Kristen Morale - Page 9

With score and lyrics by the [in]famous Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, Director Peter Earle brings Sweeney Todd to the town of Orleans, enshrouding the Academy Playhouse's intimate black-box theater in darkness as black as the hearts of many of the characters that make this show of such a menacing nature. Continuing in the tradition of producing quality theater for forty years and following a successful summer season, Earle's creative vision brings yet another production to unforgettable heights, proving to both loyal theater-goers and those who happened to be on Cape for the holiday weekend that the Academy does not play around when it comes to extracting the absolute rawness of a show and putting in on stage in a way that keep audiences coming back for more.

The Academy Playhouse, a group that has been bringing quality theater to the Cape Cod community for over forty years, is proud to present its next exciting production of Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. With quite a beautiful yet challenging score and one of the most deliciously evil yet profound plots in the history of music theater, the Academy rises to the challenge to stage this killer of a musical for the start of its fall season, and with this ambitious endeavor comes the dedicated and talented cast that will make it all happen - familiar faces that have called the Academy their home for quite some time. Knowing this, Sweeney is undoubtedly bound to both delight and frighten audiences this fall.

After an exciting summer season, Harwich Junior Theater, now a part of the Cape Cod Theatre Company, continues its sixty-forth season with a revival of its start-of-summer hit, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, bringing back a majority of its original cast that once made (and hereby continues to make) this show quite the adventure to embark on. To call it a revival, though, really does not do what is currently happening on that stage justice, as the cast and creative team has thus come together again to create a show that is even more powerful and more hilarious than what I remember; it is essentially a new show. The success and beauty of the first production, though, made me more than happy to provide a second review of the show, but the prospect of sitting through it again (even though I am now pretty familiar with the show) made me quite willing to make my way to CCTC once again.

Written by Anne Washburn (who is also the show's lyricist) with a score by Michael Friedman and hereby directed by Philip Hays, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play makes its appearance on Cape Cod following a successful run at Playwrights' Horizons in New York, and can now begin surprising audiences all over again with its current run. Taking a first glance at the show's poster, one can get a vague idea of what this show is actually about. There are people huddled around what looks like a campfire, their seated forms casting shadows that resemble what appear to be characters from the widely popular cartoon, The Simpsons; only then is the connection made between what Washburn's show might be about and the use of Mr. Burns' name as the titular focus. It seems odd to base an entire show on The Simpsons, but what is even more mind-boggling is how only the workings of a playwright's mind can turn the characters and themes of a cartoon into something more profound and fascinating enough for an audience to simply get.

There are so many people in this world that are fascinated by such a myriad of things, but regardless of what that interest may be, each of those individuals shares a certain something with their fellow aficionados: they believe in that power of that hobby, that job or whatever it may be deemed to compel him or her towards happiness - towards the discovery of what makes their lives worth while. There are many in this world who merely survive with the inherent desire to be happy, but do not have the capability of finding out that "spark" which will ultimately bring that sense of joy to fruition; it is a joy that rarely can be found and followed with such alacrity and passion that makes the average person turn into something extraordinary. It eradicates the unimportant, sometimes mercilessly, so that a person's passion reigns supreme; it is a compelling force that can be felt but not always explained. Something that is so personal, so raw in the context of the human soul is what audiences are given a glimpse of in the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater's (WHAT) uncomfortably riveting production of Time Stands Still. This powerful and provocative piece of theater brings its audience to question what the true value of a passion is when it does more to deface one's humanity than to strengthen it - when such a narrow focus overrides the basic meaning of life.

Certain shows people go to see for a multitude of reasons: they may wish to see a favorite actor or personal acquaintance involved, or perhaps they wish to listen to the beautiful score associated with that show; the plot might be a favorite, or, like many do, might opt to go because the concept of being entertained whilst escaping reality for a few hours seems like a wonderfully appealing idea. Well, last night's performance of the Chatham Drama Guild's production of Broadway Thru the Decades (III) brought an intimate group of people together to celebrate the beauty that is the Drama Guild - people who can fortunately attribute their attendance to nearly all of the above reasons.

Written by Edward Taylor (whom I would love to have the privilege of chatting with, the inner workings of his brain must be so profound) and directed by James Brennan (this show rocked, if you haven't already caught that), Murder by Misadventure is the title that mystery-series writing duo Kent and Riggs has bestowed upon its next potential project, but one which proves itself to not be limited to the confines of a television screen. Harold Kent is at odds with his careless and belligerent partner Riggs, who is also a fan of excessive alcohol consumption; simply put, he is a drunk, but a drunk with all the successful ideas the team has to offer the public. So, when Kent becomes determined to rid himself of his alcoholic partner whom he considers a burden (especially when an unexpected secret is at last disclosed), he decides that an "accidental" murder is the best course of action, using his partner's brilliant idea of a plotline against its creator. What ensues afterwards involves Kent, his wife and the couple's adamant yet somewhat laissez-faire follow-up of a murder they think will be a cinch, but what actually goes dreadfully wrong.

Imagine that you are a fifteen year old living in the midst of the Great Depression, living in tight quarters with both your immediate family and a few relatives, with every dollar earned considered precious and vital to getting through each passing day. If this were the case for any of us, it would be difficult to think of anything else except the awful plight that fate seems to have bestowed upon a rather undeserving group of people - a plight that involves all those who are merely trying to survive. Having this as a reality for anyone would be disheartening enough, but watching such a story unfold on stage in the Academy of Performing Arts' production of Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs is fascinating, as Simon's fairly autobiographical story does not only revolve around the immediate difficulties of the escalating war in Europe and America's current financial situation, but the narrative does a wonderfully heart-wrenching job of making the story of one Brooklyn family so personal. Each member of the family faces his or her own issues, some immediate and some brewing for years, but with each problem is the family ultimately brought together; the journey it collectively takes to get there is what makes this first installment of Simon's trilogy so riveting to watch.

Dickenson believed in the power and majesty of the written word, and so, too, can a Cape Cod audience now embrace her passion in a new production which portrays not only the life of Massachusetts' own world-renown poet, but more specifically those emotions which made her one of the most memorable and fascinating people an audience can ever become acquainted with on stage. The Belle of Amherst is hereby brought to the Cape with an ecstatic bang in the form of subtle Emily Dickinson, who's basic essence on stage makes this a truly remarkable production that any director would be proud of.

Watching Shakespeare's play come to life on the sandy shores of Chatham, Massachusetts is a rather interest thing to behold. Hippolyta lounges on a beach chair near the ocean while the mischievous Puck jovially dances onto the stage wearing an Anglers jersey. Cape Cod is to be found everywhere, yet Monomoy has still managed to keep the Shakespearean spirit alive and well in its production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The characters have remained the same: Theseus and Hippolyta still plan on being wed, Helena entreats after the love and affection of the unwilling Demetrius, who instead views the fair Hermia as his darling one - a love interest shared with the doting Lysander, whom Hermia finds dear. The fairy King and Queen, in addition to those that serve them, still wreak havoc on the lives of each other as well as on the unsuspecting humans below, stealing from them their gift of free will and forcing them to see what they would not have otherwise seen. A group of men anticipating their performance before Theseus and his new bride at their wedding run into trouble when their lead is given an animal's head. Confusion and inexplicable events still run rampant, and this story remains as entertaining and riveting as ever - this is without a doubt true.

Directed by Mary O'Brady, who really did a splendid job with this production, Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues is a tour-de-force of the lives of complete strangers, brought together for basic training and all to late realizing that their perception of what awaits them in the Army was rather askew. O'Brady wrote something beautiful about the basic concept of wartime, but the implications found in this statement are truly astounding and give a firm basis as to what Simon's show is truly about. She states "Ordinary people were asked to do extraordinary things…They were asked to save the world [and] they did." It is so ironic how war is indicative of death, destruction and all that people don't necessarily wish to think of, but the amount of personal growth that occurs when someone delves into the lives of those involved is truly astounding and honestly, quite riveting

Is there any way to understand what it is like for a person to sit at home, living in a personal hell of a cocoon and watching the world turn while there seems little hope or chance for that one person? If only for a day or as long as ten years, the time spent waiting in despair, hoping for the anticipated change that never comes, is the existential hell that many people cannot comprehend, but may only observe in others without so much an as explanation as to why or how to help. So saying, Chekhov's plays are filled with downtrodden characters facing an array of issues - inescapable sorrow rooted deep in the core of their beings that cannot comprehend anything but sadness and the gradual decay of their lives - lives so sought after and now left so bitterly complacent. So, instead of mulling over the misery of Chekhovian characters and their somewhat pitiful lives, The Cape Playhouse has decided to present to its audience a tour-de-force of Chekhov's world in a happier, more enjoyable light: through Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play. To say that Durang's talent in writing a play that showcases all that Chekhov can convey through his writings while allowing people to laugh at the misfortunes of others in a lighthearted way is profound, and to hereby present it on a Cape Cod stage is a treat that everyone is bound to enjoy.

When Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice came together to write Evita, they probably didn't realize how big a splash they would be making the realm of musical theater; with its dynamic and rather challenging score, its continuous demand for the sung word (trademark of many Lloyd Webber pieces) and a plot with little to be played with in keeping with its historical basis, Evita is quite the undertaking for any theater group that chooses to accept the challenge of presenting this on stage. In this sense, it also has the great potential of surprising an audience with how beautiful it is when done in a certain way, and this element is what Cape Rep Theatre has managed to make possible and thus present to a Cape Cod audience with its current production of the Webber/Rice musical. "A New Argentina" has indeed risen with this stellar production of Evita, already boasting many sold-out performances with people flocking to bear witness to the story Argentinian First Lady Eva Peron and her epic rise to power.

It is safe to say that Monomoy has done a spectacular job staging Austen's work: from the chosen cast, the beautiful period costumes and the way in which it just felt like the novel should feel, there is really nothing bad to say about this production. The set was beautiful, and without moving more than a few chairs around made it both appropriate and very efficient throughout the entire show. The portrayal of the ball, a wonderful scene filled with dancing, merriment and a bit of tenseness, was beautifully staged. It is difficult to transform a stage into something that makes the audience really feel as though it becomes part of the period in which the story takes place, but this was successfully done at this production. And, what would a wonderful production be without the actors who make it all possible? Darren Brown as Mr. Darcy is able to capture the wonderful mix of superiority, insecurity and just the general sense of discomfort that make Mr. Darcy the truly intriguing character he is. There are moments when Brown makes Darcy appear noticeably uncomfortable around others, even when he simultaneously trying to uphold his "mightier-than-thou" appearance, and the transition this character makes (or rather, the revelation, as I don't think Darcy really changes his personality…he just lets its out) from being stern and unapproachable to vulnerable and just plain human is astounding. Brown really does a great job in showing how such a man can change, when given sufficient and acceptable reason and chance to.

As part of a very impressive sixty-forth summer season, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon makes its Cape Cod premiere with Harwich Junior Theater's current production…and what a clever idea it was to bring such a heartwarming story to its stage! Written by Grace Lin, adapted by Jeannine Coulombe and directed by the magnificent Jane Staab (an HJT alumna herself), the one word that came to mind when thinking of how Where the Mountain Meets the Moon can be described is "majestic." Telling the story of a young girl who embarks on a quest to find the mystical, omniscient being who can reveal to her the secret of wealth, this Newbery-honored novel is transformed into something Staab has made beautiful to behold on stage.

What would happen if one were to switch the first few letters of "amazing" to form a new, exciting word that only certain minds could quickly figure out? Actually, who cares! As long as each of you knows the word's definition and what it implies, there can only be synonyms of the word used to describe Monomoy Theatre's current production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Having never before seen a production of this rather well-known comedy of a musical, letting Monomoy give me a very impressive and lasting first impression was a wonderful was an absolute privilege; I didn't expect anything less from the group, as the amount of talent on stage makes every play and musical performed wonderful, to say the least. Spelling Bee is really something quite special, as such a simple idea for a plot is taken and transformed, through music and rather peculiar characters, into something that will keep audiences laughing for an evening; it is a production that will not have anyone spelling "regret."

My Fair Lady is truly of the most perfect testaments of a musical success there ever was; from a plot filled with witty little criticisms to rather verbose songs about the triumphs of the human will, Lerner and Loewe's classic has captured the hearts of many since its premiere more than half a century ago. And indeed, why not? Everything about this musical is wonderful, and there is such a profound lesson to be taught towards it end, audiences have little choice but to be both charmed and at times slightly offended by the means in which the show's two main characters find reasons other that of a bet to remain civil towards one another. My Fair Lady is a wondrous lesson about perceiving people in a light that is completely different than our intuitions may dictate; it is about creating something out of nothing, only to discover that the "nothing" to be found in another was precisely what another may have been missing all along, making a life one may have originally been complacent with somehow partially unsatisfying and empty.

The Chatham Drama Guild, established eighty-four years ago and boasting one of the only truly volunteer managed community theater groups on the Cape, continues its summer season with Guys and Dolls, the well-known tale of gamblers-by-trade Nathan Detroit, Sky Masterson and their 'dolls' in the midst of Detroit's permanent floating crap game - all in the heart of 1950's New York City. The Directed by Pam Banas and musically directed by Charlie Gregson, Guild has succeeded in bringing to a Cape Cod audience a very heartfelt, genuine production of this classic musical which does well as well to capture the psychological and emotion angst of the characters as it does the tender and hopeful nature of those same individuals in the midst of falling in love - that is, in love with something other than their chance-based lives.

What is interesting about Quixote, though, is that he is not a knight at all, but a man soon considered by the masses to be delusional - a complete lunatic to believe that knights are still in existence and can be of some heroic use amongst men when such people seem hopeless causes for which to fight. Yet, what is so beautiful about Miguel de Cervantes' unyielding hero (for that is what he is nonetheless) is that he teaches an incredibly valuable lesson: if one can find beauty in this world, a true hero will fight to attain it, regardless of what mockery may belittle his efforts and what perils may confront him (in whatever form they may come). With this said, the Academy Playhouse's production of Man of La Mancha is a beautiful rendition of a beautiful tale that audiences should flock over to see.

This is one show for which it is imperative that someone yells "Don't forget the wine!" so that each character is mentally prepared for what mess is to come. Now that that has been said and everyone has been sufficiently warned, the audience is give a trio of middle-aged, divorced women who spend their free time in book clubs, Spanish classes and holding female-only sleepovers; if there is not already wine visible on the table, someone is bound to pull it out of her handbag or from some hidden compartment soon enough. There is Mary, Jo and Liz: three women who are more adventurous and eager to prove themselves right than one would ever imagine; between boyfriends, daughters' boyfriends and their images as older women who just need the non-killer type of guy to make their lives that much more dramatic, the Cape Playhouse's production of Women in Jeopardy provides enough excitement and whodunit humor that will have audiences captivated until the final moment when our three heroines are finally able to put the wine down.