Talkin' with Tony

What was your first theatrical experience? When I was 6 years old my mother dressed me in a yellow duck costume and I danced around while singing “Rubber Ducky” for her Sweet Adeline Christmas show. They couldn’t get me off the stage.

What has been your favorite role to play on stage? First of all, I must say that I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play many memorable characters that I really had fun with. That being said, I currently have a three way tie between the Pharaoh in “Joseph”, my roles in “Sylvia”, and my most recent part in “The Full Monty.”

How did the "Follies" come about? LCP had previously wanted to do a traditional variety show; however, the director who was slated to do the show had to take on a much more important commitment (Don’t you hate when real life interferes with community theatre?). LCP looked at their options and decided to allow Rob and I to write a show. With a very limited time frame, we quickly brainstormed our list of characters, hashed out a plot/theme, had a couple email re-write sessions, and viola a show is born.

What do you especially enjoy about this show, and why should people come to see it? I truly enjoy the absurdity of the holiday special genre. So why not twist it? Many of these characters exist in our own families and through the magic of 60’s television this show brings a frivolous and wacky blend of our slightly skewed holiday memories to life. Rob and I laugh our heads off every time we see it. It’s pretty ridiculous.

What do you hope people will walk away from the LCP Follies feeling?
I hope patrons walk away from this show feeling as if they did not have to do a thing or worry about anything for an hour and a half. I hope it’s an escape.

What makes the holidays special to you, and did you try to incorporate any of that into the "Follies?" What I find special? The crazy food concoctions from well intentioned hosts/hostesses, the tacky metallic sheen of the holidays, the corny music, the thousands of people crammed into minimal square footage, the failed attempts made by our elders to include diversity in their holidays (at least they were trying right?), the automatic in-laws that we meet for the first time, the children on a constant sugar high, and the list of personalities that have made their way through our lives. Mix this entire recipe together, shake, and serve chilled.

What do you enjoy about directing? It’s the vision I think. It’s not often we get a chance to connect our minds to a film projector and show everyone how you see the world.

What has been the biggest challenge with directing? Scheduling conflicts; many in community theatre are volunteers that have “real” jobs. It’s difficult to get all of those folks on the same production schedule.

You have such a knack for kitsch - how did you find authentic pieces of nostalgia for the show (the tree, boxes, Town Club Soda)? Why thank you… I do like the kitsch. My memories of growing up in Lansing manifested our commercial sponsors and we were fortunate enough to get a hold authentic Towne Club Soda bottles from LCP board member Bill Torrence. Many of the serving dishes came from my kitchen, and some of the chairs from the lounge in my basement. The wall paper is courtesy of a holiday wrapping paper I found, and other pieces came from the extensive RWT properties warehouse.

Do you identify with any of the characters you've written into the show - did they come from actual people in your past, or Rob Roznowski, your writing partner? Rob [Roznowski] and I identify with every character quite well. They all existed in our childhoods. My grandmother’s hairdresser for instance was a very flamboyant character that always had something to rave or comment about. His name was Don and our character Don Weenow is modeled after him. Also, Rob is amazing at interpreting people; he truly gets the human experience and view’s things in a way that many of us can’t verbalize. He sorts it out for us and effortlessly places it on stage. Working with him on this show has been very inspiring; I continue to learn so much from him. I can clearly see why Rob is so successful and why his students at MSU enjoy him so much.

Quick Questions:

Why is theatre important to you? I have to let the theatre bug out or it starts to itch.

Why is theatre important to the community? I feel we all need this creative process to both have an outlet and to find joy. It’s great therapy.

Favorite line from any show? “Am I a man or a woman?”

Do you have a favorite Christmas song? “Carol of the Bells” It’s a soothing panic attack.

A favorite theatre Christmas memory? My uncle doing a Spike Jones routine with the “Three Imitators.” His co-star wore a grass skirt and coconut bra while singing “Cocktails for Two” (1980’s Social Security Scandals)

Treading in "A Body of Water"

“A Body of Water” as a work itself reminds me of a bizarre love-child between “50 First Dates” by Adam Sandler (to an uncomfortable degree), and “No Exit” by Sartre – with perhaps a bit of bed-hopping with Beckett in there just to muddle things up a bit more by waiting for something that may or may not exist.

It was interesting to me how obvious some of the lines came across for a surreal drama, like “pretending to be happy is better than nothing.” It seems like a rather blunt indication of where the author is heading with this show – sometimes people just don’t want to find out who they really are, don't know how to, or don’t understand others around them. I’ve heard people say they wished they could just “forget.” But what would it be like to have your memories wiped clean? This is what Lee Blessing is attempting to explore with “A Body of Water.”

So then the question remains – if you don’t have your memories, and if the only thing that makes you, “you” is your experience (your past) and your genetics – then what else do you have? Only the present. And that is why, then, language becomes so vastly important: when Wren is introduced, the world between Avis and Moss, the couple with double amnesia, crumbles. The present is all they have – and she toys with it for reasons known only to herself.

Lindsay Palinsky as Wren, daughter-in-potential, seemed to be channeling Ellen Page from “Hard Candy” – she had two modes of being – a wolf, and a wolf under sheep’s clothing. It actually diluted her effectiveness if her part was, in fact, meant to undermine their reality. She’s a bit over-reactive where a sweet tone would have been much more cutting or a pout could have been more cunning than the perpetual scowl she wore through most of the show. She was effective, however, in keeping the audience guessing as to her actual motives and we never did find out if she was an angel or devil – and that was probably Mr. Freeman’s point, but it made a rather dull point. She was likely both and neither at the same time.

Mara Schaberg was cast in the role of Avis, the unfortunate woman who awakes nude, next to a man she can’t remember, in something of an embarrassing position. Ms. Schaberg aptly played shy and confused, though as the story progressed she seemed stuck in that place, with her voice elevated unnaturally through a lot of the show. When Ms. Schaberg did relax and respond to Mr. Hays, in particular, she did seem for a few moments to forget about the audience and simply respond to the actor in front of her, and it was then she loosened up. Avis seemed more willing to want to believe in the word-games of Wren, more willing to play along, because trying to discover the truth was too hurtful and overwhelming.

Michael Hays left me wishing that he could have found an anchor on stage as well, though he also had bright spots in the softer moments of the show. He seemed rather bored, most of the time, and then angry, vacillating between frustration and apathy in the tenor of his voice. Mr. Hays does well with the lighter lines, using the gruffness of his voice to deliver the uncertainties of “she’ll be back” with not really knowing, but hoping, and giving the audience a bit of a glimpse into the needs of his character. I never believed though that this couple woke up and didn’t remember their past – they were too blasé for me to really buy into it or care that much about them, though the concepts they projected I did find interesting.

Since Avis and Moss have been robbed of their history, all they HAVE is the present, and they share these moments with the audience. They need to be real, to sound real, to have feelings, to be terrified, to be confused, to be human. The essential flaw of the play was that though surreal – the “real” part was missing. “Surreal” simply asserts the idea of removing the components of logic and societal restrictions from a situation and then allowing the pieces to fit back together again without any imposed rules to follow. Blessing provides the clean slate and situation, and Avis and Moss have carte blanche to genuinely explore all avenues of “being.” At least, until Wren shows up and throws a wrench in their Eden.

Mr. Freeman chose an interesting concept to bring to the stage – these people are just as afraid to be awake as they are to be asleep, but then who is to say they are awake at all? Just as Sartre’s Garcin, Estelle and Inez cannot escape each other, these three are bound together as well. It could be heaven or hell, Milton might suppose…and so it would appear, Lee Blessing.

Mr. Freeman did surround himself with excellent technicians – the lights, sound and stage crew were all spot on. For his first directing endeavor Mr. Freeman took a big bite – I admire his ambition and want to encourage him to continue to chew away, but to remember that one may masticate just a bit too much and make mush out of a mignon.

I think it was Wren who said “the power is in us every day to be happy or not”…it’s as if Avis and Moss have jogged away from their lives and never came back, making a mutual pact to disavow their prior existence, unless that is they only exist in the mind of Wren, or Wren and Avis never existed at all, or Moss – well, you get the idea…but it does make me wonder how many people live comfortably in a rut and forget the power of the present.

For that reminder, Mr. Freeman, well done.

*************************************************************************************

And for those who want to know the Occam’s Razor reference, here’s Wiki’s definitions:

Of two equivalent theories or explanations, all other things being equal, the simpler one is to be preferred.

Another version from Einstein:

Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor

Japing around with "Jack"

Riverwalk has a rich history of producing children’s plays and “Jack and the Beanstalk” is a wonderfully spun romp in fairytale land, Directed by Lee Helder and Music Directed by Doug Austin.

As with all the children’s shows that Riverwalk produces during the holiday season, there is a certain formula that they tend to follow, but gosh-darn it, the formula works. There is the flawed hero, typically a villain of some mythical nature, and something that needs to be saved – in this version, it happens to be Jack’s village, and well, Lucky, the cow.

Most people know the story about Jack and the Beanstalk - not being a very conscientious boy, Jack dreams away the day while his mother cooks and cleans and finds herself in a state of destitution. She sends Jack to sell their only cow for money so she can feed them both, and he gets swindled by a con man for some magic beans. She's disappointed her son would believe in anything that foolish and throws the beans away, leaving Jack to feel jolly rotten about himself for being such a dope. Over night, the magic beans actually create a beanstalk that grows up into the sky, and he decides to climb it, and - well, I don't want to give it all away...Stan Gill wrote this version of the fairy tale and includes a few characters to help out along the way.

The three minstrels did a fine job narrating the story for us – Bob Murrell was the most easily heard and understood of the trio as well as the most expressive, but Sara Sonnenberg and Charlotte Ruppert stuck closely by and engaged the audience and helped to cheer Jack along through the show.

Jack himself, actually played by Laura Johnson, made for an amiable enough figure – however she was rather one note throughout the show. It would have been nice to see her play Jack with a bit more of a 'Peter Pan' type of energy. She never seemed surprised, or scared, or even sad that she had to sell Lucky her cow. But she sang well, if a bit softly, and certainly looked the part of Jack.

At the opposite end of the energy spectrum was Ann Glenn playing Jack’s mother. What a riot to watch Ms. Glenn in her interactions with Jack – she towers above Ms. Johnson, and without any heart at all sends Jack off to sell Lucky, their only cow. She didn’t have a "pretty" song in the show – instead her song lectures Jack and Ms. Glenn puts quite a bit of gusto into it. What fun. And I wouldn't want her mad at me.

Probably the scene stealer of the show was the cow, played to pun-perfection by Shannon Leigh-Bonney. Ms. Bonney’s costume first of all was as adorable as, well, a cow’s costume could come – udders and all. Her wise-acre comments, meant to be over-the-top and something for the adults to enjoy, didn’t push the limits of being too obvious as to be groaners. And, I for one, was incensed that Mr. Helder, as the Bean Guy, tricked Jack into buying the cow for some silly beans. It seems I’d forgotten that part of the story and so when Mr. Helder came out as a Bronx/Joe Pesci wise guy type and swindled Jack, I was rather crushed to see him laughing and leading Lucky away. Kudos Mr. Helder, for breaking my heart when you took the cow, you trickster you.

It is always a delight to see Marilyn Steegstra on stage and there isn’t anyone who can top Ms. Steegstra in playing the role of a dryly humored cook of ill temperament and foggy memory. She delivers her lines with a bite, and although dancing may not be her forte, in “Jack,” her character as the Giant’s Cook was given a few chefs – Tim Beam and Scott Larson – to help her do her work. These guys also doubled as crew, more or less, to help unfold (and refold) the simple yet effective set designed by Paul Marisch. One other note here to compliment Diana and Bruce Rochowiak on their bright and well-planned scenography.

I’m not quite sure what to think of the Singing Goose, played by Susan De Rosa – she was something of a cross between Madeline Kahn and, uh, well a goose. I have no idea but for some reason “Blazing Saddles” came to mind. Take it for what you will – it was a hoot.

Ms. Emily McKay as the Singing Harp was interestingly outfitted; her petite frame and shy demeanor next to the giant lent itself to her song and situation. Her voice was quite beautiful and I would have liked to have heard more of it.

And last, but not least, we come to Edric Haleen, the irascible and imbecilic giant that Jack steals from (or rather, steals BACK from) to help his village. Mr. Haleen always has a presence on stage and even when he’s hebetudinous, he’s still quite interesting to watch. Oh yes, and in some places quite repulsive, actually, too, but in a ridiculously-over-the-top-wonderfully-bamboozled-still-chewing-and-yelling-and-spitting-out-food-that's-gross-but-little-kids-love kind of a way – but then, I suppose that’s what giants are supposed to be. Mr. Haleen rapped across an easy line between being big and loud but not too scary for the smaller children in the audience. I thought it was also kind of him to sit in the lobby afterwards so he didn’t seem quite as imposing.

A few technical notes of appreciation go to Tom Ferris and Doug Austin – Mr. Ferris played guitar, mandolin and banjo, and Mr. Austin also played the keyboard for the show. The music was delightful and the interesting mix of the different acoustic instruments made for a much more satisfying show to listen to. Jack Hetherington created a fun lighting schematic for the kids to enjoy for certain events, and the costumes by Lee Helder were also very well put together. All in all it was a fantastic show for the family.

I encourage you to catch a performance – it still runs for two more shows tomorrow, Sunday, and then next weekend. The details are below.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

Nov. 28-30 & Dec. 5-7 & 12-14
RWT Mainstage
Show Times
Fri. 7 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. 2:00 & 4:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices $7 Adult (16 & up), $5 children
Call 482-5700 for reservations

Lots of Theatre!!!

There is a lot of theatre happening over the next couple of weekends and I just want to let people know what's going on around town; I may not get a chance to get to much of it, unfortunately - but here's what's up:

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

Nov. 28-30, Dec. 5-7& 12-14
A Family Musical Comedy based on the fairy tale
by Stan Gill

Directed by Lee Helder

Come see another one of Stan Gill's children's shows with the family - it promises to be a lot of fun with great costumes, a lot of silliness and a chase scene!!

Contact the Riverwalk Theatre at 482-5700 for Reservations

November 28-30 & December 5-7, 2008

A Surreal Drama
by Lee Blessing

Direted by Alex Freeman

Call the Riverwalk Theatre at 482-5700 for Reservations

*Note: Performances will be held at the Creole Gallery in Old Town on Turner Street

What would you do if you woke up in be with a complete stranger, and you had no memory of your past, no clothes, and no idea of who you were?

The Lansing Civic Players will hold auditions

November 30th and December 1st at 7pm at the

Firehouse on Michigan Avenue and Hayford Street.

ROLES AVAILABLE:

Willie Clark - A cranky old vaudeville comedian. Once famous, now in denial that his career is long past. Can't stand his former partner, Al. Living in a rundown apartment and waiting to be rediscovered.

Ben Clark - Willie's nephew and talent agent. Long-suffering and patient, keeps in touch with uncle Willie trying to help. A worrier. Has had an offer for Willie and Al to be on a TV special doing their old act.

Al Lewis - Another cranky old vaudeville comedian. Has kept himself up a little better than Willie, whom he also can't stand. A little more realistic, but just as difficult.

Nurse in act - Described as "tall, voluptuous and overstacked blonde in a tight dress," she is an actress hired to be in the act for the TV special. Must be very funny doing a dumb blonde. Blondeness and overstackedness may be helped with costuming.

Patient in act - A bit player hired for the scene as well. A funny character actor.

Eddie - Assistant director or floor manager for television studio. Has headset and clipboard and is trying to get the scene shot before all heck breaks loose.

TV Director (offstage voice) - Director in booth, speaking over intercom.

Announcer - introduces the scene. Has that "announcer" voice. Stands at microphone lectern in studio.

Nurse - Meant to be played by a black woman. Willie's nurse after he suffers a mild cardiac setback. She's had about enough of Willie and is getting sarcastic.

Soap Opera actors - Willie is watching a bad soap opera on TV in the opening scene. This may be audio only, but if we feel ambitious enough, may be on video. Actors interested in doing this fun little bit should indicate their interest on their audition form.

Firehouse Follies Presents

LCP's Holiday Extravaganza

Written and Directed by Rob Roznowski and Tony Sump

Tickets on sale NOW!!

December 5-7 and 12-14, 2008

Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm

Sunday at 2:00pm

517-484-9191 for Reservations!

Felice and Navi Dodd have their hopes set on the perfect holiday party filled with family, friends, and cheer. But can they pull it off? As guests arrive, a rollercoaster of characters colorfully take over the party and whisk us into a holiday special straight out of 1965. Music, laughter, and innuendo ensue. Tickets are already selling fast, so make sure you get to see this fabulous evening with the Dodd’s before they fade off into T.V. Land.

Another One Bites the Dust - Dracula

As a disclaimer, I was originally slated to write and direct "Dracula" for LCP - I wanted to like this show, because I respect Kerry Waters and I know how hard she worked on the play - particularly at the last minute - however she succumbed to a crucial problem that people have with this show as a community theatre piece; being TOO faithful to Stoker's book.

For those of you who are not familiar with Stoker's book, it's written as letters and journals; it's not actually a straight narrative. The story needed to be adapted and severely cut so that the action found in the letters was extracted and put into the storyline; Ms. Waters didn't seem to be able to decide what was important to focus on and what wasn't. Unfortunately the night I saw it the sound effects were rather off their mark, and so the carriage ride she begins her story with was confusing as the clippety-clop of horses interrupted dialogue on stage. I recognize that it is the first time that Ms. Waters has written a script and directed for LCP, and I think it's a good thing for community theatre to give people the opportunity to try original pieces - however three hours of lights up, lights down, lights up, lights down and very little connective dialogue made for a confusing and rather dull show.

The allure of Dracula is fear itself in the form of seduction; there was nothing sexy, seducing or scary about this production. We are often titillated by what we fear the most - hence why Dracula is often associated with our own excesses and vices...wanting to indulge in what we know to be either profane or sinful, and suffering the consequences for pleasure goes hand-in-hand with this plotline. What is frightening isn't the obvious; what is frightening is often the beautiful, the lie that sounds completely sane and tempts us to do what we intuitively know we shouldn't, and to be drawn towards the darker parts of ourselves where we aren't sure we are necessarily in control. Renfield's insanity should be frightening because he makes more sense than anyone on stage at certain points in the show, as it is written in the book - he has a more intimate understanding of their reality except for Van Helsing and Dracula themselves.

Another profound disappointment was the nonexistent confrontation between Van Helsing and Dracula. Harker sleeps through most of the fights, Dracula's vixens mostly fight for him and enter far too soon on their cues to be a surprise to the audience, and Dracula himself dies not with a bang, but a whimper.

There is so much meat to explore here; the nature of being, of good and evil, of sacrifice, friendship, love and endurance...would you give your soul to save your lover? How can you curse the vampire for being true to his nature? He hunts, just as humans hunt deer - why is he wrong? Or why is Van Helsing's quest to annhiliate Dracula heroic - and is it, ultimately?

For Stoker, love is the highest of all virtues and because Dracula does not have a heart that can beat of it's own will, he must steal life from the blood of others; he is an abomination, a being cursed by God to feast upon men but never experience for himself his own blood to run hot with passion and cold with fear. This is why Van Helsing pities his enemy as much as he desires to destroy him - only the heartless can kill without remorse or regret...

And it's regretful I can't give a better review for all of the hard work Ms. Waters put into her show; I give her great admiration for finishing her script and getting it on stage - it's only through doing that you actually learn. I realize I am biased, but the show was nearly three hours long, and the original movie from 1931 ran about 76 minutes. The story is so familiar that it doesn't need to ponderously extrapolate the meaningless details of the book - audiences want action for this kind of show, and unfortunately there isn't much action happening except for the lighting guy.

Born Yesterday Delights

Although "Born Yesterday" has a slow start, I found that I was sucked into the story a little at a time and by the end of the show I understand Chmurynsky's observation that it's absolutely true that politics haven't changed since 1946 - except of course, that congressmen and women are bought most likely in less obvious ways. After the first part of the first act especially, the show sailed on by and was slick and well-directed. I enjoy shows where there isn't needless blocking created just to have movement on stage. There was obviously thought put into everything the characters do, and it's the little details that often make or break a play.

The gist of the show is that self-proclaimed "junk man" Harry Brock, played by Doak Bloss, wants to clean up on the iron and steel left over in Europe after WWII and doesn't want to deal with foreign policy and taxes cutting into his net profit. He "buys" a politician, in the sufficiently sleazy form of Jayke Pell, for around the sum of $80,000 - but his Jersey girlfriend doesn't exactly fit into Washington DC society and he hires a young man, Paul Verall, to educate her so she doesn't embarrass him.

Unfortunately Doak Bloss was terribly miscast in this role; the young man cast to 'educate' Billie Jean is played by Joseph Baumann, and he's quite a tall young man. Mr. Bloss just didn't have the physique nor the bluster to carry off the role of such a tyrannical business man. In fact, he was rather too reminiscent of Archie Bunker and not believable at all as someone who should demand respect. The first act felt slow in part because Mr. Bloss carried a great deal of the dialogue and he was incredibly difficult to understand. I give credit to Mr. Bloss for portraying Harry Brock as obnoxious - but he amounted to very little more than that.

As Mr. Baumann interacts with Billie Dawn, played by Emily Alaskon Himebaugh, the show really picks up and the fun starts. Both are newcomers to the Riverwalk stage and breathe energy and humor into the storyline. Mr. Baumann was able to mix the right amount of confusion into his relationship with Mrs. Alaskon Himebaugh on stage, and his condescending confidence towards the character of Harry Brock was amusing to watch.

Mrs. Alaskon Himebaugh as Billie Dawn, however, was the gem of the show. She commanded the stage in every scene and matured from being whiney and spoiled to becoming her own person. She made the transition believable; the dumb-woman-turned-intuitive-and-suddenly-intelligent has been done on stage and screen so many times so unrealistically...Mrs. Alaskon Himebaugh never allows her character to suddenly become something she isn't - she acknowledges her flaws, makes no apology for them, and her decisions become something believable rather than contrived.

There are several other treats that come in the show - Merrill Wyble and Marilyn Steegstra are on stage for only a very short time, but their appearance is something to look forward to. Philip Himebaugh appears on stage only twice, but he makes his stage time count.

Susan Chmurynksy has a delightful show, and though slow to start has a powerhouse ending. And by the way - this is one of the most elegant sets I've seen on Riverwalk's stage in some time - Craig Mitchell Smith's scenography is glorious. It's well-built and well-suited for the needs of the storyline. The costumes were lovely and the tech all-around was well done.

The show plays for one more weekend - call 482-5700 for reservations for visit www.riverwalktheatre.com

Drinking in Milk Wood

In Elizabethan England it was said that people went to go “hear” a play – auditoriums were crammed so closely together with patrons that the stage often could not be entirely seen. There were also groundlings that stood in front of the stage because it was cheaper than a seat at theatres like the Globe, the Swan and the Rose, and roamed about while eating nuts and oranges, somewhat blocking the view for some of the other patrons. Many of these theatres were built in the round – and so to sit nearly behind the stage also provided constraints on what one could see. Though the theatres were about three stories high, the poorer people needed to depend on their sense of hearing to get the gist of the show, typically. And sometimes if you had a seat, the view was completely blocked by the architecture of the theatre itself– this is why Shakespeare’s plays were performed out in the open on a thrust stage, without a set. People listened to the story as it unfolded, and that is also why iambic pentameter, the soliloquy and prose were so important to the audiences to recognize – they indicated a change in mood, in action or setting. One had to listen in order to understand the exposition, arc and dénouement of the play…

And the art of listening is something that became compromised with the ever-advancing intrigues of technology; we use our eyes so much more than any other sense for entertainment. Perhaps the current equivalent of a groundling could be considered a mosh pit for rock concerts. We are constantly visually stimulated in this world – there is so much to see, and so much for our eyes to focus on. We even text rather than call, email instead of hand write a letter. You’re on the internet right now reading, in fact, instead of talking to me about my thoughts of theatre and art…

Under Milk Wood was a joy to listen to because even when I got lost with some of the storylines, I could still take great pleasure by closing my eyes and simply listening to the beautiful voices on stage – eager to tell a story, crisply connecting the words of Dylan Thomas’ world together in an art form that is vastly unappreciated today. We have things to do, people to see and places to go and just don’t take the time to stop and really listen. People are pushed in this ADD society for constant stimulus – and they get bored easily if not given more than one thing to focus on at a time.

It was a delectable treat for my ears to retreat for awhile from the stimulation of having to watch for a sight gag or be annoyed by an actor’s tics, costumes or set. Time slowed down for a little while, and I could focus on the beauty of the words, and the beauty of the voices I was listening to. I was able to let go of everything else and simply slow down and let my other senses rest while I got caught up in the eloquence of language, the different voices, the fantastic characterizations, and the streaming thoughts of another person from another time and place.

Joe Dickson was notably expressive – I can’t imagine this is easy reading, and he was also able to use his face to convey more to the meaning of the words he spoke. I was listening to the difference in tambour of the voices on stage – James Houska falling into distinctly separate characters both funny and sad, Brenda McKenzie bringing up visions of a town gossip, Linda Gras as a cantankerous neighbor, Bob Gras as the narrator for the most part, though split as the observer’s voice with Joe Dickson, LeAnn Dethlefsen as a forlorn lover – and Rick Dethlefsen delivered my absolute favorite line of the show with a perfection of texture and richness that I still smile to recall it. This short list really does dis-service to all of the characters these fine voices brought life to – there was just too much for me to keep up and describe…

This show certainly isn’t for everyone; in fact, it’s probably something very few people would enjoy at all. There is no visual stimulation, really – the actors focus on the story and in telling it; that is what is unique about this production. There are no costumes to judge, no set to bother with, no action to critique…the charm of the show lies in the voices Mr. Gras chose to tell Dylan Thomas’ story.

But – if you want to slow down, if you want to rest your eyes and open up your imagination, then Under Milk Wood may be something for you to try. At least for me I found it soothing, and a bit sad at times, humorous at others – and absolutely human. If nothing else, I was able to take two hours, let my other senses rest, and listened to the popping combination of consonance and alliterative dancing ~ and I left thoroughly relaxed.

Under Milkwood runs again this weekend at the Creole Gallery. For more information go to www.riverwalktheatre.org

Under Milk Wood

UNDER MILK WOOD

A Play for Voices
By Dylan Thomas

Directed by Bob Gras

Here is Dylan Thomas’s sense of the magnificent flavor and variety of life. Moving, hilarious — a spring day in a Welsh coast town dawns with dreams and ghosts, moves through the brilliant, noisy day of the townspeople, and closes as the “rain of dusk brings on the bawdy night.”

Performansces run Octover 17-19 & 14-26

Tickets are $12



Black Box shows perform at the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St. in Lansing's Old Town
_____________________________________

Additional information about Dylan Thomas:

Often considered his greatest single work is Under Milk Wood, a radio play featuring the characters of Llareggub, a fictional Welsh fishing village (humorously named; note that 'Llareggub' is 'Bugger All' backwards, implying that there is absolutely nothing to do there). Richard Burton starred in the first broadcast; he was joined by Elizabeth Taylor in a subsequent film.

Dylan Thomas was born in Wales in 1914. He was a neurotic, sickly child who shied away from school and preferred reading on his own; he read all of D. H. Lawrence's poetry, impressed by Lawrence's descriptions of a vivid natural world. Fascinated by language, he excelled in English and reading, but neglected other subjects and dropped out of school at sixteen. His first book, Eighteen Poems, was published to great acclaim when he was twenty. Thomas did not sympathize with T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden's thematic concerns with social and intellectual issues, and his writing, with its intense lyricism and highly charged emotion, has more in common with the Romantic tradition.

Thomas first visited America in January 1950, at the age of thirty-five. His reading tours of the United States, which did much to popularize the poetry reading as new medium for the art, are famous and notorious, for Thomas was the archetypal Romantic poet of the popular American imagination: he was flamboyantly theatrical, a heavy drinker, engaged in roaring disputes in public, and read his work aloud with tremendous depth of feeling.

May 1953 saw the world premiere of Thomas's play Under Milk Wood, with Thomas himself playing the part of the narrator. The assistant director was one Liz Reitell—it was Reitell's task to help put the play on the stage, including finding a suitable cast. Thomas engaged in a love affair with Reitell though, to her, their initial meeting was a disappointment. The play itself was a great triumph, even though the final draft for the ending of Under Milk Wood was completed just before the actors went on stage, with the help of Reitell herself. It was because of this performance that Thomas was asked to work on the libretto of an opera for the composer, Igor Stravinsky. Thomas's health rapidly began to deteriorate as a result of excessive drinking; he was warned by his doctor to give up alcohol but carried on regardless.

On 3 November 1953, Thomas and Reitell celebrated his 39th birthday and the success of 18 Poems. On 5 November, at the White Horse Tavern, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, Thomas began to feel ill. He decided go back to his room at the Hotel Chelsea, where he later collapsed and slipped into a coma. An ambulance was called, which took him to St Vincent's Hospital. Thomas died four days later on 9 November 1953 at around 1 pm.

Recorded causes of death included pneumonia, a result of the coma, and pressure upon the brain. Emphysema was also noted, due to Thomas's smoking habit and possibly his intake of morphine. His liver, according to the pathologist, was surprisingly healthier than one would have imagined. "Chronic alcohol poisoning" was eventually ruled as the official cause of death.


His last words, according to Jack Heliker, were: "After 40 years, this is all I've done." However, various sources state that Thomas's last words were to Reitell: "Yes, I believe you," after she tried to reassure him about his sudden illness. Others say his last words were, "I love you, but I am alone," again said to Liz Reitell. A popular myth is that Thomas's last words were, "I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that is a record."

It has also been said that the only person to be in the room with Dylan Thomas when he died was the poet John Berryman.

According to Walford Davies, after he went into a coma he was accidentally injected with an overdose of morphine.[15]


Following his death, his body was brought back to Wales for his burial in the village churchyard at Laugharne on 25 November. One of the last people to stay at his graveside after the funeral was his mother, Florence. His wife, Caitlin, died in 1994 and was buried alongside him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_Thomas

"For Kathe"

I'd like to put some promo out there for “The Kathe” show - It will be performed at the Grand Ledge Opera house on Oct 26th at 3:00PM.

As you might remember Kathe was stricken by a stoke 3 months ago. Since then she has made a steady recovery but medical bills have also been steadily increasing. The theme for the event is people who performed with Kathe performing "For Kathe."

Seven different performance venues where Kathe has performed will provide musical entertainment in our beautiful Grand Ledge Opera House.

For more information call 627-1443 or 626-5170 - tickets are $25/person.

Not Wanting to Leave, "Leaving Iowa"

Before I get to "Leaving Iowa," I'd like to preface my review with a few words about another show.

I'd seen "Art" quite a few years back and found it utterly pretentious and absolutely dull. I was bored the entire way through the play, so when I heard "Art" was making a comeback and Bruce was cast in it, I was worried. I wanted to like it for him, of course - but I had such a bad taste in my mouth from the first time I saw it that I really dreaded opening night.

Last season it was The Williamston Theatre who presented "Art" - and I was completely blown away. I was thoroughly engaged in the cerebral humor, and quickly found out that Tony Caselli was able to bring out the meaty emotions in the show easily - it was fierce and fast-moving. That show was a totally different production in every way possible, except for the white painting, than the show I'd seen before.

Caselli had this innate talent to extract from the script the intricacies of friendship, and his show was just as funny as it was frenetic. In fact, there was constant movement and constant contention amongst this group of three intellectuals that was incisive and intense, and left me wanting more..."Art" went from a show that I absolutely abhorred to my gaining my admiration and respect. Caselli was not afraid to let these men become vicious, venal and victimized. He pulled out the heart of friendship, dissected it, and put it back together - as best as a friendship can be sewn back together after betrayals occur - for the audience to absorb as they left the theatre.

"Leaving Iowa" is just as passionate - though this time director Caselli chose a play that focuses on family. It's much more gentle, though just as quick-witted and moves at the same breakneck speed as "Art," with all of the insights now tuned into the intricacies of time, and the memories of childhood that hook back into the business of today. The particular business of today involves the Browning family, a distant son, an urn of his father's ashes, and a "damned adventure."

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of "Leaving Iowa" is the ability of John Lepard and Teri Clark Linden to revert to children and back to adults with subtly but absolute accuracy. As children, they reincarnate all of the emotions and antics you could observe in any backseat, in any family, taking a road trip and making stops on the way for their yearly vacation. It's as if Mr. Lepard and Ms. Linden open up and invite the inner children in themselves to take over, playing these parts with uninhibited energy. Mr. Lepard had the more difficult role of needing to transition more often on stage while telling the audience about memories of his family - and with a simple slump of the shoulders and bent head, the transformation was made. And yet, there were other times he threw himself to the floor with with wild abandon as a frustrated child throwing a tantrum.

The energy of Ms. Linden was magnetic; she channels a bratty, conniving older sister without being over the top or making it 'feel' like she's acting. It's totally natural to watch her tease Mr. Lepard with obnoxious gloating, and laugh at her antics as she does so.

Hugh Maguire and Ann Miranda also channel very real parents who just want to have fun on their family vacation, and fall victim to the traps and frustrations inherent in trying to please everyone. Mr. Maguire is heartbreaking at times as the father doing his best to make his children happy - he is the salt of the earth, earning him the respect of his children as they become adults, but for his son, a bit too late. Ms. Miranda played the loving wife, giving an intimate look into a woman who is loyal to her husband, tries to keep the peace with her kids, and yet has her own quirks and worries made known as the show progresses.

The last actor of "Leaving Iowa" plays just about every person Mr. Lepard meets as he tries to find a respectable place to leave his father's ashes. Bruce Bennett played so many roles I lost count because I was so enthralled with the movement of the show. He was easily able play everything from a mullet-owning-skillet-wielding fry cook to a cynical professor playing darts and drinking beer. But his best performance was that of Mr. Peneplain, the owner of the hog farm that sits in the exact center of the United States. His scene with Ms. Miranda and Mr. Lepard is gentle, moving, and so very sweet. Mr. Bennett purrs with the understanding of what Mr. Lepard needs to do for his father, and helped to set the mood for the end of the show, beautifully fulfilled by Mr. Lepard, by leading the audience into a more somber scene at a slower pace.

I do believe that professional productions should be held to a higher standard of criticism because the people involved are paid for what they do, they make their living at it, and they compete - sometimes fiercely - for these roles. Caselli has a gift in casting the right people in the right parts - just because a theatre is professional doesn't necessarily mean that all of the shows are going to be better than what you might see in a community theatre. I've seen many shows at LCP and Riverwalk that have blown me away - so getting paid doesn't necessarily make you a better actor. It's the director's job to cast the right people to carry out the intent of the show - Caselli is a master with this talent. He understands the art of humor, poignancy, and the complexities of getting an author's point across without trampling it, changing it, or falling into the trap of losing the audience with lachrymose endings.

There was not a weak link in this cast - staged on a mostly bare set, "Leaving Iowa" hits you where you live - it's as intense as "Art" but infinitely more gentle. I'm not sure as many people could really relate to the core of "Art," however "Leaving Iowa" will pluck upon the chords of memory to everyone who sees it.









October 2 - November 9, 2008
A warm, nostalgic and moving comedy about a man who returns to his childhood home in the Midwest following the death of his father. On his quest for the perfect place to scatter his father's ashes, he relives the family vacations he spent trapped in the backseat of their station wagon.

"4 out of Fordyce... you want to get your tickets to this show RIGHT NOW."~ Jim Fordyce, MIEntertainment.com Click here to read entire review.


Performances are Thursday and Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Please note there is no 3pm matinee on Saturday, October 4.

Tickets Prices: Pay-What-You-Can ~ Thursday, October 2
Preview performances ~ $15, October 3 - 9
Thursday evenings ~ $18
Friday and Saturday evenings ~ $24
Saturday and Sunday matinees ~ $20

Taking Kerry Waters' Pulse on Writing Dracula

1. First of all, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I grew up in Marshall where I began acting in television commercials in front of the bathroom mirror at around the age of 2. I finally got on stage in middle school and then in high school I met the most inspirational person of my life Max Bush, my theatre teacher. It would fills pages to discribe all he did for me, let's just say he gave me most of the theatre tools (and many life tools) I still use today. I have been in Lansing since 1984 and active in theatre here since 1994.

2. You wrote this script for Dracula - how did you decide what the first sentence of the show should be, given there have been many versions of Bram Stoker's book written? Did you try to stay faithful to the book?
The beginning was the hardest part. I knew I was going to have to condense the story alot. In re-reading the novel, Jonathan's voice spoke to me the loudest and I knew I had to start with him and his journey. Many of the plays I've seen start after Dracula comes to London so they can play all the 'effects' without the history. I love history. Yes. I believe I stayed completely faithful to the book with most of it's melodrama intact.

3. How does it feel to have the words you've written acted out in front of you?
Bizarre and wonderful. The cast is truly excellent and I find myself getting lost in the story and thinking damn this is good.... I wrote this?! .... Wow.

4. Is this the first time you've written a play?
Full length, yes. I have written many teleplays that were filmed at church; one-acts; and many skits.

5. What are you particularly proud of about this show?
My cast, have I mentioned they are excellent? And within that, I'm most proud of my casting choices, casting against anything most people have seen them in. For example, Jay Hansor (who is playing Renfield) has always been cast as the doctor, lawyer, sheriff, the stalwart guy, not allowing him to show his full talent. Having been in Actors Workshop with Jay I knew his talent ran very deep and I believe the audience that has seen him in other roles will be blown away by how talented he is.

6. Do you have any advice for anyone writing a play of their own?
Only do it if you are passionate about it. You must invest so much of yourself, not to mention the hours and hours, that what you are writing must be able to sustain you.

7. Why do you think people should come to see theatre? Why is it important?
Because it's live and it's life. I feel you see truer dipictions of life and more well rounded characters on the stage. The story is more immediate because it is being performed for you not the camera.

8. You're an actress as well - can you name some of the parts you've enjoyed playing the most over the years?
There have been many, I feel truly blessed but to name a few: Jeanette in The Full Monty; The Reader in Far East; Claire in A Delicate Balance; and Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Quick Questions

1. Would you write another version of a classic if you had the opportunity to do so? And what would it be?
I've been thinking of that, currently on my mind are Frankenstein, A Cask of Amantillado, and Jane Eyre.

2. What is your favorite play/musical?
Play: Three Tall Women

Musical: Les Miserables

3. Do you have any theatre superstitions?
Nope

4. Favorite line of any show?
Miss Lucy. I know I ain't good enough to regulate the fixin' of your dainty little shoes but, well, won't you just hitch up along-side of me and let us go down the long road together, driving in double harness?

5. Would you like to write a haiku for the end of your interview about how you're feeling right now?

Theatre is my life
It is what helps me to breathe
Without it I die

Dracula

Written and Directed by Kerry Waters

October 24-26 & November 2, 2008 Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm
Performances are at the Hannah Community Center819 Abbott Rd., East Lansing, MI
Call: 517-484-9191 for reservations

Truly You - Enter the Center

Since we have broached the subject of self-awareness, I want to write a little bit about what that path to self-awareness is like, and how the journey begins.

It's not easy, and takes courage - but it's liberating if you can learn to get out of your own way and allow what is meant to be yours to come to you, and learn to live in the moment. If you believe everything is perfect just as it is - no matter what your situation - then you become absolved of worry, of fear, and begin live in faith and love.

As with all journeys, though, it begins with a step, and a desire to go someplace new. When the place you're at isn't serving you anymore, and you're finally motivated to try something different, anything, then you know you're ready.

A very dear and respected associate of mine is beginning classes to help people discover parts of themselves they never realized existed - her tools are metaphysical, and are geared towards those who know that there is something more to life but don't really know what or where to look.

I consider Shey to be a mentor to me, and I would be happy to answer any questions, or send them on to Shey, about the workshop she will start this fall. Her hard-gained wisdom has come through a great many experiences which have shown her how to be the observer of her world, instead of falling prey to the pain of it. There is always hope, always light, always compassion, always beauty - it's just a matter of perspective.

Hope to see you there -

“Truly You-Enter the Center”

A Guided Mini-Series Event

November 9 &16 and December 7 & 14, 2008
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

only at

The Mountain Books & Gifts

Your personal truth is as individual as your facial features, your fingerprints, and your dreams…and as specific as the color of your skin, your eyes, your hair.

Your physical framework was given to you at birth - but you were also provided a personality framework – a foundation at your center that is “truly you.”

You have the key to enter the center, access the foundation and discover the treasures hidden there.

So our adventure begins with a treasure hunt. We seek the juicy center of your authentic self – the “truly you” that vibrates, yearns, strains to be liberated from old habits, beliefs and lessons that do not speak to who you really are…and the part that longs for the destiny you were meant to fulfill.

But we must start at the beginning and examine your personal owner’s manual. Our tools are numbers, Chinese astrology and intuitive insight.

Join us at our premiere session where you will receive a personal numerology review. The entry fee for the first of our four sessions is simply your birth date and your name as it appears on your birth certificate. There will be a $10 charge each for sessions two through four.

Call The Mountain at 321-1906 or Shey at 449-1495 to register.
Or visit The Mountain at 1208 Turner Street, Lansing.

Shey is the facilitator on our journey. She is a numerologist and intuitive consultant who has provided hundreds of personal sessions in mid-Michigan over the past ten years, as well as phone consultations across the country. Shey’s own personal journey required a total restructuring of her identity which opened access to new skills, guides and channeling, and, in short, blasted a giant hole in the middle of her own foundation (for those familiar with the tarot, just think “Tower”). From the chaos, however, has emerged a metaphysical philosophy that has worked again and again to change people’s lives. It is offered now for this exclusive four session series. Enjoy.

Permanent Collection, and Kristine Thatcher

Although BoarsHead is moving on to "All Childish Things," I was able to catch up with Kristine Thatcher and ask her a few questions about "Permanent Collection."

I'd like to start by mentioning that Tom Ferris directed "To Kill a Mockingbird," and it was intensely moving. While I was watching the scene in which the prosecutor called Tom Robinson "Boy" repeatedly, I could visibly see the audience shift nervously in their seats from the acrid tension acted out on stage.

It was very uncomfortable to watch, but it was also amazing to be a part of the audience and feel this collective anger towards the prosecution's table for Tom, the unfairly arrested black man. The show brought people together as a group, and close to outrage at times. Part of the genius of Harper Lee's play is that it shows people as flawed - and that not everyone has the capacity for compassion for all people, regardless of skin color. But it also gave the audience hope, in the form of Scout most specifically, that the rising generations would be able to understand each other without having to impose one's sense of righteousness based on race over another.

"Permanent Collection" is a bit more complicated, but the audience reaction was similar. In this case, both lead men, Sterling North and Paul Barrows, played by Alan Bomar Jones and Michael Joseph Mitchell respectively, aren't bad people - but they do have serious flaws and are both racist (from my perspective). Again, the audience as a collective group felt the tension on stage and reacted to it. Although I felt Mr. Jones was more aggressive in his acting style, both men betrayed their feelings of fear and dominance in myriad ways. They were both sexist, in part, elitist, afraid of change, and unwilling to compromise. Mr. Jones played the part as more of a racist, in my opinion, while Mr. Mitchell played the part of a racist who didn't realize he was one - a bit more subtly, but just as damaging - ignorance can be brutal. Both actors got their points across very well - their characters were so much alike but couldn't or wouldn't be willing to compromise. Through their own stubbornness they brought about their own demise. The voices of reason in this show came in the form of the women. They were tolerant and sensitive, and ultimately were able to put their egos aside to do the right thing for the art museum.

I would think staging a show with race at the heart of the material could be potentially volatile - and so I asked Kristine Thatcher, director of "Permanent Collection," why she chose this play and what impact she hoped it had on the patrons who saw it.

KRISTINE THATCHER

1. What appeals to you about this show?
I love this show because it never takes the easy way out. It is also written with sharp clarity and presents both Sterling’s point of view and Paul’s with equanimity. For a long time I did not want to know whether Thomas Gibbons, the playwright was black or white, because he presented both side so specifically.

2. Do you believe that the lead characters in the show are racist?
I know the actors playing the parts have suggested the characters are both racist in their own ways. I guess I’d like to leave it up to audience, to the people who come to see the show to make that call.

3. Why is this show relevant to Lansing Theatre?
I think the show is relevant everywhere in the United States. When you take a look at current national politics there is a direct parallel.

4. How much are these two characters, Sterling and Paul, alike?
I think they are very much alike, which is why they can’t hear each other. Whether we like to think so or not, there is a streak of racism in everyone.

5. What is the point the author is trying to make in Permanent Collection?
I think Thomas Gibbons is trying open up the dialogue regarding race in this country. We can’t get past our racial tensions until we’ve been absolutely honest with ourselves and each other.

6. Do either of the lead characters change at the end?
They don’t change as much as the character of Kanika who strikes out on her own at the end of the play. She goes back to what she is meant to do: teach.

7. The play seems quite unresolved – what is it that you hope the audience will take from the show as they leave the theatre?
It goes back to what I think Thomas Gibbons is trying to do with the play. Get people talking about the issues, about race in this country. Gibbons says it’s encoded. It’s a question of trying to read the intentions on a civilized face. I would ask your readers to go to youtube to see AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka’s speech on race in the current Obama-McCain campaign. That’s a good place to start our discussion.

Thank you, Kristine, for your time and for bringing to Lansing a show that definitely left the audience thinking about a very important issue - particularly in this election year.

If you have any thoughts about using theatre as a medium to raise the topic of race in a show as a tool to be honest with each other about our prejudices and fears, please feel free to leave your comments...

A Fun Drive with Susan Chmurynsky

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm a retired school librarian. Grew up in Grand Rapids. Taught for a couple of years in Denver and came "home" to get a library degree at Western Michigan U., then got a job in Lansing. Early on I found the Barn in Okemos which became my second home. Moved to GR in '87 to be close to my Mom and did no theater for 14 years. Came back to Lansing when I retired because my support system is here - my theater family. I have a brother who does movie and TV makeup. He's currently working with Tina Fey on "30 Rock"

2. Why did you choose "Born Yesterday?"

I chose "Born Yesterday" because I costumed it for LCP in the 80's (won a Players' Award). Reread the show to see how it held up and was startled to note how nothing has really changed in Washington DC. It's just a matter of scale. Besides it's a funny show.

3. What was the first show you acted in, and what was the first you directed?

I was an angel in a Christmas show in elementary school. I had to climb up a ladder and peep out of a fake cloud. The first show I directed was "The Wonderful Tang", a children's show, for the Barn in Okemos. That show has definitely NOT held up well over the years.

4. What made you decide you wanted to take that step from acting to directing?
I'm not really sure why I decided to direct. Maybe it's the teacher in me. I do enjoy talking about character and discussing why people in a play do what they do. Shaping a whole production, while all the details drive me insane, is kind of neat.

5. Why is Theatre important to you?
Theater is very important to me because it gives me an outlet for the goofy side of me as well as the creative side. It's also important because I truly love the people I get to work with.

6. Why is Theatre important period?
Theater is important period because it sheds light on people and events. If a show is good it will send the audience home thinking and talking about it. "Side Man" which I directed last year was a show people either loved or hated for a variety of reasons - lots of "language". They didn't just walk out the door and forget it. Theater can make people laugh which is really important in tough times. It can also make them cry and empathize with a character. When I was teaching reading plays was a good, painless way for kids to polish reading skills. It also helped them think creatively.

Quick Questions

1. What is your favorite show (musical or non)?
Mercy this one is hard. I once had a student say "Ms. C. EVERY book is your favorite book". I love comedies and musicals the most. "Avenue Q." has to be a favorite but then so is "Wonderful Town" - complete opposites on the goofy spectrum. I love to watch shows with great dancing.

2. Favorite line of any show?
One of my favorite lines comes from "The Little Foxes". Ben is talking about taking a train ride. He loves dining on trains because "the celery is so crisp." Don't ask me why that one stuck in my head.

3. Dream role, male or female, that you wish you could play?
I've always wanted to do the Mom in "Barefoot in the Park."

4. Share with us something that many people don't know about you...
Believe it or not I watch NASCAR racing.

5. Favorite word?
Right now my favorite word is citizen. Maybe freedom goes along with it because if we're not careful we'll lose what we treasure most. This is probably because I'm directing "Born Yesterday" right now and I don't know if we've learned anything since the show was produced in 1946.

Sue is directing "Born Yesterday" at the Riverwalk Theatre, slated to open October 23, 2008. Details to the production are below. Thanks for your time, Susan, and break a leg with your show!

BORN YESTERDAY

Oct 23-26 & Oct 30-Nov 2, 2008
Comedy by Garson Kanin Directed by Susan Chmurynsky

Harry Brock brings his ex-chorus-girl girlfriend to Washington where he’s making crooked deals with government big-wigs. Embarrassed by her lack of social graces, he hires an investigative reporter to educate her. What she learns about history, politics, and Harry’s true nature changes everything.

Call the Riverwalk Theatre at 482-5700 for Reservations!

Keeping up the Beat with Scott Stearns

1. Tell us about yourself!
I am Scott Stearns, father of Allison. I own HandWorks Massage LLC and I work as a massage therapist. I am the music director for Dimondale Presbyterian Church, the Saturday mass for St. Michael in Grand Ledge, and currently, the production of Little Shop of Horrors at Riverwalk Theatre. My favorite color is blue.

2. So what prompted you to get into music directing? How do you like it?
Allison was my impetus actually, sense a theme? When she was born I decided to find some way to raise her myself, so I quit my job as a Jiffy Lube store manager and applied to a church to be their director of music. I also started teaching piano lessons. Less money, less need for money, much happier Dad. As far as the theatre music directing, that's your fault, Erin. I do like it. I like the energy, fellowship, and creativity of talented people trying to bring order to chaos.

3. How many instruments do you play?
I play piano (keyboards) and vocal chords. I have messed around with the classical guitar a bit, but I am inconsistent with my practice. Allison plays trumpet, clarinet, flute, piano, and voice. I'm sorry, I thought I heard you ask..

4. Who are your favorite composers?
Rado and MacDermot, Tori Amos, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Carole King, Stephen Schwartz, those ABBA dudes, Ed Kowalcyzk, Rodgers and Hart, Shawn Colvin, Johny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, dotdotdot

5. Favorite lyric of ANY song?
You are here, so am I, maybe millions of people go by, but they all disappear from view.

6. How would you describe the way you relate to the people you are directing?
I try to understand how people learn, so that I can be more effective in helping them. With some it's repetition, with some it's breaking down the song into its component parts. I like to collaborate with people when possible, I love learning about new music from people or trying something in a different way.

7. Have you ever heard a voice that literally made your ears hurt? Yes. Her name is Ethel. But I love her now.

8. You’ve been involved with Singers on the Grand for quite awhile – how did that come about and are you still involved?
They asked me to accompany them in their second year, then I joined the singers and divided my time between playing and singing. I get my exercise in that show! We are preparing a show right now. It will be at the Grand Ledge Opera House on November 8th and 9th and at Riverwalk on April 17th, 18th, and 19th. Thanks for the subtle opportunity for a plug!

9. Do you have any desire to give acting a try?
Yes. I know that it's a craft hard learned however, and I, as an American adult, crave instant success. I think that I'll stick with what I'm relatively competent with for now.

10. What is important to you about theatre?
To me personally? This amazing community of actors, dancers, musicians, techies, etc that I've met. I love just listening to the stories around a round of beers. For an avid people watcher, it's heaven to be in this company.

11. If you could have a dream job, what would it be?
International food critic. Or a massage therapist working in one of those stilted huts out in the ocean.

12. How old were you when you first started to sing? I'm sure I was very young, although I quit the biz in 5th grade after my voice cracked on stage as I was singing a very important Christmas medley solo. I sang in high school and took a few lessons here and there. Singing was always my hobby, not my profession. My mom always tells me to just shut up and say (Thanks).

13. Do you have any superstitions about performing? (like uttering the name of the Scottish play in a theatre or do you prepare in any particular way for a performance?)
I wear black. It's not a superstition. I just always identify myself with the band and the band wears black. I breathe. When distracting thoughts or voltage fluctuations threaten, I breathe. Intentionally.

14. Why do you believe theatre/music is important to the community?
For the same reason it's important to me. We see talented, dedicated people entertaining us, enlightening us, showing us the fantastic and the sublime. They encourage us to access our emotions or think about something differently or just escape into farce with them. And they're right here!

A Short Chat With Mike Stewart of "Rumors"

Mike Stewart - Back on Stage Again

1. So why have you decided to jump back on stage now?
About 16 years ago I decided to give acting a break, jobs were getting harder to come by and I wasn't getting any younger and I told myself that when I got into my 50's that I would get back into acting and this is it.

2. What was the veryn first show you acted in? and what was the last one before Rumors?
Bye Bye Birdie was the very first show. The last show before Rumors was A Streetcar Named Desire.

3. Tell us alittle about yourself?
I started acting at Lake Superior State College in the 70"s but found that there wasn't much to learn there and deciced to return to Lansing and take classes here. I went to LCC and at the time the Boarshead ran the Theatre Classes so I learned my craft from two of the best - Richard Thompson and John Peakes. I then began working for LCC building sets and also got grabbed for several plays at the Boarshead. After school I spent several summers at the Weathervane Theatre in Whitefeild, New Hampshire, where I was introduced to real rolling Repertory (a different show every night) - it taught you to learn your lines very fast. I also moved to New York and worked on several small plays and commercials and extra work in movies etc.
In the 80's I moved to St. Louis, Mo. and opened my own Theatre called The River Repertory Theatre and ran that for 8 years. Then I came back and worked at Boarshead, and hit the road again and ended up in Indianapolis at Indiana Rep Theatre as a Master Electrician. After that you know the rest; 6 years a Hannah Community Center Running the theatre and helping LCP do shows.

4. Why is Theatre important to you?
Theatre is my life, there is not one thing I don't love about it - where else can you become an entirely differen't person, create beauitful sets, costumes, lighting and just plain have a blast.

5. What is your favorite show?
I love most all of Shakesphere's plays, Probably my favorite is Merchant of Venice.

6. Favorite Line from a play?
Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious Summer by this Son of York! What a way to start a play!!

7. How does it feel to be back on stage agin?
Wonderful!!! I could not ask for a better group of actors to perform with, or for a better Director than Rick. This show has been a Blast and it shows on stage!

Pssst! Have You Heard the Gossip About "Rumors?"

Eight guests, six doors, two gunshots, and a telephone that begins to inflict terror every time it rings: these are the essential ingredients for the fast paced farce, "Rumors," directed tightly by Rick Dethlefsen.

“Rumors” is one of Neil Simon’s most famous plays, and with good reason. The script is packed full of great one-liners and comedy set-ups with hilarious pay-offs. Mr. Dethlefsen has compiled an amazing cast with great timing and delivery, and he doesn’t waste much time on letting them just sit and breathe. There is constant motion, constant distraction, constant action to be watched and dialogue that moves quickly to keep the frenzy that the guests are feeling fresh.

Ken and Chris Gorman, played by Justin Hein and Rachel Mender, begin the show in a state of panic; they are the unfortunate couple who have the very rotten timing of showing up for an anniversary party early, and are met with a crisis and just don’t know what the hell to do except, well, panic. And they are extremely adept at that.

Mr. Hein in particular was able to act extremely paranoid and scared, but logical and levelheaded with entertaining results. We can see that he’s scared to death in the situation he’s found himself in, and as he tries to hide the truth from the other guests who arrive we can feel the nervous tension drip down his forehead in beads of anxious sweat as he puts on his best smile and repeats “Everything’s fine!” while looking like he’s just come across a murder scene. He becomes even more fascinating to watch from the result of an accident – which I prefer not to give away. Let’s just say that this accident requires Mr. Hein to rely a great deal more on facial expressions for part of the show, and quite honestly, his face speaks volumes without his lips ever needing to say a word. His energy propels the show forward and he was just damned amusing to watch.

Ms. Mender kept up well with Mr. Hein, and part of the fun of her character was watching her get lost in all of the stories that were being told to cover what up what could be misconstrued as a ‘scandal’ for their friend Charlie. She is so shaky from the pressure of remaining calm that her hands can’t hold a cigarette long enough to light it. She doesn’t quite have the stamina Mr. Hein has, but plays her character well as a woman caught in the middle of a drama she just doesn’t have the stomach for.

The next guests to arrive are let in on the secret that Ken and Chris are keeping – Lenny and Claire Ganz, played by Emily Aslakson-Himebaugh and Joseph Dickson – and they handle the stress quite a bit better than Ken and Chris, who confide the nature of the emergency that evening to them. Ms. Aslakson-Himebaugh plays more of a socialite interested in this kind of scene, and makes it clear that she is part of the gossip grapevine at their Society Club and is in on all kinds of secrets. She plays the part of a reluctant and enthusiastic witness to the events of the evening both at once quite well. When things get heated she digs her gorgeous silver heels in and tries to help – often to the irritation of her husband, Lenny.

Joe Dickson’s stellar performance as Lenny is the true highlight of the production. From the moment he enters the room, your eyes are drawn to watch him on stage; he shows a great range of talent and steals the snippets of scenes he’s in with wisecracks, insults, outright anger and frustration. He is able to convey in one grunt, waiting for the telephone, the exact level of irritation he’s aiming towards his wife in that moment, the panic of the situation he’s in, and the impatience at the idiocy around him. Mr. Dickson’s penultimate speech is an outright hilarious gem of comedy; he uses facial expressions and gestures and the entire scope of the stage - this is hands-down the most thrilling scene of the show.

Cookie and Ernie Cusack are the third couple to arrive to the party, and are left in the dark about the nature of the situation. As Cookie, LeAnn Dethlefsen arrives in probably the most God-awful dress seen on stage, and cluelessly infuriates the likes of both Mr. Dickson and Mr. Hein while her husband, played by Mike Stewart, looks on in adoration to her quirky behavior. Ms. Dethlefsen knows how to turn the “ditz power” on – she’s alarmingly good at just not “getting it.” As the pace of the show quickens and the panic becomes more intense, she goes about her business, at times trying to help but mostly getting in the way. Mr. Dickson in particular has some very funny exchanges with her that leave her smiling in her own happy world while he seethes.

Mike Stewart, who has not been on stage in quite some time, is probably the most natural performer of the cast. He takes everything in stride, and plays a very optimistic, eager and genuinely likeable guy. He realizes quite quickly that something isn’t right, and part of what is so funny is that he falls for the cover-up stories being spun and is more than happy lend a hand to help with the festivities of the evening since the maid and butler are gone for the night. His relationship with Ms. Dethlefsen is effortless and smooth; it’s quite believable they are a married couple and play extremely well off each other. And when Mr. Stewart does get stressed, it’s quite hilarious to witness.

The antithesis of the sweet-natured marriage of Cookie and Ernie come in the form of Glenn and Cassie Cooper. Glenn is an ambitious political figure, played by Philip Himebaugh, and Cassie is his bitter wife, played by Amy Winchell.

Mr. Himebaugh is desperate to get his wife to calm down from a bit of a spat as they enter, and with a great deal of vigor he spouts what every man thinks about a woman who is angry with him…his nervous questions and flattery and desire to make the fight end are met with even more poison, which finally push him too far and he loses his temper with his wife, which sends her off to the bathroom for a good pout. He’s a far better politician with the other couples in the party though – eager to please, friendly, and putting on a good face despite the domestic dispute. When events turn south, however, he’s the first to try to get out of responsibility and plays an affable coward quite well. In the end he owns up to his responsibility, and makes up for his prior obnoxious digs at the other guests.

Mr. Himebaugh’s nemesis of the show, in the form of Amy Winchell, was truly marvelous to watch on stage. I actually heard a man next to me say, “Wow, she’s scary.” She is venomous about a perceived affair that she thinks her husband is having with one of his political supporters. From the dialogue it’s simply her jealous streak that prompts her to attack her husband and to deliver stinging zingers in his direction. Ms. Winchell played to devilish delight a woman scorned (or so she thinks), and because she is so caught up in her own indignant anger, the events of the evening fall completely beyond her observation. Bravo, Ms. Winchell, for not being afraid to play truly enraged all the way to the hilt – it was a riveting performance.

Gary Mitchell and Erin Hoffman act as officers called to this party. Ms. Hoffman delivers an adequate performance as something of a rookie cop to the obviously experienced officer, Mr. Mitchell, who delivers a very realistic portrait of a beat cop bringing a bit of realism, finally, to the farce of the evening. He’s intimidating, professional and persistent.

I have to emphasize that the set for “Rumors” is the best set I have ever seen on the Hannah Stage; rich in crimson and creams, it genuinely looks like the house of wealthy man – complete with wall sconces and crystal chandeliers that actually light up part of the stage. LeAnn Dethlefsen pulled double-duty acting in the show as well as designing/dressing the set. Beautiful job, Ms. Dethlefsen – and Mike Stewart also pulled double-duty as an actor and set builder. The costumes, designed by Kathy Weldon, were elegant and befitting of the kind of people who would visit such a house, particularly for a special party. They were flattering to all of the actors and in particular the dress Amy Winchell wore was gorgeous. Even the ugliest costume I’ve ever seen, intentionally designed for Ms. Dethlefsen to wear as Cookie, was a chartreuse delight.

Rick Dethlefsen has a show he should be quite proud of; congratulations to the opening of LCP’s 80th season and for bringing to Lansing area theatre patrons a genuinely funny and fantastical farce.

The show runs one more weekend – don’t miss it!

September 19 & 20 at 8pm
September 21 at 2pm

Adults: $15.00
Seniors(60+)/Students: $13.00
Children: $10.00
STUDENT ticket: $8.00

For reservations call 484.9191