L-R- Madeline Botteri, Lou Steele and David Little. Photo by Scott Selman, CYM Media & Entertainment.
The newly formed Quackensteele Theatre Company introduced itself last night to the DC area with a very impressive debut production of Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical tick, tick… BOOM!
Most people only know Jonathan Larson’s work from the musical Rent. The show garnered worldwide attention when Larson passed away on the morning of the first preview at age 35. tick, tick… BOOM! was written by Larson before Rent but wasn’t produced off- Broadway until after Larson’s death. His score has considerably more range than Rent does and, in my opinion is better all around. I’ll take “30/90” over the six millionth chorus of “Seasons of Love” anytime.
…Quackensteele Theatre Company proves that they are taking theatre very seriously.
Jon (Lou Steele) is working on a musical called Supurbia. It has taken five years but the musical is finally having its first workshop. While working on this show, Jon has been working as a waiter to make ends meet. His friend Michael (David Little) suggests he try getting into market research which has garnered Michael with a fancy car and lots of money. Let’s just say this does not work out and Jon is dismissed after his first day on the job. Jon’s musical has totally immersed him and he is having a hard time keeping his relationship afloat with Susan (Madeline Bottari) who wants her own career and is tired of Jon only worrying about his show. Supurbia’s workshop happens but as with many of these types of things, there are no bites for further development, despite people like Stephen Sondheim saying how impressed he was with Jon’s work.
For a new company’s first time of the gate, they pretty much got everything right. This is a great accomplishment. From the casting to most of the tech aspects, Quackensteele Theatre Company proves that they are taking theatre very seriously.
Lou Steele commands the stage with his fantastic portrayal of Jon. His vocals on “Why” were a definite highlight and his acting captured the many ups and downs that a writer goes through. It was a pleasure to watch. Then there is that dynamo known Madeline Botteri as Susan. Here is a performer with the “WOW!” factor. Acting wise she creates prefect chemistry with Steele and you can’t help but be mesmerized with her stunning vocal performance of “Come To Your Senses.” David Little makes the most of the role of Michael. He plays it as a compassionate friend, but also as a guy who is reaping the benefits of a job he doesn’t necessarily enjoy. I want to single out the cast as a whole in the hilarious Sunday brunch moment. This is to show the idiocy of customers and what the waiter has to go through. The song called “Sunday” is a brilliant homage to Stephen Sondheim’s song of the same name. This is one example of what would have been had Larson lived. He would have been one of the greats.
A good director is essential to a show’s success and Walter Ware III is a perfect choice for this show. His direction gets to the core of what Larson was trying to convey and he makes good use of the minimal stage space at The Lab at Convergence. Kelly Crandall d’Amboise’s choreography is well executed by the performers and perfectly compliments the songs. The last thing you want to do is make the dance seem out of place and d’Amboise makes sure this never happens.
The show doesn’t skimp in the musician department either. The original four piece orchestration by Stephen Oremus is intact with musical director Joel DeCandio (Keyboard,) Stefan Kempski (Guitar,) Brad Emmett (Bass Guitar) and Raeshwan Greene (Drums.)
While the band sounded great, big portions of the show, including the opening number, had serious balance issues between the band and vocalists. Some of this falls to the venue itself. The space has a low ceiling so when the sound goes up it has nowhere to go. This means it just bounces back at the audience. Some things like this you can’t control but it does hinder your enjoyment a bit when you can’t hear the lyrics.
Despite this audible quibble I urge all of you to take in tick, tick…BOOM! at Quackensteele Theatre Company. You will be supporting a group that is going to be a key player in the DC theatre community while getting to hear the work of a writer that was taken away from us all too soon. Welcome Quackensteele Theatre Company. You have arrived in a big way.
Running Time: 85 Minutes with no intermission
tick, tick… Boom! is playing through June 6th 2014 at The Lab at Convergence which is located at 1801 N Quaker Lane in Alexandria, VA. For tickets, click here.
