Adventure Theatre Mirandy and Brother Wind
By Jennifer Gusso • Jan 27th, 2011 • Category: ReviewsAdventure Theatre
Adventure Theatre, Glen Echo, MD (through February 13)
Atlas Performing Arts Center, Washington, DC (February 25-March 13)
Through March 13
1:10 w/ no intermission
$15
Reviewed January 23rd, 2011
Adventure Theatre’s production of Mirandy and Brother Wind was truly children’s theatre at its best. It was full of bright colors, bright songs, and an easily understood moral to delight the younger set. Even better, it was full of clever jokes, impressive choreography, and polished performances to delight the older viewers. Anyone that is searching for a way to entertain little ones and themselves at the same time should take a trip Adventure Theatre to catch this production.
There are many good things to say about this production, but nothing shined quite as bright as the incredible choreography. It was the perfect blend of traditional African-American dance of the early twentieth century and modern musical theater. It was high-energy and creative, and it was brought to life with excellent precision by a cast of extremely strong dancers.
In the lead role, Felicia Curry gave an incredible performance. Her over-the-top energy and personality brought life and spirit to the production, and her vocals were awe-inspiring. The rest of the cast behind her brought the same consistent high-energy, commitment, and skill to their roles. In the already strong cast, amazing standout performances came from Ayanna Hardy (Orlinda) and Eric Williams (Monroe).
The lights, set, and impressive puppetry were all beautiful, fun, and full of clean details. The only complaint with the production was the sound. The background music was very loud and kept at a consistent level. For this reason, there were times when the music was unevenly balanced and over-powered the vocalists. It would be nice to see the same meticulous attention to detail in the sound that was paid to every other aspect of the production.
Sound issues aside, this was a clever, funny, engaging, beautifully-performed piece of children’s theatre, and it is highly-recommended to families.
Cast
- Mirandy: Felicia Curry
- Monroe: Eric Williams
- Orlinda: Ayanna Hardy
- Grandma: Lynne Streeter Childress
- Ma Dere: Jeri Marshall
- Brother Wind/Mr. Jessup: Calvin McCullough
- Ms. Geneva/Poinsetta: Soneka Anderson
- Ezel: Jobari Parker-Namdar
Production Crew
- Director: Jennifer L. Nelson
- Composer/Lyricist: John L. Cornelius, II
- Music Director: Darius Smith
- Choreographer/Librettist: Michael J. Bobbit
- Scenic Designer: Tim Jones
- Costume Designer: Kendra Johnson
- Lighting Designer: Curtis Hodge
- Sound Designer: Christopher Baine
- Properties Designer: Dre Moore
- Master Electrician: Sarah MacKowski
- Stage Manager: William A. Jackson
- Scenic Artist: Sasha Goldstein
- Puppet Designer: Ksenya Litvak
- Dramaturg: Jacqueline Lawto
- Cakewalk/Dance Consultant: Fabian Barnes
- Dialect Consultant: Kim Bey
- Movement Consultant: Karin Abromaitis
- Assistant Stage Manager: Camille Kashaka
Disclaimer: Adventure Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.
This article can be linked to as: http://washingtondc.showbizradio.com/goto/6120.
Jennifer Gusso has been involved in theatre in the state of Maryland and DC for most of her life. She has acted, directed, choreographed, stage managed, and held a million other odd jobs. She has a B.S. in English from Towson University, and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree to become a Reading Specialist. She is a Maryland State Certified English, Theatre, Elementary, and Mathematics Educator. After teaching English and Drama for many years, she now teaches 6th grade Language Arts at Magnolia Middle School in Harford County, Maryland. She wrote the curriculum currently used in Prince George’s County Public Schools for Drama I and Drama II. She now writes and directs plays and musical for use in church.