Cloverdale Playhouse: "Shadowlands"

In addition to The Chronicles of Narnia and other literary masterpieces, C. S. Lewis is highly regarded as one of the 20th Century's most renowned Christian apologists. In the early-to-mid century he was one of a small coterie of Oxford intellectuals who met regularly to discuss a range of philosophical, theological, social, human subjects. He was a bachelor who shared accommodations with his brother "Warnie", living a comfortable and relatively uneventful life. -- Then Joy Davidman came into his life and changed him forever, as he moved from skepticism to being in touch with his own emotions.  Joy was an American Jewish divorcee who struck up an acquaintance in a series of letters that demonstrated intellectual abilities equal to his as well as a straightforward demeanor. -- An unlikely match, but one sensitively recounted in William Nicholson's Shadowlands which is currently on offer at the Cloverdale Playhouse

Director Sarah Kay Grinstead's adroit manipulation of Nicholson's script relies on the talents of her excellent ensemble cast to engage audiences as they convincingly deliver the philosophical themes [the "shadowlands" of the title emerge in several ways as they also develop plot and character] along with some gently humorous romantic comedy dialogue.

At the center, Lewis -- referred to here as "Jack" [J. Scott Grinstead] and Davidman [Rachel Pickering] allow themselves time to develop their relationship from pen-pals to an awkward social afternoon tea gathering to a marriage of convenience to a stronger love, through cancer and death and ultimately to an understanding of what it takes to face life with all its complications and pains, and to emerge stronger. -- It's a controlled and fully convincing story.

They are joined by Joy's young son Douglas [a soft-spoken Carson Campbell], Lewis's brother "Warnie" [John McWilliams makes him a slightly stuffy but sweet man who allows others to dominate the scenes he is in], and the aforementioned Oxford intellectuals played by Todd Taseff, Scott Rouse, Scott Denton, and Evan Price: each with his own distinct personality and philosophical bent that contribute to and comment on the Lewis/Davidman plot. -- Sarah Worley as the Nurse while Joy suffers from painful bone cancer, and Ethan Montgomery as the Registrar round out the cast.

Mr. Grinstead also serves as Scenic Designer, creating yet another deceptively simple multi-leveled set, placing Lewis's famous "wardrobe" at its focal point that makes a subtle commentary on the text.

There's a lot to think about both during and after for audiences experiencing Shadowlands. You'll probably be a lot better off.

Pike Road: "Meredith Wilson's Miracle on 34th Street"

Originally titled Here's Love on its debut in 1963, Meredith Wilson later changed it to Miracle on 34th Street, as it was based on the 1947 film of that name that featured Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and a young Natalie Wood. -- An updated 1994 film with a marvelous Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle is another popular variation.

Wilson's musical rendition of Miracle on 34th Street contains orchestrations of his oeuvre familiar to those aficionados of The Music Man, leaving audiences tapping their collective toes or relishing the romantic moments. -- And though Wilson wrote music, lyrics, and book, Pike Road's director James Keith Posey and company occasionally use references to later dates than in the 1963 text.

Posey has as usual collected a multi-talented ensemble of actors young and old[er] to give energy to Wilson's rather lackluster story that leaves a few issues unresolved. -- Divorcee Doris Walker [Mara Woddal, in fine voice] organizes the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that culminates with Santa Claus arriving to start the Christmas Season and the shopping frenzy that follows. Her daughter Susan [Ruby Mallory] has been brought up to not believe in Santa, but when Kris Kringle [a thoroughly believable Sam Wallace] saves the day as a last minute substitute for the drunk Santa who Doris had hired, it doesn't take long for Susan, in the company of neighbor/lawyer Fred Gailey [Jason Isbell] to realize that Kris is the real Santa, whose lessons about faith and humanity and compassion and treating everyone with love are the backbone of the plot.

It's good to see Lee Bridges back on-stage as department store tycoon R. H.Macy, Kristen Vanderwal as a bewildered Miss Crookshank, and Assistant Director Jason Morgan providing yet another excellent comic portrayal as Marvin Shellhammer. -- And when Kris is sent to court to test his sanity, Eric Arvidson gives a solid performance as Judge Martin Group who is faced with the dilemma of determining that Santa Claus does exist and in the person of Kris Kringle.

All this is told in two acts over two-and-a-half hours [a bit overlong], with numerous pitch-perfect songs by the cast and Ensemble -- "Arm in Arm", "You Don't Know", "Here's Love", "Pine Cones and Holly Berries/It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", "That Man Over There" and "Love Come Take Me" -- and production numbers delightfully choreographed by Kim Isbell.

There was a festive atmosphere in the theatre last night, even though the audience was small. Yet, Meredith Wilson's Miracle on 34th Street remains one of the Christmas Season's engaging stories to share with the River Region.

ASF: "A Christmas Carol"

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is kicking off the holiday season with a return of former Artistic Director Rick Dildine's version of A Christmas Carol. Dildine and assistant director Matt Lytle treat River Region audiences to their fast-paced and significantly abbreviated entertainment.

This high-level entertainment [ensemble acting, inventive and flexible set, stunning visual projections, lush period costumes, catchy Appalachian music performed by an accomplished on-stage band] pleased the small opening night audience who cheered at the curtain call after a mere 90-minutes, including an unnecessary 15-minute intermission.

Despite its brevity, the major plot elements of Charles Dickens's classic 1843 tale of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge's [Paul Slide Smith] Christmas Eve reclamation journey are retained.  -- As the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley [Tarah Flanagan] intervenes on his behalf by sending the Ghosts of Christmases Past [Adrian Denise Kiser], Present [Chauncy Thomas], and Future [Garrett Van Allen] to show him the way to a new life of honoring Christmas throughout the year, the story unravels quickly, and we watch Scrooge's gradual awakening to his misdeeds and how to correct them.

Scrooge's nephew Fred [Harry Thornton] will not be deterred by his uncle's "Bah, humbug!" from celebrating Christmas with a spirit of compassionate good will towards everyone. -- Scrooge's clerk Bob Cratchit [Matt Lytle] knows how to celebrate Christmas despite his economic woes and the declining health of his youngest child Tiny Tim [Samuel Joseph Mason on opening night].

As an idealistic and romantic Young Scrooge [Zack Powell] woos and loses Belle [Oriana Lada] because of his focus on material wealth, and former employer Mr. Fezziwig [Chris Mixon] sets a fine example of the best uses of money to give pleasure to others, we are shown several examples of the unsatisfying impact of greed, until the ultimate moment of facing death without leaving a meaningful legacy.

There are a couple of enhancements since last year's production: (1) a bit more attention to Fezziwig's influence in the Christmas Eve dance at he party he throws for his employees, and (2) more pointed staging where an invisible Scrooge is placed between other characters who are talking about him, thereby making their critical words about him have a direct impact on his eventual change. -- And, like last year, there are two "Young Company" cast members drawn from the local community who alternate for each performance.

In the end, Mr. Smith's gleeful Scrooge is infectious; and who can argue with ringing in this festive season with Tiny Tim's resounding "God bless us, every one!"

Cloverdale Playhouse: "Noises Off"

Put the cares of the world on hold for a few hours, sit back, and relish the behavior of the Cloverdale Playhouse actors as they go through three acts of hilarious laugh-a-minute antics in the ever popular sex-farce Noises Off [1982] by British playwright Michael Frayn.

Mike Winkelman serves both as director and scenic designer in this robust comedy featuring a collection of Playhouse veterans and actors appearing there for the first time. The Company includes: Sydney Burdette, Anne Gunter, Jacob Holmberg, Sarah Housley, Laura Johnstono, Kevin McCormack, Chris Paulk, Christopher Roquemore, and John Selden. --Winkelman's sure comic hand challenges the acting ensemble to discover and enthusiastically embody the assorted eccentricities of their characters. And full-house audiences are eating it up.

We watch as a mediocre English regional acting company try valiantly to mount a mediocre sex-farce called "Nothing On": during a significantly under-rehearsed pre-tour dress rehearsal in Act I, followed by Act II's run of the same scene we saw in Act I, except from backstage [watch the set change between the Acts to admire the Playhouse's stagecraft], and then we return to the Act I scene near the end of their tour where everything has run amok.

But, we are also treated to the foibles and personal relationships within the touring Company. So, we have Cloverdale Playhouse actors portraying English actors who are playing roles in a bad play. -- Don't worry; you'll figure it out [though more comprehensive program notes could help]. -- No further specific plot or character spoilers here...they might ruin the fun; and you ought to experience it for yourselves.

As farce requires split-second timing and a lot of physical commitment from the actors, we can anticipate slamming doors [there are several of them, and they don't always work], pratfalls, misplaced props, sexual innuendo, and broad characterizations to carry the load. -- And we watch as Winkelman's exquisite troupe's frustrations give way to downright sabotage and anarchy as both the production of "Nothing On" and their personal lives deteriorate around them.

Two major credits here go to Winkelman's stunning transforming set, and a remarkable ensemble of actors who individually and collectively provide a side-splitting, face-aching evening of the best entertainment around.

Pike Road Theatre Company: "Into the Woods"

Ten years on from its first River Region presentation at the Cloverdale Playhouse, and again at Faulkner University a year later, Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's Into the Woods [1986] is again gracing the Faulkner stage, this time in the Pike Road Theatre Company Artistic Director James Keith Posey's masterfully sung iteration.

Sondheim's challenging musical score and lyrics [here accompanied by overly loud pre-recorded orchestrations], matched with Lapine's sophisticated dialogue, provides a suitably dark version of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, staying true to the original instead of some popular sanitized versions.

Many of the iconic stories are here -- Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk -- as well as the childless Baker and Wife; and, of course, there are Giant and a Witch.

But there's more: Sondheim and Lapine intertwine their stories, bringing everyone "into the woods" where mysterious forces abound. You see, the Baker and his Wife are childless because the Witch cast a spell that can only be resolved if they bring her "a cow as white as milk [Jack sells his milky white cow for magic beans], a cape as red as blood [Little Red's cape is blood red], hair as yellow as corn [Rapunzel's long locks are blonde], and a slipper as pure as gold [Cinderella's slipper that she loses at the King's Festival]". -- And we get caught up in their stories and misadventures while we're entertained by attempts to secure a happy-ever-after result.

Many lessons about tolerance, shared responsibility, honesty, consequences of our actions, and fantasy vs. reality are shared throughout the 2-hour and 45-minute production that the ensemble cast deliver with convincing performances and stunning singing voices, top among them are Brandtley McDonald and Kristen Vanderwal as the Baker and Wife ["It Takes Two"], David Rowland and Cameron Williams as two narcissistic Princes ["Agony" brings down the house], Riley Tate Wilson as Jack ["Giants in the Sky"], Grayson Hataway as Cinderella, with Mr. McDonald, Mr. Wilson, and Olivia Roden as Little Red Riding Hood ["No One is Alone"].

There are several surprises from Michael Buchanan in the dual roles of the Narrator/Mysterious Man, and from a "transformed" Witch in the person of Sarah Carlton.

And much can be made of the musical's warning to us all that "Children Will Listen" to what adults tell them either through their words or their actions.

Theatre AUM: "Red"

A compact bio-drama about the temperamental abstract artist Mark Rothko is a tantalizing one-act two-hander pitting Rothko [Jay Russell] against his eager assistant and novice artist Ken [Michael James Pritchard] as he prepares a series of murals commissioned to decorate the new elegant "Four Seasons" restaurant in New York City's Seagram's Building circa 1959.

Doubtful of placing his "art" in a place where a well-heeled dining public might not even look at the murals, Rothko questions his own hypocrisy for accepting the commission -- for money? for fame? for what? -- using Ken as a sounding-board; but Ken has ideas of his own about how art movements evolve and the artist's responsibility to art and the public.

John Logan's Red is astutely directed at Theatre AUM by Michael Krek who balances his actors' rapid-fire dialogue [a kind of Socratic method Q&A] with moments of thoughtful stillness as their characters introduce a wealth of heady subjects: they disagree about the nature of art, the definition of an artist, and the very act of creating. With forays into Classical drama's tension between Apollonian [reason] and Dionysian [emotion] co-existence, Darwinian survival of the fittest, Nietzsche's "Birth of Tragedy", and Oedipal impulses, both Rothko and Ken debate and try to protect their opposing aspirations.  

And Mr. Russell and Mr. Pritchard are more than up to the task of validating their roles with dynamic characterizations. Each challenges the other's aspirations and assumptions in ways that keep audience attention, allowing both combatants to score points off the other and forcing us to face the question that bookends the show: "What do you see?" in any painting might leave the value of art up to the individual who views or experiences it.

ASF: "Dear Jack, Dear Louise"

Popular award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig its best known for witty comedies [Lend Me a Tenor], musicals [Crazy for You], and outlandish spoofs on the classics [Baskerville], so his romantic comedy Dear Jack, Dear Louise -- a two-hander that opened last week in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's intimate Octagon Theatre -- would seem at first glance to be a departure from the norm. 

Not so...it bears the stamp of his oeuvre: snappy dialogue, fast-paced action, and characters audiences are meant to root for.

Based on the true story of how Ludwig's parents met through the exchange of letters during World War II -- Jack [Pete Winfrey], a shy doctor is serving Stateside in Oregon at the beginning of the War and later posted to the European front; Louise [Oriana Lada], an outgoing Brooklyn born actress/dancer aspires to Broadway stardom. -- Opposites attract, don't they? And we know from the outset where this is going.

What begins as a dutifully polite exchange of letters [their fathers, who were friends, thought it would be a good idea for them to "meet"], develops over 3+ years into an endearing love story. In time, the language of their correspondences gradually loosens up as they share thoughts and concerns, until they admit they like each other and want to meet in person...and this becomes the central device that thwarts their meeting for a variety of reasons; and it sustains the tension because we have come to like them.

There is plenty of humor here too. Though the disappointments of not meeting either because letters took a long time to be delivered, or Jack's commanding officer delays granting him leave, or his posting overseas makes it impossible, or Louise's taking an acting job with a touring company complicates things, they take it in good humor despite the growing frustrations as their mutual feelings develop into love.

Ludwig hasn't penned the letters as stand-alone complete epistles as A. R. Gurney did in his Pulitzer Prize winning Love Letters; instead he presents snippets of Jack's and Louise's letters that enables his characters to comment quickly as if in face-to-face conversations. A naturalistic device that brings them into close contact with each other and to us, the audience.

Mr. Winfrey and Ms. Lada are almost always on stage together with a few brief times out of our sight, and the chemistry between them is palpable, even though they never look at each other during the two acts. -- Director Risa Brainin stages them so we can see their faces and register their feelings. She also establishes a rapid-fire pace with the dialogue that the actors deliver with alacrity so every moment speaks to the truth in their personalities and situations.  They speak with little commentary, but nonetheless invite us into their lives.

The impact on War on the private lives of both Jack and Louise resonates with us, and while Dear Jack, Dear Louise is more than a nostalgic paean to a more innocent time [listen to the sound track of many Big Band hits], the period costumes by Val Winkelman use fabrics, cuts and finishes, and a warm muted color palette that transports audiences to the 1940s, and helps in accessing the universals of a romantic love story.

WOBT: "Boeing-Boeing"

Last seen at the Wetumpka Depot ten years ago, Marc Camoletti's outrageous French farce Boeing-Boeing is currently entertaining audiences at the Way Off Broadway Theatre in Prattville. The English translation by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans is replete with clever dialogue, archetypal characters, comic-formulaic plot devices, and physical challenges that make for an engaging evening as director Melissa Strickland guides her ensemble of six actors for two-and-a-half hours through the play's three acts.

It's the 1960s, so Ms. Strickland shows us a very "mod" set with seven doors to accommodate the many quick escapes that farce requires, and creates a period atmosphere with a soundtrack from the '60s. And the costumes are both period-appropriate while deftly showing the characters' professions.

Here's the set-up: Bernard [Josh Carples] lives in an up to date Paris apartment, where his three "finances" -- each of them stewardesses for TWA, Alitalia, and Lufthansa airlines -- stay with him while they are in between flights; none of them knows about the others, and Bernard keeps them separate through his mathematical calculations of their individual schedules. -- As you might imagine, there will be complications for this Lothario. [Keep in mind that 21st Century communications didn't exist, so they relied on land-line telephones, etc.]

Each of the women has a distinct personality [matter of fact American Gloria: Ashlee Lassiter; lusty Italian Gabriella: Jordon Perry, strong-willed German Gretchen: Laela Bunn], challenging Bernard to shift gears with each one, and challenging his housekeeper Berthe [Janie Allred] to prepare meals to suit them, as well as to be complicit in Bernard's behavior and rescue him from impending disaster.

When Bernard's old naive friend Robert [Isaac Garrison] shows up out of the blue, Bernard invites him to stay while he gets settled in Paris. Though Robert is initially shocked, befuddled, and intrigued with Bernard's lifestyle, he eventually is seduced by the hedonistic arrangement.

No spoilers about the specific outcome [it's a comedy, so everyone's happy by the conclusion], but the fun of the production is in following the assorted plot twists, personality developments, broad physical humor, over-the-top national accents, and various meltdowns when situations get out of hand.

Wetumpka Depot: "Silent Sky"

Prolific author Lauren Gunderson has in several years had the distinction of being named "America's most produced living playwright". Her multi-award-winning scripts include Silent Sky which is on stage at the Wetumpka Depot for the next two weekends. Ms. Gunderson most often focuses on pioneering women in history, literature, and science who address the challenges they face in a male dominated world.

Sensitively directed by Kim Mason [one of the River Region's most accomplished thespians], Silent Sky is based on the true story of Henrietta Leavitt who, in the early 20th Century, left her home in Wisconsin to take a job at a Harvard University astronomy lab. Eager to get to work, she finds that all the women in the "harem" so employed merely record and catalogue the data that the men get credit for, and has no chance of actually engaging meaningfully in mapping the stars by using the telescope forbidden to them.

A tight ensemble of actors inhabit their roles with conviction, as Gunderson tracks Henrietta's audacious persistence in achieving new astronomical discoveries that changed the ways in which modern science views the cosmos, the earth, and the ways in which humankind exists in it.

Make no mistake, audiences are meant to be on Henrietta's side from the very beginning. In the role, Hillary Taylor is both a radical and a traditional homebody whose decision to leave Wisconsin is hard for her sister Margaret [Meagan Tuck] to understand and accept. And when she meets the other women at the lab -- brusque and rigid Annie [Tammy Arvidson] and compassionate Scottish Williamina [Layne Holley] -- she has colleagues who teach her the rules and later become complicit in her breaking them. 

Though she expected to meet and work hand in hand with the professor who heads the project, she is met by his assistant Peter [Ethan Montgomery], whose almost robotic pronouncements about the lab work and the distinctions between the roles of men and women cause Henrietta to do everything in her power to break the rules and get some credit.

Predictably, a romance begins between them [an invention of the playwright], and serves to humanize both of the characters. -- Mr. Montgomery's persistent stuttering evokes one of the most convincingly disarming proclamations of love: a credit to the playwright, the director, the acting partners in the scene.

The play delves into the discoveries of an emerging astronomical science, feminism and women's suffrage, the sacrifices people make for family and career, and the legacy of important figures in our history, and makes them resonate over time.

Played on a simple set with a stunning cyclorama backdrop, and clothed in period character driven costumes by Ryan Sozzi and wigs by Hannah Lunt, Silent Sky draws audiences into Henrietta's world and the human complications she maneuvers, making for a stunning evening at the Wetumpka Depot.

Millbrook: "The Curious Savage"

There's no love lost between eccentric widow Mrs. Savage [Michon R. Givens] and her three adult step-children [played by Eric Arvidson, Blair Berry, and Josh Register]. Now that she has inherited her late husband's $10-million, and is determined to help strangers fulfill their dreams and put the money to good use, the greedy step-children have her committed to a rest home called "The Cloisters" where they believe she will be under their control and can wrest the fortune for themselves. 

That's the set-up for John Patrick's 1950 comedy The Curious Savage now playing under A. John Collier's direction in Millbrook, and with three actors reprising roles from the 2016 production at Prattville's "Way Off Broadway Theatre".

But there's more: the residents of "The Cloisters" are a mixed bag of psychologically damaged misfits who are otherwise harmless and exhibit some of the best human traits: honesty, mutual support, acceptance of their own and other people's conditions, and an inherent goodness of nature. -- Actors RaeAnn Collier, Toshia Martin, Gage Parr, Katie Register, and Michael Snead exhibit distinct personalities that we are immediately drawn to, in part due to their realistic depictions, and who are clearly intended to contrast with the devious step-children.

Dr. Emmitt [Rodney Winter] and nurse Mrs. Willie [Bre Gentry], sympathetically care for the residents while trying to keep the peace within the Savage family.

There are plenty of comic moments amidst the family conflicts, delivered with assurance by the able cast. And though Patrick's old-fashioned storytelling includes lengthy exposition and methodical plot revelations that stretch the playing time to two-and-a-half hours [a quicker line delivery and more rapid pace could help], interest is sustained by the talents of the actors. -- Ms. Martin's lively and effervescent behavior gives welcome energy. And in the aforementioned reprised roles, Mr. Arvidson is thoroughly corrupt and frightening; Ms. Collier's litanies of the things her character "hates" are delivered with perfect detachment; and Ms. Givens takes he central role of Mrs. Savage to a mature level that puts attention on conflict and resolution while achieving our sympathies and support for her actions.  

No spoilers as to how it all turns out, but along the way audiences are challenged to figure out what is normal, the effects of trauma on individuals, that actions often do speak louder than words...good lessons for everyone.

Wetumpka Depot: "Ten Minutes on a Bench"

"Why do people use dating apps?" is investigated in Kenneth Jones's Ten Minutes on a Bench which ended its short run at the Wetumpka Depot last Friday. This disarmingly entertaining "developmental production" was previously workshopped in Florida and New York, so it is still a "Work in Progress", and with judicious editing and stronger focus is close to being a finished product.

In an attempt to tick all the boxes -- age, narcissism, hook-ups, LGBTQ+, disease, death, alcohol, job insecurity, gender stereotypes, technology, fanciful expectations, et al. -- the play's seventeen short scenes' common denominator is "loneliness", a subject that attentive audiences figure out early in its two-hour stage time. 

Jones [Alabama Story and Hollywood Nebraska]. allows for flexible casting to accommodate age and gender, and director Tony Davison wisely casts four men and four women to play multiple roles that highlight their skills in creating an array of distinct characters while emphasizing the ensemble nature of such a dramatic convention. -- Sydney Burdette, Isaac Garrison, Renee Lewis, Seth Maggard, Laura Smith, Todd Tasseff, James Ward, and Jean Webb comprise the multi-talented acting company whose rapid-fire naturalistic speech and commitment to each personality keep the action moving from scene to scene. [On closing night, one line of dialogue literally stopped the show.]

An experiment in launching a new Dating App conscripts a group of strangers who agree to meet on a public park bench for a ten-minute meeting with another member of the group, with no specific expectations, and several rules to follow: they must agree to share their personal details, be honest with one another, make no commitments or arrangements to meet again, no touching except for a handshake, and stay for no less and no more than the allotted ten minutes. Imagine the complications.

A lone park bench serves as the set for all the scenes that take place in a variety of towns and cities; and the characters and their situations and purposes show a lot of familiar tropes of people trying to connect with one another. -- Jones has an ear for truthful dialogue and quirks of character; each scene is entertaining in its own right, and could stand alone as a complete vignette; but it goes on for too long. It needs to be more compact; perhaps with fewer scenes and no intermission Ten Minutes on a Bench could make a stronger impact. 

ASF: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"

Breezy -- dynamic -- witty -- stunning -- loud -- 

The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is ending its Summer run at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival this weekend. -- Popular since the 1970s and its Broadway debut in 1982, the "sung-through musical" is based on the Book of Genesis story of Jacob and his twelve sons [the favorite one is Joseph], the gift of a coat of many colors that sets off a tale of jealousies and their consequences, ultimately resulting in a redemptive reunion of the family.

Rice and Lloyd Weber fill their two acts with a variety of entertaining song styles [calypso, country-Western, French ballad, Rock and Roll, among others] as they develop plot and character with an infectious humor, and challenge actors and choreographers to engage their audiences.

Director Melissa Rain Anderson and her design cohort [Scenic: Christopher & Justin Swader; Costume: Theresa Ham; Lighting: Nathan Scheuer] create a stunning landscape in which the cast maneuver smoothly; abetted by clever-disciplined-athletic choreography by Lindsay Renea Benton, accomplished throughout by the ensemble cast, the production's success is grounded by its multi-talented company, with support from a local Youth Ensemble.

Fresh faces abound in this production, as most of the cast make their ASF debuts here; so it is heartening to witness their individual and collective energy, dancing skills, and impressive vocal talents. Ms. Anderson directs them with assurance, keeps the action flexible from scene to scene, and gets the most out of her collaboration with Music Director F. Wade Russo and his ten piece orchestra.

Samantha Rios serves as the Narrator who sets the tone and links the episodes of Joseph's [Michael Burrell] journey as an interpreter of dreams; from his initial snobbery to punishment to reward to redemption, starting off with his version of "Any Dream Will Do". But when his father Jacob [Michael Fitzpatrick] gives him the colorful coat, the brothers' jealousies get him sold into slavery ["One More Angel in Heaven"] with Potiphar [also Michael Fitzpatrick] in Egypt where Potiphar's Wife [Madison Manning] attempts to seduce him ["Potiphar"], gets him thrown into jail where his interpretation of dreams captures the attention of Pharaoh [Jim Poulos] whose dreams Joseph interprets as representing seven years of plenty followed by seven years of drought, and enables Pharaoh["A Pharoah's Story"] to keep his people safe and prosperous; and sets the scene for Joseph to reunite with his family.

With its emphasis on sustained and entertaining energy, this Joseph... could benefit from toning down the volume that too often blurs many of the lyrics and renders singing voices to shrillness rather than clarity. This notwithstanding, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a pleasant way to end ASF's 52nd Season.

Pike Road: "Roald Dahl's 'Matilda, the Musical'"

Roald Dahl's 1988 novel, Matilda, tells the story of a precocious child who is unloved and mistreated by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, and sent to a boarding school where her intellectual achievements are unacceptable to the abusively tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Though she manages to make a few friends among the students, and finds she has telekinetic powers that get her out of scrapes with the authorities, Matilda is encouraged to read and tell stories to Mrs. Phelps, and is ultimately rescued by a compassionate teacher, Miss Honey.

Several versions of Dahl's novel are available, the 2010 musical being one of the most popular, and which is currently part of the Pike Road Theatre Company's season.

There are several reasons to attend the award-winning Roald Dahl's "Matilda, the Musical" [book: Dennis Kelly; music and lyrics: Tim Minchin] in addition to the play itself:

• It is the first venture of the Pike Road Theatre Company in its new-found home at Faulkner University in a proper theatre facility that can showcase the play's production values;
• It has stunning multi-tasking sets with moving parts that quickly and seamlessly shift locations; and effectively creative lighting [neither designer is given credit in the program];
• It has beautifully rendered character driven costumes designed by Emily Blossom;
• It features Kim Isbell's masterful, athletic, challenging choreography delivered with precise and disciplined enthusiasm by the able ensemble cast;
• It is directed by James Keith Posey, whose attention to detail moves the action clearly forward with inventive staging and characterizations;
• It has an ensemble of veteran actors in principal roles, who inhabit their roles completely, warts-and-all [Jason Morgan and Kristen Vanderwal as the nasty Wormwood parents; Tara Troccia as the patient and concerned Mrs. Phelps; Jenifer Hollett as the voracious headmistress you love to hate, Miss Trunchbull; and Sarah Olguin as the faithful savior, Miss Honey];
• It is centered in a mature-beyond-her-years performance of 4th-grader Caroline Suggs in the title role, whose clear angelic singing voice, admirable stage presence, ability to connect with her stage partners, and confident interpretation of dialogue and lyrics carries this show on her very capable shoulders.

The 34-member ensemble cast do an admirable job in entertaining PRTC's largely sold-out audiences, and carry them along with effervescent enthusiasm. -- Accompanied by a recorded musical score, and with over-amplified voices, some dialogue and many of the lyrics are drowned out. We get the general meaning and intentions, but often have to struggle to hear the precise words.

Nonetheless, this production of Roald Dahl's "Matilda, the Musical" is a crowd-pleaser that deserves the enthusiastic applause at the final curtain.

Cloverdale Playhouse: "The Explorer's Club"

Smile, giggle, laugh, and snort your way through the outrageously comical The Explorer's Club that opened last night at The Cloverdale Playhouse. -- Nell Benjamin's witty script and over-the-top characters are pure fodder for director and scenic designer J. Scott Grinstead's nine ensemble actors: James-Louis Avery, Jon Carroll, Isaac Garrison, Jacob Holmberg, Sarah Housley, Chris Roquemore, Jan Roeton, Hunter Stewart, and Mike Winkelman. 

As the eccentric members of the men-only Explorer's Club gather in mid-Victorian London, each of whom has a specific scientific expertise, they bemoan the disappearance of their bartender. One member promotes admitting a woman to their membership -- controversial, of course, but she is, after all, both brilliant and good looking, and has just returned from an expedition to a fabled Lost City with one of the natives in tow.

Add a pompous bureaucrat, an Irish rebel, a poisonous snake, and the assorted in-fighting and romantic jealousies among the members, as well as confusions of the native as he navigates linguistic and cultural challenges, and the cumulative effect of the hijinks at hand is contagious laughter.

Mr. Grinstead's lush scenic design is period specific and detailed, creating an atmosphere that is supported by Sarah Kay's witty and character driven costumes, all enhanced by finely executed lighting [Jason Grinstead] and sound [Noah Henninger].

The action moves swiftly, its two acts lasting under two hours including intermission. -- The Explorer's Club is loud and funny, and the actors are a fine ensemble group who support one another throughout. Occasional comic lines are covered by audience laughter or stage business, but no matter...the madcap shenanigans keep the audience gleefully entertained.

Millbrook: "The Hallelujah Girls"

The program notes for Millbrook's production of The Hallelujah Girls lists several of their veteran comic actresses in the cast, so audience expectations were high for what was to become yet another delightful encounter with them.

The play -- one of a small cottage industry by playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten  -- relies on an improbably silly plot through which the assorted archetypical "girls" demonstrate their individual quirks while [in response to another friend's death] they transform a redundant church into the SPA--DEE--DAH salon...and with many economic, social, political, and romantic entanglements that need to be remedied, the two acts entertain as things get twisted out of proportion.

Director Cheryl Phillips trusts her fine ensemble cast [Jamie Brown, Karla McGhee, Pat McClellan, Vicki Moses, Steve Phillips, Terry Quotes, Tracey Quotes, Margaret White] to deliver the goods; and though the staging is relatively static and scene changes take too long, the acting company inhabit their characters and land their witty dialogue with confidence.

We know these people; they walk amongst us...and Millbrook's Hallelujah Girls are so truthful that we applaud the result...a good old-fashioned entertaining evening of theatre.

ASF: "Ken Ludwig's BASKERVILLE: a Sherlock Holmes Mystery"

At the curtain call of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's production of Ken Ludwig's BASKERVILLE: a Sherlock Holmes Mystery, the backstage crew and dressers are brought out for a well-deserved ovation. They had been working silently and out-of-sight for the past two hours, flawlessly manipulating scenic elements, props, and innumerable split-second costume changes for the five-member acting ensemble who portray more than 40 characters. 

Director Laura Kepley deftly manages this madcap farcical interpretation of one of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous escapades of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. -- Though true to Doyle's original, audiences are challenged to keep up with the main plot, sub-plots, red herrings, witty dialogue, exaggerated dialects, and broadly comical delineations of characters that drive the action at a rapid pace.

Paige Hathaway's flexible, multi-leveled and evocative set, Rob Denton's sophisticated lighting, Jane Shaw's confident sound design, Kelly Colburn's stunningly effective projections, and Lex Liang's period character-driven and often humorous costumes offer a collaboration that supports the actors and the script.

The impressive acting ensemble -- Grant Chapman [Holmes], Todd Cerveris [Watson], with Michael Doherty, Justin Blanchard, and Madeleine Lambert as "everyone else" -- are so finely disciplined and specific in their choices of posture and dialect that make each character distinct, that we forget there are only five of them. 

And they have to tell the convoluted story of a family curse and deaths attributed to a "hellhound" on the moors near the Baskerville estate, the latest of which conscripts Holmes to solve and to prevent the death of the latest family member to inherit the title and the land.

It's all a great deal of fun for audiences to try to solve the mystery along with Holmes, but entertainment is the key to Ludwig's take on the tale. And we get it big-time here. Many twists and turns, many revelations, and even more laughs as we become complicit in the story and its outcome.

Come to ASF for the story, come for the costumes, and the set, and the projections, come for the laughs. Admire the talents of the acting ensemble. And have a good evening out.

WOBT: "A Streetcar Named Desire"

If not for community and university theatres, the River Region would be hard-pressed to find significant attention to the standard and classic repertoire, and Prattville's Way Off Broadway Theatre's challenging  season includes Shakespeare's Twelfth Night [coming in July] and its latest production of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire. 

First-time director Kaden Blackburn has curiously re-set the play some decades after its original 1947 time period, and his set is so bright and open that it works against Williams's gritty claustrophobic post-World War II New Orleans location.

That notwithstanding, and though uneven in pace and conflict, Mr. Blackburn has elicited strong performances from his able cast -- particularly his principal players -- who provide a number of powerfully sensitive moments during the two-and--half-hour running time.

When a confused and damaged Blanche Du Bois [Alex Rikerd] arrives at the dingy apartment of her pregnant sister Stella [Maggie Kervin] and working-class brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski [Douglas Dean Mitchell], she disrupts their lives by contrasting the gentility of her Southern-belle social status with the boozy grit of Stanley's "common" upbringing. -- Clearly all is not well with Blanche, and Stanley sets out to uncover the truth about her reduced circumstances. Ms. Rikerd's admission of Blanche's many failures comes at a cost. Even the potential of developing a relationship with Mitch [Josh Williams], one of Stanley's poker-playing friends, seems doomed from the start.

These four actors deliver multi-layered characterization with consistent vocal and physical commitment. Though Stanley is sometimes abusive towards Stella [perhaps from what is now known as wartime PTSD], both Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Kervin are convincing in their characters' love for one another. Ms. Kervin and Ms. Rikerd show a truthfulness of sibling rivalries and misunderstanding with a strength that is unusual in many productions. Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Williams enliven scenes of male bonding and friendships. Mr. Williams and Ms. Rikerd are heartbreaking in scenes that test and ultimately break up the romance between Mitch and Blanche. 

But the tension between Blanche and Stanley builds throughout the play to its violent conclusion that sends Blanche over the edge to pitiable compliance in agreeing to institutional help and "the kindness of strangers"; well done. 

Wetumpka Depot: "The Bachelorette Party"

A skillful acting ensemble carry the farcical intent of the Wetumpka Depot's production of Karen Schaeffer's The Bachelorette Party in a raucous laugh-out-loud evening. Director Beth Butler guides them through two acts of non-stop antics that leave audiences entertained throughout and happy at the outcome.

Even with last minute casting changes, the company [Tammy Arvidson, Seth Bordlee, Brad Cooper, Sydney Burdette Humphrey, Josh Carples, Christina Knuckles, Zac Morris, Brad Sinclair, Leanna Wallace] only occasionally appear tentative in their physical and vocal commitment, so audiences go willingly along for the ride.

Prepare yourself for slamming doors [there are seven entrances], characters literally being caught "with their pants down", several running gags, a few embarrassing moments associated with alcohol and recreational drugs, all in service of a formulaic comic plot in which the assorted couples plan -- in exactly the same way -- to escape a bachelorette party and meet for their private romantic dalliances. Hi-jinks abound.

Anything that can go wrong does go wrong, but as a comedy the end result when all the participants are eventually on-stage together, resolves things in a delightful way that pleases everyone.

Theatre AUM: "Buddies: a Bro-mantic Comedy"

With clever dialogue and engaging performances by Theatre AUM's seven ensemble actors under Neil David Seibel's able direction, Buddies: a Bro-mantic Comedy by Ben Abbott opened its Alabama debut on Thursday after its generation at the "Hollins Playwrights Lab" last Summer.

In a series of episodes, David [Meadow Lokey] and Julia [Sam Crevensten] host concurrent gatherings at their home: a book-club meeting for the women which is more about gossip than literature, and an awkward men's meeting where they watch football and reveal little about themselves or their mates.

Julia's sister Kelsey [Sarah Paterson] and her partner Adam [Michael James Pritchard], married couple Jake [Zameron Boozer] and Erica [Tara Laurel], and friend Billy [Aaron Rudnick] make up the mix of multi-dimensional characters who break the stereotypical male and female expectations.

And their children [never seen but impactfully present via special effects] enter and exit like tornadoes every once in a while.

While the women cajole their men to become more open and reveal to them their "secrets", the men -- uncomfortable and reluctant at first -- eventually discover for themselves and surprisingly for the women how liberated they become during the play's two acts.

It's all lighthearted fare interspersed with more serious investigations of such subjects as friendship, marriage, social discomfort, homophobia, political disagreement, and the possibilities of genuine Platonic love among men...all of which become catalysts for every character's growth.

Design elements are all top-notch in supporting the text and characters, though sound levels are frequently too soft; and actors' voices are sometimes drowned out by audience laughter or for lack of vocal support.

Buddies: a Bro-mantic Comedy is a delightful comedy that leaves audiences smiling and laughing, perhaps in recognizing a lot about themselves.

ASF" Blues in the Night"

It's all about the music on the closing weekend of Sheldon Epps's 1980 musical revue Blues in the Night in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's intimate Octagon Theatre. -- Directed by Ron OJ Parson, audiences are taken back to a run-down Chicago hotel c.1938, where three nameless women stay in their individual shabby rooms [scene design by Shaun Motley; costume design by Celeste Jennings] and share their experiences with the Blues through song.

There is no linear story, very little dialogue, and only a smattering of interaction among them, but lots of contact with the audience. -- And that's about it. So just sit back and enjoy the vocal dexterity of Cynthia F. Carter, Devereaux, Clare Kennedy and the "Man in the Saloon" [Percy V. Nesbary III] who provides the chauvinistic male commentary on the women's Blues, and also solos on guitar. -- There's also a dancer [Donovan McFadden] who unexplainably disappears for most of Act II.

Music Director Joel Jones and his on-stage quartet give expert attention to the nuances of some 25 memorable songs from the Blues and Jazz catalogue [Bessie Smith, Billy Strayhorn, Benny Goodman, Alberta Hunter, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, and others]; from the upbeat "Stomping' at the Savoy", to the heartbreaking "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out", to the raunchy grit of "Rough and Ready Man" and "Take Me for a Buggy Ride", to the sad weariness of "Lush Life"; and the Band is featured by itself in what's credited as a Jam Session version of "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues" --Wow!

They accompany, support, and drive the songs forward, and all of the three women have numerous opportunities to showcase their talents. It's all an accomplished undertaking, and individual audience members will have their favorites. -- But it is Ms. Carter's charismatic characterization that is the emotional and visceral center of the show; she commands attention throughout with her powerful voice, confident character personality, and witty engagement with the audience.

Blues in the Night provides a good evening out in Montgomery; and if you weren't a fan of the Blues or Jazz beforehand, you probably will become one after this production.

Wetumpka Depot: "Monty Python's Spamalot"

For those lucky enough to have tickets for the final weekend of Monty Python's Spamalot [2004] at the Wetumpka Depot, you're in for a treat as director Kristy Meanor's energetic ensemble acting company and collaborative design and creative team continue their raucously irreverent musical journey following the excellent double-act of King Arthur [Scott Page] and his loyal horse Patsy [David Rowland] in their quest for the Holy Grail.

"Lovingly ripped off from the motion picture 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'" [1975], fans of the film gleefully anticipate the rogues-gallery of Pythonesque characters and situations that have entertained for decades, starting from 1969-1974 with "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on BBC-TV. -- The uninitiated will have to keep up as best they can and enjoy the ride.

Here you will find the rag-tag squabbling Knights of the Round Table [Tim Griggs, Gage Leifried, Seth Maggard, Jay Russell], The Lady of the Lake [Adrian Bush in various guises], ferocious rabbits, taunting French soldiers, the Knights that say "Ni", Not Dead Yet Fred, the Black Knight who gets dismembered before our eyes, and [of course] God. -- It's quite a workout for the supporting ensemble who play multiple characters and accomplish countless quick costume changes, sing and dance in production numbers, and carry forward the ever-changing plot.

Ms. Meanor is ably abetted particularly through disciplined musical direction by Randy Foster, clever choreography by Daniel Grant Harms, and brilliantly conceived costumes by Suzanne Booth in telling a satirical story that has something in it to offend just about everyone [sexual innuendo, scatological language, cross-dressing, and all manner of things]; but it is all done with such good-natured self-mocking foolery by the cast, that all can be forgiven quickly.

There are also a number of theatrical "in-jokes" with such songs as "The Song That Goes Like This", "You Won't Succeed on Broadway", and "The Diva's Lament"; but perhaps the signature song that encapsulates the entirety of Monty Python's Spamalot is the ever-optimistic "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" in fueling everyone's search to find their own Grail.