BILLY ELLIOT

VINTAGE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS: 2/3 – 3/19

              Kaden Hinkle

    Coal can turn to diamonds.

     Dear reader, I must tell you at the get go that this review is going to be a long list of plaudits for an incredible show.  If you’re looking for something to make you feel lighter and more exhilarated than you have for a long time, see Billy Elliot at Vintage Theatre.

      “Billy Elliot, the Musical” is based upon the 2000 film in which a young boy who wishes to dance struggles against his father’s wish that he become a boxer. The backdrop is that of the coal miners’ strike in County Durham in the northeast of Maggie Thatcher’s England in 1984.

     With music by Elton John and lyrics by Lee Hall, the show won ten Tony Awards including Best Musical  in 2009.

     Inspiration and heartbreak walk hand in hand in this rousing and exuberant production.

      In this reviewer’s experience, it has been rare in these last 20 years that an opening night for a musical production of this magnitude has come off so seamlessly. The actors were more than ready in large part due to the professional aplomb and artistic skills of director Bernie Cardell, who has cast the show to perfection.

     Kaden Hinkle is a triple threat performer. Mr. Hinkle gives us a Billy who goes from shy and vulnerable boy in nowhere Northern England to a young man that’s just been accepted into the Royal Academy of Ballet in London. Exceptional throughout, his rendition of “Electricity” and dancing of “Angry Dance” are unforgettable.

     Andy Anderson has risen to new heights in his acting career with his portrayal of Billy’s bullying blue collar Dad. His song recalling Billy’s mother’s burial, “Deep into the Ground,” is profoundly moving.

     As Billy’s grandma, Deborah Persoff creates a lovably irascible character who’s slipping in and out of lucidity as she rages at the memory of an abusive husband, while punctuating her regrets with the memories of the good times when he and she were dancing at the pub.

     After an absence that has been far too long, Adrianne Hampton returns to the stage as Mrs. Wilkinson, the dance instructor who discovers Billy.

    Becca Farrell Fletcher delivers a very fine performance in the role of Billy’s dead Mom.

     Benjamin Dienstfrey’s performance as Michael, Billy’s cross-dressing friend, is revelatory.

   Brian Robertson gives a focused strength to Billy’s older brother Tony as he struggles to keep the family together.

     Eddie Schumacher plays multiple roles with panache.

     Kris Graves is hilarious as Mr. Braithwaite.

       Touching and inspirational, this is an evening of theatre everyone should see.

     Music Direction by Blake Nawa’a stuns!

     Christopher Waller’s intentionally self-effacing grey scenic design allows the characters to really pop!

     The choreography is superbly done by Gina Eslinger and Andrew Bates.

     The juxtaposition of the striking miners resisting the police with a children’s dance class and the dream ballet danced by Billy and his future self (Will Treat) are two of the masterfully choreographed scenes.

     Susan Rahmsdorff’s costume design is spot on.

       Steve Tangedal creates evocative moods with his lighting.

      Highly recommended.

                          Marlowe's Musings 

 “Billy Elliot the Musical” February 3 – March 19
Fri/Sat at 7:30 p.m.; Sun. at 2:30 p.m
Tickets are $28 - $34 

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

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010.

Brilliant Traces

Vintage Theatre Productions: 1/13-3/5

      L-R: Maggy Stacy and Christian Mast

     If you missed Vintage Theatre’s first production of “Brilliant Traces” at their old space on 17^th Avenue you’ve just been given a second chance to see it. Playwright Cindy Lou Johnson gives us a hopeful and quirky off-beat comedy that presents us with two lovable neurotic human beings. In the playwright’s words “these two remind us of the beauty of the scars that we can feel as we crash through this life.”

     In the silence that precedes the play’s action we observe the solitude of a lonely man in a secluded cabin in the Alaskan woods.

     A runaway bride arrives at the cabin in a blizzard. She downs a few shots of whisky and then faints. The occupant of the cabin is a reclusive man who prefers/requires a solitary existence. Tenderly bathing her frostbitten limbs with warm water and putting her safely to bed, the stage is set for an evening of emotional breakthroughs. Christian Mast’s realistic take on Henry gives us a man mired in guilty memories. Maggy Stacy’s Rosannah has her own awkward emotional baggage which she unloads with a ferocity that’s spellbinding. Both characters are running away from Life.

     Sparked by a compassionate connection and intimate exchanges of disinterred guilty memories, the power of self-forgiveness leads towards redemption. But the healing has just begun.

     Director Bond’s transparent direction elicits performances from his two actors that smolder with passion. Ms. Stacy and Mr. Mast will continue to work their magic on theatregoers long after they’ve left the theatre.

     This evening of theatre provides a warm elixir delivering hope and balance in this time of confusion and paradox and  proving that redemptive and heartfelt love can be a healing balm for buried grief and regret.

     Director Craig Bond also designed the set with timbers, snow and a crackling fireplace.Marlowe's Musings

 Vintage Theatre presents

“Brilliant Traces”

January 13 – March 5
Two lost souls meet by chance in the wilds of Alaska.

Fri/Sat at 7:30 p.m.; Sun. at 2:30 p.m
Tickets are $24 - $30 

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

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010.

Burn This

The Edge Theatre Company: 1/13 – 2/12

L-R: Karen Slack and William Hahn

     

Written by Lanford Wilson, “Burn This” appeared off Broadway in 1986.  It featured Joan Allen and John Malkovich.

     Ms. Allen received the Tony for her performance as Anna.

     After their roommate Robbie and his lover die in a boating accident, Anna and Larry, her other gay roommate, attempt to comfort each other.   

     When Pale, Robbie’s coke-snorting brother explodes onto the stage, things become more than a little bit chaotic, causing Anna’s longtime lover Burton to reassess their relationship.

     Director Warren Sherrill, who also created the scenic design describing Anna’s seedy Bohemian apartment, has cast the show impeccably.

     Bill Hahn is one of the most watchable actors in town. He can take us from laughter to tears on a dime.

     Anyone who saw this artist’s Henry Award-winning performance in Curious Theatre Company’s “Frozen” knows exactly how intense and riveting he can be.

     Ms. Slack proves once again that she is one of our most accomplished dramatic actors. Her artistry in the one-woman show, “The Syringa Tree,” Curious Theatre’s “God of Carnage” (Marlowe Award) and her portrayal of Frida Kahlo in Melissa McCarl’s “Painted Bread” are just a few of her many stunning performances.

      Genuinely funny in some scenes, Drew Horwitz portrays Anna’s gay roommate, Larry with caring compassion.

     John Jankow performs the part of Anna’s lover, Burton with a one note, self-absorbed narcissism, of which the playwright would thoroughly approve.

 Lanford Wilson has created some fascinating characters, but don’t expect any tidy conclusion.

The Edge Theater is located at 1560 Teller St. Lakewood, Colorado,80214

For tickets call 303-232-0363 or go online at theedgetheatre.com