Theater Review

"The 12" is a Rocking Show,

But Needs to Find its Pace

By Ray Brasted

There is a lot of passion in "The 12", the rock opera that had its world premiere at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on April 1. There had better be, the story is based on the tribulations and confusion experienced by the 12 apostles following the crucifixion of their leader, Jesus Christ.

As the show begins, "Peter" (Ron Bohmer) emerges from the front of the audience in an agitated state. Their leader is lost. Will the show go on? This opening is clever on one hand, but a bit disconcerting on the other. The audience has to quickly get up to speed because just moments after Peter's appearance, the first of 20 songs "Walk Away" begins. The numbers are strung together with minimal dialogue to set them up and almost no set pieces or costumes.

There is a lot of singing talent on stage and the music and lyrics by Neil Berg are on point and reflective of the angst and uncertainty the band members feel. Bohmer's Peter is torn with guilt and it comes through in in raging lyrics and anguished screams.

Jeremy Kushnier as Tom (Thomas) is the doubter of the 12 and it takes some convincing to make him believe that the group should carry on their leader's work and his desire to bail out on the band comes through in his emotionally charged solo, "I'm No Hero".

There was inspired casting in the choice of Dan Spitz, one of the founding members of the heavy metal band Anthrax. Director Richard Seyd makes sure Spitz gets the spotlight and some ripping guitar solos in several of the numbers. Spitz, as the apostle Philip has no lines in the show. He lets his guitar do the talking.

With 12 men on stage, it is necessary to make sure there are some strong female voices and Sophia Ramos as Mary Magdalene and Elaine Caswell in several roles (Mother Mary / the Devil / Roadie) offer some of the best numbers of the show.

It is early in the run, but there seems to be some steps that can be taken to ensure The 12 finds its place in rock opera history. Performers should have head set microphones and not rely on hand mikes that limit their movement.

The audience should be given a chance to get into the scene before the first song is belted out. And sure, this is a rock band and everyone wears what they came to work in, but a bit more effort at costuming wouldn't hurt. Pacing is a challenge with so many people on stage, but at under 90 minutes the show has room to set up transitions and add some dialogue. We have great singers, we just need a bit more acting.

This is a great story and concept but to reach the kind of wide audience that helps ensure long term success, patrons have to identify with the characters on some level. We have mothers, lovers, friends and traitors in this story. Define them a bit more and The 12 can have a long life because there is no doubt this musical rocks out.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Azur Restaurant in Key West, FL

Susan Lazarus, Travel and Entertainment Writer

When travelling for work in Key West, one of the perks is the opportunity to try new restaurants, which are plentiful and at times unique.  A local  friend recommend Azur restaurant, a bit off the “beaten path” which is a good sign – it’s not on the overcrowded and touristy Duval Street strip but still conveniently located in the heart of Old Town.

While rather unassuming upon arrival, the interior is pleasant the staff welcoming.  We had a group of 7 with varying ages and food preferences. We all were happy with Azur.

Azur is known for its creative and inventive Mediterranean cuisine, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The salad of frisee lettuce, iced pear, dates, Belgium endive and gorgonzola with honey herb vinaigrette was light and refreshing yet filling at the same time. The fish, chicken and lamb entrées  tried were presented well and were delicious. We tried the apple and almond tart dessert but next time I would look at one of the chocolate delicacies. The prices are not cheap, but typical of Key West and at least the food had the quality and the restaurant had the ambiance we were looking for.

I recommend Azur for a fine dining experience in a comfortable setting.

For more information go to www.AzurKeyWest.com of call 305-292-AZUR

Azur Restaurant is located at 425 Grinnell Street, Key West.

Ed. Note: Susan Lazarus is a writer for Ftlauderdalenews.net and covers travel, dining, destination and entertainment news and reviews.

Cooking with Strangers,

Dining with Friends, An

Interactive Experience

Ray Brasted and Susan Lazarus

We didn't know what to expect as we walked into the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Barilla Interactive Dinner. We were actually going to cook with strangers? How was that going to work?

We found our table in the banquet hall and introduced ourselves to our new cooking colleagues. We were already feeling a lot more relaxed thanks to the champagne we sipped while waiting for the doors to open. A bit more wine was served at the table and we were ready to cook.

The evening was facilitated by Lidia Bastianich, award winning chef, author and Public Television cooking show host. She was joined by her son, Joe Bastianich who owns a number of award winning restaurants and three wineries. Also on the podium were Lorenzo Boni, Executive Chef of Barilla America, Cody Hogan, Chef at Lidia's Kansas City, Fortunato Nicotra of Felida New York and Phillippe Ruiz of the Palme d'Or restaurant at the Biltmore Hotel.

With such an illustrious team helping us out, how could we go wrong? After enjoying the already prepared Academia Barilla, consisting of Cherry Tomatoes and Academia Barilla Shaved Pecorino and a plate of Organic Goat Cheese Terrine with Black Olive Tapenade, Roasted Italian Sausage and locally grown greens, we were ready to cook.

In turn,  members of our table prepared Montasio Frico with Potato and Crab Filling and then moved on to Fish Soup with Barilla Ditalini and Academia Barilla Cherry Tomatoes. The main course was Ahi Tuna, Radicchio and Balsamic-Beet Vinaigrette and we finished up with the already prepared Pistachio Brownie Napoleon. Along the way we enjoyed wine pairings with each dish.

By the end of the evening we had made new friends and discovered the joy of cooking with a team. "This is a fantastic way of giving a cooking lesson," said Chef Lidia Bastianich. "You can really get into it and these recipes reflect who we really are."

Participants left with a copy of "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy - A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes", assorted Barilla products and wonderful memories of an interactive experience.

Learn more about the festival at www.sobe.com and mark your calendars for next year's events. (Photo by Ray Brasted)

Rock Musical "The 12" World

Premiere, April 1 at Broward Center

If the World Premiere of "The 12" scheduled for April 1 at the Broward Center has half the passion as the show's composer and lyricist Neil Berg and show producer Adam Friedson, audiences will be in for a very special treat.

This is an original rock musical that seeks to join the ranks of Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Rent and Spring Awakening. The story and concept are by Berg who expressed a "life long fascination with religion" when he spoke at a recent Fort Lauderdale press conference. The show is written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Robert Shenkkan.

"This was written from the heart," Berg told reporters at a special screening of a 12 minute "showcase-type" performance recently held in a New York City club. "I wanted to explore the dramatic questions surrounding one of the most important events in human history." Berg developed the music, lyrics and story concept.

Berg said that he was a rock and roller at heart and a musician with a love of the history of the genre. "I wanted to write an authentic rock and roll show," he emphasized.

Producer Adam Friedson said it was his goal to bring together the b iggest names in contemporary theater to create a "great fusion" of Broadway talent. The show has cast Ron Bohmer (Phantom, Les Miserables, Ragtime) as the apostle Peter; Jeremey Kushnier (Rent, Footloose) as apostle Thomas; Pattie Russo (featured singer from Meatloaf, Trans Siberian Orchestra) as Mother Mary and The Devil; Michael Lanning (Broadway's The Civil War) as Simon; Sophia Ramos (VH1s Best Undiscovered Artist), as Mary Magdelene.  One of the great surprises was the casting of Palm Beach resident and former lead guitar player from the heavy metal band Anthrax, Dan Spitz.

Spitz said that he and Berg have known each other for a long time but was still surprised when offered a part in the musical. "Neil came to me and said, you need to be a part of this," Spitz said. This is another in a series of dramatic changes in the life of Spitz who gave up the music scene and left Anthrax to become a master watchmaker and founder of Spitzwatch.

The rock and roll production will be set in the context of a modern day underground rock band whose members face a crisis in their lives when their leader is murdered. The team behind the show expects "The 12" to appeal to a wide range of audiences and are doing a lot of preliminary ground work to let the religious community know about the show and what it seeks to accomplish. They say it is about how people react under pressure and how they interact with each other. It won't hurt that, judging from the samples of music from the production, at heart it will be a rock and roll event with great vocal talent and great music.

The show will play in several small markets as the cast and music is fine tuned and then open April 1 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. For ticket information visit www.browardcenter.org.      (Story and Photo by Ray Brasted - Promenade News)