• Brighton Beach Memoirs, September 2014
• A Shot in the Dark, January 2015
• Suite Surrender, May 2015

More information may be found at the Prince George’s Little Theatre web site. Schedule is subject to change due to performance rights conflicts or other issues. Specific dates of performances and auditions are yet to be announced.

Beautiful souls search for the meaning of life when the means to ply their art is taken from them by time and senility. In a retirement home for aging musicians and opera singers, the play shows what happens to those huge personalities when they are permanently exiled from the stage. The madness and mayhem this show displays is both wonderfully exciting, and dramatically realistic.

Director Charla Rowe lovingly adapted the script so that a cast of 16 could take over all the zany characters initially only mentioned in the original script. The ensemble brought the retirement home to life, making the most of every opportunity to leave a hilarious impression.

The main cast of the “quartet” mentioned in the title of the play is Reggie, Wilf, Cissy and Jean. Each has their tale of the glory days in the spotlight, but none more so than Jean, who has just checked into the retirement home. Jean, played by the commanding Lauren Bloom, seems to be the most alone, after being the most famous in the past. As Cissy and Wilf try to cheer her up, Jean only retreats further into her diva persona, trying to keep them at an arm’s length. Meanwhile, Wilf, played by Lance Adell, is trying to get over the death of his wife by attempting to seduce any and all women who cross his path. His hilariously over the top antics are a source of constant laughs.

The one who really steals the show, however, was Cissy, played by Vicki Cline. She is a sweet opera singer who has gone completely loopy in her old age. Her attempts to patch the growing rifts between the other members of the quartet are both adorable and sympathetic.

The set was lovely and old-fashioned, with multiple doors and two lovely staircases. One could really believe that it was a retirement home, and the baby grand piano placed dead center of the stage showed the prominence of music in the lives of the retirees. The costumes, while eclectic, showed each character’s personality via their sense of dated style.

All in all, the show was well put together. Though the plot slowed and sagged a little in places, the actors always held it together, and smoothed the wrinkles with their energy and vivacity. The addition of some songs in the second act made the show feel completely rounded, as you got to see the way music mattered to these characters and how they each dealt with their loss of prowess.

The final product was a show with all the mania and heart that one could stand in an evening, and the audience left with a sweet feeling that art could be just as true in the twilight years of an artist’s life.

Director’s Note

This play about aging opera singers appeals to me on several levels. I am not in love with opera, but I found that some of the world’s most during music comes from the incredibly arduous traditions of learning to sing and perform its demanding roles. The first times I heard the aria “Un bel di” from Madama Butterfly and the flower duet from Lakme I was moved to tears. My husband’s musical tastes usually run to Jim Croce and Livingston Taylor, yet he called me from Warsaw at 4 a.m., my time, to marvel after hearing “Nessun Dorma” for the first time when he attended a performance of Turandot in 1991.

Quartet especially resonates with me because it relates so deeply to the lives of all aging (and aged) musicians. I empathize greatly with Wilf, Reginald, Cissy and Jean who have spent their lives in music and now are in a retirement home for musicians. In fact, I thought about taking one of the parts myself — but that was more irony that I can stand at my age.

There are somewhat stark differences between the written play and the brilliant movie resulting from the collaboration of the play’s author, Sir Ronald Harwood, and Dustin Hoffman, the director of the recent film version. I was enthralled by how talented the “real” retired musicians were as they took various small roles in the screen version. I particularly loved the credit sequence as it reveals the music backgrounds of many of the players. Howard’s work with Hoffman fully developed the strength of the play’s dialogue and underlying meanings about aging and art; my directors vision stays faithful to the original version while hopefully emphasizing the humanity and joy of Hoffman’s film realization.

The latter stages of a performing career must be especially difficult for a Joan Sutherland, a Beverly Sills, or a Maria Callas. In their later years, opera stars inevitably lose the vocal quality to hit the same time gymnastics that would meet the strangest stringent expectations of opera boss and unforgiving music critics. Imagine the courage it takes to face those listeners was with each performance as you reach and pass your peak years.

It is far easier to be an actor or cabaret singer. Just reflect on the careers of Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Frank Sinatra, and Rosemary Clooney. But in all the genres, art at all ages illuminates your life and the lives of others. If you want to perform, give it your best shot! Channel Betty White! As Dylan Thomas said, “do not go gentle into that good night,… rage rage against the dying of the light.”

Director Charla Rowe

Cast

• Wilf: Lance Adell
• Cissy: Vicki Cline
• Reggie: Kurt Anderson Vie
• Jean Horton: Lauren Bloom
• Bobby Swanson: Doug Graupman
• Doctor Coggin: Zaneta Walthour
• Cedric Livingston: Robert Rausch
• Matron: Nan Reiner
• Vivian: Carol Scheer
• Lillian: Patti Farmer
• Frank: John Scheer
• Angelique: Kitty Harger
• Il Duce: Larry Carbaugh
• Harold: Art Greene
• Ann: Amira Young
• Tony Talbot: LeVar Betts

Crew

• Director: Charla Rowe
• Producer: Rikki Howe
• Stage Manager: Sheryl Fry
• Crew: Ian Jenkins, Angelo Cline
• Music Consultant: LaVar Betts
• Set Design: Charla Rowe
• Lighting Design: Sheryl Fry
• Sound Design: Ron Rowe
• Costumes: Linda Swann
• Hair/Makeup: Shemika Berry

Disclaimer: Tantallon Community Players provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

A Soldier’s Play, set in 1944 at a segregated U.S. Army Post in Louisiana, won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A black Sergeant has been murdered, and most of the soldiers believe the Klan was involved, while officers on the base disagree. Tensions run high as a black officer is assigned to investigate, much to the surprise and shock of the white officers on the base.

A Soldier’s Play isn’t a murder mystery where you’re given clues and have to figure out who the murderer is. Instead it’s a heavy piece giving different points of view of race relations. Are black soldiers only good for playing baseball? Can a white captain take orders from a black captain? Can whites ever accept a black man for what he is?

All of the actor’s performances were splendid, with Terry Spann excelling in the role of Captain Richard Davenport, the investigator of the murder. Spann shifted the character from slightly unsure of himself to very assertive as he interviewed the men on base. Cristopher Dinwiddie as Sergeant Waters, the murder victim, was effective as the unlikeable sergeant. Craig Hower as Captain Taylor was credible in his interactions with the men under his command, even as he was unsure how to deal with Captain Davenport.

Director David M. Thomas handled the locker room humor in the barracks scene and the violent scenes quite well. The story is told through the use of flashbacks as Captain Davenport interviews the men. The men being questioned blended into their flashbacks smoothly.

The simple set (David M. Thomas and Randy Sena) served the script well, allowing for quick scene changes and allowing us to focus on the people. Kathy Mead’s no-frills costumes were attractive and functional. April D. Weimer’s lights were effective, although occasionally were too bright during scene changes on the inactive portion of the stage.

Despite the inherent problems of the Hard Bargain outdoor amphitheater (jet engines drowning out actors’ voices, bugs), the performances in A Soldier’s Play are well worth the trip out to Accokeek.

Photo Gallery

Cristopher Dinwiddie, left, as Tech Sergeant Vernon C. Waters, with Jivon Jackson as Private James Wilkie	MarQuis Fair as PFC Melvin Peterson
Steven Butler Jr. as Private C.J. Memphis	Terry Spann as Capt Richard Davenport

Photos provided by Hard Bargain Players

Cast

• Tech/Sergeant Vernon C. Waters: Cristopher Dinwiddie
• Captain Charles Taylor: Craig Hower
• Corporal Bernard Cobb: Jason Ellis
• Private First Class Melvin Peterson: MarQuis Fair
• Corporal Ellis: Jeremy Keith Hunter
• Private Louis Henson: Eric Porter
• Private James Wilkie: Jivon Lee Jackson
• Private Tony Smalls: Kenneth Waters, Jr.
• Captain Richard Davenport: Terry Spann
• Private C.J. Memphis: Steven A. Butler, Jr.
• Lieutenant Byrd: Dav Timmermann
• Captain Wilcox: Robert Hamilton

Crew

• Director: David M. Thomas
• Assistant Director: Dave Costa
• Production Assistant: Kathy Mead
• Set Design: David M. Thomas, Randy Sena
• Master Carpenter: Randy Sena
• Properties and Set Decoration: Keith Mills, David M. Thomas, Kathy Mead
• Costumes: Kathy Mead
• Lighting Design: April D. Weimer
• Sound Design: Brian Donohue
• Armorer: Steve Claggett
• Hair and Makeup: Cast
• Program: Kathy Mead
• Publicity: Liz Mildenstein
• House Coordinator: Michael Margelos

Disclaimer: Hard Bargain Players provided a complimentary media ticket to ShowBizRadio for this review.

1968 was the most terrible year in my lifetime, a year for the crushing of dreams. January/February: the Tet Offensive, a tactical defeat for North Vietnam that ended the illusion that American victory was imminent or even possible. March: Lyndon Johnson declared he would not run again, putting paid to hopes for the Great Society. April: Martin Luther King was murdered, leading to days of riots across the country and putting deeply in doubt his dream of non-violent, integrated social change. June: Bobby Kennedy was murdered, ending a possible revival of “Camelot” and supporters’ hopes of a Democratic presidential campaign focused on peace in Vietnam and justice at home. August: the Soviet army invaded Czechoslovakia, ending the hopeful Prague Spring. The next week, Mayor Daley’s police rioted against protestors outside the Democratic Convention in Chicago. November: Richard Nixon was elected President.

The hippie phenomenon — colorful and culturally influential beyond its relatively modest numbers — had peaked by the time the Galt McDermott/James Rado/Gerome Ragni musical Hair opened on Broadway that year. To some extent, Hair was a nostalgia piece even when it first opened (a point apparently lost on civic authorities in several cities who tried to ban productions for years afterward). Forty-five years later, its nostalgia for a day when sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll promised community, freedom, and release from stultifying social constraint is palpable. Laurel Mills Playhouse’s exuberant production vividly conveys the passion and confusion of young people trying to cope with the exhilaration and anxiety of an unusually turbulent and difficult time.

Hair is, above all, an ensemble show. Many of the show’s best musical numbers — pieces like “Aquarius,” “Ain’t Got No,” “Hair,” “Be-In (Hare Krishna),” “Initials,” “Walking in Space,” “Three-Five-Zero-Zero,” “Good Morning Starshine,” and “Let the Sunshine In” — involve the entire 23-person cast, and the “tribe,” as the show calls it, sings vibrantly, in tune, and with great enthusiasm. The great strength of this production is that throughout the evening — filled with many more musical numbers than the average Broadway show and with several active movement sequences — the group’s energy and commitment to the time and cultural setting never flag.

Among the soloists, the standout is Felicia Akunwafor (Dionne), who sizzles in “White Boys” and has important bits in several other numbers. (“Black Boys/White Boys” is far and away the hottest moment of the show, musically and sexually.) Other notable soloists include the lovely Avia Fields (Ronny), who starts the show in fine style with the lead in “Aquarius” and later adds a nice Shakespearian moment in “What a Piece of Work is Man” (the show is full of references to the Bard, incidentally). Teresa Pipito (Sheila) has fine lyric moments in “Easy to be Hard” and “Good Morning Starshine.” Brook Urquhart (Woof) and Terrence Bennett (Hud) are always arresting on stage, moving well, looking good, and singing convincingly in numbers like “Sodomy” and “Colored Spade,” respectively. David Hale has a very funny drag bit as anthropological tourist Margaret Mead in “My Conviction,” very welcome in a show that, given the earnestness of most of the characters, is not brimming over with humor. The two largest male roles are done somewhat less satisfactorily, with Paul D. Grodt as a lumpish Berger (peering out from behind a dreadful wig) and Charles Freeman who, as Claude, does not range far from a deer-in-the-headlights approach to his character.

Director Michael Hartsfield and Urquhart, who choreographed the show as well as appearing in it, deserve credit for shoehorning the large cast into Laurel Mill’s small space without creating distracting traffic management problems. While the space limits movement options — there is probably one too many instances of the entire cast moving around in a circle in the same direction — there are several sequences involving choreographed movement in place that are very effectively done. In addition, the succession of quick entrances and exits in the second act drug trip scene livens up that pace at that point of the show.

Hartsfield’s set consists a central playing area with two rear corner platforms often used for soloists, enabling them to be seen clearly above the ensemble who are positioned downstage of them in many numbers. An upstage flat, with a large circular entrance surrounded by a yellow sun corona, leads to “The Love Pit,” where music director Alice Laurissa’s band is placed. The band — playing McDermott’s eclectic score, which runs from rock to pop to blues to ballads to semi-talked pieces — plays strongly and accurately throughout; Laurissa maintains a good balance with the singers, who with rare exceptions can be heard clearly. While lighting resources are limited, there are some nice touches, such as a circular psychedelic effect at a few points and an underwater look in part of the drug trip scene. Costumes were period-appropriate and colorful and, fortunately for a show with this title, the hair (leaving aside a few awkward wigs) would pass for 60s.

The first act of Hair has an almost revue-like structure: the ensemble is gathered on stage and, one after another, various soloists or small groups perform their numbers either downstage center or on the upstage corner platforms. There is no semblance of a plot, the act concerning itself mostly with conveying the feelings of tribe members about their lives. The famous nude tableau near the end of the act, deliciously scandalous 45 years ago, is done decorously in low light, perhaps more decorously than would have appealed to 1960s protestors.

In the second act, which focuses more on the war and the antiwar movement, there is a plot thread involving the indecision of Claude concerning how to respond to his draft notice. The latter part of the second act consequently becomes rather dark — not unrealistically for the world of 1968 — needing to be rescued by a reprise of “Let the Sunshine In” to end on a more hopeful note. The real source of hope in the show — especially for those of us who lived through the turmoil of the 1960s — is its reminder that youthful energy and sexuality chronically find a path to renewal, even in worlds turned upside down.

Photo Gallery

Terrence Bennett	Julie Rogers
Julie Rogers

Photos by Larry Simmons

Cast

• Berger: Paul D. Grodt
• Woof: Brook Urquhart
• Hud: Terrence Bennett
• Claude: Charles Freeman
• Jeanie: Kat McKerrow
• Dionne: Felicia Akunwafor
• Crissy: Julie Rogers
• Sheila: Teresa Pipito
• Leaf/Margaret Mead: David Hale
• Walter/Hubert: Jose Pineda
• Ronny: Avia Fields
• Leata: Sara Ritmiller
• Paula: Cheyenne Johnson
• Steve: Marquis Evans
• Hiram: Fatimah Steffanoff
• Suzannah: Joanna Cross
• Mary: Madeleine Jones
• Emmaretta: La’Angel Hall
• Diane: Jill Schneider
• Majorie: Melanie Pino-Elliott
• Linda: Andrea Tanner
• Natalie: Kristin Hessenauer
• Alice: Jenifer Hollett

Pit Band

• Director/Keyboards: Alice Laurissa
• Pianist: Elaine Beckman
• Drums: Will Poxon
• Guitar: Chris Mercado
• Bass: Tom Tomlinson
• Trombone: Megan Zontek
• Clarinet: Kiarra Johnson

Production Staff

• Producer: Maureen Rogers
• Director: Michael Hartsfield
• Musical Director: Alice Laurissa
• Choreographer: Brook Urquhart
• Stage Manager: Janet Olsen
• Light/Sound Operators: Michael Hartsfield, Rob Allen, Lori Bruun
• Set Design/Set Construction: Michael Hartsfield
• Set Painting: Michael Hartsfield, Julie Rogers
• Lighting Design: Michael Hartsfield, Marvin Rogers
• Sound Design: Alice Laurissa, Michael Hartsfield
• Costumes/Hair/Make-Up: Kat Mckerrow & Cast
• Properties: Janet Olsen, Michael Hartsfield, Kat McKerrow
• Set Dressing: Michael Hartsfield
• Head Shots/Photos: John Cholod, Larry Simmons, Marvin Rogers
• Program/Publicity/Box Office: Maureen Rogers
• Concessions: Diana Simmons, Larry Simmons
• Website: John Cholod

Disclaimer: Laurel Mill Playhouse provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Performing a big musical with a big cast like Big River in a small space is no small task. Greenbelt Arts Center’s production succeeds in a big way. It starts with Jen Retterer’s set design. Covering the theater’s walls are printouts of the text of pages and illustrations from “Huckleberry Finn,” drawing audience members into the world of Mark Twain’s novel before they ever reach their seats. Surrounding a painted backdrop showing a bucolic rural scene are Lydia Wallis’ striking black and white line drawings of trees and reeds, in front of which is a low platform that serves as Huck’s raft, among other purposes. Save for a modest number of set dressing pieces, that’s all that is needed to provide a sense of place and a functional environment for the action.

Retterer, it should be noted, is a triple threat in the production. Besides her work on the set and a brief appearance in Act II as a foolish young girl, she is an excellent, thoroughly believable Tom Sawyer, being a loyal pal to Huck, complicating everyone’s life with goofily complicated schemes, and ultimately showing great courage. Retterer sings strongly as well, particularly in Tom’s “Hand for the Hog,” and later projects a very different vocal quality in the foolish girl’s “Arkansas.”

The central character, of course, is Huck, played in an engaging aw shucks way by Mike Cullhane. Huck is a long, demanding role — he is offstage only for a brief scene in Act II — and Cullhane’s energy never flags. He transitions seamlessly from his narrations of the story into interactions with the other characters and back again, and he clearly shows Huck’s moral growth as he comes to recognize his responsibility for Jim and others in his world. Cullhane does not have a pure Broadway-style voice, but he sells his songs effectively. “I, Huckleberry Me” and his duets with Jim, the escaped slave who is Huck’s companion on the raft (“River in the Rain,” “Muddy Water,” and “Worlds Apart”) are notable, and Cullhane’s sound is very consistent with the character. His diction on spoken lines is a bit murky at times, however, and he resorts to tugging on his overall straps a little too frequently.

The dominant voice and presence on stage belong to Kevin Sockwell as Jim. Sockwell uses his strong, penetrating, expressive high baritone instrument to great effect, not only in his duets with Huck but also in the powerfully moving second act solo, “Free at Last.” Sockwell’s Jim at times has a knowing, ironic take on things and people around him. Jim’s loneliness, sadness, fear, and yearning for freedom also register vividly. In any case, this is a slave who one cannot imagine ever having been subservient.

There are several memorable small and large performances among the large supporting cast. Dan McMillan’s drunken rendition of “Guv’Ment” pegs Pap Finn as an early prototype of the Tea Party. Penny Martin is tack-sharp as Huck’s Bible-spouting nemesis, Miss Watson. Dayleen DeRiggs has a beautifully sung, mournful solo as a slave woman in “The Crossing.”

The most important supporting roles belong to the Duke (Brian Binney) and the King (David Weaver), two con men who Huck and Jim pick up along the river. Binney, a polished actor who makes the Duke’s pastiche of Shakespeare lines even sound somewhat like Shakespeare, leads the very silly Act II opening number “The Royal Nonesuch,” as the pair deludes the local rubes with a tale of a preposterous humanoid monster (scarcely less preposterous, Twain would no doubt be amused to discover, than what one can find on cable TV channels nowadays). The Duke also has a perhaps unintentionally amusing prop moment when he wields a pad of Post-It notes. His partner in crime, Weaver’s King, is as oily as can be as he tries to lift the inheritance of an innocent girl, Mary Jane Wilkes (Spencer Nelson). What’s most significant is the evolution of the King and the Duke, as Huck and the audience see them, from amusing grifters to casually evil men who think nothing of selling Jim and other slaves down the river for a few dollars. The contrast between these fake aristocrats and the natural aristocracy of Jim is one of the show’s strongest points.

Like many in the cast, Binney (also Judge Thatcher) and Weaver (also a doctor) play multiple roles, and Ginny Zanner’s colorful costume design keeps up with the frequent changes involved. Denim-based for the most part, with countrified plaid or down and dirty shirts as appropriate to various characters, the men’s costumes also include respectable dark suits for the upscale characters. The women’s outfits are mainly of the skirt and blouse variety, and are likewise suitable to the period.

Generally, Mary Lou Fisher’s direction keeps the production moving smoothly, with due attention to the spectators in the side seating areas as well as the main bank of seats. She makes occasional good use of the theater’s two side posts and side aisles in ensemble numbers. Given the number of people per square foot of playing space, there are moments in the full-cast numbers (e.g., “Do Ya Want To Go to Heaven?”) in which movement becomes more a matter of traffic management than choreography. While this is not a dance-heavy show, choreographer Kathleen Moors provides some nice moments, such as the opening tap routine featuring the delightful Isabella Dodro.

Chris Wells’ band, some members of which were on stage at times, conveyed Roger Miller’s country/blues/gospel-influenced score with fine timing and energy. They were not note-perfect at all times, but in context of this show, the occasional imperfections fit the down-home atmosphere and did not distract. There were also some strained or off-pitch vocal moments in a few of the ensemble numbers. Tom Zanner’s lighting design, while leaving actors in shadows on a few occasions, generally made good use of the space’s somewhat limited resources, and it was particularly effective in distinguishing the night scenes (typically done in blue light) from others.

As distinct from shows mounted by some of the larger, more abundantly resourced, groups the area, Big River was clearly a community theater production, with several family groups prominent among the cast and production staff. But it is a good illustration of the proposition that community theater can be very good theater, and that an intelligently conceived community production that its participants care about can have a quality result.

Director’s Notes

Welcome to the literary world of Mark Twain.

As you enter our book sit back and enjoy your trip from St. Petersburg, Missouri down the Big River past Jackson’s Island. Drift by St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois where the Ohio empties into the Mississippi, continue south past Tennessee and you will end up in Arkansas. On the way you will meet the characters Samuel Clemens created, drawing from his own background, to populate his novel “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn.”

“Huck Finn is a child of his time, like the author who created him. Both character and author struggled to recognize and correct some of the wrongs of their society. Both learned to listen to the teachings of their sound hearts.” — The Glencoe Literature Library Study Guide For The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

Big River uses an ensemble cast in which the actors play multiple roles. In this production, we have also used nontraditional casting. This allows some of our talented cast to appear in roles normally reserved for members of the opposite sex. As a member of the audience we ask you to suspend disbelief and see the characters as they are meant to be.

I fell in love with Big River when I saw a performance by Deaf West Theatre at Ford’s Theater in Washington. The roles were played by both hearing and deaf actors using spoken English and American Sign Language combined with dance and storytelling. The fluid and energetic motions were a perfect accompaniment to the lively and sometimes haunting music and lyrics of Roger Miller. If you ever have an opportunity to see this production I urge you to do so. You can also view some selections on YouTube.

Special thanks go to my Assistant Director, Lela Zanner Moors, and her daughter, our Choreographer, Katy Moors, for their help in bringing this book to life. Not only have they served behind stage, but you will also see them appear in today’s performance. A show I direct wouldn’t be complete without our Costumer, Ginny Zanner, who is a founding member of both GAC and MAD and can also be seen in the chorus. And to make the ‘family’ complete, Tommy Zanner, Ginny’s son, is our lighting designer.

A shout out also goes to our Set Designer, Jen Retterer, who created the book you are ‘reading’ and also took over the role of Tom Sawyer when one of our cast had to withdraw, and to our Producer, Beryl Feldman, for her invaluable assistance and being our ‘Universal Understudy’ and filling in wherever needed.

And finally, a great big HUG to the talented cast, crew and orchestra for making it possible to share this wonderful show with you. Now I can put the wet noodles away until the next show.

Cast

• Huck Finn: Mike Culhane
• Jim: Kevin Sockwell
• Tom Sawyer/Young Fool: Jen Retterer
• Judge Thatcher/Duke: Brian Binney
• King/Doctor/First Man: David Weaver
• Mary Jane Wilkes: Spencer Nelson
• Widow Douglas/Sally Phelps: Tri Whitehall
• Miss Watson/Tart/Chorus: Penny Martin
• Pap Finn/Sheriff Bell: Dan MacMillan
• Alice: Dayleen DeRiggs:
• Alice’s Daughter/Slave Woman/Chorus: Cheramie Julianne Jackson
• Alice’s Grandmother: Isabella Dodro
• Jo Harper/Joanna Wilkes: Erin Delaney
• Dick/Andy/Ben/Susan Wilkes: Beryl Feldman
• Strange Woman: Shirley Weaver
• Mark Twain/Lafe/Counselor Robinson/Harvey Wilkes/Silas Phelps: Brian Moors
• Simon: Kathleen Moors
• Slave Woman/Chorus: Katrina Dodro
• Slave Woman/Chorus: Olayinka Ebony Magnanimous
• Slave Woman/Chorus: Annette Landers
• Tart/Chorus: Becky Granatstein
• Tart/Chorus: Lelia Moors
• Bum/Chorus: Ginny Zanner

Orchestra

• Conductor: Christine Wells
• Fiddle/Violin: Anne Gardner, Mairead Alexander
• Harmonica: Michael K. Heney
• Guitar: Pete Pinocci
• Piano: Daniel Lu, Jonathan Hellerman
• String Bass: Glenn Harris
• Guitar: Tony Miller
• Percussion: Kevin Uleck, Rob Gersten
• Trombone: David Buckingham, Tom Jackson, Webster A. Rogers, Jr.
• Trumpet: Hal Gordon, Rich Sonnenschein
• Woodwinds: Steve Shivers

Production Staff

• Director: Mary Lou Fisher
• Assistant Director: Lelia Moors
• Music Director: Chris Wells
• Choreographer: Kathleen Moors
• Producer: Baryl Feldman
• Stage Manager: Laura Fisher
• Asst. Stage Manager: Scott Dodro
• Set Design: Jen Ritterer
• Lighting Design: Tom Zanner
• Sound Design: David Weaver
• Set Construction Lead: Fred Wells
• Set Painting Lead: Jen Retterer
• Costume Design: Ginny Zanner
• Wardrobe Mistress: Penny Martin
• Hair and Makeup Design: Susan Heney
• Set Construction and Painting: Trina Fisher, Gerald Martin, & the Company
• Lighting Technician: James Chatham
• Sound Technician: Reginald Cruz
• Program & Publications Design: Betsy Marks Delaney
• Program Content: Beryl Feldman & Mary Lou Fisher
• Photographer: Andrew Doorly Culhane
• Box Office/House Manager: Dottie Spivacke
• Original Program Cover Art: Lynda Wallis

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

The opening performance of Suitland High School’s production of The Little Shop of Horrors brought a group of students who may not have gotten the “campiness” of the production, but seemed to enjoy the singing and the storyline, (not to mention a six-foot plant who takes over the world!)

The core group of players, Mr. Mushnik, the florist shop owner, Audrey and Seymour, Mr. Mushnik’s employees all seemed to get along and their characters felt real. There was real emotion in Audrey and Seymour’s love song “Suddenly Seymour,” and Audrey’s wistful song about getting away from her abusive dentist boyfriend and loving a man like Seymour (“Somewhere That’s Green”). The Dentist was also able to draw a reaction from the crowd from his entrance to his “untimely disappearance.” His black leather jacket and slicked back hair gave him a real rough look that he personified in his treatment of, well, everybody. Listening to the crowd’s reaction was fun and his laughing gas helmet was one of the best designs I’ve seen in Little Shop of Horrors!

Also well cast were the Do-Wop Girls, Ronnette, Chiffon, and Crystal. They had some fun lines which they delivered well and their costumes were Skid Row appropriate and sparkly when called for a more uptown approach. The Audrey II puppets were amazing, and listening to the howls and reactions of the audience to the plant’s movement was refreshing. It’s easy to become unimpressed about something you’ve seen done many times before, but the fresh eyes of the high school audience was quite rewarding, especially during the Audrey II’s first song “Feed Me (Git It).”

All of the cast stayed in character. One thing that will develop through out the run was some blocking issues. There needed to be more cheating out at times as well as learning to use upstage hands as audience members want to see people’s faces. Sound is always an issue. The auditorium was huge and mixing the sound was difficult. Hopefully this will come together as well. Set changes were generally executed quickly.

All in all, the opening morning performance had a few bumps, but Little Shop of Horrors was still a fun show to experience.

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Suitland High School

Disclaimer: Suitland High School provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this article. SHS also purchased advertising on the ShowBizRadio web site, which did not influence this article.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of the most adored love stories in English literature. Both pride and prejudice color Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s first impressions of one another and cause them to fail to realize what the reader/audience knows at once — how perfect they are for one another. But Austen’s novel is more than just a romance; it is also a sparkling witty comedy of manners. In Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s production, Sally Boyett-D’Angelo directs Jon Jory’s adaptation and, while the romance blossoms, the comedy has difficulty taking root.

Boyett-D’Angelo beautifully features the romantic elements of the show. She has directed her actors to savor the eye contact and quickened heartbeats of first attraction and to fan the flames of passion with longing looks and rising blushes. All the actors who were supposed to be attracted to one another were entirely successful, and Elizabeth and Darcy’s “love scene” was moving, heart-melting, and passionate.

Caitlin McWethy as Elizabeth is flat-out marvelous. Her emotional range is impressive, her presence is charming, and she beautifully captures Elizabeth’s intelligence and brashness. Everyone else in the show does their best work when they are alone on the stage with McWethy. These two person scenes were believable and engrossing and the highlights of the evening.

Michael Ryan Neely’s Darcy, as counterpoint to a dynamic Elizabeth, was stoic to the point of being still as a statue. Yet, it is a testament to Neely’s charisma and talent that he holds his own in his scenes with McWethy. While barely moving a muscle, he was able to convey his attraction, his interest, his discomfort, and his joy, all through his eyes and the force of his personality.

While the key romantic pairings of McWethy and Neely and Alyssa Bouma (Jane) and Grayson Owen (Bingley) created exciting sparks, the humor was less successful, as it was played, for the most part, broadly and without the finesse consistent with the tone of the piece. Characters like Elizabeth’s youngest sisters, Kitty and Lydia (Liz Kinder and Solveig Moe), Elizabeth’s mother (Carol Randolf), and Darcy’s aunt (Esther Schwarzbauer) are so over-the-top that they don’t seem to come from the same town or even the same play as Elizabeth and Darcy. They would seem more at home in an episode of “The Carol Burnett Show” than this period comedy. Jory’s script contains much of Austen’s actual dialogue, which is hilarious and biting on its own, but the choice to layer outsized energy and gestures on top of these caustic, witty words squelched a lot of the laughs.

Also distracting was the decision to have certain actors play more than one role, a device suggested by the script but especially odd in this production that utilized an ensemble of background actors with very little to do. While some actors were more successful than others at differentiating their characters, at times the actors playing two roles looked and behaved essentially the same in both parts, leading to moments of confusion before it became clear that they were actually a new character.

Boyett-D’Angelo’s staging varied from appealing to confusing. Part of the problem is Jory’s script, which bounces quickly from place to place and utilizes awkward narration to streamline the story. These devices are challenging and can lead to jerky pacing and lack of focus. At times, Boyett-D’Angelo rose to the challenge by utilizing choreography and Peter Ekstrom’s music to create seamless, smooth, and graceful transitions. At other times, the staging became unnecessarily complicated, such as during the first ball scene where the focus was muddled and the background action overpowered the dialogue.

The uncredited set design consisted of three tall sets of patio doors that were used not only as a means for entrances and exits, but also as a framing device to place characters in different settings or to illustrate the narration. The doors were attractive and versatile and, with the use of chairs, chandeliers, and a few other set pieces, served to create a myriad of locations. However, the minimal nature of the set caused the stage to look static at times, and the lighting design by Garrett Hyde, while adequately shifting focus between scenes, was not enough to sustain visual interest throughout. The period costumes by Maggie Cason were also inconsistent. Some of the dresses were lovely, and the military uniforms were crisp, but many of the costumes looked rumpled, and the use of shapeless bathrobes over the original costumes to differentiate the double-cast actors was unfortunate.

While Pride and Prejudice was not entirely consistent, this young company has created an enjoyable production full of burgeoning romance. While the evening is not entirely smooth, the road to true love never is.

Photo Gallery

Caitlin McWethy (Elizabeth Bennet), Michael Ryan Neely (Mr. Darcy)	Caitlin McWethy (Elizabeth Bennet), Michael Ryan Neely (Mr. Darcy)
Grayson Owen (Mr. Bingley), Alyssa Bouma (Jane Bennet)	Caitlin McWethy (Elizabeth Bennet), Solveig Moe (Lydia Bennet), Jim Reiter (Mr. Bennet)
Grayson Owen (Mr. Bingley), Alyssa Bouma (Jane Bennet), Robert C. Mobley, Jim Cason, Caitlin McWethy (Elizabeth Bennet)

Photos by Corey Sentz

Cast

• Mr. Bennet: Jim Reiter
• Mrs. Bennet: Carol Randolf
• Elizabeth Bennet: Caitlin McWethy
• Jane Bennet: Alyssa Bouma
• Mary Bennet/Charlotte Lucas: Stephanie Ramsey
• Kitty Bennet/Georgiana Darcy: Liz Kinder
• Lydia Bennet: Solveig Moe
• Mr. Darcy: Michael Ryan Neely
• Mr. Bingley/Colonel Fitzwilliam: Grayson Owen
• Sir William Lucas/Mr. Gardiner: Joshua Boulden
• George Wickham: Bob Mobley
• Lady Catherine De Bourgh/Housekeeper: Esther Schwarzbauer
• The Officer: Michael Pimpo
• Ensemble: Jim Cason, Helen Gorman, Rebecca Jonas, Caleb Pimpo, Miranda Savage

Crew

• Production stage Manager: Liza Hackman
• Assistant Stage Manager: Elena Hein
• Stage Manager Trainee: Corey Sentz
• Light Board Operator: Noah Diekemper
• Dance Captain: Alyssa Bouma
• Wardrobe Mistress Maggie Cason

Artistic Staff

• Director/Choreographer: Sally Boyett-D’Angelo
• Composer: Peter Ekstrom
• Dialect Coach: Nancy Krebs
• Costume Design: Maggie Cason
• Lighting Design: Garrett Hyde
• Producer: Terry Bouma

Production Staff

• Technical Director: Garrett Hyde
• Master Electrician: Peter Dursin
• Sound Technician: Wally Kleinfelder
• Technician: Al Chopey
• Assistant Technical Director: Joshua Boulden
• Lead Carpenter: Jim Cason
• Scenic Painting: Caitlin McWethy

Disclaimer: Annapolis Shakespeare Company provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

For more information please contact Emma Hadley by phone at (301) 262-1183 or email charisthespians -at- gmail.com.

Tantallon Community Players have poured their passion, love and vision together to bring the Color Purple to life. The audiences have loved it — the show has already sold out two performances on opening weekend — and they know what they love. The main cast is energetic and strong, the supporting cast help carry the story through and the music is fantastic.

Andrea Gerald plays a warm and sympathetic Celie, who starts as a poor girl with an abusive father who gets her pregnant and then foists her off on an abusive husband. As Celie grows, her only confidant, her sister Nettie (the vivacious Adhana Reid, played by understudy Tonya Mayo on Friday) is taken away from her by the cruelties of the men around her. As she continues to strive to find her place in the world, the Lord works in mysterious ways, and brings a succession of strong women into her life to show her the path to love and life.

One such strong, independent woman was Sofia, played pitch perfect by Shanice Jones, who was undoubtedly the sassiest, funniest, brightest person on the stage. She stole the show as she showed her onstage husband Harpo (played by Jonathan Randale) that if he lay a hand on her, she’d lay it right back on him. The show was stolen again as the indefatigable Rikki Howie inhabited the role of Shug Avery, the woman of the world whose singing brought her fame but no fulfillment. An uncommon attraction between Shug and Celie forms, and the two women find in each other the love they had missed in the rest of the world.

The set, conceived by Marilyn Weaver, was brilliantly simple. Gorgeous paintings of a field of purple flowers and a weeping willow tree brought both sweetness and weight to the stage, and served as the backdrop for every scene. The open space of the stage was utilized to its fullest by choreographer Taurean Maray Barber, whose moves filled the stage with energy and atmosphere. Only in the makeup and costuming areas did the show suffer from a lack of manpower, as the makeup ideas were good but poorly executed, and the costumes less than fitted to the actors needs in certain scenes.

Nonetheless, the cast sold the story. Each and every person was engaging and exciting to watch. The talent and commitment were obvious, and the interpretation a true inspiration.

Note: The show I saw had all three understudies performing. Also, the director’s notes give away some of the plot, which I happily did not read before watching the show.

Director’s notes

“The Color Purple” was a hard novel for me to read because of the unremitting and graphically described cruelty faced by Celie, who’s putative father, Alphonso, repeatedly raped her at 14, stripped the resulting children from her, and condemned her to loveless marriage to Albert Johnson, a cruel older man known as “Mister.” Alphonso also deprives Celie of her beloved sister, Nettie, when she runs away to avoid Celie’s fate. Celie is left to find happiness in unexpected ways. She has no one to talk to so she writes letters to God about everything. The letters are wonderful and show Alice Walker’s genius in carrying the narrative of Celie’s world, as Celie blossoms with age, experience, love, eventual independence, and her connections with the people she loves and who love her along the way.

Celie comes to love Shug Avery, a beautiful but much used honky-tonk singer who Mister lusts after. When Shug takes sick and is brought into Mister’s house, Celie nurses her back to health. The women form a bond, some of it sexual, which brings love into Celie’s life. Celie also looks up to Sophia, a sturdy outspoken woman married to Mister’s son, Harpo, a slightly kinder man. Sophia’s trajectory is sadder than Celie’s, because she is not only beaten, but her rebellious streak costs her a lengthy jail term and enduring injuries. The Spielberg movie was beautiful, but omitted Celie’s letters and presented a somewhat sanitized view of Alice Walker’s novel. It treated all of the characters as flawed, but saw most of them as ultimately redeemable. I loved it because of the compelling scenes and remarkable performances. The Broadway musical wisely brings back Celie’s letters, written to her missing sister rather than to God, to carry the narrative, and this works beautifully with the book and music.

I have seldom worked with more talented actors, singers and dancers. The love they bring to the show is evident in everything. This is my hundredth show with TCP, and it is one I will never forget.

Photo Gallery

Photos by Coleman A. Jackson

Cast

• Celie: Andrea Gerald
• Nettie: Adhana Reid (understudy Tonya Mayo)
• Mister: Demetrius Durrell
• Sofia: Shanice Jones
• Harpo: Jonathan Randale
• Squeak: Alexa Yarboro
• Preacher: Jivon Lee Jackson
• Shug Avery: Rikki Howie
• Church Soloist: Brenda Parker
• Church lady Darlene: Jesaria Glover
• Church Lady Jarene: Temple Fortson
• Church Lady Doris: Kristen Lee
• Pa: Darrick Johnson
• Ol’ Mister: Munday Crowell (understudy Reginald Grier)
• Buster: Montario Hill (understudy Mike Summons)
• Young Man: Willie Garner
• Doris’s husband-Julius Williams
• Odessa: Kareema Cockrell
• Goldene: Rosslyn Fernandez
• Daisy: Aisha Casey
• Guard-Jamie Hamilton
• Chief: Darren Hubbard
• Young Olivia: Aisha Casey
• Older Olivia: Khalia Alexander
• Sofia’s Sisters: Brenda Parker, Beverly Baker, Rosslyn Fernandez, Jessica Parris, Cheramie Jackson, Dyone Mitchell, Anita Byrd
• Ensemble women: Beverly Baker, Jackie Williams, Ada Parker, Whitney Curry, Kareema Cockrell, Tonya Mayo, Rosslyn Fernandez, Aisha Casey, Rashida Bandy, Jessica Parris, Cheramie Jackson, Chaseedaw Giles, Dyone Mitchell, Khalia Alexander, Anita Byrd,
• Ensemble Men: Maverick Lemon, Willie Garner, Montario Hill, Julius Williams,Darrick Johnson, Munday Crowell
• Children’s Ensemble: Jared Belfield, Ruth Hall, Sade Hall, Liana Berry, Alyssa Berry, Nasir Phillips

Production Staff

• Director: Charla Rowe
• Producer: Jivon Lee Jackson
• Stage Manager: Jared Shamberger
• Asst. Stage Manager: Jamie Hamilton
• Crew: Zylar Long, Aryonna Caprece Lucas, Tina Marshall
• Music Director: LaVar Betts
• Choreographer: Taurean Maray Barber
• Set Design: Marilyn Weaver
• Lighting Design: Sheryl Fry
• Sound Design: Ron Rowe
• Sound and light Operators: Harmony Hall Staff, Ron Rowe
• House Manager: Sheryl Fry
• Costumes: Rikki Howie and Valarie Holt
• Props: Charla Rowe
• Set Construction Foreman: Mark Holt
• Set Crew: George Roff, Larry Carbaugh
• Set Painting: Marilyn Weaver, Larry Carbaugh, Jamie Hamilton

Orchestra

• Conductor: Robert Rausch
• Pianist: LeVar Betts
• Percussion: Virgil Bowsall
• Bass: Dotson Burns
• Keyboard: Leroy Pressley
• Drums: Samuel Glover
• Guitar: Talyor Lake
• Percussion: Sadale McCall

Disclaimer: Tantallon Community Players provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Stephen Sondheim, by any measure, occupies the highest place in the pantheon of contemporary American theater music composers and lyricists, our equivalent of what the Japanese would call a “living national treasure.” So closely integrated are his words and music, and so closely are both attuned to character and story in his many shows, that it could seem foolish to separate the elements to focus only on a single aspect of his work.

Sondheim himself successfully pulled off the feat, however, in his recent books of lyrics and commentary, “Finishing the Hat” and “Look, I Made a Hat.” Pianist Anthony De Mare has taken on the musical side of Sondheim’s output in what he calls The Liaisons Project. De Mare, with Sondheim’s enthusiastic endorsement, commissioned 36 composers to write what De Mare describes as “re-imaginings” of Sondheim songs for solo piano. An earlier version of the program was performed at the University of Maryland in the 2010-11 season, and the program had a successful début in New York in last April. De Mare performed 20 of the songs Friday at the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

De Mare is a dynamic pianist, with technique and musicianship to burn. He is equally at home in quiet, lyrical passages and big, fast, technically demanding pieces. In a between-numbers comment, De Mare said that one of the composers had noted the tempo for his piece as “quicksilver,” an apt term for De Mare’s playing in many of the selections.

Like Sondheim’s songs themselves, the compositions on the program carried a variety of moods. Ricardo Lorenz added a Latin flavor to the humorous “The Worst [Empanadas] in London,” based on Mrs. Lovett’s opening number from Sweeney Todd. “Very Put Together” (Mason Bates) gave a light touch to a piece suggested by “Putting It Together” from Sunday in the Park with George.

Sondheim’s quieter moments were represented well by an almost meditative take on Company‘s “Sorry/Grateful” (Derek Bremel) and Sweeney‘s “Pretty Women” (Mark-Anthony Turnage), though the latter added some darker notes toward the end, appropriate in light of the pre-homicidal context of the song in the show. As a pure piano composition, one of the most effective pieces was “going…gone” (Tania Leon), largely because it avoided taking a literal approach to its roots in “Good Thing Going” from Merrily We Roll Along.

In three pieces, De Mare’s composers were able to capture the central feeling of an entire show in a brief piece of piano writing. Michael Daugherty’s “Everybody’s Got the Right” began with “Hail to the Chief” in the instrument’s lowest register, proceeded to a honky-tonk arrangement of “Everybody’s Got the Right to Be Happy,” and ended with several forearm slams on the keyboard, punctuated by a gunshot. It would be hard to find a better summary of Assassins. For communicating the spirit of artist Georges Seurat, no performance I have seen by an actor in the number has outdone Steve Reich’s dual-piano version of Sunday in the Park‘s “Finishing the Hat” (De Mare accompanied himself with a recording of the second piano part).

The program concluded with a rousing fantasia on “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” (especially as used in the Sweeney‘s second act finale) by Kenji Bunch, which besides being a bravura piece technically perfectly conveyed the tension and fear Sondheim put into perhaps his greatest show. In all these instances, the “re-imaginings” of the numbers by the composers served to emphasize the success of Sondheim’s musical writing – even in the absence of his brilliant lyrics – in telling the stories and illuminating the characters in his shows.

But wait, there’s more: Friday’s program did not include all the songs included in some previous performances (e.g., a lovely version of “No One is Alone” from Into the Woods, excerpted on De Mare’s website), and new additions to the Liaisons Project collection will be introduced in a New York recital next March. (One wonders whether an adaptation of “Liaisons” from A Little Night Music will be among them.) Hopefully, the Smith Center will bring next year’s program to the Washington area as well. For those who love Sondheim as well as those who are interested in hearing new work from a variety of contemporary composers, it will be a must-see occasion.

Disclaimer: The University of Maryland provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.