Who hasn’t been told to “cover your head” to either protect or adorn your crowning glory? What we wear on our heads and why is at the heart of CROWNS, now onstage at MusicalFare Theatre until May 19.

Playwright Regina Taylor weaves Black American history, inspirational storytelling, and glorious Gospel music into a proud tale about finding your personal expression in an unexpected place. For Yolanda (Janae Leonard), this means she is transported from her native and beloved Brooklyn to her grandmother’s home in the south after an incident ends her brother’s life. In this new place, her rap music, flashy clothes, and bravado don’t fit this traditional culture. She learns, though, through her grandmother’s firm yet gentle hand, her church woman friends, their stylish hats and the things and people they represent.

This is a lively, joyous production that celebrates womanhood, faith, and a dash of fashion, too.  You’re immediately drawn in by Chris Cavanagh’s video and set design. There’s just enough video to add interest without a screen takeover and it’s very skillfully integrated into the set, which is elegantly curved to suggest a church layout. Then the music grabs your ears and doesn’t let go. Karen Saxon commands a keyboard that goes from orchestra to piano to church organ and back again, backed up by Preston Brown at the drums. And when the women of the church start singing, hold on to your hats, the are marvelous. Each has a story and song to share about how they are living their truth and are ready to share their life lessons with Yolanda. Danielle N. Green, Latosha Jennings, Zhanna Reed, Ember Tate-Steele, and Davida Evette Tolbert raise their voices in high praise and encourage the audience to clap and sway and join their journeys. Director Thembi Duncan and choreographer Naila Ansari had the cast across the stage and up the stairs to immerse the audience in the whole experience. Through it all, hats came off and came back on and it’s all glorious. The poignant message sings through: a hat is more than a fashion statement. It’s history and protection and a display of self, with humility and pride. It’s a personal crown of triumph and a reminder to share your love.

There is an irresistible joy in this show that makes every element of it uplifting and wonderful. CROWNS runs for just under two hours with a 15-minute intermission. Find details and tickets at www.musicalfare.com. Amen!

Beautiful The Carole King Musical now on stage at MusicalFare to March 24 is, indeed, beautiful in every way. It celebrates the early days of Carole King’s illustrious career, first as a songwriter with her husband Gerry Goffin and then as a solo singer-songwriter. She was – and still is – an icon in pop music.

STOP: By the time you finish reading this review, you may miss your opportunity, so go to www.musicalfare.com right now to grab your tickets.

OK, resume reading now.

Part jukebox musical and part overview of how pop music was made back in the day, Beautiful features a cast of 18 with a superb back up band led by music director Theresa Quinn.

It’s the young and ambitious Carole who opens the show by nudging mom (Debbie Pappas Sham) away from the family’s upright piano so she can finish writing the song she wants to ‘sell’ to storied producer Don Kirshner (John Kaczorowski). He knows a pop hit when he hears it and soon makes space in his stable of writers for Carole and boyfriend-about-to-be-husband Goffin. They start churning out the hits for the biggest names in ‘60s pop. Along the way they meet rivals/best pals Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann where they grow as artists and then grow apart as a couple.

Maria Pedro and Sean Ryan are out front as King and Goffin and they shine. Gretchen Didio and Josh Wilde are Weil and Mann with the perfect combination of peppy and nebbish. I loved this dynamic. The rest of the cast are the radio stars who made these songs soar. David P. Eve, Jake Hayes, El Tyner, and Derrian Brown are The Drifters with that cool sound, snappy wardrobe and precision choreography.  Brett Jackson and Marc Sacco (love how their voiceparts cross) are the Righteous Brothers with Jackson doing double duty as Neil Sedaka. Lily Jones, Janae Leonard, Timiyah Love, and Ember Tate are the Shirelles. Sacco comes back as Lou Adler, the producer who made King’s 1971 album Tapestry the staple in every teen girl’s record collection. King’s legacy endures but this story stops telling at Tapestry’s rise to fame, when King is empowered by confidence as an artist and a performer.

Director Randy Kramer must have had a blast with this cast and crew. Dyan Burlingame built a set that took you back to the funky shapes and colors of the era. The sisters Drozd nailed the look with Kari’s teeny bopper chic and granny gowns for Carole and sophisticated stylings for Cynthia and shiny satins for the performers, and Susan’s hairdos from curly to sleek.

Sound was paramount here and Chris Cavanagh had it all in good balance. For once I was glad to not have his clever projections: this was a show about people and their music and the staging and music was all your needed to revel in this experience.

Am I overselling? Nope.  Just get a ticket and before the overture is over, you’ll say to yourself “Something Tells Me I’m Into Something Good.”

Beautiful The Carole King Musical runs a little more than two hours with an intermission. And I’m serious about grabbing your tickets now. Don’t wait until “It’s Too Late.”

Showtune is currently on the MusicalFare Theatre Premier Cabaret stage for only a few more performances, so if you’re a fan of Jerry Herman’s exquisite music, book your table now.

The show is replete with the songs you love to hear and hum: the haunting “Time Heals Everything” from Mack & Mabel, the cheeky “Bosom Buddies” from Mame, the lovely “Song on the Sand” from La Cage Aux Folles” are beautifully performed by powerhouse singers Anne DeFazio, Gregory Gjurich, Mary Coppola Gjurich, Stevie Kemp, Austin Marshall, and Eric Deeb Weaver with Stephen Piotrowski at the piano.

MusicalFare is calling this a Cabaret Musical, meaning it’s performed in the lobby Cabaret space and it’s not an engaged cabaret-style show, and nor is it a full-blown musical from the mainstage. This hybrid means that there are minimal props and a costume change. It’s a format that just isn’t for me. The usual performance platform was tricked out with a small stage façade outline with white lights and two side doors to allow the actors to flow about the now small-ish stage. During some numbers, the actors carried some props and there were some nods to costumes and accessories. It worked for songs like “A Little More Mascara” and Deeb Weaver’s interpretation was well done, down to the transformation of dressing in drag. I didn’t need to see actual ribbons down Kemp’s back, however, when she sang “Ribbons Down My Back;” her lilting, lovely voice and wistful presentation put me in that Hello, Dolly-era setting well enough. Same could be said about “Movies Were Movies” which started Act 2. Greg Gjurich is born for this number (he’s performed it a few times in Gentlemen Prefer DIVA presented by O’Connell and Company.) He didn’t need a faux camera and clapboard to remind us that he’s portraying a filmmaker.  In other words, this show could have let Jerry be Jerry and just have the cast sing the songs. Herman’s music/lyrics are that outstanding and evocative.

A couple of the highlights were the less familiar tunes. Kemp does wonderful things with Shalom, from Herman’s first musical Milk and Honey. “I Don’t Want to Know” from Dear World (how prescient Herman was to write about environmental impacts back in ’69!) were just grand.

The singers were truly spectacular and the solo piano accompaniment was perfection. Keep an eye out for Marhsall: he’s still in college and his performance was mature, nuanced, and outstanding.

Showtune runs just under two hours with an intermission for a good stretch and a refill. The show closes January 28 so get there and lose yourself in well-crafted words and wonderful music. Find details at musicalfare.com.

I know you’ve read this from me before, but it bears repeating: I’m not a fan of movies on stage. Sigh, they just keep coming. The latest is Legally Blonde The Musical, on stage at MusicalFare Theatre to December 10.

While I dislike the trend, It’s not the fault of this immensely talented cast or crew. There is a lot to like about this production, starting with Michael Oliver-Walline’s choreography (he’s also the director). Every dance sequence is energetic and joyous and makes you just want to jump up to join in.

Chris Cavanagh uses pink (our heroine Elle Wood’s “signature color”) on the set to set the tone for this tale of a blonde and bouncy California girl who wants to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School (“like that’s hard,” she chirps) to win him back.

Gretchen Didio is Elle and she is perfectly perky as she naively dances her way into the Harvard Law admissions team’s hearts.  What’s a college girl without her sorority sisters and Anna Fernandez, Sabrina Kahwaty, Kristen-Marie Lopez, Kayla McSorley, and Alexandria Watts shriek, squeal, and selfie like a loyal Delta Nu. 

Elle quickly discovers that life at Harvard doesn’t have the warmth of Malibu sunshine. Classmates like Vivienne (Amanda Funicello) – who is also her ex’s new love interest – outshine her in class and humiliate her socially.  Even her CA beau Warner (Alex Anthony Garcia) is different here. She forms new connections with fledgling attorney Emmett (wonderfully played by Sean Ryan) and manicurist Paulette (Nicole Cimato) and begins to see herself in a new light. She also finds her strength dealing with sleazeball Professor Callahan (Marc Sacco).

The breakthrough moment is when Elle is part of a trial team and her observations contribute to a verdict on the right side of the law. The stage version (again, no fault of this cast/crew) doesn’t have the punch of the movie. Instead there’s an ensemble song which may have sounded witty to songwriters Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin a few years back, but I found rather….unappealing.

It’s fitness instructor/wife of a dead rich guy Brooke (Gabriella Jean McKinley) who’s on trial and don’tchaknowit, she’s a Delta Nu like Elle. McKinley rocks this role and her Act II “Whipped Into Shape” song is a tribute to her vocal and fitness training as she jumps rope and sings…perfectly, on pitch, and in step. She is amazing.

The stage version tries to make the most out of some of the movie’s funniest scenes, like when Paulette is trying to catch the eye of delivery man Kyle (Bobby Cooke) and Elle teaches her to “bend and snap.” This scene is pure gold and Cimato and especially Cooke make the most of it.

My ears detected some opening night troubles with the sound, music, and some singers which I’m sure are well ironed out.

All told, it’s a fun night of theatre. It’s hard not to compare it with the film which is ubiquitous on most cable movie channels so go in with an open mind. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the little doggo with the duel role of Bruiser (Elle’s pet) and Dewey (Paulette’s pooch). What a good pup!

Legally Blonde The Musical runs under two hours with an intermission to December 10. It’s a fun girl’s night out. Find tickets and info at www.musicalfare.com.

There’s a lot to love about a classic musical.  The familiarity is a cozy hug from someone who just plain out loves you. Even when (OK, sometime especially when) the story is a little far-fetched and the dialogue is dated, a great score will never go out of style, so these old chestnuts will always entertain you. That’s how I feel about Guys and Dolls, on stage now at MusicalFare Theatre. The program notes (yes, a real paper program was put in my hands and I couldn’t be happier!) calls this production “fresh and innovative” and major props go to director Chris Kelly for selecting a diverse and interesting cast. The rest of the show is pure nostalgia.

Chris Cavanagh’s set was simple and props were limited, so the whole show rested on the beautifully costumed (the good work of Kari Drozd) shoulders of the cast. Susan Drozd styled this group to red-lipped perfection.

The best part of this show is Frank Loesser’s killer score, hands down. Music director Theresa Quinn led a spare yet solid band (keyboards, drums, trumpet, bass and reeds) and this simplicity against the vocal talents of the cast let every note shine. There were a couple rocky minutes at the start of the show during the iconic “Fugue for Tin Horns,” but I’d write that off as maybe some audio challenges on this particular night. The delightful surprise of the opening vocal trio (Thomas Evans as Rusty Charlie and Anthony Lazzaro as Benny Southstreet) is Davida Evette Tolbert as Nicely Nicely. She was as Zoot suited as the next guy with her flash of long-red-painted nails giving her flair. 

The story unfolds as it always had: a group of professional gamblers is searching for a place for their next crap game. It’s always good ol’ reliable Nathan Detroit (well played by John Kaczorowski) who makes the arrangements and he’s rolling snake eyes.  Officer Brannigan (Rolando Martin Gomez) is on to him and the do-gooders from the Save a Soul Mission keep marching by to, well, save the sinners’ souls. Leading the pack is Sarah Brown (Sarah Blewett) who is eager to keep the mission viable, but a lack of saved souls is putting the site in danger. High roller Sky Masterson (in a stand-out performance by Alex Anthony Garcia) woos her with a whirlwind dinner date to Cuba and their three back-to-back numbers (“If I Were a Bell,” “My Time of Day,” and “I’ve Never Been in Love Before”) were dazzling. Garcia’s voice was spectacular as he gave some interesting nuance to phrasing and vocal styling.

There were other great musical moments, too. Maria Pedro as the sniffling Miss Adelaide gives her laments with conviction and she and Kaczorowski milk every moment in “Sue Me.” It’s Bobby Cooke’s sweet and simple styling of “More I Cannot Wish You” that stole my heart. It’s a tender moment and Cooke’s rendition was pure loveliness.

Of course, Jimmy Janowski as Big Jule, the man with the big hat and high voice, is a hoot and a half.

All told, Guys and Dolls is a fun night out with music you’ve heard forever (yes, my grandpa used to sing me “I Love You a Bushel and a Peck”) and will always love. Full disclosure: a family emergency forced my departure three tunes from the end.

Guys and Dolls is onstage to October 8 and runs a sold two hours and some change with a 15-minute intermission.  Secure your tickets at http://www.musicalfare.com.

Everyone loves the classic “mistaken identity” plotline. You know, the one where  you wear  your twin brother’s clothes because you think he died when you were both shipwrecked, but you’re really a woman so when people think you’re a man and another woman starts to fall in love with you, you just go along with it.  Meanwhile, your twin bro thinks you’re the dead one and adopts a new identity but is wearing clothes that matches yours. There’s love. There’s betrayal.  Hijinx ensues! So that’s the gist of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, but MusicalFare’s production adds a killer score and one of the best ensemble casts you can imagine. In other words, “if music be the food of love, play on!”

Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah with outstanding music and lyrics by Shaina Taub (she also gave a contemporary version of As You Like It the same treatment), this show is pure fun from start to finish. There’s still some Elizabethan-speak for authenticity, but this is contemporary, fast-paced, and an absolute delight.

Director Susan Drozd gave the MusicalFare production a unique touch, too: Feste the fool (Maria Pedro) opens the show with an Emcee/warm up schtick that is actually quite charming. Better a witty fool than a foolish wit, indeed. Then she straps on an accordion (songwriter Taub’s instrument of choice) and the musical voyage to Illyria begins. First, the music. Taub’s score is great, with a funk-pop-jazz vibe that is totally ear-appealing. It’s the stuff that is in music director/keyboardist Theresa Quinn’s wheelhouse. Larry Albert, Jim Celese, John Maguda, Jimmy Runfola, and Jim Runfola kick in on guitar, drums, trumpet, bass, and reeds respectively. Add in some great trombone riffs from cast member Ricky Needham, too (watching him move and play and sing reminds me of watching Jimmy Pankow from iconic band Chicago). Stand out songs were the peppy “Word on the Street,” the heartfelt and hummable “This is My Beloved,” the absolute radio hit potential “Is This Not Love” and the 11-o’clock anthem “I Am She.”  

It’s truly a stellar cast with Gabriella Jean McKinley and her power-diva vocals as Viola, Augustus Donaldson twinning as Sebastian, Louis Colaicovo  as the malevolent Malvolio, Stevie Jackson, Lisette DeJesus, Thomas Evans, Alex Anthony Garcia, Christian Hines, Kristen-Marie Lopez, Nick Lama, Dave Spychalski, Ember Tate, and Daniel Torres, singing and dancing like nobody’s business. The sign language choreography (by Melissa VanOsch) was an unexpected and way cool touch to the closing numbers.

So dispel your recollection of 10^th grade honors English and forget about the straight-laced Elizabethan romps of past productions. This version of Twelfth Night is the one you’ll remember as you search through YouTube to find your favorite songs again. Hasten to make way to MusicalFare before it’s curtains on August 6: procure tickets at Musicalfare. Huzzah!

This is two hours with a 15-minute intermission to refill your MusicalFare sippy cup with the signature Toby cocktail (spoiler alert, it’s good).