Women on the Verge of a
Nervous Breakdown is one of my favorite
(non-Sondheim) musicals you’ve never heard of. I saw it on Broadway during its
unsuccessful short run in 2010, and would have seen it twice, if it hadn’t
closed shortly after I saw it. The music is fantastic, and the performances,
especially by Sherie Renee Scott, Laura Benanti, and Danny Burstein were
wonderful. Patti Lupone and Brian Stokes Mitchell were also not bad. But for
some reason, audiences didn’t flock to it, and it received mediocre reviews. I
figured I’d have to content myself with the CD forevermore. Then I saw that it
was going to be performed by Nazareth College! So I got tickets near the
beginning of its run, in case I wanted to see it again…
My friend Mary Ann attended the matinee show with me,
and we were surprised that it was not in the regular Callahan Theatre, but in
the smaller, more intimate 80ish-seat Studio 48 (the website says it seats 120,
but it didn’t seem like it). By the time we arrived for this sold-out
performance, our best option was the front row, where I was careful not to
cross my legs for fear of tripping the actors as they ran past.
I was impressed to learn that the theatre students at
Nazareth chose this musical in particular, and held auditions for the roles
last spring. Impressed, because the music is not easy. For example, this bit of
genius captured illegally by someone: Laura Benanti singing “Model Behavior.” Katja
Stavenhagen, the student who played Candela, did a magnificent job – she even
looked a bit like Benanti. Kit Prelewitz, a local, was astoundingly talented in
the lead role of Pepa.
It was a surprise not to hear two songs that are on the
original cast recording - “Time Stood Still” and “The Microphone” - but not a
disappointment, since neither added much to the plot. The finale was unfamiliar
– either it’s new since the original production, or it didn’t make it to the
recording. Unfortunately, there’s no song list in the program, so I will have
to ask the name of the song when I go see the show again next weekend. Because
yes, I do want to see it again! Anyone want to go with me? We’ll need to get
our tickets immediately, because it’s sure to sell out again next weekend.
For tickets, click here: TICKETS
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