In the wake of attending a performance of TOSOS Theatre Company's world premiere play Burning Leaves last weekend, Reverend became inundated with memories of one of my former teachers, Don Harris. Mr. Harris, as we referred to him then, taught the Junior High gifted program I was unexpectedly privileged to be part of way back in 1979-1981. He was fit, attractive, and given to wearing tight Polo shirts but--primarily due to his stern demeanor and mustache (I've never been a fan of facial hair)--I didn't develop a crush on him, unlike some of the girls in my class.
He took an interest in me, however, as a young fan of movie musicals and one day offered to loan me his original Broadway cast recording of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures. I hadn't heard of it nor of Sondheim but I took it home, listened to it and, soon after returning his copy to him, bought my own LP of it. A musical theater queen was born! Don and I met for lunch one day approximately 24 years later. We officially came out to each other then and I thanked him for his early encouragement of me.
The protagonist of Burning Leaves is a high school theater (NOT drama) teacher by the name of Matt Leland. Mr. Leland, up until now an NYC-based actor, has newly arrived in rural Illinois in the wake of a traumatic (though initially secret) event. Though he intends to keep a low profile as a closeted gay man, things become complicated once a male student as well as a female co-worker take more than a professional interest in him.
Written by the accomplished Tom Rowan, the play is an affecting piece despite some melodramatic flourishes and dated elements. While it is set in 2007, Matt's naivete regarding appropriate student-teacher relationships (although he wisely doesn't cross the line into the physical/sexual) as well as the ethical conundrum posed when he rents a room from his aforementioned co-worker, Jane, make the time period seem at least 10 years earlier. The fact that Jane's daughter/Matt's new housemate Hallie is one of Matt's students heightens the inappropriateness, from a 21st century perspective, all the more.
Director Graydon Gund certainly takes this story seriously and wisely cast some strong actors who also do so. Brady Dalton Richards, an alumnus of Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is excellent as the increasingly conflicted Mr. Leland. Meanwhile, Campbell Idol is making his New York theatrical debut as Matt's increasingly lovelorn student, Jesse, and matches Richards beat by dramatic beat. Sophie Tananbaum as Hallie is also noteworthy for making her teen character less naive than the adults in her life.
The provocative yet heartfelt Burning Leaves is playing through October 17th. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit tososnyc.org.
This generally gleeful, definitely left-wing production re-casts real life Holocaust victim Anne as a hip hop, wannabe Latina intent on destroying outdated constructs--then and now--like patriarchy, hetero-normativity, racism and gender conformity during the Nazis' oppression. Anne aka Anita and her fellow attic-dwelling family members/associates confront all of these with the help of Andrew Fox's jaunty songs (although his lyrics are sometimes hampered by the volume/acoustics) and Esosa Oviasu's exuberant choreography.
The entire cast headlined by Olivia Bernabe as Anita/Anne is fantastic. Reverend was amused by Bernabe's program bio in which she wrote: "Thank you Slam team for trusting me with Anne and not replacing me with Rachel Zegler" (during the transfer from another theater last season to the current one). The show's considerable, often hilarious video design by Zack Lobel also deserves a shout out, as does super cute Walker Stovall (who Reverend recently saw in the gay-themed fantasia Silverback Mountain) as each performance's ASM/live cameraman.
Slam Frank gets more serious and subsequently more challenging during the climax of Joel Sinensky's perceptive, timely book. How one feels coming out of the theater will likely depend on one's current political and/or religious perspective, but this show's overall generational appeal may yet transport it to Broadway a la Oh, Mary! For now, it is playing at NYC's historic Orpheum Theatre. Visit slamfrankmusical.com for more info and tickets.
Reverend's Ratings
Burning Leaves: B
Slam Frank: B+
The Most Reverend Chris Carpenter is editor of Movie Dearest and chief contributor. He has been reviewing movies and theatre since 1996 and also contributes to Rage Monthly magazine (ragemonthly.com). He is a founding member and former Vice President of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Critics (galeca.com) and currently serves as a nominating/voting member of its New York-based Theatre Wing. Reverend Carpenter has been an ordained minister since 1995.
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