The Milwaukee Post

18 • Milwaukee County Post • May 16, 2014 By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE – John Patrick Shanley is probably best known for his Pulitzer Prize- winning play "Doubt," which also received notice as a film starring Meryl Streep. Shanley is intrigued with religion and how it impacts one's daily behaviors. Does the practice of religion really make one a better person, or does one tend to compart- mentalize one's ethical and secular lives? Windfall Theatre, which always delivers challenging, provocative plays, launched the premiere showing of "Storefront Church." As a child living in the Bronx, N.Y., Stanley, who was raised and educated in the Catholic religion, was fascinated by the fact that any- one could start his own religion. Just rent or buy a property, get a few folding chairs and a podium and round up people who are look- ing for a path to God or meaning in their lives. If you were a good preacher, you could often soon draw up a crowd of those who were looking for inspiration and communi- ty. The play begins with the plight of Jessie Cortez, a woman whose house is being fore- closed because she lent $30,000 to an itiner- ant preacher whose church was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. He has not made any payments in 10 months, and she is sinking under the weight of two mortgages, but unwilling to kick him out. She's a believer, herself. Her husband, Ethan Goldklang, pleads with the bank to alter her payment schedule or do something to allow her to continue to live in her house. He butts up against a loan officer, Reed Van Druyten, who is totally beholden to his boss and unwilling to grant any leniency. Immediately we see him as a toady. In desperation, she turns to the borough president, Donaldo Calderon, an ambitious politician and a childhood friend, beseech- ing him to visit the bank president, Tom Raidenberg, and try to work out a reprieve for her. One immediately spots Calderon's inner struggle, wanting to put on his best face to Raidenberg, who is about to build a $3 million mall that will bring business and jobs to The Bronx, and his compassion for his friend Jessie's financial predicament. Before he pleads Jessie's case to Raidenberg, he decides to visit Chester Kimmich and talk him into getting his church going so he can pay back Rosie or else leave the premises so Rosie can rent out the property to someone who can pay his or her portion of the mortgage. Every character in the play is facing a moral dilemma of some sort, and it is watch- ing them make their choices and live with the consequences of those choices that cap- tures our interest. Whether it be greed, com- passion, doubt, guilt or ambition – some- thing drives their choices. Which emotion is the driving motivator, that is the question. All the actors rise to the demands of their roles. Jason Will captures the pent-up anger of Van Druyten, who was unfaithful to his wife and ended up with a disfigured face when she shot him as well as a strong sense of guilt and sorrow for his lost lover and his imprisoned wife. Ericka Wade evoked our pity as the compassionate lender with the big heart, who empathized with the anguished preacher, well rendered by Bill Jackson. Ben George is impressive as the slick, successful bank president, who is uncom- fortable with personal confrontation, and Howard Goldstein gives us some laughs with his cynical philosophy. But the prize goes to Shayne Steliga for his characteriza- tion of Donaldo Calderon. The key revela- tions of character all play out in Kimmich's first church service, which all the charac- ters attend, each for his or her own reasons. Well directed by Carol Zippel, "Storefront Church" does not rise to the heights of "Doubt," but it is nonetheless worth viewing just to get us examining our own values and what is driving our own choices and behav- iors. Stanley's 'Storefront Church' probes our choices At a glance "Storefront Church" runs through Saturday at the Village Church, 130 E. Juneau Ave., Milwaukee. Call 332-3963 or visit www.windfalltheatre.com for reservations. Skylight's 'America Singing' doesn't meet expectations By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE – I suppose a person always has expectations when entering a theater, whether it is a show or a company one is familiar with or not. When I go to a Skylight Music Theatre show, I expect qual- ity music and clever productions. I am often very impressed, seldom disap- pointed. "I Hear America Singing," now playing in the intimate space of the Studio Theatre, is an exception to my past experi- ence, and that is not to say that there were not exceptional musical moments and a cou- ple of monologues that really hit home with people engaged in the world of perform- ance. The chief problem for me was that my expectations were never met. The title of the show led me to believe that I was about to hear a history of American music: spiri- tuals, folk songs, war songs and our signa- ture contributions – jazz and the American musical with its lovely, memorable ballads, all of which reflect our history and the unique diversity that defines America. This was really more about the creation of a show and the complex process involved in executing a production. This is a show that dabbles into the history of three alum- ni of Julliard University who meet after many years because one of them is writing a musical, so he digs up two old friends and fellow performers whom he wants to audi- tion for it. The story line is weak, the char- acters underdeveloped, so we don't really get hooked into their interrelationships. We discover that Robbie, the writer, is gay (big deal); Rose, who used to be married to Roger is tired of performing; and Roger, a former performer with a drinking problem, is basically bitter and unfulfilled and is no longer pursuing his career but instead is supposedly caring for his ailing mother. The three actors all have stellar voices, though Carol Greif's style is better suited for opera, and it was sometimes difficult to hear her lyrics. The music is usually atonal (shades of Sondheim), and none of it is familiar. Robert Frankenberry, also an accomplished pianist, has a mellow tenor, but the musical standout is Rick Pendzich with his clear, strong baritone. The opening number and its reprise at the end, "I Hear America Singing," is stir- ring and beautifully rendered. Some of the songs in between are clever, especially "You Don't Fall Up, You Fall Down," (which prompted the audience to break into sponta- neous applause; the only time, by the way), and "I Believe in Song" was nicely executed by Frankenberry. However, the audience was strangely silent until the end. It was odd to keep waiting for the show I expected to begin. It never really did. Instead, I saw the seed of two very different shows – one, the painful and exciting steps involved in writing and producing a show; and two, the history of American music with its symphony of memorable sounds. See what you think. Submitted photo Robert Frankenberry and Carol Greif perform a song in the Skylight Music Theatre's production of "I Hear America Singing." At a glance "I Hear America Singing," by composer and direc- tor Daron Hagen, runs through May 25 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 159 N. Broadway, Milwaukee. For show times and tickets, call 291-7800 or www.skylightmusictheatre.org.

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