"Bring Me Giants": World Premiere Musical at McDaniel

SHOW INFORMATION: Through 3/8; Thurs – Sat at 8PM.  At McDaniel College in Westminster.  $8.00.  www.mcdaniel.edu or 410-857-2599.

◊◊◊◊  out of five. 2 hours, 10 minutes, plus intermission.  Stylized scenes of war and stage combat.

For true musical theatre enthusiasts, the very first public performance of a brand new musical is like nectar from the Gods.  Well, last night, the world premiere performance of the world premiere of Bring Me Giants at McDaniel College was a giant goblet full of that nectar.  Long in gestation (just under 20 years, according to program notes), this musical version of the classic Cyrano de Bergerac was worth the wait.  Is it perfect?  No. Is it well-done and entertaining?  Absolutely.  Despite some serious microphone issues, this new piece is well-directed, nicely sun and acted, and very well-written. 

The program notes reference the 70's musical Cyrano, a flop which won Christopher Plummer a Tony, as a reason this show almost didn't go on.  I didn't see that production, but I was one of about five people who saw Cyrano: The Musical in 1993.  That production, hailed by critics as "Les Miz with a nose" continues to be popular everywhere but in the US.  I have to admit outright that I am a Cyrano-phile.  I can relate to this swashbuckling hero with a nose as big as his heart and the unrequited love story in many ways; surely, that universality is a reason Cyrano remains one of history's most popular plays.  Steven Zumbrun (book and lyrics) and Ivan Sherman (music) have created a new musical based on that same work as both previous Broadway flops, but succeed in every way the 1990's version (at least) failed.  This version chops away many of the subplots of the original, focusing instead on our hero, his life as a soldier and the love of his life, the fair Roxane.   

Wisely, they have kept away from trying to create something grand scale and hopelessly overblown in the vein of Les Miserables and other 80's mega-musicals.  Time, I think, is slowly showing us that while they ran forever, they aren't quite as timeless as once believed.  So it was a smart move to downsize the play and create a chamber musical that is tightly focused.  Mr. Zumbrum's book is long on wit, often appropriately poetic, and, thankfully, short of melodrama.  He has given us a sweeping love story, carefully balanced with a comic subplot, and plenty of manly derring-do.  Zumbrum and Sherman's music also keeps with that chamber musical feel, with numbers that range from mock opera, to rousing character numbers, and anthem or two, and, of course, romantic ballads.  There were a few times – namely the ballad "Are You Still the Same", the upbeat number "Rageneau's Bakery", and the two soldier group numbers, "Gascon Defenders" and "The Piper" – that I could hear in my head, and wished it were happening, that the score sounded a little bit fuller.  Still, the small five-piece "orchestra" (arrangements by Joshua Vyskocil and Mr. Zumbrun) employed in this production plays very well, and shows that this can be done very well on a small scale.  Perhaps the only other thing I might tweak, were I the writers, would be to limit the reprises of "Are You Still the Same" (two of them), and the very similar sounding "I Know What You've Done" (reprised once, also).  I think both songs work, but I get the impression the authors feel "Are You Still the Same" is their money ballad.  It is nice, but not powerful enough to have that much responsibility. 

How fortunate the ten students cast in this production are!  What a resume entry!  (This could have a nice future in the regional/community theatre arena.)  And they all do very well, despite some serious problems with the sound system on opening night.  Not once did they let the mic situation affect their performances, a fact I can say isn't even always the case on Broadway.  I wonder, though, if they could forgo the microphones and project more, a criticism I level at all ten performers.  Projection, even when microphones work, is essential.  With only five instruments to sing over, there really is no excuse for not being heard. 

The Gascons – a band of French soldiers – are played with a wonderful mix of humility and machismo by Brady G. Eisenberg, Peter M. Kendall, and George F. Moorehead, IV.  That they manage to convey both the human side of soldiering and the unfortunately violent side of it is commendable, and all of them seem to relish their group numbers, flush with manly posturing and bravado, and professional quality harmonies.  These young men also do duty as Cyrano's enemy assassins, representing everything he fights against.  And WOW!  Are they good with their swords!  Bravo to Casey Kaleb's breathtaking fight choreography.  In their final showdown with a dying Cyrano, the fighting is more stylized and symbolically shows us what a true hero Cyrano is.   Jack W. Rinn, as their leader, Carbon, blends in nicely when they work as a group, and is every bit the army captain when called for.   

In a somewhat comic subplot (the authors might want to punch up the comedy just a bit more in future revisions), we have Roxane's lady servant, Duenna flirting with the local baker, the jolly Rageneau.  Both actors, Katie Ridgway and Ryan Brown, respectively, make the most of their roles and are a delightful burst of energy every time they are on stage.  Who knew a dagger and a bunch of éclairs could be both funny and romantic? 

Every great tale of a hero has an arch villain at the center of its conflict, and Bring Me Giants/Cyrano de Bergerac has one in spades with Armand DeGuiche, a self-righteous, self-involved dandy who wears his wounded pride on his sleeve and hides behind some decidedly grand plumage on his hat, bewigged head and interestingly feminine garb.  He looks like a walking swatch for a French Country kitchen design.  Played by Brian Engler, the snobbery and machismo practically drips from him, while the irony of how he is dressed is played perfectly by making DeGuiche completely unaware of it.  Where Mr. Engler falls a bit short is in convincing us he is really THAT bad – he comes across sometimes like a kinder, gentler Captain Hook. 

Any version of Cyrano would be a waste of time without three terrific actors in the Cyrano-Roxane-Christian love triangle.  Here, the show has hit the trifecta!  Sydney Thro's sophisticated beauty, dazzling smile and thrilling soprano voice combine to make her Roxane win the hearts of all those around her, including the audience.  She plays it smart, tough and vulnerable in such a wonderful combination.  That both of her leading men are quite excellent doesn't hurt, either.  Joe Byrd's wholesome, Chris O'Donnell-like face, slightly dim delivery, and a warm sincerity combine to make him just enough of a great guy to see why Roxane loves him, and just enough of a threat to Cyrano to make the conflict work.  Mr. Byrd sings well, and manages to play his final moments without a trace of over doing it.   

Andrew F. Tucker, as Cyrano, is excellent from the moment he first takes the stage; all eyes are on him whenever he's onstage.  He can sing, and is especially good in his rapid fire character song, "Twenty Better Things," where he lists much better insults about his nose than anything an opponent can dish out.  He is superb at stage combat, even as he fights with a sword in one hand and fights with his cape in the other.  Mr. Tucker clearly relishes the role, and I wish I could see him in it when there are no opening night issues or nerves, and he is completely comfortable – talk about potential panache!  Nowhere is the power of the three leads more potent than in the final battle scene and the final scene of the play.  

It is in these scenes where all of the elements converge in theatrical bliss.  The songs work, the acting sublime, and the direction is top notch.  Director Clay Hopper and designer Ira Domser, a McDaniel fixture I hear, clearly knows their space, and makes maximum use of the theatre's huge proscenium and almost oversized thrust/apron.  The direction, light and set design compliment every scene, and manage to make the story up close and personal, as in the scenes just described, or grand and sweeping, particularly in the bold, stylized war scenes which start act two.  The rapid refocusing of elements in each scene creates a virtually seamless presentation, almost cinematic in scope, with both wide shots and extreme close-ups.  Finally, Joyce L. Ritz's costume design (rumored to include several pieces from the recent Cyrano on Broadway) is superb, adding a lush quality to the otherwise spare scenery, and definitely defining each character.  The lushness of the costumes and the grand simplicity of the set, combined with the smart cuts and focus of the book and score, really put the emphasis where it should be – on the characters, not the spectacle. 

A few tweaks here and there will certainly help the show grow, and some slightly more "out there" performances, unafraid of volume will help this production be even better.  Still, what a way to start!  Get to McDaniel College if you love new musicals!  Heck, get there to have two-plus hours of great entertainment.

PHOTO: Andrew F. Tucker and Sydney Thro as Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxane in Bring Me Giants.  Photo courtesy of McDaniel College.

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