Tom Williams

Their latest musical is My Name Is Annie King, A New Blusgrass Thriller with book by Krista Pioppi and music and lyrics by Aaron Albert and Katy Rea. Alex Higgin-Houser directs. This new work ambitious, complicated and unique in its musical composition. It is billed as a bluegrass musical but minus the banjo and mandolin, it sounds as much more of a pop/folk score with hints of bluegrass and down-home country.

In their latest reincarnation at Drury Lane Theatre in Oabrook, Roxie and Velma have taken the attractive forms of Kelly Felthous and Alena Watters, respectively, and it is a most striking meeting indeed. Both faces are making their local debuts and bringing sparkle and luster to an old favorite. Ms. Felthous’ Roxie Hart may not be the brightest bulb in the brain department, but she’s no pushover either. Give her a piano to perch on and she can sell a tune like nobody’s business, and she can command the stage with or without her backup boy quartet. Her facial expressions and characterization are superb. The sinewy Ms. Watters is positively cat-like as she springs into Broadway veteran Jane Lanier’s sultry choreography as if she were born to own the limelight.

The cast has the cheerleaders smartly doing cheers as well as being typical teenage girls. We see the parents are determined to believe that the problem can not be either an emotional or psychological one due to the stigma of a ‘mental problem’ would have on the girl’s future. Kathy Bowan (Tara Mellon) believes that toxic waste and pollution are the root causes.

At the warden’s office, we meet Jim Allison (Brandon Greenhouse) the trustee with ten years in the prison who has educated himself with “big words.” When Eva Crane comes aboard as the warden’s secretary, sparks start flying between Jim and Eva. Boss Whalen (Jim Spencer) is a pure evil soul who delights in torturing the cons in between drinking and womanising. He has his eyes on Eva but before that can happen the cons start a hunger strike.

3C attempted to be a perky funny mock of Three’s Company with two weirdly dysfunctional girls living in Santa Monica that need a third roommate to pay expenses so they take a guy as their third. In order to appease their landlord, they have him play as a gay man. But Nick Mikula, as Brad, never convinces anyone that he could possibly be gay. His friend Terry (Steve Haddard) continues to invite him to discos to meet easy girls.

Told with a manic staging and tuneful fun dance numbers including the extravaganza show-stopper number “Friends Like Me,” we are impressed, invigorated and entertained. This show is pure glitz with modern pop cultural comic references presented by a cute genie, a charismatic Aladdin and a host of determined supporting players. This is a fluff piece designed to appeal to fans of the animated film yet also designed more for lovers of Broadway musicals. At 2 hours, 30 minutes, Aladdin may not be for all children?

As the political, social and economic discussion, fueled by a bottle of Jameson, ignites the sibling rivalry that has long existed in the family heads in a strange direction. Ann remembers playing Peter Pan in Davenport, Iowa in 1958 then meeting Mary Martin. As the children talk about their youth, the question becomes: “When do you really become a grown-up? is there a moment that defines maturity? Or will you, like Peter Pan, “never wear a tie?