Touring version of 'Chorus Line' stays true to the original

The ensemble numbers, and especially the stunning finale, are exceptional in both sound and movement. Perhaps one of the most telling points about the overall quality of this production can be found in the delivery of the show's big hit, One. In most any stage chorus, the lyrics tend to be rendered a bit mushy by the number of voices involved. But when this entire cast blasts into that closing number, you can hear the clear enunciation of every single syllable.

About the only real criticism is that a couple of cast members do not exactly measure up to their roles (those familiar with the show will know what that means). But most of the players are so accomplished that the only disappointment is that we don't hear more from them -- like Paul Flanagan, who plays the minor role of Al but who may have the best voice in the cast.

Paul has spent the last two years working with Nickelodeons Backyardigans, both on the national tour and the TV show. Other credits include Beauty & the Beast, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Footloose and many more. Love to everyone.    Manager: Susan Campochiaro Confrey /CBU MGMT 917-533-7026   www. CBUCOACHING.com  

Playhouse on Park's production is solidly Sondheim

            September 17th, 2010 3:03 pm ET

There are no signs of growing pains at West Hartford's Playhouse on Park which just opened its second main stage theatrical season with a pleasant production of "Side by Side by Sondheim," a revue of the legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim's early works.

So many of Sondheim's songs have become familiar to audiences who follow theater and cabaret that each can now safely stand alone and be fully understood and appreciated by the audience. That's evident right up front as diminutive Dana Mierlak, a graduate of the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, nicely captures the ironies of marital camaraderie in "The Little Things You Do Together," and a short time later the heartbreaking frustration of unfulfilled love in "Losing My Mind."  Catherine Rogala catches the audience off guard as she jumps headlong into the fast-paced lyrics of "Getting Married Today," conveying hilariously all the fear, panic and second, third and fourth thoughts that a prospective bride could feel, only to later tease the audience with her suggestive, flirty reminiscence of an early suitor in "Can That Boy Foxtrot."

Kathleen Clancy in Side By Side by Sondheim – CBU MGMT 917-533-7026

Local Sondheim tribute rises to the level of Broadway's best  -

Published: Thursday, September 16, 2010, 12:00 AM      Peter Filichia/For The Star-Ledger

Elaine Stritch and Carol Burnett have sung it. Eartha Kitt and Ann Miller did, too.

Dozens upon dozens of other female performers, as well, have planted their feet center stage and crooned Stephen Sondheim’s “I’m Still Here,” the story of a seen-it-all show business survivor.

Now someone far less famous, one Lynn Hart, is doing it in “Side by Side by Sondheim” at the Women’s Theater Company in Parsippany.

What an astonishing surprise to find that her rendition can stand with the best of them.

Hart is a diminutive but ferocious performer who brings much life experience to the song. She doesn’t simply attack a lyric; she launches an assault on each word. By the time Hart reaches the line “Three cheers and, dammit, c’est la vie,” the audience knows that three cheers won’t be nearly enough for the miracle they’ve just heard.

“West Side Story,” Sondheim’s first produced musical, is well-served. Kathleen Clancy provides the requisite anger in “A Boy Like That” before Andrea Quinn offers her beautiful soprano in “I Have a Love.” However, Clancy’s best moment comes during “Getting Married Today,” in which a bride-to-be has second thoughts just before she leaves for the church. It’s a lickety-split fast lyric, and Clancy articulates each syllable in extraordinary fashion.

Women’s Theater Co.

A LITTLE off BROADWAY RIGHT HERE IN MORRIS COUNTY

The Women's Theater Company has provided a distinct voice and imprint on the state’s professional theatre community since its start in 1993. Unlike any of the other nearly thirty professional theatre companies in NJ, the Women’s Theater is dedicated to development, promotion and inclusion of women in all aspects of theatre production. The voices of these women -- have begun to be heard thanks to the commitment of the Women’s Theater to do just that.

Side By Side By Sondheim

by Stephen Sondheim

With KATHLEEN CLANCY

 PAL JOEY IS NOMINATED FOR 4 TONY AWARDS!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO SUSAN'S CLIENT QUINN!!

by Adrienne Cea
Jack & the Beanstalk reviewed April 9
Honeywell, who plays multiple silly roles in this production, steals scenes adorably in every one. As Guernsey, she is a sassy tap-dancing cow dressed in a black-and-white spotted suit, and as the Goose who lays golden eggs, she looks childishly endearing in a puffy white dress with orange slippers. But as a melodious golden harp, she is seductive and enchanting, especially to the Giant (Ian Sweeney), who gazes fondly upon her in his castle made of clouds.