Broadway Rose’s Oklahoma Climbs Clear Up To The Sky!

By Tina Arth

Almost fifty years ago, a high school sophomore ambled onto the stage at the San Gabriel Playhouse and sang “There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow...” and for me, it was the beginning of a lifelong love affair – not with the actor, but with the show. The current Broadway Rose production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s sweeping epic Oklahoma reminds me of why this beautiful musical captured and has held my heart for half a century.

The setting, and the sets, of Oklahoma evoke an image of a golden time in American history when everything seemed possible, when people willing to take risks, work hard, and look out for their neighbors could be rewarded with a secure and happy future for themselves and their families. Of course there is much mythology in the image – one has to suspend for a couple of hours one’s 21^st century sensibilities to environmental destruction and the oppression of indigenous people (not that there are any in the show – but the “open” land was not ceded voluntarily by the Five Civilized Tribes!). Oklahoma is a show about dreams – of freedom to plant crops, raise cattle, and build a community, of a surrey pulled by snow-white horses, of skyscrapers in Kansas City, of exotic truths emerging from a peddler’s smelling salts – and some of the show’s biggest songs pull the audience like a tractor beam right into the magic.

When it comes to Broadway style musicals, few local theatre companies can even hope to compete with Broadway Rose’s big summer productions. Director Sharon Maroney’s experienced hand ensures that the Oklahoma audience will see and hear a consistently professional, first-class show – elaborate and evocative sets, effective lighting, superb leads and vocal ensemble, crisp choreography, and an orchestra to die for.

Jared Miller (“Curly”) and Dru Rutledge (“Laurey”) bring years of training and experience to their roles. Their voices blend beautifully, and “People Will Say We’re In Love” is a simply breathtaking duet. If anything, they are a bit too good – it can be hard to reconcile their clear and flawless voices with the earthy pioneer and cowboy they portray. My personal pick for best performance goes to Megan Carver, whose “Ado Annie” somehow manages to be both naïve and experienced, a free-thinking inadvertent feminist with a simple sexuality that sells “I Cain’t Say No!” as a comic masterpiece. Another standout is Colin Wood (“Jud Fry”) who manages to convey a little of the pathos of his role as perennial underdog without losing his character’s menacing foundation.  The strength of the ensemble is eye opening in “Many a New Day” – the solos by several of the “girls” clearly show voices and attitudes that would do credit to lead roles in any big musical, and there are places where the female vocal ensemble has an almost Disney-like clarity and musicality.

Special recognition must go to choreographer Maria Tucker for the “Dream Sequence” – the dark ballet of Laurey’s nightmare often comes across as a jarringly psychedelic intrusion from a bad horror movie, but Tucker’s ballet is a more balanced blend of beauty and violence. Props for restraint also are due to Brynne Oster-Bainnson, whose costume design is refreshingly subdued, reflecting the earth tones and homespun fabrics that would have been available to the people of the frontier.

Once again, Broadway Rose has shown that they know their audience by delivering a beautiful production of a true classic, and the reward is the enthusiastic response of a truly appreciative public.

Broadway Rose’s Oklahoma runs through August 23d at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium.

Bye Bye Birdie C.A.S.T. Brings Youth Favorite to Forest Grove



Jeremiah Stephens (Albert) and Breanna Grimes (Rosie).
Photo by  Becca Cooper of "Portraits by Becca."

 

By Tina Arth

 

How do you turn a generation of tiny-screen texters into a legion of live-theatre lovers? Get them on stage having real, face-to-face fun – or at least put them into the audience of a live show! Theatre in the Grove’s remarkable Children’s After School Theatre (C.A.S.T.) program is working its magic again in 2015 with an ambitious production, the Young Performer’s Edition of the classic Bye Bye Birdie. Participation in the C.A.S.T. summer teen production provides an educational opportunity for all registrants, free of charge, to be on stage or to work backstage at a fully staged musical. To expand the program’s reach, the shows are priced at only $5.00 general admission – a great deal for families looking for an inexpensive and wholesome way to introduce kids to the wonders of theatre.

 
Like the more well-known “Jr.” shows, the Young Performer’s Edition of Birdie is condensed and, where appropriate, cleaned up a bit for younger audiences. The show is performed in one act, with minimal sets and prerecorded music to keep the production costs modest. Guided by Jeanna Van Dyke and Adam Borrego, in only 8 (very long) days of rehearsal, the cast of 34 (plus stage hands and techs) put together a lively and entertaining version of the 1960 musical loosely based on the furor surrounding Elvis Presley’s 1957 induction into the U.S. Army. It may not be perfect, but it is definitely fun.

The fictional rock star and teen idol Conrad Birdie has been drafted, and his mama’s boy manager Albert Peterson (pushed by his secretary/girlfriend Rose Alvarez) is trying to cash in on his departure with a huge publicity stunt. Conrad will go to Sweet Water, Ohio to bestow “One Last Kiss” on local fan club president Kim MacAfee. Kim’s starry-eyed friends, bratty little brother, frustrated dad, and jealous boyfriend ensure that the plan will go awry, as it does when 15 year old Kim goes off to a local makeout spot, The Ice House, with bad boy Conrad. Of course everything works out fine – Kim is reunited with boyfriend Hugo, Conrad is shipped off to the Army, and Albert’s interfering uber-momma Mae Peterson is tricked into boarding a train for New York. Meanwhile, Albert and Rosie head off to get married in Pumpkin Falls, Iowa, far from Mae’s grasping histrionics.

The show has some notable strengths, including the vocal and dance ensemble, which are amazingly coherent given the timeline and the open casting – clearly, Van Dyke and Borrego have worked hard with their cast, and clearly the performers have repaid their efforts with real dedication. Breanna Grimes (“Rosie”) and Jeremiah Stephens (“Albert”) are true professionals – even better this year than they were in last summer’s Into the Woods. I wish that the condensed version had retained “Spanish Rose” – I would have loved to see what Grimes could have done with it! Ian Romig (“Hugo”) has a refreshing take on the role – more mature and much less whiny than the average “Hugo.” Athena Van Dyke (“Kim”) is charming, and physically perfect for the role. However, I found myself wishing the part were written for an alto, as she has to fight for some of the higher notes. Van Dyke’s lovely voice comes through best in ensemble numbers where she can stay within her comfortable range.  Parker Loughmiller (“Conrad”) is obviously having a lot of fun with the role, and he has mastered the timing and attitude essential to a dissipated rock legend.

It’s tough to imagine any group that deserves community support more than TITG’s C.A.S.T. program. It’s fun, educational, and a truly egalitarian effort to expose today’s students to the dramatic arts. On top of that, in the dog days of August it’s hard to beat almost two hours of lively performance in an air-conditioned theater for $5.00!

Bye Bye Birdie plays at Forest Grove’s Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, through Sunday, August 16^th with performances at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 on Sunday.

The Lighter Side of RICHARD III

Eric Nepom as the Duke of Buckingham, Gary Strong as the Bishop of Ely, and
Peter Schuyler as King Richard, photo courtesy of Casey Campbell Photography

By Tina Arth 

Scott Palmer, Artistic Director of Hillsboro’s Bag  & Baggage, is notorious for his irreverent interpretations of Shakespeare’s hallowed output – but this summer’s plein air cartoon version of the (usually) dark and violent Richard III scales new heights of cheerful absurdity. I had read enough of the copious pre-production press to be expecting a dose of Monty Python colored with a hint of Three Stooges, but was caught off guard by (“wait for it…”) a soupçon of Barney Stinson in the mix.

Like many of Shakespeare’s works, Richard III as originally written is a bit too complex and dreary, and way too long, for some theater goers unless it simultaneously fulfills a course requirement in an English Lit class. Once Palmerized, however, it is not only tolerable, it’s actually entertaining – the lofty Shakespearean language combined with admirably low comedy (and the occasional severed head) yields a remarkably funny amalgam that keeps the audience alert and engaged throughout. Two time-honored clichés (“Now is the winter of our discontent” and “My kingdom for a horse!”) at the beginning and end of the show are a jarring reminder to the audience that we are seeing real Shakespeare stuff, no matter how dramatically altered the lens through which it is viewed.

Even as simplified by Palmer, the story itself is a bit convoluted (much like the actual history on which it is based). Luckily for the audience, all is made clear by the witty and thoroughly diverting backdrop, a graffiti-bedecked sheet that succinctly summarizes the era’s history with crude org charts, a hangman’s noose, and pithy phrases like “some other Henry” and “King = me”. The backdrop does double duty, for in addition to offering a much-abridged version of the tale it also hides the Tower of London’s unseen, but often heard, unkindness of ravens (although, given the story, perhaps the less common “conspiracy of ravens” would be more appropriate).

With the wrong cast, Palmer’s adaptation could be puerile – but the five Bag & Baggage company members and an equal number of newcomers pull off the show’s 18 roles with impressive versatility, sliding smoothly between slapstick and intense emotion. Peter Schuyler plays Richard as a murderous scamp who happily shares his somewhat distorted worldview with the audience in frequent asides – we are supposed to like him, and we do. Cassie Greer pulls off Lady Anne’s ditzy affect (and spectacular headgear) quite nicely, but her finest (long…) moment is when, as the Duchess of York, she storms off stage left – her tiny mincing steps as she s-l-o-w-l-y propels her walker across the seemingly endless steps of the Civic Center Plaza. It is a credit to the cast that they even try to keep the action going while the audience’s attention keeps shifting to Greer’s agonizing exit.

Sam Jones as Lord Rivers and Peter Schuyler as  King Richard,photo courtesy
of Casey Campbell Photography

With the aid of Melissa Heller’s colorful and flamboyant costumes (and a gargantuan wig) Gary Strong has way too much fun in his dual roles as Queen Margaret and the Bishop of Ely.  However, the best hair award must go to a newcomer, the impossibly lanky Sam Jones, who rocks Lord Rivers’ flowing tresses with a campy feminine mystique as he prances around the set figuratively (and sometimes literally) throwing himself into the action.

Shakespeare aficionados should love Bag & Baggage’s production for the same reasons that Universal Monster fans love “Young Frankenstein” – knowing the content and conventions makes the shtick even funnier. For the rest of us, Richard III is a fine way to introduce one of Shakespeare’s longer and bloodier dramas in an accessible, charming, and abbreviated format that sneaks a touch of high culture into an evening of laughter.

Bag & Baggage’s production of Richard III runs Wednesday – Saturday through August 1^st with shows at 7:30 p.m. All performances are held at the Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza, 150 E. Main Street, Hillsboro. Please bring your own chair – no seating is provided!

Agatha on the Rise: 2015 “Page to Stage” Comedy at HART

Kathleen Silloway, Aaron Morrow, and Karlyn Weaver

By Tina Arth

For the past three years, Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theater (H.A.R.T.) has given local playwrights the opportunity to enter scenes from original plays in their “Page to Stage” competition. The 2014 winner, Sally Stember’s Agatha on the Rise, is currently being offered as a full production running through July 26^th. The competition not only allows playwrights the opportunity to showcase their work, it also gives them a chance to solicit the feedback essential to refining their scripts before attempting to take them to a larger audience. Having been through this process in 2014, I can attest to its value – we made myriad small changes throughout the rehearsal period, and we were able at the close of the run to cut about 10 minutes and a complete scene out of the original show!

Author Stember has already begun this process – in her author’s notes she alludes to script changes inspired by Director Sarah Ominski, and freely admits to some huge (sorry, “Big Booty Judy”) changes as the show moved from page to stage. While the script may not yet be ready for prime time, the abundance of hearty laughs from the opening night audience attests to the play’s potential, and the experience of seeing Agatha in full production will undoubtedly give Stember an abundance of ideas on how to hone and polish an already funny show.

The mystery/comedy hovers around the story of private detective Agatha and her attempts to reunite (in both life and death) with her much-married ex-husband, Giles. The relevance of auxiliary characters is sometimes muddy – except for the two who are murdered, as they cleanly establish the secondary but essential “whodunit” plot. Any attempt to explain the story in more detail would be futile – it really needs to be seen to be (somewhat) understood.

Agatha is entertaining because the cast commits so completely to its absurdity. Aaron Morrow, as “Big Booty Judy,” is over the top (without falling over) as only a man with a heavily padded butt can be, and he does a marvelous job of balancing on some truly terrifying high heels. The irrepressible Scott Stephens brings his patented leprechaun charm to several small but diverting roles, and Karlyn Weaver uses her impressive stature and a commandingly mystic presence to create a memorable (if short-lived) “Madame Vadoma.” Leslie Inmon-Collins has the key, but somewhat thankless, role of “Agatha” – we may not understand quite why she wants Giles so fiercely, but she earns our sympathy as she schemes and spies her way back into his life. Mark Putnam as “Giles” is a sleazy scoundrel with absolutely no awareness of others – Putnam seems born to portray insensitive, narcissists with just enough superficial charm to win attention and affection from his betters.

A fundamental structural problem with the script is a severe lack of balance between the lengths of the two acts. Act I runs for over 1.5 hours, Act II for somewhat under an hour. The effect (particularly in a play with a lot of plot complexities) is audience fatigue by intermission.  With judicious editing, Stember should be able to reduce the length of Act I without sacrificing any of the best humor.

HART’s “Page to Stage” is a wonderful addition to the Washington County theater scene, both for providing a stage for unproven works and for giving talented authors the opportunity to test their material with real actors, a real director, and real audiences!

Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theatre (HART) presents Agatha on the Rise through Sunday, July 26th, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

Thoroughly Modern Millie: Classic Broadway Rose Fare With Flair

By Tina Arth

When Thoroughly Modern Millie took home the Best Musical Tony Award for 2002, the competition was not all that fierce.  Mamma Mia had the populist appeal, but not much more – and Urinetown probably was not everybody’s cup of tea. Millie, on the other hand, allows for the Broadway musical touch – big ensemble numbers, eye-catching costumes, and lots of great dancing propelled by a comic-book plot that allows the audience to just sit back and enjoy – even white slavery can deliver the laughs if the context is right!

The current Broadway Rose production has everything it needs – great sets (really, very cleverly designed backdrops) that allow for speedy scene changes to keep the show moving, an amazing 12-piece orchestra under the always impressive direction of Alan D. Lytle, flawless and powerful vocal ensemble combined with Director Lyn Cramer’s delightful choreography and clever staging, and leads with the energy and joie de vivre to bring the audience to its feet at closing. Millie is not for everybody (if you don’t like musicals, you’ll hate it!) but Broadway Rose audiences are big fans of the genre, and it shows in their enthusiastic response.

The story is based on Richard Morris’ 1967 film starring Julie Andrews (and Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing, and Beatrice Lillie – a can’t-miss cast). It’s 1922, and newly minted flapper Millie Dillmount arrives in NYC from the sticks to make her fortune the “modern” way, by marrying for money rather than love. She moves into a hotel for aspiring actresses run by the evil Mrs. Meers, a failed thespian turned con who impersonates a Chinese landlady while kidnapping young girls and selling them into white slavery. Millie falls for the poor but charming Jimmy, while her new friend Miss Dorothy ignites the passion of Millie’s rich boss. More kidnapping, a daring rescue, and predictable plot twists lead to everyone getting what they really need, as opposed to what they thought they wanted. Love, courage, and stenography conquer all. In other words, don’t go for the compelling story!

In a show with strong leads and no weak links, some of the most fun comes from unexpected places.  After a staid first-act presence, Joe Thiessen (as Millie’s boss Trevor Graydon) knocks it into the nosebleed section with the powerful “Ah Sweet Mystery/Falling In Love” duet, and Katie Perry (“Miss Dorothy”) is impossibly cute while pouring her heart into her half of this number.  Al Jolson might be turning in his grave, but Samson Syharath (“Bun Foo”), Heath Hyun Houghton (“Ching Ho”), and Emily Sahler (“Mrs. Meers”) are utterly captivating in the hybrid “Muquin” – a curious synthesis of Chinese and English that gives “Mammy” a whole new spin. Sahler’s absurdly cartoonish Chinese accent is hilarious once the audience gets over the unavoidable discomfort of dealing with an obvious racial stereotype. We wish the show gave Annie Kaiser (“Muzzie”) more opportunities to display her comic ability, but she nails “Only In New York” and the final, powerful note seems to go on forever.  Joel Walker (“Jimmy Smith”) is slick yet likeable as he transforms himself from cynical playboy to sincere swain, and the scene on the window ledge with Millie is convincingly dizzying.

Finally, there is Claire Avakian (“Millie”). She is ridiculously charming throughout, and especially memorable in the upbeat “Forget About the Boy” and the poignant “Gimme Gimme.” “The Speed Test” establishes her as a formidable comic, too. The audience cannot help but respond to her curious mixture of spunk and sincerity, and it is Avakian who ultimately transforms this musical froth into a well-spent evening. Thoroughly Modern Millie is anything but modern, but as homage to a golden era of musicals it is thoroughly satisfying.

Broadway Rose’s Thoroughly Modern Millie runs through July 26th at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium.