REVIEWS:

 

 

MERELY PLAYERS -  Narnia:   RUBY GRIFFITH NOMINEE - Narnia, 2005:

    "Beverly Hill van Joolen assembled a very big cast to stage this ambitious production of Narnia, and it would seem that she had worked in close collaboration with both the Musical Director (Ken Kimble) and the Choreographer (Christy Stouffer).  Her casting of the principal characters was very good, particularly the four children, Aslan, and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.  They basically carried the show with support from some of the lesser characters.  Lines were well rehearsed and the British accents were well done, particularly the children, Aslan, and Mrs. Beaver.   . . .  Overall, and with the help of many stage effects, presumably under the guiding hand of Andy Mueller, the technical director, a magical show did ensue and it was fun."

 . . ". The fight scene was very well  staged and reflected the presence of a fight director (Eric Eaton) on the production staff."

 "   The small orchestra ensemble consisting of just five players sounded very professional and complemented the action on the stage beautifully.  The musicians all played well and were very competently led by Music Director, Ken Kimble with his synthesizer."

    "Kudos to the (stage) management. (Rebecca Binstock & Kathy McCrory)."

    "The lighting (Tim Grieb) of the set prior to the opening of the show added interest and entertainment . . ."

  "  The program (Alex Banos) had a very attractive cover design depicting the Lion, the Witch  and the Wardrobe."

   " All four of the children deserve great praise, Lindsay Espinosa (Susan), K. Strawley (Peter), Henry Pazaryna (Edmund), and Bronwyn van Joolen ( Lucy)."

   "Outstanding amongst the rest of the cast was Anna Deal as Mrs. Beaver, her accent never wavered and she was always in character.  There was a wonderful performance by Vincent van Joolen in the regal role of Aslan.  Perhaps Matt Wetzel was the most talented member of the cast.  He seemed to thrive on stage  . . .  Dylan Roche was an . . . intimidating Fenris Ulf as Sara Collison was an appealing Tumnus.   Mention should also be made of Forest Deal as Professor Digory Kirke, and Dickens Warfield giver her all as Mrs. Macready."

   "The large chorus sounded good and was well rehearsed.  "A Field of Flowers" (Susan and Lucy),  "To Make the World Right Again" (Aslan & Ensemble),  and "You Can't Imagine" (Tumnus) were the highlights of the big numbers, and the Beavers delighted with "Wot a Bit A' Spring Can Do."

Pasadena Theatre Company's Quest for Camelot: Comedy & whimsy steal the show

An enjoyable journey through the world of musical chivalry

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photo courtesy of Pasadena Theatre Company As King Arthur realizes his vision, his wife discovers her love for Lancelot.

 

By Diana Beechener

Rising from the mists of an enchanted set, Camelot appears a simple story of courtly love and adventure, set to music. But composing legends Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe spun the tale of King Arthur and his court at a dizzying speed, swinging from social farce to high drama. The Pasadena Theatre Company's lively production steps surely along the comedic path of the play but falters on the dramatic.

Lerner and Loewe create a king who is lovably human in his foibles. The play opens with the immature King Arthur (Chuck Dick) tumbling out of a tree in his nervous attempt to glimpse his future bride. He is instantly beguiled; Guenevere (Liz Hester) is reluctant. Arthur wins her affection with his promises of creating the greatest kingdom on earth. His success in keeping his promise and his wife gives the play its plot. For as Arthur realizes his vision, his wife discovers her love in the person of the sanctimonious and heroic Lancelot (Vincent Van Joolen).

A well-constructed grove of trees and machine-made fog give Donnell Johnson's set a mystical feel worthy of the play's whimsy. Those whimsical moments are the best of the Pasadena Theatre Company's production. Co-directors Chuck Dick and Beverly Van Joolen infuse Camelot with wit and physical comedy. The actors shine during these moments of light comedy, their breezy banter easily stealing laughs from the audience.

The characters are charmingly light and airy. Rick Estberg's King Pellinore in particular blusters affably through his scenes with a commitment to silliness worthy of a Monty Python character. Hester's Guenevere beguiles the court and the audience as she flits about the stage, the embodiment of capricious energy. Acrobatics and ballet create a vaudevillian air, enhancing her joyful salute to revelry, The Lusty Month of May.

Most impressive among a cast of talented comedians is Tim Grieb. With heavily lined eyes peeking out from greasy black hair, his Mordred looks the part of a silent-film villain. Slithering across the stage, snapping at the king with contempt, Grieb makes himself more serpentine by hunching into various S shapes. As he snarls through the song The Seven Deadly Virtues, his utter glee tempts the audience to root, just this once, for evil to win the day.

But the company finds it hard to turn from the gaiety of these scenes to drama. The characters that shone in comedy seem out of place in moments of tension and drama.

Musical sequences seemed promising, and may have delivered — if you heard them. My night at the theater, Guenevere's body microphone suffered a power failure, causing repeated pops in the dialogue. Liz Hester's beautiful singing voice was frequently lost to the audience as a result. The live orchestra, led by Tom Jackson, plays jauntily through the classic score, and the impressive 14-piece ensemble uses its brass section to their full power, creating a set of mini-troubadours to herald in the action. Alas, they overpowered the actors, muting entire stanzas of songs.

Though the sound was bewitched by unkind fairies, Pasadena Theatre Company's Camelot proves an enjoyable journey through the world of musical chivalry.

Musical director: Tom Jackson. Costumes: Tori Walker and Fran Marchand. Sound: Donna Hopkins. Ensemble: Sue Bridgett, Brandon Dietrick, Chuck Donaldson, Brandon Hendrickson, Michele Spencer, Christy Stouffer and Ed Wintermute.

Playing thru Sept. 30 @ 8pm FSa; 3pm Su @ Kerr Center for the Arts, Annapolis Area Christian School, 109 Burns Crossing Rd., Severn. $15: 410-440-8488;

 

How do we explain the fascination we all have with Camelot?

Maybe it's the idea of a lost civilization, a castle rising somewhere from the mist. Maybe it's all those wizards and nymphs. Most likely it's the myth of King Arthur and his royal court, all those noblemen sitting around a table deliberating the virtues of might versus right.

Camelot focuses on the love triangle of King Arthur, Queen Guenevere, and Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur's greatest and most trusted Knights of the Round Table. The PTC production of Camelot struggles a little bit to tell the story, which makes sense given the mammoth size of the novel it is based on - The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Most people are familiar enough with the basics of the story that it is not a problem, but it can get a little confusing at times to figure out exactly what is going on.

The production is historically is very long and the dialogue is slow which is a challenge to any theater company. PTC struggled with a very sedate pace in this production and a presentational staging which at times became laborious. The auditorium was bone-chilling cold which did not help the brass who had severe intonation problems throughout the production.

King Arthur and Guenevere appear a little mismatched with the well-sung and mature Chuck Dick outpacing the charming & talented Liz Hester by a couple decades. Arthur comes off as bit too old for the beautifully vibrant Guenevere, which makes it a little unbelievable in the beginning that Guenevere is ever in-love with Arthur. However, it later helps when Guenevere becomes enamored with Lancelot, played convincingly by the charismatic Vincent Van Joolen.

Supporting cast members Ed Wintermute (Merlyn) and the very clever Rick Estberg (King Pellinore) add some humor and help round out this talented cast. Brandon Hendrickson, Brandon Dietrick and Chuck Donaldson (Sir Dinadan, Sir Lionel, and Sir Sagramore) perform quite well when given the chance in "Take Me to the Fair." Things get exciting towards the end of both acts, respectively, with some sword fighting. It was nice to see more than a few characters involved in the action at once.

The costumes were well done and there was some creative scene changes which were well executed by the crew. Technically the show was consistently smooth and production elements were very seamless. The ensemble produced a good choral sound and likewise, the singing throughout the entire cast was solid. Orchestrally and choreographically, this show needs a tune-up.

All productions have their flaws but Pasadena Theatre Company's engaging effort does capture the magic of Camelot. Don't miss the "brief, shining moment"…"here in Camelot".

MERELY PLAYERS -  A Little Princess:  "Little Princess' is a royal success"

Special to The Sun

Originally published April 27, 2007

 

 

Colonial Players’ Jake’s Women Neither light comedy — though there are plenty of laughs — nor somber melodrama reviewed by Dick Wilson, Bay Weekly Jake’s Women portrays a man who spends most of his waking moments thinking about or interacting with women. He is not necessarily obsessed by women; it’s just that women occupy such a large niche in his life that there isn’t much room or time for anything else. Jake (played by Jim Murphy) has six women in his life, including his dead wife, and they’re all important to him. Problem is, they don’t all fit into the nice, orderly compartments that Jake’s brain has constructed. Instead, they bounce, ricochet and carom off one another, causing Jake no end of cerebral pain and mental frustration. And they won’t leave him alone. When Jake isn’t interacting in person with one of them, they’re all babbling away inside his head, and he can’t keep their words and his thoughts straight. Imagined conversations become real, with the result that Jake and the women have difficulty separating imagination from reality. There are no villains or villainesses here. Jake’s current wife, Maggie (Zarah Roberts), has the audacity to expect that she, as Jake’s spouse, deserves special consideration as wife and human being. She notes that Jake is always eager to escape into his writing, which he does every day, all day. Maggie senses, correctly, that she does not occupy the central place in his life. Jake’s writing and his internal dialogue are the core of Jake’s Women. He can’t forget his deceased first wife Julie (Allie Raber), who dominates his life and thoughts and affects his every other relationship. As the play progresses, Jake’s imagined conversations with Julie lap over and merge with his real conversations with his daughter Molly (as a young girl — Bronwyn van Joolen — and as a young woman — Shannon Benil); his second wife Maggie; another woman, Sheila, who he dates after Maggie leaves him (Kate Wheeler); his sister Karen (Carol Cohen); and Edith (Dianne Hood), his psychiatrist. Jake’s Women doesn’t fit easily into categories of comedy. It’s neither light comedy — though there are plenty of laughs — nor somber melodrama, though it recounts the pain a man endures as he tries to sort out a life become too complicated. Neil Simon admits that parts of the play are autobiographical, and the dialogue has the recognizable flavor of reality. Zarah Roberts stands out as Maggie, the second wife. Against great resistance, Roberts brings just the right amount of icy resolve to saving her marriage by bringing Jake out of his imaginary life into the real world. As Jake, Jim Murphy excels in the part, which requires his presence onstage for the entire play. This is Murphy’s debut, and he does a journeyman job. Director Beverly Hill van Joolen says that, in casting Murphy for the part, she “saw something in what he brought to the audition.” This proves she has a good eye. Casting an inexperienced actor in the role of Jake could have been disastrous. Instead, van Joolen’s gamble paid off, and Colonial Theatre has another good production to add to their long list of theatrical achievements. Director: Beverly Hill van Joolen. Production Manager: Kurt Dornheim. Stage Managers: Brenda Garcia, Marcy Korn. Set Designer: Edd Miller. Playing thru Nov. 18 ThFSaSu 8pm @ The Colonial Players, 108 East St., Annapolis. $16 w/discounts: 410-268-7373.

 

 

MERELY PLAYERS -  Narnia:   RUBY GRIFFITH NOMINEE - Narnia, 2005:

    "Beverly Hill van Joolen assembled a very big cast to stage this ambitious production of Narnia, and it would seem that she had worked in close collaboration with both the Musical Director (Ken Kimble) and the Choreographer (Christy Stouffer).  Her casting of the principal characters was very good, particularly the four children, Aslan, and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.  They basically carried the show with support from some of the lesser characters.  Lines were well rehearsed and the British accents were well done, particularly the children, Aslan, and Mrs. Beaver.   . . .  Overall, and with the help of many stage effects, presumably under the guiding hand of Andy Mueller, the technical director, a magical show did ensue and it was fun."

 . . ". The fight scene was very well  staged and reflected the presence of a fight director (Eric Eaton) on the production staff."

 "   The small orchestra ensemble consisting of just five players sounded very professional and complemented the action on the stage beautifully.  The musicians all played well and were very competently led by Music Director, Ken Kimble with his synthesizer."

    "Kudos to the (stage) management. (Rebecca Binstock & Kathy McCrory)."

    "The lghting (Tim Grieb) of the set prior to the o pening of the show added interest and entertainment . . ."

  "  The program (Alex Banos) had a very attractive cover design depicting the Lion, the Witch  and the Wardrobe."

   " All four of the children deserve great praise, Lindsay Espinosa (Susan), K. Strawley (Peter), Henry Pazaryna (Edmund), and Bronwyn van Joolen ( Lucy)."

   "Outstanding amongst the rest of the cast was Anna Deal as Mrs. Beaver, her accent never wavered and she was always in character.  There was a wonderful performance by Vincent van Joolen in the regal role of Aslan.  Perhaps Matt Wetzel was the most talented member of the cast.  He seemed to thrive of stage  . . .  Dylan Roche was an . . . intimidating Fenris Ulf as Sara Collison was an appealing Tumnus.   Mention should also be made of Forest Deal as Professor Digory Kirke, and Dickens Warfield giver her all as Mrs. Macready."

   "The large chorus sounded good and was well rehearsed.  "A Field of Flowers" (Susan and Lucy),  "To Make the World Right Again" (Aslan & Ensemble),  and "You Can't Imagine" (Tumnus) were the highlights of the big numbers, and the Beavers delighted with "Wot a Bit A' Spring Can Do."

Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre -  Nunsense Don come to this comedy under the stars expecting a semi-cutesy religious drama; expect a funny show with a hint of bawdiness, gentle irreverence and a lot of laughs. Reviewed By Dick Wilson - Bay Weekly, MD; www.bayweekly.com

It the nonsense in Nunsense that makes it funny. Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre depiction of the Little Sisters of the Severn marches right up to but doesn quite breach the gates of propriety. You re often sure that this time they ve gone one step too far they ve crossed the line but they ease off at the last moment so the more sensitive among us is spared offense. Meanwhile, you ll wonder if you really heard what you heard or if it means what you thought it meant.

Not quite irreverent but full of mature humor, Summer Garden Theatre first production of the summer of 2005 stretches the definition of family entertainment to the max as its double entendres and sight gags capture its audience nearly scandalized attention.

As often happens in plays about religious orders (think about Bells of St. Mary ), a community is facing a crisis that can be overcome only by steadfast faith strengthened by hardnosed pragmatism. In this case, the sisters have to deal with four bodies in their freezer. The frozen cadavers are the earthly remains of sisters who they couldn afford to bury. Their plight is anything but commonplace: 52 nuns have been poisoned by vichysoisse soup tainted with botulism. Only five nuns remain standing. The five lucky ones, including Mother Superior, were away on a bingo outing at the time of the fateful dinner.

Let pause here to clean up the confusion and do the math: 52 died, and four are in the freezer. Forty-eight were disposed of with proper funerals, etc., but the good sisters ran out of money before they could complete the job, leaving the four in cold storage. That the essence of the predicament: 48 down, four to go.

Inspired by a vision of either St. Catherine of Siena or St. Thomas Aquinas in drag, (she not sure which) Mother Superior Sr. Mary Regina (played with joyous gusto by Carol Cohen) enlists the good sisters in mounting a fundraiser play. The play is what you re watching here, Nunsense. It burlesque, vaudeville, travesty and caricature all rolled into one. Just when you think you ve got a handle on the humor, they break the mold and take off in a new direction Ķ only to turn around again and make you think they re getting serious. But getting serious is never to be taken seriously here.

A high point is Sr. Mary Regina accidental intoxication after sniffing some kind of inhaler. Cohen is irrepressible as she cavorts across the stage, engaging cast, musicians and audience in her manic ravings.

Like the dialogue, the music also rises above and subverts message-delivering intent. A few song titles such as Growing Up Catholic, Soup On (The Dying Nun Ballet) and I Could Have Gone to Nashville convey the degree of the play religious intensity.

Presenting all this raucous fun-poking is a talented group of actresses. Cohen leads the parade as the Mother Superior; Sr. Mary Hubert (Shannon Benil) is the toughie in charge of the novices. Sr. Robert Anne (Sheri Kuznicki) is assigned the role of understudy, but she wants a more meaningful piece of the action. Sr. Mary Amnesia (Michelle Gisondi) used to be known as Sr. Mary Paul (and yes, there a story behind this memory loss). Sister Mary Leo (Erin Tarpley) is a former ballerina, who is magical in her light-footing around the stage.

Don come to this comedy under the stars expecting a semi-cutesy religious drama; expect instead to see a funny, funny show with a hint of bawdiness, gentle irreverence and a lot of laughs.

Nunsense The Musical: Book, music, lyrics by Dan Goggin. Director: Beverly Hill van Joolen. Music Director: Trent Goldsmith. Choreographer: Alicia B. Sweeney. Production/Stage Manager: Lisa Farnsworth Howard. Assistant Stage Manager/Set Coordinator: Andy Mueller. Costume Designer: Frances Ryan.

Playing thru June 25 at 8:30pm @ Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, Compromise St., off City Dock. $15-12 w/age discounts: 410-268-9212; www.summergarden.com.