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brothermarc7theatre · 6 years ago

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"Freaky Friday" show #736

From a book to a film to a film to a musical, Freaky Friday has received its fair share of makeovers and adaptations. However, what has become a timeless Disney favorite is now a sincere, charming, surprisingly self-aware musical hit, with the score written by the Pulitzer-winning team of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey and supplemented by a well-strung book by Bridget Carpenter. Center Repertory Theatre has brought forth an incredibly talented and committed cast and team, led by two dynamite female leads, in their production of this freaky story of a daylong, mother-daughter, personality-body swap. Director Jeff Collister and Choreographer Jennifer Perry have helmed this Freaky Friday in seriously fun fashion. What makes Disney musicals work so well is when the production team understands the balance between campy dialogue and underlying life lessons. Mr. Collister and Ms. Perry have staged the production in such a way that allows for the right lyrics and dialogue to take precedence over the more expected “Disney-esque” verbiage. These decisions, complemented by Ms. Perry’s excellent choreography, make for a thoroughly entertaining Freaky Friday.

(Olivia Jane Mell (Ellie) and Lynda DiVito (Katherine); Photo credit: www.kevinberne.com)

Lynda DiVito is a fantastic Katherine Blake, maternal head of the Blake family. Ms. DiVito’s motherly chemistry opposite Olivia Jane Mell’s Ellie, the sole daughter of the Blake family, is impeccable. The complication of the musical is that there is only one number for Ellie and Katherine to establish their quirks and nuances as a high-strung, anal-retentive mother and typically bored, annoyed teenage girl. This establishment is vital to the rest of the musical because once the body switch takes place Ellie’s demeanor must embody that of Katherine’s, and vice-versa. Thankfully, Ms. Mell and Ms. DiVito are strong actresses in physicality, vocal power, and consistency that “Just One Day,” the musical’s opener, gives enough characteristics for the audience to connect to the two leading ladies and enjoy the impending switch during “The Hourglass.” Ms. DiVito is a fierce mother, balancing the immaturity of Ellie with a powerhouse voice, especially in “After All of This and Everything.” Ms. DiVito’s earlier solo, “Parents Lie,” is a more subdued lament sung at the younger brother of the family, Fletcher, allowing for the audience to really see her versatility in acting and vocal chops. Ms. Mell’s turn in “Oh, Biology” is a great performance of vocal talent and comedic talents, and her “No More Fear” serves as a capital stamp of a great leading performance. Early on, Ms. Mell and Ms. DiVito team up for a fantastic duet, “I Got This,” where the two ladies decide and commit to trying to live out the other’s day with as little road bumps as possible. However, with a wedding on deck, a brother who is trying to be a comedic puppeteer, a high school student body that is gearing up for the Hunt (an annual city-wide scavenger hunt), Ellie and Katherine may have bitten off more than they can chew.

(L to R: Mark Farrell (pictured as Officer Kowalski), Katrina Lauren McGraw (pictured as Officer Sitz), Lynda DiVito (Katherine), Olivia Jane Mell (Ellie), Noel Anthony (Mike); Photo credit: www.kevinberne.com)

Noel Anthony delivers a charming performance as Katherine’s fiancé, Mike. Mr. Anthony’s “Vows” is a romantically tender, heartfelt song, and is matched with a healthy dose of comedic reaction from Ms. DiVito as she cringes and pulls away from Mr. Anthony’s swooning affection. The three team up with featured standouts Katrina Lauren McGraw and Mark Farrell for Act Two’s show-stopping “Bring My Baby Home,” an unexpected Gospel lament, begging for Fletcher to return home after he’s run away. Tyler Patrick Hennessy delivers a memorable Fletcher, complete with pinpoint vocals and youthful charisma. “Shoppin’ With My Mom” is a pleasantly-sung, well-acted ditty of a number Mr. Hennessy, a constant stream of youthful earnestness and innocence, uses to his full puppeteering, comedy advantage. Dave J. Abrams is an outstanding Adams, keeper of the Hunt list and object of Katherine’s affection. Mr. Abrams’ Act Two “Women and Sandwiches” is a culmination of his Act One comical obsession with the Blake family sandwiches, and later leads a thrilling, contemplative “Go,” with top-notch vocals and infectious charm. Allison Quin makes the most of her strung-out, stressed Torrey, assistant to Ms. DiVito’s Katherine. Ms. Quin exudes the exact personality tendencies Torrey should have, with a gorgeous voice to boot.

(Dave J. Abrams (Adams) and Patrick Hennessy (Fletcher); Photo credit: www.kevinberne.com)

Daniel Feyer is more than deserving of applause, as he has music directed the cast with precision and a healthy understanding of how this diverse-genre score should be tackled. Mr. Feyer’s band is stellar in its playing of the score, adding energy and passion to the very fun music. Victoria Livingston-Hall’s costume design is absolutely on point, a design effort that must not go unpraised. Ms. Livingston-Hall has dressed the students, the Blake family, and the supporting characters in a way that is bright, appropriate, inspired, and shows clear-cut intent. When the costume design adds even more character and personality to an already personable, nuanced cast, you know you have a top-notch designer at work. The ensemble is in full force as excellent actor-singer-dancers, executing Ms. Perry’s exciting, number-specific choreography with flare and finesse that is natural, not contrived. What makes Ms. Perry’s choreography so outstanding is that it’s not dance steps for the sake of dance steps (which so many Disney musicals can fall victim to). The choreography, specifically in “Oh, Biology,” “Busted,” “Watch Your Back,” and in the wonderful, “Today and Ev’ry Day” finale, is catered to the comedy and lyrics of those specific numbers. The dance steps are detailed and emphasized in formational stage pictures and crosses that are both aesthetically pleasing and musically entertaining. Freaky Friday may be getting many-a-makeover in its lineage, but I can assure you that the musical adaptation is a family-friendly, all-ages-entertaining musical, and Center Rep is the place you need to see it. Go see this show!

Details:

Freaky Friday runs through June 30th

Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek

www.centerrep.org

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