Margaret Eva By: Nathan Allen, Chris Mathews, and Jake Minton Direction by: Nathan Allen MAGICAL MOMENTS BOTH DARK AND DELIGHTFUL “Rose and the Rime” takes place in the cold frozen town of Radio Falls, but charming white bunnies pop up to accompany the magical romp thru the inhabitants lives. This kaleidoscopic play will surprise and challenge those, … Read more
The success of this play comes if the audience member willingly lets the mind go with the flow. For example, in a scenario where the small young girl and older man play a couple; surprisingly, the young girl portrays the married man and the older man portrays the woman with no props or costume change. The tall black male actor portrays a young Caucasian blond woman. Acting needs to carry the day and the five excellent actors, especially Deanna Myers, rise masterfully to the occasion. The unusual castings force one to not only hear the words, but to more closely listen to the dialogue and meaning of the play.
“In the Heights” creates an atmosphere…a colorful dynamic world with mixed but primarily the Latino culture, filled with life, death, dreams and wakeups. On opening night the lobby of the theater buzzed with excitement, and this exuberance carried through the whole performance. You travel to a passionate street of struggle, various lifestyles, disappointments and triumphs…a colorful world that you may not know very well, but will understand better by the end of the show.
Farce is considered an ancient theatrical tradition, and like Shakespeare’s writings, “Leading Ladies” uses mistaken identities, letter mix-ups and abundant double entendres. The exceptionally creative playwright, Ken Ludwig, overlays Shakespearean lines in a farce with some extremely funny lines and a three-ring circus of facial expressions!
“Next to Normal” is not a feel good musical, but a truly believable drama that can ignite your emotions and enlighten your understanding of some of extreme life problems people have or could face in their futures. The author wrote a very heart-wrenching story that demands exceptional singers with remarkable acting ability. For a very memorable night of theater, let your mind and heart embrace “Next to Normal”, a brilliant and exceptionally rare theater experience indeed!
n less capable hands than the astute director, Alison C. Vesely, this play would not be believable. Instead, Vesely has selected the perfect cast, and each talently nails their character’s moments of reckoning. You could almost hear the sighs in the audience, and certainly many laughs.
“Underneath the Lintel” is intriguing to watch perseverance toward a goal with reckless abandon…the librarian’s dogged passion which punishes yet awakens. It leaves you asking the big questions, or reminds you of them. This play offers significant rewards for those patient enough to take the journey….a must see for many!
Essential to a successful Fiddler is the acting of Tevye, a milkman and the father of five daughters. Imagine the audience reaction when it learns that on opening night the leading role needs the understudy, David Girolmo, for at least a week. His first monologue immediately says that we are in good hands, and if there is any doubt, his first solo song, “If I Were A Rich Man” wins everyone over. His subtle style and a lazy rolling motion causes audible chuckles from most listeners.
With our current mode of abbreviated words in newspapers and magazines and texting speak, enjoy the full British precision of the English language in Jeeves, and awaken your ears to its beauty and complexity. Jeeves provides not only exact language, but the most colorful sophisticated insults…a lost art from a bygone era. Even the novel slang and expressions like “a sticky wicket” prove amusing. “Jeeves Takes a Bow” is all silly fun with little social commentary…a wonderfully comedic escape from our complex day-to-day concerns. We need more Jeeves!
How can a play begin with someone dropping her underpants? Well Carl Sternheim conceived the idea back in 1910 before the days of reliable elastic, and Steve Martin adapted Sternheim’s idea for modern audiences. As a farce, Underpants contains no slap stick or slamming doors, but does give a refreshing change of pace through many naughty double entendres. The characters begin as solid stereotypes, before the days of political correctness, but change and offer surprises as they interact with each other. The creative dialogue from two playwrights results in a very clever sparkling comedy with some universal themes.