Published: August 17, 2024, 07:00
CHESTER — Murder. Mayhem. Puppets. These are some of the things you can expect from the new crazy musical Ask for the moonwhich was recently performed at the Norma Terris Theater of the Goodspeed Opera House.
Directed by Broadway veteran and Connecticut resident Darko Tresnjak, this musical farce tells the story of Helene Huber (Luba Mason), a recently widowed socialite who discovers she may not be entitled to the money she thinks she’s inheriting. She decides to take matters into her own hands and enlist her late husband’s nurse, Charlotte (Ali Ewodlt), to accompany her on the Jewel of the Sea cruise ship and help her make sure the inheritance doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
They encounter Nazi puppets, evil twins, piranhas and many other creatures as hilarious things happen on deck of this ill-fated high seas adventure.
The score, written by Oran Eldor, is reminiscent of classic musicals such as Everything is possible and Gilbert and Sullivan operettas that sound fresh and new. The audience hums many of the tunes long after they have left the theater. Tresjnak has impressively made a relatively small show seem like a great adventure. The space is used wonderfully and not a moment is wasted.
Luba Mason is incredibly funny and dominates the stage as Helene Huber. She has the audience firmly in her grip from her opening number, “The Widow’s Lament”. She is great fun to watch on stage and her physical comedy provides some of the most entertaining moments of the show.
Mason’s partner in crime, both literally and figuratively, is Ali Ewoldt as Charlotte St. Clair, the family nurse. Ewoldt’s beautiful soprano voice takes center stage here as her character aspires to be an opera singer. She has so many wonderful moments throughout the show. Ewoldt and Mason recall the pranks of Lucy and Ethel in their attempt to restore Huber’s legacy.
Jamison Stern steals the show, and not just as one, but four characters. Stern is basically the entire ensemble, but kudos to dance captain Alex Dreschke, who makes a hilarious cameo toward the end of the show. Aside from that cameo, every other role is Stern’s. From the minute Stern bursts onstage as attorney Schroeder Studebaker, the audience is grinning from ear to ear. Every time he appears onstage as Studebaker, piano-playing twins Misha and Gisha, or dresser Persimmon De Vol, he is a joy to watch on stage. The audience can’t wait to find out what’s in store.
As mentioned, Tresnjak has done an incredible job for such a small show, turning it into a big, old-fashioned musical comedy. He couldn’t have done it without set designer Alexander Dodge. His elaborate sets move beautifully from a villa to a piano lounge on a cruise to a cabin and back again. The details of each set make the audience feel like they are right there with the characters.
Unfortunately, Ask for the moon ended its limited run of performances on Sunday, August 11. Hopefully this show will have a life outside of Goodspeed. If so, don’t miss out on a first-class ticket to some high-seas fun.
Helene Huber (Luba Mason, right), a recently widowed socialite who finds out she may not be entitled to the money she thinks she’s inheriting, enlists her late husband’s nurse, Charlotte (Ali Ewodlt), to help her make sure the inheritance doesn’t fall into the wrong hands in Darko Tresnjak’s new musical farce, Ask For the Moon. A limited performance of the hilarious work just ended at the Goodspeed Opera House’s Norma Terris Theater. — Photo by Diane Sobolewski
