Behind The Limelight

By Christopher Curtis 

Reviews from the New York Musical Theatre Festival Production

BEHIND THE LIMELIGHT

AT THE NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

TRAMPFORMATION

By FRANK SCHECK

Christopher Curtis' musical … is a genuinely moving portrait that well deserves development.

The evening is most effective early on, in its depiction of Chaplin's troubled childhood and his early beginnings in British music halls and vaudeville. The story is framed as a flashback, with the elderly Chaplin (a very moving Robert Langdon Lloyd) reminiscing about his life and watching the proceedings from a chair at the side of the stage.

Also well done are the sequences involving Chaplin's breaking into the "flickers," particularly the sequence in which he develops his on-screen persona before our eyes.

Director Michael Unger's staging is highly effective, particularly in the moving final moments featuring all three Chaplin incarnations onstage together.

BEHIND THE LIMELIGHT St. Clement's Theatre, 423 W. 46th St.; (212) 352-3101. Through Saturday.

Behind the Limelight
September 21, 2006
By Ron Cohen

Behind the Limelight -- with book, music, and lyrics all by Christopher Curtis -- is just about a perfect template for a Broadway musical circa the 1960s, and that's meant as a compliment. It celebrates without irony a mythic personality -- in this case, Charlie Chaplin -- with a script that deftly sketches characters and events and an ample, melodious score that helps move the story along. Build a few big production numbers around some songs and smooth the second act's rough edges and it should be ready to go.

Granted, Anthony Newley did a Chaplin musical in 1983 that never made it to New York. But it would be nice to think that Broadway today might still have a stage available for this accomplished new effort, even with its traditional trappings.

The show, under Michael Unger's artful direction, takes Chaplin from impoverished childhood in London to overwhelming success and philandering in Hollywood, capped by his expulsion from the country to spend his final days in domestic bliss with his last wife, Oona.

 

Behind the Limelight: Charlie Chaplin musical

Review by Oscar E. Moore from the rear mezzanine for talkentertainment.com

With the bases loaded (Book, Lyrics and Music) Christopher Curtis hit a grand slam right out of the Theatre at St. Clements with his new musical Behind The Limelight – based on the life and career of the infamous “Little Tramp” Charlie Chaplin. What a fantastic show. Open the champagne and toast Broadway’s newest triple threat talent. What an entertaining backstage look at Chaplin – as a child, as a star and as an old man. It takes three actors – all superb – to fill Chaplin’s controversial shoes. As a young boy (Danny Hallowell) who learns from his mum to watch people and learn from them to the vaudevillian on his way to stardom (Luther Creek) who does a smashing job of inhabiting the soul of Chaplin without making a caricature out of him to the old man (Robert Langdon Lloyd) who bookends the show with grace, dignity and wonderment. Mr. Curtis does have some super help to mount this complicated yet clear as can be story in the name of director Michael Unger – who deserves his own bottle of champagne to celebrate their joint success.

There are times when a show begins and you just know that you are in for something extraordinarily special – this is such a show. It has a great story that is told in a concise and taught manner – you get all the points needed to me made without any excess fat which lead right into what matters most in a musical. The songs. And they are so right. They further the story and give insight into the characters. The songs are memorable. Melodic. The words are witty and intelligent. I can’t remember the last original cast recording I purchased but this one will be immediately scooped up when it’s available.

Whatever you feel about his political alliances, Chaplin was a consummate performer, known worldwide, and you will be moved to tears by the last song of the show, “This Man”. Charlie Chaplin wanted to make the world laugh and cry at the same time - at the foibles of humanity. Behind the Limelight does just that with Chaplin’s life. Splendidly. See it.

CURTAINUP.COM

Behind the Limelight
The best way to describe this musical biography of Charlie Chaplin is to quote one of its own songs—"it is wonderful." It's a superb combination of song, dance and story. 

The songs performed by an extremely talented cast and written in the style of classic old-fashioned musicals are outstanding, both innovative and nostalgic. The political aspects of Chaplin’s life are addressed with poignancy and relevancy, with questions about Chaplin’s morals and communism resonating all too familiarly with current accusations of terrorism in America. Exposing the hard side of fame and Hollywood doesn't make for a simple, happy musical. The power of the press, as well as the American idolization of celebrities are all addressed. The more Creek’s Chaplin achieves, the more confused he becomes. "I dreamt for so much more and now I long for so much less," he says when overwhelmed by the complications of his life.

"It is wonderful when the life you wished for becomes real," Charlie writes in a letter to Syd. It is also wonderful when a fantastic show is made from it.

Behind The Limelight (NYMF)
by Rob Lester
EDGE Entertainment Contributor
Friday Sep 22, 2006

Musical biographies of icons are tricky: Audiences come in with some knowledge and an image in their heads. Often, there’s a lot of history to cover. Charlie Chaplin is certainly a legend of early cinema history; the decades of historical distance combined with the fame coming from silent movie visuals give Behind The Limelight a better shot. Others have tried to step into his shoes and capture his magic before, and this attempt is respectable, intriguing and noble. I’m glad I saw this production and find many positive aspects in it and its heart is in the right place.

The first scene in the show is a superb example of laying the dramatic groundwork for a payoff later on. In the first song Charlie is a small child and his mother instructs him to ’Look At All The People;’ and you can really see them both enjoying the experience of studying human behavior-body language, a certain walk revealing mood and attitude, a look in the eyes that speaks volumes, and filling in the blanks by imagining their stories. There’s a literal flashback to this quite a bit later when the adult Charlie is starting his movie career after stage work, trying to make things work on screen and please the famous director Mack Sennett. He observes passing people again and one by one literally takes their costume pieces and forms his look and shuffling walk, complete with cane and mustache. When it’s all complete, the audience bursts into applause because they’ve been let in on the magic rather than shut out. Also some affection for the main character has built up and he’s been seen as a pre-star "real" person and his childhood of poverty and cruelly being taken away from his mother can’t help but create sympathy. Conversely, little rationalization or regret is shown for his womanizing and coldness, although there’s a sad look in star Luther Creek’s eyes and face that somewhat compensates. His work has dimension and intensity.

Chaplin is played at three stages of life. The older Chaplin barely speaks, but is onstage watching: beaming, looking on with bittersweet memory and is used to judiciously interact, a device that could be employed more without overkill. Robert Langdon Lloyd makes his presence felt, however, with grace and humility.
Michael Unger directs this ambitious, full-length show with some bold choices and it fills the eye, the mind and the heart.

The second show I saw was the opening night of Behind the Limelight a bio about the life and times of Charlie Chaplin. This was the most polished and wonderfully orchestrated show I saw. The story was told in a very moving and clever fashion. The final moment in which the old Charlie tips his hat to the audience and walks into a screen that then shows the real Chaplin walking with back towards the audience was a memorable theatrical moment. It was breathtaking. The music was thrilling and a sequence in which Charlie takes on his persona with costume and physicality was stage brilliance. The moment received a wild round of applause.  I do see this show arriving on Broadway in the near future.