ONCE UPON A MATTRESS 

Central City Opera:  July 12 through August 2

(Playing in repertoire with THE BARBER OF SEVILLE and THE KNOCK)

Marisa Rosen and the cast of Once Upon a Mattress (Photo Credit: Amanda Tipton)

CENTRAL CITY OPERA’S PRODUCTION OF “ONCE UPON A MATTRESS” IS UNMISSABLE!”

Incoming artistic director Alison Moritz has given us reason to cheer with her delightfully whimsical stage direction of Mary Rodgers’ “Once Upon a Mattress.” Pacing the show with the speedy bliss of a carnival ride, Moritz has cast the show superbly. Perhaps her greatest success comes from casting Marissa Rosen in the role of Princess Winnifred the woebegone.  Ms. Rosen has that innate gift of comedic timing and aura of humor coupled with infectious laughter that brought Carol Burnett to the public’s attention in the early 60s. Rosen’s singing of “The Swamps of Home,” “Shy” and “Happily Ever After” are by turns hysterically funny and touchingly poignant.

 Director Moritz’s second coup comes from her casting of the dashing Schyler Vargas in the role of Sir Harry.  Vargas’ glorious baritone delivers “In a Little While” and “Yesterday I Loved You,” to harmonious perfection in his duets with the fetching Veronique Filloux as Lady Larken.  (One wishes he had been able to see and hear Vargas as Guido in “Nine” and Riff in “West Side Story” for Opera Indianapolis.) 

Michael Kuhn gives the most studied portrayal of Prince Dauntless the drab that this critic has had the pleasure of seeing and hearing in his many viewings of this Tony Award - nominated musical. Kuhn rises above the somewhat flat writing of this character to deliver a truly studied and delightfully enjoyable performance.

As Queen Aggravain, Margaret Gawrsiak is pompously condescending and aggressively domineering. Her delivery of “Sensitivity” is a knock-out!

As King Sextimus, Aggravain’s timid and silent husband, Andrew Small is especially watchable in his non-verbal instruction of his son, Dauntless, concerning the birds and the bees in “Man to Man Talk.” 

Alex Mansoori is at the top of his form as the jester in “Very Soft Shoes.”

John Heginbotham’s fiery choreography for “The Spanish Panic” is danced to exuberant perfection by the ensemble.

Andrew Boyce provides a scenic design suggesting a story book castle torn from the pages of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Princess and the Pea.” In like manner, Elivia Bovenzi-Blitz’s eye-popping costume design transports us to the wondrous land of make believe.

Under the baton of conductor Kelly Kuo, the scrumptious Central City Opera Festival Orchestra delivers a joyously ear-pleasing confection.

The magnificent choral work is thanks to Arthur Bosarge, Master of Choruses.

One must add that director Moritz has hilarious surprises in store for you. No spoilers here! You will simply have to go and experience for yourself.

This is a treat the whole family will enjoy!

Not to be missed!

 

For tickets go online at centralcityopera.org or call the box office at 303-292-6700

 

 ROCK OF AGES

PACE CENTER and VERITAS PRODUCTIONS & THEATRE ARTS in Parker,CO

June 27 – July 20

                                      

                           The cast of ROCK of AGES

 “ROCK OF AGES” is a Wowzer of a Rockin’ juke box musical that sets the stage on fire!

    Currently exploding across the stage of Pace Center in Parker, Rock of Ages is a juke box musical that includes the hottest rock n roll tunes of the eighties, sung by a cast of musical theatre artists whose high-octane performance(s) are beyond astounding to a woman/man. 

      The story is as slim as that of all jukebox musicals. Yup. It’s a love story about two kids trying to succeed on their own chosen paths as well as saving the strip from the guy who wants to turn it into a parking lot. 

Production Manager Nancy Evans Begley (Marlowe Award winner for “Outstanding Actress in a Musical” for her performance in  “The Drowsy Chaperone”) has detonated musical theatre dynamite with this well thought-out and brilliantly executed production. 

     Her victory as producer comes in large part from engaging award-winning director Kelly Van Oosbree, whose work is always of the highest and best.  Van Oosbree’s direction and choreography are, as usual, both knock outs in this production! She has cast the show impeccably and paced it at a gallop. 

     The cast includes so many great actors with outstanding voices, one will not be able to mention them all here. Among them are Kayleigh Bernier, Joshua Bess, Carter Edward Smith, Cole Emarine, Shannon Foley, Thurzday and so many more.

The Creative Team is full to the brim with top-notch talent:

Tanner Kelly (Music Director), Brian Mallgrave (Scenic Designer), Brett Maughan (Lighting Design), Nikki Harrison (Costumes), Audio Designer (Kurt Behm), Trent Hines (Pit Conductor), and Jennifer Schmitz  (Stage Manager.) All these individuals are tried and true veterans in their field of expertise.

A few of the songs that will take your breath away in this musical are: “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Don’t Stop Believin’, “We Built This City…on Rock n Roll”, “Waitin’ for a Girl Like You” and many, many more. The hard-driving hits tumble one after another in a seemingly never-ending evening of non-stop rock n roll! The members of the smokin’ onstage band are: Trent Hines, Jason Tyler Vaughn, Luca Grieman, Sean Casey and Lynn Keller.

ADULTS, AGES 14+ FOR STRONG ADULT THEMES AND CONTENT including offensive language, discriminatory themes/language, sexual content, and substance use/abuse.

With that in mind, leave the kids home and run to get a ticket!

 

For tickets go online at parkerarts.org or call the box office at 303-805-6800

 

 

 FOLLIES in Concert

Vintage Theatre: June 20 – 29

Stephen Sondheim’s “FOLLIES in Concert” is being given a rousing production at Vintage Theatre in Aurora. It’s a tribute to the women and men ‘of a certain age’ who have blessed us with their talents. It’s a seldom-produced musical that has some unforgettable numbers revolving around resilience, reminiscence and reunion.

This time “Follies” is being done as a concert version, stripped down to its heart-beating essence, and focused on the characters developed by Sondheim and James Goldman, who wrote the book.

     Caleb Wenger’s astute music direction reveals an acute awareness of Sondheim’s idiosyncratic rhythms, accents and pauses.      

     Director Bernie Cardell has carved out a cast of scintillating stars the like of which may put you in mind of that of Arvada Center’s “THE WOMEN” a couple decades ago or of Don Berlin’s cast of theatre goddesses in his unforgettable production of “NINE!” 

     With only a tatterdemalion curtain to represent the ruins of the once grand and elegant Weissman theatre, and a few elegant frocks and tuxes, Cardell succeeds by focusing on the music, lyrics and yes, emotional heart of this show.

The cast is beyond stellar. This is a production to relish and revisit if you can. (I’m buying a ticket for tonight!)    With the touch of the poet the resilience of these great ladies and gentlemen of the theatre is framed with loving direction by maestro Cardell.

Deborah Persoff’s magnificent performance of “I’m Still Here,” is a heart-opening, heart-breaking and life-affirming anthem of resilient gratitude for being alive. It’s an epic crescendo that brings down the curtain to Act One with passion and power!

Sue Leiser’s hilarious belting of “Broadway Baby,” is beyond stunning! 

Susie Roelofsz’ rendition of “Out of My Mind” mesmerizes as it haunts us with nuanced introspective tenderness and reminiscence. 

Both Brian Hutchinson (Ben Stone) and Jeremy Rill (Buddy Plummer) articulate the complexities of Sondheim’s score with astounding skill. Their work here will bring up memories of their brilliant work as Frederick Egerman and Carl Magnus respectively in Cherry Creek Theatre’s outstanding production of Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music.”

Mary McGroary is brilliant in her singing -and dancing- of the part of Phyllis Stone.

Marcia Ragonetti adds a touch of operatic forte! – you will remember her for her excellent work as Norma Desmond in Vintage Theatre’s “Sunset Boulevard” and as Maria Callas in Miners Alley’s “Master Class.”

Jan Cleveland’s lilting tribute to “Paris,” is auditory champagne. 

Sharon Dwinnell, Lars Preece, Joey Wishnia, Joe Barnard, Tracy Kern, Jim Hitzke and so many more, sparkle and shine.

Run to get tickets!!!

For tickets call the box office at 303-856-7830 or go online at vintagetheatre.org 

                             RING OF FIRE

   MINERS ALLEY PERFORMING ARTS       CENTER: MAY 9 – JUNE 29

               NOT TO BE MISSED!

Caitlin Secrest and Cooper Kaminsky 

                           (photo credit:Sarah Roshan Photography)

Unlike most jukebox musicals, “Ring of Fire,” the Johnny Cash musical, is not full of narration regarding the life of the artist. This is a high-octane blaze of country music that gives us ‘the man in black’ almost completely through his music. True, there are momentary instances of depictions of life experiences that illuminate how he and his cohorts got into the professional music scene, but they are so incidental, you will hardly notice.

What you will notice is the incredible talent and musical virtuosity of the ensemble brought together by director Kate Gleason, and music directed by Susan Draus to create this rousing evening of ear-pleasing theatre. They are: Cooper Kaminsky, Caitlin Secrest, Clark Destin Jones, Mitch Jervis and David Otto. The excellent drumming is done by Sean Case and Keith Ewer.

Standouts in this show are Cooper Kaminsky, whose vocals and musicianship are thrilling, and Caitlin Secrest, who represents June Carter.

They are all excellent as they deliver these now classic country-western songs.

Some of the thirty songs are: “I Walk the Line,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Man in Black” and of course, “Ring of Fire.”

The tech work is the outstanding stuff that is omnipresent in all of Miners Alley Performance Arts Centers’ productions.

The crisp, clean lines of Jonathan Scott-McKean’s wooden scenic design, the superb sound design by John Hauser and Vance McKenzie’s dynamic lighting design are all of the excellence one has come to expect from these technicians.

RUSH TO GET TICKETS!

For tickets call 303-935-3044 or go online at minersalley.com

 

 

 

 

 

 Torch Song

Vintage Theatre: May 30- June 29

Not to be missed!

In 1983 Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy” won Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play.  It was comprised of three one-act plays penned by Fierstein: “International Stud,” “Fugue in a Nursery,” and “Widows and Children First.”  When I saw the tour in the early 80s it was very LONG! Having read the work, I couldn’t wait to see it and purchased a seat in the nose bleed section of The Auditorium Theatre (Now the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.) I loved the show, and working long days at the time, had to literally hold my eyes open during the fourth hour. (I wasn’t going to miss anything!)

Now, Fierstein has revisited the show and condensed it so that it comes in well under three hours. 

     In as much as a gay playwright had to fight to get a show on Broadway at the time, Fierstein finally did it.

     At its core, Torch Song is about the human desire to connect, to find community and to belong. A trailblazer at the time, this play even involves mention of adoption and gay marriage.

      The current production at Vintage Theatre at 14^th and Dayton is superb! 

     Director Tom Bruett is new to town. Most of the cast is new to this reviewer as well. Usually these are a couple of red flags. However, both director and cast prove to be sensational. Bruett delivers the honesty and wit prevalent in Fierstein’s play with great casting and a fluid pacing that makes this humorous and heart-breaking work appear seamless.

    Star Ilalaole’s performance in the central role of Jewish drag queen Arnold Beckoff, is a tour de force.

The supporting cast is exceptional.

Arnold’s on again off again love, Ed, is played by Austin Jensen with just the right mix of confusion and self-doubt.

As Alan, a young model who Arnold embraces, and who is the victim of homophobic violence, Jack Bucher enchants.

Laurel, Ed’s fiancée, is affectionately played by Kimberly Colisch.

Kai Andrews is delightful in the role of David, Arnold’s soon to be adopted son.

     Special mention must be made of the outstanding performance of Diane Wziontka in the role of Ma, Arnold’s strict Jewish mother. One of Denver’s premiere actors, Ms. Wziontka’s work is worth the price of admission all on its own. Brava!

Ryan Glaser’ s excellent scenic design self-transforms from a gay bar to a backstage dressing room to Arnold’s apartment with fluidity and ease.

Cole Emarine’s costume design is, as usual, the stuff of dreams.

The short bursts of song that bridge the scenes in Abdul Karim Islam’s sound design are very well chosen.

Todd Morton’s lighting of the first scene gives us a gay bar with overhanging strings of Christmas lights and the requisite rotating disco ball reflecting everywhere to the pounding disco beat of the time. Although the lighting was quite well thought out, the execution thereof had a few glitches due to technical problems. These were quickly resolved, and the cast ignored them gallantly.

The show does come with a content advisory: Torch Song contains mature content including discussions of suicide, depictions of violence and portrayals of sexual acts. Viewer discretion advised.

With this in mind…

                Run to get tickets!

 

 

For tickets call 303-856-7830 or go online at vintagetheatre.org

 

 

 

 “THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER!"

Arvada Center: March 28 – May 11

             

L-R: Marco Alberto Robinson and  Sharon Kay White (photo credit: Amanda Tipton Photography)
                

Geoffrey Kent- the director - is a man for all stages!  Whether as a Shakespearean actor, fight choreographer or director of serious drama or musical theatre, the quality of Geoff Kent’s work is always of the highest and best! 

Kent’s direction of Arvada Center’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” was breathtaking! The astute choreography of every aspect of every scene was thrilling and mesmerizing. His overseeing of all the technical aspects of that production allowed the viewer to be magically transported to a European train station in the thirties. I was lucky to see it upon opening. Sadly, covid shuttered the production before the greater theatre community could experience its magnificence.

Kent’s direction of “The Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” is outstanding! His impeccable casting and pacing of the show as well as his overseeing of the technical aspects of the production, make it clear that one is in the presence of one of Denver’s premiere directors.

     In the realm of the actor Kent was a fiery, unforgettable Hotspur in CSF’s “Henry IV, part one,” a Paris so well-acted in the DCTC “Romeo and Juliet” that one wished he would win Juliet’s hand. In the DCTC production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” Kent was utterly brilliant! 

     In addition to all this a great many Colorado plays have been blessed with the genius of Kent’s award-winning fight choreography.

But I digress.

Under the direction of maestro Kent in this current production of “The Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” Matthew S. Crane delivers an eye-pleasing scenic design, aided in no small part by the genius of Shannon McKinney in the lighting department and Topher Blair on projections.     

     Blair’s projections add a hilarious cinematic element to the show that includes delightful animation.

     It’s thrilling to see Adriane Leigh Robinson in the role of Sibella Hallward.  Katie Jackson’s portrayal of Phoebe D’Ysquith is enchanting. Singing out their rivalry for the heart of Monty in “I’ve Decided to Marry You,” both women prove to have voices that are delicious auditory champagne.  

      Marco Alberto Robinson is terrific as the poker-faced, socially upward-climbing Monty Navarro. His “Foolish to Think” and “Poison in My Pocket” make one wish to search out his name in every musical theatre program from now on!

     Shabazz Green is a hoot in multiple roles in the D’Ysquith family lineage.

      What a treat to get to see-and hear- Sharon Kay White in her devastatingly well-acted and sung Miss Shingle! Her performance of “You’re a D’Ysquith” sets the tone for this hysterical farce. 

     The talented ensemble includes such Denver favorites as Liz Brooks and Jeremy Rill.

     The Music Direction by Alec Steinhorn is excellent. Kevin Copenhaver’s costume design is, as always, the stuff of dreams. The sumptuous gowns for the ladies in the cast sparkle and shimmer, having a life all their own. 

     With music by Steven Lutvak and lyrics and book by Robert L. Freedman, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” is a musical comedy based upon Roy Horniman’s novel, “Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal.”  In 1949 Horniman’s novel was the source of the British film, “Kind Hearts and Coronets.”

     In 2014 “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” received Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book for a Musical, Best Director and Best Costumes.

                           NOT TO BE MISSED! 

For tickets call 720-898-7200 or go online at arvadacenter.org

 

GRAND HORIZONS

VINTAGE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS: 

MARCH 21 - APRIL 27

                         Left to right: Linda Suttle and Deborah Persoff

In “Grand Horizons “Deborah Persoff delivers a brilliant performance of extraordinary nuance as a woman who values herself beyond the social roles of mother and wife. She makes Vintage’s production of Bess Wohl’s feminist comedy unmissable!

 

Bess Wohl’s “Grand Horizons” opens with a couple who have been married for half a century who are having dinner in their home in a community for the elderly. It’s quiet and feels like a ritual whose repetitive nature has been steeped in long-term boredom. She reads a book. He doodles. As she starts to clean up, Nancy breaks the silence with, “I think I’d like a divorce.” Bill says, “All right.”

        This brief agreement is followed immediately by the explosive entry of their adult children, who are intensely committed to keeping their aging parents together. 

        Uncertain as to whether this is the onset of dementia or something beyond their awareness, they struggle to amend their parents’ decision.

     Verl Hite delivers a hilarious, gravel-voiced performance as Nancy’s grouchy husband, Bill.

     As Brian, the gay son who teaches theatre, a very funny Mark Pergola winces and squirms as his mother describes a sexual encounter with deliciously articulated, clear-headed honesty.

     Luke Rahmsdorff-Terry delivers a fiery performance as their furious son, Ben.

    An amiable Jonathan Underwood portrays Brian’s animated potential boyfriend.

     Ben’s wife, Jess, is played with longsuffering compassion by Jennifer So. A marriage counselor who is soon to give birth, So’s character carries the voice of reason as well as a good dose of reality therapy into the mix.

     At the top of Act Two, Linda Suttle sparkles in an awkward moment as Carla, one of Bill’s friends from the comedy club. 

    Near final curtain, as Persoff starts to re-evaluate her life with Bill, you may, like myself, internally hear Sondheim’s anthem, “Being Alive” from “Company.”

     Bernie Cardell directs.

 

For tickets call  303-856-7830 or go online at vintagetheatre.org