Theater Jones
We interrupt coverage of the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival for an important advisory:
The festival headliner production featured this weekend on the Main Stage of WaterTower Theatre is not—repeat NOT—Neil Simon's Broadway Bound. No, indeedy, Bubba. This is the one that mixes cornball humor, slapstick pratfallery and jaw-dropping vocal prowess. You can gain a clue from the show's full title: "3 Redneck Tenors in Broadway Bound."
You know these guys. They're North Texas homegrown—the evolution of the concept that began with operatic bigshots Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, then morphed into Irish tenors, Three Mo' Tenors, etc. Dare we ask: What next?
Don't bother questioning. Just savor the artful silliness that writer/singer Matthew Lord has wrapped around his talents and those of three other performers. The actual tally is two tenors (Lord and Alex Bumpas) and one baritone (Blake Davidson). The meager "plot" finds the boys in a Paris, TX., trailer park where the sign on their battered Airstream proclaims: "Conceived in Grapevine, Texas."
The singers have their eyes on the big time, meaning Broadway. Their manager, the Colonel, (Dinny McGuire, a bass), is working on it. For the first act, the four singers prowl their way through various familiar show tunes. Bumpas has a grand time with "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys and Dolls. He sings, yodels and plays the trumpet.
By the time Act II dawns, the colonel (bless him) has negotiated an audition in the Big Apple. So we shift from East Texas to Manhattan with only one set design modification. The old fashioned outhouse is replaced by a NYC Sanitation Dept. portable potty. The gig that the colonel has wangled turns out to be in a strip club. That means the guys perform a number from Gypsy. It's as outrageous as it sounds.
The three and four-part harmonies that arranger Craig Bohmler has crafted are first-rate, and there are few actual solos. The most memorable would be Lord's impeccably phrased "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. This is the only no-nonsense moment in the show, until the lads appear post-curtain call, dressed in formal wear, remove their comic wigs and uncork an exquisite rendition of Nessun dorma from the Puccini opera, Turandot.
Pavarotti is smiling.
►3 Redneck Tenors in Broadway Bound repeats 7:30 p.m. March 11; 8 p.m. March 12; 2 & 8pm March 13; 2 p.m. March 14 in WaterTower's Mainstage Thaetre. Runtime is one hour, 50 minutes with one intermission.
►Also check out the video above, with the fellas talkin' about their show.
Beauty and a BeastICT's Theatre on the Edge attempts Martin McDonagh, with mostly impressive results.
Clear WindowBeyond a shadow of a doubt, you'll be spellbound by The 39 Steps at Stage West.
Mama Wants You!Vicki Lawrence and her alter ago pleased a nearly sold-out crowd at Casa Mama.
China SyndromePlan a trip to the Angelika Film Center to see Mao's Last Dancer. With video.
Ham-lischious!Marvin Hamlisch opens his first season as the Dallas Symphony's Pops Conductor.
Herr ApparentBach at Leipzig is a farce to be reckoned with at Circle Theatre. Plus: video interview with playwright Itamar Moses.
If It’s Baroque, Play It!The Fort Worth Symphony’s Baroque festival opens at Bass Hall. With video of the FWSO in rehearsal.
Shakespeare and SexLet's be honest, that's what it's all about, right? Armin knows what's up.
Moon Over My HammyContemporary Theatre of Dallas trods a well-worn path with The Blue Moon Dancing, and doesn't do it any favors.
Love is...Anything but logical, according to a beautiful, original work from Sundown Collaborative Theatre.
House PartyPianist Alexandre Moutouzkine previews his transcription of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite at a private concert for Chamber Music International.
Kooks in the KitchenRichardson Theatre Centre serves up some guilty pleasure junk food.
Don't Rock the BoatRunway Theatre charts familiar territory with two new one-acts. Whatever will be, will be.
Oh! Cal-cutoff!Level Ground Arts has fun with A Bollywood Lysistrata, but dilutes the message.
Greek WeekStolen Shakespeare Guild pulls the silly and serious together for a tasty feast.
Not So ElementaryTheatre Three decks out Sherlock Holmes with steampunk design, and keeps the intrigue.
Growing PainsSceneShop presents a mixed bag of a showcase at Arts Fifth Avenue.
They Can Do ItDenton Community Theatre gets into the spirit of The Producers.
Puppet Poetry in MotionHip Pocket Theatre's Lowdown Wax is a fanciful ride, with artistry to spare. Plus: video snippets from the show.
No Business Like Showoff BusinessUptown Players' Forbidden Broadway hilariously sends up the Great White Way.
This section only
All sections
Results will be listed above
