With great energy, a talented cast and solid production values, the Paper Mill Playhouse closes its 2010-2011 theatrical season with the musical comedy murder mystery, Curtains, starring Guiding Light soap opera stars Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman.
Curtains is a send-up of fifties' musical theater conventions, backstage shenanigans and the “closed room” murder mystery form so beloved of Agatha Christie. Think Hercule Poirot (Murder on the Orient Express) meets All About Eve meets Spiderman. Don't go expecting a logical plotline, it's that loopy. (All photos by Bruce Bennett Photography)
Star struck Boston detective (and aspiring actor) Lt. Frank Cioffi is called in to investigate the sudden death of Jessica Cranshaw, star of Robbin' Hood, now in tryouts before heading to Broadway. The body count rises, Cioffi falls in love with the ingénue and the company battles a nasty critic who says he will re-review the show, the next day. Will the show be ready? Who will die next? Who dunnit?
The score for Curtains was composed by John Kander and Fred Ebb, of Cabaret and Chicago fame, with a book by Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), so the show has a sterling pedigree. The music leans more toward the comic; although there are two lovely ballads ("Thinking of Him" and "I Miss the Music"), most of the songs are appropriately goofy to match the show-within-a-show's ludicrous plot (Oklahoma it's not, even if it is set in Kansas Territory) or to illuminate the show biz aspect of Curtains. The problem with the script is that after a while it gets repetitive and tiresome. Fortunately, neither the actors’ energy nor Mark S. Hoebee's direction ever flags, and there are some very funny bits, so you won't get bored.
I wasn't aware that Kim Zimmer (producer Carmen Bernstein) and Robert Newman (Lt. Cioffi) are so talented in the song and dance department! Newman especially navigates Joann M. Hunter's complicated choreography with ease, and his voice is easy on the ears, too. Very funny as a wannabe director, he aptly communicates the loneliness of a single guy in "Coffee Shop Nights." Zimmer (right) is hilariously imperious revealing the real "skinny" on the theater: "It's a Business," she avers with agile movement and a belter's voice, too.
As lyricist Georgia Hendricks, called upon to substitute for the late Jessica Cranshaw, Helen Anker (left) is the whole package; she can sing and dance very well! She's got a beautiful pair of legs, too. As her ex-husband and writing partner, composer Aaron Fox, Kevin Dern is endearing, especially when he warbles "I Miss the Music."
Other standouts in the cast are Ed Dixon as the sardonic British director Christopher Belling (above right with Kim Zimmer); he brings down the house every time he opens his mouth. Aaron Galligan-Stierle is the critic every actor and director loves to hate; Dick Decareau is the 
milquetoast "angel" Oscar Shapiro, who stands to lose a bundle if the show closes out of town; Rye Mullis as stage manager Johnny Harmon is officiously imperious; and Amanda Rose as Niki Harris (right, with Robert Newman as Lt. Cioffi) is perfect as the sweet young thing who catches Cioffi's attention. Finally, Anne Horak as Bambi Bernét gets to perform a terrific number as an Indian princess reminiscent of Tiger Lily's "Ugga Wugga Wigwam" in Peter Pan (the show is a pastiche of other shows, remember?). Her body contorts into amazing poses as she dances at top speed!
Curtains may not be high art, but it doesn't aspire to be a Cabaret or Chicago. The absurd plot, silly musical numbers (especially for the show-within-a-show) and characters that are more caricatures than three-dimensional are purposeful, as befits a parody. It's all performed for laughs (and they come a mile a minute) by a very talented cast. You'll have a good—no, a grand—time before the curtain comes down!
Curtains will be performed at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 PM; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM; Sundays at 7 PM; Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 PM through May 22. For tickets, call the box office at 973.376.4343 or online at www.papermill.org. Groups of 10 or more receive a 25% discount or more and should call 973.315.1678.
