Word: staging
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...hectic seconds that followed, Erikson gained control of the precious sphere, but threw it out of bounds, setting the stage for Fleming's last-second heroics...
Like all vaudeville, Not at the Palace depends for its success on the personality of its spotlit entertainer--in this case, Joe Masiell, a lithe, practiced, crudely handsome Italian (his agent chopped the "o" off the end of his surname) with a contagious delight in performing. On stage for the entire production, he performs all but one of its numbers. Joe Masiell--as he himself emphasizes--has had a checkered career in show business. "It's been a push, a battle, a struggle for a long while," he commented after opening night. "I've been at it since...
...optimistic realism of Not at the Palace helps Joe Masiell accomplish the near-impossible--he holds an audience's attention, alone, for some two and one-half hours. As a stage presence he has many gifts: a well-controlled and expressive singing voice, grace as a dancer, and the knack of an accomplished professional. He knows when to smile, when to chat with the audience, when to casually sling his jacket over his shoulder--and all this helps. But above all, he knows how to make you feel he actually believes his message; perhaps, and this would be a rarity...
...bring this show off, Masiell and director James Coco should probably have tried for a bigger stage, better songs, a little less autobiography, and tighter dialogue. But they're forgiven. For there's a rare, healthy sense of humanity here, some cutting irony, a sizable dose of humor, and much well-considered social commentary. And besides, the ghost was there, and that alone is enough. Masiell's clearly not up there with Marlene Dietrich or Maurice Chevalier, and no, we are not at The Palace but I, for one, have never been closer...
...Harlem of the 1930s. The performers belt out the songs, pushing each other out of the spotlight in mock rivalry. If the mood suits them, they'll spring to their feet to tap out a furious rhythm, or languidly drape themselves across the piano-player on the stage, who frequently joins in the refrain. On more than one number, they exhort the audience to join...