14
GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE February 29, 2008
CLEVELAND STONEWALL DEMOCRATS
WWW.CLEVELANDSTONEWALLDEMOCRATS.ORG
Endorsements for Primary
8th District Court of Appeals Judge Stuart Friedman
10th Congressional District Congressman Dennis Kucinich
VOTE MARCH 4th
Polls are open 6:30am-7:30pm
THE RENAISSANCE
THEATRE
Located off I-71
between Columbus
and Cleveland!
138 Park Ave. W., Mansfield, OH 419-522-2726 • mansfieldtickets.com
JAN'S
5*
B*
*
*
Directed by
*
conceived, Adapted and
Randal Myler
Inspired by the back. Laura Joplin
The Life and Music of
JANIS JOPLIN!
Sat., March 15
3PM & 7:30PM
$34 $40
www.lovejanisthemusical.com
*
♫
*
*
MANSFIELD SYMPHONY
and
Robert Franz Music Director
ASHEVILLE LYRIC
OPERA
present the fully-staged opera
The Barber of Seville
Gioachino Rossini
Saturday, April 19th 8:00PM $32.50, $22.50, & $12.50
Translation in supertitles
*
provided.
TWO GREAT PERFORMANCES!
Call and ask about our special $10 ticket offer! 419-522-2726 mansfieldtickets.com
If only a real breakup could be this much fun
Cast, director, band, even the set make Beck musical a fantastic experience
by Anthony Glassman
Cleveland-Some questions are universal: How many grains of sand are there on the beach, how many stars in the sky, how many roads must a man walk down, and how many lesbian musicals can one city have in a season before it reaches critical mass? Apparently, the answer to the last question is at least two, since this theatrical season is now seeing its second, The Breakup Notebook: The Lesbian Musical, running through March 22 at the Beck Center for the Arts.
It comes just months after Pulp played at Cleveland Public Theater, and there is more in common to the two productions than the subject matter.
Somehow, both have the hardest-working woman in Cleveland show biz, Alison Garrigan, whose bio might as well read: "Alison recently appeared in everything."
It's not a complaintit's a statement of admiration.
Garrigan's fabulousness aside, The Breakup Notebook by Patricia Cotter and Lori Scarlett is, like Pulp, a comedy about lesbians falling in and out of love.
STEPHEN CAMPANELLA
as the stony-faced by playful butch with eyes so electric they could probably be seen even if the stage weren't lit.
Garrigan, who played glamorous in Pulp, has three personae-Helen's mother, Mistress Tammi and Sheila, the nerdy attorney. She is, as ever, a delight.
Libby Servais and Emily Leonard split playing Joanie throughout the run, as well
Tracee Patterson and Jodi Dominick in The Break Up Notebook: The Lesbian Musical
However, while Pulp also satirized the lesbian pulp novels of bygone days, Breakup Notebook is firmly rooted in the present, a more sensible, down-to-earth version of The L Word.
The adorably neurotic Helen (Jodi Dominick) was unceremoniously dumped by her ex-girlfriend, who has also changed her number after weeks of hang-up calls from Helen. Not just a couple here and there, mind you, but 20 a day. They seemed to be doing so well before she ran off with that "ho, ho, ho, homewrecker," as Helen calls her ex's new amour.
Left to her own devices, Helen would spend both acts in bed curled in a fetal position, singing "Ghost of My Ex-Girlfriend." That would not be amusing, or constructive.
Thankfully, she has friends to support her-Monica and Joanie, the perfect little lesbian power couple (commitment ceremony pending!) and her boss/fairy godmother Bob, all of whom refuse to let her wallow in self-pity.
They thrust her into blind dates, a trip to a lesbian sex club (the show's set in Los Angeles, after all) and a chance meeting with a go-go dancer's mysterious roommate.
By the end of the musical, Helen might not be that far from where she started physically, but emotionally, she's exactly where she needs to be.
The cast is uniformly skilled and engaging. Dominick, Tracee Patterson as Frances (the go-go dancer's roommate) and Devon Yates as Monica each only play one role, but the others do at least double duty. Patterson is fascinating casting, perfect
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as a second character, and Kayce Cummings also plays three characters, while Kim Godfrey gets four.
Eric Van Baars definitely channels a bit of Paul Lynde in his role as Bob, the token screaming queen, but he tones down to play Helen's father.
The singing is everything one could ask for in a musical. Director Victoria Bussert assembled a skilled cast, and they definitely bring the story to life.
One almost wishes "Les Girls" in The L Word were more like this-it would make for a fun episode.
There is one character that has yet to be mentioned: the set. Russ Borski created one that is as dynamic as the cast, filled with hidden doors, moving panels, rooms appearing as if out of thin air.
Taken together, the band, the cast, the direction and the set create an intimate and fantastic theatrical experience. One can only hope that Cleveland's lesbian community will come out to support the play. The Beck Center is always willing to take a risk with its productions: The Dying Gaul and Equus are not family-friendly fare, and the upcoming The History Boys is also super-queer. They should be rewarded with ticket sales for the daring of their scheduling.
The Breakup Notebook: The Lesbian Musical plays through March 22 in the Studio Theater at the Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood. Tickets are available online at www.beckcenter.org or by calling 216-521-2540.