Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Company Theatre is known for doing epic musicals, and their current summer show is “Born to Do This,” about Joan of Arc, an original Rock Opera. Zoe Bradford wrote the book and lyrics, and the music and additional lyrics were by Melissa Carubia. This massive show was directed and blocked by Zoe and Sally Ashton Forrest. The show examines the life of Joan and tells of her heroic story of a young girl who fought against oppression and women’s rights centuries ago. They decided to write this show as a sung-through musical. To quote Melissa, “Rock is the music of rebellion.” These 31 talented cast members with an incredible 14-piece orchestra bring this meaningful show to life. The music contains powerful anthems, pretty ballads, and a comic song or two. It is reminiscent of “Les Miserables” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” To quote Joan, “I am not afraid; I was born to do this,” as were Zoe and Melissa on this enormous task. Brava! They delve into her childhood with her parents and two brothers. They collaborated with Michael Hammond during their writing sessions and realized this 600-year-old story is still relevant. At the start of the show, we see Young Jeanne with St. Michael, who delivers an important message about how her life will unfold in the song “The Messenger,” and the harmonies in the chorus are perfect. Musical director Robert McDonough taught the talented cast all these numbers and conducts and plays lead keyboards with his splendid orchestra. Jeri Sykes did the orchestration for this show. This show is dedicated to The Company Theatre co-founder Jordie Saucerman, who always encouraged us to do what we were born to do.
The show begins outside the gates of Orleans in 1429 after England had invaded France. The harmonic sound of this cast is unbelievable as they start the show with a bang. The story goes back in time to show how Jeanne is unafraid and brave from a very early age. Her mother, Isabelle, sings “Angels All Around,” instilling a strong faith in the young girl. Francesca Miele plays young Jeanne beautifully and displays her voice in “One Girl Prophecy,” “The Lion Claws of England” with her parents, and “The Messenger” with St. Michael. St. Michael is fabulously played by Zion Amparo, who comes from the Bronx and just graduated from Emerson College. His strong baritone voice soars in his numbers, including this one, “Chosen,” when he tells Jeanne she must save France from English invaders, “Jeanne is Wounded,” when she’s miraculously brought back to life after being wounded by an arrow and “One Life” when Jeanne is on trial. I hope to see more of Zion in future shows.
Liza Giangrande commands the stage in the huge role of Jeanne d’Arc and wins the audience’s hearts with her intense portrayal. She runs the gamut of emotions in this role. Her phenomenal voice and acting prowess shine in this two-hour and forty-minute show. Her first entrance is during “Angels All Around,” “Chosen,” where she accepts what the Archangel is telling her, “Meeting the Men,” the show-stopping “Born to Do This,” “My Armour,” “Battle of Orleans” which is a spectacular fight scene, “Jeanne is Wounded,” a gut-wrenching scene and “Angels All Around” reprise to show her cure from her wounds. Jeanne is betrayed in the second act by Tremoille, the Dauphin’s evil right-hand man. He’s played excellently by Christopher Spencer, who usually plays the good guy like Emmett in “Legally Blonde” and Nigel in “Something Rotten.” Liza’s closing number, “One Life,” brings the audience to tears as she is burned at the stake shortly after it. Her prowess and the whole cast’s talent propel the audience to their feet for a resounding standing ovation.
Jeanne’s fellow compatriots are wonderfully played. Peter Adams as General d’Alencon, whose powerful baritone voice is heard many numbers in the show and is a commanding presence, too. 19-year-old Braden Misiaszek as d’Metz, a knight in love with Jeanne, his tenor voice soars off the charts in “Born to Do This,” “On the Way to Chinon,” “My Armour,” and especially in the poignant “Dearest Jeanne” where he confesses his love to her while she’s asleep. He is off to NYU under the Lee Strasberg Institute. Salvatore Guillermo Garcia as Bastard of Orleans also displays his strong voice in this role in many numbers, as does Braden Foley as The Dauphin in the drunken “Nobody Parties like a Bastard” song with Christopher Spencer. They try to trick Jeanne into not finding him there, but the surprise is on them. I last reviewed Braden as Lumiere at Norwood Theatre last November.
Ana Viveros shines as Clarisse, a chambermaid enamored with Jeanne. She tries to help her escape from Bishop Cauchon before he puts her on trial. Ana’s strong voice is heard in “On the Way to Chinon.” Comic relief is seen in “The King with Two Crowns” and “A Bedtime Story for King Henry,” with nine-year-old Laird LaCoste displaying his voice as Henry VI where he wants to rule both England and France in the first number and rides a hobby horse in the second number while his Uncle and the Bishop plot to rid themselves of Jeanne. Kevin Groppe plays the evil and oily Uncle well, and the dastardly Bishop, who is oozing evilness with his machinations, is splendidly played by Steve Dooner. Kudos to the rest of the cast on a job very well done.
The marvelous set is by Ryan Barrow, while the beautiful visual projection designs are by Logan Puleikis. The fantastic lighting of the many scenes in both acts is by Dean Palmer Jr., and the multitude of costumes are by Rachel Padula-Shufelt. I am sure this show is headed for bigger and better things. So, for a show that still has meaning in these crazy and turbulent times, be sure to catch this stunning new musical that took the creator’s dedication and determination to create something special, be sure to catch “Born to Do This” at Company Theatre. Tell them Tony sent you. For tickets, visit their website http://www.companytheatre.com or call their box office phone number. Hurry up before the entire run is sold out.
