by Tim Leininger

Photo credit: Jeff Butchen

            When I left the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in November 2022, I walked out with a feeling of hope that I’d never have to see the musical Almost Famous again. It was a sludge of a show that took all the soul out of what is now considered somewhat of a cinema classic from which it is adapted from. But now, three years later, A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut, under the direction of Daniel C. Levine, has teamed up with the musical’s creative team of Cameron Crowe and Tom Kitt to revise the musical adaptation into a sleek, engaging, and emotionally charged production. The musical is running through Nov. 23 at ACT of CT at 36 Old Quarry Road in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

            If regional theater boards of directors and touring producers are on the fence about investing in doing a production of Almost Famous because you had the same feelings I had when you saw it on Broadway, know that it is this revised version that will be the licensed version going forward, and I encourage you to come and see this production, if possible, to see the potential that this musical actually has.

            This production moves fast for its nearly 2-hour 30-minute runtime. The story of William Miller (Michael Fabisch), a 15-year-old who gets a chance of a lifetime to write for Rolling Stone magazine, never stops moving. Transitions move smoothly, the action around the main characters create a fantastic tableau on the stage, never letting up on the story’s momentum as we watch William get sucked into the rock n roll culture of the early 1970s. His assignment is to follow the band Stillwater for a week and write a feature on them and their rise to success on their first hit single, “Fever Dog.” Things don’t go exactly as planned as the band doesn’t trust him, particularly when dealing with the band’s eccentric guitarist Russell Hammond (Jack Rasmussen) who keeps putting off being interviewed. Adding to the complexity of William’s task are the Band-Aids, a group of young ladies who tour with the band, led by the enigmatic Penny Lane (Tess Marshall), whom William immediately falls for, but is currently in an affair with Russell, who claims to be attempting to fix his failed marriage. Then there is the infighting between band members.

Photo credit: Jeff Butchen

            What makes the film Almost Famous good, and what Levine gets right with this production, is the show’s complex nature revolving around what is fantasy and what is real in the world of celebrity, particularly in the rock community. Russell struggles with this throughout, questioning the band’s frontman, Jeff Bebe (Chris Cherin), on the balance of artistic integrity and stardom; both men’s insecurities getting in the way of their being able to address this struggle maturely, causing a rift to which William is witness. This conflict helps make the songs feel more important too. The act one finale of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” felt more obligatory than necessary in the Broadway production. Now it feels like there are stakes in what’s going on between everyone.

            Levine doesn’t shy away from these conflicts, capturing what the Broadway production couldn’t seem to do, which is the gritty, grimy, drug laced, sexualized world of rock that moves at a breakneck pace; the drama of the band, William’s efforts to get his assignment done so he can go home to graduate from high school to appease his uptight conservative mother, Elaine (Anika Larsen), it all moves with purpose here.

            The one real weak spot in this version is the lack of tension between Penny, Russell, and William. William is played so innocently by Fabisch that his longing for Penny tends to get lost in the rest of the chaos happening around him, and Penny and Russell’s relationship tends to be sidelined for the other action in the story. I’d have liked to see Fabisch develop more in his maturity as things progress. He seems to hold onto his innocence a little too long. The falling action of the musical also runs a bit long, but that’s a narrative issue, not a direction issue. Nothing Levine can directly do about that.

Photo credit: Jeff Butchen

            There are some great performances. Anika Larsen is great as Elaine. Her performance of “Elaine’s Lecture” is hilarious as she attempts to maintain control of herself as she tries to teach a class but falls apart at the idea of a rock band kidnapping her son. Jack Rasmussen carries a lot of the emotional burden of the show as we watch him struggle with himself, Penny, the band, and William. Tess Marshall plays Penny with an air of false confidence, strutting around the stage with glamorous strides, but letting the frailty seep through drop by drop.

            David Goldstein’s scenic design allows the cast to move around on two levels and gives enough room for Levine to keep the action fluid while also keeping it compact and pocketed in the scene. There are a couple moments where the blocking did break the reality of the setting. For example, Russell and Penny are in a hotel ice machine room and Russell walks behind the machine several times, which wouldn’t make sense because it would be up against a wall. The same thing happens in William’s bedroom with his bed as people walk behind the head of the bed which is up against a wall.

            Leslie Bernstein’s costumes are excellent. I love the 70’s fashion she utilizes, that vary from the hip, to the casual, to the conservative, to the erotic.

Photo credit: Jeff Butchen

            Camilla Tassi’s projection designs are also excellent, particularly in depicting the motion of vehicles, like when the tour bus is traveling. When the seats on the bus rotate on the turntable, the projections rotate to maintain the appropriate view.

            ACT of Connecticut’s Almost Famous is a massive improvement over the Broadway run. I think it’s great that Crowe and Kitt were able to acknowledge that there was room for improvement and was able to collaborate with Levine to create this better paced, exciting, and invigorating production.

ALMOST FAMOUS

TICKETS: http://www.actofct.org

PRODUCTION

Book and Lyrics by Cameron Crowe; Music and Lyrics by Tom Kitt; Based on the Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures motion picture written by Cameron Crowe; Director: Daniel C. Levine; Choreographer: Jessica Chen; Orchestrations & Arrangements: Tom Kitt; Scenic Designer: David Goldstein; Costume Designer: Leslie Bernstein; Lighting Designer: Charlie Morrison; Sound Designer: Shannon Slaton; Video Designer: Camilla Tassi; Wig & Hair Designer: Earon Chew Nealey; Production Stage Manager: Nick Alteri; Casting Director: Koppel Casting, Karie Koppel; Vocal Designer: Annmarie Milazzo; Music Director: Nicholas Connors; Music Supervisor: Bryan Perri

CAST (in order of appearance)

Shaylen Harger as Alice Wisdom/Leslie

Chris Marth as Lester Bangs/Red Dog

Michael Fabisch as William Miller

Anika Larsen as Elaine Miller

Ella Perez as Anita Miller/Allison

Eric May Liu as Freddy/David/Aaron/Pilot/Reg/Doctor

Julia Cassandra as Estrella Star

SJ Nelson as Sapphire Sensimilla

Kendall Becerra as Polexia Aphrodesia

Tess Marshall as Penny Lane

Chris Cherin as Jeff Bebe

Jack Rasmussen as Russell Hammond

Caleb Hartsfield as Larry Fellows

Trevor Bunce as Silent Ed

Liam Fennecken as Dick Roswell

Kevin Trinio Perdido as Ben Fong-Torres/Darryl

Andrew “Andi” Maroney as Vic Nettles

Dale Obermark as Dennis Hope/Marlon/Busking Student

Ensemble: Kendall Becerra, Trevor Bunce, Julia Cassandra, Liam Fennecken, Shaylen Harger, Caleb Hartsfield, Anika Larsen, Eric May Liu, Andrew “Andi” Maroney, Chris Marth, SJ Nelson, Dale Obermark, Kevin Trinio Perdido, Ella Perez