MISS MANHATTAN – Music and Lyrics by Graham and Kristina Fuller; Book by Graham and Kristina Fuller and Stephanie Ronco; Directed by Robert Michael Sanders; Music Direction by Dan Graeber; Choreography by McKayla McDonough. Produced by 19K Productions and CenterStage Theatre Company (Presented at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut, Boulder) through September 28. Tickets available at thedairy.org.
The usual path for a new musical to wend its way to New York for either a Broadway of off-Broadway production is readings and sing-throughs (several); one or two workshop productions (or five or six), a full production in a small hometown (or at least friendly) local theatre, a producer’s showcase (to raise the money), and, finally (if you’re lucky and your product is good), a production in New York. Now I ask you: How often do you get to be a part of the process of moving a show from a composer and lyricist’s living room all the way to final production? Here’s your chance.
Kristina and Graham Fuller are the couple who saw that process through to an Off-Broadway production of their first musical together in recent years. IN THE TRENCHES was a funny montage of songs about the joys of parenthood. This time, they have chosen to follow the ups and downs of America’s first Super Model, the real-life Audrey Munson. Starting at a very young age, encouraged by her mother, Audrey posed unclothed for several statues that still adorn parks and museums in New York. Her mother Kitty kept her docile with the new medication called morphine. Her willingness to pose nude eventually got her roles in silent movies. But her life went downhill after a scandal erupted when a man killed his wife to be with her. She and her mother eventually settled in Mexico, New York, Kitty’s hometown. Her mother later had the courts declare her disturbed and sent to a mental hospital. She lived until 1996 and died at the age of 104. But before that, she had A LIFE; this is her story.
In this work, a young Claire (Sophia Dotson) in the present time is having a hard time dealing with the death of her mother and her father’s abandoning her to live with her grandmother. For a school project, she researched the story of Audrey Munson (Anne Terze-Schwarz) and used it for her presentation. Audrey, in turn, was abused by her mother and abandoned by her father. As their stories are performed, the parallels between the two lives bind them together.
This is a top-notch cast headed by Anne Terze-Schwarz in a powerful performance of the many faces of Audrey. She plays a young woman determined to “Make Something Happen” for herself. Despite the advice given by her mother about how to “Keep a Man,” she has no desire to get married. Anne brings a poignancy and innocence to all parts of Audrey’s life, never losing her charm. Her mother, played by the always brilliant Megan Van De Hey, in a role that will put Mama Rose to shame, never loses her willingness to sacrifice her daughter to the almighty dollar or encourage her to marry rich. She is the product of a different era, moving reluctantly into a new century and a new role for women. She quickly adapts the new morality to her own purposes and never loses her grip on her daughter, ultimately consigning Audrey to the care of the state when she is no longer valuable monetarily. Megan gives her a backbone and equal determination to succeed, an antique quality to her dependence on men, an adorable whimsy at times, and abject cruelty at others.
The parallel story of Claire is given energy and spark by the performance of Sophia Dotson, who essays the depression she feels around the loneliness of being away from her father, the inspiration she gets from learning Audrey’s story, and the happy ending she deserves. “Statue Spotting with Claire” takes the whole class on a tour of New York to Audrey’s statues in an almost rap song. Sophia is a young actress who has a brilliant career ahead of her.
The cast is completed by a talented ensemble of six who play all the other characters in Audrey’s troubled life. The men who want her as a model or a mistress, the sculptors, the doctors, the classmates and teacher of Clair, the attendants at the mental institute, the absent fathers, and others who go in and out of Audrey and Claire’s lives. Vidushi Goyal shines as a wealthy sculptress who becomes a friend; Scott Rathbun plays multiple doctors and lechers. Katja Podisdly, Elton Tanega, and the composers themselves, Kristina and Graham Fuller, also take musical turns to support the story of Audrey. They move with ease into the next role required of them with small costume changes and defining songs.
The simple set of two elevated platforms and small furniture pieces in front of the on-stage nine-piece band allows the action to never falter or slow down. The costumes are sparkly when they need to be or dowdy when it’s appropriate. The band, led by Music Director Dan Graeber, provides a strong, lively performance of the new music.
The producers provide an opportunity for the audience to give feedback on this script and music. As an audience member observing the first full performance of the music and book, your opinion counts. They are sincere in their desire to hear your comments. Which songs did you like? Could any of them have been cut? Does the show tell the story well? Which characters did you like, and which were you not supposed to like? Is that made clear? Help in the sharpening of this brand new musical and, maybe someday soon, you could see it in New York and be able to say, “Oh, yes, I saw this at its first performance in Boulder.” The Fullers are counting on you.
A WOW FACTOR of 8.75!!