Drew Eberhard - Page 9

What happens when you combine six guys who look like every-day average men, close to over 40+ years of dance training and performance, two incredible musicians, and a whole lot of moving parts and set pieces? That is the experience and feelings the audience embraced Friday night as TapDogs took Morsani Hall at the Straz center by storm, and leaving nothing in their wake. 31 incredibly powerful dance numbers and one exciting encore made this evening of tap truly exceptional.

'Strikingly beautiful,' 'ghost-like,' are just two adjectives that make up the mood in which Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, leaves on it's audiences which can witness this 'who-dunnit' now on-stage at Stageworks Theatre in the heart of downtown Tampa. At least that was the first and lasting impression I received upon entering the space Saturday night for a mere sold out performance, that was so stunning I still think about it days later. After all as one character proclaims, 'First impressions are so important,' and this bone chilling first impression still has me gasping for air.

After a 14 year hiatus the bad boys of Shakespeare took to the stage and command the stage they did. For the next 90ish minutes the audience was thrust into a world of side-splitting head over heels laughter. Jobsite's Artistic Director David Jenkins entered the space with a hilarious curtain speech. One of the most memorable moments was when he said, "We are in a small space, so if you're talking and thinking you can't be heard you can… and if anyone came with a child shut the little bastard up and let them fend for themselves." Introducing the facts that over the next hour and a half the audience will be thrust into a world unknown to some, a place of Elizabethan England; Stratford on Avon to be exact, and thus he went forth and introduced all of the players that would be seen that evening.

A classic musical based on a novel of the same name by E.L. Doctorow, with a stunning book by Terrance McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens is something of a poignant resonance that the audience of Friday evening's performance was to bear witness to. Leading the cast of a whopping 45 people was Orchestra Conductor Joseph Scarborough. From the moment the overture began you were swept away into a moment in history not much unlike the current climate in which we find ourselves today. The actors hit the stage donning varying shades of white period pieces and they looked stunning. Props to the costume crew and Beverly Mercer for the stunning display that carried on throughout the production, donning actors/actresses in period wear is no easy feat and this is one truly worth commending.

A Blank stage is set to adorn a combination of a house on one side and what will soon become the work stations of the women in this production. On the projection behind the set were words written to strike a chord with incoming audience members, "If one woman were to tell the truth about her life, the world would split open." These wise words from Muriel Rukyster were the only thing standing between the audience and the works to be portrayed on the stage this night. In the program, Founder and Director Fran Powers wrote, "Directing These Shining Lives has been a project of the heart. "It is vitally important to keep honoring courageous women who sacrificed so much for others." This is the foundation of the Powerstories Theatre mission."With that the scene is set and a whirlwind 90 minutes set to no intermission was about to unfold in front of us.

Set to a backdrop of great men and women throughout history, the audience is immersed in a brief moment of history while seated looking at a grand staircase as the focal point for the room. As a usual theatre endeavor guest were checked in at the door, and some made their way to the concession area. Offered amidst the array of beer, wine and coffee was what seemed to be a delightful offering of chicken salad or house made chips. Opting for the Pinot Noir I made my way forth to the room adjacent which housed the grand staircase in which tonight's performance would be taking place.

A BRONX TALE is a musical adapted from a film that was once a one man show written by Chazz Palminteri. The Broadway Smash premiered with previews on November 3, 2016, and officially opened December 1, 2016 at the Longacre Theatre. Launching its North American Tour in the Fall of 2018 the musical features music written by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and book written by the original one man show stopper Chazz Palminteri. While on its tour stop in Tampa at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, we as the opening-night audience were truly thrust into Old City New York full of Mobsters and Italian lessons to boot.