DEARLY BELOVED – What’s Not To Love?

Sarah Ominski, Jani VanPelt, and Diana LoVerso Photo by Al Stewart Photography, Tualatin

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Theater serves a lot of purposes – it can move you, inspire you, scare you, make you think – but some shows are just good clean fun. Mask & Mirror’s current offering lands squarely in the latter camp, and the opening night audience responded by having an exceptionally good time. Dearly Beloved comes from the prolific pens of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, a writing team that specializes in “Southern Comedy.” Mask & Mirror produces at least one show a year from this general literary pool, so director Gary Romans and many of his regular actors are particularly comfortable with the deft touch needed to deliver the material.

Tyler Beadle, Aurea Taylor Photo by Al Stewart Photography, Tualatin

The show’s premise is somewhat convoluted, and revolves around the complicated relationship of the three slightly tacky Futrelle sisters, Honey Raye (Sarah Ominski), Twink (Diana LoVerso), and Frankie (Jani VanPelt). Frankie is planning an over-the-top “Gone With The Wind” themed wedding for Tina Jo, the older of her twin daughters.  As one might expect in a Southern Comedy, the hominy jest don’t always stick to the grits.

Ominski is an utterly fearless actress who pounces on her entire role with the same fervor that she brings to shucking down (part way) and leaping on the buffet table to attack the turkey.  VanPelt effectively portrays a woman who is the polar opposite – trying (in vain) to fit in with the local gentry, and eager to marry her daughter off to one of its scions. LoVerso skillfully captures the extremes of both sisters in a deceptively complex role. 

Although the show revolves around the women, some of the most fun comes from the men. Twink’s fiancé Wiley (Ted Schroeder) gets a lot of laughs as he moves from wild-eyed incoherence to near-comatose. Frankie’s husband Dub (Michael Allen) brings a likeable if lumbering charm to his role as the compliant but reluctant  father of the bride. There’s more than a little of Barney Fife in highway patrolman John Curtis Buntner (Stephen Radley) and Radley draws upon every Southern stereotype for his performance. UPS Driver/seminarian Justin Waverly (Tyler Beadle) nails the part of a befuddled blue collar ingénue coping with the women drawn like moths to the undeniable sex appeal of a man in a brown uniform.

The rest of the cast are thoroughly enjoying themselves, too – having almost as much fun as the audience.  Aurea Taylor is a fine physical comic whose shy portrayal of younger twin Gina Jo is highlighted by her awkward management of a truly hideous bridesmaid’s hoop skirt. Virginia Kincaid (as Patsy Price, the mother of the unseen groom) simply oozes snobbery.  Rounding out the cast are two more southern stereotypes, fully realized. Pat Romans is the enterprising multitasker, running the local florist shop/bus station and serving as the town’s premier wedding planner. Local psychic Nelda Lightfoot (Pamela Hough) projects just the right aura of mysterious chicanery to her malleable predictions.

The basic set (a church hall) is quickly converted into a variety of locations with portable set pieces and well-timed blackouts. Viola Pruitt’s costumes are colorful and appropriate to the characters and locale. The final (brief) concert by the Futrelle Sisters, reliving past glory as the Sermonettes touchingly brings the show full circle.

Dearly Beloved runs Saturdays and Sundays through March 22nd^t at “The Stage” at Calvin Church, 10445 SW Canterbury Lane, Tigard, 97224, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 2:00 p.m. on Sundays.

YOU’RE WELCOME IN BCT’S DINING ROOM

Teresa Chrisinger, Kraig Williams, and Stan Yeend

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Once upon a time, there was a group of Americans called “WASPS” (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants). They generally ranged from the truly wealthy to upper-middle class, and they dominated much of our nation’s cultural, economic, and political structure for generations. WASP culture was promulgated primarily by the females of the species, who did not work outside the home and were inordinately proud of their English heritage, antique furniture, Wedgewood china, Waterford crystal, sterling silver flatware, and Mayflower Society certificates. Their daughters went to cotillion and became debutantes, their sons attended private prep schools (Phillips Exeter, anyone?), they belonged to country clubs and played golf. And their homes had capacious dining rooms where they gathered at dinner (and often at breakfast, too) for family meals – uninterrupted by ubiquitous modern distractions like television and telephones.

Beaverton Civic Theatre’s current production of A. R. Gurney’s The Dining Room is a play that lovingly explores and mocks the demise of WASPs as the (self-proclaimed) arbiters of culture in American society. The simple set (a single room dominated by a large dining room table and a correspondingly massive china cabinet) provides the backdrop for a series of dining room-centered stories, each illustrating a different aspect of genteel living.

Even though Doreen Lundberg has demonstrated her skill as a director time and again, we were still a bit nervous about how she would handle a small cast portraying 50+ different characters of all ages in almost a score of separate vignettes. In other hands, it could have been a train wreck, but Lundberg and her 6-person cast find the thematic unity necessary to express the larger story by telling their small tales.

BCT is fortunate to have a core group of talented actors who frequently populate its stage, and four of the six performers in The Dining Room are drawn from this group. We were delighted, however, to see two new faces on stage. Teresa Chrisinger plays ten different parts, ranging from a little girl to an Alzheimer’s stricken grande dame. She is effective in all roles, but her shining moment is the scene (with the other newcomer, Susan Page-Giberson) where two unsupervised teen girls dig into the parental liquor cabinet and create a lethal combination of gin, vodka, and Fresca to help them pass the afternoon. Having been there (up to and including the Fresca and the watered-down vodka) we can attest to the scene’s fundamental authenticity as well as the girls’ ability to capture the mood. Page-Giberson also navigates the gap between various social classes with finesse, one minute the passive-aggressive snob and the next the ubiquitous maid who is not seen and sees naught.

Now to the BCT “regulars” – beginning with Amanda Clark, a wonderful actress who knows how to use her spectacular eyes to sell any part she’s given.  Her petulantly defiant teen, who chooses theater with her aunt over dancing school, should resonate with any WASP daughter.  Aaron Morrow is at his best when he is playing an officious boor or a befuddled innocent. His take on the psychiatrist analyzing his contractor (a very neurotic Kraig Williams with daddy issues) is particularly funny. The high point of Williams’ many roles is the remarkable scene where, fruitlessly seeking approval, he imitates his father (Stan Yeend) as they read the morning paper at the dining table. Yeend is masterful throughout. He is one of the most versatile actors on Washington County stages, and his seriocomic performance as a doddering old man planning the distribution of his estate is strangely touching.

Those of us who personally experienced the demise of WASP culture (as attested by our Waterford crystal, sterling silver, and 1840’s era dining room table, all inherited from our parents) cannot help but enjoy this show. The real audience, however, must be younger generations who might otherwise never know, first-hand, how little they have missed!

The Dining Room runs through Saturday, March 14^th at the Beaverton City Library Auditorium, 12375 SW Fifth Street, Beaverton, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 p.m. on Sundays.

THE SPITFIRE GRILL A MUST-SEE AT THEATRE IN THE GROVE

Cast members Jessica Reed (Percy), Jeanna
Van Dyke (Hannah), and Jennifer Yamashiro (Shelby)

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

It is not often that a play inspires audience members to seek out and thank the director at show’s end. Theatre in the Grove’s current production of The Spitfire Grill is just such a production. TITG veteran director Darren Hurley has achieved a long-held dream by bringing this powerful musical to Forest Grove, and he has assembled a cast, orchestra, and production crew worthy of his vision.

The Spitfire Grill by James Valcq and Fred Alley, based on Lee David Zlotoff’s film of the same name, is one of the best shows you never heard of; once seen, it is a show you will never forget. Percy Talbot, a young woman just released from prison, hops a bus to Gilead, Wisconsin, selected because she fell in love with a photo of the fall leaves in a travel magazine. Gilead turns out to be a minute hamlet, depressed by the closure of the local quarry and stranded by the re-routing of the interstate. Percy gets a job at the only diner in town, the Spitfire Grill, which owner Hannah Ferguson has been trying unsuccessfully to sell for over a decade. Percy and local housewife Shelby Thorpe cook up a scheme to raffle off the grill, and this plan forms the skeleton of the show.

Jessica Reed’s powerful performance as Percy anchors a truly amazing cast. Her strong and beautiful voice sells a series of complex and emotional ballads; her acting is impeccable. Jeanna Van Dyke as Hannah gives the vocal and dramatic performance of a lifetime. Reed and Van Dyke literally brought us (and the people around us) to tears at one point in Act II. Jennifer Yamashiro as Shelby is the third musketeer in this dynamic diner triumvirate. Her lovely voice lends a bluesy touch to her solos, and she masterfully navigates her character’s transition from shy sparrow to confident eagle. The fourth woman in the cast, Melanie Shaw (as local gossip/postmistress Effie Krayneck) skillfully lends an occasional and much needed touch of comic relief.

The show’s three men, Justin Canfield (police officer Joe Sutter), James Grimes (Shelby’s husband Caleb Thorpe), and Thomas Robinson (the Visitor) round out the cast with their distinctive characterizations of a lonely male ingénue, a depressed and controlling bully, and a mysteriously silent vagrant. Canfield (who does superb double duty as vocal director) is believable as the upstanding and sympathetic local cop. In the belligerent “Ice and Snow” Canfield, Grimes, and Shaw form a powerful trio that captures the town’s desperate plight, while Canfield’s duet with Reed in “This Wide Woods” displays his character’s romantic side. Grimes, whose huge voice in “Digging Stone” clearly demonstrates the breadth and depth of his frustration, provides some of the show’s best vocal moments. Despite the absence of any songs or dialogue, Robinson’s mute performance is as eloquent as any on the stage, especially in the scene where he and Percy watch the sun rise over Gilead.

Under the direction of pianist Ingrid Unterseher, the five-piece orchestra is so good that we occasionally found ourselves watching the musicians as they interpreted the score – especially the interplay between fiddler and cellist.  The set design and evocative lighting obviate the need for scene changes – multiple levels, spotlights and colored gels convey movement of the principals as well as the shifting seasons.

The Spitfire Grill is community theater at its best, and fully merits the attention of audiences from the entire Portland metro area as well as enthusiastic local support.

Theatre in the Grove’s production of The Spitfire Grill runs through Sunday, March 15^th with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

SPOON RIVER – Take Time to Explore the Depths

Shown in picture (left to right): Cindy Swager, Robbie Estabrook, Debbie Davis, Steve Pitzer, Sarah Kollars,and Chuck Weed. Picture by Tyson Redifer.

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Every once in awhile it is comforting to be reminded that sin, corruption, and hypocrisy are not recent creations of a godless, materialistic present that has somehow eluded the timeless virtues of classic traditional values. Way back in 1915 Edgar Lee Masters wrote the original Spoon River Anthology, adapting a unique narrative structure in service of the occasionally depressing but eternal truth that small towns often breed small minds; people who live their lives with more concern for propriety than joy end up buried on the same hill as those who fully embrace life – but they have a lot less fun getting there.

Charles Aidman’s 1963 theatrical adaptation of Spoon River is, like the original book, a gloomily captivating glimpse of 19^th century Americana, and the version presented by HART co-directors Paul Roder and Tyson Redifer faithfully captures the grim ambience of both Aidman’s and Masters’ vision. While the lighting, music, and graveyard setting all help to create the necessary mood, it is the six-person core cast that really brings the show’s eerie tone to life.

The dramatically abridged HART production does not include all of the songs and other material from the Broadway original, but it does include brief segments of original music by bassist Chris Ronek and fiddler Tamera Snelling.  Redifer and Roder have selected a very talented cast, and their choices for which actors populate each of the dozens of separate tableaus ensures steady quality across the performances. Core actors Chuck Weed, Cindy Swager, Steve Pitzel, Debbie Davis, Robbie Estabrook, and Sarah Kollars easily shift from character to character, often quietly modifying their personas along with their wardrobes upstage while other actors are momentarily the center of attention. Musical numbers are handled primarily by two extraordinarily gifted singers and actors, Estabrook and Kollars, whose rendition of  “Drunk As I Could Be” is both a musical and a comic highlight of the show. 

Light Board Operator Libby Solheim does a masterful job of implementing Peter Stein’s clever lighting design. Without a single set change, the audience is able to follow the cast through the show’s many vignettes and imputed locales. The live and prerecorded music work well together, providing a consistent soundtrack to create the necessary mood. On opening night there were a few places where the canned music was a bit too loud, and the actors’ lines consequently muddied – but this can easily be fixed.

Unless audience members enter the theater already thoroughly familiar with Spoon River Anthology, the show will require some contemplation. Be prepared to enjoy the production while you are there, but to see your appreciation grow over time as you think about what you have seen. Roder, Redifer and company have succeeded in plumbing the depths of Masters’ and Aidman’s complex and challenging narrative.

Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theatre (HART) presents Spoon River Anthology through Sunday, March 1, with performance Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

KANDER AND EBB – CHICAGO AND CABARET JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Broadway Rose general manager/director Dan Murphy is a self-proclaimed lover of revues, as any look at past seasons will attest. As reviewers, we find that there are revues, and then there are revues. The weakest ones often offer up a flimsy wraparound story struggling to support a series of musical clichés. The best bring to audiences something old, something new, and a creative flair that makes it all quite wonderful.

The current production of The World Goes Round is a celebration of the works of John Kander and Fred Ebb (think Chicago, Cabaret, Kiss of the Spider Woman and several iconic songs we didn’t even realize were taken from musicals). It is quite wonderful…

Both cast and band are beautifully suited to the demands of Kander and Ebb’s most powerful, best-known works interspersed with a less familiar body of quaintly romantic ballads and novelty songs. Jennifer Goldsmith’s wide vocal range allows her to open the show with a bang - she knocks “And The World Goes Round” out of the park, and her rendition of “My Coloring Book” explores every nuance of an already tender and visceral number.  In any battle for “best in show” Goldsmith faces fierce competition from Joey Côté, whose rendition of “Mr. Cellophane” captures all of the wry pathos of Bert Williams’ “Nobody” – and the staging of the number (especially the lighting and the band’s oddly appropriate accompaniment) perfectly complements the song’s quirky and wistful tone.

The competition is just as strong in the novelty department. The entire cast sparkles (on roller skates, no less!)  in “The Rink” – a number that also highlights the skill of choreographer Erin Shannon. Grace O’Malley’s amazing costume design helped to make second act opener “Ring Them Bells” a comic tour de force. Côté’s “Sara Lee” is lively, cute, and well-staged, but still possibly outmatched by Andrew W. Foster’s hilarious posturing, and Ecaterina Lynn’s dry delivery, of “Arthur in the Afternoon.” Foster proves that he’s got a great set of lungs under those pectoral muscles with his seductively dynamic interpretation of “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

Among the songs that were new to us, the most memorable may be “Colored Lights” (from The Rink). Erin Charles’ poignantly restrained delivery, supported by  imaginative lighting, makes this relatively unknown gem one of the show’s highlights.

The strength of the show’s vocal ensemble shines most brightly in “New York, New York” when the five cast members, at one point, are not only singing harmony, they are singing simultaneously in four different languages. Musical director Jeffrey Childs (who does double duty as the show’s pianist) has crafted the five already accomplished vocalists into something that is so much more than the sum of its parts!

If The World Goes Round is reflective of the kind of musical revue that Dan Murphy wants to bring to Broadway Rose’s New Stage, then all we can say is “bring ‘em on.” If you love the work of Kander and Ebb, see this show. If you, like us, are not familiar with the vast majority of their work, then it is even more imperative that you take this chance to be charmed by an unbelievable songwriting duo.

The World Goes Round runs at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through March 1.

MASKS AND MAGIC AT THEATRE IN THE GROVE

Gaston - Nick Nieder; Lefou (on back) - Andrew Inman

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

There’s no denying it – Disney sells. Near capacity crowds at Theatre in the Grove’s current production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. are providing ample proof that young audiences and their parents welcome an occasional infusion of family fun in their community theater. Given the number of kids in the cast (~30) this would probably be true irrespective of the quality of the production – but if this Sunday’s matinee performance is a representative sample, then the large crowds are well justified.

As with other “Jr.” theatrical productions, the show is an abridged version of a longer musical (as well as the hugely popular animated feature). Under the direction of Donald Cleland, cast members ranging from 8 to 18 pour their hearts into almost 90 minutes of non-stop singing, dancing, and acting. Given the age range of the kids, it is no surprise that not all of the performances are of equal quality, but musical director Kathleen Lacock and choreographer Amy Nelson have whipped the cast into a solid ensemble that delivers Disney magic with aplomb.

The principal leads are among the more mature cast members, and their experienced performances provide a firm foundation. Dessa Myatt (“Belle”) has a pleasant voice and is able to bring the audience along on her character’s journey through a constantly changing world. Nick Nieder (as the evil “Gaston”) has a commanding bass/baritone voice that complements his equally commanding physique. Demetrius Davis-Boucher (“Beast/Prince”) has perhaps the most challenging role – he succeeds in creating and projecting his voice and character while trapped behind the beast’s (magnificent) mask for most of the show. Among the supporting players, there are several bright spots, including Spencer Putnam (“Cogsworth”), Andrew Inman (“Lefou”), Jack Thias (“Lumiere”), Catalina Montelongo (“Mrs. Potts”), Alex Kennedy (“Chip”), and Athena Van Dyke (“Madame de la Grande Bouche”).



The ensemble rehearses a musical number.

Much of the show’s magic springs from the incredible creativity of Pruella and Zachary Centers. Pruella’s masks for the Beast and the Wolves allow the characters to bring the fairy tale to life, and each mask is an individual work of art (when seen close up, the level of detail is astonishing). Son Zachary works on a much larger scale – but the detail, artistry, and mechanical craftsmanship of his set design allows a series of seamless transitions from village to forest to castle. Sharon Cunningham’s remarkable costumes also play a big role in creating the fantasy, particularly for the semi-human characters in the castle. Lighting is effective, and the sound (always a challenge with pre-recorded music) is generally clear and crisp, although the un-miked performers (particularly the narrators) are occasionally overwhelmed by the volume.

If you go to see this entertaining show, be sure to take a kid or two along – like a trip to Disneyland, it’s a lot more fun when seen through the lens of a child’s sense of wonder.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. runs through Sunday, January 25^th at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

 

DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL COMES TO LIFE ON STAGES’ STAGE

Pictured above (on the upper level) David Vandyke ("Ryan"), Max Nevers ("Troy"), Emily
Niebergall ("Gabriella"), Hallie Bartel ("Sharpay"), and Marlena Starrs
("Ms. Debus"). Photo by Frank Hunt.

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

On a cold, rainy winter afternoon, spending two hours watching 20+ young teens sing, dance, and act can be a real treat. The STAGES Performing Arts Youth Academy production of Disney’s High School Musical, currently playing at Hillsboro’s HART Theatre, is just such an experience.

Is the show great art? Of course not – it’s the latest iteration of a formula that began 80 years ago with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, since carried on in Bye Bye Birdie, Grease, and a host of other teen-themed productions. Boy meets girl, high school peer pressure (exemplified by the evil drama queen Sharpay and narrow-minded adults) conspires to separate the pair and thwart their dreams. Eventually love, reason, fair play, and convenient cell phones foil the wicked plot.

The thin story line is held together by an exceptionally hard-working and enthusiastic cast comprised primarily of middle schoolers, with a handful of high school-aged students filling some of the more mature roles. As we would expect with actors in that age range, there is wide variation in the quality of the solo numbers, but musical director Jenae Gregory and Vocal Coach Barb Edwards have succeeded in molding the group into a harmonious and powerful vocal ensemble. We are even more impressed by the quantity and quality of the dancing and the complexity of Director/Choreographer Luis Ventura’s choreography.  The entire cast is engaged in many of the dance numbers, and they display impeccable timing that actually seems to support the crisply coordinated vocal work. The basketball work integrated into the choreography of “Getcha’ Head in the Game” calls for a new level of coordination rarely demanded of amateur dancers, and the one slight bobble we saw at the Sunday matinee in no way diminished our enjoyment – nor did it distract the dancers.

Many performers display surprisingly mature acting skills; a quick glance at the cast bios reveals a depth of experience unexpected in such a young cast. Our ability to comment on individual performances is limited, as several roles are double cast. Of the actors we saw, we particularly enjoyed Marlena Starrs (“Ms. Darbus”), Hallie Bartel (“Sharpay”), David Vandyke (“Ryan Evans”), Max Nevers (“Troy Bolton”), Emily Niebergall (“Gabriella Montez”), and Sarah Felder (“Kelsi”), Caleb Inman (“Coach Bolton”), and Julianne Robinson (“Taylor”). The cheerleaders form a smoothly athletic dance team, but Caleb Kinder (“Chad”) is perhaps the strongest and most eye-catching dancer in the show. The massive set actually seems to expand, rather than diminish, the limited space available on the HART’s tiny stage, and the scene changes are integrated seamlessly into the production.

In addition to introducing young audiences to live theater (the little girl in Row C dancing along with the cast was just adorable!), STAGES is helping to fill the educational gap created by reductions in arts funding for public schools. A few dedicated adults provide the framework and training, then step back and allow the young performers and crew members to bring the show to life – the show’s key message is that kids need to be allowed to grow and test themselves in new and unexpected ways, and the actual production fulfills precisely this role.

Disney’s High School Musical runs at the HART Theatre, 185 SE Washington, Hillsboro through Sunday, January 25^th with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:00 p.m. matinees on Sunday.

Upcoming auditions:

Auditions for "Belles on Their Toes", the sequel to"Cheaper by the Dozen" are being held on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 19th and 20th from 6 to 8:30pm at My Binding, 5500 NE Moore Court Hillsboro, OR 97124. www.stagesyouth.org.