TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

CHERRY CREEK THEATRE: Oct.31-Nov. 24

L-R: Antonio Amadeo and Chris Kendall (photo credit: Olga Lopez)

Cherry Creek Theatre’s current production of Mitch Albom’s  book, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, adapted for the stage by Mr. Albom and Jeffrey Hatcher, is a gloriously heartfelt success.

     The show stars Chris Kendall as Morrie Schwartz and Antonio Amadeo as Mitch Albom in an acting duet that will remain in your heart and mind for a very long time.

      Directed by Denver favorite, Billie McBride, the show is cast impeccably.

     Chris Kendall’s stillness and slow measured speech contrasts with the vital nervous movements of Mr. Amadeo perfectly.

     On the surface Mr. Albom’s work seems to be dealing with death. And it is. However… it is perhaps more correct, since we’re all dying,to say that it’s talking about Life and the living thereof.

      It’s a slight, honest work that everyone should honor with his attendance. To say more – and I understand many of the other reviewers have - would give too many spoilers and ruin the experience.

      Mr. Kendall, Mr. Amadeo and Ms. McBride are all MARLOWE AWARD winners. Search for their names in every program.

    TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE continues the trajectory of Cherry Creek Theatre’s ascension following their crystalline production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.  What once had hit and miss productions, Cherry Creek Theatre has become a  company whose productions demand to be seen.

Run to get tickets.

For tickets call the box office at 

303-800-6578

LOOPED

Vintage Theatre Productions:  11/1 – 12/15

Christian Mast and Deborah Persoff   

(photo credit: RDG Photography)

     Eat your heart out Broadway! Deborah Persoff’s performance in the role of Tallulah Bankhead in Vintage Theatre’s production of the regional premier of Matthew Lombardo’s LOOPED is acting that’s better than anything you get in New York City. Craig Bond’s direction … Magnificent! 

     The casting is impeccable and the pacing has a great natural feel to it that makes us as audience feel as though we’re right there in the studio with her.

     What an entrance! Chameleon-like, La Persoff morphs into Tallulah

Bankhead with flawless ease. Dame Persoff is a Triumph as this diva with a pocketful of bawdy zingers and gut-busting punchlines.  I promise you that you will find yourself, as this reviewer did, over the moon with this dynamic, energizing performance. 

     Promiscuous, a drug addict and a lush, Tallulah was one of Hollywood’s adored ‘bad girls.’ Brilliant in “The Little Foxes” and “Lifeboat,” the aging diva finds it difficult in this play to remember the words to a single line that needs to be re-recorded or “looped” for “Die, Die, My Darling.”

     There is nothing subtle about LOOPED!  It’s off the charts hysterical in its deliciously ribald,  eye-opening unveiling of Tallulah’s final hurrah in show business. Amidst the laughter there is also a revelatory exposition – however brief – allowing us as audience to understand how her childhood development formed a basis for her adult behaviors. As an adult she was a free- spirited Hollywood actress with the reputation of a bad girl with a foul mouth, who unapologetically drank, smoked and did drugs. Her mother died after birthing her and she started smoking at the age of 9. Now she’s a sixty six-year-old woman, six months from death.   

      Who was it that said: “When she was good she was very good, but when she was bad she was Dahling!”

    Christian Mast is brilliant as Danny Miller, the harried film editor who has been pressed into service to get Ms. Bankhead’s garbled line re-recorded (Looped) for an absent director.

Conservatively dressed and anxiously waiting for Life to happen to him, the contrast of Mast’s character with that of Ms. Persoff is striking. Mast’s monologue about his grief over a lost love is truly heartrending.  

     David Bond-Trimble anchors the show as Steve, the studio’s sound engineer. What could have been a throw-away part in the hands of a lesser actor is a hilarious dead pan success in his.

     Luke Rahmsdorff-Terry’s sound design, echoing the diva’s words in a dramatic moment late in the play, creates an auditory embellishment, which in tandem with Steve Tangedal’s lighting, enhances the show immeasurably.

     Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry’s costume design is spot on. 

     LOOPED is a raucous evening of exuberant laughter and the funniest comedy this reviewer has seen all year!

    Not to be missed.Marlowe's Musings

Vintage Theatre presents

“Looped”

Previews on Nov. 1; Opens Nov. 2 – Dec. 15

Fri/Sat at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. Nov. 16 at 2:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

$12 - $32 

www.vintagetheatre.org or 303-856-7830. 

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010.

Mrs. Warren’s Profession

Germinal Stage Denver

At the John Hand Theater on Lowry: Oct 11 – Nov 9 

The cast of Mrs. Warren's Profession

George Bernard Shaw’s classic, ‘Mrs. Warren’s Profession” is currently being produced by Germinal Stage Denver at The John Hand Theatre on Lowry. The Pulitzer Prize winner’s play was banned from production for nearly a decade due to its candid addressing of issues such as prostitution and incest during the Victorian era.

          Director Laura Cuetara’s no frills spare production design allows her to cut to the chase with ease. Her pacing comes in at a bright clip and her cast is brilliant to a woman/man. Hannah Lee Ford(Marlowe Award for her performance as Helen Keller in THE MIRACLE WORKER) is luminous as Mrs.Warren’s daughter, Vivie.

          Carol Bloom gives a nuanced performance that’s outstanding  in the role of Kitty Warren.        As Sir George Crofts, the man you love to hate, Stephen R. Kramer, turns in one of his most studied and grittiest performances to date.

         Reverend Samuel Gardner is played with gusto by longtime Denver favorite, Dan Hiester.  Greg Palmer gives Frank Gardner, the Rev's son,  just the right degree of scheming youthful malice to accompany that of Sir George Crofts’ verbal and physical abuse of Vivie. Gary Leigh Webster’s character, Praed (it's only missing the 'y') effectively shows us the harmless 'righteous' in society who go about their lives oblivious to, or in blind allowance of what they might otherwise be able to change…and don’t.

     Ms. Cuetera's production is aided in no small part by the costume design of Sallie Diamond, which is, as usual, spot on!

            One can’t help but think that Shaw would love this production.  What playwright wouldn’t when his polemic is put forth with such clarity and his words so clearly spoken.

          This is one of the greatest feminist plays ever written, and it deserves your attendance. With the current disrespect for women that this administration has fostered we could use a lot more playwrights, who, like Shaw, point out the inherent flaws in a society that limits women’s rights, and then degrades them as second class citizens.

Run to get tickets!

For tickets call 303-455-7108

MAMMA MIA
BDT STAGE: October 5, 2019 - February 22, 2020

                               Christy Oberndorf
     
           BDT Stage’s production of MAMMA MIA is a Bona Fide Smash Hit! 

       It provides the kind of musical theatre magic that audiences of every age find irresistible.
     MAMMA MIA is the story of Sophie Sheridan, a young woman, who's about to get married to a young man named Sky (an amiable and animated Chas Lederer.) There's only one problem. Sophie's been raised on this Greek island by a single Mom, and doesn't know who her father is. In an attempt to discover the man who will walk her down the aisle, she and her girl friends peek into her mamma's diary from the time that she (Donna) was dating twenty years earlier. Since there were three men, and thus three possibilities, Sophie invites all three to the wedding. All of this is unknown to Donna, who is already on overwhelm due to the wedding preparations. 
     The cast is full of triple threat actors. 
     Tracy Warren plays Sophie's mamma,Donna, the role played by Meryl Streep in the movie. Nuanced and luminous, Ms. Warren's performance in the title role is to die for. Her triple threat musical theatre talents are such that one simply can't take his eyes off her. Her vocals soar!
     Christy Oberndorf is enchanting as Sophia. Ms. Oberndorf is a gifted actor with a gorgeous soprano. 
     Donna's friends,Rosie and Tanya are played by Joanie Brosseau-Rubald and Alicia K. Meyers respectfully. Ms. Brosseau-Rubald is deliciously funny singing "Take a Chance on Me" to Scott Beyette as Bill Austin five minutes before the bride comes down the aisle. The scene is hilariously acted and choreographed to be a deliriously funny and intentionally spastic flirtation.
      Ms. Meyers, who also co-directs and co-choreographs, is especially funny in the number, "Does Your Mother Know?" 
      Bob Hoppe, the paternal candidate who, once nicknamed Head Banger, and later wound up working for the Bank of England,delivers a great performance singing "Our Last Summer."  
     Scott Beyette delivers a solid, down-to earth Swedish sailor and travel writer in the role of Bill Anderson. Beyette's duet with Sophie, "The Name of the Game" is especially memorable.
     Scott Severtson plays the third paternal candidate, architect Sam Carmichael. Severtson has played everything from Gaston in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to the Pharaoh in JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. This actor's singing of "S.O.S.", his duet with Ms. Warren, and "Knowing Me, Knowing You," are two of the most heart opening songs of the evening.
     Alejandro Roldan is a hilarious Pepper flirting with Tanya(Ms. Meyers) in "Does Your Mama Know?" 
      Linda Morken's costume design is of the eye-popping quality for which she is renowned. Those disco costumes from the seventies sparkle and shimmer to perfection.Amy Campion's scenic design gives us the exterior and interior of the taverna as well as a glorious Greek beach scene.
     The surround sound effect in Wayne Kennedy’s audio design at the top of Act Two adds a wonderful dimensionality to the sonic dreamscape in Sophie's nightmare,"Under Attack," in which she worries if all this will end well. 
     Brett Maughan’s lighting design in that same sequence gives us a dazzling display of swirling colors that enhances the surreal moment.
     You can expect to hear all of your favorite ABBA hits gloriously sung by all your BDT Stage favorites as well as played to perfection by the BDT Stage band. 
     Award-winning music director Neal Dunfee conducts. The show is co-directed and co-choreographed by Alicia K. Meyers and Matthew D. Peters. (They're the ones responsible for such hits as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE LITTLE MERMAID.)Other faces you may recognize in this great ensemble are:McKayla Marso McDonough, Danielle Scheib, Lillian Buonocore, Sarah Huckabee, Jacob Villareal, Brian Cronan, Leo Battle, Cory Michael Klements, Melissa Morris and Tracey Dennig.

     Music and Lyrics for Mamma Mia are by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (and some songs with Stig Anderson.) The book is by Catherine Johnson. (It was originally conceived by Judy Craymer.) Additional material and arrangements are by Martin Koch.

RUN TO GET TICKETS!

For tickets call 303-449-6000 or go online to BDTSTAGE.COMMarlowe's Musings

UNIVERSE 92

BUNTPORT THEATRE:  9/17 -  10/19

                            Brian Colonna

In the Chinese Astrological Calendar next year is the Year of the Rat. We have Buntport Theatre to thank for giving us an early preview and a chance to see 2020 through the lens of their new and original play, UNIVERSE 92.

      In this work a rodent is observed by three animal behaviorists, who record the animal’s every twitch.

     Brian Colonna gives a luminous performance as Rat. In the paws of a less talented actor the role might have been cheesier.

     The three behavioral scientists are played by the other three comic geniuses over at Buntport: Erin Rollman (Dr. Lorelei MacGuire,) Erik Edborg, (Dr. Frank Calhan) and Hannah Duggan (Pamela Hamilton.)

     It’s a bit of a spin on 1984 as in this production Rat sorta kinda maybe has one Big Brother and two Big Sisters who watch over him from the lofty heights of their scientific perch in order to observe his movements and record them in their analytic research.

     The celery brought in to feed the rat at the performance at which this reviewer was present was just not enough nourishment for a rat that size.  You may, as this reviewer did, feel that the rat could have probably used a few more snacks. If one were to criticize the production at all, he might say that there was little realism in the aromatic sensing of the rat by us as audience. (Perhaps the crew cleans the rat cage between performances.) 

     There is a wonderfully creative use of cardboard for the set and for the bottom of the rat cage! (The newspaper used for sanitary purposes seemed to be especially absorbent and may explain the lack of rat odor. One can only imagine that they must be old reviews from the Denver Post and/or The Thrifty Nickel.) 

      Except for the fact that the rat is made to watch sitcoms on television while lying in his hammock, he/it is treated mostly humanely throughout.  Making a rat watch television and then critique it with however many stars makes one aware of the perils of critics writing reviews from the couch. But I digress.

      True, the rat is lazy, but it’s always being watched just as Orwell puts forth in 1984. It’s not being given any incentive to find work or even to exercise. 

     One feels sad for a rat being forced to lie in a hammock doing nothing for all its life except self-pleasuring and judging new contraptions – presumably from Amazon- that are introduced into its world by self-adulating scientists who misidentify and misapply the tried and true methodology of animal research.

     At one point in the production a robotic vacuum cleaner – “the sad Roomba” – is introduced into the scenario. Perhaps this may have been a bit ‘de trop’ since the random patterning of its (the roomba’s) search for debris seemed mostly unsuccessful.

           UNIVERSE 92 is silly and just plain fun. 
           Scamper to get tickets.

Buntport Theatre is located at 717 Lipan Street, Denver,CO.80204

Call 720-946-1388 or go online at Buntport.com

 Marlowe's Musings

EVERYBODY

The Catamounts: through October 16

EDITH WEISS as DEATH (Photo Credit: Michael Ensminger)

     Brandon Jacob-Jenkins' play,"Everybody,"now on view at The Dairy in Boulder, is based upon a 15th century morality play called "Every Man."  Each night, by lottery, a different member of the cast wins the chance to be the central character and deal with the hopes and fears of the mortal self in Time.

      As in the earlier version, God summons Everyman by means of his side kick, Death. 

      The action takes place in the center of a large circle of straight back chairs in which audience members may (or may not) find themselves seated next to one of the cast members.

      Karen Slack opens the evening by engaging the audience with her dramatic flair, first by reminding the audience of points of theatre etiquette such as silencing cell phones and unwrapping candy. In a very short while she has become an arrogant, commanding God in the midst of stunning flashes of light provided by lighting designer Jacob Welch and thunder thanks to Kenny Storms' sound design.

     As God, Ms. Slack summons her side kick,Death, played by the hilarious Edith Weiss, and commands her to do her grim duty. It is to be noted that these two women are two of Colorado's premier talents and when they're onstage the show is absolutely riveting. When they leave the stage we long for their return. And they do!

     Hanging above the playing space are numerous bolts of colored fabric and props by Amanda Berg Wilson.

     Tricia Music's costume design includes, among other things, a giant gold lame trophy in which Jason Maxwell delivers one of the provocative monologues.

      The delightful cast also includes a wonderfully animated Peter Trinh as well as Tresha Farris, Hossein Forouzandeh, Ilasiea Gray, Lily Gruber and Bernadette Sefic.

      Also...there is a scene near final curtain involving a dance that you simply must see - and that you will never forget! (No spoilers here.)

            Be sure to arrive early enough to find a parking space. The various plays and art installations at The Dairy are extremely popular!!!
      I got there an hour early and could not find parking for blocks. Luckily the very kind manager of Dominos Pizza on Canyon and 26th allowed me to park in one of her parking spaces. So grateful!
      Go support The Catamounts' production of EVERYBODY.

        For tickets call 720-468-0487 or go online at thecatamounts.org

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

VINTAGE THEATRE: SEPT 13 – OCT 27

Eddie Schumacher as Uncle Fester with the Addams Family Ancestors

Vintage Theatre’s production of THE ADDAMS FAMILY is a Socco Boffo Smash!

     Let me state my case.

      Exhibit A: the director. Bernie Cardell has directed the proceedings with consummate skill with regard to casting Eddie Schumacher as Uncle Fester, Liz Brooks-Larsen as Morticia and William B. Kahn as Gomez. Come on!!! It just doesn’t get any better than this.  

                    
William B. Kahn and Liz Brooks-Larsen

And Cardell’s pacing is outrageously well done…something of a tango one might say.

     Exhibit B: the technical work is AMAZING! Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry’s costume design resurrects the Addams Family ancestors (the chorus) in glamorous garb that makes them all white as a ghost with a delightfully macabre make-over to die for. (Sorry.)

       Choreographer Heather Westenskow  gives these dancing dead (the corpse de ballet?) some routines that are filled with true joie de mourir. (Sorry again.)    

      The scenic design by Ryan Walkoviak entombs them all in a house haunted by the je ne sais quoi of a dungeon combined with that of a cemetery. 

     Exhibit C: The superb music direction by Brandon Bill, who keeps those boys and ghouls stepping out of the closet and onto the stage with awesome musical accompaniment by the just-off-mausoleum stage band that keeps them all spinning in – and out – of their graves. 

      Exhibit D: Lighting designers Steve Tangedal and Will Melendez give the cast just enough  shade to appear as death warmed over.

       As for the acting and singing of Mr. William B. Kahn and Liz Brooks-Larsen, you will adore both his and hearse! 

      The brilliant Ms. Alexa Marie Rodriguez (Wednesday) and Mr. Gabriel Waits (Pugsley) inflict their torturing performances with gleeful abandon.

     But it’s not all so grave!  Without giving out any spoilers let me just say that the actors who play the normal characters in the play are excellent as well. They are: Faith Siobahn Ford(Alice Beineke), Doug Herman(Mel Beinike) and Elisha Horne(Lucas Beineke).

     I rest my case… 

          Run to get tickets! (People are dying to get in.)Marlowe's Musings

Vintage Theatre presents

“The Addams Family” 

The ghoulish American family is delightful in this devilish musical comedy.

Sept. 13 – Oct. 27

Fri., Sat. and Monday, September23at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. 

Tickets are $19 - $38 

www.vintagetheatre.org or 303-856-7830. 

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010.