C.A.S.T. Ventures Into the Woods (Jr.)

From left: Adam Burgess (Jack) and  Lilian Wakefield (Jack's mother)

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

When Into the Woods made its Broadway debut in 1987, many audience members opined that the show should have ended on the “happily ever after” note of the first act – a charming amalgam of fairy tales with great songs, fun characters, and no dark side. Theatre in the Grove’s current C.A.S.T. (Children’s After School Theatre) production of Into the Woods, Jr. conforms nicely to that model, as the one-act condensation never really delves into the mature second-act themes of the Sondheim classic. The sanitized version, which would horrify us in any other context, is both entertaining and appropriate in a production designed for youthful performers, and the kids in the C.A.S.T  production do a fine job of bringing this complex Sondheim work to a  younger audience.

What from the original work is retained? Red Riding Hood and her voracious appetite for baked goods, the Wolf and his voracious appetite for Red and Granny, the Baker and his wife, the Witch whose curse renders the Baker childless, the tasks set by the Witch to reverse the curse, Cinderella and her dysfunctional step family, light-fingered Jack (of beanstalk fame), his loving Mother and trusty bovine sidekick Milky White, Rapunzel, and two lovestruck Princes. What is lost? Infidelity, murder, chaos, destruction, revenge, and some boffo songs. The weirdly omniscient narrator is replaced by a group of children reading a book of fairy tales – a nicely logical approach to the material.

Director Jeanna Van Dyke has succeeded in attracting and retaining many of the area’s best youthful performers – several standouts in the current production are veterans of last year’s Fiddler, Jr. and last winter’s Hobbit (including Assistant Director Adam Borrego), and we have really enjoyed watching these young artists develop. We are also pleased to see several new actors in the troupe, ensuring that C.A.S.T. will have access to a broad talent base in years to come.

The Baker (Jeremiah Stephens) and his wife (Brea Grimes) are perhaps the show’s strongest all-around performers – great vocals, clear and convincing acting that anchors the entire production. Athena Van Dyke (as Red Riding Hood) is charming, funny, and bouncy, and she has great timing. While some of the higher notes are a bit of a stretch for her pleasant alto voice, she manages to sell her songs effectively. Noah Burgess (as Jack) does a fine job on “Giants in the Sky,” captures his character’s wide-eyed, dotty innocence, and interacts beautifully with Milky White the Cow. Cinderella (Brenna Fitzgearld) has a flair for the physical comedy required of her role, and her pretty voice makes “Steps of the Palace” one of the evening’s best numbers. Another show highlight is the always popular “Agony” – carried off with aplomb by the two Princes (Adam Borrego and Nick Nieder). Mikayla Wallace (the Witch) is convincingly sinister, although some of vocals are muffled by her mask. The vocal ensemble numbers are equally strong, demonstrating the depth of the show’s talent base.

As with any opening night, there were a few technical problems, but the professionalism of the cast ensured that they never dropped a beat. Remarkably, the whole show was assembled in only three weeks (just 12 days  of rehearsal) – a tribute to the dedication of the director, cast and crew. Forest Grove is lucky to have such a fine youth theater program, especially one that is free to the actors (and with a maximum ticket price of $5.00) so that all local youth have access to live theater.

Into the Woods, Jr. plays at Forest Grove’s Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, through Sunday, August 24^th with performances at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 on Sunday.

Best Little Whorehouse in Tigard

Colin Wood, Sharon Maroney, and Dan Murphy star in the
production at Broadway Rose Theatre Company.

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Although the cultural gap between the average Portlander and a stereotypical Texan is wider than the Rio Grande, locals occasionally feel the need to get in touch with their inner good ol’ boys (‘n gals). Broadway Rose regularly caters to this curious predilection – this year with their sh*t-kickin’ production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Director Peggy Taphorn, just off a stunning turn with The Music Man, milks this particular heifer for all it’s worth; she and her outstanding cast and production team deliver a lively and entertaining evening despite the limitations of the script.

The story is astonishingly shallow, little more than a formulaic (if odd) vehicle for a whole lot of singing, dancing, and downright funny lines. A slimy television do-gooder and some slippery politicians successfully campaign to close down the Chicken Ranch, a notorious Texas brothel. Miss Mona, the madam (do NOT call her that to her face!) looks back longingly to her earliest days as a “pro” at the time of JFK’s inauguration. Her nostalgic recollections are not shared by Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd, her long-time protector and (sort of) boyfriend, who has much clearer memories of the Kennedy assassinations (JFK and Bobby).  Shy and Angel, newcomers to the Chicken Ranch, have sad stories that are never really developed – perhaps just as well, given the limited number of laughs to be found when daddy gets a little too sweet on his daughter. An assortment of other characters (football players, a houseful of whores, a waitress, cheerleaders, crusader Melvin P. Thorpe and Co., politicians, Jewel the whorehouse maid) sings and dances up a storm. The show works because this motley crew (beautifully supported by the always amazing band) sings and dances so well that the audience really doesn’t care about the story line.

Choreographer Jacob Toth has outdone himself - the male dance ensemble is as strong as any we have seen on a Broadway Rose stage. While a bit more mature than his fellow hoofers, Dan Murphy (playing Thorpe) kicks up his bootheels with the best of them, and adds his strong voice to the already powerful vocal group. The distaff side, whether playing cheerleaders or prostitutes, is just as good – and the combination of these fillies and stallions more than justifies the price of admission to this spicy Broadway Rodeo.

Emily Sahler (as the waitress) delivers perhaps the most moving song in the show, “Doatsey Mae,” with a lovely poignancy that makes us wish we knew more of her story. Carmen N. Brantley-Payne (Jewel) is a powerful soulful belter whose upbeat “24 Hours of Lovin’” keeps the audience wide awake (and reassures us that some women do it for love, not money).  Colin Wood (Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd) clearly earns “best actor” honors for the evening, and it’s a real shame that his fine voice is only featured in one solo. Wood and Sharon Maroney (as Miss Mona) create a weird but believable chemistry that enhances the show’s best (really only) consistent story line, and the audience gets to know these two characters well enough to care about their fates.

Clever set and lighting design allow the show to move seamlessly from whorehouse to locker room to restaurant to governor’s mansion, so the action never stops. Costumes are about what one would expect in a tasteful brothel, but Melvin P. Thorpe and his Dogettes are bedecked in truly over-the-top glitz befitting the spirit of his team of Limbaugh-esque crusaders.

Broadway Rose’s The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas runs through August 17^th at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium.

Another Labour of Love from Bag & Baggage

Photo by Casey Campbell

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Bag & Baggage’s artistic director, Scott Palmer, has worked his magic scissors on yet another of Bill Shakespeare’s overblown fancies – in this case, the much ignored Love’s Labour’s Lost, a play so universally dismissed that its relatively brief seven year life on the English stage was followed by a 235 year hiatus. Palmer’s adaptation miraculously resuscitates one of the Bard’s least-loved comedies into a genuinely funny, audience pleasing, mercifully brief (Palmer chopped the show, the cast, and the number of convoluted plotlines in half) farcical synthesis of The Three Stooges and La Dolce Vita – writ large on the concrete of Hillsboro’s Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza.

In a nutshell, the story is this: Ferdinand, the newly minted King of Navarre, and his two lordly sidekicks vow to eschew all contact with women for three years in order to immerse themselves in cleansing philosophical growth. Ferdinand has conveniently forgotten that he is due a visit from the alluring and sophisticated Princess of France and her two BFFs, who spin into town on matching pink Vespas. Vows quickly crumble. The arrival of the Spanish knight Armado (a stunningly Quixotic buffoon) provides another layer of complexity, particularly because he brings along his own versions of Sancho Panza (in the form of the servant Moth) and Dulcinea (the tempestuous and round-heeled Jaquenetta). After lots of verbal bawdiness (liberally accompanied by broad physical cues for those of us whose ears are ill-attuned to the rhythms of Shakespearean dialogue) all is resolved – three years of celibacy are reduced to the one full year that the men will wait before wedding and bedding their loves. Alas, there is no wench for Armado as Jaquenetta ends up in the arms of Moth. End of story.

This senseless plot works (and works well!) for two reasons: Scott Palmer’s fearless and irreverent staging and a ridiculously talented cast. Andrew Beck’s portrayal of Ferdinand, King of Navarre, is particularly funny. His mobile face moves fluidly from arrogance to confusion as he attempts to parry the verbal jabs of the much-cleverer noblewomen who invade his kingdom. His romantic counterpart, Cassie Greer (the Princess of France) is a smart, powerful, and confident adversary who so easily outwits the king that one wonders what she sees in him. Greer is powerful, striking, and elegant – a born leading lady.

From the first moment that she stomps across the plaza, Rachel Rosenfeld (Jaquenetta) grabs the audience’s attention and sympathies, a feat she repeats every time she appears. Her Real Housewives of New Jersey accent and K-Mart wardrobe telegraph her social status (or lack thereof). She is the perfect mate for Adam Syron’s pathetically ill-used Moth, who absorbs his master’s constant physical and verbal abuse with hilariously patient and long-suffering aplomb. The bizarre Spanish tango performed by Rosenfeld, Syron, and Gary Strong (Armado) perfectly captures the production’s outstanding absurdity.

Despite occasional environmental disruptions (blocked off streets do not silence airplanes) the actors need no amplification – the entire cast projects the fast-paced Elizabethan dialogue with crisp clarity. Costume designer Melissa Heller complements Palmer’s vision with her quirky and eclectic fashion choices – the addition of elaborate bows to her hard-edged Italian designs lends a vaguely Renaissance flair, and the tacky costumes for the tango number are perfect for the bumbling dancers.

Purists beware - as with many of Bag & Baggage’s Shakespearean adaptations, this show may well appeal most to those who love the Bard least. Ironically, the spirit of the Old Globe is probably expressed more faithfully in Palmer’s staging than in a more traditional, but stuffy, approach to the material.

Bag & Baggage’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost runs through August 9^th with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. All performances are held at the Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza, 150 E. Main Street, Hillsboro.

The Flood Comes to Hillsboro

By Karlyn Weaver

HART Theatre’s current production of Crazy Old Man follows Noah, played wonderfully by Nick Hamilton, through his trials and tribulations in building the Ark. In this new musical version of the ancient tale, Noah reacts to frightening visions in his dreams and becomes a desperate man in a desperate situation. With the support of his family and despite the jeering of local townsfolk and singing villains, Noah manages to muster up the courage needed to build the Ark in preparation for the ensuing deluge.

It is obvious from the beginning that an enormous amount of work has gone into this production; the cast mastered not only lines, sometimes complex blocking, and dancing…but also a myriad of songs. Director Paul Roder utilizes a cast of 32 actors to bring local authors Darrell Baker, Tina Arth, and Carl Coughlan's script, loosely based on the traditional Biblical story, to life on stage. At Saturday night’s performance, there were moments where the singing fell out of tune and could be lackluster, which was less than the music deserved.

Outside of “children’s theater” productions, there aren't many shows staged locally where children are included as a large part of the cast. This production, with about half of its cast cast members ranging in age from 5 to 16, does a fantastic job of not only including them but then holding the spotlight on them so they can shine. Especially impressive is the talent shown by Canden Clement (who plays Shem) and Mackenzie Gross (who plays Sarah). They are an absolute delight in their acting abilities as well as their singing.

A few other particularly notable characters from the show include the evil Madame Shamhat, played by Sarah Ominski, who carries an electric energy onto the stage with her presence. She brings along her dancing girls, and their spirit resounds through the townspeople and the theatre. Director Paul Roder also plays Noah’s friend Jehosephat, a loving, gentle father whose rendition of “It's Gonna Rain” at the end of the show leaves the audience joyously clapping along.

Crazy Old Man has a fun set and wonderful music along with a hard working cast. It is well worth a look, especially to show support for a local community theater with the courage to bring original work to the stage!

Crazy Old Man is playing at Hillsboro’s H.A.R.T. Theatre, 185 S.E. Washington Street, through August 3d, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:00. A special benefit matinee is being offered at 2:00 on Saturday, July 19^th, with all proceeds being donated to Animal Aid (come at 1:30 that day for dancing by “Pure Portland” belly dancing troupe!).

Music Man at Broadway Rose

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

          Back in 1996, a Southern California paper dismissed a fine production of The Music Man (in which Darrell played a role) as “serviceable theater” but averred that “it’s time to put it away…there’s nothing more to be added, nothing new to say” about this venerable classic. As Broadway Rose’s current production clearly demonstrates, the reviewer could not have more thoroughly missed the point of live theater. A classic movie like Casablanca or Raiders of the Lost Ark can be revisited at will in the privacy of your own home, and on occasion even at a big screen revival, but the only way to keep a great theatrical piece alive is to continually (re-) produce it.


          That said, Broadway Rose is by no means merely delivering “serviceable theater” with “nothing new to say.” From the moment the curtain opens on the hypnotic light of a massive train engine until the last chaotic, dissonant notes of the River City Boys Band, the audience is transported to a vital, living, 1912 vision of small-town Americana. Over 50 years ago, author Meredith Willson froze this magic moment from his childhood with cryogenic precision. Director/choreographer Peggy Taphorn not only brings it back to life, she gives it new life, assisted by her amazing 40-person cast and music director Alan D. Lytle’s stunning orchestra (including, as is appropriate in a paean to marching bands, three trumpets, a trombone, four wood wind players, and a drummer).


The part of Harold Hill is often filled by actors who are adept at delivering the fast-talking, tongue-twisting “Ya Got Trouble” – but Joe Thiessen’s beautiful baritone brings a new dimension to the character; his sensitive delivery of “Till There Was You” makes his transformation from harsh and lecherous huckster to helpless romantic utterly believable. The audience can really buy that this particular Harold Hill gets his foot caught in the door. “The door,” of course, is the captivating Marian Paroo, played by Chrissy Kelly-Pettit. Just as some Harolds can’t sing, some Marians can’t act, but Kelly-Pettit’s singing and acting are in perfect alignment – lovely and powerful, with none of the quavering vulnerability sometimes associated with the role.


“Best Supporting Actor” level performances are delivered by Norman Wilson as Marcellus Washburn and Annie Kaiser as Mrs. Paroo. Both bring more to their respective roles than we have ever seen in a regional production. Wilson is a true triple-threat: a great tenor voice augmented by flawless comedic and terpsichorean timing. Speaking of timing, Kaiser’s Widow Paroo earns laughs in places usually missed – she certainly understands and exploits the power of the pregnant pause. Makenna Markman (“Amaryllis”) and Brandon B. Weaver (“Charlie Cowell”) make the most of their relatively minor roles without overacting. Weaver lifts his character from cartoonish villain to a more rounded and human adversary, motivated at least in part by sincere concern for the victims of Hill’s spellbinding flimflammery. Markman’s pretty voice complements her poignant and unrequited puppy love.

The teen ensemble, particularly in “Marian the Librarian” and “Shipoopi,” is imaginatively choreographed and the dancing is delivered with adolescent enthusiasm tempered by near-gymnastic precision. The vocal ensemble is consistently exciting, and the barbershop quartet is an audience pleaser from the earliest tentative notes of “Ice Cream” through the lovely counterpoint of “Lida Rose” and “Will I Ever Tell You.”


As the standing ovation from a huge crowd at the Deb Fennel Auditorium attests, The Music Man will never go out of style for musical theater lovers – especially when given the superb treatment it receives from Broadway Rose. The Music Man is playing at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium through Sunday, July 20th.

All Roads Should Lead to Leading Ladies

Dusti Arab (Meg), Alex Johnston (Leo/Maxine), and Zachary Centers
(Jack/Stephanie)

 

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

 

Despite what our cousins across the pond seem to believe, men in drag are not necessarily funny. However, put a man in a dress at Theatre in the Grove and the result is inexplicably, inevitably hilarious. Very few mothers dream of seeing their only son cavorting around in high heels, poufy skirt, and tasteful blonde pageboy, but Director and proud mom Pruella Centers seems to delight in transforming son Zach into a winsome lass (at least on stage) in Theatre in the Grove’s current production of Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies.

Struggling Shakespearean actors Leo and Jack, after a catastrophic performance at a nearby Moose Lodge, end up broke on a train to York, PA. Leo has a plan – they will impersonate missing English heirs Max and Steve and inherit $2,000,000 from their recently deceased “Aunt” Florence. However, they learn from roller-skating waitress-in-training Audrey that Max and Steve are actually sisters Maxine and Stephanie. Undaunted, Leo persuades Jack to join him in raiding their costume box – so they arrive at Aunt Florence’s estate attired as Cleopatra and Titania (wings and all) to claim the loot. Rumors of Aunt Florence’s demise prove premature – despite having been declared dead (twice!) by an exceptionally incompetent physician, she lingers on quite hardily through two acts of genuinely funny farce.

Jeanine Stassens brings a crusty wit to the role of Aunt Florence, and the scene where she pretends to die just to mess with her physician gets one of the biggest laughs of the evening. Fred Sherrill’s blustering, greedy, lascivious portrayal of Doc makes him her perfect foil. Doc’s son Butch (Evan Tait) is even more witless (but much more likeable) than his father – Tait’s portrayal evokes the part of the hapless “Chris” on Family Guy. When forced to play in a Shakespeare scene, Tait’s character’s stage fright and rushed lines earn him several big laughs.

As Aunt Florence’s third niece, ingénue “Meg,” Dusti Arab makes the most of the relatively the thankless role of straight man. Arab is cute and spunky, and shows a lot of grit when standing up to her hypocritical fiancé, the minister Duncan (Dan Harry). Harry’s performance is superbly self-righteous – a classic male chauvinist in clerical clothing, played with admirable restraint. Jeananne Kelsey as the roller-skating waitress “Audrey” is a delight, drawing on her considerable comedic skills to create a thoroughly loveable ditz.

The cross-dressing duo (Alex Johnston as Leo/Maxine and Zachary Centers as (Jack/Stephanie) dominates the production from start to finish. Alex’s confident conman is Oliver Hardy to Zach’s timid Stan Laurel – and comparisons to funny men Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder would not be out of line. The pair’s comic mastery is not just a function of costume; in or out of drag these guys are astonishing comedians, and director Pruella Centers makes the most of their talent.

We cannot fail to mention the gorgeous set, brought to us by some fine carpenters and the fertile mind of multi-talented set designer Zachary Centers. The remarkable period costumes (1950’s and Elizabethan) are brought by (wait for it) Pruella and Zachary Centers.

The show runs for two more weekends. Do yourself a favor, trek out to Forest Grove, and catch this gem while you can.

Leading Ladies is playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2128 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove through Sunday, June 22^nd with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm.

COLE PORTER CLASSIC GETS HART REMAKE

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Cole Porter’s classic musical comedy Anything Goes has survived a number of dramatic sea changes since it made its Broadway debut in 1934. Sings have been added, deleted, and reassigned, characters renamed, and plotlines modified, keeping the show remarkably fresh as it enters its 80^th year. Director Tony Bump’s current adaptation at Hillsboro’s HART Theatre fully exploits the license granted by this tradition, and the result is a lean, clever, fast-paced show that thoroughly entertains its 2014 audience.

Young Wall Street broker Billy Crocker comes aboard the S.S. American to deliver a passport to his boss. Billy encounters the lovely Hope Harcourt, for whom he has pined ever since they spent 9 (or was it 12?) hours in a hansom cab months earlier. Discovering that Hope is en route to England to marry stuffy British nobleman Sir Evelyn Oakleigh, Billy opts to stow away and disrupt the wedding plans. Gangster on the lam Moonface Martin takes Billy under his wing, and over the course of two acts, 18 musical numbers, countless disguises, sight gags, and cheap jokes Billy wins Hope’s hand. The plot is tied up nicely when Sir Evelyn marries alluring nightclub performer Reno Sweeney, Hope’s mother finds true love with Billy’s boss, and Moonface Martin is declared harmless by the FBI.

Andy Roberts (“Billy Crocker”) and Rachel Thomas (“Hope Harcourt”) make a cute and believable couple. Thomas shifts fluidly from starry-eyed infatuation to dignified petulance, while Roberts brings a playful insouciance to his pathetically obvious disguises. Their mastery of the tricky lyrics and meter of “It’s Delovely” make this lighthearted number one of the show’s highlights.

 

Dorinda Toner (“Reno Sweeney”) makes the most of a role originally defined by the great Ethel Merman. She is brassy, brash, and bubbly – a real belter with a great voice. In solos and backed by her “Angels” (a lovable quartet of slightly used, tap-dancing showgirls) she enthusiastically delivers the show’s liveliest numbers.

Steve Pitzel (“Sir Evelyn Oakleigh”) uses his extensive entertainment background to mine every possible nuance of what can be (but isn’t always) a great comic role. His timing, dry delivery, and exceptionally mobile eyes ensure that many of the show’s funniest situations get the laughs they deserve.

Anything Goes’ secret weapon is Stan Yeend as the machine gun totin’ Public Enemy #13, Moonface Martin. From his first moment on stage, Yeend holds the audience in thrall as he casually cavorts through an endless series of one-liners mixed with physical comedy. He is ably assisted by Megan Bronleewe as his sidekick, “Bonnie,” who gives a particularly funny twist to her delivery of “Heaven Hop.”

The show requires a strong ensemble for many of the big song and dance numbers; despite some problems with accompaniment director Bump’s cast is equal to the task. Audiences looking for a good old-fashioned musical with lots of laughs, lively tap dancing, and appealing songs will definitely enjoy the production.

Anything Goes runs through Sunday, June 22 with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 p.m. on Sundays at H.A.R.T. Theater, 185 S.E. Washington, Hillsboro.