THEATER REVIEW: The Crucible

The State College Community Theatre’s production of THE CRUCIBLE solidified my opinion that community theater has come a long way in the past several years. There was a time when I would cringe if I heard that they were going to do a drama as important as Arthur Miller’s THE CRUCIBLE. Now I feel confident that I will see a professional level production. 

 

Set in 1692 during what will become known as The Salem Witch Trials, THE CRUCIBLE tells the true story, with some artistic license, of John Proctor and how intolerance and mass hysteria can destroy good people. A moral story that is relevant today.

Music and sound effects set the mood of the play from the moment the audience entered the theatre. Costumes and lighting continued the sober effect. Jon Vickers-Jones (scenic designer), Greg Ray (lighting), Laura Lee Hancher (costumes), and Matt Eissler(sound) can be thanked for leading their crews to the total over-all effect.

Director Marilyn Knoffsinger showed great respect for Miller’s script. Her actors delivered the lines with the power that they deserved and made it easy for the audience to follow what can be a wordy play.

Usually in community theatre the balance of talent is not even; thanks to good casting, this was not the case in this production. I like to watch actors when they are not featured in a scene to see how well they stay in character. Never was this a problem. Background characters stayed focused. This can make a big difference during a dramatic scene.

Although this was almost an ensemble cast several bits did stand out for me. Rachel Moon’s dramatic scene early in the first act gave the audience a feel for the tension that would come later.

Jordan Satillo played the part of Abigail with the right touch of vindictiveness hidden beneath an innocent face. She had ample chances to show that talent can come in young packages.

Samuel Reitman probably had to show the widest range of emotions in the role of John Proctor. He made us believe the goodness and the guilt that tore at this man. As John’s wife Elizabeth, Lori Wilson gave a beautifully understated performance.

There is not space to mention each of the cast members, but they were all equally impressive and each deserves individual paragraphs.

I do have to mention the very effective curtain call. There were some tears in the audience.

Community theater is special. The people on stage are our friends, neighbors, office mates, or family members. Most have full time jobs and still make time to learn lines and attend nightly rehearsals so that they can entertain the rest of us for several hours. In the process families are created made up of cast, crew, and audience. What could be more special than that?

THE CRUCIBLE will run on July 26 at 8pm and July 27 at 2 & 8pm. Call the box office at 814-466-7141 or visit their website at http://www.scctonline.org/. There was a large attendance last night and I think as word gets around, tickets may become scarce.

(Note from Wendy:  Pat's obviously been busy theater-hopping, so her Wednesday book review is skipped this week.  All three of her weekend theater reviews were posted today, so be sure not to miss one!!)

THEATER REVEIW: Freud's Last Session

The Next Stage’s production of FREUD'S LAST SESSION proved that you can take a play about two men debating about the existence of God and turn it into an evening of great enjoyment. Of course, it helps if the two men are Jewish atheist Sigmund Freud and the recently converted Christian, C. S. Lewis. 

 

The play is set in September, 1939. Freud is dying of mouth cancer and the young Lewis has yet to become famous for his books on Christianity. In the background, Nazi Germany is making moves to overtake Europe.

This does not sound like the subject for a play that would have a sold out house completely enthralled. The reaction to lines, the silence in the room, and the sound of enthusiastic applause at the final curtain call must have been very satisfying to the people involved in the production.

The success of the evening falls on several shoulders. First of all, the script is inspired. The dialogue was lifted from various works by the two men and reassembled to make for an argument that might have actually happened. The slight animosity at the start transformed into respect by the final scene.

Director Richard Biever gets credit for taking what is basically two people sitting in a room talking and making it a vibrant exchange. The stage in the Attic is rather small and easily crowded by sets. The actors made good use of the space; movement was very natural. 

 

The actors captured their characters amazingly well. Without question Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis are two of the best known intellects of the modern world. Therefore, we all have in our minds a physical and emotional image of them.

Lloyd Short was Freud. Not only did he look the part, but I felt that he had the wry sense of humor that suited Freud. I appreciated that his “accent” never got in the way of his lines. It was there but not overpowering to the point of lost lines. He was very believable.

C.S. Lewis was played by Chris Hults. (Here I have to insert a personal note; I have a case of hero worship of Lewis and would take any deviation of his character personally.) On Hults’ entrance I felt that he seemed hesitant and ill at ease. Then I remembered that the year was 1939 and Lewis was “just” a professor at Oxford, not the world famous creator of Narnia or Screwtape. He would have been self-conscious and a little awkward to meet the famous Doctor Freud. His memories of his father and of his time in the Second World War were very believable. Hults also captured the humor that is such a big part of Lewis’ work. As the play progressed he became “Jack” Lewis for me. 

 

Last night the air conditioning system was not as good as it should have been; in other words, the Attic was hot. It says much for the actors and the material that the audience was captivated by production despite the heat. The laughter came full and often.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION will be at the State Theatre, in the Attic, until July 28^th. Sunday performances are both matinees. A warning to the wise: opening night was a sell- out. Do not wait.  For ticket information and more go to:  http://thestatetheatre.org/.

THEATER: A Midsummer Night's Dream

There is a reason that William Shakespeare’s plays are still popular and Millbrook Playhouse proved why with their production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Whether it was your first experience with the Bard or whether you could recite lines along with the actors, director Teresa Pond provided everyone with a delightful evening.

This season has seen some beautiful and meaningful sets at Millbrook, but scenic designer Mark DeLancy out-did himself with this one. The forest was deceptively realistic, until the fairies turned it into a magical place with surprising openings and nooks and crannies perfect for sleeping lovers.

Costumes also went from the elegant early 1900’s to the fantasy of the fairy kingdom. Roejendra Adams has covered almost 100 years’ worth of costumes this summer: 1950’s greasers, 1940’s Nazis, and now 1911’s lovers. She has done her research well.

Now to the actors, I do not know where to begin. It seems a given that any actor worthy of his craft has Shakespearean training. That does not mean that every actor is good. Millbrook seemed to find the good ones and several excellent ones.  I have said it before, but the fun part of a theater like Millbrook is getting a chance to see actors in a variety of roles as well as seeing some great new talent.

The “Players” are always the high light of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and this cast was no exception. Cory Lawson in the challenging role of Bottom/Pyramus, Charlynn Knighton as Starveling/Moon, good old stand-by Richard Guido as Snout/ Wall, Brian Lose as a very lovable Snug/Lion and local Johnny Haussener, in bad drag, as Flute/ Thisbe were all terrific.

Lawrence Lesher has also been a regular at Millbrook and is a constant surprise of talent. His “direction” of the Players was so delightfully inept.

Amanda Hibbler, Lizzie Harless, Kali Haines, and Olivia Hanna were lovely to look at (costumes were wonderful) and were also as fey as woodland fairies should be.

Christopher Scheer and Mary Malaney in the dual roles of Oberon/Theseus and Titania/ Hippolyta made the king and queen of the fairies very sexy. They had the best opportunity to show that they could handle the challenge of the very different roles. The lovers were well cast. Katrina Michaels (Hermia) and Jonathan Minton (Demetrius) were new names to me and were both impressive. Lysander was more than ably played by Josh Houghton. Josh is another example of why I love places like Millbrook. Anyone who can go from Snoopy to Shakespeare is all right with me.

Madeline Wise as Helena was outstanding. Her understanding of the part, her delivery, and her comic timing all added up to a perfect performance. Madeline is another actor that I would love to see in other roles.

Holding the show together was musician Toby O’Brian who allowed his guitar to speak for him and Ariel Marcus as a very, very energetic Puck.

For anyone who thinks that Shakespeare is boring should have seen this funny, farcical, slap-stick production. It made for a fast and fun evening.

The last show on the Main Stage will be Always…Patsy Cline opening on July 26th. Boeing, Boeing is currently in the Cabaret. Call 570-748-8083 for more information.

THEATRE REVIEW: The Woman In Black

Now and then, if an audience is very lucky, everything comes together in a production. THE WOMAN IN BLACK at Millbrook Playhouse is one of the rare examples. Script, lighting, sound, sets, and acting all combined to make this a ghost story worthy of its genre.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK was a new play for me and since the suspense of not knowing what was going to happen added to the enjoyment I will not give you a summary of the story. You will have to experience that for yourself.

Two characters, plus maybe a third, tell of the horrible happenings in a Victorian house located in an isolated marshland in England. The setting is a stage, bare except for some mismatched chairs, a trunk, a small desk of sorts, and assorted odds and ends. 

 

The set was the first thing to impress me as I walked to my seat. The feeling of an ornate Victorian stage was perfect. With the aid of lighting and sound effects, your imagination turned the stage into everything from offices, swampy marshland, nice hotels, and back to the stage. 

 

Characters appeared through the addition of a cigar, a pair of glasses, a beat up hat, and a subtle change in body movement and accent. The ability of the actors to carry these changes was very impressive.

Chris Corporandy was a new name for me, but I will be watching for him. This, my friends, appears to be an actor on his way to fame. His delivery made the lines ring with energy and flow like poetry. 

 

Frank Franconeri is well known to Millbrook audiences. He has proven that he can hold his own as a character actor. In THE WOMAN IN BLACK he has a chance to show his versatility as an actor and his masterful use of dialect. He has really impressed me over the last few years.

One of the tricks to this play is to get the audience to switch from the two men talking about what happened in the past to scenes from that past. At times it was the simple hand direction that brought up the “stage lights” or the swift relocation of a stage prop and the physical change in one of the actors. It worked; I never felt confused as to what was happening. In less talented hands the time and place changes could have been a disaster.

One picky little note; I am not always aware of anachronisms but the use of Velcro was a jarring bit. I wish the mourning band had been tied around the arm, simple and authentic. (I told you that it was picky).

The Cabaret Theatre will open Boeing Boeing on July 19th. The Shakespearian comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream continues on the Main Stage tonight through this weekend. This theater is having sold out performances, but if you are lucky, you can order tickets at 570-748-8083 or check www.millbrookplayhouse.org.

BOOK REVIEW: The Life and Works of Mr. Anonymous

Most serious readers will agree that the award for most prolific writer would go to Mr. Anonymous, a.k.a. Anon. Mr. Anonymous has been responsible for numerous works ranging from poetry through prose. His contributions have been scattered wherever the English language is read.

And yet, very little has been known of this great talent until recently. Fortunately, Willard R. Espy has written a biography titled THE LIFE AND WORKS OF MR. ANONYMOUS. The book focuses on the sixty-odd years that the author was personally acquainted with this man and his dog, Author Unknown.

When Willard was in second grade his classmates teased him about his unruly mop of hair with this singsong: " I’m three years old and like to wear A bow of ribbon in my hair. Sometimes it’s pink, sometimes it’s blue; I think it’s pretty there, don’t you?"

The fact that he wore no ribbon in his hair was immaterial. He wanted to find out who had written these words. He was told over and over that nobody did; that it was anonymous. He was to continue to hear this about his nightly prayer: "Now I lay me down to sleep, …"  Well, you know the rest, I’m sure. This started a life-long search to learn more about this man, Anonymous.

One Sunday while Willard Espy was six, he was reading outdoors, an unusual man appeared, singing as he walked down the road. The man accompanied himself on a mandolin and an extraordinary dog helped with the music by ending each stanza with a mournful howl.

To make a long story short, this man turned out to be Willard’s great uncle and, wonder of wonders, he was known as Mr. Anonymous and his dog Author Unknown. The man and dog had been recently in Alaska, and had been travelling the world learning everything they could about life. He explains to Willard that actually he was part of a long line of Anonymousness. That was one question that I was glad to have answered. It seemed to me that the works of Anonymous go back very far in history.

Mr. Anonymous settles down to teach in the local school for several years, but soon leaves to teach in a small university. While he and Willard are together, Willard’s fascination with his mentor’s work grows.

We are not sure of the exact date of Mr. Anonymous’ death. Punch Almanac published a eulogy in 1856, but many people felt that it was premature.

It would be unfair of me not to include some of Mr. Anonymous’ finer work in this review. So, here are some of my favorites, listed by subject.

On sex:

The womb’s a fine and private place
In which to propagate the race. 

On alcohol:

God, in His goodness, sent the grape
To cheer both great and small;
 Little fools drink too much
And great fools none at all. 

On food:

Heavenly Father bless us,
And keep us all alive;
 There’s ten of us for dinner
And not enough for five. 

Naturally, there is not enough space here for all of this great man’s work, so this is only a small sample. I am sure that each of you has your own favorites that you would want to share. But, please, no limericks. Mr. Anonymous considered them beneath his talents.

I enjoyed this biography very much. Not only did it answer question that I had about Mr. Anonymous and Author Unknown, it was a delightful, if incomplete, collection of his works.

BOOK REVIEW: Save Me

SAVE ME is the third book I've read by Lisa Scottoline. My first was a collection of her humorous newspaper articles and the second was a light mystery. Neither prepared me for SAVE ME.

Rose McKenna has moved her family to a new town to get her daughter Melly away from being bullied. Things are no different at the new school. Rose has become a cafeteria volunteer in order to keep an eye on her daughter. 

 

One day Rose watches the girls tease Melly to the point that Melly runs to the restroom in tears and as Rose is reprimanding the girls at the table, the kitchen explodes. Rose must make a choice that no mother should have to make: the choice of saving the three girls that she is talking to or leave them and rush to get her own daughter. Her split second choice changes everything in her life. Her marriage starts to fall apart, the community goes from seeing her as a hero to treating as the most hated of villains, and soon her own life is in danger.

This book had a little more meat to it than the earlier ones I had read by the author. The plot is one that would scare any mother. Do you save your child or another woman’s child? Then, add the human element of having watched that other child mistreating your daughter.

The story line was a good one, but I had trouble with the details. Scottoline does not write strong male characters and in order for Rose to become strong and resourceful, the husband had to be out of the picture. It may have been possible that his career was more important than the lives of his family, but it did not make him a very likable guy. I almost rooted for the marriage to break up.

The action scenes were fast and I did cheer for Rose as the bad guys chased her. I knew all would be fine in the end, but that brought up another point of dissatisfaction; all was too tidy in the end. I do not like forced happy endings and this felt forced to me. 

 

I know that Lisa Scottoline is a very popular author, but I couldn’t help wondering what Jodie Picoult or Sharon Sala would have done with this story line.

THEATER REVIEW: The Sound Of Music

We should start this review with a disclaimer; THE SOUND OF MUSIC is not one of my favorite musicals. I feel that I have been overexposed to much of the music and some of the numbers are so long. That brings me to Millbrook Playhouse’s recent production. 

The history of the von Trapp family is well known. The story of the young woman who wanted to marry God and ends up marrying a man with seven children and together they all escape the Nazis was set to music by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein in 1959. The following forty-some years have seen the show, the movie and the score become extremely popular. 

Millbrook director Ken Kaissar made the whole production seem fresh and new. The simple and elegant set by Mark DeLancey was used well by the cast, always a sign of good directing. The choreography by Lexie Fennell Frare was fresh and flowed with the story perfectly. 

The talent in the cast was a constant pleasure. Erika Strasburg was everything that Maria should be. Her facial expressions and body language made everyone in the audience want to share her joy of life. This is not to overlook her singing talent. Her duet with the Mother Abbess, played by Andrea Gregori, was beautiful. The duet gave us a hint of how Andrea would do on “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”. Exquisite.

Photo courtesy of Millbrook Playhouse.

I found myself waiting for Captain von Trapp to sing. Drew Pulver has that rich baritone voice that puts goose flesh on the back of my neck. (My teen-age crush was Howard Keel). I hope that Drew becomes a regular at Millbrook. The fact that he is handsome and can act did not hurt.

Again the skill of the director was evident with the children. Each child was so professional and stayed in character throughout the show. Each one also had the ability to sing out. Kali Haines as the oldest daughter Liesl and Johnny Haussener as Rolf made the overused “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” seem fresh. Their dance number was young, spirited and made me smile.

I felt cheated that Courtney Simmons as Elsa had only one number. She has a good voice and this production did not give her much of a chance to show it. (We will get to see Courtney later this summer as Patsy Cline). Dropping “How Can Love Survive?” and the contrast song “An Ordinary Couple” was a disappointment for me. 

It would be deficient on my part to skip mentioning Richard Guido as Max. Richard is at his best when he is playing an over the top character; I got the feeling that he kept this part under control with some effort. Also, watch for the name Jen Morris. We saw her earlier in Grease as Frenchy and as Sister Sophia in the present production, but she is my pick for big, good things in the future.

I really enjoyed THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Obviously the score works better in the hands of a good director and a talented cast. 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC runs until July 7^th on the Main Stage where it will be replaced by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Cabaret is showing The Woman in Black until July 14^th. Ticket information can be found at 570-748-8083. I will warn you though; the houses have been sell outs.