THEATER REVIEW: Ring of Fire

Wow! The big surprise this season at Millbrook Playhouse is RING OF FIRE, an ensemble cast celebrating the music of Johnny Cash. Not being a fan of Johnny Cash’s music, I almost passed on this show. I should know never to underestimate the talents at Millbrook.

First of all the pure energy and personalities of the cast had the audience in the spirit before the show got started. The actors were interacting with the audience even before the house lights went down. The enthusiasm never let up, thanks to five great voices, one piano player and one drummer.

It is impossible to single out any one person, but naturally, I do have opinions on each.  

Morissa Trunzo was the sole woman on stage and she more than held her own against four strong male voices. Melissa is deceptively small and the way she moves around the stage has to be proof that this is one fit lady. Her voice is crystal and her range unbelievable.

A large part of the stage work fell to Patrick Henkel. Patrick’s voice probably came closest to Cash’s sound. He was able to hit some of those low notes with the same intensity as the original. He was also very proficient with both acoustic and electric guitar. This young man has a very promising future in music.

The other three “Johnnys”, Steven Makropoulos, Nick Orfanella, and Zack Zaromatidis (his “Man in Black” was exceptionally effective) were equally fantastic. Each had a chance to show his individual talent. I loved the close harmony on “Daddy Sang Bass”, the drama of “ Delia’s Gone” and the charm of “If I Were a Carpenter”.

Director Anthony D’Amato and music director Justin Adams deserve credit for keeping the old barn rocking to country music. This is the type of show that could become very static, but thanks to these two, the fun never stopped. It probably was not planned, but opening night the winner of the 50/50 drawing was named Sue. What a perfect lead in to “A Boy Named Sue” The cast had great fun with that.

RING OF FIRE is the last show on the Main Stage and closes August 2. This is a popular production, so if you want to find a seat, I would suggest that you not wait too long. My Vaudeville Man opens July 31 and runs until August 9 in the Cabaret. The Cabaret is a fun place to be. Bring your own food and drinks while watching an entertaining show...what more could you want?

The box office number is 570 748 8083 or go to www.millbrookplayhouse.org for tickets.

BOOK REVIEW: Orphan Train

Between 1854 and 1929 over two hundred thousand children were transported from cities on the east coast to small towns across the country. These “orphan” trains would stop, the children would line up and people would pick the children that met their needs. Some of these children ended up in loving homes; some ended up as indentured servants to be badly mistreated.  

In her novel, ORPHAN TRAIN, author Christina Baker Kline tells us of Vivian, a woman who experienced the reality of being one of these orphans and Molly, a modern day teenager who might have been one if she had been born in an earlier time.

Molly has been bounced from foster home to foster home most of her life. After being caught stealing a book from the library, she is given the choice of community service or time in a youth detention center. She reluctantly chooses to help an elderly woman organize an attic that has gone untouched for years.

The boxes in Vivian’s attic are full of the memories of a young girl taken from New York City to the Midwest where she faced a strange and sometimes brutal life alone.

Vivian’s story was moving and kept my interest, but it was the relationship that grew between Molly and Vivian that made this book. The story line shifts from the late eighteen hundreds to modern times as Vivian and Molly each tell of their lives. Author Christina Baker Kline did a very subtle job in showing the similarities of the two characters. Their backgrounds were so much alike, considering the age difference.

I have felt that recently some of the best things that are being published fall into the Young Adult category.  ORPHAN TRAIN should be listed in this classification. The story is simply told and some of the side characters are rather stereotyped. There were few surprises in the people that were responsible for young Vivian. I am sure that in reality, the cruelty that was inflicted on these orphans was much more brutal than described by the author.

I did like that we were able to hear what happened to some of the children who shared Vivian’s train trip. The historical notes and pictures at the end of the book were also very worthwhile, very informative and personal.

ORPHAN TRAIN was an enjoyable read because this is a subject that fascinates me. It  is one more piece of our history that often gets overlooked. We would like to think that modern society has come up with a better way to treat children who are abandoned or orphaned. I hope so.

THEATER REVIEW: Dial "M" for Murder

(From Wendy: Usually I try to get the theater reviews on while the show is still running. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to that for this show. Sorry. Be sure to catch Millbrook's upcoming shows!)

There is something special about summer stock theatre and a good mystery. Millbrook Playhouse chose the classic DIAL "M" FOR MURDER as this year’s thriller and the audience seemed to approve.

The plot may be familiar to some of you, but I had never seen the movie so it was a constant surprise to me and seemed to be new to most of the people watching. From the gasps at the opening to the sighs at the resolution, it was a captive audience.

Director Morgan Sills kept the action moving and his actors in character extremely well. I like a director who makes good use of the stage. Not only was the action well “spaced”, but parts of the setting became important to the plot.

James Cella was well cast as the villain Tony, who blackmails an old college chum into killing his wife. James has the most intense eyes, perfect for a man who plans a brutal murder. After seeing James in the farce Leading Ladies, his switch to heavy drama was impressive.

Tony’s wife, Margot, was played by Grace Experience. Grace also seems comfortable going from farce to drama. ( I felt that she almost stole the show in Leading Ladies!)  DIAL "M" FOR MURDER gave her a chance to show passion, fear and hysteria, always fun for an actress. Grace handled all of it well. Although I did not get a clear feeling of how she felt about her husband, there was no doubt of her feeling for her lover Max.

Travis L. Baker (Max) is an actor that I hope to see again. His portrayal of Margot’s lover was very believable. By quietly playing the part. he kept my attention. This is a sign of a good actor.

Comedy relief was provided by Brady Adair as the Inspector Hubbard. Try to picture Columbo with an English accent. Brady was also a standout in a supporting role in Leading Ladies.

You may have guessed that a big reason that I love going to shows at a theatre like Millbrook is a chance to see the versatility of the actors. Imagine, farce one week and murder/ drama the next. The DIAL "M" FOR MURDER cast was full of surprises.

DIAL "M" FOR MURDER has now been replaced by My Vaudeville Man. On the Ryan Main Stage Ring of Fire will run from July 24 through August 2. Check their website at www.millbrookplayhouse.org for times and availability.

THEATER REVIEW: Guys and Dolls

Millbrook Playhouse is currently doing one of my favorite musicals, GUYS AND DOLLS and they did not disappoint me. My first professional theatre experience was GUYS AND DOLLS and years later I was fortunate to see our daughter play Sarah Brown in her high school’s production. Therefore, I can be a little picky when I see a new version --- I feel that I own this show!

Based on the characters created by Damon Runyon, GUYS AND DOLLS introduces us to the gamblers and their dolls who live and love in New York during the late 1940’s...two hard core gamblers, one Hot Box Night Club dancer and a sister from the Save-A-Soul Mission to be exact.

Three of the “ guys”, Nicely-Nicely, Benny Southstreet and Rusty Charlie (Tom Lavallee, David Groccia, and Brian Pereira, respectively)  set the mood perfectly with “Fugue for Tinhorns” (This is the song that helped me Ace a classical music appreciation test because I understood what a fugue was. Everything I know I’ve learned from musical theatre.)  These three guys  prepared us for the bunch of not- so-tough gangsters we were to meet later.

Nick Orfanella was probably one of the best Nathan Detroits I have seen. Nick has a good strong voice, exceptional stage presence and is downright loveable. His tall, lanky body is perfect for comedy but then this singing voice comes out of him. I could see why Miss. Adelaide was impatient to put an end to a very long engagement and get married.

The role of Miss. Adelaide is always a crowd pleaser and Maren Fischer filled the part delightfully. Again we heard an exceptionally good voice and surprisingly good comedic timing. “ Miss. Adelaide’s Lament” gave us a chance to see what she can do.

Nicholas Miller was born to play romantic leads and the role of Sky Masterson was perfect for him. Not only is Nicholas handsome and the owner of a rich voice, he can act. This is one of the regulars at Millbrook who you want to see return, but you also hope that his career takes off to the point that Millbrook can no longer afford him.

The part of Sarah Brown, the “good” girl who falls in love with a gambler is a difficult role. It demands a voice that goes from sweet to rather wild and sexy, not to mention holding its own in a duet with the more flamboyant Adelaide.  Erin Long did it. I felt that her drunken “If I Were a Bell” was her best spot.

One of my favorite songs from a musical is “More I Could Not Wish You”, the song that the older mission worker sings to Sarah after she has fallen love with Sky. Thank you, Ted Cockly. Tom Lavallee had the privilege of singing the show stopper “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” . He rocked it!! The Hot Box Girls also deserve special recognition. Sara Davis, Catherine Deluce, Keli Haines and Brooke Reese ( I hope that these names are correct) were so cute/sexy, plus full of energy.

The fact that director, Todd Underwood, understood that this is theatre in the round was greatly appreciated. The action made good use of the stage; the choreography was lively. Both could be enjoyed from all seating sections. Thank you, Todd for giving me another fun GUYS AND DOLLS.

GUYS AND DOLLS will be running on the Main Stage at Millbrook until July 19th when it will be replaced by Ring of Fire, a tribute to Johnny Cash. Dial M for Murder will be in the Cabaret from July 16-26th. Check the box office at 570 748 8083 for more information.

BOOK REVIEW: The Doll Maker

Richard Montanari writes thrillers. He builds his action as carefully as his lead characters, Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano build their case. In Montanari’s latest offering, THE DOLL MAKER we follow the action through the eyes of not only Byrne and Balzano, but through the eyes of the killer as well.

The first body, a young schoolgirl, is found sitting primly on a freshly painted bench at a deserted train station. Under the bench is a formal invitation to a tea dance. The second murder, in this case twin boys, is found similarly staged with another invitation to an upcoming tea dance. This time though a doll is placed as in witness to the scene. The doll is an exact duplication of the park bench victim.

As the murders continue so do the appearances of the very lifelike dolls. Even though part of the story is told from the viewpoint of two mysterious people, we have to keep up with Kevin, Jessie, and the Philadelphia police force as they work to solve this odd case.

There is so much to like about THE DOLL MAKER. The history of dolls is touched on briefly, but enough to help give some valuable clues as well as to give a short history lesson. I liked that there is some local color throughout Pennsylvania. Montanari places his books in Philadelphia, but his characters do get to other parts of the state. In this case we make it to Rockview State Penitentiary, which happens to be in my backyard.

It is hard to beat a Montanari book for interesting characters, but Anabelle and Mr Marseille are exceptionally well done. At first I thought that I was hearing the voice of a doll, and in a sense, I may have been correct. Their background was fascinating. I also love getting to know characters who make short appearances but become very real. This adds to the suspense when they are the next victim.

Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are the protagonists of Montanari books and you will enjoy getting to know them. I found that once I had met them that I wanted to know them better, hear more of what made them who they are.

This does not mean that THE DOLL MAKER can not be read as a stand alone book.  It only means that once you pick up a book by Richard Montanari, you will want more. This is “thriller” at its best.

BOOK REVIEW: The Bone Tree

NEWS FLASH: I just finished THE BONE TREE and am dying to tell you all about it... but, I can’t. It would be doing you a terrible disservice.

You have to understand that THE BONE TREE is the middle book in Greg Iles’ trilogy that started with Natchez Burning and neither of these books is a stand alone novel. Usually, I find that the middle book in a trilogy is a disappointment, but I could not put this book down. It is full of surprises and fast action as well as character development of people that I thought  I knew.

THE BONE TREE is actually the fifth book by Iles to feature Penn Cage and his family. That means that Penn, his fiancee Caitlin, his parents and daughter, as well as many of the people around town are old friends of ours. Now we are learning secrets and seeing sides of them that give them even more depth. Some things are not so pretty.

Natchez Burning gave us some background of the terrible racial situation in the 1960’s. An offshoot of the KKK that called themselves the Double Eagles were responsible for horrific acts of racial violence and the recent murder of Doctor Tom Cage’s African-American nurse brings the past and the present too close together. Doctor Cage has been accused of the murder and is on the run from a corrupt police system as well as the remaining Double Eagles.

Caitlin and Penn have reason to believe that the head of the Double Eagles may have played a big part in the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King and that Doctor Cage knows more about the details of these murders than is healthy for any part of his family.

So far, each of the first two books in the trilogy have come to somewhat of a conclusion, but has left the reader waiting, not too patiently, for the third and final explanation. (I wish I could tell you more!)

Greg Iles is very high on my favorite author list and he has not disappointed me with his latest offering. If he is a new author to you, I would recommend some of his earlier books while waiting for the third Natchez Burning book.  (It is not due until April 2017!) The Devil’s Punchbowl is very good and the action happens just before the start of Natchez Burning. If you like action that gets gritty at times and is written by an author who has an ear for dialogue and character, you will get hooked.