Cabaret Scenes Theatre Review

"You talking to me?" Those are the first words uttered on stage by Elaine Stritch, playing seasoned rehearsal pianist Jeanette Burmeister in The Full Monty at the Paper Mill Playhouse. And from the moment Stritch speaks in that unmistakable, caustic voice of hers, the production takes on new life. Stritch has enormous presence. Her timing is impeccable. And her line readings are just fascinating. he doesn't have a big part, but she catalyzes the show. She's giving a virtual master class in musical comedy.

You're welcome to read the rest of this review if you must, but your time would probably be better spent ordering tickets right now. Before they're gone.

I actually enjoyed this production more than the original Broadway production. Stritch—in a class by herself—makes the crucial difference. (I've been enjoying her work since I saw her in the original Broadway production of Company, nearly forty years ago.) I also like the way director Mark S. Hoebee has brought out the heart of the story. he exchanges between the out-of-work father (Wayne Wilcox) and his son (Alex Maizus) have an utterly natural feel to them. Milton Craig Nealy gets some nice moments in the role of Horse. And Michael Rupert—I enjoyed every minute of his work—still has the lithe grace that made him effective in his youth in the original run of Pippin.

The show itself, with a book by Terrence McNally and songs by David Yazbek, is not first-rate. But the material is being executed very well. And this musical—in which the main characters are all out of work—feels quite relevant in the current recession. Jenn Colella (as one of the wives in depressed Buffalo, New York) gets the energy up from the first lines of the show. And the star luster that Stritch brings to her supporting role made this production—for me—an "event." Go see her. And marvel a little. You're watching the real deal. There are very few in her class.

(Pictured: Milton Craig Nealy, Michael Rupert, Jason Babinsky, Elaine Stritch, Joe Coots, Wayne Wilcox and Allen E. Read. Photo by Kevin Sprague)

Chip Deffaa
Cabaret Scenes
June 14, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org



	The Full Monty Paper Mill Playhouse Millburn, NJ
"You talking to me?" Those are the first words uttered on stage by Elaine Stritch, playing seasoned rehearsal pianist Jeanette Burmeister in The Full Monty at the Paper Mill Playhouse. And from the moment Stritch speaks in that unmistakable, caustic voice of hers, the production takes on new life. Stritch has enormous presence. Her timing is impeccable. And her line readings are just fascinating. he doesn't have a big part, but she catalyzes the show. She's giving a virtual master class in musical comedy. You're welcome to read the rest of this review if you must, but your time would probably be better spent ordering tickets right now. Before they're gone. I actually enjoyed this production more than the original Broadway production. Stritch—in a class by herself—makes the crucial difference. (I've been enjoying her work since I saw her in the original Broadway production of Company, nearly forty years ago.) I also like the way director Mark S. Hoebee has brought out the heart of the story. he exchanges between the out-of-work father (Wayne Wilcox) and his son (Alex Maizus) have an utterly natural feel to them. Milton Craig Nealy gets some nice moments in the role of Horse. And Michael Rupert—I enjoyed every minute of his work—still has the lithe grace that made him effective in his youth in the original run of Pippin. The show itself, with a book by Terrence McNally and songs by David Yazbek, is not first-rate. But the material is being executed very well. And this musical—in which the main characters are all out of work—feels quite relevant in the current recession. Jenn Colella (as one of the wives in depressed Buffalo, New York) gets the energy up from the first lines of the show. And the star luster that Stritch brings to her supporting role made this production—for me—an "event." Go see her. And marvel a little. You're watching the real deal. There are very few in her class. (Pictured: Milton Craig Nealy, Michael Rupert, Jason Babinsky, Elaine Stritch, Joe Coots, Wayne Wilcox and Allen E. Read. Photo by Kevin Sprague) Chip Deffaa Cabaret Scenes June 14, 2009 www.cabaretscenes.org

The Full Monty

Paper Mill PlayhouseMillburn, NJ

Paper Mill Playhouse
Millburn, NJ