Calvin Berger | B+

     Calvin Berger, a new musical by Barry Wyner, premiered in February at the George Street Playhouse. Under the direction of Tony-award winner Kathleen Marshall, the production has drummed up much excitement in the theater community. As expected, the show lives up to its expectations.
     Barry Wyner, who wrote the book, music and lyrics for the entire show, takes on a subject that everyone struggles with: self-confidence. The play is based off of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, but with Wyner’s own twist. Calvin Berger, a teenager in his senior year of high school, hates the size of his nose and is in love with Rosanna, the most beautiful and popular girl in school. Fearful she will reject him because of his nose,     Calvin joins forces with Matt, the new jock-type student. Calvin writes Rosanna love letters for Matt to give to her, combining their strengths to woo Rosanna while Matt reaps all the benefits. The plot gets even more interesting when it is revealed that Calvin’s best friend Bret secretly has feelings for him. In the midst of their fears of imperfection, the four characters knowingly or unknowingly help one another overcome these personal issues with heartwarming musical numbers, entertaining dialogue and a plethora of laughs along the way.
     The basic yet detailed design is yet another aspect that makes the show a strong production. Four bedrooms, one for each teenager, sit atop a high school setting. Separating personal and public life, the rooms seem to expose each character’s individuality. It is in the privacy of these rooms that they become more outwardly vulnerable, whereas in their high school, the characters seem to fall into their stereotypes.
The individual talent and chemistry between the actors work in synch with the quality of the production. Not only do they embody their characters to the T, they also succeed in bringing a vulnerability to each role that distinguishes them from every other typical nerd, loner, princess and jock.
      Noah Weisberg, who plays the title role of Calvin Berger, has impeccable comedic timing and delivery. While at times the vocals sound as though they are out of Weisberg’s range and are overshadowed during male/female duets, his voice appears to strengthen as the show continues. Krystal Joy Brown, playing the role of Rosanna, brings a sense of openness to her character, showing a different side to the stereotypical popular girl. While every so often Brown’s voice sounds strained, her beauty transcends past her looks, making her personality and voice shimmer. David Hull, playing Matt, has such a charisma onstage that his jock-like character becomes extremely personable to the audience. There are times where the music is out of Hull’s range, forcing him to really push his lovely voice. However, similar to Weisberg, Hull becomes significantly stronger as the show progresses. Hull and Weisberg have incredible chemistry throughout the entire show; the actors work off of each other exceptionally well, to the point where every line and joke is completely on point. Dana Steingold, playing the role of Calvin’s best buddy Bret, never fails to impress the audience. Steingold flawlessly goes back and forth between having a tough-girl persona to becoming a raw and emotional teenage girl. Aside from her acting, Steingold’s powerhouse vocals tear down the house after each number.
     Overall, Calvin Berger is certainly a success. Wyner emphasizes that his characters have more depth than what is presented at face value, and the same can be said about this production. While at first glance the appearance of the set is stunning and the show itself starts off entertaining, there are many little surprises and details along the way that push the production from solid to impressive. Though at times the vocals are not up to par, they are overshadowed by the other positive attributes. Through a well-balanced combination of hilarity and sentiment, Calvin Berger succeeds in keeping the audience entertained.
 

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