, it’s really important to have a sense of humor. Number two, it doesn’t matter if stories are made up, if they’re myths. What matters is that they point to something bigger. And number three, instead of waiting for heaven, let’s make this paradise. Let’s make the world a better place and quit focusing on what’s going to happen to us after we die,” he says.

“Those are really the most important things about the show. And it lifts you up when think about it that way. You can be shocked. Life is shocking, and hopefully you’ll have a sense of humor about it.  What’s so brilliant about the show is that these awful, shocking things happen, and you can be terribly offended, but ultimately, these people come to an understanding that’s so, so open-hearted and generous and sweet. I hope audiences leave with that sensibility and are lifted,” he says.

If you haven’t seen the show, he cautions against digging too deeply into the plot points and music beforehand.

“One of the things that’s exciting about this show is to come without too much foreknowledge,” he says.

It’s more fun to just let the music and the story flow over you — to discover all the fun that has made believers out of audiences and critics alike.

“You’ve never seen a musical like this. There are things you’ve never heard in a musical,” McGowan says.

“The show has such a positive outlook. It perfectly balances whatever might shock you.”

Related: Review — ‘Book of Mormon’ is sinfully silly fun

Naive Mormon missionaries learn as much about life as they try to teach, when they're sent to Africa in "The Book of Mormon." This scene is from the hit Broadway show, which won nine Tony Awards in 2011, including Best Musica. The first national tour is coming to the Civic Center in Des Moines from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3, 2013.

REVIEW: ‘Book of Mormon’ is sinfully silly fun musical theater extravaganza

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Phyre Hawkins (from left) gives a fiery African welcome to naive elders Mark Evans and Christopher John O'Neill in "The Book of Mormon," onstage through Feb. 3, 2013, at the Civic Center in downtown Des Moines. (Joan Marcus photo)

DES MOINES – Piety and profanity live in glorious harmony in “The Book of Mormon.”

The hot Broadway musical that swept up nine Tony Awards in 2011 is bringing the word to the masses on its first national tour, including a stop at the Civic Center in downtown Des Moines through Feb. 3, 2013. Friday night’s show (1/25/13) was sold out, so don’t hesitate to grab up whatever tickets are left and head to this heavenly happening.

It’s so good — and so bad.

Shining through all the fresh-scrubbed faces, gleaming Osmond smiles, crisp door-to-door uniforms and heavenly happy melodies are constant reminders that this show is the brainchild of the men who sired television’s “South Park” and Broadway’s dirty muppets, “Avenue Q.”

This surely is Joseph Smith’s spooky Mormon hell dream on stage, but the Mormon Church is turning the other cheek and in three full playbill ads, three smiling faces declare, “I’ve read the book,” “The book is always better” and “You’ve seen the play … now read the book.” That’s a classy response to a play you won’t see going door to door anytime soon.

Once you wipe the smile off your face and work the shock out of your system, the show really does have morally uplifting themes of unity in the face of unspeakable horrors — it’s just that you have to wade through some hilarious horrors to get there.

The details

  • “The Book of Mormon“
  • Civic Center,  Des Moines
  • When: Through Feb. 3, 2013; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday
  • Tickets: $35 to $130 at the Civic Center Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, 1-(800) 745-3000 or CivicCenter.org
  • Warning: Contains explicit language
  • Show website: Bookofmormonbroadway.com

It’s the story of all that goes awry when two eager young elders, beautiful Kevin Price (Mark Evans) and bumbling Arnold Cunningham (Christopher John O’Neill) are sent to Uganda for their two-year mission to convert the natives to the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All sorts of madness and mayhem ensue when their “Lion King” image of Africa is shattered by the world of warlords, female circumcision and AIDS at all ages.

The show is packed full of “Lion King” homages that would make Walt Disney roll over in his grave, beginning with the jubilant “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” that sounds as carefree as “Hakuna Matata,” but is far from a wonderful phrase. Alas, I can’t translate it in print, but suffice it to say, f-bombs fly openly and hit a target deep within your belly. Like so many moments in the show, it seems wrong to laugh, but you just can’t help it.

What keeps audiences glued to their seats instead of springing for the exits is the utter charm wrapped around all the heinous hilarity. The music is so bouncy and bright, the choreography is so bouncy and bright, the actors are so bouncy and bright and the backdrops are so bouncy and bright, that heck, you just bounce right along, in spite of yourself.

The actors are top-flight. Their resumes are long and vibrant, from Broadway to television and film. Special nods go to Evans and O’Neill — the perfect foils for the foibles unfolding around them. Evans is stuffed full of dreamboat derring-do, and stuffed full of himself, while O’Neill is stuffed with dreams of finally fitting in and proving to his dad that he’s not a screwup. They are simply great actors, great singers and great dancers shining in great roles.

The young elders gather for inspiration in "The Book Mormon," the Tony Award-winning hit Broadway musical making its first national tour. The show is onstage through Feb. 3, 2013, at the Civic Center in downtown Des Moines. (Joan Marcus photo)

Samantha Marie Ware belts out her pathos, hope and glory as young Nabulungi, embracing the word of the white elders who promise deliverance from the fear and desolation of her environment. She and her people live under the constant threat of violence, mutilation, rape and death at the hands of a general whose name is not fit for print, and his henchmen — if the villagers survive the scorpions, mosquitoes and lions. We’re not in Kansas anymore. Or Utah.

The villagers are a colorful lot, mixing their native batiks with ball caps and cutoffs, fearful and dismissive of the missionaries in their midst, yet hungry for the promised paradise. But when Elder Price has a crisis of faith and abandons the villagers, bumbling Elder Cunningham must lead them to their happy days.

Trouble is, he’s never read the Book of Mormon, and he lies like a rug. So the word becomes weird, but in the end, not really that far astray from its original intent. The play the villagers devise to show the visiting Mission President what they’ve learned made me gasp and say, “oh my God” out loud, twice.

So, be forewarned. If you’re headed to the show, you will laugh — a lot. You’ll see big, old-fashioned musical theater production numbers full of tap dancing, sequins, fake smiles and fabulous musicality. You’ll see a Drake University alum — Mike McGowan — glow in his various elder statesmen roles. You’ll see Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, devils and coffee cups dancing through “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream.” You’ll hear beautiful ballads and blasphemy.

And in the end, you’ll be converted too.

“The BOM” is the bomb.

 

Related: Heavenly hot Broadway musical making its way to Iowa

REVIEW: Have yourself a merry little Christmas at TCR’s ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’

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By Rob Cline/ Correspondent

CEDAR RAPIDS — Young Sophie Lindwall, a fourth grader making her performance debut, sets the tone for the Theatre Cedar Rapids production of “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

Her character, Tootie, opens the show — singing the title number and bantering with the mailman — and she is simply charming from her first moment. Under the direction of TCR Executive Director Casey Prince, the production, which opened Friday night (11/23/12) for a large audience, is infused with charm from top to bottom.

Based on the classic film of the same name, “Meet Me in St. Louis” is the story of the Smith family during the 10 months leading up to the 1904 World’s Fair. The three older children, Lon (Andy Lesieur), Rose (Rebecca Hauschild), and Esther (Amy Willett), have romances to sort out. The younger children, Agnes (Gracie Schulte) and Tootie (Lindwall), are mischief-makers of the first order.

The family’s life is upended when Mr. Smith (Greg Smith) announces that they are moving to New York. The story’s threads come together over what seems to be the family’s last Christmas in St. Louis.

By and large, the female members of the cast turn in stronger performances than their male counterparts. Hauschild and Willett both sing beautifully, and Willett shines on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” the show’s emotional centerpiece. Schulte and Lindwell steal every scene in which they appear — singing, dancing, and causing trouble with gusto.

Lisa Wipperling comes into her own as Mrs. Smith when she sings “You’ll Hear a Bell,” a song about falling in love. Tracie Hodina is delightful as Katie, the Smiths’ maid, and her witty performance of “A Touch of the Irish” is a winning start to the second act.

Among the men, Smith offers up the best all-around performance portraying the inflexible, baffled, well-meaning, misunderstood father. His rich singing voice is perfect for “A Day in New York,” in which he tries to convince his family to get behind the move, and the tender “Wasn’t It Fun,” which he sings with Wipperling.

Lesieur, together with the others portraying Smith children, is delightful during “Whenever I’m With You.” He also saves the second act ball scene, which drags just a bit, with a spirited performance of the novelty number “The Banjo,” supported by the energetic ensemble.

Derek Easton has designed an impressive and versatile set. It’s a smidgen cramped in spots, but in general, it serves the story well. To increase the playing space, the pit — home to a good band — is covered except for one section in the center through which conductor Alex Shields can guide the singers. The only downside of this strategy is that the hole adds a distracting whiff of danger to the proceedings. Will they “Skip to My Lou” right into the pit? Will the trolley derail in an unfortunate way?

The trolley itself is impressive and the cast whirls and twirls it to great effect during “The Trolley Song,” which Willett belts out to bring the first act to a rousing close.

The second act didn’t come to quite so strong a conclusion. A couple of technical glitches — one with the set and another with the audio — undermined the family’s arrival at the World’s Fair. But a strong reprise of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (complete with audience sing-along) and a final sendoff from Lindwall ensured that the audience left with a warm glow at evening’s end.

ARTS EXTRA

What: “Meet Me in St. Louis”

Where: Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE

When: Through Dec. 15; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $20 to $30; several discounts and packages available; Theatre Cedar Rapids Box Office, (319) 366-8591 or Theatrecr.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duncan Sheik returning to Cedar Rapids

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Duncan Sheik

No matter how hard he’s tried to dodge it, the spotlight just seems to find Duncan Sheik.

After bursting onto the rock charts in the mid ’90s with “Barely Breathing,” he retreated into the shadows of indie music and theater.

That didn’t last long.

He wrote the music for the 2006 Broadway smash hit “Spring Awakening.” The rock ‘n’ roll tale of teen angst grabbed eight Tony Awards in 2007, including Best Musical, and nods to Sheik for best original score and best orchestrations.

Sheik came to CSPS in Cedar Rapids in March 2009 for a concert we deemed “brilliant” in our review, showcasing his show tune. He’s returning on Thursday, on a national tour with his stripped-down homage to the music of his youth via his new acoustic CD, “Covers Eighties Remixed.”

The details

  • Duncan Sheik trio
  • 7 p.m. Thursday
  • CSPS, 1103 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids
  • $25 at the door, (319) 364-1580 or Legionarts.org
  • Free discussion, noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, University of Iowa Theatre Building, 200 N. Riverside Dr., Iowa City

He just keeps charting new courses.

“‘Barely Breathing’ was a bit of an anomaly in terms of my first record and in terms of the way I saw myself as an artist,” Sheik, 42, says by phone from his home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where he lives with his girlfriend.

“Really quickly in ’96, I was thrust into this Top 40 context. Frankly, I wasn’t that comfortable there, because I didn’t feel that much kinship with other artists who are in that world. They certainly weren’t the artists that were my influences. As much as I might respect them, it’s not what I was doing,” he says.

“Here I was, listening to Radiohead or Chalk Talk – whatever fairly left-field records I was listening to, and then I was in this very kind of mainstream music context. That caused a lot of dissonance for me in that situation. At that point, you continue to put your head down and do the best work you can do, and people are gonna perceive it however they’re gonna perceive it,” he says.

“I think that I subconsciously and consciously did a lot of work to subvert that kind of Top 40 thing from happening again, for better or worse. The irony is that when I did something in theater – which was a fairly avant-garde, kind of expressionist play, ‘Spring Awakening’ that we adapted our show from – that became, in a way, the most commercial thing that I’ve ever done,” he says.

“You don’t really have control over these things in the end. You just do your work and the culture responds to it however it does and you hope for the best.”

Two Corridor theaters are staging the rock musical this season. The University of Iowa’s production opened Nov. 9 and continues through Saturday (11/17). Theatre Cedar Rapids is bringing it to the main stage June 28 to July 20, 2013. Sheik will be speaking about the show from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday in the UI Theatre Building. The discussion is free and open to the public.

He’s thrilled the show is making the leap from Broadway to community theaters, colleges and other grassroots stages.

“I love the fact that people are doing ‘Spring Awakening’ all over the place,” he says. “I just got back from Mexico City, and there was a production down there in Spanish, which was really wonderful. For me, it’s just great to see it done differently, and with different actors, because then the experience is new and fresh and exciting.”

Thursday’s CSPS audience will hear Sheik in a trio, doing a mix of his vintage tunes and new material from the covers CD released Nov. 6, as well as a set of  “brand-spanking new” songs from an album coming out next year.

“I haven’t made a ‘normal’ Duncan Sheik album since 2006,” he says. “Everything I’ve done since then has been either theater-related or covers, so it’s been too long.”

As for the spotlight – he doesn’t mind it so much anymore.

“To be honest, when I first started performing live, which was not that long after my first record, it actually was not my favorite part of the process,” he says. “I’m not the kind of person who wants to get a lot of people to pay attention to me in the room. I love making records and I love writing songs and that’s why I got into this. Performing was part of the gig. Certainly initially, it was just something had to go through.

“Now 16 years later, I do really enjoy those shows when it all kind of coalesces and comes together. When the artist is with you and the music sounds right, it’s totally brilliant. It just took me a little while to get to that place.”

Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson

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When Leslie Charipar and friends saw “Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson” on Broadway in 2010, they loved it so much they went again the next day and took more of their group along for the ride.

“We’re all theater people and when you’re surprised by something, it’s kind of a little theater miracle,” she says. “This show surprised me from start to finish. I couldn’t predict what was gonna happen. I had no idea it was going to be so smart and so fresh and so brave. It was just really, really, really cool.”

Charipar’s not expecting everyone to have that same reaction when the new Tony-nominated musical hits the Theatre Cedar Rapids stage from Sept. 28 to Oct. 10, 2o12. She’s prepared for a love/hate relationship with this modern telling of one of the nation’s most volatile presidents, in office from 1829 to 1837.

“It’s a creative and loose telling of Andrew Jackson’s life and presidency,” says Charipar, 45, who is directing TCR’s mainstage production. “It’s strangely close to the truth, but it’s filtered through a contemporary viewpoint and sort of treats history in an irreverent way.”

She describes the show as “edgy, rock ‘n’ roll, hip, smart, brazen, ballsy, different and unique.”

“It’s sexy. The tagline on Broadway is: ‘History just got all sexypants,’ “she says with a laugh.

The details

“There’s no intermission, so you can’t escape,” she says. “I was really moved by the end of the piece when I saw it in New York, but as we work on it here, it’s even more moving, especially because it’s an election year and things are so crazy right now. We often don’t consider the candidates or the president as a human being, and ultimately, what we end the play with, is this is a guy who is confronted with decisions and he made those decisions whether you like ‘em or not.”

“He”s not a nice guy,” says Tim Arnold, 36, of Marion, who plays the title role. “He’s cocky, he’s obnoxious, he’s rude, he’s racist, he’s all these things that I don’t consider myself to be. It’s a lot of fun to explore something so different.”

When Jackson died on June 8, 1845, he was laid to rest next to his wife, Rachel. His tombstone simply reads, “General Andrew Jackson.”‘

The seventh president, whose face is emblazoned on the $20 bill, wrestled with big business and politicians in his time. He spoke with his gun and had a penchant for brawls. He was bloody, participating in 13 duels to defend his wife’s honor, as well as his own, living out his life with a bullet lodged in his chest. He owned slaves, fought American Indians, pushed them onto reservations and became a national hero when he defeated the British at New Orleans during the War of 1812.

His toughness garnered him the nickname “Old Hickory.”

“(The play) never quite makes a judgment on Andrew Jackson, although a very specific point of view is coming across,” Charipar says. “It’s a very adult show. I think the playwright was attempting to use the vernacular of now in the voice of someone who was in the 1800s. It has a lot of strong language, but a lot of conversation about what he did to the Indians, done in a ‘South Park’ way.

“You have to make it to the end of the show. It has a real irreverence and an absolute political incorrectness that can be construed as offensive,” she says. “It really asks the audience to participate and think. It isn’t just a ‘sit there and let it wash over you’ kind of deal.”

In the meantime, the play “November” — an irreverent look at modern politics — is being staged in the Grandon Studio on the theater’s lower level.

“Both deal with government and politics,” Charipar says. “One is set in the 1830s, the other in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I kinda love them because both are really irreverent, on the verge of satire, at a time when we’re so inundated with political stuff. It’s nice to just kind of laugh at it, especially in Iowa, which is inexplicably a swing state, so we’re getting pounded here.

“I kinda love that we have two shows on stage that are basically lampooning politics. We get to make fun of it for a little bit and get a little relief from the seriousness of what is going on in our lives right now.”

The simple frontier lawyer born in the Carolina backwoods in 1767 was a complex man until his death in 1845 at The Hermitage, his plantation near Nashville. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, and was a Tennessee Supreme Court judge. At the urging of the people, he ran for president and was elected twice.

Bronze sculpture of Andrew Jackson unveiled in 1852 at the Andrew Jackson memorial in Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House.

“He was a land-grabber,” Charipar says. “He’s one of the reasons we have much of the land that we have now. And in so doing, he was primarily responsible for putting Native Americans on reservations and massacring tribes. He was a violent, fighting president who acquired a great deal of our land, mostly in the South.”

It all plays out to a rock beat that doesn’t move the plot along, but comments on the action, says musical director Janelle Lauer, 42, of Cedar Rapids.

“The music is very short and sweet,” she says. “It’s high energy, it’s funny, it’s irreverent. There’s one song toward the end of the show that’s so poignant, so beautiful and speaks to you and the environment and how when we as people want something, we just take it, without even thinking about what the repercussions are.”

But much of the rest of the music is infused with humor.

“If you listen to the words, it’s so funny, it’s so in your face,” Lauer says. “I love it — it’s great. Rarely have you had a show that’s so impassioned.”