THEATER: Steel Magnolias

STEEL MAGNOLIAS is currently at the Boal Barn in Boalsburg. This is a play about six strong women and the success of the production depends on finding six strong actresses. State College Community Theatre found them.

Four women meet regularly at Truvy’s Beauty Salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana and along with Truvy and her new assistant, Annelle, we listen in on the gossip and learn about the private lives of these steel magnolias.

Ginger Larson was a sweetheart of a Truvy. Her love of juicy gossip was underscored by a very caring heart, a true concern for her assistant and customers. I got the feeling that Ginger was either type cast or is an exceptional actress. I am thinking that it might be the former; her sweetness came across as very natural.

Trudy’s assistant Annelle was played by Elaina Mercurio. This is a more complicated roll then an audience might recognize. Elaina grew from the very frightened, lost young girl to the mature mother-to-be with ease. Her quiet acting was a perfect foil for the drama in her customers’ lives.

Another actress who had a chance to grow was Priscilla McFerren in the roll of Clairee. Recently widowed when we first meet her, Clairee uses her love of the local football team plus her determination to make a very full life for herself. Priscilla was fun to watch as the mature member of the group who had a surprising sense of humor.

Susan Kleit had a ball as Ouiser, the group grump. Susan made good use of the stage as she became very vocal about her neighbor shooting his gun to scare off the birds and the disappearance of the blooms from her magnolia tree. Personal note to Susan: I believed EVERY word in your bio.

The evening belonged to Kristi Branstetter as M’Lynn. Kristi is enough of a pro to know when to under play a scene and when to tear up the stage. She was able to capture the love, fear and heartbreak of every mother watching.

The actual plot of the play centers on Shelby, the daughter of M’Lynn. Jocelyn Kotary is such a natural actress that it was very easy to get caught up in her story. To tell you about her progress at the Salon would ruin the dramatic ending if you are not familiar with the play.

On opening night it took the ladies several lines to settle into their parts. Nerves seem to have affected their speaking voices. They all appeared to be much more at ease once Susan Kleit came bursting on the scene.

The only problem that I had was the costuming. The Barn, as some of you know, is not air conditioned and if the location of the play, Louisiana, is added to the mix, the costuming was too warm. Black shoes, sweaters, etc. did not work. I have seen other plays that Diane Twomley has costumed and was surprised that she dropped the ball on this one.

STEEL MAGNOLIAS is such a tribute to the strong women in our lives that it should be watched regularly.  STEEL MAGNOLIAS will be playing through July 28th.

For photographs, please see Meadowlane Photography on Facebook.

THEATER: Guys and Dolls!

GUYS AND DOLLS! is currently playing at the Boal Barn Playhouse and if you have not seen it yet, GO! This classic musical is a classic for very good reasons and the State College Community Theatre is doing it proud. The music, the costumes, and the actors will take you back to the Broadway of the 1950’s where gamblers and mission workers meet and fall in love.

I have a soft spot for this particular musical; it was the first professional play that I saw so it was the beginning of my love affair with musical theatre. This production pulls the audience in with the opening scene on Broadway, but it is the clever “Fugue for Tinhorns” that told us that we were in for a fun evening. Jerrod Miller (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Jonathan Hetler (Benny Southstreet), and Seth Cornwell (Rusty Charlie) had great individual voices, but the three of them together were fantastic. These guys came close to stealing the show from the leads. Later Jerrod Miller gets a chance to bring down the house with “ Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”.

Let us speak of the leads for a moment. Kristen Paschen (Sarah Brown), Katie Kensinger (Miss Adelaide), Matthew Lesniewski, (Sky Masterson) and Ken Wozetek (Nathan Detroit) were all perfectly cast. Again, the individual voices were terrific and each actor was believable. Having seen Katie and Ken in other roles gave me an even better appreciation of their skills. Katie Kensinger’s “Adelaide’s Lament”, aka “A Person Could Develop a Cold” was a show stopper. The audience loved it.

This show calls for an outstanding male ensemble and this group of guys were having the time of their lives. The crap game in the sewer scene can be tricky but it was very well done. Director Martha Traverse and Choreographer Jessica Blanarik are to be congratulated for an excellent job. They kept the show, and the guys, moving.

A thank you also goes to orchestra leader Ronica Skarphol Brownson. The overture was enjoyable on its own, but it was the fact that I could hear lyrics that I appreciated. This is a major deal with me.

GUYS AND DOLLS! will run at Boal Barn until July 7th. It will be followed by Steel Magnolias opening on July 17. For reservations, the phone number is 814-234-7228. Supporting the local arts is a very good thing.

For more pictures, visit Meadowlane Photography on Facebook.

THEATER: And Then There Were None

Ten little Indian boys went out to dine,
One choked his little self and then there were nine. 

Agatha Christie and theater fans everywhere know that this old nursery rhyme is the base for the plot to AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.

William Barksdale and Luke Miller

Nine strangers are marooned on an island off the Devon coast. After dinner, as they are becoming acquainted, a recorded voice is heard accusing each of them of committing a murder. As each guest denies any knowledge of any crime, one of the young men chokes on his drink and falls down… dead. The action continues with the death of each person happening as foretold in the rhyme. The murderer has to be one of the ten and just when the audience is sure who it is, that is the next person found dead.

Jack Holtz

This is the story on stage at Boal Barn Playhouse this week. I have to admit that it is one of my favorite plays and I can be very critical if the cast and crew do not do a good job with it. Not to worry. This production is extremely good. I found myself so lost in the story that I forgot that I was sitting in a theater.

Steve Raybuck and Lindey Allen

The furnishings and decorations set the mood as soon as you walk in. (If you are not familiar with Boal Barn, it is a true arena stage making it necessary to walk across the “stage” to get to your seat.) The costumes also help to set the mood and time period. Thanks to Jon Vickers-Jones for the sets, and to Amy Hobbs for the costumes.

Director, Mike Knarr, made good use of the space. Bodies were found in every place possible. He also deserves credit for the pacing of the show. The build to the climax appeared natural.

A standing ovation goes to actors Lindsey Allison, William Barksdale, Jackie Gianico, Curt Himmelberger, Jack Holtz, Brandon Lengyel, Dennis Mathisen, Debbie Meder, Luke Miller, Steve Raybuck, and Charlie Wilson. Some of this talented group have appeared with the State College Community Theatre before; some were new to me. I hope that all will be back.

If you are in the mood for a good mystery, visit Boal Barn this week, but as in any mystery, watch out for red herrings. Is it as good as I say it is? You will have to judge for yourself.

To see more pictures, visit Meadowlane Photography on Facebook.

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE plays at the State College Community Theater through June 16th.  Tickets can be purchased at http://www.scctonline.org/none.shtml

THEATER: The Great American Trailer Park Musical

State College Community Theatre’s Boal Barn is definitely “trashy” this week. THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL is responsible for bringing the residents of the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park to our town and with them comes adultery, road kill, strippers, disco, agoraphobia, cut-off jeans, and extremely high heels. As quoted in the play program, “everything a musical should be”.

Photo courtesy of Drew Frank, Meadow Lane Photography

The characters (and some of them really are characters) are much more important than the plot. The plot is the simple old story of the unhappy husband and the new girl in the trailer park who makes her living as a professional stripper and petty thief. Add a wife who suffers from agoraphobic since her son had been kidnapped, a Magic Marker-sniffing ex-boyfriend, and a Greek chorus, called the Girls, consisting of three self proclaimed “bad-asses”.

The action is evenly distributed through the cast giving each member a chance for some good solo work. Jackie Gianico, Allen Boyd, Rachel Ruhl, Emido M. Krupa, Sandi Rockwell, Courtney Wozetek, and Lacee McCann were all in excellent voice and had some very impressive moves.

After the show I asked Ms Rockwell how it felt to go from playing a nun to playing the manager of a place like the Armadillo Trailer Park. “Great fun,” she said. “The part is trashy and FUN.” The word “trashy” seemed to come up a lot.

Mr. Krupa told me that he is a method actor and had spent two months practicing by sniffing Magic Markers. His part was so over the top, that I almost believed him.

This is a very funny show, but as their ads state, audience discretion is suggested. The language and subject material may not be for everyone. The cast carries it all off well, but, as you may have noted, the term “trashy” does keep being mentioned.

My one problem was with the sound. Too many lines were lost either because of the sound system or the band being too loud during the musical numbers. Some of us hate to miss good trash talk.

THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL will be at the Boal Barn in Boalsburg until April the 28th.

Neil Simon’s Rumors will be State College Community Theatre’s next production. It will run May 15-19 and 22-26 at the Boal Barn. This is one of my favorite Neil Simon shows and I am eager see what they do with it.

Pictures of the production, taken by Drew Frank of Meadow Lane Photography, can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.439723646041835.119409.118844971463039&type=3.

THEATER: Nuncrackers

The State Theatre in State College was home to those loveable Little Sisters of Hoboken last week when The State College Community Theatre presented NUNCRACKERS. The Sisters are doing their first TV broadcast before a live audience to raise money for their school. (The first time that I met Sister Mary Regina, the Reverend Mother, and her staff, they were doing a benefit to raise money to bury some of the nuns who had been poisoned, accidentally, by their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God.)

The result is a fun filled evening with an involved audience. Kristina Allen was the Reverend Mother, who tried very hard to keep her band of “entertainers” in control. The rivalry between her and her second in command, Sister Mary Hubert played by Maggie Lee, was good hearted, but evident. Ms. Lee’s touch of Aretha Franklin was worth waiting for.

Sister Robert Anne, who received her training as driver for the convent by stripping stolen cars in her old neighborhood in Brooklyn, was played by Regina M. Brannen. Her solo, “Jesus was Born in Brooklyn” was very well done.

Matt Greer as Father Virgil Manly Trott

I have to admit that my favorite character in the Nunsense plays is Sister Mary Paul (aka Sister Mary Amnesia since the crucifix fell on her head). Katie Kensinger, as Amnesia, stayed in character beautifully throughout the play. Her biggest laugh may have been announcing to the audience that we would be seeing their production of “Ballbusters” until Sister Mary Regina explains that it will be doing “Nutcrackers”.

Matt Greer joined the sisters as Father Virgil Manly Trott. He absolutely stole the show when he had to fill in for Sister Julia, Child of God. He gave new meaning to the Holiday Traditional Fruit Cake--- with lots of rum - some of which was put in the cake.

Veteran character actor, Mercer Bristow, supposedly had a “small” part as stage manager, Father George Krump. It goes without saying that Mercer made the most of his “small” part.

Sister Mary Paul (Katie Kensinger) and the school children
(Sela Plummer, Cordelia Marie Ceres,
Kevin Dolan and Max Plummer)

The school students were delightfully played by Sela Plummer, Cordelia Marie Ceres,
Kevin Dolan, and Max Plummer. Their facial expressions were priceless, especially when Sister Mary Paul led them in “Here We Go a Waffleing” and “The Holly and The Ivory”.

The Little Sisters of Hoboken can be counted on for a fun - filled evening and The State College Community Theatre under the direction of Martha Traverse certainly gave them a chance to shine.

THEATER: Into The Woods

INTO THE WOODS opened at Boal Barn on Tuesday and special recognition has to go to Tom McClary and his production staff for a delightful show. The decision to do the show in modern dress was a brilliant one and costume designer, Joy Elizabeth Downey, defined each character with just the right touch.

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine have woven several well known fairy tales together to give us the plot for Into the Woods so that the characters can interact with each other as well as giving the audience a chance to see what happens after the “happily ever after” endings.

Although the cast was a true ensemble, I have to make several comments on individuals. As The Witch, Amy Sclight had some complicated lines and she sailed through them without a stumble. Amy has a strong voice and I would love to hear her sing without amplification.

The Baker and his wife were played by Eric Brinser and Kate Oberholtzer. Both were in good voice and were very believable in their more dramatic scenes. Side note: Bald Eagle students go see Mr. Brinser. You will be impressed.

The Wicked Stepmother and her daughters had the best chance to dress the part. Played by Susan Kleit, Emily Dennis, and Jessica Blanarik, they were a delight and their wardrobe sharp and edgy.

My favorite spots may have been the duets starring the two Princes. Jason Meyer, Rapunzel’s Prince, and Michael Tews, Cinderella’s Prince, were perfect for the parts. Michael’s overacting hit the right comic note. Loved his sneakers.

Julia Albertson’s Cinderella had the proper layers to her personality; she was not sure if actually marrying a prince would guarantee happiness. Her sweet voice was perfect for Cinderella.

Rachel Reed as Little Red won the audience almost as soon as she stepped on stage. She has an excellent stage voice, clear and precise. There was no doubt in my mind that her new cape would be made of wolf skin. Jason Myer did double duty as the Wolf and as a result had an outstanding solo, “Hello, Little Girl”.

Helen Fleischer deserves to be applauded as Milky White, the cow. Non-speaking roles are difficult. Never once did I see Helen break character; she just kept chewing her cud.

I have enjoyed Stefan Pelikan in past shows, but the part of Jack was perfect for him. Jason Hetler also did double duty. He kept the audience informed of the action as the Narrator for the play and was also the Mysterious Man.

All of the smaller roles had good voices. Lisa Wasbotten, as Rapunzel, has an exceptional voice. I hope that we get to see more of her.

The evening concluded with scholarships being awarded to Sarah Rafacz and Jessica Blanarik to be used to further their education in the field of drama.

INTO THE WOODS runs until August the 20th. Leading Ladies opens September the 6th.