Steel Magnolias is the perfect title for a play about the lives of six strong, sturdy Southern women. Perhaps better known as an iconic 1989 movie starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts and Shirley MacLaine, it creates a challenge for the actresses in the roles to make the characters their own and avoid comparisons.

Director Sherri Edelen has cast the current production at the Riverside Center in Fredericksburg wisely; choosing actresses with enough similarities to their legendary counterparts to make the characters recognizable, yet with enough talent to make these women their own unique creations.

As Artistic Director Patrick A’Hearn points out in pre-show announcements; Steel Magnolias marks the first non-musical production in Riverside’s 16 year history and it is a strong choice.

The play takes place in the 1980’s in Truvy’s beauty shop in the small southern town of Chinquapin, Louisiana. It focuses on the bonds of love and friendship between six local women.

The shop is not only the heart of the entire play, but its owner, Truvy is the heart of the group of women. As portrayed by Andrea Kahane, Truvy is a more down to earth, southern version of Roseanne, throwing out one-liners of greeting card wisdom and dishing out the gossip.

Her group of friends include bride-to-be Shelby and her domineering, protective mother M’Lynn. Emily Perkins is warm, spunky, optimistic and child-like as Shelby. Constance Shofi is steady and controlled as the rock of the group M’Lynn.

Jennifer Joyner truly develops Annelle, from Truvy’s shy, self-conscious and mysterious new assistant to a stronger, deeply grounded religious young woman. Rounding out the group are two of the town’s older and wealthier residents, widow and former town first lady, Clairee and local curmudgeon Ouiser. Carol Hagy is proper and dignified as Miss Clairee, but it is Kathy Halenda who steals the show as Ouiser. Her every movement and line demonstrated her comedic timing. Even when preparing coffee on the sidelines, Halenda was a joy to behold with her campy business.

As the play advanced, the six actresses gelled in creating characters who were not caricatures rather were quirky, and funny yet believable. The dialogue and rapport were natural, as the actresses maintained an energetic pace and cut one another off or talked over one another as real people and friends tend to do. This all makes the ending even more powerful as you feel their love for one another and their shared pain.

The only thing I would have changed with this production involved the set from scenic coordinators Matthew P. Wetscott and Stefannie Smith. While the set itself was appropriate as Truvy’s 1980’s beauty shop, I found a backdrop where the ceiling would have been, filled with alternating white cloudy skies and solid white bare trees a bit distracting and out-of-place. Gaye Law’s costumes were appropriate and highlighted the characters’ quirks while Joseph Wallen’s lights helped set the mood and highlight the action and emotion.

One nice touch didn’t go unnoticed — a Dolly Parton song playing on the radio!

Strong performances filled with laughs and tears make Riverside Center’s production of Steel Magnolias a strong choice for southern charm and entertainment on a warm spring evening.

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Dinner Theater

Cast (in order of appearance)

• Truvy Jones: Andrea Kahane
• Annelle Dupuy-Desoto: Jennifer Joyner
• Clairee Belcher: Carol Hagy
• Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie: Emily Perkins
• M’Lynn Eatenton: Constance Shofi
• Ouiser Boudreaux: Kathy Halenda

Production Staff

• Producer/ Artistic Director: Patrick A’Hearn
• Direction: Sherri Edelen
• Scenic Design: Matthew P. Westcott, Stefannie Smith
• Lighting Design: Joseph Wallen
• Costume Design: Gaye Law
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader
• Technical Director: Phil Carlucci
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt
• Rehearsal Stage Manager: Marc Brunhofer
• Assistant Stage Manager: Ashton Banks
• Senior Stage Technician: Steve Thompson
• Stage Technicians: Geoff McPherson, Eric Jones
• Lighting Technicians: Emily Griffith, Kim McDowell, Kathryn Moncure
• Audio/ Lighting Technician: Hannah Shrader
• Costume Master: Chris Hlusko
• Costume Assistants: Amber French, Shania Stewart
• Head Rigger: Paul Johannes
• Properties Supervisor: Kylie Clark

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Forever Plaid is a loving, nostalgia-laden homage to four-part-harmony “boy bands” from the 50’s and early 60’s. In the prologue, we are quickly told that The Plaids, four friends who met in the audio-visual club at school and loved to sing, were killed instantly while driving to a gig that might have been their big break. Their car was hit by a bus filled with Catholic schoolgirls on their way to the Ed Sullivan show, where the Beatles were about to make their United States début. It’s a not-too-subtle metaphor from playwright Stuart Ross about rock changing the landscape of music and ending the popularity of harmony groups. It also sets up the entire, uncomplicated plot of Forever Plaid: the group must perform the concert they missed in order to rest in peace.

In Riverside Center’s production, The Plaids are played by Austin Colby (who will be replaced in later performances by Matthew Hirsh) (Frankie), Brandon Duncan (Smudge), David Landstrom (Sparky), and Chris Rudy (Jinx). This quartet, as well as director Bobby Smith, have worked together, playing these parts, before. They all seem to have a history with this show, and Smith was a member of the original off-Broadway cast.

This familiarity is both a blessing and a curse. On the upside, this quartet look and sound amazing. Their harmonies are tight, lush, romantic, and swoon-worthy. Songs like “No Not Much,” “Cry,” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” are, in a word, gorgeous. They blend beautifully and work wonderfully as an ensemble, and while each member of the cast has his solos and moments to shine, they never seem to upstage each other and are never better than when they harmonize in four parts. Smith has recreated the original staging, and his actors execute it flawlessly. A particular highlight was a tribute to the Ed Sullivan show featuring a multitude of familiar characters, impressive circus tricks, comic pratfalls, and an enjoyable rendition of “Lady of Spain,” all presented in about three minutes of tightly choreographed energy.

The transporting vocals, which are accompanied by the hardworking and charming music director Joel DeCandio on piano and an uncredited bass player, are 85% of the play, if not more, and they are certainly enough on their own to make for an entertaining evening. Those who remember the songs and recognize the references might inch that percentage up to 90% on the nostalgia factor alone. Taken just as a concert by The Plaids, the show is stellar.

However, Forever Plaid is also a play. Granted, the plot is thin, and the characters not terribly well-developed, but there is a story to be told. And this is where Forever Plaid stumbles a bit, perhaps because the actors and the director are so familiar with the show that they seem to have grown a bit complacent. It is actually difficult to differentiate between the four Plaids. While they are each a bit nerdy, Ross has imbued them with some individuality, and even where the script falls short, the actors and director could have fleshed out the characters more. And while there are some comic bits with each of the quartet’s anxiety-induced maladies, these could have been highlighted more and woven more intricately into the whole show. This type of specificity would have deepened the show into more than just a musical trip down memory lane.

In addition, the show lacks any urgency. For a group that has been in limbo for fifty years and has one chance to “make things right,” the Plaids exhibit very little drive. There is no feeling that this concert is any more important than other concerts they have performed, and this lack of push leads a rather short play to drag a bit, especially when the actors approach the more “dramatic” moments. The script seems to support a change in The Plaids from awkward teenagers to music stars, but there is little in this production to support that arc, as The Plaids seem generally competent from beginning to end. A little more attention to the story and the unique objectives and stumbling blocks of each of the characters would have made The Plaids both more endearing and more compelling.

But in the end, the show is about singing, and here The Plaids soar. Ably supported by the production team (scenic coordination by Matthew P. Westcott, lighting design by Joseph Wallen, costume coordination by Gaye Law, and technical direction by Phil Carlucci), The Plaids evoke a more innocent, earnest time. In their matching dinner jackets, underneath a huge projected moon and bathed in sumptuous evening light, it’s easy to forgive any flaws and just let the ears enjoy the aural buffet.

Director’s Notes

When most of us look back to the 1950s, we think of rock ‘n’ roll, greasers, hot rods, Elvis, Annette, Fabian, D.A. Haircuts, and teenage rebellion. But there was a flipside to this era that was lost in surge of progress, one characterized by family harmony, innocence, and the sincerity of dreams. It was a time when most parents and kids listened and danced to the same music, when families ritually gathered in front of the TV to watch their favorite variety show (like the Ed Sullivan Show or the Perry Como Show), and when everyone worked to fulfill the American Dream.

It was a period when four-part guy groups harmonized their way across America, popularized on the airwaves and spinning records on jukeboxes and hi-fis throughout the land. Standing behind a quartet of microphones, they crooned a multitude of chaperoned prom-goers into dreamy romance with vocal arrangements that soared to stratospheric heights of harmony. They wore dinner jackets and bow ties (or perhaps cardigans and white bucks). And their every move was drilled to precision, carefully synchronized with the words and the beat of the music. This was “the sound” that crested right before rock ‘n’ roll stole the heartbeat of music across the globe.

During this time, guys across the country banded together in basements or garages to sing and play for fun. If things worked out, their group might actually be hired to sing at weddings, conventions, proms, and country club socials. Inspired by the success of recording stars, they made plans to zoom into careers of fame and fortune. But sadly, the musical taste of young America was rapidly changing, and the country would not (or could not) stop to listen to their dreams. This is the story of one such group: Forever Plaid.

Bobby Smith

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Dinner Theater

Cast

• Frankie: Austin Colby/Matthew Hirsh
• Smudge: Brandon Duncan
• Sparky: David Landstrom
• Jinx: Chris Rudy
• Piano: Joel DeCandio/Anthony Smith
• Bass: Joanna Smith

Crew

• Producer: Patrick A’Hearn
• Original Staging Re-created by: Bobby Smith
• Musical Direction: Joe DeCandio
• Lighting Design: Joseph Wallen
• Costume Coordination: Gaye Law
• Scenic Coordination: Matthew Westcott
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader
• Technical Director: Phil Carlucci
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt
• Producing Artistic Director: Patrick A’Hearn

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

David Michael Felty IS Jean Valjean, the escaped parolee at the center of Les Miserables. His breathtaking vocals and his powerful, emotional acting make Riverside Center Dinner Theater’s production an absolutely riveting experience. Even rabid fans of Les Miserables will see unexpected heartbreaking and exciting moments in Felty’s performance, and just hearing that beautiful voice sing the beloved and dynamic score is an experience not to be missed. In fact, Felty is so stunning in this role, that the stretches in the play when he is not on stage pale in comparison.

Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Shonberg’s Les Miserables ran for sixteen years on Broadway and is currently the fourth-longest-running musical in Broadway history. The show has spawned numerous revivals (including an upcoming one in March 2014), tours, and a movie. It is easy to see why the musical is so revered. Based on the sprawling novel by Victor Hugo, the show has a fast-moving plot that swiftly covers decades in less than three hours and involves a broad range of the human experience. Loss, redemption, faith, love, courage, longing, and hope are set against a backdrop of the revolutionary ferment of early 19th century France. Valjean strives to become an honest man, while Javert, a police inspector, refuses to ignore the parole violation and seeks to bring Valjean to justice, even as they are both swept into a student uprising. The beautiful and epic score and lyrics by Shonberg and Herbert Kretzmer manage to propel the story forward without sacrificing any of the vigorous emotion.

Watching Les Miserables is often a cathartic experience. And Patrick A’Hearn’s production is no different. While it is not perfect, the characters’ emotional dilemmas hit the gut, and by the end, the tears will flow.

While Felty leads the emotional charge, he is not alone in his ability to bring this powerful story to life. David Pope plays Marius, a revolutionary who falls in love with Valjean’s adopted daughter Cosette, with a thoroughly believable heart on his sleeve. Pope’s voice is spectacular, and his “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” is an emotional and aural highlight. In addition, Pope creates a believable chemistry with Cosette (Whitney Hollis), and their duets are lovely and heartfelt. Thomas Adrian Simpson as Javert brings a glorious voice and intensity to his performance, although his awkward physicality tends to undermine his authority at times. Joshua Otten is an appealing and brash Gavroche, and the male ensemble (under the musical direction of Jason J. Michael) shines in the students’ numbers, sounding sensational and embodying the epic emotions without overacting.

Other performers were less successful, giving the show a slightly uneven feel. Both Erin Miele Huss (Fantine) and Caitlin Shea (Eponine) possess admirable voices, but their modern diction and movement seem out-of-place, and neither is able to navigate the full range of their character’s emotions. Both were also hampered by ill-considered costume choices, with Fantine in a distracting wig and Eponine in modern boots and a flowing coat that did not fit her purported male disguise. Thenardier and Madame Thenardier, the innkeeper and his wife, were approached by Bill Upshaw and Carol Hagy as the comic relief of the play, and they did indeed evoke giggles; however, these characters can also be disturbing and menacing, and these colors were missing.

Like his cast, A’Hearn’s staging and his design team (Brian C. Barker (set), Gaye Law (costumes), and Phil Carlucci and Nicky Mahon (lighting)) were inconsistent. For every stunning visual like the end of “One Day More,” where the ensemble moves in slow motion bathed in a sunset-colored light, while the principals are arranged downstage in varying tableaus, there is a misstep, like the opening prisoner sequence, where mimed tools, linear blocking, and ill-timed and distracting spot lights cheapened the effect. Throughout the show, the stage combat in particular is weak, looking stagey and lacking the emotional punches that should have been present. Luckily, A’Hearn and his designers did their strongest work in the second act, and the ending is incredibly powerful. Of note, the staging, lighting and effects of Javert’s final scene is quite moving; the Thenardier’s wedding costumes are silly fun; and the barricade is a stunning set piece, especially when paired with the turntable, enabling A’Hearn to incorporate levels and interest which are lacking at times in the first act.

While Les Miserables was not a flawless production, it was a truly satisfying one. Felty’s performance alone, one that spans the full arc of the story and brings together the play’s multiple themes, is enough to make even the stoniest heart tremble, and the vocal prowess of the entire cast will make you want to hear the people sing again and again.

Director’s Notes

This is my 10th production as a director at Riverside Center, and it is fitting that it be a show I am most closely associated with. Having had the honor to have been part of the original Broadway cast led by the masterful direction of Trevor Nunn and John Caird, I am delighted to direct the show for the first time here at Riverside Center. I feel privileged and lucky to have been a part of theater history and a show honored with so many awards – seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. I learned quite a bit in my three plus years with Les Miz, and it is rewarding to be able to share those experiences with so many up and coming talents who were not even born when the show first surfaced.

Les Misérables has been referred to as grand, epic, glorious and a phenomenon – a musical theater extravaganza that brought Broadway back into the good graces of American popular culture and remains a unique masterwork almost thirty years after its opening. But perhaps its greatest achievement is in its simplicity and how it conveys the themes of love and redemption which are universal. The rich, multi-layered musical score by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg has an amazing ability to capture Victor Hugo’s sprawling portrait of France at a tumultuous turning point in that nation’s history, and audiences respond emphatically to the incredible story which it tells. That story is still relevant today, portraying a society desperate for renewal and change, and depicting a journey of human beings struggling for acceptance, coping with longing and loss, and making choices that define them as individuals. The lyrics speak to the world: It is time for us all to decide who we are.

And now my own journey through the Les Misérables experience comes full circle and feels complete as I approach this production as an Artistic Director as well, with the responsibility of not only striving for artistic excellence but bringing forth a production that the Riverside family and the community can be proud of. I ask our audiences to “join in our crusade” and “relive the dream.”

Many thanks to this incredible production team, cast and crew. You have all committed and done yeoman’s work. Thank you for allowing me to relive so many wonderful memories as I have observed the process and been moved by your dedication and compassion.

To love another person is to see the face of God.

-Patrick A’Hearn

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Dinner Theater

Cast

• Jean Valjean: David Michael Felty
• Javert, A Policeman: Thomas Adrian Simpson
• The Bishop Of Digne: John Hollinger
• Fantine: Erin Miele Huss
• The Foreman: Thomas Cleary
• Bamatbois: Tommy Mcneal
• Fauchelevant: John Hollinger
• Little Cosette, Fantine’s Daughter: Alexa Norbeck
• Thenardier, An Innkeeper: Bill Upshaw
• Madame Thenardier, The Innkeeper’s Wife: Carol Hagy
• Young Eponine (Silent), The Thenardiers’ Daughter: Rhianna Degeorge
• Gavroche, An Urchin: Joshua Otten
• Eponine, Grown Up: Caitlin Shea
• Cosette, Grown Up: Whitney Hollis
• Thenardier’s Gang
  • Montparnasse: Ryan Lynch
  • Babet: Cody Heuer
  • Brujon: Ian Lane
  • Claquesous: John Hollinger
• Students
  • Enjolras: Anthony Nuccio
  • Marius: David Pope
  • Combeferre: Thomas Cleary
  • Feuilly: James Bock
  • Courfeyrac: Cody Heuer
  • Joly: Gannon Sims
  • Grantaire: Tommy Mcneal
  • Lesgles: Kevin Cleary
  • Jean Prouvaire: Anthony Logan Cole
• Women’s Ensemble Of Factory Workers, Whores, Drinkers, The Poor, And Wedding Guests: Julie Baird, Melynda Burdette, Elizabeth Butler, Jessie Croke, Andrea Detar, Mary Anne Furey, Maxine Gillespie, Valerie Roche
• Understudies (Understudies Never Substitute For Listed Players Unless Announced At Performance Time)
  • Jean Valjean: Ian Lane
  • Javert: Anthony Logan Cole, Thomas Cleary
  • Fantine: Julie Baird, Valerie Roche
  • Cosette: Mary Anne Furey
  • Eponine: Michaela Kelley, Mary Anne Furey
  • Marius: Tommy Mcneal, Cody Heuer
  • Thenardier: Robert Beard, Anthony Logan Cole
  • Madame Thenardier: Melynda Burdette, Maxine Gillespie
  • Enjolras: James Bock, Thomas Cleary
  • Grantaire: Ryan Lynch, Kevin Cleary
  • Gavroche: Dante Durso
  • Young Cosette/Young Eponine: Julianna Robinson
• Men’s Ensemble Swing: Colby Leroy
• Women’s Ensemble Swings: Keri Durrett, Amber French

Designers

• Produced by Rollin E. Wehman
• Directed by Patrick A’Hearn
• Musical Direction by Jason J. Michael
• Costume Design/Coordination: Gaye Law
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader
• Associate Director and Musical Staging by Penny Ayn Maas
• Lighting Design: Nicky Mahon
• Technical Director: Phil Carlucci
• Scenic Design by Brian C. Barker
• Scenic Artist: Matthew P. Westcott
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Legally Blonde the Musical is a fun adaptation of the light-hearted Reese Witherspoon film that is filled with a catchy score and energetic good times. Riverside Dinner Theatre delivers a solid production; however, it never quite takes off to the level of “WOW.” Most of the elements are strong but stop just short of excellent.

This is especially true for the set. With detailed, beautiful set pieces, such as the Harvard books, set upon an otherwise blank stage with an unlit cyc in the back, it is like they had all the elements right and never quite figured out how to put them all together. There were several times that the set looked bare or just not quite finished, despite nice details in other areas. The lighting didn’t help to solve the issue, as it was also very simple and rarely used to build the location or the mood. Costumes were equally hit or miss. While some pieces were just perfect, ending with Elle in an ill-fitting tweed jacket over a dress that did not scream “fashionista” or even lawyer was a less than ideal choice. Also, when the line talks about Vivienne’s flat shoes, she should be wearing flats. It was, in many ways, a lack of careful attention to minor technical details that keep the production from soaring to the next level.

Julie Baird’s Elle was also almost great. Baird is a fierce dancer, a solid vocalist, and created a consistent character. She definitely reached her zenith in the number “Legally Blonde,” bringing a real depth of emotion to the apparent defeat of her character. Baird just lacked that little something extra special that makes Elle — Elle. It is that charm, that twinkle, which makes you want to watch her every move and become her best friend that is critical to the character. Baird really did everything right, but she just didn’t have that “something more.”

On the other hand, Emily Blair Powers did. Her Paulette is delightful. She is real, funny, charming, and has a beautiful voice. Paulette brought laughter and tears throughout the show. Another fantastic performance came from Emily Turner Marsland (Brooke). She, never for a single second, looked winded as she skillfully and swiftly jumped her way through “Whipped Into Shaped,” so much so that she could freeze solidly without any heavy breathing. She also managed to have excellent vocals throughout the dance and filled the rest of the show with a memorable character. Also great was Jason J. Michael’s Callahan. He was charming, wicked, and sleazy. His “Blood on the Water” was the perfect mix of beautiful vocals and slime. As Enid, Ellie Borzilleri took a smaller role and made it phenomenal. From her impressive vocals in “Harvard Variations” to perfect delivery on one-liners to priceless facial reactions to what was going on around her, Enid became the character to watch.

Supporting roles can be really pivotal. In Legally Blonde, possibly none more so than Margot, Serena, and Pilar. While it is so easy to take the importance of those characters for granted when they are played by exceptional actresses, their true necessity is unfortunately more apparent in their weakness. Martha Johnson (Margot) was not good, and she was the first person that the audience saw and heard. This started the production off needing to overcome a weakness. While Emily Carper and especially Mary Anne Furey were not bad, neither had quite the strength and presence to really make any part of the trio pop. In a few places in the second act, notably “Bend and Snap,” Furey gave glimpses of potential to be stronger with better direction or better counterparts.

Glimpses of greatness were also seen in the solid, but not spectacular, performances of David Pope (Warner), Analisa Wall (Vivienne), and James Bock (Emmett). Pope looked the part, had a beautiful voice, and almost embodied the perfect balance between cocky and charm. Wall was perfectly stiff throughout with a powerhouse voice, but she never mastered the art of showing the subtle subtext that Vivienne is a real person and not just an ice queen. Like his leading lady, Bock was doing almost everything right without ever quite reaching captivating. He also found his best moment in “Legally Blonde.”

This was a good production. The average, non-critical audience member will have a good time. This just wasn’t the flawless, Broadway in Fredericksburg quality that Riverside Dinner Theatre has made a reputation around. It was almost there in so many ways. With minor technical and artistic redirection and regrouping and maybe one recasting, it could still ascend to that level before the end of the run.

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Dinner Theater

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

In Buffalo, New York, a group of steel workers have been unemployed since the mill closed. Beyond the financial hardships, for each of these men, their identity has been called into question. The Full Monty really explores what makes a man. Beneath a silly, fun story about the possibility of these regular, everyday guys taking off their clothes for money is a heart-warming tale of finding and redefining yourself when the occupation that used to define you is gone. Riverside Dinner Theatre lets this real heart of the story guide, and the result is a genuine portrayal of love mixed with laughter, fun, and shenanigans.

Director Patrick A’Hearn has a clear vision that never allows anything to go over-the-top. He recognizes that keeping things real is the key to great theatre. In a day and age where so many directors take every opportunity to make things as filthy and filled with cheap laughs as possible, A’Hearn tells a story that is classy, tasteful, and filled with family values. In less-skilled hands, this is a script that could have easily been camped up and been made, for lack of a better word, dirty. Instead, the result is the beautiful and simple nuance of letting the men’s stories speak for themselves. Mature teenagers could easily be allowed in the audience, and few are likely to be offended with the way that he chooses to tell this story.

Helping to bring that vision to life is the astounding choreography of Christopher Noffke. It is alternatingly silly and sizzling as the script calls for, but it is never gratuitous. The choreography is also seamlessly highlighted with a beautiful lighting design by Phil Carlucci.

Still, all these stunning technical elements allow the story and six phenomenal performances to be the real heart of the show. At the center is Jerry Lukowski (Jeremiah Zinger). Jerry is struggling to be a father and keep his son, despite his loss of work and the loss of his marriage. Jerry is also an irresponsible schemer who tends to run and hide or take the easy way out. For Jerry, the plan to strip is originally just a get rich quick scheme. Zinger is able to alternate between obnoxious and loveable, providing the audience with a very real man. He also has a fantastic voice and brings it all together to have the audience rolling in “Big Ass Rock” and tearing up in “Breeze Off the River.”

Jerry’s best friend, Dave (Ian Lane) was probably insecure before losing his job, but he is now paralyzed by his self-concept. This leads to a hilarious moment in a bathroom and a beautiful moment in “You Rule My World” as he sings a gorgeous tenor lament to the woman that he so greatly loves and yet feels he does not deserve. Like Jerry and all the other men, Dave ultimately has to realize that he is his own worst antagonist.

The crazy plan that begins with Dave and Jerry grows to include Malcolm (James Bock), Harold (Devon Clark), Ethan (Tommy McNeal), and Horse (Jerrial Young). Each man gives a unique and outstanding performance. Bock brings heart and compassion to the initially hopeless Malcom’s journey to identity and delivers a touching vocal in “You Walk With Me.” Clark’s portrayal is so simple and effortlessly real as the former supervisor who is desperate to keep the wife and life that he loves. McNeal is absolutely hysterical in his pursuit to dance like Donald O’Connor. His character could have easily morphed into a caricature, but McNeal keeps it real and relatable with finesse. Young brings the house down in “Big Black Man” with his dynamite dance moves and infectious energy and then keeps it real as his character’s doubt also come to life. This insanely talented group of six men complement each other and work together so well that it is impossible to select any one performance that stands above the others. They each know when to step out and shine and when to be part of the ensemble.

As if this is not enough to make for an amazing evening at the theatre, enter Sally Struthers. As the, to put it mildly, eccentric pianist Jeanette, Struthers creates a character who is unforgettable. She shows the amazing gift of perfect timing with every line and movement. She is a delightful ball of energy on the stage and commands the entire room during “Jeanette’s Showbiz Number.”

The rest of the supporting cast is equally strong, and each of them takes their moment and lives it to the fullest. Emily Powers shows the deep conflict between past and future in Pam. Katharine Salsbury is full of love and spunk as Georgie. Vilma Gil comes on strong and then shows her tenderness as Vicki. Salsbury and Gil definitely do not disappoint when they reprise “You Rule My World” and show their ability to compete vocally with the men.

A great comedic bit comes in the brief appearance of Jason J. Michael as Reg. The rest of the ensemble is equally good with every line, spoken or sung, that they add to the story. This is truly professional, regional theatre that is both spectacle and subtlety in the exact right balance. You do not want to miss The Full Monty!

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Dinner Theater

Cast

• Jerry Lukowski: Jeremiah Zinger
• Nathan Lukowski: Giuseppi Inserra
• Pam Lukowski: Emily Powers
• Teddy Slaughter: James Shimo
• Dave Bukatinsky: Ian Lane
• Georgie Bukatinsky: Katharine Salsbury
• Harold Nichols: Devon Clark
• Vicki Nichols: Vilma Gil
• Malcolm Macgregor: James Bock
• Molly Macgregor: Carol Hagy
• Ethan Girard: Tommy McNeal
• Noah (Horse) T. Simmons: Jerrial Young
• Jeanette Burmeister: Sally Struthers
• Buddy (Keno) Walsh: David Pope
• Reg Willoughby: Jason J. Michael
• Tony Giordano: Christopher Lamb
• Estelle Genovese: Brianne Boyd
• Susan Hershey: Elizabeth C. Butler
• Joanie Lish: Kimberly Knight
• Didi Mclean: Kylie Clark
• Delores Lingenfelter: Stefannie Smith

Instrumentalists

• Conductor/Keyboard I: Scott Richards
• Keyboard II/Bass: Ralph Davis
• Electric Bass: John Buck
• Trumpet: Jim Ford
• Electric Guitar: Casey Klein
• Percussion: David Long
• Percussion: Zach Ware

Technical Personnel

• Producer: Rollin E. Wehman
• Director: Patrick A’Hearn
• Musical Director: Jason J. Michael
• Choreographer: Christopher Noffke
• Scenic Design: Brian C. Barker
• Costume Design/Coordination: Gaye Law
• Technical Director/Lighting Design: Phil Carlucci
• Scenic Artist: Matthew P. Westcott
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt
• Assistant Stage Manager: Ashton Banks
• Senior Stage Technician: Steve Thompson
• Stage Technicians: Matt Brunhofer, Kevin Cleary, Geoff McPherson, Analisa Wall, Kendric Walpole, David Zimmerman
• Senior Lighting Technician: Nicky Mahon
• Lighting Technician: Kathryn Moncure
• Senior Audio Technician: Joshua Watson
• Wardrobe Supervisor: Gaye Law
• Senior Wardrobe Assistant: Teresa Cundiff
• Costume Master/Wig Stylist: Christopher Hlusko
• Costume Tech Swing: Sally Roehl
• Master Set Carpenter/Welder: Curtis Craddock
• Master Electrician: Nicky Mahon
• Head Rigger: Paul Johannes
• Master Scenic Artist: Matthew Westcott
• Scenic Painter/Set Carpenter: Maria Duke
• Properties Supervisor: Kylie Clark
• Set Dresser: Stefannie Smith

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Dinner theatre is one of those genres that can be amazingly dreadful or superb, surprisingly or not. Ain’t Misbehavin’, currently playing at the Riverside Dinner Theatre in Fredericksburg, is of the most definite latter. Let’s dispense with the minor bummers first. The music wasn’t live. Recorded tracks instead of a live orchestra on that sizable stage was disappointing mainly because the five splendid performers in this show deserved live music. Their chemistry together would have been complete brilliance in concert with musicians equal to their caliber of art. The dinner?…meh…It is possible to see the show without having to have the dinner, but it was okay enough so that the mediocre meal was part of the fun. Okay, that’s over.

Ain’t Misbehavin’, the title of this show and one of the most famous songs of the Jazz Age, is an homage to a composer and artist called “the black Horowitz” by Oscar Levant; no amateur himself when it came to tickling those ivories. Thomas “Fats” Waller was an American prodigy like no other in his time and his legacy is a delightful walk back into a time when the most consummately talented artists persevered against all segregationist odds.

None of the performers bore what might kindly be called a regulation Bolshoi physique. Thus, the energy required to present this show did not leave anyone worrying that a performer or two might fall over from the breath expended in belting out a selection of Waller’s breathtaking (I couldn’t resist) tunes. Kadejah One, Kimberly Fox Knight, Theresa A. Cunningham, Jerrial Young and Brandon Martin resound with personality in addition to performing skill and made for a wildly curated ride back in time to Harlem of the Jazz Age. Cunningham, in particular reminded me of the late LaVern Baker, with her low, back of the throat trill.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ seems to me to be the kind of a show where the performers need audience involvement to enhance their own performances. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on one’s age, the average age of this audience was about 70 years old and these people just didn’t have the energy to participate; although everyone made his and her pleasure known at the end of the show. I would have been thrilled to have a dance floor so I could boogie along to the music and the stunning vocals instead of getting a seat burn on my tuches.

The scene (Phil Carlucci) was simple but effective for the musical presentation and the transitions involved with the collection of songs. The women’s costumes (Gaye Law) were just beautiful, flattering and sparkly and colorful. The men’s costumes (Keith Walker) were less showy: but they reflected the fit of the times and made Young and Martin into Jazz Age men pounding the pavement of Tin Pan Alley trying to get a break.

However, the lighting and technical direction (Phil Carlucci) made this show a cut above what the cognoscenti usually deride as dinner theatre. Nicky Mahon’s lighting design and Ben Feindt’s stage management made for a visually punchy presentation and I noticed no missed cues or flaws. Feindt, incidentally, was our waiter for the afternoon and he was very sweet.

On a Sunday afternoon, with light traffic on I 95 South, the trip to Riverside Center took about 35 minutes. This Ain’t Misbehavin’ is worth the shortish drive to get to Riverside Center and is just a lovely show with beautiful and personable performers. Worth the drive and the chicken fried steak is not bad at all.

Director’s Notes

Ain’t Misbehavin’, a celebration of the songs, the life and times of jazz great Thomas “Fats” Waller, was an instant hit when it opened on Broadway on 1978. Although no actor actually impersonates Waller in the production, the five singers who take us into Waller’s world–Harlem in the 20’s and 30’s–evoke the spirit and personality of the man.

Waller was a highly gifted Black American musician, who often in collaboration with Harry Brooks and lyricist Andy Razaf, produced hit after hit from the mid 20’s until his death in 1943 at the age of 39. His musical career started with playing the organ in the Abyssinian Baptist Church and studying classical piano. By the time he was 25, he and Razaf had written the score for the Broadway hit Hot Chocolates, which included the songs “Ain’t Misbehavin'” and “Black and Blue.”

In the late 70’s, Murray Horwitz invited Richard Maltby, Jr. to listen to some rare Waller recordings. The wit of the song lyrics and the stylistic piano scores convinced Maltby that Waller’s music and personality could be brought to life on stage. Soon, a host of collaborators was hard at work producing the show.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ initially opened at the Manhattan theatre Club; shortly afterward, it moved to Broadway, and now it is at Riverside! I hope you enjoy the show.

Patti D’Beck

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Dinner Theater

Cast

• Kadejah One, Kimberly Fox Knight, Theresa A. Cunningham, Jerrial Young, Brandon Martin

Production Staff

• Producer: Rollin E. Wehman
• Director/Choreographer: Patti D’Beck
• Musical Director: Rollin E. Wehman
• Production Manager: Carole Schrader
• Scenic Adaptation: Phil Carlucci
• Costume Design: Gaye Law
• Lighting Design: Nicky Mahon
• Scenic Artist: Matthew P. Westcott
• Technical Director: Phil Carlucci
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

The Sound of Music is arguably one of America’s most beloved musicals. As a child, my favorite movie was the classic with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. My favorite record album (yes 33 1/3) was the Broadway cast recording with Mary Martin. While some of my friends in the acting community will roll their eyes and claim they’d rather live in a third world nation than appear in The Sound of Music, many have shined in the iconic roles. It was with this mixed bag of expectations I attended the current production at the Riverside Dinner Theater in Fredericksburg.

The plot, which is familiar to most people, centers around postulant Maria Rainier. The Reverend mother does not think she is ready to make the lifelong commitment to become a nun, and sends her to the home of widowed sea Captain Georg Von Trapp, to be the governess for his seven children. Amidst the backdrop of World War II Austria, the Captain and the postulant fall in love.

First, let me get the “dinner” part of the “dinner theater” out of the way; as it is generally just the hors d’oeuvres for the evening, while the show itself is the main course. My co-worker who joined me for the performance had the salmon, which came in a much more generous portion than the chicken I chose. We both felt our meal was well seasoned, but a bit dry — perhaps having sat too long in a hot box waiting to be served. The salad and corn bread were simple and basic, but we differed on our opinions of our desserts — a cheese cake that I enjoyed more than my co-worker. Service was fabulous. For those who haven’t been to dinner theaters, your actors, actresses and tech people are also your serving staff. Kathryn Moncure (lighting technician) and Analisa Wall (spotlight) were personable and fun and made the dinner experience very enjoyable.

Dinner was followed by a rather long and tedious introduction by producer/ director Rollin E. Wehman (it ran almost 20 minutes!) Once the talking was over, the show started with a scene at the Nonnberg Abbey that was second to nun! (I will try to refrain from further puns as I know it’s a bad habit). But seriously, the opening a capella number was melodic and beautiful, although throughout the show they had some problems mic-ing the nuns (the large outfits often muffling or causing static in the headpiece mics). While all the nuns had terrific singing voices that blended nicely; the acting of the 4 “main nuns” had one performance that was too small and reserved, one was too big, and two that were just right. Sister Margaretta (Carol Hagy) was sweet and likeable. Sister Sophia (Teresa Cundiff) was warm and believable. However Sister Berthe (Chris Johns) was a bit too overdrawn and loud and in the pivotal role of the Reverend Mother, Shana Oshiro while dignified, tended to be too reserved and one-dimensional, and a bit too young-looking for the role. Her singing voice, however, was incredible. Her strong, deep, rich, operatic voice carried memorable songs like “Climb Every Mountain” perfectly.

Maija-Lisa Nielsen as Maria, of course, had the biggest shoes to fill, and did an outstanding job of making the iconic role her own. Many actresses try to recreate Andrews characterization, but Nielsen’s Maria was different, yet believable and effective. From her opening number, “The Sound of Music,” Nielsen was youthful, energetic and her voice was fresh and crisp. She created a character with great emotional depth and variety. The only weak spot in her performance came in the song “I Have Confidence.” Strangely, that was the only number where she did not seem confident. Part of the problem could have been a difficult costume change in a side stairwell that was visually blocked from much of the audience. This was followed by an innovative use of her walking and singing through the audience, however the lighting was inconsistent in the house. Nielsen did a great job developing and growing the character to a strong, confident woman in the second act. One of the most memorable moments was the bridal procession, which came down the stairs in the house. In a poignant touch, Nielsen’s real life son (Jacob Nielsen as Kurt) was the one to walk her down the aisle. The true mother and son bond was evident on their faces and left nary a dry eye in the house. Nielsen’s exuberance and professionalism helped carry the show (as could be evidenced by the audience reserving their standing ovation for her curtain call).

Thomas Cleary (the captain) was stern and businesslike, and while not quite as suave yet icy as Christopher Plummer, he was commanding and a man to be feared. He too showed a great depth of emotion in his portrayal, giving many levels to his characters growth throughout the show. His rich operatic voice added great flavor to many musical numbers.

Of course, the true stars of the show, or at least the scene stealers, were the seven children. Riverside alternates two sets of kids; and I saw the “Diamond cast.” Max Nicholson (Friedrich) was bit small for the role of the eldest son, but that little boy packed a big voice, especially on some falsetto notes. Rachel Shrader had great energy and stage presence and shined as the precocious Louisa. Jacob Nielsen had great comedic timing and charm as Kurt and Abigayle Anderson was natural and sweet as Brigitta. Alexa Norbeck (Marta) battled Evelyn Gansler (Gretl) for who could be most adorable and loveable. Both were reminiscent of a young Shirley Temple in their ability to steal any scene and make the audience grin from ear to ear.

Hannah von Oeyen was fabulous as eldest daughter Liesl, showing the development of a bratty 16-year-old who “didn’t need a nanny” to a sweet young girl “going on 17” and learning about love and life. She and Jonathan Litalien (Rolf) held their own somewhere between the adults and the kids, and blended their voices nicely. Two stand outs in supporting role were Alison Stokes as Elsa Schrader the baroness/tigress on the prowl; and Jason J. Michael as Max Detweiler. Michael was surprisingly an understudy, because his performance was first-rate. His Max was a mixture of Shakespeare meets vaudeville, with excellent energy and comedic timing, making him (as the script says) “just too loveable.”

As Director, Wehman overall did a nice job making the classic play interesting and fresh. There were some odd touches though such as Michael R. Colby’s Herr Zeller. While he was the epitome of the angry and frightening Nazi, it seemed odd that he was the only person with a German accent. Likewise, moments when Nazi storm troopers stomped around the stage seemed more comical than dramatic. Also, it was a bit distracting when Wehman chose to conduct some numbers with a light up wand, that looked like something out of Star Wars or Harry Potter. Also, having the family in a football-like huddle at the music festival provoked some giggles.

The sets were a dichotomy as well. Most were elaborate, beautiful, well designed and professional (I’m still amazed how many people could bounce on a bed without it breaking). However, two of the sets were simple backdrops more reminiscent of a High School show than professional theater. The Abbey drop would have worked fine, in the need to save space back stage if it weren’t for some really fake looking pillars. The second drop, the mountain background of course could not be real, but the one used was wrinkled and sagging in spots and look rather tired and worn.

In addition to the microphone problems mentioned earlier, my co-worker also noted that the sound track music seemed a bit “pulled back” and soft. The dialogue and singing, however, generally came across as clear and sharp as did periodic organ accompanyment by Wehman. Gaye Law’s costumes were appropriate and at times lavish and added nicely to the tone of the performance. Sally Roehl’s choreography was simple yet elegant and effective in enhancing the musical numbers.

Overall, “I have Confidence” you will enjoy the Sound of Music at Riverside.

Director’s Notes

“How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?”

These lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for The Sound of Music, familiar throughout the world since 1959 to millions of musical theatre patrons, movie-goers, literary scholars, school children, music teachers, piano students, and even non-music lovers aptly express the dilemma facing any director seeking a fresh approach to the “most beloved musical of all time.” How do you achieve spontaneity and capture the expected in an unexpected way without allowing distortion of the simple yet profound beauty of the story line?

The 1965 film version, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, was able to attempt (and, for the most part, achieve) this feat through the magic of instantaneous scene changes, zoom-ins, and sound dubs — showing the audience that the director’s edits chose to show. But such techniques are not the stuff of the live, legitimate stage. Where each member of the audience is privy not only to the whole, but, through the focus of each pair of eyes, to any component segment of the scene.

Perhaps therein lies the solution to the “fresh approach” challenge — allow the presentation — at selected moments — to interact with the audience and better enable a sense of “being there”:

for a morning prayer in Nonnberg Abbey…..
at the Wedding….
in the Salzberg Festival Concert Hall…
during the singing of “Edelweiss”…..

So tonight, the Riverside Center auditorium will ring with a capella chants of the Abbey nuns amidst your tables; later in the show this same auditorium will become the Nonnberg Cathedral for the wedding of Maria and Captain Von Trapp, complete with “live” organ processional, entrance of the bride and bridal party down the aisles beside you, and the marriage ceremony itself.

You will be an integral part of the Saltzberg Concert –as patriotic Austrians joining the von Trapps in the emotional singing of the final chorus of Edelweiss and soon thereafter experiencing the fury of the Nazi Guard reacting to the family’s disappearance with flashlight- blinding interrogations.

When you leave us following the performance, I trust you will have received a semblance of realism and presence throughout a marvelously crafted, inspiring (and essentially true) story of love, faith, and triumph in the face of adversity.

Sometime during the conclusion of rehearsals for a Sound of Music production which I directed twenty-four years ago, our eight-year-old actress playing the role of Marta shyly approached me with a framed needlepoint “present” that she had been working on since she first read the playbook script. That gift, with the marvelous beauty and truth of its lovely musical lyric, has maintained a special place over my bed for all those 24 years. I leave you with its text:

A bell is no bell ‘til you ring it;
A song is no song ‘til you sing it;
And love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay –
Love isn’t love ‘til you give it away.

Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your life this evening.

Rollin E. Wehman

P.S. Don’t forget to sing the Edelweiss refrain at the Concert.

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Center

The Cast (in order of appearance)

• Maria Rainier: Maija-Lisa Nielsen
• Sister Berthe: Chris Johns
• Sister Margaretta: Carol Hagy
• The Mother Abbess: Shana Oshiro
• Sister Sophia: Teresa Cundiff
• Captain Georg von Trapp: Thomas Cleary
• Franz: Wilson Johnson
• Frau Schimdt: Anne Knight Lloyd
• Liesl: Hannah von Oeyen, Caroline Griswold
• Friedrich: Max Nicholson, Nick Kahane
• Louisa: Rachel Shrader, Caroline Mork
• Kurt: Jacob Nielsen, Joshua Otten
• Brigitta: Abigayle Anderson, Annalese Fusaro
• Marta: Alexa Norbeck, Jillian Brence
• Gretl: Evelyn Gansler, Rhianna DeGeorge
• Rolf: Jonathan Litalien, David Flickinger
• Elsa Schraeder: Alison Stokes
• Ursula: Autumn East
• Max Detweiler: Jason J. Michael (understudy reviewed- main cast Robert L. Nelson)
• Herr Zeller: Michael R. Colby
• Baron Elberfeld: Jeffrey Kyer
• Admiral von Schreiber: Dale Shrader
• Nazi Soldiers: Jeffrey Kyer, Kendric Walpole
• Nuns, novices, postulants, contestants in the festival concert and neighbors: Mandy J. Carr, Keri Durrett, Autumn East, Amber French, Michelle Gansler, Rebecca Law, Kimberly McDowell, Kendric Walpole, Jessica Warren

The Crew

• Producer/ Director: Rollin E. Wehman
• Associate Artistic Director: Patrick A’hearn
• Technical Director” Phil Carlucci
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt
• Assistant Stage Manager: Ashton Banks
• Choreographer: Sally A. Roehl
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader
• Senior Stage Technicians: Paul Johannes, Steve Thompson
• Stage Technicians: Taylor Boyle, Kevin Cleary, Geoff McPherson, Kendric Walpole, Jessie Croke
• Scenic Design: David E. Hunt
• Scenic Artist: Matthew P. Westcott
• Lighting Design: Rebecca “Nicky” Mahon
• Lighting Technician: Kathryn Moncure
• Costume Design: Gaye Law
• Senior Wardrobe Assistant: Teresa Cundiff
• Costume Master/ Wig Stylist: Christopher Hlusko
• Costume Mistress: Sally Roehl
• Senior Audio Technician: Joshua Watson
• Props Coordinator: Kylie Clark
• Set Dressing: Stefannie Smith
• Master Set Carpenter: Curtis Craddock
• Scenic Painter/ Set Carpenter: Maria Duke

Disclaimer: Riverside Center provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Patti D’Beck’s masterful interpretation of this timeless musical classic (Phantom based on the novel The Phantom of The Opera by Guston Leroux) will leave you breathless. As I sit back contemplating the phenomenal performances by the leading man and delightful gentleman Patrick A’Hearn as well as astonishing Quinn Vogt-Welch, I see myself emerged once again into the world of this dark love story.

The play is set in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. The story begins with the introduction of Christine Daee, played by the captivating Quinn Vogt-Welch, as seller of songs in a late afternoon on the Avene de l’Opera in Paris. Amongst the people walking nearby her voice is heard by the Count de Chandon, played by Nathaniel Austin Mason. He tells her that her voice is fantastic but for opera it may need some training, so he sends her to Gerar Carrie, who is played by the notable Robert Beard. So once at the Opera House she discovers that maybe she’s not the first to have ever been forwarded to the theater and that maybe her dreams have not come through just yet.

The costumes designed by Gaye Law are nothing short of Broadway, much like the leading roles in this amazing production. The sets, designed by Aaron P. Mastin and dressed by Barbara Cochran and Stefannie Smith, will make you feel the tone and emotion in every scene. With quick, impressive and sometimes very creative scene changes the show flows masterfully. Senior Audio Technician Joshua Watson has done an extraordinary job with sound playback and distribution. I highly doubt there was a single spot in the Riverside Theater that audio didn’t travel perfectly and without any type of feedback.

The Riverside Center Dinner Theater is a lovely place and with one fantastic group of the most attentive and courteous staff I’ve had ever had the pleasure to meet. From the minute you walk into the Riverside Center, you can almost feel that majestic feeling that only wonderful productions have. The staff, the ensemble, the leading actor and production team at the Riverside Center Dinner will guarantee you have not only a wonderful experience dining, but a living memory of absolute brilliance.

Director’s Notes

The story of the phantom of the opera has been a fascination for millions of people since it first appeared in print. The original novel was written by Gaston Leroux and published in 1911, followed by a silent film with Lon Chaney released in 1925 and later re-release with a “talkie” soundtrack in 1929. As the character of Phantom has continued to enthrall the public, a list of new versions keeps appearing. These include films in 1943, rock-and roll variation called Phantom of the Paradise. 1984, Ken Hill’s stage spoof toured England. Then Andrew Lloyd Webber’s version debuted in London in 1986 and on Broadway in January 1988. The Webber film version followed in 2004.

Riverside Center is presenting the Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston version. A Kopit TV miniseries (non-musical) aired in 1990, and the Kopit-Yeston musical debuted in Houston in 1992. In 1983 composer lyricist Maury Yeston and librettist Kopt, after winning several Tony Awards for Nine, decided to collaborate with director Geoffrey Holder. At that time Mr. Holder held the rights to Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera. Yeston and Kopit decided to place the emphasis on characters’ relationships instead of spectacle. They wanted the audience to learn more about the Phantom’s origins and thus help to clarify his motivations. While they continued to work, the copyright lapsed in Europe and became in the “public domain.” And once Andrew Lloyd Webber’s version became such a hit, Kopit, Yeston and Holder abandoned their project.

However, Kopit did sell his treatment as four-hour, non-musical miniseries, telecast in 1990 and actually filmed in the Paris Opera House itself, starring Charles Dance, Teri Polom and Burt Lacaster. Due to the enthusiastic response, the Kopit-Yeston musical version Phantom was mounted in 1991, resulting in well over 170 productions worldwide, including a multi-year in Germany. This musical has become one of the most successful in history without having first played Broadway. We are delighted to present you this version – Phantom.

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Riverside Dinner Theater

Cast

• The Phantom: Patrick A’Hearn
• Christine Daee: Quinn Vogt-Welch
• The Count De Chandon: Nathaniel Austin Mason
• Gerard Carriere: Robert Beard
• Cholet: Jason J. Michael
• Carlotta: Andrea Kahane
• Jean-Claude: Steven L. Thompson
• Inspector Ledux: Michael R. Colby
• Belladova (ballet): Christin Barksdale Pristas
• Belladova (Vocals): Mary Anne Furey
• Young Erik: Max Nicholson
• Ensemble: Sydni Bornschein, Zach Bullock, Melynda Burdette, Catherine Cata, Thomas Cleary, Lee Cooper, Autumn East, Mary Anne Furey, Temple Hammen, Carol Hagy, Richard Halenda, Meg Kenny, Jeffrey Kyer, Jonathan Litalien, Kendall Mostafavi, Max Nicholson, Josh Otten, Christin Pristas, Andrew Prowant, Rachel Simpson, Analisa Wall, Tyler Wilson.
• Ensemble Swings: Nancy Collie-Beard, Rebecca Law, Rachel Shrader, Samuel Elton , Ian Stearns

Production Team

• Producer/Artistic Director: Rollin E. Wehman
• Associate Artistic Director: Patrick A’Hearn
• Production Director: Patti D’Beck
• Associate Director: Valerie Accetta
• Music Director: Jason J. Michael
• Scenic Design: Aaron P. Mastin
• Costume Designer/Coordination: Gayle Law
• Lighting Design: Phil Carlucci
• Properties Coordination: Kylie Clark
• Set Dressing: Barbara Escamilla Cochran
• Set Dressing: Stefannie Smith
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Anything Goes is a musical featuring the smooth song stylings of Cole Porter. A ship sets sail from the U.S bound for London carries with it a legendary performer and former evangelist, her four “angels,” a public enemy, a Wall Street tycoon and his assistant, an English gentleman and his fiancée, as well as some eager sailors, passengers, and a couple of Chinese gamblers who all together make for an adventure. And the S.S. American hasn’t even left port!

The cast and crew at the Riverside Dinner Theater put together a fun, entertaining, well-choreographed show. The dancing was quite lively with a lot of enthusiasm and flare.

The star performer was Kathy Halenda as Reno Sweeny, a former evangelist turned nightclub singer. Halenda was relaxed on stage and enjoyed her character very much. Halenda’s character was strong which allowed her to take everything life threw at her in stride and to always seem to come out on top.

Not so much with another passenger, the dashing Billy Crocker, played by Mason Reigh. Reigh’s character had the looks and the smooth talking to convince anyone (including himself) that he could get away with anything and con anyone. But when he tried to pass himself off as Public Enemy # 1, fate finally caught up with him and Billy found himself in the brig, sans the love of his life Hope Harcourt (Brittany Taylor). Reigh has a positive presence on stage and comes across as believable. Taylor, who sees right through Reich’s con artistry, comes to love and him and forgives him his faults. Another character who is a lot of bluster is Moonface Martin, who proudly announces he is public Enemy #13, played by Alex Balian. While choreography may not be his first love, Balian seemed sincere in his character and looked like he was having fun. Moonface’s traveling companion and “inside man” was played by Kimberly F. Knight. Knight was a great Bonnie, full of energy and dedication to Moonface.

Set Designer David P. Stock made the set believable by recreating the traditional multi-leveled platform as the set of the S.S. American. There were a few very creative touches, such as using the portholes as olives in giant martini glasses in the ship’s lounge. Set pieces moved easily and scene changes were smooth. Costume Designer Gaye Law made use of bright colors worn by Reno to create a positive atmosphere. Another joy was the lack of sound issues throughout the performance! Everyone could be heard without crackles and pops that have plagued Riverside for many shows.

Remember: What happens on the S.S. American, stays on the S.S. American. Except for telling your friends to check out this production. It’s a Cole Porter classic not to be missed!

Director’s Notes

Since it’s 1934 debut at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre) in New York City, Anything Goes has been one of the oft-revived musicals the world of theatre has known. Full of madcap antics aboard an ocean liner headed for England, the show immerses us in all the things with which we are culturally obsessed: opulence, celebrity, wealth and musical decadence – all brought to you by the incomparable wit of Mr. Cole Porter.

Cole Porter’s goal in constructing this musical was to offer us all a glossy, glitzy and glamorous vehicle for musical escapism. In riding this ocean liner for a couple of hours, audiences are invited to forget their troubles, get happy and realize that what happens on the cruise ship stays on the cruise ship where, truly, Anything Goes.

On a personal note. I’d like to take this space to thank the cast and crew of our show. We’ve had a wonderful journey bringing this ship to port. We hope all of you enjoy the ride!

Justin Amellio

Photo Gallery

Photos by Riverside Dinner Theater

Cast

• Elisha J. Whitney: Robert L. Nelson
• Steward: Michael Colby
• Reporter: Calvin Register Jr.
• Cameraman: Ian Stearns
• Sir Evelyn Oakleigh: Robert Beard
• Mrs. Wadsworth T. Harcourt: Anne Kight Lloyd
• Hope Harcourt: Brittany Taylor
• Bishop Henry T. Dobson: John Maher
• Reno Sweeny: Kathy Halenda
• Billy Crocker: Mason Reich
• Moonface Martin: Alex Balian
• Ching: Christopher Hlusko
• Ling: Jonathan Litalien
• Purser: Adam Workman
• Bonnie: Kimberly F. Knight
• Captain: John Maher
• Chastity: Kylie Clark
• Purity: Taylor Paige Boyle
• Virtue: Maggie Wilder
• Charity: Sally Roehl
• Ships Crew, Sailors, and Passengers on the S.S. American: Michael R. olby, Mary Anne Furey, Christopher Hlusko, Jonathan Litalien, Calvin Register Jr., Alan Schlichting, Stephanie Smith, Julie Sowers, ian Stearns, Adam Workman

Understudies

• Reno: Kimberly F. Knight
• Billy; Adam Workman
• Hope: Mary Anne Furey
• Bonnie: Stefanie Smith
• Elisha: John Hollinger
• Moonface: Michael R. Colby
• Ensemble Swings: Jake Cundiff, Kendall Mostafavi, Rachel Shrader, Anthony Williams

Designers/Crew

• Producer: Rollin E. Wehman
• Director: Justin Amellio
• Musical Director: Rollin E. Wehman
• Production Director and Co-Choreographer: Justin Amellio
• Choreography by: Penny Ayn Maas
• Scenic Design by: Matthew P. Westcott
• Scenic Design: David Paul Stock
• Costume Design/Coordination: Gaye Law
• Lighting Design Supervisor: Phil Carlucci
• Properties Coordination: Kylie Clark
• Lighting Design by: Nicky Mahon, Justin Looney
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt
• Associate Artistic Director: Patrick A’Hearn

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Following a 20-minute prologue by producer Rollin Wehman (including, in roughly equal parts, birthday greetings, notes on the background of the show, plugs for the next season’s shows, and car and hotel commercials), Riverside Dinner Theater in Stafford, Virginia, provides a faithful, competent, and often polished reproduction of the 1998 Broadway revival of the Kander and Ebb musical, Cabaret, a show that has always had moments of greatness along with noteworthy flaws. All the many versions of the story ultimately flow from Christopher Isherwood’s The Berlin Stories, and all feature second-rate nightclub singer Sally Bowles as a central character.

A highlight of the Riverside production is the energetic and precise dance work of the ensemble, in numbers like “The Money Song” and the opening “Wilkommen.” With rare exceptions, the singing of principals and ensemble is strong and clear. The pace of the production is steady and not permitted to drag. At times, however, it appeared that much of the cast was playing at being decadent, rather than truly inhabiting the world of Berlin nightlife circa 1930.

Many shows have a problem character, and in Cabaret that character is Cliff Bradshaw, a young American who travels to Berlin to find something interesting to write about. The role is poorly written in all the versions of the musical and forces the actor playing it to make a quick transition from a political and sexual naïf to Sally’s borderline abusive boyfriend. Mason Reich does about as well as can be expected in portraying a character who, while not terribly interesting or sympathetic, must be the camera lens through which the audience views the action.

There is also an underlying problem concerning Cliff’s sexuality. The original “observer” character in the stories leading to Cabaret was Isherwood himself, an openly gay man who visited Berlin because, as he later said, “Berlin meant boys.” For the original 1966 production of Cabaret, the “observer” character became Cliff, a straight American innocent abroad who, unlike Isherwood, could fall in love with Sally and imagine a life with her in Pennsylvania. The 1972 Liza Minelli movie compromised by making Cliff actively bisexual. The 1998 revival briefly mentions his bisexuality in an early scene and then drops it. In the Riverside production, Cliff appears quite uncomfortable in his one encounter with a man with whom he once hooked up, but that doesn’t matter because his bisexuality has no subsequent consequences. Introducing a potentially important fact about a character and then ignoring it makes no dramatic sense.

Nicole Foret Oberleitner gives dynamic performances of Sally’s big songs: “Don’t Tell Momma,” “Maybe This Time,” “Mein Herr,” and, of course, the tile song. In “Cabaret,” she is pushed onto the nightclub stage shortly after having had an abortion, and she is clearly standing on physically and emotionally shaky ground. This approach works better than the more defiant, or even triumphant, interpretation one sees in some renditions of the song. Oberleitner gets Sally’s nervous energy, bravado, capacity for denial, and inclination toward self-destruction, though not perhaps all of the heartbreaking vulnerability that arouses tender, protective feelings in Cliff.

Even more than Sally, the Emcee is the key figure in Cabaret. In “Two Ladies,” “Wilkommen,” and particularly the insidiously anti-Semitic “If You Could See Her Through My Eyes,” Tommy McNeal sings vibrantly and moves well. He succeeds in setting the sleazy tone of the Kit Kat Klub, costumed and made up somewhat in the manner of Dr. Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. McNeal establishes the creepy, sinister aspect of his character early — perhaps too early. Better that the Emcee’s smiling, ingratiating presence at first seduces the audience into the cabaret’s milieu before the underlying darkness is made evident.

Among the other principals, Ron Sarro, as the kind -, but politically naïve – Herr Schultz, provides a note of real sweetness, especially in his number “Married.” Opposite him as Fraulein Schneider, Carol Hagy sings lyrically with a warm tone, but does not sufficiently catch the note of deep world-weariness in her character. Schiender’s most important number is “What Would You Do?” in Act 2, her response to Cliff’s reproof for her jilting of Herr Shultz because he is a Jew. She begins singing to Cliff and Sally, and makes a tentative move toward the audience. The moment would have been stronger had Hagy been more fully committed to directly engaging the audience in her moral and practical dilemma.

Andrea Kahane, as Fraulein Kost, the local pro-Nazi prostitute, does strong work both in “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” and the German parallel to “Married.” Todd Evan Pristas, as the seemingly friendly Ernst Ludwig, effectively portrays the character who most overtly introduces the iron fist of Nazi power into the proceedings.

Most of the 1998 revival’s run was in the reconfigured Studio 54, permitting a show set in a nightclub to be set in a nightclub, with well-exploited possibilities for intimate interaction between cast and audience. This concept does not translate well into Riverside’s traditional proscenium stage and cavernous audience space. The perils of trying to reproduce, rather than reimagine, a musical in a different context are underlined when, in a production having no on-stage all-girl band, but only recorded instrumental music, the Emcee continues to insist that “even the orchestra is beautiful.”

Many of the flaws in the show derive from the script itself and cannot be laid at the feet of the Riverside production team. The script carries a heavy, and historically unfounded, implication that Weimar decadence and sexual freedom somehow facilitated the rise of Nazism. Having the denizens of the Kit Kat Klub pivot on a dime from sexual frolicking to goose-stepping is untrue to the life and spirit of the German cabaret scene of the era, which was the home of opposition to and satire of fascism (think, for instance, of the cabaret career of stalwart anti-Nazi Marlene Dietrich). Having Bobby and Victor, a gay couple who work at the Kit Kat Klub, marching to the Nazi beat in “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” is a particularly jarring choice in the Riverside production.

The original 1966 version of Cabaret suffered from a dichotomy between the cabaret scenes and the conventional book scenes, involving the failed romances between Cliff and Sally and between Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz. In an apparent attempt better to integrate the cabaret and book scenes, and perhaps to make the point that all life really is a cabaret, the 1998 version followed by Riverside has the Emcee intervening in the scenes as a sort of unseen impresario, with other cabaret performers looking on. As staged in the Riverside production, this choice seems a hollow victory of concept over character development.

In the transition from the 1966 version to the movie to the 1998 version, some things have been gained, particularly quite good songs like “Maybe This Time” and “Mein Herr.” Other things have been lost. The deletion of the song “Meeskite” loses a sweet moment for Herr Shultz. The impact of the Nazi anthem “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” in the original Broadway version of the show and in the movie, rests significantly on its beginning to be sung as a sweet, almost innocent, tenor lyric. Some of its impact is lost when it is sung first as a scratchy grammaphone recording and then as a brassy belt song by Fraulein Kost. At the end of the show the Emcee, rather than leaving the audience with a sardonic “Auf wiedersehen, A bientot…,” doffs his leather coat to reveal a striped concentration camp uniform complete with a yellow Jewish star. Aside from going out of the way to hit the audience over the head with a message, this creates a notable anachronism. In 1930, concentration camps and yellow-star mandates for Jews were years in the future.

As one would expect from a well-resourced theater like Riverside, the technical aspects of the show, particularly the sound and lighting, are handled capably. The upper-level catwalk is a nice, and well-used, touch on the set, though the group of three brick wall and door panels that are somehow part of both the rooming house and cabaret are shaky at times. There are a few technical oddities. For a girl with scarcely a spare mark to her name, Sally has a remarkable number of dresses, all quite stylish and sexy. The female cabaret dancers often wear garb that would not be out-of-place at a sorority slumber party. The flown-in window panel at the beginning of Act 2 is jaggedly broken before the Emcee throws a brick through it.

While Riverside’s production cannot rescue Cabaret from its built-in difficulties, its execution of the songs, its lively movement, and the vividness of its cabaret scenes makes the experience an enjoyable one for the audience.

Director’s Notes

Welcome to the Kit Kat Klub. Welcome to Berlin, Germany. The time is the late 1920s.

You remember the song lyrics: Life is a cabaret, old chum……come to the Cabaret!

The character Clifford Bradshaw sums it up best at the end of the show. There was a Cabaret, and there was a Master of Ceremonies…..and there was a city called Berlin in a country called Germany….It was the end of the world…and I was dancing with Sally Bowles, and we were both fast asleep. Therein beautifully and succinctly is described the political and emotional state of a country at the time of the infusion of Nazism.

As directors of this powerful work, we are passionate about Cabaret because it is a piece of musical theater that, while evolving over the course of 40 years, still remains just as potent today as at the time of its début. Following a 1966 Broadway opening, it was transformed into an Academy Award-winning film in 1972, making big stars of Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey. Revived briefly on Broadway in 1987, it reached its most powerful expression in 1998, winning several Tony awards yet again.

What made the 1998 production so popular was the fact that its director, Sam Mendes, chose to set it inside a true cabaret, thereby letting it become one of those shows when the audience becomes part of the performance (and, in this case, that’s not always a comfortable place to be). In the midst of political turmoil and on the verge of Germany’s economic collapse, Berlin in the late 1920’s remained a center of social and artistic innovation. The cabarets prevalent at this time embraced the political satire and the decadence of the era. Then, as now, Berlin was their nerve center, and was reputed to be the most sexually liberated metropolis in all of Europe. Thus, seated at tables with little red lamps, the audience was allowed to enter the carefree, “anything-goes,” promiscuous, and excessive world that sowed the seeds of Nazism and Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. The audience is caught up in the madness of the period when it becomes complicit in the story’s excruciating narrative.

We’ve chosen to take this approach with Riverside Center’s production, believing that such an interpretation liberates the material. Extra special is the fact that Penny was a cast member of the 1998 Broadway revival. In many ways, Cabaret is a dramatic piece with a political message, trapped in the form of a typical Broadway musical. By reshaping its Broadway origins, the work can be re-imagined, with its emotionally charged love stories, fractured by politics, taking center stage.

As artists we are given a great gift, but that gift entails responsibility. We are not here not only to entertain, but also to use the medium of live theater to mesmerize, transport, educate and profoundly influence our audiences. We are truly grateful for this opportunity to do so.

Many thanks to our cast and production team for their commitment and dedication to this process. For us, it has been a joy. We applaud you!

Cast

• Master of Ceremonies (Emcee), the host at the Kit Kat Klub: Tommy McNeal
• Clifford Bradshaw, an American novelist: Mason Reich
• Fraulein Schneider, a landlady who rents rooms in her large flat: Carol Hagy
• Herr Schultz, a roomer and Fruit Shop proprietor: Ron Sarro
• Fraulein Kost, a roomer who offers favors to sailors: Andrea Kahane
• Sally Bowles, a British cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Klub: Nicole Foret Oberlietner
• Ernst Ludwig, a friendly and likable German: Todd Evan Pristas
• Max/Hermann, Kit Kat Klub owner/Klub dancer: Adam Workman
• Bobby, a dancer at the Klub: Ian Stearns
• Victor, a dancer at the Klub: Calvin Register, Jr.
• Helga, Kit Kat Klub girl: Sheri Hayden
• Elsa, Kit Kat Klub girl: Kylie Clark
• Rosie, Kit Kat Klub girl: Kendall Mostafavi
• Texas, Kit Kat Klub girl: Kate Poisson
• Frenchy, Kit Kat Klub girl: Christin Pristas
• Lula, Kit Kat Klub girl: Katelyn Stillman
• Hans/Rudy, Klub dancer/German sailor: Arthur J. Whittenberger

Production Staff

• Directors: Patrick A’Hearn and Penny Ayn Maas
• Production Manager: Sharon Gregory
• Technical Director and Lighting Designer: Phil Carlucci
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt
• Assistant Stage Manager: Ashton Banks
• Senior Stage Technician: Paul Johannes
• Senior Stage Technician: Steve Thompson
• Stage Technician: Tommie Cox
• Stage Technician: Geoff McPherson
• Stage Technician Swing: Taylor Boyle
• Senior Lighting Technician: Nicky Mahon
• Lighting Technician Swing: Sharon Gregory
• Audio Technician: Joshua Watson
• Audio Technician Swing: Brady Harris
• Wardrobe Supervisor: Gaye Law
• Costume Master: Christopher Hlusko
• Master Set Carpenter/Welderr: Curtis Craddock
• Set Carpenter: John Mahon
• Master Electrician: Nicy Mahon
• Head Rigger: Paul Johannes
• Master Scenic Artist: Matthew Westcott
• Scenic Painter: Maria Duke
• Properties Supervisor: Kylie Clark

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.