A Christmas Carol

Wow. And let me just say again, wow.
The Alliance Theatre has done it again. This was my first year seeing this well-talked-about performance and it did not disappoint. From the setting to the singing to the acting to the lights to the effects...everything told this timeless story perfectly.

Much props to Mr. Michael Fauss for his flawless musical direction. Everything was superb.

Elizabeth Wells Berkes was stunning as Belle, the love-interest of Scrooge. Je Nie Fleming was delightful with words and movement as Mrs. Cratchit. It was wonderful to see Bernardine Mitchell on stage with her melodious voice and comedic timing. She really did make the piece. Thomas Piper was absolutely believable as the young Mr. Scrooge. The audience could tell in his performance the change in temperament that Scrooge went through. Minka Wilt was a doll with her excellent soprano voice and character talent as Bess and in the ensemble. Neal A. Ghant was hysterical as Bob Cratchit. In particular was his side movement when Scrooge offered him triple his salary. It was subtle, but it was hysterical! David Howard was absolutely lovely as Topper and did lend his vocal talents very nicely to the ensemble. Chris Kayser, of course, my favorite actor in Atlanta, did a smashing job as Ebenezer Scrooge. All of the children were quite well-behaved in the production and very serious about their role and having fun.

All in all, the show as very entertaining. Much applause to D. Martyn Bookwalter for the set design. This wasn't an easy show to set and prop, but they have pulled it off very well. The fog effect for the spirits was never too much and added to the mystery of the show. The flying actors made everything believable and the pulley system for the entrances and exits was amazing.

Well done to them all and God Bless Them, everyone!

The Weir

You know...there's nothing like a bunch of guys sitting around telling stories. And I was reminded of this wonderful past-time tonight at Onstage Atlanta with their production of "The Weir."

Nicely directed by Barry West. The blocking had purpose, the stage business when the actors were not the focus was superb, and the characters were real. Most notably, Mr. Darrell Wolfford, portraying the fun-loving, drinking-several-guiness-per-show character named Jack. He definitely livened the bar scene. Very heart-felt stories by everyone on stage.

Oh, and props to Darrell for the set as well. But, then again, when does he ever create a set less than spectacular?

The story was most definitely chilling in both acts and captures the audience in the very beginning. And it's always interesting to note when the title of the play is mentioned, and it was mentioned in Act I by Finbar, played by Kent Igleheart. 'The Weir", if I'm not mistaken, being a place where the water was refined or treated. There was a picture of it on the wall. So my only question, with all the wonderful stories in the bar...


...why was the play called "The Weir"?

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

I saw the phenomenon....and it was Hedwig. And I have been corrected from a past assumption: I thought it was "Angry Itch", but it's "Angry Inch." And after seeing Actor's Express' delightful show - I can understand why: It's a wee bit part of the story.

Craig Waldrip plays the interesting transvestite/male/female/with-an-attitude named Hedwig. Anything Craig's in will be fabulous because of his acting talent. This was no exception. It was energetic, he was focused, and he was memorable. Angela Motter played Yitzhak, her/his husband. I'm pleased to see that Angela is Equity, as her performance deserves that calibre. Her voice was astonishing and I look forward to www.angleamott er.com to check out her music. It was good to see Dan Bauman on the Bass as one of the Angry Inch. He is a true musician with his own band, Acres. It was good to see him in character as well keeping the comedy and the seriousness of being in a band and dealing with Hedwig from Germany all in one night.

Over-all the show was incredible, but the songs - I would have liked to have heard more of the lyrics. Perhaps sitting next to someone who was singing verbatim throughout the night as some of the patrons were doing might have helped. Not sure if the band was too loud of Craig wasn't clear....not sure. But My guests and I didn't get to enjoy the songs as much as we should have. Craig's German accent was pure, consistent, and wonderful to hear.

Props to Emily Gill for finding a red, flowing robe to match the red, stylish shoes in the latter part of the show! Well done, Emily!

All and all, it was a wonderful night of music and laughs, seriousness and change, as Hedwig sang with the Angry Inch. It entertained us all and I look forward to the CD.

Urinetown: The Musical

Wow! What a wonderful ride this musical was! Is! Always will be! Onstage Atlanta has done a wonderful job bringing back this well deserved, possible "cash cow", called "Urinetown." Brilliantly written, expertly directed, and talently cast, this production has mixed good humor and politics in a "not your Hollywood Ending" musical that will have people leaving the theater and quoting from the show for days!

Major props to the following: Googie Uterhardt for his portrayal of Office Lockstock, the narrator. But then, again, Googie brings humor and poise to every character he plays in Atlanta theater;
Joey Ellington for his character, Office Barrel: the make-up alone was scary enough to make the audience cringe, but that voice! How hysterical was the Barney Fife-like sounds that came out of his mouth! Not only that, he kept it consistent throughout the show!;
Robert Wayne as Caldwell B. Cladwell will always be superb with his money and power-hungry character;
Scott Shelton Ebert as Senator Fipp, much better in this role than his character in "Love Johnny" a while back at GSU;
Jay Tryall - wow! That singing voice! Jay has done quite well with his character, Mr. McQueen - the suck-up that follows whatever alliance won't get him killed;
Charlie Miller as Old Man Strong and Hot Blades Harry - reprising the roles was an excellent idea in his case, very funny, very direct and very consistent as well;
and Laine Binder as Little Becky Two-Shoes and Mrs. Millenium- the costumes on her were much more flattering than the costumes she had for "Anything Goes" at the Lyric. Props to the Costume Designer, Toni Sunseri, for realizing that this woman needed to shine.

Above all, major, major props to Richardo Aponte, for working his dancers, creating a wonderfully fluid world, and showing, again, that he is one of the most talented choreographers of our age. The blocking was very unique in this show, and that's all thanks to Mrs. Barbara Cole Uterhardt. She took the space, a much different set than the one from last run of this show, and helped the audience see, feel and experience the world these characters lived in. All in all, what a wonderful show to take yourself out of your own worries, and care about a whole new society that reflects current events.

OSA - you've done good!

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

And what a title for it. Let me explain:

Let me point out that in seeing the show, I was exhausted from an 8+ hour day already so sleep was begging to hit. But the Shakespeare Tavern has a very "homey" appeal, very comfortable, very personable. The food is much better than it was years ago when I attended shows there.

"R&G", as I'll shorten the title of the show, was very long. 40 minutes for Act I, an hour for Act II and 40 minutes for Act III. Go Stoppard. The main actors, Mr. Nicholas Faircloth and Mr. Paul Hester were quite on their mark: interacting with guests, with each other, concerned about their plights and situations...everything actors should be. But The complaint is not in the actors themselves (make note that Mr. Drew Reeves was absolutely hilarious), the complaint is in the writing. It was boring. There were humorous parts, of course, but over-all I just wanted it to be a 2 hour play and be done with it. It was hard trying to focus on the plot, the main concern of the two protagonists, and God forbid that the players stood on stage and said nothing at all - that was the moment to close ones eyes and bid sleep to take them away until words engulfed the stage again.

Over all it was not the best night of theater, but the Tavern has done better work.

Perfect Arrangement

Why in the world would anyone be truly surprised by anything Topher writes? Well, it just happens. One is never left un-satisfied from his shows. "Perfect Arrangement" is no exception. Directed by the bright and delightfully talented Barbara Cole-Uterhardt, this twisted story of two couples, an old college fling and working for "the man" leaves the audience on the edge of their seats by the middle of Act I. Granted, the show lasted close to 2 and 1/2 hours - but the time flies! The story tells of two married couples living next door to one another and sharing a door to each other's livingrooms. The husbands are really married to each other and the women are really married to each other. The wonderful fake smiles they put on when company is around is so Donna Reed it's sticky-sweet. And absolutely hilarious. But when a college fling enters in the mix and threatens to reveal the "Perfect Arrangement" - oh, that's where everything gets good! Topher's plots are always delicious to watch and heart-felt to learn about. He always mixes romance and humor and serious topics of the gay community into one lump sum. The stakes were high, every player was involved, the characters were real and the audience actually cared about them - it was perfect for any Drama class anywhere in the world! Sound Designers could learn something from Ms. Cole-Uterhardt's mix of old-time commercials during the brief scene changes. The jingles and commercials were just the right touch to catch the audience and keep them in the time of the story. The set was simple and Topher used everything sparingly and necessarily. Norma Baxter, played by Amanda Renee Baker, was divine in her costume changes as was Barbara Grant, played by Amanda Cucher. Props to Costume Designer Jane Kroessig for the gorgeous dresses, jewelry, and making sure the ladies knew how to sit and how to hold those hand-bags! Girls were different back then!

This story really needs to be on Broadway. Or in the West End. Or in Berlin. It needs to be performed around the world. Now, granted, it would shock the heck out of "conservative Middle-Class America" - but maybe they need to be shook up a bit!

Anything Goes

The Lyric has done very, very well. The show, "Anything Goes", was performed at the Ferst Center for the Arts and artfully done. Parking was easy, the walk to the theater was very pleasant, the lobby is much to be desired with it's curves and turns, but oh...that theater. Wow. Not a bad seat in the house. And with a set so masterfully designed by Drew Monahan. Lighting and set definitely talked to one another on this one. Costume Designer, Joey Ellington, did a great job setting the glamorous 1930s. And "hot-damn" the choreography! You can always tell a Jen MacQueen show! She works her actors just like Mr. Aponte! Well-done to Jen, as usual!

Now, the show itself, as far as storyline and song...the music was cleaver, and there were some great songs in it, but the relationships were something else. This is coming from someone who has never seen "Anything Goes" before and speaking as a pure audience member - I didn't get the relationship between Reno, played lovingly by Shea Johnson, and Billy Crocker, played by Joe Swaney, or Reno's relationship (or past) with Moonface Martin, played by Alan Kilpatrick. Was Billy really seeing Reno in Act I before getting on the ship? Were they just playing around as pals? What about Reno and Moonface? They talked briefly about the past in the beginning of the song "Friendship" but - so what was the history? Did the original writers say what it was? Movement-wise, Reno was a bit stiff at times and some notes here and there in different songs were questionable, but she was quite a believable "gal." The sailor quartet was so wonderful to my ears! Oh my goodness, the tones in those boys voices! I could hear their CD of Christmas music all year long if they made one! Didn't really get Billy and Hope Harcourt, played by Laura Floyd. They evidently romantically involved at one point, but where does the other engagement come in? What time had passed between them loving each other and her being with someone else? There was so much I wanted to know.

Best songs in the show: "Friendship" - fun with all the bells and whistles, including the fun choreography. - "There'll Always Be a Lady Fair" - ah the tones of the Sailors Quartet. - "Public Enemy Number One" with the Captain, Purser & Chorus - just a lot of fun and so obscure that it was enjoyable. - "Be Like the Blue Bird" was funny, sung by Moonface Martin. Act 2 showed a lot of Alan Kilpatrick's comedic timing and I seriously could watch him in any show anywhere in the world.

So all and all, not a wasted evening. And with that set and the 30 actors, may they bring this delight back again either next year or the year after to delight the crowd!

Barbary Allen

In a word: wonderful. This play directed by Jim Hammond and produced at the Gainesville Theatre Alliance is, in a word, "wonderful." It was wonderfully directed and staged, the lighting designer and set designer obviously talked to one another and it was wonderfully written by Gay H. Hammond. The story is of a young girl, Barbary Allen, and the love of a man, Matthew MacTier, and all the Mountain-folk that live their lives around them. Then comes the stranger from the city - Nate Cullen. He just stirs up so much with these folks. But I tell you - the story flows and the hour and 55 minutes goes by so fast on this one! And props to the Stage Manager, Mallory London, for running a tight ship and making sure that intermission was exactly 12 minutes long. Well done to London and the House Managers. This theater has a wonderful season coming up in the fall - it's not one to be missed.

All in the Timing

Now, OnStage Atlanta is turning their world around. They have established an acting and performance company and have started off their season with works that make the average person think. None more so than David Ives' "All in the Timing" - a series of one-acts. Not every one-act was seen on every night: it all depended on the night of the performance in question. March 15th the first act of the performances was slow, not a lot of energy, but picked up near the intermission and was catching the audience totally in the 2nd act.

"Degas; C'est Moi was lengthy but enchanting.
"English Made Simple" was hilarious. Congrats to Tom Gillespie for his comedic timing and Cathe Hall Payne for her direction.
"Words, Words, Words" has been done before. It's been in quite a few high school competition pieces and it's quite random with the monkeys trying to write Shakespeare.
"Variations on the Death of Trotsky" was slow in the beginning but picked up in the 3rd death scene with comedic timing.
"Sure Thing" was hilarious with a bell changing the tone of the scene and the intention that the actors had to play. This is exceptional and should be required in every 2nd year acting class.

All in all, it was an enjoyable evening of art.