Word: rochman
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Director Guy Rochman is the moving force at every level of this production and the whole is a triumph of his perfectionism. Rochman created the Company and is its tycoon; every asset is well capitalized with profit sharing all around. There's the orchestra which was superb. Musical Director T. Edward Johnson has put a sea of music on cue but with a restraint that kept the pit from overwhelming the performers even when the score was at its most turbulent. The four performers (one of whom is Rochman) were not only disciplined but inspired...
...Brel. She can turn from a light number to give serious pieces like "My Death" or "Sons of ---" more than their native depths. In between she is a bubbly personality who cannot seem to suppress her enjoyment as if it were her first prom, instead of her first job. Rochman's performance was just as powerful if a bit more self-conscious. "Put the best sheets on the bed, Mathilde's come back to me!" he shouts in an exotic number that combined a love song with a fighting frenzy...
...himself. Some of the songs--notably "Fanette" and the finale "If We Only Have Love"--are trite and slurpy. The cast was good enough to overwhelm Brel's lack of ideas with its own fire but Blau and Shuman's unfortunate use of the English language is sometimes jarring. (Rochman is obliged to shout that he wants to be "cute, cute, cute, in a stupid...
...enthusiasm of Rochman and comapny extends from the revue to the neighborhood. They have dandied Mather dining hall up with tablecloths and baskets of polished fruit that turn out to be authentic. Tables ring the ciruclar stage and the actors flirt with members of the audience--which could be dangerous if someone beveraged on the complimentary DiSabato Rose gets jealous. But Wednesday night, with tuxedoed patrons filling the tables and Art at the fore it was a sort of provincial triumph for Mather House. It's a long slouch back from Alphaville...
JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau: director Guy Rochman, music director Tom Johnson, Mather House Dining Hall May 4-7 house open 8:30 PM curtain 9:00 PM $2.50 (including wine and fruits of the season) call 495-4384 for tickets...