LUCKY STIFF   Role: Harry Witherspoon   Production Info: February 11-27, 2005 @ Astoria PAC Director/Choreorgrapher: Brian Swasey Music Director: Jeffrey Campos

Lucky Stiff is a zany and offbeat murder mystery/farce that follows the wacky week-long vacation to Monte Carlo forced upon an unassuming British shoe-salesman by his recently deceased uncle (think Weekend at Bernie’s meets the French Riviera!). I had the fun job of playing quirky Harry Witherspoon alongside my pal Amanda Ryan Paige, making this our 8th show together! Since I’m usually cast in featured roles or smaller comedy/character parts, it was a real treat to play a leading man for a change (even though Harry has enough neuroses to scare any normal girl away!). Amanda and I had quite a few friends “renew their passports” and make the trek out to Queens to see the show, and weren’t they all surprised when she and I locked lips in a big ol’ smooch for the finale!! Click on this link to read more information about Astoria Performing Arts Center.

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The entire cast of LUCKY STIFF backstage in a group hug. What we didn’t have in budget we made up for with love!!

Our fearless director, Brian Swasey, gets some attention from the girls as Darren looks on.

Getting ready to step onstage for the Opening Number . . . “Something Funny’s Going On!”

Laura Daniel, queen of the Jersey hair-do, gets some assistance from our friendly deck-chief Nikki.

Howard Brewer had the tough job of staying frozen in a wheelchair for the entire show...except for his big dance number, of course!

Our trusty Assistant Stage Manager and light-board operator, Noah.

TJ models his dog mask from the Nightmare sequence as I cower under the sheets.

 
 

MUSICALS101.COM, 2/05 by John Kenrick   Something funny’s going on in Queens -- and praise be to the theatrical gods for it!   Lucky Stiff is definitely good stuff. As one of the first musicals written by lyricist-librettist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty, this quirky show has developed a small but dedicated cult of fans. The plot couldn’t be more off the wall -- a young man is set to inherit six million dollars if he agrees to take his late uncle’s corpse on an all-expenses paid vacation to Monte Carlo. Others vying for this juicy inheritance soon turn the trip into an all-out comic melee, leading to romance and more than a few surprises.   This kind of zany material can fizzle in the wrong hands, but director Brian Swasey keeps his cast tuned to exactly the right comic pitch, winning every laugh. ...Swasey knows how to pick capable actors, point them in the right direction, and then trust them to run with the ball -- and run they do!   Ron DeStefano has wholesome looks and breezy charm as the impoverished young man showing his uncle’s corpse a good time and dreaming of a fortune. Amanda Ryan Paige is an real charmer as the girl out to claim that same fortune for a struggling dog shelter -- her rendition of the disarming “At Times Like This” is a sweet highlight. As a murderous mafia mistress, Laura Daniel keeps the audience roaring with powerhouse vocals and a gift for broad comedy, and T.J. D’Angelo wins major laughs as her long-suffering brother. The solid ensemble handles a myriad of smaller roles with real flair, so kudos to the multi-talented Susan Wilson, Greg Horton, Tommy Labanaris, Darren Rozumek, Adrienne Asterita, Michelle Doucet and (as the long suffering corpse) Howard Brewer Jr. It is a tribute to this entire cast that every line was easy to hear -- oh the joy of reveling in the unamplified human voice, the glory of pure theatre!   The sets by Marie Lynn Wagner are simple and effective, Kristine Koury’s costumes are right on target, as are some inventive dog masks by Holly Lehman. Niklas Anderson keeps the expansive stage area deftly lit, while musical director Jeffrey Campos and his small orchestra provide flawless accompaniment throughout.   Many musical theatre buffs have admired Lucky Stiff on CD -- well, you have no idea how much fun this show is until you see it in action...so grab an N train to Broadway, indulge in some of the fabulous local ethic cuisine, and treat yourself to more fun than anything currently running in Midtown Manhattan!

NYTHEATRE.COM, 2/11/05 by Martin Denton   Lucky Stiff, currently on stage at Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) in Queens, is quite silly and quite fun. At once good-naturedly and old-fashionedly convoluted, hiply post-modern, and darkly comic, it's a zany cross of fluff and mayhem, brought to life with zest and high spirits by director Brian Swasey and an energetic cast at this pleasant outer borough venue.   Incidents pile upon incident, guns are drawn, secrets are revealed. I’m not giving anything away except that by the show’s end, Harry and Annabel emerge from their shells and appear to be on their way to happily ever after: very satisfying. I’ll also tell you that the comic high point is a wacky, surreal dream sequence in which all of Harry’s experiences are re-enacted by cast members wearing dog masks (very cunningly crafted by Holly Lehmann).   Ron DeStefano and Amanda Ryan Paige are the ingratiating romantic leads —- his portrayal of Harry is...engaging; her singing is just lovely, especially on the witty first act ballad “Times Like This.” T.J. D’Angelo (Vinnie), Greg Horton (Luigi), Tommy Labanaris (various roles, including numerous waiters and bellhops), and especially Laura Daniel (Rita) lend expert support. Special mention must be made of Howard Brewer, Jr., a retired member of the NYPD starting, most fortuitously, a second career as an actor; he plays the Dead Body.   The ambiance at APAC suits this intimate musical perfectly; there’s a community theatre feel here that doesn’t usually happen at comparably sized Manhattan venues. Yet this is an Equity showcase with the level of professionalism that that implies. The neighborhood, if you’re not familiar, is most welcoming, too. So don’t think of this as off-off-off-Broadway (as I heard a fellow audience member pronounce it); think of it as just another great NYC choice. There’s theatre in every nook and cranny of our town; that's why we love it here.

THE OFF-OFF BROADWAY REVIEW, 2/17/05 by Charles Battersby   Lucky Stiff was penned by the same team who created Once on this Island and Ragtime (with Terrence MacNally). Lucky Stiff never quite attained the success of Ahrens and Flaherty’s other work, but it’s an absolutely enjoyable little musical farce.   Leads DeStefano and Paige made a nice couple, and had enough chemistry to pull off the rather predictable arc of their love story.... Director Brian Swasey has a considerable amount of musical theatre under his belt, and there were a few scenes that really stood out here. One was when a pseudo-French chanteuse (Susan Wilson) romances Harry with an over-the-top sexy number called “Speaking French.” Then there’s Harry’s nightmare song “Welcome Back Mr. Witherspoon,” where a chorus of singing demonic dogs menace the hero, done with eerie dog masks mounted on top of the company&146;s heads (masks by Holly Lehman) and some zany choreography (plus spooky lighting by Niklas Anderson).   The story here is not intended to be an earthshaking drama. It’s pure farce of the silliest sort, complete with a just-barely-possible plot twist and happy ending. This production of it was a fine example of the genre.

BACK STAGE, 2/18/05 by Mark Dundas Wood   One standout is Amanda Ryan Paige as Anabel, the representative of the Universal Dog Home who trails Harry to Monte Carlo and becomes his antagonist/love interest. Paige is one of those musical-theatre people for whom shifting from speech into song seems to happen with perfect effortlessness. Also entertaining is Laura Daniel, who makes the best of her character, Rita....   Special mention should go to Holly Lehmann, who designed and constructed the dog masks used in a second-act nightmare sequence. These creepy Julie Taymor-meets-Cujo headpieces are seen only briefly, but they prove to be a real crowd pleaser.