Event Review: Abigail: The Salem Witch Trials/The Rock Opera
Jesus Christ Superstar is my favorite rock musical of all time, followed closely by Pink Floyd's The Wall, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tommy, and Little Shop of Horrors (is it rock?). For a local production on a shoestring budget, Abigail is a wonder, first for it's rock-anthem style music, powerful singers, uber-hot band, and an attractive cast of characters, who apparently also perform in numerous local bands. Abigail, played by Casey Castille (Roadside Memorial) is particularly enchanting in the title role, jumping from tender ballad to rebel yell with the ease, and looks, of a Heart sister. But it's the Tenors who really shine, especially in "Fire and Brimstone" with lead singer Daniel Knop (Roadside Memorial) playing the evil Minister Samuel Parris, sexy Sean McCall as the Constable William Baybrook, Rande Machell as Thomas Putnam (who sounds like Metallica's James Hetfield), Tim Craig (aka Sweetness, who also plays Riff-Raff in Buzz Production's Rocky Horror Picture Show) as the imperious Magistrate Jonathan Hawthorne, and newcomer John Zane, who's plays the tortured Giles Corey like a gay Bill Murray in Little Shop of Horrors, providing the only, and much needed, comic relief. The Abigail band is icy-tight, led by musical director and lead guitarist Kurt Brown, with Mark Paniagua on bass, Steve Mathews on drums, and Kymry Esainko on keyboards. Like most in the audience, I'm already familiar with the story behind the Salem Witch Trials, but glad the producers included the lyrics in the program (like the SF Opera), which really help if you want to follow the scenes. Danzhaus is cool new cabaret venue, and I'm hoping to see more rock musicals there in the near future.
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