Washington Ensemble Theatre knows a provocative title when it sees one, and their new show, Cancer: The Musical couldn’t get much more provocative…and, title aside, who doesn’t love a finger snapping good time at the theater with production numbers featuring lyrical lymphomas? But, in reality, it doesn’t sound like we’re going to get too many tap dancers, high notes or schticky second bananas. Cancer is a solo show written and performed by Montana von Fliss, (pictured) the co-artistic director of WET, that examines death, or maybe more accurately, LOSS and how do you measure it and how do you treat it? Von Fliss utilizes her real life experiences caring for her dying father to explore how humans react to loss and how we cope with it and how we face our own mortality. It’s also funny and probably not very musical, so you’ve been warned. Cancer: The Musical opens Friday, June 4 at Washington Ensemble Theatre, 608 19th Ave East, at 7:30pm and continues on a Thursday-Monday schedule until June 21. For tickets, go here. I’ll be checking Cancer out this weekend…and kicking it in the butt!
Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is at the 5th Avenue Theatre now through June 13th. Ethyl reviewed it a few days ago and I saw it last weekend as well and I gotta say a couple things about it. One: the show is gorgeous; the usual fantastic sets, costumes, lighting, etc. Two: The cast is excellent; good actors with strong voices, especially David Pichette as Voltaire/Pangloss; Laura Griffith as Cunegonde; Anne Allgood as The Old Woman and Mike McGowan as Maximilian. Three: the music is divine, one of Bernstein’s lushest scores with the highlight, of course, being Cunegonde’s solo, the operatic trillfest, Glitter and Be Gay. But, and it’s a big but, the downfall to Candide is its book and that’s been the case since it’s premiere in 1956 with its original book by Lillian Hellman and the subsequent 6 or 7 major revisions and versions created since then. I’ve seen a couple different versions prior to the 5th Avenue’s production and they all had their pluses and minuses but they were recognizable Broadway musical entertainments. But, the 5th Avenue chose to use one of the more recent versions, John Caird’s 1999 adaptation for the Royal National Theatre which emphasizes its adherence to the original text of the novel by Voltaire. Sadly, that means the second act is a big bore, with loooooong sections of dull, didactic dialogue between Candide and the Pessimistic character, Martin and not much in the way of MUSIC. It’s too much Voltaire and not enough Broadway…the 5th Avenue would have been better served to use the Hugh Wheeler book from the Harold Prince revival in the 70’s with some additional lyrics from Stephen Sondheim… that version is more fun and makes better use of Cunegonde. Still, if you’re a musical nerd you’ll want to check out Candide…the first act is good, and the design elements and music performances are great. Focus on that during the duller stretches of Act II…
To round out our flurry of “C” word theatrical events, there is The Cider House Rules, Part I which opens next Wednesday, June 9 at the Center House Theatre at Seattle Center. Book-It Theatre Company’s adaptation of the John Irving novel only encompasses the first part of the novel; part II is being staged later in the year and it’s a return engagement for the show that put Book-It on the map; it was their first adaptation twenty years ago and this production is the anniversary edition of the beloved show. Check it out, if you’re an Irving fan…and, I’m still waiting for Book-It to stage, A Son of the Circus, my favorite Irving novel…yes, I have perverse taste.
-Michael Strangeways
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
