The FIX (Signature Theatre April 30, May 1 & 2)
(click the link to view the photos.)
It's been more than a year since I started to follow the Donmar production of THE FIX. The reason was quite simple: it was my newly found love, Philip Quast's newest musical. Although I couldn't go to London and saw my darling on stage, I had a couple of trusty correspondences and got detail reports as well as the sad news about the responses of the Brit critics. The rumor was that Cameron Mackintosh had the option to transfer the show, should it have a successful run. Many Quasties hoped and prayed for the transfer, but the Brit critics who were unfamiliar to American political system, could not simply "get it," though the audience most definitely loved the show, and returned to the theatre over and over again during the short run. To prove that the critics were wrong, I only need five words: 1998 Olivier Award Best New Musical Nomination. Not only the show was nominated for Best New Musical Award and Best Lighting Design, both John Barrowman and Philip Quast were nominated for Best Musical Actor, which my babe got the second Olivier Award in his hands. (BTW, I saw the Olivier Award video and Philip� acceptance speech, boy, he is gorgeously handsome, he is truly "Next to God!")
So when I heard the news that THE FIX would be performed in U.S., I was ecstatic. Although the chance for bringing the original cast was slim to none, I was very happy for Dana and John, and to celebrate the American Premiere, I wanted to create THE FIX home page. First I only had the information of UK production, but the information of the US (Signature) production grew rapidly furnishing some beautiful stage photos.
When I found out that I could go to D.C. to see the show, I immediately contacted Paul Gamble, the managing director of the theatre to see if he could reserve the tickets for me. The ENTIRE RUN of the original running period was sold out as soon as the raving review from the Washington Post came out, and they extended for two weeks. And I'd be damned if I couldn't get in while I was there! Ever generous and cooperative Paul got me three tickets and he said I could take pictures of the theatre too!
So here I was visiting Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA, all the way from California with very mixed feeling: both huge excitement and anxiety. To tell you the truth, although I was very excited to see the show finally, at the same time I was bit worried. WILL I LIKE THE SIGNAGURE VERSION OF THE SHOW? Sure, the critics loved it, and I heard a lot of great things about the show and the cast, but will I accept the changes they made? How Stephen Bienskie will perform compared to Tom Cruise look-alike John Barrowman? The most important thing, can I accept and like Sal Mistretta's Grahame, the role the God played? I saw several stage (dress rehearsal?) photos already and I could tell that the direction of the show would be totally different by the bright and exaggerated costumes. Especially the photo of Grahame's (newly written) solo Mercy Me that replaced the heart-wrenching song sang by Philip, was somewhat chilling (Grahame is surrounded by nurses with a red feather fan).
The Signature Theatre is pretty small yet there is ample lobby space (the cast photo), and I felt very cozy. When I got inside the theatre, the intimacy of the theatre made me feel welcomed. The audience seating was set up like the bleacher stands eight rows in each side with an aisle in the middle. The set on the stage was very unique and suggestive. In the middle of the stage, there are three doors, which slide up and down. These doors really made the entrance and exit of the actors very smooth and effective. The pillars that are skewed like the Leaning Tower of Pisa surround these doors. A distinctively large golden column (skewed of course) at the end seems to try to support the very empire that is falling apart. Is it a metaphor of Violet, Grahame, or Cal himself? There are three monitors above the doors, which double as TV screens and prompters for Cal's speech. To your right, there are mazes of thin pillars that lead to the side and back entrances. The floor is covered by pressed wood tiles (looks classy from the distance) with several clear plastic pieces that serve as mine fields. In Donmar, they also used monitors but the main set was a revolving circular stage in the center that raises. I really liked the Signature set and I had a good feeling about the show before it even began.
As Eric Schaeffer, the director, told in the interview in the paper and with Playbill Online, the show was directed completely different from Donmar version, and it is rightly so. The book immediately reminds the audience of Kennedy's legacy, which any American is very familiar with, and although I don't dare to claim to be a critic, a politic satire direction is a right approach.
From the costumes of Violet and Grahame alone, you could tell that the direction and performance will be different from Donmar production and the show is heavily caricatured. Philip and Katheryn wore very conservative suits like true politicians. Linda Balgord and Sal Mistretta wore the colors fresh from The GAP Store. Linda and Sal's acting and demeanor match what they wear: overwhelmingly bright and stylish. Other ensembles�costumes also indicate the highly stylized stage, even the maids wear an exaggerated costume and hair, except Cal. Cal appears in white T-shirt, cut jeans, and a denim shirt. You can tell Cal is just an ordinary young man, and it also shows his vulnerability.
When Sal first sang, I was surprised that his singing voice was similar to Philip. But the acting was totally different. Philip portrayed Grahame as a very serious and bitter spin-doctor while Sal's Grahame was heavily caricatured character. Fortunately, I was very pleased with Sal's Grahame (though I'm very biased and nobody can match with my God) and I actually enjoyed his interpretation. Linda portrayed Violet as another highly stylized and staged public figure who would sell her soul and her son's if needed to the devil if she could to be the wife/mother of the U.S. President. Her vocal range and volume and the intensity of the stage presence were beyond your imagination. She doesn't need a head microphone, I bet you can hear her voice from the outside of the theatre. "Spin" is her powerful solo, singing that the appearance is everything in this political game, and it's one dynamite and painful rendition (very Norma Desmond-ish). The song literary took my breath away and I got chill in my spine: a true showstopper performance.
Stephen Bienskie portrayed very believable Cal Chandler. Cal was portrayed "air-headed" in the beginning but Stephen revealed his charismatic nature in "Simple Words." His tender tenor shined especially during "Don'g Blame the Prince" and "Child's Play." I always felt that John Barrowman's Cal becomes pretty cynical too quickly after he gets elected in the office, but Stephen's Cal keeps his genuine tenderness throughout the show. It must be Stephen's personality reflecting in the character. What I enjoyed the most was the detail Stephen put into the character. For instance, when Cal and Deborah get married, the flash goes on and the wedding picture was taken. I cannot describe his precious facial expression in writing, but I just loved it! I wish I could have seen him in The Last Session, and I wish if I could have shown Stephen's Cal to the people in London. Steve, you have to wait until I hit the lottery and become a producer ;)
Natalie Toro's Tina McCoy is a truly Heaven-sent (no, no, I mean it). Krysten Cummings sang "Lonely Is a Two-Way Street" very soulfully, but Natalie sang more sensually and seducing way. And does she have a beautiful set of legs!! As for acting, Natalie's Tina was charming, warm and caring. The chemistry between Stephen and Natalie was very precious and seemed real. (By the way, even to me "Alleluia" was pretty steamy and graphic. During the intermission I spotted children under 10 years old in the theatre and I was very concerned, was the parents warned before the show?) "Mistress of Deception" has been my favorite song, but Natalie's performance made it complete. Her voice is so clear yet powerful and your heart just trembles.
I was very pleased to see Reed Chandler's role was expanded in Signature. Jim Walton plays the deceased Senator and even after he dies, he appears on the stage time to time as a disguised guardian angel for Cal, which was very effective and established the continuity. I loved to see him sing "Let's the Game Begin," setting the stage and tone for the show. "Control" and "Two Guys at Harvard" were greatly improved, thanks to Jim.
I was impressed with the level of the ensembles, too. The family security chief, Peter, was performed by Anthony Galde, who has a great voice. When I heard him sing "American Son" (in Donmar, Cal sang the first verses, but in Signature, Peter does) and "Cleaning House," I got goosebumps each time. Anthony gave Peter a definite character (slimy and cocky jerk) while in Donmar, David Bardsley kept Peter somewhat low profile. Lawrence Redmond (Congrats on your Helen Hayes Awards!) played a redneck, Bobby "Barrel" Cracker. And I just loved the performance and choreography of this scene. I heard some people said they did not care for this number in OLC, but I'm sure when they hear and watch this Signature version, they'd enjoy it. Another impressive feature was the high quality of chorus, particularly "Flash, Pop, Sizzle." It was short number but beautifully sang by female ensembles.
Donmar (little from I saw and heard) vs. Signature Comparison:
Changes I liked:
- Reed's expanded role and Peter got more clear identification in his character.
- I really applaud the way they brought Anthony Gliardi (Jon Garcia) into the story more, especially in the Act Two. By doing so, Act Two flows smoothly, and the ending doesn't become too abrupt.
- Lion Hunts Tiger was cut, and Cal does not go after drug dealers or reveals his addition in the statement.
- New song, Don't blame the Prince (just beautifully written and composed)
- The way Cal and Tina interact in Alleluia (reprise) and before One, Two, Three (reprise). In Donmar, Cal was too harsh to Tina in this scene and acted like a real jerk.
- The Cal's hallucination scene after "Vend the spoon" was cut. By going to "One, Two, Three (reprise)" immediately after Cal pushes the drug to himself, the scene became tighter and had more impact.
The scenes I missed:
- The very tight and clever dialogue between Violet and Grahame during "Embrace Tomorrow". The dialogue in this scene was substantially cut, and I loved Philip and Kathryn's fast machine gun like dialogue.
- Lyrics cut in the American Son. In this song, "the upper hand" was being emphasized in OLC, but the speech practice was substantially cut in Signature, so "the upper hand" was only said once. Also, after "economy, economy, economy!!" they speak about "tax issues."
- First Came Mercy (but I understand this song did not situate well in the show. It's so heart-wrenchingly heavy song wonderfully performed by Philip, literary a showstopper, but the transition from Two Guys at Harvard was too abrupt)
I was impressed:
- The choreography of Dangerous Game, as well as the performance of Tony in this scene. I like the faster tempo compared to Donmar version.
- The choreography of Bobby "Barrel Cracker" and the energy of the performance.
- Natalie Toro's performance as Tina (sensual, tender, charming)
- Linda's over-the-top Spin and her pipe.
- Donna Migliaccio's portrayal of Leslie Pynchon. She reminded me of Kathy Bates in Primary Color.
Things made me say "hmmm" and "uh-huh!"
"Mercy Me" was done "tong-in-cheek" fashion, making fun of himself by Grahame, which is fine but the choreography was too distracted. This is an important song that reveals who Grahame is and his background, his bitterness, his pride etc., and the audiences tend to pay more attention to the red feather fans and plastic masks on nurses and doctors' faces than the lyric.
I really had a problem understanding in the book in Donmar production when Cal suddenly started to do "drug sweep" after the recovery. I wasn't sure he was too naive or stupid, or he wants to be a hero. I think that in the theatre, a story can be unbelievable but it still has to be logical, and in the previous version, to me, it did not make sense too much. I also did not understand why Tina betrayed Cal like that in Donmar version. Did she help Cal assassinated just for spite?
But the book was revised very effectively in Signature production: Cal starts out to read a statement prepared by Grahame (in Donmar, he suddenly confesses that he had a drug addition problem at a press conference). Then when he starts telling the truth, he only focuses on prosecuting the Mob and doesn't bring up his drug addiction problem, which is much better. I finally could clearly see that Cal is doing this because he is so disgusted by himself, the system, Mother, and his spin doctor. He wanted to take control on his own life. As for the last scene, we clearly see that Tina did not have any intent to betray Cal.
Now the FIX was closed its successful run. I'm waiting anxiously to hear the next scheduled run, which I'm sure I will see in person too. I had an opportunity to talk to Stephen and Sal after the show, and they are unbelievably humble and sincere. There is a wonderful interview of Stephen on Talkin Broadway. The interview was done during the preview; therefore Stephen himself had not known how successful the run would be at that time.
Congratulations to Dana and John, the awesome cast, the creative team, and Signature Theatre! It was an experience I will treasure for a long time!
Great News for people who could not see the show! The final performance was video-taped by the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archieve. The tape will be placed on file at the Martin Luther King Library of the DC Public Library system, and you can see the show in the library. Please stop by the library when you visit D.C. next time.Please let me hear about your experience at the Signature Theatre!
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