Spinning Tree Theatre’s ‘Nine’ offers some firsts for Kansas City

A week before the first dress rehearsal of “Nine,” cast members huddle around a piano wielded by Spinning Tree Theatre musical director Gary Green.

It’s an unusual group for a musical: All but one of the performers in the room are women.

“It is very rare to find so many strong female roles in a show,” says director Michael Grayman, explaining why he and Spinning Tree co-founder Andrew Parkhurst chose this Broadway musical, Maury Yeston’s adaptation of the Federico Fellini film “8  1/2 .”

This production of “Nine” — about a film director in midlife crisis and the women who surround him — is unusual in other ways as well.

It marks the first time the musical will be performed professionally in the Kansas City area. And, with a host of female roles to experiment with, Grayman and Parkhurst cast noted Kansas City jazz singer Angela Hagenbach for her professional theater debut.

She plays Liliane La Fleur, a French producer who wonders whether this director, Guido Contini, will ever deliver another quality film.

“She’s getting a little perturbed with his lack of production,” says Hagenbach. “It’s her reputation and her money on the line.”

In addition to having a handle on French, Hagenbach says she easily relates to Liliane.

“She’s constantly reinventing herself, and she’s a world traveler,” says Hagenbach. “I’ve gone around the world in my careers as a fashion model and as a musician.”

Hagenbach sees theater as an extension of her roots in jazz and performance.

“I’ve had to find my theatrical voice, both with dialogue and singing,” she says. “The adjustment has been a work in progress, but I enjoy it.”

“It’s completely different from the nightclub scene and the jazz, but she is doing really well,” says Vigthor Zophoniasson, who plays Guido. “That excitement she brings with her first time, that is always contagious.”

Yeston, the composer and lyricist, posed a question when molding the 1963 classic “8  1/2 ” into a musical in 1973 for his class project in the BMI Music Theatre Workshop: “What are women to men?”

“They are our mothers, our sisters, our teachers, our temptresses, our judges, our nurses, our wives, our mistresses, our muses,” Yeston told the New York Post after the 2009 film version of “Nine” received three Oscar nominations.

Playing the lead female role of Luisa, Guido’s wife of 20 years, is Lauren Braton, who worked with Zophoniasson in a past production of “A Little Night Music,” so the two have experience depicting dysfunctional relationships.

“What I love about Luisa is that she says no, I’m not going to deal with this. I’m not going to let you drag me through the mud and everyone else with you,” says Braton.

Like Fellini himself, Guido faces two challenges: making another film and navigating his love life.

“It’s a big bear of a role,” says Zophoniasson. “When it starts, he is moments away from breakdown.”

In addition to his wife and producer, Guido is surrounded by Carla, a mistress with whom he finds a childlike innocence, and Claudia, the one he’s chasing.

Grayman and Parkhurst say the diverse cast is a great fit for a Spinning Tree production, the company’s third at the cozy Living Room Theatre.

“Doing a play well is hard, but doing a musical well is 10 times harder,” says Parkhurst.

“We love the puzzle of putting a group of actors together in a show,” he says. “It has everything to do with the success of the product.”

Also opening

▪ “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical”: The Coterie is bringing back this popular holiday classic, directed by Jeff Church. Performances run Tuesday through Dec. 31 at Crown Center, 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 144. See TheCoterie.org or call 816-474-6552.

▪ “Men Are From Mars — Women Are From Venus — Live!”: John Gray’s 1992 advice book becomes a comedy starring Amadeo Fusca and directed by Mindy Cooper. Performances run Thursday through Saturday at Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road. See KCStarlight.com or call 816-363-7827.

▪ “Sunset Boulevard”: The White Theatre is celebrating the Golden Age of film with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical Saturday through Nov. 20 at the Jewish Community Center, 5801 W. 115th St. in Overland Park. See TheJKC.org or call 913-327-8000.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Spinning Tree Theatre’s ‘Nine’ offers some firsts for Kansas City."