Spectacular! Spectacular! NANTA, the Korean comedy coking sensation which tickles your every funnybone, was enthusiastically received by Tuesday's audience at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Already in a congenial mood, having been extravagantly feted as only special occasions at ASF can do, the audience was eagerly anticipating a unique entertainment.
Many wondered what to expect. Why bring a show all the way from Seoul, Korea? Well, thank your lucky stars that ASF, Montgomery City & County, and Sweet Home Alabama got together to thank and honor the Hyundai Corporation for their several contributions to the State's economy, society, arts, and culture. -- It gave us an indication of the energy and vitality that fills this ancient country and its people.
Speeches & scrolls were masterfully, respectfully, and quickly exchanged between the celebrities attending, leaving the way open for music and lights to guide us into this rare spectacle. And it was breathtaking.
NANTA began its journey in 1998 and won every possible award at the 1989 Edinburgh International Festival. The Scotsman newspaper [known for its sombre reviews] reviewed it as "one of the best shows you'll ever see." -- Leaving Edinburgh, it toured Britain and Europe, reminding audiences how to let loose and laugh as children. -- In 2004, the show opened on Broadway where it became "the longest running Asian show in the history of the Great White Way." Newsweek raved that NANTA is "a big hit! Spectacular!", and is typical of reviews worldwide.
The word "nanta" means "noise", particularly the noise of chopping. A "cooking show adventure" we were told, and "modern" I expected, so I was surprised when a ritualistic opening wooed me into an awareness of this exotic culture. The audience hushed and settled in to observe. Not for long.
What followed was a magnificent evening of high and low comedy, slapstick, and behavior reminiscent of virtually every well-known comedian: from Chaplin & Keaton to the Three Stooges, from Steve Carell & Ricky Gervaise to Robin Williams and Billy Connolly. Think of your favorite comedian; their humor was there. -- Topics included young love, competition, and even a feud choreographed like a Jackie Chan scene.
Even burlesque and pantomime were included, and I was also reminded of Greek & Roman comedy, medieval pageants, and commedia dell'arte. The audience [some non-threatening audience participation was led by Todd Strange] got some up on the stage and kept everyone mesmerized, and thoroughly entertained.
The four male and one female actors portrayed enchantingly athletic Korean "chefs" preparing a wedding banquet. With the use of pots, pans, dishes, chopping boards, brooms, and knives as rhythmic percussion instruments that led and fueled the action, these young actors delivered skillful magical dynamic performances taking us through from chaos to a climactic ending that had you holding your breath, only to explode in rapturous applause.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Cloverdale: "Starting Here, Starting Now"
Guest Reviewer: Fiona Macleod [retired head of Theatre at Huntingdon College]
A raucous and joyful standing ovation exploded through the Cloverdale Playhouse after Thursday's sold out open ing night of Starting Here, Starting Now. This spirited, energetic production, a great vehicle for its strong cast, is not standard fare, but instead a rare treat.
Harvard graduates Richard Maltby, Jr. [lyricist] and his collaborator, friend and music composer David Shire created a highly entertaining musical revue without storyline or dialogue. How? They chose songs from their earlier works that were not just sung, but interpreted by the actors to reveal characters and tell their stories -- all 24 or 25 of them: fascinating and impeccably crafted stories of young love, desire, and failing relationships.
Life isn't always wonderful; it often hurts, but it can be fun to watch. Maltby and Shire might have led the way for Rent or Wicked.
Artistic Director Greg Thornton welcomed the audience and explained the rationale behind the choice of this production...an interesting story. -- The well-loved Montgomery Little Theatre performed Starting Here, Starting Now 25 years ago with the same director [Randy Foster] and the same costume designer [Eleanor Davis]; and Elizabeth Crump -- a prime mover at MLT now has this new Theatre at the Cloverdale Playhouse named for her. This production is a labor of love performed by everyone who worked with MLT or Cloverdale to celebrate the artists, some still performing or backstage at the Playhouse. -- The cast is different, young, and similarly talented. -- Happily, an original cast member -- the admired chanteuse Susan Woody -- was in the audience to cheer them on. And she did...loudly.
In choosing their first musical, the Playhouse found one in keeping with the high standards they had set with The Gin Game and The Boys Next Door. This revue, with material both sentimental and satirical, is an ambitious, difficult piece with similarly ambitious music not for the faint of heart. This play is seldom performed by community theatres but a reason the Cloverdale Playhouse wisely chose it to demand and celebrate the best that performers can give.
Mike Winkelman's creative new set for this musical has a catwalk surrounded by seating which protrudes into the audience, who are made to feel like participants in the show. This new stage also makes the performers more immediate to the audience; there are more intimate and vulnerable moments created, and the different stage levels add interest to the visual images.
The lights thanks to James Treadway, and the judicious use of a vintage mirror-ball from the old dance hall era, heighten the romance. His design lit the actors well, creating an atmosphere which enhanced the work on stage.
The costumes were a treat. Eleanor Davis's Act One design stayed simple and attractive and whetted the appetite for Act Two's new looks and accessories. The costumes complemented the more personal topics and themes within each song.
Subtlety reigned with all three actors. Simply and creatively staged by Randy Foster, these young performers won the hearts of the audience. -- Not just singers, the members of the ensemble had an emotional connection with each other and with the audience that enchanted throughout the evening. The two engaging young women and one lone male brightened the stage. Sarah Carlton with luscious brown locks has a sweet ingenue voice which makes the audience melt, while Kristi Humphreys' more powerful voice surprises the audience who laugh with her at one moment and empathize with her the next. Their foil, Chase McMichen, has a soft attractive voice enhanced by his charisma; he has the flair and smile of a young Gene Kelly. -- All three were beautifully cast and courageously embraced the difficult music and harmonies.
The music - played by Randy Foster and Joe Cosgrove -- included perfectly chosen romantic balads, patter songs, and production numbers woven into a tapestry of stories.
Lasting approximately two hours, this show flowed seamlessly from beginning to end, with one 15-minute intermission. Starting Here, Starting Now is not just a musical review, or the "expected" evening of song. Fast-paced and joyous, its slings and cupid's arrows of young love come right out of the sixties...remember?
A raucous and joyful standing ovation exploded through the Cloverdale Playhouse after Thursday's sold out open ing night of Starting Here, Starting Now. This spirited, energetic production, a great vehicle for its strong cast, is not standard fare, but instead a rare treat.
Harvard graduates Richard Maltby, Jr. [lyricist] and his collaborator, friend and music composer David Shire created a highly entertaining musical revue without storyline or dialogue. How? They chose songs from their earlier works that were not just sung, but interpreted by the actors to reveal characters and tell their stories -- all 24 or 25 of them: fascinating and impeccably crafted stories of young love, desire, and failing relationships.
Life isn't always wonderful; it often hurts, but it can be fun to watch. Maltby and Shire might have led the way for Rent or Wicked.
Artistic Director Greg Thornton welcomed the audience and explained the rationale behind the choice of this production...an interesting story. -- The well-loved Montgomery Little Theatre performed Starting Here, Starting Now 25 years ago with the same director [Randy Foster] and the same costume designer [Eleanor Davis]; and Elizabeth Crump -- a prime mover at MLT now has this new Theatre at the Cloverdale Playhouse named for her. This production is a labor of love performed by everyone who worked with MLT or Cloverdale to celebrate the artists, some still performing or backstage at the Playhouse. -- The cast is different, young, and similarly talented. -- Happily, an original cast member -- the admired chanteuse Susan Woody -- was in the audience to cheer them on. And she did...loudly.
In choosing their first musical, the Playhouse found one in keeping with the high standards they had set with The Gin Game and The Boys Next Door. This revue, with material both sentimental and satirical, is an ambitious, difficult piece with similarly ambitious music not for the faint of heart. This play is seldom performed by community theatres but a reason the Cloverdale Playhouse wisely chose it to demand and celebrate the best that performers can give.
Mike Winkelman's creative new set for this musical has a catwalk surrounded by seating which protrudes into the audience, who are made to feel like participants in the show. This new stage also makes the performers more immediate to the audience; there are more intimate and vulnerable moments created, and the different stage levels add interest to the visual images.
The lights thanks to James Treadway, and the judicious use of a vintage mirror-ball from the old dance hall era, heighten the romance. His design lit the actors well, creating an atmosphere which enhanced the work on stage.
The costumes were a treat. Eleanor Davis's Act One design stayed simple and attractive and whetted the appetite for Act Two's new looks and accessories. The costumes complemented the more personal topics and themes within each song.
Subtlety reigned with all three actors. Simply and creatively staged by Randy Foster, these young performers won the hearts of the audience. -- Not just singers, the members of the ensemble had an emotional connection with each other and with the audience that enchanted throughout the evening. The two engaging young women and one lone male brightened the stage. Sarah Carlton with luscious brown locks has a sweet ingenue voice which makes the audience melt, while Kristi Humphreys' more powerful voice surprises the audience who laugh with her at one moment and empathize with her the next. Their foil, Chase McMichen, has a soft attractive voice enhanced by his charisma; he has the flair and smile of a young Gene Kelly. -- All three were beautifully cast and courageously embraced the difficult music and harmonies.
The music - played by Randy Foster and Joe Cosgrove -- included perfectly chosen romantic balads, patter songs, and production numbers woven into a tapestry of stories.
Lasting approximately two hours, this show flowed seamlessly from beginning to end, with one 15-minute intermission. Starting Here, Starting Now is not just a musical review, or the "expected" evening of song. Fast-paced and joyous, its slings and cupid's arrows of young love come right out of the sixties...remember?
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Wetumpka Depot: "Wiley and the Hairy Man"
Set in a swamp along the Tombigbee, Jack Stokes' Wiley and the Hairy Man -- one of several print and stage versions of the popular folk story -- is currently brought to life at the Wetumpka Depot by director William Harper's talented ensemble.
In about one uninterrupted hour's playing time [just right for the target audience of children], rendered in Stokes' charming rhymed verse, punctuated by the sound of nighttime crickets and other spooky effects, and with inventive and colorful "swamp creature" costumes by Sherida Black, this show appeals to children of all ages.
Narrated by a chorus of "swamp creatures" [Jacob Alldredge, Layne Holley, Mary Katherine Moore, and Cheryl Pointer] who also provide many of the play's central sound effects & secondary characters, the story focusses on Wiley's [Merelee Robinson] survival in fooling the Hairy Man [Paul J. Travitsky] three times in order to escape his wrath. -- The often repeated warning that the Hairy Man "got your pappy...and he gonna get you" tests Wiley's nerve and wit.
Wiley is helped and taught by his Mammy [Cindy Beasley -- delightfully zany in her Depot debut], the best conjure woman around, whose common-sense advice allows Wiley to develop his own abilities and overcome his fears. -- Though Mr. Travitsky's towering presence is scary enough indeed [the Hairy Man is, after all, everyone's archetypal "boogey-man], here he is more frightening in imagination than in the flesh -- and he "sho' can't stand no dogs...everybody knows that"!
So each of Wiley's scary confrontations with the Hairy Man, deep in the swamp and at night, is tempered by humorous dialogue, homespun philosophy, and guaranteed success as warranted by this play's instructive purposes: overcoming fears, self-awareness, family bonds, and the true meaning of courage & friendship.
Ms. Robinson is securing her place in local theatre. This versatile actress, a Faulkner University graduate and veteran performer with numerous acting credits [most recently as Judah in the Depot's excellent production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and as the show-stopping dead-pan Goth "signing interpreter" of "The Rose" in A Wedding from Hell] capitalizes on her comic abilities, stage generosity, unswerving energy & commitment, and complete confidence in each of the roles she has created, bringing to Wiley's audiences a comfort in realizing we are in good hands.
In about one uninterrupted hour's playing time [just right for the target audience of children], rendered in Stokes' charming rhymed verse, punctuated by the sound of nighttime crickets and other spooky effects, and with inventive and colorful "swamp creature" costumes by Sherida Black, this show appeals to children of all ages.
Narrated by a chorus of "swamp creatures" [Jacob Alldredge, Layne Holley, Mary Katherine Moore, and Cheryl Pointer] who also provide many of the play's central sound effects & secondary characters, the story focusses on Wiley's [Merelee Robinson] survival in fooling the Hairy Man [Paul J. Travitsky] three times in order to escape his wrath. -- The often repeated warning that the Hairy Man "got your pappy...and he gonna get you" tests Wiley's nerve and wit.
Wiley is helped and taught by his Mammy [Cindy Beasley -- delightfully zany in her Depot debut], the best conjure woman around, whose common-sense advice allows Wiley to develop his own abilities and overcome his fears. -- Though Mr. Travitsky's towering presence is scary enough indeed [the Hairy Man is, after all, everyone's archetypal "boogey-man], here he is more frightening in imagination than in the flesh -- and he "sho' can't stand no dogs...everybody knows that"!
So each of Wiley's scary confrontations with the Hairy Man, deep in the swamp and at night, is tempered by humorous dialogue, homespun philosophy, and guaranteed success as warranted by this play's instructive purposes: overcoming fears, self-awareness, family bonds, and the true meaning of courage & friendship.
Ms. Robinson is securing her place in local theatre. This versatile actress, a Faulkner University graduate and veteran performer with numerous acting credits [most recently as Judah in the Depot's excellent production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and as the show-stopping dead-pan Goth "signing interpreter" of "The Rose" in A Wedding from Hell] capitalizes on her comic abilities, stage generosity, unswerving energy & commitment, and complete confidence in each of the roles she has created, bringing to Wiley's audiences a comfort in realizing we are in good hands.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Millbrook: "Witness for the Prosecution"
Witness for the Prosecution, Agatha Christie's 1925 short story that was turned into a play and later a film, has a legion of faithful fans, and surprisingly [based on the Millbrook Community Players' opening night audience's reaction] several who did not already know its surprise ending -- one that won't be spoiled here.
Essentially a courtroom drama replete with circumstantial evidence, suggestions of both innocence and guilt, questionable testimony, and plenty of red herrings to throw us off the track, it tells the story of Leonard Vole [Daniel Harms], a man accused of murdering a wealthy spinster in 1950s London in order to inherit her substantial estate.
Vole retains celebrated solicitor Sir Wilfrid [John Chain] and Mrs. Mayhew [Martha Ann Henry -- the most natural and convincing member of this acting ensemble]; together, and despite some misgivings, they piece together the evidence in this two-and-a-half-hour production.
Director Dean Kelly has assembled a cast of veteran and neophyte actors, and follows Christie's deliberately slow pace and old-fashioned structure to gradually reveal plot and character, so audiences must pay strict attention to minute and seemingly insignificant details.
While the courtroom sequences show Sir Wilfrid's and prosecution lawyer Myers' [Clifton Kelly] interrogation abilities as a test of wits, the challenge is to make the lengthy exposition preceding it dramatically interesting while the physical action is relatively static. -- And the actors here seemed tentative in delivering their lines: slow speech and long pauses diminished the conviction and authority of much of the dialogue.
Once the testimony begins, however, the audience interest is sustained by the persistence of the lawyers and the conflicting evidence provided. -- In an unexpected move, Vole's wife Romaine [Rachael Pike in a complex role] is called on as the titular "witness for the prosecution" instead of for his defense where her testimony might have been suspect. And, as her ambiguous responses contradict Vole's version of the events surrounding the woman's death, the truth must be discovered.
Mr. Harms brings significant naivete to the character of Vole, making his guilt or innocence a matter of audience choice, and Ms. Pike's aloofness as Romaine make her motives immediately suspect. So, it is up to Mr. Chain's Sir Wilfrid to plow through the maze of testimony with a deliberateness of purpose to discover the truth.
Of course, we are challenged along with the characters in the play to sift through the testimony and seek the truth without being prejudiced by appearances. That is Christie's major strength, and the Millbrook Community Players deliver the goods.
Essentially a courtroom drama replete with circumstantial evidence, suggestions of both innocence and guilt, questionable testimony, and plenty of red herrings to throw us off the track, it tells the story of Leonard Vole [Daniel Harms], a man accused of murdering a wealthy spinster in 1950s London in order to inherit her substantial estate.
Vole retains celebrated solicitor Sir Wilfrid [John Chain] and Mrs. Mayhew [Martha Ann Henry -- the most natural and convincing member of this acting ensemble]; together, and despite some misgivings, they piece together the evidence in this two-and-a-half-hour production.
Director Dean Kelly has assembled a cast of veteran and neophyte actors, and follows Christie's deliberately slow pace and old-fashioned structure to gradually reveal plot and character, so audiences must pay strict attention to minute and seemingly insignificant details.
While the courtroom sequences show Sir Wilfrid's and prosecution lawyer Myers' [Clifton Kelly] interrogation abilities as a test of wits, the challenge is to make the lengthy exposition preceding it dramatically interesting while the physical action is relatively static. -- And the actors here seemed tentative in delivering their lines: slow speech and long pauses diminished the conviction and authority of much of the dialogue.
Once the testimony begins, however, the audience interest is sustained by the persistence of the lawyers and the conflicting evidence provided. -- In an unexpected move, Vole's wife Romaine [Rachael Pike in a complex role] is called on as the titular "witness for the prosecution" instead of for his defense where her testimony might have been suspect. And, as her ambiguous responses contradict Vole's version of the events surrounding the woman's death, the truth must be discovered.
Mr. Harms brings significant naivete to the character of Vole, making his guilt or innocence a matter of audience choice, and Ms. Pike's aloofness as Romaine make her motives immediately suspect. So, it is up to Mr. Chain's Sir Wilfrid to plow through the maze of testimony with a deliberateness of purpose to discover the truth.
Of course, we are challenged along with the characters in the play to sift through the testimony and seek the truth without being prejudiced by appearances. That is Christie's major strength, and the Millbrook Community Players deliver the goods.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Wetumpka Depot: "Broadway Our Way"
For three performances only through tonight and tomorrow afternoon, the Wetumpka Depot Players are giving benefit performances of Broadway Our Way, a revue production featuring songs from nine Broadway shows that the Depot has produced over its 32 years, and one showstopper from their own scripted production of The Wedding from Hell.
They have recently refitted the theatre with new seating, and have upgraded their lighting equipment; hence, the need to raise funds for this award winning company's home space. [And, the Depot Players will be hosts for the Alabama Conference of Theatre's Community Theatre Festival in October.]
The cast, all dressed in evening wear, is an ensemble of many of the Depot's most familiar faces, many of them reprising songs they performed in full productions. Performing solos, duets, trios, quartets, and group numbers are: Sally Blackwell, David Brown, Jonathan Conner, Jennifer Haberkorn, Patrick Hale, William Harper, Kim Mason (who also directed), Kristy Meanor, Brad Moon, Merelee Robinson, Tom Salter, Cindy Veazey, and Jimmy Veazey.-- Marilyn Swears on piano is another Depot regular, even taking on a few lines of dialogue in this show, and provides the only live accompaniment masterfully.
Most of the numbers are played straight, but some others are given a "twist" of interpretation, given the "revue" nature of this evening's entertainment. Patrick Hale's version of "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma had a true homespun feel; Jonathan Conner & David Brown's rendition of "River in the Rain" from Big River was sensitively harmonized, but then Mr. Conner demonstrated an amazing falsetto in a comical version of "Till There Was You" from The Music Man. Cindy & Jimmy Veazey's interpretation of "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma was a lovely romantic duet; Jennifer Haberkorn's shows a strong comic persona in "Lovely" from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and "I Can't Say No" from Oklahoma; Brad Moon once more taps into his inner-Elvis with "Jailhouse Rock" from All Shook Up; Tom Salter's in-your-face tirade in "Guv'Ment" from Big River was an audience favorite; Kristy Meanor and William Harper's fine tongue-in-cheek version of "Old Fashioned Wedding", and Kim Mason and David Brown's one-upmanship in "Anything You Can Do" -- both from Annie Get Your Gun -- got plenty of well earned laughs; Sally Blackwell produced a moody & sensitive "Blue Champagne" from G.I. Jukebox; and, just before the finale came "The Rose" from A Wedding from Hell, sung straight by Ms. Blackwell and "signed" with deadpan boredom and edgy intensity by Merelee Robinson: outrageously funny!
In less than and hour and a half of non-stop entertainment, the Depot Players have sent a tribute to Broadway musicals and their long history in Wetumpka.
They have recently refitted the theatre with new seating, and have upgraded their lighting equipment; hence, the need to raise funds for this award winning company's home space. [And, the Depot Players will be hosts for the Alabama Conference of Theatre's Community Theatre Festival in October.]
The cast, all dressed in evening wear, is an ensemble of many of the Depot's most familiar faces, many of them reprising songs they performed in full productions. Performing solos, duets, trios, quartets, and group numbers are: Sally Blackwell, David Brown, Jonathan Conner, Jennifer Haberkorn, Patrick Hale, William Harper, Kim Mason (who also directed), Kristy Meanor, Brad Moon, Merelee Robinson, Tom Salter, Cindy Veazey, and Jimmy Veazey.-- Marilyn Swears on piano is another Depot regular, even taking on a few lines of dialogue in this show, and provides the only live accompaniment masterfully.
Most of the numbers are played straight, but some others are given a "twist" of interpretation, given the "revue" nature of this evening's entertainment. Patrick Hale's version of "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma had a true homespun feel; Jonathan Conner & David Brown's rendition of "River in the Rain" from Big River was sensitively harmonized, but then Mr. Conner demonstrated an amazing falsetto in a comical version of "Till There Was You" from The Music Man. Cindy & Jimmy Veazey's interpretation of "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma was a lovely romantic duet; Jennifer Haberkorn's shows a strong comic persona in "Lovely" from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and "I Can't Say No" from Oklahoma; Brad Moon once more taps into his inner-Elvis with "Jailhouse Rock" from All Shook Up; Tom Salter's in-your-face tirade in "Guv'Ment" from Big River was an audience favorite; Kristy Meanor and William Harper's fine tongue-in-cheek version of "Old Fashioned Wedding", and Kim Mason and David Brown's one-upmanship in "Anything You Can Do" -- both from Annie Get Your Gun -- got plenty of well earned laughs; Sally Blackwell produced a moody & sensitive "Blue Champagne" from G.I. Jukebox; and, just before the finale came "The Rose" from A Wedding from Hell, sung straight by Ms. Blackwell and "signed" with deadpan boredom and edgy intensity by Merelee Robinson: outrageously funny!
In less than and hour and a half of non-stop entertainment, the Depot Players have sent a tribute to Broadway musicals and their long history in Wetumpka.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
ASF: "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
The Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Intern Company, under Greta Lambert's astute direction, have created a sprightly touring production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream that has been taken to several schools and to The Tipping Point as well as performances indoors and outdoors at ASF.
Eight actors play all the roles with quick costume changes and excellent script editing by Ms. Lambert, who knows the play well, having played Titania in the inaugural production of The Dream when ASF moved to Montgomery from Anniston.
She has honed the script to its essentials so it is performed without an intermission, keeping the story lines and character relationships clear, and affording each member of this talented ensemble opportunities to create memorable characters.
A staging challenge no doubt at each new venue on its tour, this production loses none of its spirit or audience connection in its "home" theatres; in fact, it has probably gained some.
One of Shakespeare's most popular and accessible comedies, the play's three "worlds" are the court of Athens, the working-class Athenians, and the fairy kingdom. How these three intertwine through telling their various love stories is the crux of the matter and the source of much of its comedy -- and in this production, all the actors have roles in each of these worlds.
Once this convention is accepted, the roles are never confusing -- subtle and lightning fast costume changes, fluid staging, and most of all this talented cast's ability to switch mannerisms for each role sustain interest, heighten the comedy, and tell the story clearly.
Ms. Lambert's metaphor sets the earthly Athenian kingdom in a world of gypsies [a clever nod to the gypsy lifestyle of many actors] and the folklore associated with them. She follows Shakespeare's lead that suggests that forests are magical places where fairies live (complete with such human foibles as love, jealousy, etc.), where the rules of the "real world" are suspended, and where mortals are transformed. As the script "holds...the mirror up to nature", so too do Athens and the woodland fairy kingdom mirror each other.
And what energy these actors bring to this production! Played around a gypsy cart that transforms into the forest [in the Octagon there is a forest backdrop], they keep the action flowing so fast that their energy is contagious, and the vigor of their performances and their expressive bodies & faces engages young and old alike for the duration of the performance.
In the double roles of worldly and fairy kings & queens, Johnny Viel [Theseus/Oberon] and Bliss Griffin [Hippolyta/Titania] connect so well that we instantly believe their relationships and their commanding statures. As the two pairs of Athenian lovers -- Candace Scholz/Jay McClure and Laura Bozzone/Craig Hanson -- the intensity of love is heightened by their being mistakenly drugged by the fairy Puck [Ivan Perez] to love the wrong mate, and a scene in which they "have it out" as it were, is a knock-down furiously comic fight. -- This trick is a mirror of Oberon's drugging Titania to fall in love with the first creature she sees upon waking; in her case, she awakes to see the rustic Bottom [Colin Meath] who has been transformed into "an ass" by Puck when he was awaiting his cue in a rehearsal of a play he and others were to perform at Theseus & Hippolyta's wedding.
When the spells are finally taken off their victims and a kind of order has been restored to one and all, it is time for the play within a play to be performed. The story of Pyramus & Thisbe as performed by the "rude mechanicals" before the king and queen is a silly as they come, but done with pure innocence and over the top histrionics by these well intentioned tradesmen with Bottom as the "leading man".
Though "ill met by moonlight" at the start of the play, Oberon & Titania are reunited by the end; Theseus & Hippolyta are married as are the lovers; and everyone can celebrate in a dance. There are several dreams in the play [nightmares, wishes, etc.] and though we might agree "what fools these mortals be" and that "reason and love keep little company nowadays", we have been entertained so well that the memory of this version of A Midsummer Night's Dream will last a long time.
Eight actors play all the roles with quick costume changes and excellent script editing by Ms. Lambert, who knows the play well, having played Titania in the inaugural production of The Dream when ASF moved to Montgomery from Anniston.
She has honed the script to its essentials so it is performed without an intermission, keeping the story lines and character relationships clear, and affording each member of this talented ensemble opportunities to create memorable characters.
A staging challenge no doubt at each new venue on its tour, this production loses none of its spirit or audience connection in its "home" theatres; in fact, it has probably gained some.
One of Shakespeare's most popular and accessible comedies, the play's three "worlds" are the court of Athens, the working-class Athenians, and the fairy kingdom. How these three intertwine through telling their various love stories is the crux of the matter and the source of much of its comedy -- and in this production, all the actors have roles in each of these worlds.
Once this convention is accepted, the roles are never confusing -- subtle and lightning fast costume changes, fluid staging, and most of all this talented cast's ability to switch mannerisms for each role sustain interest, heighten the comedy, and tell the story clearly.
Ms. Lambert's metaphor sets the earthly Athenian kingdom in a world of gypsies [a clever nod to the gypsy lifestyle of many actors] and the folklore associated with them. She follows Shakespeare's lead that suggests that forests are magical places where fairies live (complete with such human foibles as love, jealousy, etc.), where the rules of the "real world" are suspended, and where mortals are transformed. As the script "holds...the mirror up to nature", so too do Athens and the woodland fairy kingdom mirror each other.
And what energy these actors bring to this production! Played around a gypsy cart that transforms into the forest [in the Octagon there is a forest backdrop], they keep the action flowing so fast that their energy is contagious, and the vigor of their performances and their expressive bodies & faces engages young and old alike for the duration of the performance.
In the double roles of worldly and fairy kings & queens, Johnny Viel [Theseus/Oberon] and Bliss Griffin [Hippolyta/Titania] connect so well that we instantly believe their relationships and their commanding statures. As the two pairs of Athenian lovers -- Candace Scholz/Jay McClure and Laura Bozzone/Craig Hanson -- the intensity of love is heightened by their being mistakenly drugged by the fairy Puck [Ivan Perez] to love the wrong mate, and a scene in which they "have it out" as it were, is a knock-down furiously comic fight. -- This trick is a mirror of Oberon's drugging Titania to fall in love with the first creature she sees upon waking; in her case, she awakes to see the rustic Bottom [Colin Meath] who has been transformed into "an ass" by Puck when he was awaiting his cue in a rehearsal of a play he and others were to perform at Theseus & Hippolyta's wedding.
When the spells are finally taken off their victims and a kind of order has been restored to one and all, it is time for the play within a play to be performed. The story of Pyramus & Thisbe as performed by the "rude mechanicals" before the king and queen is a silly as they come, but done with pure innocence and over the top histrionics by these well intentioned tradesmen with Bottom as the "leading man".
Though "ill met by moonlight" at the start of the play, Oberon & Titania are reunited by the end; Theseus & Hippolyta are married as are the lovers; and everyone can celebrate in a dance. There are several dreams in the play [nightmares, wishes, etc.] and though we might agree "what fools these mortals be" and that "reason and love keep little company nowadays", we have been entertained so well that the memory of this version of A Midsummer Night's Dream will last a long time.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
WOBT: "All the King's Women"
Director Laura Morrison is an unabashed & self-proclaimed Elvis fan, so it is not surprising that she has chosen Luigi Jannuzzi's tribute -- All the King's Women -- to stage at Prattville's Way Off Broadway Theatre.
Beware, all ye who enter here! Elvis fans or not, there is a litany of reliable facts about "the King" dutifully scattered within its nine monologues & vignettes that are played by an ensemble of five actresses from the River Region. -- While the majority of the scenes are based on real events, four of them are invented scenarios, and all are punctuated with stereotypical characters and generic humor.
There is no central plot to follow in this collection, only loosely connected scenes that track from a monologue set in 1946 when Elvis got his first guitar, through the controversial television censorship issue, to Elvis' meetings with President Nixon and artist Andy Warhol -- all thoroughly documented, and linked by voice-over news reports of each time period and piped in pop songs of the day.
Long blackouts between scenes -- necessitated at times to accomodate costume changes -- make it important for actors' energy levels at both the starts and ends of each picee to be high and for lighting and sound cues to be sharp in order to sustain audience attention and get them to engage with the assortment of characters.
While the five actresses frequently succeed in fully embodying the various roles they assume at the starts of the scenes [there is no time to develop a character], these overlong blackouts force them to re-establish energy and audience connection at each successive scene.
And then, they are saddled with Jannuzzi's ponderous script that makes each scene's point early-on and then continues it for too long to arrive at an already predictable end.
That being said, there are a few highlights in this production, staged on an all black neutral set. Michon R. Givens brightens up "3 a.m. In the Garden with God", an invented monologue about a chance meeting with Elvis in a supermarket.
Zyna Captain, Hollie Pursifull, and Tammy Hyman as White House secretaries awaiting their idol in "When Nixon Met Elvis" are all fanatical, but each is a distinct personality befitting their secreataial rank in the political hierarchy.
Misty Corrales gives a spunky depiction of a woman whose boyfriend lied to her in "The Backup Singer".
But the most touching piece [and the most truthfully performed] is Ms. Captain's fact-based monologue "One Private Guard", who she sensitively portrays as a humble and dedicated Graceland employee whose insights provide the most engaging moment of this play.
Beware, all ye who enter here! Elvis fans or not, there is a litany of reliable facts about "the King" dutifully scattered within its nine monologues & vignettes that are played by an ensemble of five actresses from the River Region. -- While the majority of the scenes are based on real events, four of them are invented scenarios, and all are punctuated with stereotypical characters and generic humor.
There is no central plot to follow in this collection, only loosely connected scenes that track from a monologue set in 1946 when Elvis got his first guitar, through the controversial television censorship issue, to Elvis' meetings with President Nixon and artist Andy Warhol -- all thoroughly documented, and linked by voice-over news reports of each time period and piped in pop songs of the day.
Long blackouts between scenes -- necessitated at times to accomodate costume changes -- make it important for actors' energy levels at both the starts and ends of each picee to be high and for lighting and sound cues to be sharp in order to sustain audience attention and get them to engage with the assortment of characters.
While the five actresses frequently succeed in fully embodying the various roles they assume at the starts of the scenes [there is no time to develop a character], these overlong blackouts force them to re-establish energy and audience connection at each successive scene.
And then, they are saddled with Jannuzzi's ponderous script that makes each scene's point early-on and then continues it for too long to arrive at an already predictable end.
That being said, there are a few highlights in this production, staged on an all black neutral set. Michon R. Givens brightens up "3 a.m. In the Garden with God", an invented monologue about a chance meeting with Elvis in a supermarket.
Zyna Captain, Hollie Pursifull, and Tammy Hyman as White House secretaries awaiting their idol in "When Nixon Met Elvis" are all fanatical, but each is a distinct personality befitting their secreataial rank in the political hierarchy.
Misty Corrales gives a spunky depiction of a woman whose boyfriend lied to her in "The Backup Singer".
But the most touching piece [and the most truthfully performed] is Ms. Captain's fact-based monologue "One Private Guard", who she sensitively portrays as a humble and dedicated Graceland employee whose insights provide the most engaging moment of this play.
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