Review: NINE at Garden Theatre

Broadway seems to be obsessed with numbers with show titles like 13, 1776, 9 TO 5, 42nd STREET, and 110 DEGREES IN THE SHADE to name a few. In Short North Stage’s latest offering, Edward Carignan directs a numbers musical, NINE, which was based on a numbers film, 8 ½.

The two-act, two-and-a-half hour musical has a 20-show run from Jan. 23 through Feb. 16 at the Garden Theatre (1187 N. High Street in downtown Columbus). The musical, written by Arthur Kopit (book) and Maury Yeston (lyrics and music) is the reshaping of the film by Federico Fellini. NINE is the story of film director Guido Contini (played by the talented Matthew Curiano) who handles the pressures of his latest film by having a string of indiscretions.

As he approaches his 40th birthday, Contini is haunted by the ghosts of his ex’s, and the other women from his past and present as he tries to plot his next film.

Keeping in the theme of numbers in mind here are nine reasons, in no particular order, to see the SNS production of NINE.

REASON 1: SNS’ Inventive Staging

Often seeing a musical at a theater you frequent is a bit like going to the old neighborhood and seeing how things change. Theatres continue to redesign old set pieces into current shows. The apartment steps in JERSEY BOYS? Wasn’t that the store front of Mr. Musnik’s flower shop in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS?

That is not the case in NINE.

Scenic Designer Antonio Dibernardo outdid himself, constructing something that transforms the Garden Theatre into a Venice spa. Dibernardo added some unique NINE touches – adding a nine-step staircase and having nine lightbulb outlets on the arches of the stage.

Projection & Media Designer Ryan Shreve of Fyrebird Media then adds a classic Hollywood touch to the production by projecting film onto the curtains. Lighting Designer Chris Lipstreu uses colored gels and dark shadows to create the mood of the show.

REASON 2: Matthew Curiano

Guido Contini could be a challenging role to play. How do you make a character who habitually cheats on his wife, becomes increasingly romantically entangled with a series of co-stars and co-workers, and capsizes productions with his unsteady management style both believable and likeable?

Curiano makes Contini a sympathetic character who the audience both loves and is driven crazy by with his hubris.

REASON 3: Lovable Luisa

Although she has been a fixture from the beginning of Short North Stage, Dionysia Williams Velazco is, more often than naught, behind the scenes. She usually serves as a director, a choreographer, and as the SNS associate artistic director.

In NINE, however, Velazco steps into the spotlight and shines as Contini’s long-suffering wife, Luisa. Ironically, her character is a talented actress who often steps out of the limelight with her career taking a backseat to her husband’s ambition.

Velazco continually gives her husband second chances but Contini is often blind to see her love for him is far stronger than his flits of fancy with the other women. The moment Contini rips away her prized blue scarf and gives it to his muse Claudia Nardi is heartbreaking.

REASONS 4 & 5: The Other Women

Contini is surrounded by “other women,” but there are two main ones the show focuses on: Nardi and Carla Albanese.

Albanese, played by Miss Jaye, is an over-the-top, overly dramatic actress who is desperately in love with Contini. Miss Jaye shines in a reimagining of the role. Albanese is ready to give up everything, her husband, her life, her future, to be with Contini. At one point, she announces she has left her husband and is now ready for the film director to divorce his wife so they can be together. It is a sacrifice Contini is not willing to make.

On the flip side of the script is Nardi (Sarah Chelli), who was once the muse for Contini but has since moved on from him. Nardi could be described as Albanese plus time and wisdom. While Contini clings on to her, or rather his memories of the relationship the two once shared, Nardi has no desire to revisit being a part of the cinematic circus the film director creates while making a film.

Albanese and Nardi are beautifully juxtaposed as they perform the song “Simple.” Albanese sings how easy it is for someone to fall in and out of love with someone: “Simple as the touch of another's hands/Simple enough for anyone to understand, but you/Simple are the ways we come apart.”

Between the stanzas, Nardi delivers a dialogue about her life away from Contini. She reveals she is living with an investment banker named Michelle in Paris. What makes the relationship work is Michelle is far away from her world of acting. “Acting is what I care about, Guido, and Michelle understands,” she said. “Michelle does not distract me. I've made choices in my life. I know what I want.”

As the two prepare to depart Venice, Albanese and Nardi deliver back-to-back blows that drop Contini to his knees. Clara sings, “Simple are the ways we say good-bye.” As her notes fade, Nardi follows with, “Ciao, Guido. Ciao.”

REASON 6: A Bevy of Talent

One of the things that stands out about the Short North Stage’s productions is the amazing bevy of talented players it brings back show after show. And yet, they don’t always receive the top billing.

In NINE, Carignan reaches into his Rolodex of actors and pulled several of his leading ladies from previous SNS productions to play supporting roles including Eli Brickey (CARRIE), Vera Ryan Cremeans (LEGALLY BLONDE), Laura Overby (LEGALLY BLONDE), Dana DeLisa (A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING), Lisa Glover (A SLAVE PLAY), Heather Patterson King (THE PROM), Kate Lingnofski (HAND TO GOD), and Arriah Ratanapan (WHICH WAY TO THE STAGE?) to mention just a few.

REASON 7: A NINE-member Orchestra

The Short North Stage welcomes the return of its orchestra and, under the direction of Jonathan Collura, the group handles Yeston’s challenging score. One of the detractors of the show is it doesn’t leave the audience with that one hummable tune that gets stuck in your head for weeks.

However, conductor Lloyd Butler leads Dee Saunders (keyboard), William Mayer (drums and percussion), Tom Regouski (reeds), Brian Lang (reeds), Mathew Kinner (violin), Jaryn Danz (viola), Robin Coolidge (cello) and Luis Gonzales (bass) through the score with precision.

REASON 8. You May Not Get The Chance Again

In its press release, the Short North Stage called NINE “a rarely seen gem.”  The question becomes why.

Perhaps it is the subject matter. In the wake of the “Me, Too” movement and the fall of predators like Harvey Weinstein, a plot involving a film director who cavorts with many of his movie stars might not seem like a wholesome offering.

Carignan doesn’t see it that way. In his program notes, the director states, “Although the show is sometimes mistakenly labeled a ‘misogynistic musical,’ Nine is, in fact, a profound exploration of the women in Contini’s life and the transformative power of positive femininity in the face of toxic masculinity, narcissism, and selfishness. Each woman in NINE loves Contini deeply, yet she also sets vital boundaries that challenge him to heal from his past, confront his present, and work toward a more hopeful future.”

REASON NUMBER NINE: It’s pun-tastic

Throughout the show, I kept thinking of horrible headlines to put on this review. Among them: “A Harvey NINEstein musical,” “NINE Lives” and “A Stitch, Time saves NINE,” “NINE is actually a 10,” etc.

Whatever the reason, you should see this dramatic, artistic performance and then place your own number value on it.

Photo credits: Fyrebird Media

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