PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE EARNS STRAIGHT As!





 

 

Once again, Washington County’s rich theater community has introduced us to a show we’ve never seen – this time, Theatre in the Grove’s production of The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – and it is well worth the drive to Forest Grove. A small-time spelling bee seems an unlikely subject for musical comedy, but director Zach Centers and his nine-person cast (all adults, and aided by three somewhat befuddled audience members) deliver two hours of fast-paced humor, pathos, and angst that manages to preserve some of the improvisational flavor of the show’s origin.

The story centers on six eccentric schoolchildren (of indeterminate ages) who are competing in the fictional Putnam County’s annual spelling bee. Last year’s winner, Chip, is a somewhat hyperactive boy scout who is competing against Logainne, a young girl being raised by her two fathers, Leaf, a dim and insecure boy who yearns for his family’s acceptance, William, an obsessively competitive nerd, Marcy, a perennially and parentally driven overachiever, and Olive, an impoverished but optimistic lost soul wending her way through life with little parental support. The competition is ill-managed by three pseudo-adults – Rona Lisa Peretti, who will never recapture the long-lost glory of her own spelling bee victory, angry and frustrated Vice Principal Panch, who will never be a principal (or very bright), and surprisingly empathetic Mitch Mahoney, the unlikely ex-con “comfort counselor” working off his community service hours by handing out hugs and juice boxes to eliminated contestants.

In a cast with no weak links, a few performances really demand special recognition. Brittney Spady (as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere) is by far the most successful at capturing the essence of awkward childhood. Her unusual lisp and effervescent outlook combine to capture the persona of a truly nice little girl.  In contrast, Jason Yates (Vice Principal Panch) does a great job of portraying the classic public school martinet – everything by the book; what little power he has comes from dominating the weak. His stunning transformation at the end of the bee gives us hope that even the coldest bureaucrat may harbor some human tendencies. Brittany Bickel (as Olive Ostrovsky) really sells the whole show – her poignant enthusiasm provides a stark counterpoint to the “win at any cost” ethic of the competition, and the audience, like Panch, ultimately falls in love with this sensitive underdog.

Vocal director Justin Canfield (who also plays William) draws strong ensemble work as well as interesting solo performances (some lovely, some deliberately quite awful) from the cast.  The small but mighty orchestra, conducted by Alicia Barrett, provides just the right musical touch – ranging from barely discernible to strident depending on the demands of the moment. Light designer Ward Ramsdell makes it possible for the cast to shift from high school gymnasium to intimate flashbacks and dreamlike spots.

TITG mainstay Zachary Centers (who served as costume and set designer in addition to his directorial role) has succeeded in capturing an often hilarious episode in the lives of  his “children” that shows them negotiating the tricky waters between childhood innocence and  adult realities (some of which render the show inappropriate for very young children). The Bee has two more weeks to run, and anyone who enjoys live musical theater will find a lot to like about this remarkable production.

The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove through April 21^st with performances Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

 

Spring Brings a Midsummer Night’s Dream to the HART

 

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

 

It takes a lot of courage for a director to tackle Shakespeare, because it is unlikely that anyone will enter the theater with a truly open mind, prepared to enjoy the production on its own merits. Part of the potential audience is prepared to be impressed by the lofty art of The Great Man, and thus willing to overlook a multitude of sins in pursuit of “culture.” Another group (if they enter at all!) harbors the suspicion that Shakespeare’s work is vastly overrated by gullible culture seekers (see above!) and really not worth all of the fuss. A final group, some slightly warped in high school and others fully deformed by college English Lit classes, approach Shakespeare as literature, to be analyzed and dissected over the course of a tortuously long term.

That said, thanks to Director Paul Roder for bringing a thoroughly entertaining production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Hillsboro’s H.A.R.T. Theatre. With the help of a small army (cast, sets, sound, lighting, costumes, make-up, choreography and more) Roder creates a magical and timeless world where fantasy reigneth supreme, and common sense ‘tis but a folly.

In what is arguably Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy, three worlds collide – The Fairy World, The Court of Athens, and The Rude Mechanicals (a troupe of extraordinarily inept actors). Theseus, Duke of Athens, eagerly awaits his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Two young men, Demetrius and Lysander, are both in love with Hermia. Hermia is enamored of Lysander, but betrothed by her father Egeus to Demetrius. Hermia’s friend Helena adores Demetrius and pursues him relentlessly, but to no avail. The Rude Mechanicals are preparing a play to present at the nuptials, in hopes of earning a 6-pnce/day annuity from the Duke. In the meantime Oberon, King of the Fairies, is estranged from Fairy Queen Titania due to perceived mutual infidelities. Young lovers make assignations in the woods while playful Puck prepares potions to punish Titania and realign the star-crossed lovers. Hijinks ensue, and as demanded by the comic medium, everything works out in the end.

The Fairy World is peopled by a charming ensemble of young girls whose enthusiastic flitting, dancing, harp playing, and giggling lead us into the magic of the play. Oberon (Laurence Cox) and Titania (Jody Spradlin) are both veteran actors, able to guide the audience through the nonsensical complexity of their story. Cox does double duty, shifting from Oberon’s masterful presence to Rude Mechanicals buffoon Snug the Joiner. The evening’s liveliest turn is that of Larry Jensen as Puck, whose nimble physical performance and delivery really capture the irrepressible spirit of the role. In this production, Puck has an alter-ego (Justin Campbell as Galmus) whose brooding presence provides a dark counterpoint to Puck’s spritely élan.

The Rude Mechanicals are beautifully cast as a Marxian (Groucho, not Karl) troupe, ironically providing comic relief in a comedy. Jake Beaver merits special mention for his portrayal of Nick Bottom, who is transformed from an egotistical and melodramatic ass to a literal ass, and back again. Another highlight within this lively ensemble is Chris White (Tom Snout), who is truly hilarious playing the wall in the “play within a play.”

 Brian Myers (Theseus) effectively conveys the character’s romantic side, awaiting his wedding night with a bit more eagerness than his delightful Amazonian fiancée (Ilana Watson). The young lovers (Penuel Corbin as Demetrius, Samuel Jones as Lysander, Kelly Brown as Helena, and Olivia Weiss as Hermia) have a lot of fun conveying the unbridled love, lust and frustration required by the sometimes convoluted plot. In particular, Brown and Weiss, each frantic at the prospect of love denied, really convey the difference between the demure Hermia and the bold Helena.

 Once again, H.A.R.T. performs a valuable service, this time by bringing such a likeable and accessible night’s dream to its audience.  Roder and company remind us that Shakespeare’s plays are living theater, fully experienced only when fully staged, rather than dry literary offerings.

 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is playing at Hillsboro’s H.A.R.T. Theatre, 185 S.E. Washington Street, through April 14^th, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:00.

MASK & MIRROR: FAUX TOMATOES AND FUN!

 

The villian, the damsel, and the hero from the play

 

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

 

There are a lot of different models for what a community theater can be, and fortunately Washington County provides homes to a tremendously diverse array of local stages. Based on How Sweet Was My Swamp, a good old-fashioned melodrama we saw Sunday night, it is safe to say that Tigard’s Mask & Mirror Community Theater fills a critical niche in the local theater scene. With the exception of one experience in the mid-1960’s, neither of us has ever seen a “community” theater group that so completely embraces the widest possible community.

How Sweet Was My Swamp adheres to the conventions of classic melodrama – complete with signs instructing us to boo, hiss, sigh, applaud, and throw (fake) tomatoes at the villains (or anyone whose bad pun earns our contempt). The only thing they do not instruct us to do is laugh, and the cast ensures that no sign is necessary. The plot is irrelevant – suffice it to say that there are scheming villains, a staunch and upright hero, a damsel in distress, two Brits and a passel of swamp-billies.

Clyde List and Jan Rosenthal (Sir Malcolm Beauchamp and Lady Bountiful Beauchamp), as two wildly misplaced British tourists, are hard-pressed to maintain a semblance of decorum amongst the primitives. Their stiff-upper-lip characters provide a distinct counterpoint to the rest of the cast, as they inexplicably accept the obviously unacceptable. The swamp-dwellers (ably portrayed by A. J. Taylor, Marilyn Peterson, Carolina Rios, and Adam Farnsworth) bring a back-woods fidelity to their stereotypical roles. Double kudos to Taylor for the aplomb with which he deflects tomatoes without missing a beat.

Ranger Harry Dangerfield (Casey Faupion) is a comic standout who manages to outdo Dudley Doright as he bounds heroically around the set. His counterpart, Mistress Dulcet (Amanda Mehl) plays “an orphan and delicate heroine” with appropriately heart-rending melodramatic pathos. John Bartholomew (Mansewer Jacques LeMort, Villain) and Amanda Jones (Miss Betty Noir, Sinistress and Receptionist) bring an abundance of serpentine menace to their roles – nasty and evil without going over-the-top, and just the sort of villains we all love to hate.

The evening’s tension might have been unbearable without the services of the traditional Olio performances, “designed to offer a respite from the action with some top-notch musical entertainment.” The three Olios (Nick Hamilton as Hamish Hamilton, Mimi Wilaki as Tap Dance Tillie, and Karen van Dyck as Whistling Wanda), while distinctly novelty acts, are surprisingly entertaining. Finally, there is “sign girl” Sarah Ominski, about whom Darrell could only say “there should have been more signs!”

From the moment we entered the auditorium, we felt welcomed into a warm community of theater-lovers – house staff, actors, Mask and Mirror Theater Singers, even our fellow audience members all seemed genuinely happy that we were there. Beginning the show with a sing-along is inspired, as it breaks the ice and allows the audience to uninhibitedly participate in the fun. Thanks to Director Gary Romans for overseeing the chaos; we are eagerly looking forward to Mask and Mirror’s May production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

How Sweet Was My Swamp runs Saturdays and Sundays through March 17^th at “The Stage” at Calvin Church, 10445 SW Canterbury Lane, Tigard, 97224.

"Swamp" cast members pose in costume

 

2013 a “Suite” Year for BCT

 Deborah Leinen as diva Athena Sinclair in BCT's Suite Surrender

 

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

 

2013 looks like the year that Beaverton Civic Theatre really puts itself on the map. In January, we thoroughly enjoyed Director Doreen Lundberg’s remarkable 60-minute cutting of The Miracle Worker, which was entered in Oregon’s American Association of Community Theatre Festival. On February 2^nd, in competition, this cutting garnered awards for directing, lighting design, and fight choreography, as well as the state-wide Best Actress Award for Hayley Rousselle’s portrayal of Helen Keller. Later this month Beaverton takes the show on the road as they advance to the regional competition in Richland, Washington.

 This heady success is followed by Suite Surrender, the first show of BCT’s fifth season. Friday night’s opening performance brought truly a full house – what a pleasure to be asked to move over a few seats to make room for the last arrivals! The next two hours flew by; perhaps the strongest cast we’ve seen on BCT’s stage kept the audience in stitches with playwright Michael McKeever’s hilarious WWII era comedy of errors.  In a nutshell, two aging actresses, bitter rivals, are accidentally placed in the same suite at a luxury hotel. Two befuddled bellhops, two secretaries, and one hotel manager are pushed to the brink by the challenge of keeping the divas apart. Slamming doors, a flying dog (stuffed, of course), a frequently concussed gossip columnist, star-crossed lovers, disappearing roses, and a fair amount of gin help to propel the story to its surprising conclusion.

 

Tony Smith as Otis and Aaron Morrow as Bernard S. Dunlap

 Aaron Morrow anchors the cast as hotel manager Bernard S. Dunlap. More than any other cast member, he bears the burden of somehow preventing the disaster looming on the horizon should the two actresses cross paths. As the show progresses, he moves from officious confidence to sweat-soaked anxiety with a deft comic sensibility. Both BCT veterans, bellhops Otis (Tony Smith) and Francis (Scott Kelly), give the best performances we have seen them deliver on local stages. Smith’s doddering, confused persona and distinctive phrasing create a uniquely appealing character. Kelly gives us a worldly and sardonic ingenue with a real flair for physical comedy. The hotel owner’s wife, Mrs. Osgood (Mary Weigel), is a star-struck social climber whose loud, shrill and pretentious delivery highlights her total lack of social grace. Her gauche behavior is more than matched by Jessica Reed as reporter Dora del Rio, who recognizes no boundaries and pays with numerous contusions.

Matthew Sunderland as Mr. Pippet

 The actresses’ two beleaguered personal secretaries carry a fair share of Suite Surrender’s comic load. Amanda Clark (as Murphy Stevens) utilizes her marvelously mobile face (those eyes!) to shift from panic and angst to love-struck ardor. Her counterpart Matthew Sunderland (Mr. Pippet), seemingly genderless and acutely aware of the extent to which he is underappreciated, is funny throughout but nowhere more than in the scene with Kelly and the red roses (go see the show for this, the biggest laugh of the evening).

Donna Haub as Claudia McFadden

Finally, the divas – two fine actresses, playing actresses acting. Deborah Leinen’s Athena Sinclair is a demanding cougar whose aversion to white roses is matched only by her affinity for self portraits and young men. Leinen’s broad delivery effectively captures the comic potential of the role. It is only the strength of the rest of the cast that prevents us from saying that Donna Haub (as Claudia McFadden) steals the show. She is dry, subtle, and acerbic – her timing is wonderful, and she is able with the lift of an eyebrow to create her wry, yet mysteriously likeable, character.

Director Kraig Williams shows a good eye for casting and character development, and he manages to walk the fine line between comedy and slapstick. He will be filling in as Mr. Pippet for the second week of the run, and we are tempted to see the show again just to find out how he will interpret the role. Production designer Marion Kessler and her crew of able assistants have created a beautiful set that accommodates a lot of action in the very limited space available.

Suite Surrender is on stage through Saturday, March 16^th at the Beaverton City Library Auditorium.
 

CUCKOO’S NEST SOARS AT THEATRE IN THE GROVE

 

The Cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at Theatre in the Grove.

 

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker 

Theatre in the Grove does not shy away from productions that jar their audiences’ sensibilities, as is amply demonstrated by the current production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. While the mental health system has changed radically since the late fifties (electroshock therapy and frontal lobotomies are no longer treatments du jour), the darker theme of a social order imposed by mindless obedience to an arbitrary rulebook is at least as relevant now as when the play (and book) were written.

The play (by Dale Wasserman and based on Ken Kesey’s iconic 1962 novel) portrays life on the men’s ward of an Oregon mental hospital. Despite the breadth of lunacy on the ward, order is maintained by Nurse Ratched, whose rigid rules dictate every facet of the inmates’ lives. This simmering tranquility is brought to the boiling point by the arrival of R. P. McMurphy, a very sane petty criminal and con man who feigns mental illness so that he can sit out his five month sentence in the mental hospital. The inevitable conflict between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched drives the play to its powerful and jarring conclusion.



Stevo Clay as R.P. McMurphy (right)
and Zachary Centers as Billy Bibbit.

Director Dan Harry has assembled a generally strong cast from whom he draws a number of superb performances.  Stevo Clay (R.P. McMurphy) delivers flawlessly, and is well-worth the price of admission. He is engaging, charming, iconoclastic, fast talking – the Harold Hill of the wacky factory.  Further, he seamlessly manages the character’s transitions from con to conformist to martyr.  Aleks Merilo plays Harding, the “bull goose loony” who loses top dog status to McMurphy, with intelligence and sensitivity despite the character’s sardonic bent. Zachary Centers is simply amazing as pathetic, stuttering, virginal, suicidal momma’s boy Billy Bibbit. His portrayal displays the depth of Bibbit’s complex neuroses, and he easily earns the audience sympathy that is essential to the play’s climax.

The stage is set in many ways by the slow and deliberate narration of Chief Bromden (Jim Feemster), who is able to grow psychologically into his hulking physical presence.

The rest of the patients on the ward (Ted Felt as Scanlon, William “Chandano” Fuller as Cheswick, Joshua Willis as Martini, Fred Sherrill as Ruckley, and Joey Steve as Chronic Patient), each maladjusted in his own way, manage to express their various psychoses with a flamboyance tempered by respect for the characters they portray.  Even at their looniest, there is no sense of comic mockery. Many thanks to the cast and director for their sensitivity in crafting this bizarre but restrained microcosm.

 Anita Zijdemans Boudreau brings her own interpretation to the role of Nurse Ratched. Her intent (based on what we read on-line) is to humanize the key female character by portraying her as sincerely concerned with the patients’ welfare. From our perspective, this is problematic because the role as written simply does not sustain the approach. Kesey and Wasserman drew a Nurse Ratched who would require unanimous votes on ward policy when one of the voters is catatonic, who would drive Billy Bibbit to suicidal despair, and no reading of the script really allows for the benign mindset Boudreau seeks. However, she emanates a passive-aggressive, sterile malice that pushes all of the right buttons. In stark contrast to Nurse Ratched’s sterility is prostitute Candy Star (Ashli Zijdemans), whose overt sexuality and effusive enthusiasm bring astonishing vitality to the ward whenever she appears.

The set, lighting, and sound combine to evoke an eerily institutional feel that provides the perfect background for the show’s action. The near-capacity audience (at a Sunday matinee!) was clearly as impressed as we were with the entire production. Caution – this is not a show for children or the faint at heart – both the language and themes require a mature sensibility!

 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest plays at Forest Grove’s Theatre in the Grove through March 10^th.

YOU’LL LOVE HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES



By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker


 

The cast of "How the Other Half Loves"

H.A.R.T. Theatre’s production of How The Other Half Loves delivers a hearty dose of fast-paced drawing-room comedy to the Washington County theater scene, and Dan Kroon tackles this extraordinarily challenging show with a skill that belies his status as a first-time director.

At first glance it may not seem like that complex an endeavor – after all, there’s only one set and six actors. However, the “one” set is, in fact, two separate apartments simultaneously occupying the same space, and the six cast members (three 1990’s era British couples) inhabit one locale or another within this space depending on the demands of the script. Worse (or better) yet, in a pivotal scene one couple attends two different dinner parties (one in each apartment) with different hosts, on different evenings, at the same time and at the same dining table!

Sound confusing? It could be, but the combination of author Alan Ayckbourn’s warm and witty script, Kroon’s deft direction, a brilliant set, and six solid performances keep the audience on track and engaged for 2+ hours of comedy that flies by. The story itself adheres to many classic “comedy of errors” traditions – marital infidelity (actual and illusory), discontented spouses, stereotypical British class warfare, lies, gossip, and bullies who get their comeuppance.
 

 



Michael Rouches as Frank Foster

Michael Harry Rouches plays Frank Foster, the older, gentrified boss whose wife Fiona (Danielle Valentine) is having an affair with one of Frank’s subordinates. Rouches is charmingly befuddled throughout, and one of the most consistently likeable characters in the show – a stark counterpoint to Valentine’s brittle and condescending British matron. Valentine’s comic timing and clipped British accent provide an effective foil to Rouches’ performance as the hapless cuckold.

 

Dennis Kujawa and Meghan Daaboul (Bob and Teresa Phillips) represent the other end of the class spectrum – he the glib, bullying, self-centered misogynist and she the angry and thoroughly disenchanted working-class new mom who is sure (for good reason) that her no-good husband is cheating.  Kujawa does an outstanding job of making the audience despise him, while Daaboul earns a little sympathy although her maternal skills are somewhat impaired.



Dennis Kujawa and Meghan Daaboul

Brick Andrews as William Featherstone and Holly Danelle as his wife Mary, while given a bit less stage time, are figuratively and literally caught in the middle. Andrews and Danelle carry the dinner party scene on their able shoulders, instantly and fluidly switching between Thursday’s dinner with the boss and Friday’s awkward meal at the Phillips’ apartment. While the entire show calls for exquisite timing, this scene is by far the most demanding, and both Andrews and Danelle rise to the challenge. Furthermore, Danelle does a superb job of navigating her character’s transition from mousy, insecure doormat to, if not Margaret Thatcher, at least a decently assertive and confident woman.

Thanks to director Kroon for assembling a cast capable of making us (and our fellow audience-members) laugh over and over throughout the evening.  The packed house was well-deserved, and we hope that the show enjoys continued strong attendance!

 

How The Other Half Loves is playing at Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theatre through March 3.

I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE

Photo by Chris Ryan. Pictured from left is Amy Jo Halliday, Joshua Stenseth, Leah Yorkston, and Colin Wood.

Broadway Rose kicks off its 2013 Season

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker
 

Broadway Rose Theatre Company’s theme this season is “Discover a Season of Unforgettable Memories in 2013” and the opening show, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change fits comfortably into the mold. The long-running show (12 years - second only to The Fantasticks in the length of its Off-Broadway run) has consistently amused and entertained audiences since its 1996 debut, and will probably continue to do so for many years to come.

The show makes no pretense at being cutting-edge, and even when it was first produced some of author Joe DiPietro’s vignettes were based on time-honored clichés about the full spectrum of complications when man and woman try to get together. On the other hand, it is the enduring commonality of these situations that makes the show’s humor so accessible to its audiences – despite the advent of Twitter and Skype (or whatever this week’s media-of-the-moment might be), in many ways nothing has changed in the world of dating, love and marriage.

With no unifying plot and only four actors, each one occupying a character who lasts only as long as a song/dialogue vignette (and there are 21 in the show!), it is a challenge to fully engage the audience. Happily, Director Sharon Maroney peoples her cast with four heavy hitters (all regulars in top-notch Portland area productions) who have the amazing voices, timing, and comedic skill to keep the customers satisfied.

Some of the show’s best moments come in numbers where all four cast members perform together, delivering intricate harmonies and powerful solos sandwiched in the crisply delivered comedy. In an evening filled with laughs, the audience was especially receptive when Amy Jo Halliday and Colin Wood portrayed grandchild-seeking missiles frustrated by son Joshua Stenseth’s inability to commit, and girlfriend Leah Yorkston’s focus on her career over marriage and family. Who among us has not been there, either as parent, child, date, or all three? 

Wood is especially effective in “Shouldn’t I Be Less in Love With You?” which is essentially a solo spot in the spirit of Fiddler on the Roof’s “Do You Love Me?” (wife Halliday is on stage throughout, but is so wrapped up in the morning paper that she barely glances his way).  However, all four cast members give us memorable moments well beyond the demands of the material.

Amazingly for a show with as many quick character changes as I Love You…, there were no discernible technical errors – quick changes in sound, lighting, costumes, and sets were accomplished without a hitch. While this is a “small” show in some ways, the production is deceptively complex. The director, tech crew, and musicians as well as the actors clearly put in the time and thought required to make the first offering of Broadway Rose’s 2013 season unforgettably memorable.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change plays at Broadway Rose’s New Stage in Tigard through February 24^th.