BARRY HARMAN

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL

November 14, 2004

 

It is my pleasure to recommend Jonathan Cerullo.

       I am an author/lyricist and director (member of The Dramatists Guild and SSDC), with credits on Broadway (ROMANCE/ROMANCE) and off Broadway (OLYMPUS ON MY MIND). My credits as an Emmy winning TV writer range from prime time TV (THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW) to PBS (GREAT PERFORMANCES). For several years, I co-owned a small firm that produced and toured small, original musical shows and produced industrials around the country.

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       I first met Jonathan Cerullo while working on a 50’s musical revue entitled HOW SWEET IT WAS, for which he was hired to assist the director. Because I seek out people who are bright, inventive, focused, prepared and able to work in a collaborative environment, I responded to Jonathan at once. I admired his sense of humor and implicit understanding of musical theater, plus how he encouraged the young performers - most of whom were appearing in their first Equity production. He clearly understood the style of the 50’s, and the director wisely relied on him to keep true to period.

      

I recommended Jonathan for a subsequent job, as choreographer on a children’s theater production of a country-western version of Aesop’s Fables entitled FABLE COUNTRY. The show utilized a Story Theater approach to the fables, and while the director’s work was far from seamless, Jonathan’s numbers were all highlights. He got the style, the sly country western humor, as well as the pathos, and greatly enhanced the final product.

      

For a million reasons – as happens in our business – our professional paths did not cross for some time. I got out of producing, busy with writing and directing various projects of my own and Jonathan moved on to other endeavors. The next time we saw each other, he was assisting Pat Birch on a musical at Circle in the Square.

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       It was not until a year ago, while doing a production of a new musical at the Fringe Festival, that we had the chance to work together again. Jonathan was hired to choreograph a new piece, which involved actors playing several roles in a very involved and purposely convoluted plot. I was delighted to see that my early instincts about Jonathan’s sense of story, staging, character and style had really blossomed. He took several numbers, using mostly non-dancers, and turned each one into a delightful divertissement that added immeasurably to the impact of the piece. His choreography and musical staging was clear, organic, intelligent, endlessly inventive, always character-oriented, true to period (Victorian) and a joy to watch. One particular number, which covered a large period of time with endless plot permutations, went from being what I had considered a minor throwaway to one of the standouts of the entire show.

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       All this was accomplished in the allotted rehearsal time of a week or so – meaning Jonathan had to be fully prepared, able to command an impressive cast and convey precisely what he intended to achieve, and yet not tax the performers with more than they could handle in so short a period. He handled the balance masterfully. He was also extremely helpful in seeing that characters remained true to period in their book scenes in terms of posture, deportment, handling of props and wearing of costumes. This last particularly impressed, because it reflected a great deal of research on his part and a desire to make the project work as a whole. In his passion, focus, and commitment, he often reminded me of another choreographer colleague – the late Chris Chadman.

    

   I know that Jonathan has done numerous other projects outside of New York, including staging a full circus production, all to great acclaim   I thought he was a talented man when I met him years ago; I think he is even more so now.

I believe many more in the industry would share my assessment if they became better acquainted with his talent. I recommend him highly, and without reservation.

 

Sincerely,

BARRY HARMAN

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