Review: '[title of show]' by Theatre Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT - Theatre Fairfield, Fairfield University’s resident production company, closes its 2020-21 virtual season with [title of show].

This unique musical with a book by Hunter Bell and music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen. [title of show] has a layered premise: “A musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical.” We get to watch this (mostly true) creative journey of four talented singer-actor-writers from a festival off-off Broadway to Broadway, all in 90 minutes.

The production is directed by Martha S. LoMonaco, PhD, professor and director of the theatre program, resident theatre director, and co-producer of Theatre Fairfield. The production was rehearsed and is performed live and in-person for a virtual audience, a refreshing change for those of us who have been watching lots of virtual performances.

"Theatre is about community, and it works best when the ensemble members form strong bonds with one another. [In previous virtual productions, we] lost that communal feeling, and that was rough. On top of that, the depressing isolation of the pandemic had a negative effect on everyone." - Prof. Lynne Porter Producer and Scenic Designer

"How were we to produce musical theatre, with well-synced music, without resorting to shooting a film rather than enjoying a live stage experience? Necessity is the mother of invention and this is when our whacky, outside-the-box thinking kicked in." -Dr. Martha S. LoMonaco, Director

During the performance, the actors sing, dance, and act unmasked in their “pods,” which are Covid-safe, plastic-walled structures that the company created, allowing the students to safely create live musical theatre while physically in the same space.

So just when I thought there could not be a new approach to virtual theatre during the pandemic, I got to experience this unique production of [title of show] on my computer monitor. I actually “attended” two performances, after technical difficulties plagued opening night. There were sound problems that made it impossible to hear significant portions of two of the actors’ performances, and I suspect that at least one could not always hear the vocals of their castmates and/or the accompaniment.

The good news is that everyone who held a ticket for opening night was offered a chance to return for a performance of their choosing. I am grateful that I was able to attend the following performance; by then all of the tech issues had been fixed and it was a joy to behold. I probably appreciated the second performance even more because I could see how hard the production team had worked to make it look and sound the way it had been intended to appear.

The two young actors who play the two writers are far from “Two Nobodies in New York” when it comes to their performances. Freshman Brady Hanney makes his debut with Theatre Fairfield in the role of the show’s composer Jeff and Carlin Fournier, a junior marketing major at Fairfield University from Rhode Island, plays the book writer Hunter. Both men were in fine voice on Thursday.

As one of the two Secondary Characters invited to become a part of the creative process, Kiersten Bjork plays Susan, a woman with theatrical aspirations and a lack of self-confidence who is working a corporate day job. Ms. Bjork is a senior at Fairfield from Branford who gave her all to the role.

Tracy Ferguson, a junior at Fairfield, currently from Miami, Florida, masterfully plays the role of Heidi and also served as the dance captain for the cast. We could see the grace and ease of her movement in many of the scenes, and oh, what a singing voice she has. Ms. Ferguson is a Theatre major with a minor in Educational Studies. Her incarnation of Heidi reminded me so very much of the first actress to play the role, Heidi Blickinstaff. I had the pleasure of seeing Heidi B. in “Something Rotten!” on Broadway and even got to thank her for her great work at the matinee as she returned to the Equity member Kenneth Gartman (Broadway National Tour of “Meredith Willson’s The Music Man”) pops into the middle of the screen as Larry the Pianist. This actor/singer stays on top of the sometimes challenging score as well as his few lines.

[title of show] is groundbreaking for Theatre Fairfield, that delves into the realm of film and television due to the extraordinary amount of camera work necessary for this production. The final product, as seen in the Thursday evening performance, showcases the work of Video Engineer Park Lytle ’21.

This amazing technician edits and arranges the five performers digitally to create a truly innovative virtual experience. The array of virtual backgrounds is impressive; my personal favorites involved a rainbow of Post-It notes, spirit guide thought bubbles, and the locations for the flying scene. Mr. Lytle shared during the post-show talk back that the show contains a whopping 220 cues that required him to push the correct button on his computer “best friend.”

The actors reported that the pods could get warm when the 9-10 lights were shining on them; the tech people provided them with mini-fans for their performance space that only allowed them to move approximately three feet. For a behind the scenes look at [title of show], check out Theatre Fairfield's weekly video series, “Part of it All – Behind the Scenes with [title of show].”

I missed seeing more of the four chairs that are the meager props in more traditional productions, but it was clear that they were just below the shot of the actors. Dr. Michael A. Ciavaglia ’04 conducts the singers and piano as the musical director. Julie Leavitt Learson is both costume designer and props manager; both are true to the style of this little musical.

[title of show], which contains strong language, runs through Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18.All performances of [title of show] will be held virtually on YouTube. Tickets are now on sale at the Quick Center Box Office: $10 general admission, $5 for all students. Call the Box Office at (203) 254-4010 or buy tickets online at quickcenter.com. After purchasing a ticket, patrons will receive a YouTube link via email on the day of the scheduled performance. Theatre Fairfield will have tech support on-call to assist virtual audience members as needed.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Nancy recently became a contributor to the Republican-American newspaper, following in the footsteps of Joanne Greco Rochman. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417