WaterTower Theatre Shane Peterman, Producing Artistic Director presents Goin’ Hollywood

Theater Reviews

Jul 31

Written By Pearl Creative Consulting

Book And Lyrics by Stephen Cole

Music by David Krane

Directed by Gabriel Barre

Music Directed by Lawrence Yurman

Choreographed by Ann Nieman

Associate Director Erica Hawkins

Assistant Director Harrison Simmons

Arrangements by David Krane

Orchestrations by David Krane and Bruce Coughlin

Scenic Design by Bob Lavallee

Lighting and Projection Design by Samuel Rushen

Sound Design and Engineer Mark Howard

Costume Design Sarah Mosher

Associate Costume Designer Paige Triplett

Prop Design Jane Quentin

Wig Design Michael B. Moore

Production Stage Manager Christopher Trevino

Assistant Stage Manager Ania Lyons

Assistant to the Stage Manager Ben Hark

THE CAST

Brian Hathaway

Alison Whitehurst

Cooper Grodin

Jocelyn Hansen

Stan Graner

Bryan Brooks

Micah Brooks

Andrew Nicolas

Jarrett Self

Michael Alonzo

Carlos Gutierrez

Jonah Munroe

Anthony J Ortega

Taylor Nicole Hadsell

Mikki Hankins

Mary Kim

Ireland Reneau

My sincere apologies for getting this review out after the fact. I was under the weather for a few days and got behind on my schedule.

Hollywood has arrived in DFW! Make that 1948 Hollywood! What the heck? Here are some reasons you should be sitting in the WaterTower Theatre right now enjoying the world premiere of Goin’ Hollywood with book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane

The Plot. Fasten your seat belts. We are time traveling. Musical comedy writers in 2023 Garson Stein and Alice Chandler want to write a big MGM musical and attend the MGM 25th Anniversary Luncheon. Complication: Well, there are a few that I won’t spoil, but one biggie is that it is the era of the Communist witch hunt and the Hollywood Blacklist.
The Score, How great is it to hear a score for the first time? Very, Especially when the when the melodies are terrific, and the lyrics are clever. Cole and Krane do it all from full cast group numbers to solo ballads.
The Musicians. That glorious sound envelops the theater, Lawrence Yurman music directs, conducts, and plays piano with band members that include Joey O’Reilly, Brittany Hart, Nate Collins, Carlos Strudwick, KT McCoy, Mark Alewine, Angelyn Seppeler, and Eric Smith. Bravo.
The Staging and The Costumes. Scenic Designer Bob Lavallee takes us from Grand Central Station to Hollywood with the help of some projections and excellent lighting from Samuel Rushen. We’re on soundstages. We’re in restaurants. We’re in LB Mayer’s office. And that’s just a few of the places Goin’ Hollywood takes us. And adding authenticity are Costume Designer Sarah Mosher’s marvelous period costumes and fabulous forties frocks. We even get a look at Katharine Hepburn in her signature slacks.
The Choreography and The Direction. Ann Nieman’s choreography is nothing short of thrilling. Those big dance numbers echoing the complex, extravagant MGM dance musicals of the period are a feast for the eyes (and a workout for the dancers!). Gabriel Barre’s direction amazed me. He has to juggle a huge cast, countless scene changes, and make everything smooth and coherent in this almost constantly moving time traveling saga and he does so masterfully.
The Cast. There’s one word for this cast and that’s superb. Almost everyone in the supporting cast plays multiple roles and they manage to make each character distinct. Actors doing double, triple, and even quadruple duty include Bryan Brooks, Micah Brooks, Andrew Nicolas, Jarrett Self, Taylor Nicole Hadsell, Mikki Hankins, Mary Kim, Ireland Reneau and even Stan Graner, who is splendid as LB Mayer, has another role or two. Rounding out the supporting cast are Michael Alonzo, Carlos Gutierrez, Jonah Munroe, Anthony J Ortega. This handsome quartet of gentlemen are singing, dancing, harmonizing wonders.
I had the good fortune to be sitting directly in front of Cooper Grodin for most of his scenes. Grodin plays AJ Engerman, a man whose career is destroyed by the politics of the era. Grodin captures every bit of the angst and sorrow of Engerman. Grodin, who played the title role in The Phantom of the Opera National Tour, is also an incredible vocalist.
Jocelyn Hansen, as Nancy Karinski, an MGM mailroom employee, just about steals the show. Hansen is enormously appealing as a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it. She also gets to display her fine vocal skills in “Nancy’s Song.”
In a review of a play last year, I wrote that Alison Whitehurst, who plays Alice Chandler, has “a voice that would make angels jealous.” That magnificent voice is still evident here and, in Goin’ Hollywood, Whitehurst proves that her acting prowess is equal to her vocals. Her Alice is an intelligent and accomplished 21st Century woman dealing with the treatment of women in the workplace in 1948. It’s a role that has both comic and dramatic elements and Whitehurst is more than adept at both.
In the lead role of Garson Stein, Brian Hathaway is simply phenomenal. Stein is a mild mannered, amiable guy, who happens to be in love with Alice, his writing partner. Hathaway bring wit and charm to Stein and makes him the “good guy” we all want to see win the woman he loves. Stein handles the trip to the past fairly well until the tragedies and injustices of the period cause him to reach a breaking point. Hathaway’s eleven o’clock number “Thank You” is one of the most electrifying I’ve seen. Hathaway tears up the song and the stage. It’s a breathtaking, unforgettable climax that just about stops the show.