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Writing for Us
A CurtainUp Los Angeles Review
Leap of Faith
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If your faith is strong enough —Jonas & the Angels of Mercy
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Brooke Shields and Raúl Esparza
(Photo by Craig Schwartz) |
Though undated in the program, it feels like the 1930s when a traveling tent church on its uppers staggers into a small Kansas town. Jonas Nightingale (Raul Esparza), a self-proclaimed preacher with dynamism and charisma to spare, persuades them to pitch their tent and put on a show. He meets Marva (Brooke Shields), a beautiful small-town waitress, and her crippled son Boyd (Nicholas Barasch). Sheriff Will Braverman (Jarrod Emick) attempts to shut the show down and it ends with the finale you've been waiting for and the kind of kiss you'd expect from Jonas.
Esparza holds the audience in the palm of his hand as he delivers the kind of hell-raising sermon from which you don't dare look away. You see him at the back of the stage changing jackets, wiping his face. The ovation at the end after "Jonas' Soliloquy" is as much amazement as approval. As Marva, beautiful Brooke Shields surprises with a pretty voice and an ability to hold her own against the dynamic Esparza.
Young Nicholas Barasch as Boyd is amazing. His voice shows no sign of breaking and his acting chops portend a bright future. Equally amazing is Kecia Lewis-Evans as Ida Mae Sturdevant, whose booming voice opens the show. As big as she is beautiful, Lewis-Evans mesmerizes by the quality of her voice. She plays the devoted mother of Ricky Sturdevant (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and this young man has an outstanding talent. Not only a beautiful and very unusual singing voice, Odom is also a captivating dancer who whirls and pivots in intricate dance arrangements by Rob Ashford.
Kendra Kassebaum, of Wicked fame, plays Jonas's sister Sam with determined passion and Jarrod Emich, as the Sheriff, holds the stage in his clashes with Jonas. As Ornella, petite Krystal Joy Brown has the thankless role of a man-chaser with Jonas as her object until the last act when she's allowed to open her lips and sing, which she does with fire and a surprisingly large voice.
The set by Robin Wagner is a relatively spare Kansas backdrop with a few props for the Diner and a neon Cross for the tent. William Ivey Long gets credit for the small town clothes; his only chance for glory is the blue-spangled Choir robes and Jonas' glittering jackets. The cast is breathtakingly large with the dancers dressed as towns folk and the singers as the Choir.
Alan Menken's music is memorable but the real stand-out, and Esparza does it proud, is the book by Cercone and Slater. Small-town fears and con show techniques blend in a shrewd compassionate mix. For a finale the rain comes to sunbaked Kansas, like the fireworks in The Marriage of Figaro , to bring down the curtain in a driving storm. The entire cast capers in it like children.
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Leap of Faith Music: Alan Menken Book: Janus Cercone Lyrics/Book: Glenn Slater Direction and Choreography: Rob Ashford Cast: Jonas Nightingale (Raul Esparza), Marva McGowan (Brooke Shields), Boyd McGowan (Nicholas Barasch), Sheriff Will Braverman (Jarrod Emick), Ida Mae Sturdevant (Kecia Lewis-Evans), Ricky Sturdevant (Leslie Odom, Jr.), Ornella (Krystal Joy Brown), Mugs (Harvey Evans), Deputy Wayne Storm (Charlie Williams), Emma Schlarp (Michelle Duffy), Sam (Kendra Kassebaum), Dude (Bryce Ryness), Amos (Brandon Wardell), Titus (C.E. Smith), Caesar (Dennis Stowe), Jake (Michael X. Martin), Tom (Brad Anderson), Fred (Bob Gaynor), Rita (Darcie Roberts), Susie Raylove (Shannon Lewis), Robert Raylove (Alex Michael Stoll). Residents of Sweetwater: Brad Anderson, Bradley Benjamin, Tom Berklund, Harvey Evans, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Bob Gaynor, Shannon Lewis, Michael X. Martin, Darcie Roberts, Ariel Shepley, Alex Michael Stoll, Natalie Willes, Charlie Williams. The Angels of Mercy: Krystal Joy Brown, Ta'rea Campbell, Eric L. Christian, Michelle Duffy, Angela Grovey, Maurice Murphy, Anise E. Ritchie, Bruce Ryness, C.E. Smith, Dennis Stowe, Katherine Tokarz, Brandon Wardell. Scenic Design: Robin Wagner Costume Design: William Ivey Long Lighting Design: Donald Holder Sound Design: John Shivers Music Direction: Brent-Alan Huffman Music Supervision: Michael Kosarin Production Stage Manager: Steven Zweigbaum Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes, no intermission Running Dates: October 3-24, 2010 Where: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angles. Reservations: 213-972-7231. Reviewed by Laura Hitchcock on October 3. |
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Musical Numbers
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Act One
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Act Two
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In the Heights
