Tags Posts tagged with "Lindsay DeFranco"

Lindsay DeFranco

By Heidi Sutton

tale of redemption, an epic battle of good and evil, teen romance, the bonds of friendship — these topics and more will be explored as Theatre Three celebrates 50 years of “Broadway on Main Street” with a revival of the six most popular shows in the theater’s history.

The season opens with a thrilling and chilling adaption of “Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical” by Paul Hadobas with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn featuring additional songs like “I Need to Know” and additional material which were cut from the original Broadway show.

Jeffrey Sanzel, who directed the theater’s 2005 production, returns to the helm to create a beautifully haunting show that is not to be missed.

Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 gothic novella, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” the classic story follows Dr. Henry Jekyll’s ill-fated quest to find a cure for his father’s mental illness. Years of experiments have produced a chemical formula that Jekyll is convinced can “separate the good and evil” from the human soul … “to help the tortured mind of man.” All he needs is a human test subject.

When his request to inject the formula into a patient at a mental hospital is turned down by the Board of Governors, a decision they will later regret, Jekyll feels he has no choice but to experiment on himself. The noble attempt to help those that cannot help themselves backfires and gives life to an evil alter ego, Edward Hyde, who terrorizes the citizens of London after dark.

From the moment Hyde makes an appearance, he seeks revenge for Jekyll and methodically hunts down the members of the Board of Governors and with a crack of the neck or a stab in the side they fall one by one. Jekyll remembers little of the murders, praying “they are merely nightmares,” but eventually Hyde “comes out of the shadows” and becomes an addiction, causing Jekyll to lose self-control in an emotional climactic ending.

In his Theatre Three debut, Alan Stentiford is simply incredible in the dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The actor’s transition from respected doctor to psychotic madman will make the tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand up. After each injection, the actor morphs into a rabid creature who slinks and lurks about in the dark, peering out through his unkempt hair with wild eyes. And wait until you hear him sing! Stentiford’s split-personality faceoff in “Confrontation” is mesmorizing and his opening night performance of “This Is the Moment” brought the house down.

Tamralynn Dorsa plays Jekyll’s loving and always supportive fiancée Emma Carew. Dorsa shines in this angelic role and her rendition of “Once Upon a Dream” is magical.

TracyLynn Conner is equally impressive as prostitute Lucy Harris who Jekyll befriends during a visit to the seedy drinking establishment, The Red Rat. It is her that Hyde visits the most often until his jealousy consumes him. Her emotional performance of “No One Knows You I Am” is wonderful.

Another standout in the show is Steven Uihlein in the role of Simon Stride, a former boyfriend of Carew, who has made it his personal mission to see Jekyll fail at every turn. Andrew Lenahan is also one to watch. As John Utterson, Jekyll’s friend and attorney, Lenahan gives a brilliant performance in “His Work and Nothing More.”

The beautiful costumes and wigs by Chakira Doherty meld perfectly with the evocative choreography by Nicole Bianco and the Victorian set, designed by Randall Parsons features Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory. Kudos also to musical director Jeffrey Hoffman, whose seven-piece orchestra keeps perfect pace and tune.

Jeffrey Sanzel has assembled an incredible cast and crew to kick off the theater’s golden anniversary and they all deserve a big round of applause. Happy anniversary Theatre Three! It’s time to relish the well-deserved spotlight.

The cast of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’: Melanie Acampora, Bryan Bowie, TracyLynn Conner, Dennis Creighton, Anthony D’Amore, Lindsay DeFranco, Tamralynn Dorsa, Emily Gates, Eric J. Hughes, Heather Kuhn, Michelle LaBozzetta, Krystal Lawless, Andrew Lenahan, George Liberman, Linda May, Stephanie Moreau, Douglas Quattrock, Jim Sluder, Alan Stentiford, James Taffurelli, Briana Ude, Steven Uihlein, and Ryan Worrell

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents “Jeykll & Hyde: The Musical” through Oct. 26. Contains adult themes and situations. The 2019-20 Mainstage season continues with Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” from Nov. 16 to Dec. 28, “Driving Miss Daisy” from Jan. 11 to Feb. 1, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” from Feb. 15 to March 21, “Steel Magnolias” from April 4 to May 2 and “Grease” from May 16 to June 21. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 to 12. For more information or to order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

 

The cast of 'The Addams Family'. Photo by Brian Hoerger

By Heidi Sutton

Halloween is still a few weeks away, but there’s something creepy and kooky and altogether spooky going on at Theatre Three that’s not to be missed.

The theater opens its 49th season with the musical comedy “The Addams Family,” a nostalgic trip down memory lane for fans of this atypical clan, and judging by the packed house on opening night, that amounts to quite a few.

Created by Charles Addams, the lovable, albeit macabre, family first appeared in a New Yorker comic strip in 1938 but truly came to life in the 1960s ABC television series starring John Astin and Carolyn Jones as Gomez and Morticia. The two film versions in the 1990s paved the way for the Broadway musical in 2010 starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth.

The cast of ‘The Addams Family’. Photo by Brian Hoerger

Last Saturday’s opening performance began as it should, with the audience snapping their fingers or clapping their hands to the iconic theme song, and suddenly they appeared — all the familiar, eccentric characters we have all come to love — Gomez (Matt Senese), Morticia (TracyLynn Conner), Uncle Fester (Rick Grossman), Grandma (Ginger Dalton), Wednesday (Jessica Murphy), Pugsley (Max Venezia), Lurch (James Taffurelli) and Thing and Cousin Itt (both played by Cameron Turner). What followed was a fun, wonderful evening of live theater.

Directed by Jeffrey Sanzel, the show opens, most fittingly, in the family cemetery (“Oh the intoxicating smell of the graveyard!”) as the family lets their ancestors out of a mausoleum to celebrate what it is to be an Addams. It is here that we see the first of many “Thriller”-inspired musical numbers, expertly choreographed by Nicole Bianco, that dominate the show.

The storyline revolves around Wednesday who is all grown up and has fallen in love with a “normal boy,” Lucas Beineke (Matt Paredi) from Ohio (“the swing state!”), and wants to bring him and his parents, straight arrow Mal (Steve Ayle) and the perfectly rhyming Alice (Linda May), over for one “normal night.” She confides in her father that she wants to marry Lucas and makes him promise not to tell her mother yet, putting Gomez in several hilarious sticky situations and leading up to his solo, “Trapped (like a corpse in the ground).”

Matt Senese as Gomez and Jessica Murphy as Wednesday. Photo by Brian Hoerger

Uncle Fester, on the other hand, recruits the ancestors to find out if this is really true love, and if so, to help it along. Dressed in ghostly white costumes, they float in and out of every scene as they spy on the family’s affairs.

As the Beineke family arrive, they are invited to take part in the family game, Full Disclosure, during which everyone takes a sip from a sacred chalice and reveals something they’ve never told anyone. When Pugsley steals a magical potion from Grandma (“One swig of that and Mary Poppins turns into Madea!”) and pours it in the chalice, the evening takes a dark and eventful turn.

Accompanied by an outstanding eight-member band led by Jeffrey Hoffman, the 20 musical numbers perfectly tie the storyline together.   The costumes by Chakira Doherty are wonderful, especially for the ghoulish ancestors, and the Gothic set, cleverly designed by Randall Parsons includes panels that swivel and rotate to reveal different scenery. As the actors sing their solo or duet, they move toward the edge of the stage as the curtain closes, allowing the set to be quickly changed for the next scene.

With exceptional vocals, the entire cast become fully immersed in their individual character. The chemistry between Gomez and Morticia is as alive as ever. Morticia: “I feel darkness and grief and unspeakable sorrow.” Gomez: “I love it when you speak sexy, Cara Mia.” 

Matt Senese as Gomez and TracyLynn Conner as Morticia. Photo by Peter Lanscombe

Although she’s in love, Wednesday’s inner darkness makes several appearances, and Uncle Fester is as lovable as ever (yes, he is still in love with the moon.) Pugsley secretly loves to be tortured (electrocuted to be precise) by his big sister, Grandma is still wacky and Lurch is still grunting; but in the end they are just one big family that has to deal with every day issues just like everyone else.

In his director’s notes, Sanzel sums it up perfectly. “The ultimate message of ‘The Addams Family’ musical is to find out who you are so you can be true to yourself. Whether vacationing in the sewers of Paris, starting out in a new marriage or finding the spark in an old one, or flying to your true love (‘To the moon, Alice!’), the Addams Family and ‘The Addams Family’ remind us to ‘live before we die.’”

Go see this wonderful show. You’ll find much to cherish.

Stay after the performance for a photo with the cast on stage if you wish — the $5 donation goes to support the theater’s scholarship fund.

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will present “The Addams Family” through Oct. 27. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students and $20 children ages 5 to 12. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

The cast of ‘Curtains’

By Heidi Sutton

Theatre Three closes out its 48th season with a rousing revival of the musical comedy whodunit “Curtains.” The show, which opened on the Mainstage last Saturday night, will keep the audience guessing, and laughing, right up to until the very end.

With book by Rupert Holmes and music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb (both of “Chicago” and “Cabaret” fame), the eight-time Tony-nominated show had a successful Broadway run starring David Hyde Pierce (who won a Tony for his performance) from 2007 to 2008. Now the hilarious musical comes to Port Jefferson and does not disappoint.

A scene from ‘Curtains’

The play takes place at the Colonial Theater in Boston in 1959. A theater troupe is performing a new cowboy musical “Robbin’ Hood!” (think “Oklahoma!”) on opening night. As the ensemble performs the final act, “Wide Open Spaces,” it is clear that the star of the show, Jessica Cranshaw (Meg Bush) is a complete mess — singing out of tune, missing dance steps and flubbing her lines. (“I was distracted all night by a man waving his hands at me,” she laments. “That was the conductor,” the director mutters.) 

A few minutes after the final curtain Cranshaw collapses and is rushed to the hospital. It is later discovered that she has been murdered. “Now she has a conflict — she’s dead.”

Lt. Frank Cioffi (Steve McCoy) of the Boston Police Department, a homicide detective who happens to be a musical theater buff, is assigned to the case. The entire company is suspect, so he immediately places them on lockdown, barring them from leaving the theater until the case is solved.

The reviews are in!

The reviews come pouring in and they are brutal, especially from the Boston Globe. The producers decide to invite the newspaper’s critic, Daryl Grady (Andrew Gasparini), back when the show has been revamped.

The crew immediately starts reworking the songs and improving the scenes, with more than the occasional input from Detective Cioffi. “I’ve done a little community theater,” he admits modestly. “In ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ my Bottom was very well-received.” He is also distracted by one of the actresses, Niki (Jenna Kavaler) and their blossoming relationship is fun to watch.

In the meantime, a second victim, co-producer Sidney Bernstein (Lon Shomer) is found hanging from the rafters, Bernstein’s wife, Carmen (Mary Ellin Kurtz) is shot at and Cioffi is pushed off a catwalk and narrowly survives. The plot thickens.

As the show progresses, Cioffi starts peeling away the layers of this “family” to uncover romantic relationships, jealousy, blackmail, rocky family dynamics and infidelity. Will he be able to solve the crime in time or will the entire company be picked off one by one?

A scene from ‘Curtains’

Singing, dancing and clever humor abound in this production that showcases a cast of 23 uber-talented actors directed by Jeffrey Sanzel. The high-energy performances, choreographed by Whitney Stone, are exhausting to watch but the cast pulls them off with ease. The musical numbers, accompanied by a live orchestra led by Jeffrey Hoffman, are a nice blend of show tunes and love songs. The costumes and wigs designed by Chakira Dohertyn are fun, especially the cowboy and cowgirl outfits; and the Western-themed set, designed by Randall Parson, ties the whole show together nicely. 

The incredible cast also features Nicole Bianco, Christopher M. Fretto, Dylan Robert Poulos, James Taffurelli, James Schultz, Tracylynn Conner, Matt Senese, Melanie Acampora, Eric J. Hughes, Lindsay DeFranco, Kyle Breitenbach, Cassidy O’Brien, Steven Uihlein, Alex Esquivel, Jeffrey Pangurn and Kiernan Urso.

If you’re looking for a fun night out, don’t miss “Curtains.” Griswold’s Cafe, located on the lower level of the theater, will be open before the show and during intermission for a snack or beverage, and take a chance on a 50/50 raffle. You may win big! Running time is two and a half hours with one 15-minute intermission.

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will present “Curtains” through June 23. Contains mature content. After a brief hiatus, the 2018-19 Mainstage season will open with “The Addams Family” from Sept. 15 to Oct. 27. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 to 12. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

All photos by Brian Hoerger, Theatre Three Productions Inc.