Whoa, another post? I thought this blog was dead.
But there’s [title of show] playing at Signature, in the smaller (ARK) space, and it’s another one of those that keeps me going back there even though the large space has become home to mega-spectaculars (and Broadway-bound bombs like Glory Days).
Plus hey, Sam Ludwig! When was it I saw him in Pippin? Google says 2006. Google knows everything! (And Google is wrong; it has to be 2005.) Yeah, and none of the girls wanted to kiss him in the orgy scene when they found out he was still in high school. He was so clearly the standout that Jenna and I knew he was destined for stardom right there. When he showed up to auditions for Assassins at KAT we were all, “Craig, you have to cast him! Plus he can play guitar!” He shoulda been the balladeer, but we had nobody who could play Hinckley, and Hinckley does have that whole play-guitary moment at the beginning of Unworthy of Your Love. And Sam rocked it.
I’m pretty sure Jenna got him his first paying gig, playing the Stoker in Titanic at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia. Not like it wouldn’ta happened without her but still, it’s nice to help.
So now he’s right off playing Tobias in Signature’s Sweeney Todd (which was excellent), and rockin’ it Equity flavor in [title of show]. The show is a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical. And yes, that’s like breaking the ninth wall, but sure if I didn’t get a strong whiff of Commentary! The Musical during the opening number (titled Untitled Opening Number). Course this predates Dr. Horrible by several years, so strike that last sentence; reverse it.
Sam, as Jeff, is only one of the best things about this production. James Gardiner is hilarious as Hunter, the procrastibating other writer. Erin Driscoll (Susan) is the cutest thing since sliced Kewpie dolls, and Jenna Sokolowski (Heidi) nails her part as well. The orchestra (Gabriel Mangiante at the piano) is perfect as well, especially since he’s called upon to act from time to time. How often does the music director get laughs in a show?
There’s pretty much every musical trope, and most of them get broken and left in pieces on the stage. The dream sequence is about flying over NYC, and for some reason is done with English accents. Except for Jeff, who refuses until finally giving in and doing some kind of horrible Scots-Irish-English conglomeration of a thing. Which must have been a bitch rehearsing while speaking a perfect English accent every night as Tobias in Sweeney Todd. Anyway, it made me LOL. Which I did a lot during the show.
Highly recommended. It’s on until like July or something, but already almost sold out.
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