Quick Hit Theater Review: Iron Curtain

Jenn Gambatese with Top L to R: Sara Brophy, Robby Sharpe, James Patterson;

Bottom L to R: Clint Carter, Ronn Burton. Photo by Gerry Goodstein

Iron Curtain
Book by Susan DiLallo
Music by Stephen Weiner
Lyrics by Peter Mills
Directed by Cara Reichel
Choreography by Christine O'Grady
Music Supervision & Orchestrations by Remy Kure

Summary:
The musical writing team of Howard Katz (Todd Alan Johnson) and Murray Finkel (David Perlman) strikes out on Broadway when Damn Yankees steals the basis of their show about a baseball player who sells his soul to the devil. They attract the attention of Yevgenyi Onanov (Gordon Stanley), in charge of the Soviet Union's Ministry of Musical Persuasion, charged with staging a propaganda musical about the evils of America. His Soviet version of Oklahoma directed by whip-cracking (literally) East German Hildret Heinz (Bobbi Kotula) hasn't impressed Nikita Khruschchev (John Fico), so he kidnaps Katz and Finkell, with the help of KGB agent Sergei Schmearnov (Aaron Ramey), brings them to Moscow and forces them to create a musical. Desperate, the team retools their failed musical "Faust Ball" as "Damnable Yankees" and they hit one out of the park.

Finkel is morose, trying to fend off Hildret's romantic (and sadistic) advances, and is just beginning to realize how much he cares about Shirley Dooley (Maria Couch), the actress/girlfriend he never quite committed to at home. Murray isn't minding Russian hospitality, even at the rundown Lapov Luxury hotel, though, especially if it means getting to spend time with the show's star, Masha (Jenn Gambatese).

Will clueless Shirley be able to track Howard down behind the Iron Curtain with the help of a border guard (Ronn Burton)? Will a Frau divided between her duty and love let Howard go? Will Masha defect to join Murray? Will Onanov get to fully express his love for musicals? The answer to the last question is yes, in the fabulous send up of the song "If Not for Musicals." The rest I will leave to your imagination.
Highlights:
I love this show. DiLallo's book is tongue-in-cheek, hysterically funny. Weiner's score is varied, full and fun. "Half a World Away" is right up there with the loveliest ballads to grace a stage. Mill' lyrics are tight, clever and poetic. Why this show hasn't gotten a larger New York production is a mystery. I'd love to see what John Rando would do with it.

Stanley, who has portrayed Onanov in prior productions of Iron Curtain (once in 2008 when the musical was in development at the O'Neill Theatre Center where I first fell in love with it) sort of IS this character to me now and lends a lovely voice to the musical numbers. Gambatese sings up a storm and Burton steals the scene as different characters Shirley encounters in her search for Howard.

Lowlights:
This presentation, helmed by Reichel, who also directed prior versions which won it the Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical., just doesn't achieve Détente, however.
This production by Prospect Theater Company takes itself too seriously. Half of the fun of the corny book and lyrics is a subtle double entendre that you don't always catch on the first pass. It's much funnier to let the audience "get it," or have it come back to bite them a few seconds later. Here they make sure we get it, and it seems like the actors almost slow down to the point where they might check and ask "Did you get the pun there? Did you catch those snappy lyrics?" Part of the reason my critic Fellows and I at the O'Neill begged to see this show a second time was to see what we had missed in the fast-paced, laugh-filled first time.

Also too pronounced as the strange accent and S&M tendencies of Hildret (though Kotula originated the role at Village Theatre). And there isn't enough chemistry between Katz and Finkel.

Information:
Catch the humor before the Iron Curtain comes down on Nov. 27. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 pm; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.  There are added performances on Nov. 19 at 3 pm, Nov. 21 at 7:30 pm and Nov. 26 at 3 pm.  No performances on Nov. 23 and 24. The Baruch Performing Arts Center, Baruch College is located at East 25th Street between Lexington and Third Avenue.  Tickets are $50, with premium seating availablefor $65.To purchase tickets visit www.ProspectTheater.orgor call 212-352-3101.
www.IronCurtainTheMusical.com.

Prospect Theater Company is a non-profitorganization founded in 1998 by five graduates of Princeton University in orderto allow a diverse group of emerging theater professionals to work together inpursuit of artistic excellence and innovation.  Known both for itsdevelopment of new musicals and its engaging interpretations of classic plays,Prospect strives to build bridges between artists and audiences, and to connecttheater's present to its past—in order to build its future. www.ProspectTheater.org.

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