Dream On, Baransky! Second Dose Review

The dream team at the landmarked American Theatre of Actors woke up one of their productions from the spring to bring theatregoers a new and improved version of Dream On, Baransky!  I had the pleasure of seeing it then and once again this past Sunday. 

Jonathan Baransky has been experiencing serious bouts of anxiety.  He has commitment issues among other things.  This charming yet immature player is drowning in the relationship waters he is poorly trying to navigate.  He’s simultaneously dating an old flame, a new flame and his best friend’s wife!  They all want a bigger piece of him than he can give.  Jonathan attends sessions with Dr. Smithson who prescribes an experimental groundbreaking treatment in the form of a pill called Dreamasil.  When a serious anxiety attack hits, Jonathan is supposed to take a pill.  The pill will kick in immediately causing Jonathan to have a waking dream.  He is directed to pay careful attention to the dreams because each one of them will have an important message for him.  All three women in Jonathan’s life are making commitment demands on him which he vehemently resists.  Just about every time he gets together with these women, he is highly stressed out prompting a dream sequence after he ingests a pill.  All the dream sequences come with guides led by Commander Ted who lead Jonathan around the dreams and relay important messages.

Dream On, Baransky! is described as a semi-romantic, quasi-musical comedy.  That’s an accurate description.  I would add the word surreal in there because it had a lot of fantasy elements.  Playwrights Dale Baron and Rich Baron penned a unique tale about dating, friendship, infidelity, and mental health told in a fun and fanciful manner with songs. 

There are a lot of positive things about seeing multiple shows at the American Theatre of Actors.  They are loyal to their actors and their actors are loyal to them.  Repeat audience members get to see the wide range of abilities the actors possess.  This new and improved production is made up of original cast members, new cast members and original cast members in different roles.  Isaias Badilla who stole the show in his supporting role of Kazz-Nova in the prior production is now playing the leading man himself, Jonathan Baransky.  He was funny and charismatic as Kazz Nova and he’s even more so as the lead.  It’s a big challenging role with physical demands and Mr. Badilla proved he’s leading man material.  The role calls for confidence and humor and he’s got both.  He’s a strong singer as well.  This time around Dustin Pazar stole the show with his quirky over the top portrayal of Dr. Smithson, Jonathan’s psychiatrist.  First of all, his German accent was spot on.  His interpretation of the role was very physical, leading to wonderful comedic moments like when he’s slithering across the floor or sitting in his patient’s lap.  It’s no wonder Mr. Pazar has been in multiple shows at the ATA.  He’s got the chops and is gifted comedically.  Jonathan’s old flame Jennifer was deftly played by Sophie Morrison who is new to this production.  She balanced strength with vulnerability in her portrayal.  Mary Healy’s strong stage presence coupled with her outstanding singing voice was the perfect fit for girlfriend Lyla.  The sky is the limit with Sky Spallone.  She resumed her role as spurned lover Suzie, and she was even scarier this time around.  If Disney needs a new villain, give Ms. Spallone a call.  It’s great that Jaafar Laraichi resumed his role as Suzie’s clueless and wildly inappropriate husband Frank.  He’s fearlessly funny and has a great singing voice.  Once again Amber Brooks crushed her portrayal of multiple characters in the show.  If you are able to flawlessly portray six very different characters WITH different accents and personalities, you are the definition of an artist!  David Allard deservedly got promoted to Commander Ted this time around.  It’s a fun and funny role pulled off expertly by Mr. Allard.  It’s hard to imagine anyone else portraying Darlene Winters than Karolina Larion because she’s so amazing in the role.  She’s such a good dancer that she choreographed the fantastic dance numbers as well.  It takes a special man to play Kazz-Nova and Billy Gillen was it this time around.  It was great to see his take on the character.  He did a fine job portraying this slimy and arrogant character.  Go team Quinn Nguyen!  She’s back as cheerful cheerleader Patsy Purity and it’s a win win situation!  There’s a new Reagan O’Reilly in town and her name is Mac Stevenson.  This gifted artist commands the stage with fierce facial expressions and impeccable comic timing.  This talented cast excelled in this production under the expert direction of Jake Minter who did a great job directing the original production too.

Being in the unique position of having seen the original production and now this revamped one, I can recognize what’s different.  What’s different is also what’s better.  The dream sequences are integral to the plot and they’re fun.  In the prior production there were way too many of them in my opinion.  There were fewer in this production which worked better.  This version of the show was also snipped and streamlined, shortening the running time.  If you’re not Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera three hours is a bit long.  Shortening the show was a good move.  There were some nice new costumes in the production.  Credit goes to cast members Amber Brooks and Quinn Nguyen with a nod to Cole Hurley, original costume designer.  There was a projection screen in which they were able to show multiple backdrops depending on the scene.  The addition of these backdrops enhanced the production.  The show ends differently this time.  This ending is a better fit and makes more sense.  It felt right and justified.

When you wake from your own dreams, get some tickets to Dream On, Baransky!  You’ll have a blast suspending reality at this fun quirky production.