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Published Saturday
March 8, 2003
Review: Cast, crew put plenty
of life into 'Breathe'
BY BOB FISCHBACH
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
"Breathe" is a small musical nobody's heard of, with
a small cast and a skimpy budget for set and costumes.
Angie Heim, left, and Teri Fender, right, give two of the season's
best female musical performances in "Breathe." At center
is James Tobey.
But it should make a big noise on the local theater scene, with
two of the season's best female performances in a musical and three
strong male performances as well. SNAP has another out-of-nowhere
hit, in the mold of "The Last Session" and "Splendora."
Philosophically, "Breathe" is "The Lion King"
circle of life gone gay. Musically, it's melodic pop with a slice
of soul and a dash of New Age - full of tunes you wouldn't mind
hearing again.
Mainly, it's two hours of highly entertaining and often moving
musical theater. Not racy, not profane, but often real.
"Breathe" was written by 25-year life partners Michael
Biello and Dan Martin. One grew up Catholic, one "worshipped"
in a nature sanctuary as a mostly nonpracticing Jew. Their life
experiences inform the show's vignettes, in which actors play multiple
roles.
Let's start at the top. Teri Fender's singing puts larks to shame.
Then she hits you with a flirty glance, an impish smile or a vocal
insinuation that melts all resistance. She's a hilarious and an
endearing Jewish grandma, a moving mom whose son is dying, a sprightly
young woman in love - a showcase of acting range.
Angie Heim plays the entire arc of a young lesbian's life in a
single scene, a tour de force as she moves from playful introvert
(sock puppets with vibrato!) to lonely teen to engaging young adult.
Her vocal control offers subtle emotional shadings in perfect-pitch
soprano. She shines.
Derrick Crawford has a breathy, Harry Belafonte-style baritone,
easy on the ear. He projects sincerity and vulnerability, perfectly
suited to his turns as a Buddhist clergyman, a young professional
too busy to smell the roses, an old man on a park bench. He rocks
the joint as he tells what he feels "In My Body."
Kevin Smith also sings well - even in head voice on numbers out
of his natural range - and keeps an emotionally difficult sick-bed
scene safely away from maudlin. He's funny as the workaholic's lover,
light fun as he offers to be dad for two lesbians who want a baby.
James Tobey has a serviceable baritone, but his strength is that
he knows how to "act" a song, whether as an anguished
priest in love or a young man "Boxed" in by activist anger.
In fact, all the cast excels at this, with sure direction by Michal
Simpson. Duets, trios and quartets in delicious harmonies abound,
and music director Fred Goodhew's hard work shows. Choreography
by Wai Yim enhances both spiritual- and comedy-themed numbers.
"Breathe" takes a two-hour journey across the arc of
life and affirms the ride, and this cast and crew make exceptional
travel companions. Grab a seat.
A Deep Breathe
SNAP! Production's Breathe is full of life
by Julien R. Fielding
Book your tickets now, because when word gets out you'll be hard-pressed
to find them. Breathe, presented by SNAP! Productions through March
30, is the must-see theatrical event of the season. Written by Dan
Martin and Michael Biello, and directed by Michal Simpson, this
musical explores various aspects of gay and lesbian life in a thought-provoking
and inspirational way.
Derrick Crawford, Teri Fender, Angie Heim, Kevin Smith and James
Tobey star in seven vignettes that celebrate life from conception
to death. Breathe opens with "Goddess," a humorous piece
that reminds us how important a day off can be. Heim is perfection
as the "I Dream of Jeannie"-attired goddess who coaxes
the feminine principle out of Crawford, and Fender, sporting a bushy
Texan wig and drawl, plays well off of the equally ridiculously
wigged Tobey. Thursday night's audience ate up this scene.
Whenever a show starts out so strongly, one might experience some
anxiety. Surely it's downhill from here, right? It couldn't get
better. Well, in the case of Breathe, it does.
"Boxed" comes next, with Tobey portraying an angry, poetry-spewing
performance artist. Fender, dressed in a faux mink coat and supported
on a cane, is his grandmother, one of his biggest fans. Like the
"Goddess," "Boxed" eventually strips down the
moment and the rhetoric to its most basic component. And that's
really what Breathe is all about. It goes beyond sexual orientation
to reach into our humanity. It doesn't matter if you're gay, straight,
bi-, male, female, young or old, we all exist in a circle of life
and share similar moments of joy and despair. We also all have stories
to tell. In some ways, going to see Breathe is like visiting an
ashram. When the performance is over, you come out the front doors
invigorated, experiencing a profound sense of joie de vivre.
Although it's difficult to single out the best sequence, "Genealogy"
was priceless. Jean (Heim) and Jane (Fender) decide to have a baby
but don't want to take the sperm bank or personals route so they
choose someone (Smith) who can carry on "Jane's Genes."
Crawford brings down the house with his rendition of "In My
Body," a gospel-inspired song about embracing our physicality.
And "Joy" and "Next" are sure to have you reaching
for a tissue.
Martin and Biello, partners for nearly three decades, have created
such refreshing material with Breathe that one wonders why other
theaters haven't latched onto it with the same enthusiasm as SNAP!
(It premiered in Chicago in 1999 and won the After Dark Award for
Outstanding New Work. It has been staged at the Philadelphia Fringe
Festival.) But then, few theaters share SNAP!'s or Shelterbelt's
willingness to take risks.
Simpson has gathered a superlative cast and music director Fred
Goodhew, making this one of the best musicals I've seen in years.
And when Fender and Heim sing, get ready for a soul massage. You'll
get chills and butterflies. Should SNAP! ever want to raise some
money, all it needs to do is make a cast recording of this show
and sell the tapes on its Web site, which is www.snapproductions.com.
If you're a SNAP! virgin, take this opportunity to get acquainted.
You'll be happy that you did.
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