WEST
COAST PREMIERE |
January 27 - March 4, 2012
ROOMS: a rock romance
Music, Book and Lyrics by Paul Scott Goodman
Book by Miriam Gordon
Directed by Patrick Pearson
Music Direction by Robyn Manion
- 02/06/12 REVIEW:
StageSceneLA
WOW! - 02/07/12 REVIEW:
Back Stage
CRITIC'S
PICK!
- 02/07/12 REVIEW: Orange County Register
THEATER REVIEW
ROOMS: a rock romance
by Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
WOW!
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| Robert
Wallace and Melinda Porto Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio  |
The burgeoning punk music scene of the late 1970s provides the setting for the Outer Critics Circle Award-nominated ROOMS: a rock romance, whose exhilarating West Coast Premiere proves once again that Chance Theater is unmatched as Orange County’s finest intimate theater.
ROOMS takes us to Glasgow, circa 1977, where would-be music superstar Monica P. Miller (Melinda Porto), in search of music to fit her lyrics, finds just the right songwriting partner in Ian (Robert Wallace), and though the result of their first collaboration, “Scottish Jewish Princess,” doesn’t sit well with its commissioner, justifiably upset when Monica’s lyrics out her bisexual teen daughter at her Bat Mitzvah, it does cement a professional relationship between SJP Monica and Scottish Catholic Ian.
Soon enough, Monica’s and Ian’s dreams have taken them from Glasgow to London, and then on to New York success as punk duo The Diabolicals. Before long, however, Ian’s drinking has turned from habit into full-blown alcoholism (along with more than a bit of agoraphobia), putting both their professional and personal relationships very much in jeopardy.
Told through dialog and song, with the emphasis on the latter, ROOMS: a rock romance proves a terrific showcase for its talented creative team (composer-lyricist-book writer Paul Scott Goodman and co-book writer Miriam Gordon). Goodman’s melodies are catchy and melodic, even at their punkest, and his lyrics clever and engaging. As for Ian and Monica’s storyline, though it proves a tad generic (boy meets girl, boy loses girl, etc.), it is told in the most winning of ways, particularly as brought to life by director extraordinaire Patrick Pearson and his two dazzling stars, recent UCLA grad Porto and Cal State Fullerton senior Wallace.
The CSUF stamp is pretty much everywhere in Rooms, with virtually the entire creative team either Fullerton alumni or current students, including Porto and Wallace’s Scenie-winning understudies Chelsea Baldree and Daniel Wargo. Make no mistake, however. This Chance Theater production is as professional as they come.
It’s hard to imagine a more perfect set of leads than the two rising stars on stage at the Chance. Porto combines perkiness, pizzazz, spunk, leading lady looks, and one powerful set of pipes as Monica. As for her Ian, Wallace not only matches the character’s description of self (“massive sexual charisma and charm”), he adds to that a dark broodiness and a terrific rock-star voice.
Pearson’s direction is every bit as inspired as were his stagings of A New Brain, Songs From An Unmade Bed, Altar Boyz, Violet, Equus, I Love You Because, Reefer Madness, and The Trouble With Words, productions which have won him four consecutive Scenie Awards, two for Best Direction and two as Director Of The Year. Major L.A./O.C. theaters would do well to snap Pearson up before we lose him to Broadway.
Music director/keyboardist Robyn Manion merits highest marks for her work here, joined by Brian Cannady on percussion, David Lee on guitars, and Gary Fields on bass, with occasional help from Wallace on guitar. Arrangements and orchestrations (both fabulous) are by Broadway star Jesse Vargas.
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| Robert
Wallace Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
As for ROOMS’ design package, it is a stunner, starting with Joe Holbrook’s striking set, which makes the Chance stage seem twice its size through use of perspective. Matt Schleicher’s lighting design is equally stunning, as is Holbrook’s and Schleicher’s projection design, which surrounds the actors on three sides with scene-setting images of Glasgow, London, New York, and other locales. Add to this Jacob Kaitz’s inventive sound design and Bradley Lock’s spot-on late ‘70s costumes and you’ve got a team of designers whose work would lead you to believe this mostly CSUF student team to be longtime pros.
Vincent Quan is assistant projection designer, Lora Miller dialect coach, Teodora Ramos master carpenter and crew, and Bryan Williams crew. Jennifer Mirkin is stage manager and prop master. Oanh Nguyen is Chance Theater artistic director, Casey Long managing director, Erika C. Miller development director, Masako Tobaru production manager/technical director, Jocelyn A. Brown associate artistic director, Jeff Hellebrand box office associate, Courtny Greenough company manager, and Jennifer Ruckman literary manager.
It’s taken ROOMS: a rock romance nearly four years to make it from off-Broadway to the West Coast, leading this reviewer to wonder what took our theaters so long to bring it out west, and to rejoice in its finally getting here in such an all-around sensational production. Previous Chance musicals have won the O.C. gem awards galore, including a Best Musical Ovation Award for last year’s Jerry Springer: The Opera, currently nominated for eight Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Though considerably more intimate than Jerry’s big-cast free-for-all, ROOMS: a rock romance is no less fine a production, and one well worth the drive from L.A. to Anaheim Hills.
Note: The roles of Monica and Ian will be played by Baldree and Wargo on February 19 at 2:00 and 7:00, February 25 at 3:00, and March 2 at 8:00.
Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills. Through March 4. Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00. Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00. Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00. Reservations: 714 777-3033
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THEATER REVIEW
ROOMS: a rock romance
by Eric Marchese, Back Stage
CRITIC'S
PICK!
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| Melinda
Porto and Robert Wallace Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Every love story has a hook or a gimmick, not just to hold audience interest but also to carve an identity apart from every other romantic tale. Paul Scott Goodman and Miriam Gordon's 2009 Off-Broadway musical has several, any one of which would probably be sufficient. Taken together, they weave a story that's sweet but not saccharine, quirky but not strange, and just offbeat enough to capture and keep our attention.
Though the two characters are young punk rockers, most of Goodman's nearly two-dozen songs are mainstream rock, buoyed by deft touches of the nascent punk scene of the late '70s. Director Patrick Pearson's vibrant staging adds emotional heft to the story, as do the credible performances of Robert Wallace and Melinda Porto as residents of Glasgow who meet and begin working together. Goodman and Gordon's script takes them first to London, then to New York City, and while collaborating they become emotionally and then physically involved. With dialect coaching from Lora Miller, the pair's Scottish brogues are pungent but never absurd, and Pearson and music director Robyn Manion have them retain their accents even while singing. The story's "opposites attract" conceit avoids staleness by attaching moving motives to Ian's nearly pathological desire to hide from the world and Monica's almost equally obsessive hunger to see as much of it as possible.
Wallace's Ian seems obsessively reclusive, and the actor's portrayal is so complexly shaded that Ian's alcoholism earns our sympathy. Monica's verbal assaults (she labels him a "dipso" and an "antisocial wanker") make us feel for both characters. Porto's Monica is so bursting with energy, talent, ambition, and optimism that we're convinced she can absorb the blows of being with Ian even if her attempts to affect his behavior prove futile. The duo's singing of the intelligently written songs is dynamite. The live playing of Manion (keyboards), David Lee (guitar), Gary Fields (bass) and Brian Cannady (percussion) pumps the score with raw energy, and aspects such as Bradley Lock's period rock costumes, Joe Holbrook's forced-perspective set, and Holbrook and Matt Schleicher's kinetic projections add a physical dimension that causes the story's multiple themes to resonate.
Presented by and at Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills. Feb. 4–March 4. Thu. and Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m. (714) 777-3033 or www.chancetheater.com.
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THEATER REVIEW
'Rooms' in Anaheim closes in on
young rockers in love
Chance Theater delivers the vibrant, sweetly funny 2008 musical's West Coast
premiere, a two-person character study
by Eric Marchese, Orange County Register
[ Link to Orange County Register ]
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| Robert
Wallace and Melinda Porto Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
At first look, Chance Theater's "Rooms: a rock romance" may seem a distillation of characters, themes and concepts from CT's last season offering "The Boy in the Bathroom" and its 2006 staging of "The Last Five Years."
While the many similarities can't be denied, they're simply coincidence. Paul Scott Goodman and Miriam Gordon's libretto and Goodman's music and lyrics give director Patrick Pearson and company a well-defined jumping-off point for their dynamic staging of the 2008 musical's West Coast premiere.
The result is a love story with not only well-earned drama, but also with a fair share of laughs. "Rooms" is also yet another engrossing, immersive, intimate musical theater experience from Chance, which continues to raise the bar for other theater companies' musical stagings.
We're in Glasgow, Scotland, circa 1977. Young singer-songwriter Monica Miller (Melinda Porto) knocks on the front door of Ian Wallace (Robert Wallace), a guitarist and singer. She has written the lyrics to a new song and needs him to create the music.
Their personalities couldn't be more dissimilar: Ian is reclusive, a deep thinker. Monica is so vibrant she's nearly hyperactive. And yet, their mutual attraction is almost instantaneous. Told mostly through song, "Rooms" follows their musical partnership and love affair from 1977 to 1980. By avoiding the introduction of additional characters, "Rooms" becomes, in effect, a musical character study.
Though young, Ian is already pessimistic and cynical, looking for the good in the world but seeing none. By contrast, the ambitious Monica has already constructed a "master plan" for her life that includes fame as a rock musician and the excitement of world tours.
As the couple's creative synergy grows more powerful, so does a romantic chemistry that develops before our eyes. After only a week playing the nightclubs of Glasgow, the pair decide to head for the big-time of London.
They introduce themselves to the new punk rock scene as "two young punks in love." Soon, they're headed for New York City, the locus of the punk world. Their raw Scottish energy is a good fit with the Big Apple's grunge, but Ian can't keep up. He drinks to excess, is late for club gigs and loses his guitar – forcing Monica to make a crucial decision about their partnership.
The show's score is intelligently constructed – especially Goodman's cogent lyrics – and Goodman and Gordon's dialogue and lyrics are often surprisingly funny. The lyrics, music and Porto and Wallace's singing combine to express Monica and Ian's deepest feelings.
Porto bubbles with Monica's hyperactivity and quirky charm. Whether belting out the lyrics or holding back, Porto's fierce energy is always at the forefront. Monica's flair and panache are natural, and Porto's portrayal, brimming with joy and light, adds oomph to these qualities. Just the same, Monica is able to rib herself, as in her song "Scottish Jewish Princess" – and although self-confident, when it comes to Ian, she's conflicted.
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| Robert
Wallace and Melinda Porto Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
The uncertain Ian has never trusted happiness, and the script's abundance of verbal sparring between he and Monica keeps the story from dropping into a comfortable holding pattern while showing just how unlike their personalities are.
Wallace capably depicts Ian's literal hunger for food as well as his figurative spiritual hunger, his restrained stage presence spelling out Ian's introspection. Ian drinks so that he can relax, and it takes him several years – and several go-rounds with Monica – to admit he has a serious problem with alcohol that stains every aspect of his life.
While Wallace's style is soft and mellow, Porto's vocals are always dynamite. Whether soloing or singing together, their musical performances are first-rate, propelled by Joe Holbrook, Matt Schleicher and Vincent Quan's exciting, energizing projection designs.
Working from Jesse Vargas' arrangements and orchestrations, the show's live band can be seen through the set's upstage scrim. Musical director Robyn Manion works from the piano with guitarist David Lee, bass player Gary Fields and percussionist Brian Cannady, their playing electrifying Goodman's score.
Holbrook's set design ingeniously creates a forced perspective, while its broad surfaces accommodate videos that range from realistic cityscapes to imaginative and often fanciful abstract images that are often psychedelic.
Bradley Lock's costumes are pleasingly varied, allowing us to see Monica and Ian in different settings over a three-year period. None are more striking than the couple's silver-and-black punk garb, which distills the music's essence down to a single visual image.
The journey "Rooms" takes us on is unmistakably Ian's and Monica's – but it's also ours. It belongs to anyone who has ever rocked-and-rolled, and anyone who has ever loved.
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PATRON REVIEWS
What a great show!!
posted by John Abrams on 03/05/12
What a great show!! The two actors were fantastic. Stunning staging and production value. And we got emotionally involved. Very fun. Glad we went!!
A definite must see
posted by Tina McCraw on 03/05/12
An absolute joy! Melinda Porto was mesmerizing, and Robert Wallace was outstanding. The score was delightful and exhibited a wide range of emotion. A definite must see.
Awesome performance!!
posted by Julianne S. Toohey on 03/05/12
Awesome performance!! Melinda Porto brings passion, energy and fire to the show...great production
This was a wonderful show
posted by Bill Raabe on 03/05/12
This was a wonderful show. I'm surprised I had not heard of it previously. Both actors did a great job. I was in the first row and could really see their emotional investment. The ONLY problem with the production was, as too often happens in small theatres, the volume of the music. It was simply too loud for the actors to be heard too much of the time. I understand it with music of certain eras, that the guitars are more important than the lyrics. But in a musical play such as this, it is the actors who must be heard. Frankly, I'm surprised that the folks who put on this wonderful show hadn't already figured that out. Simply stated, if someone wants a good love story with some twists and some very special moments, "Rooms" is what they want.
I was won over by the spirited
performers
posted by Steve Fife on 03/05/12
Very strong offering. I was dubious at first, not sure that this had much potential for excitement, but I was won over by the spirited performers and the witty musical numbers and the excellent production values. I think this was definitely worth the drive. One of the more enjoyable chamber musicals I can recall. And the Chance always does such a wonderful job with the lights and staging.
Throroughly enjoyed the raw performance
posted by Patricia Quagletti on 03/05/12
I brought my 13 year-old daughter with me to see the play, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the raw performance of Monica and Ian. It takes place in 1977 so most of us in the audience remembered the punk rock phenomenon that took over Europe and America - the music was interesting and went from manic, high energy almost "too loud" and then 20 minutes Ian was singing a beautiful, tender love song while strumming his guitar - the audience never really knew what was going to happen at any given moment. Without giving any of the plot away, there was an edginess to the material that in hindsight was a little too mature for my 13 year-old daughter to understand, but there were some teachable moments just the same.
Worth seeing again and again
posted by Sandra James on 03/01/12
Wow! What an amazing amount of talent 2 acors can have! The show took you on an adventure that soared through all of your emotions and brought you to a place of pure enjoyment and entertainment. The singing was incredible as was the acting. Worth seeing again and again.
We all LOVED it!
posted by Sharon H. Brown on 02/28/12
I attended this production with my husband and two other male friends. We all LOVED it! The incredible energy of the actors and especially Melinda Porto made this a really fun and entertaining evening!
An amazing night of theatre
posted by Wendy Tobiska on 02/21/12
There is a reason "Rooms" is a Critic's Pick and getting rave reviews. I wouldn't miss this if I were you! An amazing night of theatre, and this picky patron can only say Bravo to everyone involved in bringing this awesome piece to the stage!
Talented singing, acting that swept
you into it
posted by Michele Volz on 02/20/12
Absolutely fabulous-two people dominated the stage and got you involved. Talented singing, acting that swept you into it. Sets, choreography and music were creative; all was designed beautifully! You go, CHANCE!
Some of the best acting I have
seen in a long time
posted by Marilyn Jennings on 02/18/12
Melinda and Robert were absolutely AWESOME!! They filled up that stage like there was 50 people instead of 2. Some of the best acting I have seen in a long time, I felt like I was living in their minds, like I was a part of the show. The whole show was FABULOUS!! Thinking I have to see it again. I do think these two, Robert and Melinda will go far. Thank you for putting on a wonderful production.
Captivating!
posted by Ed Sturm on 02/13/12
Totally mesmerized, outstanding, captivating, on the edge of my seat. Good job guys. Looking forward to the next show.
I loved the entire show
posted by Fred Kinney on 02/12/12
Amazing! I loved the entire show: the music, the performances, the set, the projections, the lighting, the clothes & the sound all fantastic!
I have never seen two people fill
a stage with as much energy and skill
posted by Leonard Rich on 02/11/12
Stupendous! In more than 50 years as an inveterate theater goer, I have never before seen two people fill a stage with as much energy and skill as Melinda Porto and Robert Wallace. Both through acting and singing, these two young performers can look forward to glorious careers.
The Chance has again excelled across the board in selection of an extremely interesting play, staging, casting, directing and the miriad of activities that are a credit to the best principles of theatrical arts. That this is acchieved in a small storefront theater is even more impressive.
An amazing modern musical
posted by Manny on 02/04/12
Once again the Chance Theater has staged an amazing modern musical in their intimate surroundings. Rooms is a rare two person one act powerful show anchored by incredibly energetic performances by superbly talented Monica (Melinda Porto) and Ian (Robert Wallace). Their tight vocal harmonies and superb range area treat for the ears. The score runs the gamut from traditional musical theater to punk rock with elements reminiscent of Tommy and Rent. The staging and set with its video elements creates great atmosphere as the story winds from New York to Glascow to London and back in ninty minutes. These actors have great chemistry as their relationship evolves in a story spanning three years in the late 1970's. Most highly recommended!!!
