Another Day In Paradise - A New Musical

Press

Irene Backalenick, Connecticut Post – 5/22/07

THEATRE REVIEW
MUSICAL: “Another Day in Paradise,” directed by Gary John La Rosa
THEATER: Downtown Cabaret, 263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport
TIMES: Fri., May 18, and Sat., May 19, 2007

It’s too bad that “Another Day in Paradise” has visited Downtown Cabaret for such a brief stay. We can only hope that this enchanting mini-musical will surface at another neighboring venue in the near future.

“Another Day in Paradise” is the ironic title which describes the dilemma of one woman (and perhaps every modern woman). It follows her saga through career, marriage and motherhood, attempting to juggle all three and using song and dialogue to tell the story.

Three gifted performers—Tracey Marble, Laurie Sondermeyer, and Trisha Turiano—all play the role of this embattled woman, serving at times as alter egos. All three are absolute pros, with body language, voices, and characterizations right on target.

The book by Karen Randazzo provides a strong through line. The woman, appearing as a harried housewife/mother, arrives at a psychotherapist’s door. (The therapist never appears, but Randazzo herself provides Dr. Dietz’s voice-over.) Gradually the woman’s past history emerges—early disastrous relationships, a budding show-biz career, courtship, marriage, child adoption, childbirth, the waning of romance, the yearning for a career.

This is not new material. It is, in fact, Everywoman’s story. But Randazzo and company package it beautifully. Director Gary John La Rosa and musical director Phil Hall manage a brisk pace, keeping the cast moving smoothly and interweaving solos, duets, and trios with sharp dialogue. There is never a lag, never a moment of boredom for the audience. Along with dialogue, the songs (many written by Tracey Marble) heighten the story. Among the Marble songs are “Falling Apart,” “Back on the Couch,” and “Babe in Burbland Blues.” Karen and Peter Randazzo provide “He’s My Husband,” with additional pieces by other songwriters.

If any criticism can be made, it is that the players are over-miked. The miking works well for quiet songs and for solos, but garbles the words in the big numbers. This is too bad, because the lyrics are so sharp, funny, and to the point. “Paradise” would undoubtedly work better in a supper club setting or intimate theater, an appearance which one hopes will be forthcoming in the near future..

Joanne Greco Rochman, Curtain Call – 1/18/06

“OFF-BROADWAY: "Another Day in Paradise" by Trumbull resident Karen Randazzo played at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (Downstairs at the West Bank Café). Featured in the production, which was directed and superbly staged by Gary John LaRosa, were vocalists Tracey Marble of Trumbull, Laurie Sondermeyer of New Jersey and Trisha Turiano of New York.”

”The three women looked great in costume variations of pink and black. All three vocalists proved to be in good form, and each contributed to a distinctly unique character whom the audience grew
fond of in the show's two hours.”

”The storyline focuses on a young woman telling her story of woe to a therapist. Patrice wants motherhood and a stage career. Reminiscent of "A Chorus Line," with the onstage actors communicating to an offstage voice, Patrice and her two alter egos, Pat and Trish, come to the realization that motherhood is an occupation to be proud of and that instead of "having it all," they should forget about what other people think and be happy with ‘enough’."

”…it is a most entertaining show filled to the brim with comedy. Karen Randazzo created the story line from the real lives of the three vocalists.”

“The show has now played at the Triad and Laurie Beechman theaters. It may be coming to a theater near you. I'll keep you posted.”

Joanne Greco Rochman is a member of The American Theatre Critics Association and a founding member of The Connecticut Critics Circle.

Joan Abruzzo, NYC – 1/22/06
“Another Side of Paradise is an unique blending of talent—actress/singers with wonderful voices who make you wonder why they have not been seen more, witty dialogue and songs that were aptly chosen or written, and staged delightfully.”

Sheri Delaine, NYC – 1/21/06
“The show has definitely come a long way this past year. It was funny and touching (and heartbreaking with the ‘mother’ song). And now it's absolutely clear that they are three aspects of one woman. Their relationship to each other works very well. Anyway, the show certainly deserves to move forward and I hope someone steps up to make this happen.”

“Paradise Found”
Leigh Henry, CT – 1/19/06
“Just a note to tell you how glad I was to see the show last night! And, man, it was REALLY GOOD! Everything, everyone on stage for that 90 minutes fits into place—the writing, acting, music. I laughed, I cried, but the best thing is I woke up with it! It stayed with me. Extra bang for the buck beyond that 90 minutes in theater! Really exceptional work! “

Marin Leggat, NYC – 1/19/06
“I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is such a nice blending of material that provided rich character development and a touching storyline. The performers, too, were so giving and honest. The staging was really fluid and creative, too. A great use of that space! It was a delightful evening. Thanks so much!”

Paul Keane, NYC – 1/19/06
“We had a great time. Lillian really loved the energy of the show and the music. I had to explain to her that there was no CD. She was somewhat let down. I personally really like the "On the Couch" number. Thanks again for a lovely evening.”

Shannon Polly, NYC – 1/19/06
“Great work. I can't believe you made a book musical out of that...I was expecting a cabaret. Really detailed—I'm glad I braved the wind to get there!”

“Fabulous show!”
Kathi Maglia, CT 1/17/06
“You have certainly captured the conflicts woman our age have gone through. I thought it was so clever. I was not expecting to see three women on stage the entire time-but loved the way it worked out so well. I laughed, cried and beamed with pride that I know the writer! What a cast! Excellent performance. My sister's sister-in-law thought this was better than the show Menopause. Thanks for the invite. It was well worth the trip.”

“BRAVO performance”
Randi Cerligione, NJ – 1/17/06
“I was at last night’s performance and I can't even express to you all how much I enjoyed it. I have never cried nor laughed like that in months. (Well, maybe cried....) Every female in that room related to the story one way or another. I am a full-time working, 29-year old mother of a 2 1/2 year old. I just decided to resign from my career to be with my daughter more and I wasn't sure if I was making the right decision but now I am confident with the choice that I have made. I know I wasn't the only one, but it was wonderful to actually see 'our,' 'my,' 'women’s' actual feelings brought to life. I now can HONESTLY say I am even more confident that I am not freaking crazy! I will be spreading the word of this fabulous performance down this way. I believe it was actually better than therapy. Thank you again for all your experiences, talent, & honesty. PS— I was telling some friends today about the play and was told Kelly Ripa was speaking about it on Live this week.”

“Loved It”
Jennifer Montague, NJ 1/14/06
“The show as a whole was so enjoyable. I loved the direction/choreography. It really was so well done. I can definitely see a life for the show going forward at different venues and hope that works out well for it. I loved the music—the actresses were great—and the book was quite clever. I loved seeing the journey/story told by three.”

Jane Lucas, CT – 3/3/05
“Fresh. Funny. Truthful. Surprising. Touching. Thoughtful. Deals with important ideas. Has real purpose and value. Entertaining, of course, but much more than that. An original approach to presenting the conflicting multi-dimensionality within all of us. The tolls we pay along the way and how we reflect on them and our lives. Very timely for baby boomers. The music was A+, too. And the performers, it just doesn't get any better. Those of us who were there were all lucky to experience a special event.”

Nancy G. Kennedy, NJ – 2/17/05
“Tim told you how much we enjoyed the show. It was really impressive and I could easily see it running as an Off-Broadway piece. I think you’d get lots of women to come together…”

Paula Newman, NYC – 2/16/05
“Thanks so much for a great evening. I really enjoyed the show. I think you have a nice piece that's very marketable (just ask Eve Ensler).”

Nora McGowan, NJ – 2/14/05
“I really enjoyed this production. I felt that it was very true to life. You felt a part of that character's life. I certainly related to the storyline. Did I make the right choices in life? Am I living my OWN life? These scenes made me cry. The scenes that made me laugh: ‘I wanna be rich and famous and be discovered sitting on my ass.’ (I think that will be my new mantra.) So many things made me laugh. I felt the concept of setting it in a doctor's office was a clever way to cover all of her life issues. My husband enjoyed it as well. He said he learned a bit more about the female point of view. He kept giving me looks during the show like—I've heard THAT before!”

Eric and Adrianne Dente, NYC – 2/13/05
“What a wonderful time Adrianne and I had last night at your show. We both left feeling invigorated and with a lot to talk about. You did a great job focusing the emotional through-line and creating some very funny moments. I sat behind a mother and was as moved by her response to the songs about motherhood. It was enlightening. There is such a sense of truthfulness in this piece, unlike a lot of theatre that I see. Adrianne and I both found ourselves emotionally struck by the sincerity of the show. 'Shading the eyes in Evita' was crippling. I haven't laughed that much in years.”

“FANTASTICK!!”
John McNulty, NYC – 2/13/05
“The scary point is that, at this point in my life, I can totally relate to the "chick flick" thing. It's funny for a lunatic like me, but lately I've been trying to understand that part of "our" reality better—so it was kind of refreshing to see that we all sort of share the same reality. Great show! I know I'm a wimp...just don't tell anyone.”

Joan Solimine, President - The Manor Club, NY – 2/11/05
“Everyone is still talking about your play. All positive, of course. I especially loved identifying myself at different stages of my life—such memories—suppressed until now. I'm 62 years old, 4 children, and 10 grandchildren. When I wasn't watching me on stage, I saw pieces of my 3 daughters or my daughter-in-law. I wish you all a huge success in the future. I know we will be hearing more about this play in the coming months. Keep us posted. PS: Thank you for the gift of last Tuesday night.”

Sheri Delaine, NYC – 2/7/05
“I attended your performance last Monday and think you have the makings for a very good show. Your voices are great and sound fabulous together—the harmonies are wonderful. Near the top of the show, Patrice has the line, 'I don’t know if I remember me.' I find this such a powerful line that really explains why she’s at the therapist and how she feels about herself at this point in her life.”

Beth Salvador, CT – 2/1/05
“It was great to see your show last night. I really enjoyed the performance. As promised, I am just sending you a few thoughts on what struck me. I love that you added 'Another Day in Paradise' and used that theme throughout. I also love the song 'Falling to Pieces.' I think that sets up the show really well. There are so many things that I loved about the show, it is hard to remember them all. The music was wonderful. I thought 'Just A Housewife' was fabulous. I loved the moment when you all sang in unison. It was very powerful. Again, as I said there are so many wonderful moments in the show it is hard for me to remember and comment on them all. (My kids just woke up so my brain power is diminishing.)”