Friday, April 29, 2016
Friday Fun - April 29
As Passover comes to an end for 5776 and as Fiddler on the Roof has a revival on Broadway and at University Laboratory High School and Parkland College (and lots of other places), here's the off-Broadway cast of In The Heights with their version of Tradition!
Friday, April 22, 2016
Friday Fun
Friday Fun! The Mischief Theatre Company was formed in 2008 (or thereabouts) by students at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. "The Play That Goes Wrong" started small, expanded until it took the West End by storm in 2014 and won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. I describe it as "Noises Off" without the plot. And I was fortunate to see the entire show. This is a taste (with special guest appearances by Kyle Minogue and Josh Groban) - and, believe me, there is much much much more that is even funnier.
The Mischief Theatre Company also has produced Peter Pan Goes Wrong and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery. And they presented at the 2016 Olivier Awards for a new category.
Monday, April 18, 2016
A Divas Cabaret - Self Promotion
My company, Twin City Squared, is trying something - well not different in the full sense - but something new for us. I'm producing and directing "A Divas Cabaret" on Friday May 6 at the Fluid Events Center in Champaign, Illinois. When I started this theatre company, I was looking for ways to expand opportunities for people to perform. I also was looking for ways for people to perform who don't have the ability to commit to 4 to 6 weeks of rehearsals. The cabaret seems a perfect format. I also was looking for a way for adults to have a more adult evening - outside of the club circuit here in Champaign-Urbana. The cabaret seems a perfect format.
For "A Divas Cabaret", we have five amazing female singers - Jenny Carpenter, Kari Croop, Jaclyn Lowenstein, Micah Tryba and Ranae Wilson - and two "juniors" one a High School senior - Shireen Hassan - and the other an 8th grader - Maddie Henson. In setting up the show, I had to answer the question: What makes a person a Diva? My answer: a Diva is a strong woman who takes and owns the stage. She is a dynamic performer who commands your attention. There is nothing negative about the title Diva, for those that earn it!
What was fun for me was coming up with a list of suggested songs for the performers. I quickly listed 3 double spaced pages! Some of the songs on my suggested list will be performed. This song will not be performed, but I love this performance so much, I'm just going to post it here. There is a sort of local connection: The Mad Hatter is played by Miss Illinois 1997 (and oh yes Miss America 1998) Kate Shindle. Ms. Shindle was the original Vivienne in Legally Blonde, the Musical and is the current president of Actors' Equity Association. In any event, Ms. Shindle just owns this number and the stage. A real Diva!
There will be two shows on May 6. Doors open for the first show at 7 and doors should open for the second show about 9. Food and alcohol will be available for purchase. Tickets are on sale at www.twincitysquared.com. You can also find Twin City Squared on Facebook. Twin City Squared on Facebook. Please visit the page and "like" it.
If this first cabaret is successful, then we will plan on having others. We are looking at a variety of "themes" and are hoping on getting some celebrities - or at least Broadway performers - to come to town for a night.
For "A Divas Cabaret", we have five amazing female singers - Jenny Carpenter, Kari Croop, Jaclyn Lowenstein, Micah Tryba and Ranae Wilson - and two "juniors" one a High School senior - Shireen Hassan - and the other an 8th grader - Maddie Henson. In setting up the show, I had to answer the question: What makes a person a Diva? My answer: a Diva is a strong woman who takes and owns the stage. She is a dynamic performer who commands your attention. There is nothing negative about the title Diva, for those that earn it!
What was fun for me was coming up with a list of suggested songs for the performers. I quickly listed 3 double spaced pages! Some of the songs on my suggested list will be performed. This song will not be performed, but I love this performance so much, I'm just going to post it here. There is a sort of local connection: The Mad Hatter is played by Miss Illinois 1997 (and oh yes Miss America 1998) Kate Shindle. Ms. Shindle was the original Vivienne in Legally Blonde, the Musical and is the current president of Actors' Equity Association. In any event, Ms. Shindle just owns this number and the stage. A real Diva!
There will be two shows on May 6. Doors open for the first show at 7 and doors should open for the second show about 9. Food and alcohol will be available for purchase. Tickets are on sale at www.twincitysquared.com. You can also find Twin City Squared on Facebook. Twin City Squared on Facebook. Please visit the page and "like" it.
If this first cabaret is successful, then we will plan on having others. We are looking at a variety of "themes" and are hoping on getting some celebrities - or at least Broadway performers - to come to town for a night.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Voices of Pride
In writing the post about what's on stage in Central Illinois, I learned about this very interesting event:
New Route Theatre and Prairie Pride Coalition are presenting Voices of Pride on April 22-24. These are going to be four new selected plays being presented in staged readings. The readings will be at First Christian Church at 401 West Jefferson Street in Bloomington. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10.
It always is exciting to see new works. I haven't seen any of the four plays, but here are some descriptions and schedule:
Friday April 22:
7:00 p.m.: "garbage can blues" by Paula Ressler, who teaches in the English Department at ISU. A lesbian mother tries to come to terms with her son's death.
8:30 p.m.: "ReConnect" by DC Cathro. This is a series of six short one act plays about what happens when people reconnect.
Saturday, April 23
7:00 p.m.: "Thingification" by Duriel Harris, who teaches at ISU. A solo play expanding on a series of performance poems bringing to life characters that creates a discourse on African American identify and empowerment.
8:30 p.m.: "Bedfellows" by Daniel Kipp, an Illinois Wesleyan graduate. We see two men and how their relationship develops at three different election times: 1992, 2000 and 2008.
Sunday, April 24:
2:00 p.m. "garbage can blues"
4:30 p.m.: "ReConnect"
6:00 p.m.: "Thingification"
7:30 p.m.: "Bedfellows"
More information is available at New Route Theatre Facebook pageor emailing new.route.theatre@gmail.com
New Route Theatre and Prairie Pride Coalition are presenting Voices of Pride on April 22-24. These are going to be four new selected plays being presented in staged readings. The readings will be at First Christian Church at 401 West Jefferson Street in Bloomington. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10.
It always is exciting to see new works. I haven't seen any of the four plays, but here are some descriptions and schedule:
Friday April 22:
7:00 p.m.: "garbage can blues" by Paula Ressler, who teaches in the English Department at ISU. A lesbian mother tries to come to terms with her son's death.
8:30 p.m.: "ReConnect" by DC Cathro. This is a series of six short one act plays about what happens when people reconnect.
Saturday, April 23
7:00 p.m.: "Thingification" by Duriel Harris, who teaches at ISU. A solo play expanding on a series of performance poems bringing to life characters that creates a discourse on African American identify and empowerment.
8:30 p.m.: "Bedfellows" by Daniel Kipp, an Illinois Wesleyan graduate. We see two men and how their relationship develops at three different election times: 1992, 2000 and 2008.
Sunday, April 24:
2:00 p.m. "garbage can blues"
4:30 p.m.: "ReConnect"
6:00 p.m.: "Thingification"
7:30 p.m.: "Bedfellows"
More information is available at New Route Theatre Facebook pageor emailing new.route.theatre@gmail.com
Friday, April 15, 2016
Friday Fun
I am going to try and post some fun theatre related video every Friday. First up: the Broadway cast of Mary Poppins lets us know that every show can be improved by just adding a little something:
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
What I've Seen Recently
A brief look at the plays and musicals I've recently seen.
Amerian Wee Pie - at The Station. A touch of the absurd runs throughout this tale of a man returning to a hometown still searching for a way out of a lifetime of anonymity. He finds purpose - or rather has the purpose find him - from a high school classmate whom he does not remember - who is riding the wave of popularity of gourmet cupcakes. There is levity and some actual emotion with generally solid performances - highlighted by Grant Moreanz' wandering accents - which made this an enjoyable evening at The Station. Director Jaclyn Loewenstein shepherded her cast nimbly. The division of The Station's small space into three separate areas was a daring choice, but mostly paid off.
She Kills Monsters - at The Station. This play highlighted, for me, one of the weaknesses of The Station. One of the more recent strengths of The Station has been its production of newer and edgier plays, exposing Central Illinois to plays that audiences would never otherwise have a chance to see. She Kills Monsters is a newer play, but one that seemingly was developed to highlight stage combat. Unfortunately, the proximity of the audience and the skills of the actors combined to make the stage combat less than realistic or involving. The script suffers from major timeline issues that baffled me throughout. The script has other internal inconsistencies and, to me, a not very original take on the "issues" the play purportedly seeks to address. I spent too much time trying to make sense of the script - rather than being taken in by the story. A strong performance by Andrew Ambrose Lee was not sufficient to carry the play. Director Mikel Matthews struggles admirably to mask the script's flaws - but I think that effort called for more bells and whistles than The Station could muster.
Legally Blonde, Jr. - Champaign Park District. This was a youth show for 5th through 8th graders, so this is not a review of their performances! Having directed the full length production, I was curious about what had been done to the script to make it safe for "junior" audiences. It was not done surgically - it was done by a butcher. The script was hacked indiscriminately and lines changed for no apparent reason. The show makes even less sense than it ever did and does not give the actors adequate opportunity to develop any character. The set also was disappointing, as Champaign Park District has been doing admirable sets for youth productions. But, not this time.
Matilda at Oriental Theatre, Chicago. Ok. This isn't Central Illinois - but we made the trek, along with, it turns out, many of our friends to see the National Tour of Matilda. This is probably my youngest daughter's favorite show. She and I have seen it on Broadway and in London. The tour production was quite good, but not to the level of those prior viewings. The child actors in the tours have dropped any pretense at trying to have British accents. But, the adult actors still speak with British accents. Tim Minchin's lyrics are so witty - but delivered so quickly that I still only caught about 80% of the words actually sung. However, those in our party (and others we spoke with from Champaign-Urbana) who were seeing Matilda for the first time absolutely loved it. They loved the staging, the music, the lyrics, the actors, just about everything.
I also went to two area High School shows: Fiddler on the Roof at University Laboratory High School and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Forum at Champaign Centennial High School. My youngest daughter was in the latter. These are two classic 1960s musicals which are very very very different in style. Seeing them on the same day was quite a shock to the system going from the very serious and gradually depressing Fiddler to the farce and outrageousness of Forum. I'm not going to review these shows, but I do have a couple of quick observations: For Fiddler: Noah Blue was a Tevye who was a much stronger confident character than usually presented and commanded all of his scenes. Director Chris Guyotte made incredible use of the very small stage at University Laboratory High School with an ingenious structure that opened and rotated to serve as Tevye's house (interior and exterior), Motel's store, and other exteriors. For Forum, director Suzanne Aldridge gave her leads Ryan Gossett and Lyndon Fabi tremendous freedom to chew the scenery to great audience appreciation. Leland Jackson, however, stole every scene he was in as Miles Gloriosus.
Amerian Wee Pie - at The Station. A touch of the absurd runs throughout this tale of a man returning to a hometown still searching for a way out of a lifetime of anonymity. He finds purpose - or rather has the purpose find him - from a high school classmate whom he does not remember - who is riding the wave of popularity of gourmet cupcakes. There is levity and some actual emotion with generally solid performances - highlighted by Grant Moreanz' wandering accents - which made this an enjoyable evening at The Station. Director Jaclyn Loewenstein shepherded her cast nimbly. The division of The Station's small space into three separate areas was a daring choice, but mostly paid off.
She Kills Monsters - at The Station. This play highlighted, for me, one of the weaknesses of The Station. One of the more recent strengths of The Station has been its production of newer and edgier plays, exposing Central Illinois to plays that audiences would never otherwise have a chance to see. She Kills Monsters is a newer play, but one that seemingly was developed to highlight stage combat. Unfortunately, the proximity of the audience and the skills of the actors combined to make the stage combat less than realistic or involving. The script suffers from major timeline issues that baffled me throughout. The script has other internal inconsistencies and, to me, a not very original take on the "issues" the play purportedly seeks to address. I spent too much time trying to make sense of the script - rather than being taken in by the story. A strong performance by Andrew Ambrose Lee was not sufficient to carry the play. Director Mikel Matthews struggles admirably to mask the script's flaws - but I think that effort called for more bells and whistles than The Station could muster.
Legally Blonde, Jr. - Champaign Park District. This was a youth show for 5th through 8th graders, so this is not a review of their performances! Having directed the full length production, I was curious about what had been done to the script to make it safe for "junior" audiences. It was not done surgically - it was done by a butcher. The script was hacked indiscriminately and lines changed for no apparent reason. The show makes even less sense than it ever did and does not give the actors adequate opportunity to develop any character. The set also was disappointing, as Champaign Park District has been doing admirable sets for youth productions. But, not this time.
Matilda at Oriental Theatre, Chicago. Ok. This isn't Central Illinois - but we made the trek, along with, it turns out, many of our friends to see the National Tour of Matilda. This is probably my youngest daughter's favorite show. She and I have seen it on Broadway and in London. The tour production was quite good, but not to the level of those prior viewings. The child actors in the tours have dropped any pretense at trying to have British accents. But, the adult actors still speak with British accents. Tim Minchin's lyrics are so witty - but delivered so quickly that I still only caught about 80% of the words actually sung. However, those in our party (and others we spoke with from Champaign-Urbana) who were seeing Matilda for the first time absolutely loved it. They loved the staging, the music, the lyrics, the actors, just about everything.
I also went to two area High School shows: Fiddler on the Roof at University Laboratory High School and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Forum at Champaign Centennial High School. My youngest daughter was in the latter. These are two classic 1960s musicals which are very very very different in style. Seeing them on the same day was quite a shock to the system going from the very serious and gradually depressing Fiddler to the farce and outrageousness of Forum. I'm not going to review these shows, but I do have a couple of quick observations: For Fiddler: Noah Blue was a Tevye who was a much stronger confident character than usually presented and commanded all of his scenes. Director Chris Guyotte made incredible use of the very small stage at University Laboratory High School with an ingenious structure that opened and rotated to serve as Tevye's house (interior and exterior), Motel's store, and other exteriors. For Forum, director Suzanne Aldridge gave her leads Ryan Gossett and Lyndon Fabi tremendous freedom to chew the scenery to great audience appreciation. Leland Jackson, however, stole every scene he was in as Miles Gloriosus.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Upcoming Shows for April/May 2016!
Planning your theatre going for April and May? Here's what I'm aware of for Central Illinois! This does not include various high school productions. And the big summer shows are just around the bend!
I haven't seen any of these productions - so I have no recommendations other than to encourage you to be adventurous and try something new and/or some place new.
Bloomington-Normal
Love Letters at Heartland Theatre Company - now through April 24;
Alice in Wonderland at Illinois State University - April 15 through April 23
Fame at Illinois Wesleyan - April 12-17
Visions of Pride New Play Festival presented by New Route Theatre at First Christian Church April 22-24
Prairie Fire Theatre Champagne Gala and Fundraiser - April 23
Dial M for Murder at Community Players - May 6-15
Body Awareness at Illinois Wesleyan - May 22-24
Champaign-Urbana
Fiddler on the Roof at Parkland's Miner Theatre - April 14-May 1
The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickes and Count Leo Tolstoy: DISCORD
at The Station - April 21 - May 7Kiss Me Kate - presented by Lyric Theatre at Krannert April 21-24
Green Day's American Idiot presented by Twin City Squared at Parkland's Miner Theatre May 27-June 5
Charleston
Motherhood Out Loud at Charleston Community Theatre April 15-23
Danville
Boys of Summer at Beef House Dinner Theatre April 15-17
Little Shop of Horrors presented by Danville Light Opera April 23, 24, 30, May 1
The Storybook Reunion Murders by Red Mask Players May 13-14 (Children's Show)
Decatur
Forever Plaid presented by Decatur Underground Theatre at Decatur Civic Center April 15-17
Little Shop of Horrors at Millikin University April 14-17
Blood Wedding at Millikin University May 4-8
Peoria
Private Lives at Eurkea College April 15-17
A Night With Friends at Peoria Players April 22 (fundraiser)
Hands on a Hardbody at Eastlight Theatre April 22-30
Our Country's Good at Bradley University April 21-23
Hairspray at Peoria Players May 6-15
Nunsense presented by Arc Light at Coyote Creek Golf Course May 20-21
Springfield
Doyle and Debbie Show at Legacy Theatre April 16-17
On Golden Pond at Springfield Theatre Centre April 15-17
Mrs. Lincoln Fights Back at Theatre in the Park April 15-17
The Last Five Years at Theatre in the Park April 29-May 7
The Wedding Singer at Springfield Theatre Centre May 6-15
Treasure Island at Theatre in the Park May 20-28
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