The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes

BDT STAGE: showing through April 23

 

The cast of The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes (Photo credit: Glenn Ross)

Innovative, touching, and VERY funny, BDT Stage’s production of THE NOTEWORTHY LIFE OF HOWARD BARNES, is full of everything you love about the American Musical! 

 

It's truly refreshing to come upon a new musical comedy about which one knows nothing. Full of whimsy and surprise, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes is exactly that. 

     With a fun concept designed for lovers of the American Musical Theater and their significant others who don’t, this show will WOW you!

     Howard Barnes is a middle-aged American male who hates musicals only to awaken one morning in ‘the musical show of his life’ that’s a relentless explosion of musical theatre moments from which he struggles helplessly to escape. 

      Peeping through the cracks of his new experience you may find your “Memories” of Jellicle “Cats”, “Phantoms” and little red-haired orphans as well as practically perfect nannies that are just “Misérables.” There’s even a pseudo coda in this show that may remind some in attendance of the final ghost light in “Pippin.” 

    One of my favorite musical sendups in this show that’s 'littered' (I know I already mentioned Cats!) with them, is that of the "Cell Block Tango" from "Chicago," featuring Howard’s ex girlfriends!

      Chas Lederer is stellar as our leading man, Howard. His great stage presence and dynamic singing voice make one know that this is just the first of many leading roles that he may enact upon the BDT Stage!

     As Howard’s guide through this labyrinth of musical mayhem, McKayla Marso - McDonough is smashing as she teaches Howard the wonders of vulnerability as he learns to "hear the music!" Lovely to look at, and with a soprano to die for, you can’t take your eyes - or ears - off her.

     Wayne Kennedy’s character, the musical producer Steven Von Shwartenheim, is a great deal like the great Wizard of oh, you know. Wayne also creates magic from the director’s chair as well as doing sound design. Kennedy is one of the BDT veterans who has stunned us with brilliant star turns from everything from "My Fair Lady’s" Henry Higgins to the King in "The King and I" to Tateh in "Ragtime" to Amos ("Mr. Cellophane") in "Chicago." 

      Tracy Warren, Alicia Meyers, Ben Hilzer, Brian Cronan, Matt Daley, Patric Case and Melissa Morris fill in the other roles in the ensemble with stellar work.

     Tom Quinn’s projections complement M. Curtis Grittner’s scenic design and Brett Maughan’s lighting design in such a way that the theatregoer is dazzled by the onslaught of reality one moment and a kaleidoscope of fantasy the next. The color palette for the show sometimes makes one feel as though these bright splashes of primary colors were just poured right out of the can.

     Matthew D. Peters choreography enhances the show immeasurably.

     Linda Morken’s costumes are eye-popping! 

     The music direction by Neal Dunfee of the BDT Stage band is ear-pleasing indeed! Mary Daley’s vocal direction is superb.

     The writing of the dialogue may leave one desiring a bit more at the top of the show, but after all it is a musical, and there’s enough spice in the vocals and dancing that come romping through so quickly that you’ll hardly notice. 

     The book and lyrics are by Christopher Dimond with music by Michael Kooman.

     PG13 for language and suggestive themes

 p.s. Don't forget they have a scrum diddly pre-show menu with all things yumma grande!!! On this particular night the chef's special was Short Ribs that were DEELISH!!!

 

BDT Stage is at 5501 Arapahoe, Boulder, CO.

For tickets call the box office at 303-499-6900 or go online at bdtstage.com

 

         1776

PERFORMANCE NOW THEATRE COMPANY /Lakewood Cultural Center:

 March 18 – April 3

 

Performance Now’s production of “1776” is SPECTACULAR!!!

 

Wes Munsil,Colby Reisinger and Michael-Travis Risner( Photo credit: RDG Photography)

With book and music by Sherman Edwards and lyrics by Peter Stone, “1776” won the Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Direction (Peter Hunt) and Best Supporting Actor (Ronald Holgate) in 1969.   

     Based upon events that occurred during the Second Continental Congress that led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence,”1776” gives us  our founding fathers with all their human strengths and fragilities - warts and all!

       With the much-disliked delegate from Massachusetts, John Adams, at center stage, we follow the arguments and actions leaning into a resolution for revolution. 

     The first Broadway show to have been seen by this reviewer after his escape from the boredom of Montana (the next night was HAIR), “1776” holds a special place in my heart.

     I remember the cab driver asking me on the way to the theatre,‘how the f@#@ did I get a ticket for the Best Musical on Broadway?’ I told him ‘all you have to do is order tickets nine months in advance.’ He then shocked me by saying that he’d never attended a Broadway show in his life. But I digress. 

     By now Denver theatregoers must have become aware that any show directed and choreographed by Kelly Van Oosbree is going to be stellar. This is another example of Ms. Van Oosbree’s outstanding work!

     Michael Travis Risner thrills with his performance in the role of John Adams. Few of the actors cast as Adams in recent productions have given such a powerful portrait of this much-disliked political force of nature.

      In this mostly male-driven cast the fair sex is represented by Adams’ wife, Abigail and Jefferson’s new wife, Martha. Carolyn Lohr is an outstanding Abigail Adams. Her gorgeous voice blends sonorously with that of Michael-Travis Risner (John Adams) in their duet (Yours,Yours,Yours),a song descriptive of their longing for each other while separated due to her familial and his political duties.

      Joyfully sexy and vocally divine, Colby Reisinger delivers an exhilarating Martha Jefferson with her singing of “He Plays the Violin.” Her gorgeous swirling frock, created by Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry, very nearly becomes a character all on its own. 

     Lars Preece is hilariously bombastic as Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. His number, “The Lees of Old Virginia,” is a real showstopper!

     As Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, Jeremy Rill delivers a rafter-rattling interpretation of “Molasses to Rum.”

    Brian Merz-Hutchinson is superb as John Dickenson leading the conservative faction of Congress in “Cool,Cool,Conservative Men.”

     Wes Munsil gives us a portrait of Benjamin Franklin with a bawdy wit and beguiling charm that enchants.

    “Momma, Look Sharp” closes the curtain on Act One with a tear in the eye for the fallen soldiers of the Revolution.       

     Jack Cordray Griffin’s tenor as the Courier, is heart-breaking and haunting.

     The ear-pleasing score moves from whimsical to mournful to rousing as we look at such diverse questions as which bird should represent the nation, the debate about slavery and finally the signing of the Declaration itself.

     Jordan Ortman’s music direction is stellar!

 

For tickets go online at performancenow.org or call the box office at 303-918-1500.

 CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

VINTAGE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS: 

3/11 – 4/17

 

   James O'Hagan-Murphy and Kelly Uhlenhopp

Vintage Theatre’s production of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is dramatic dynamite!

     As the Pollitt family gathers to celebrate a patriarch’s big birthday in the sweltering Mississippi heat, sexual tensions explode, and hidden agendas are unveiled.

     “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is based upon one of Tennessee Williams’ one-act plays called “Three Players of a Summer Game.” It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955, and of all his plays, Williams always considered “Cat” to be his favorite. 

    The adaptation from stage to screen in 1958, which starred Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, and Burl Ives, was nominated for a number of Academy Awards. Williams was disappointed in the screen adaptation which the Hays Code censored, diluting the play’s critique of sexism and homophobia. In short, the ‘mendacity’ Williams was unveiling in the play was diminished in the screenplay. 

     Focusing clearly upon the essentials in Tennessee Williams’ original text, director Bernie Cardell has cast the Vintage Theatre production impeccably.

     James O’Hagan-Murphy, the star of Vintage Theatre’s critically acclaimed “RFK,” is superb in the role of one-time football hero, Brick Pollitt. 

     Kelly Uhlenhopp is on fire as Brick’s glamorous, sultry and sexually frustrated wife, Maggie, ‘the cat.’ In this reviewer’s not so humble opinion, this actor’s smoldering performance is far superior to that of Elizabeth Taylor’s in the film.    

     Rick Long astounds as Big Daddy, the arrogant self-made cotton mogul and Pollitt patriarch. 

     Jan Cleveland turns in her best work to date as Big Mama. This actor’s dramatic work in Act Three is powerful.

      Andy Anderson is brilliantly aggravating as Brick’s avaricious and conniving brother, Gooper. 

     Progressively and intentionally threadbare after each intermission, Matthew S. Crane’s scenic design gives us the dissolution of the Pollit family’s façade in visual terms.

     Steve Tangedal’s lighting design subtly shifts the moods to illuminate this web of deceit. 

     Not to be missed!!!

 

 

 

Vintage Theatre presents

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”

A family unravels on one hot Mississippi night.

Mar 11 – April 17

Fri/Sat at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.; Mon. Mar. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

$20-$34
303-856-7830 or online at www.vintagetheatre.org

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010

 

 

 

 REFUGE

CURIOUS THEATRE COMPANY: MARCH 5 – APRIL 9

 

                                            Sam Gilstrap

     Hat’s off to director Dee Covington and her cast and crew for their compassionate and creative opus, “Refuge.” Curious Theatre is once again helping with humanitarian awareness. This time it’s all about what’s going on regarding the men and women who undertake a formidable migratory journey to cross borders to find a Life worth living. 

      The play is about a Honduran girl (Satya Jnani Chavez) who journeys across the U.S. -Mexican border to find her mother who has made this journey years before, and now lives in the U.S. 

     Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, “Refuge” has been a couple of years in the making. 

     The show is an eye, ear, and heart-opener that’s incredibly innovative in its use of puppetry, bilingual storytelling and music. 

     The script, co-created by Satya Jnani Chavez and Andrew Rosendorf, intends that when one character speaks in Spanish and the other responds in English (and vice versa), playgoers who speak only one of those languages will understand what is being communicated. If momentarily the meaning is lost, the audio/visual context of the staged situation assists.

     The cast includes such excellent veterans of the Denver stage as Erik Sandvold (Rancher), Geree Hinshaw (Martina, the border patrol agent) and Sam Gilstrap (Wolf/Hall/Puppeteer.) 

     The other fine actors were new to this reviewer:  Lisa Hori-Garcia (Steph/Puppeteer) and Josue Miranda (Puppeteer.)

     The original music for “Refuge” is brilliant and lead musician Mari Meza -Burgos’ guitar playing is ear-pleasing indeed!

      Markas Henry’s superb scenic design has Our Lady of Guadalupe overlooking the action, surrounded by candles. His set also features cacti made from barbed wire as well as Day of the Dead skulls featured on both walls flanking the stage.

     Richard Devin’s lighting design is the professional quality that the Denver/Boulder audience has come to expect of him. 

     A dog, a wolf and a rattlesnake are all represented by Adolfo Romero’s magnificent puppetry/marionettes. 

     With this production of “Refuge” Curious Theatre gives us another opus with social conscience that’s heartfelt indeed. 

 

Curious Theatre is located at 1080 Acoma St.

For tickets call the box office at 303-623-0524 or go online at curioustheatre.org 

  

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

VINTAGE THEATRE: FEB.11 – MAR. 20

 

          Anne Jenness and Ben Griffin

Magnificent both conceptually and in its execution, Vintage Theatres’ production of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is NOT TO BE MISSED.

The adaptation of Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s screenplay for the stage by Lee Hall is genuine artistry.

     The themes of a playwright trying to get over writer’s block and women trying to find their rightful place in the Globe are as prevalent now as then.

     Christine Kahane’s direction is studied and astute in every way.

     Ben Griffin’s Will is young, masculine and handsome. He’s a regular guy with more substance than some, who are seemingly cast for Hollywood glam.  This actor’s energetic, articulate performance in the central role is golden.

     Anne Jenness is luminous as Viola de Lesseps. Amusing in her mustachioed drag, she is gorgeous all in white near final curtain. The sensuous delivery of the lovemaking of Will and Viola at the top of Act Two is visually delicious. Kahane’s direction of this scene is of the highest and best, with regard to relating true tenderness of heart in visual terms.

     Hilarious beyond words, Joey Wishnia’s performance is indelible! His high comic take on the role of Queen Elizabeth I is an utter delight!

     Mari Gaesair is brilliant in her role as the Nurse. It is thrilling to see this actor onstage again, and one hopes to see her there again soon.

     Clint Heyn in Christmas colors with goose turd green leggings creates hilarious suspense with his stuttering prologue as the Chorus.

     Erik Thurston does sterling work as Romeo’s hot-headed compatriot, Mercutio.

     Andy Seracuse gives a masterly portrayal of Christopher Marlowe. Finishing young Shakespeare’s sentences and giving him the titles for his plays, both the script and the direction give us hints that Shakespeare was piggy-backing the assumed dead Marlowe. (But I digress. It’s up to you to decide whether the Marlovian theory that Christopher Marlowe wrote the plays is true or not.)

     Eric Carlson’s Lord Wessex is appropriately narcissistic, unkind, and arrogant. The kind of guy you love to hate!

     Ryan Walkoviak’s scenic design flanks the stage with a swirling spiral of pages floating mid-air. Other than that, his minimalist approach allows the Elizabethan and the contemporary time periods to meld and the actors’ performances to really pop.

    In like manner the costumes created by Cheryl Falnew, Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry and Kristina Ferraro Johnson create apparel that blends contemporary and Elizabethan styles.

     Emily Maddox’s lighting design is constantly morphing, allowing the play’s various moods to change on a dime.

     If you don’t have a tear in your eye at this play’s final curtain, you may not have a pulse.

 

     Get thee to the theatre!!!

Vintage Theatre presents

“Shakespeare in Love”

The exciting play adapted from the Oscar-winning film.

Feb 11 – Mar 20

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

$20-$32
303-856-7830 or online at www.vintagetheatre.org

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010

 

 SAME TIME NEXT YEAR

CHERRY CREEK THEATRE: FEB. 4 – 27

 

     Poignant, funny and ultimately bittersweet, the Cherry Creek Theatre’s production of Same Time Next Year is a thoroughly satisfying production.

     Bernard Slade’s play gives us a love affair that begins as a one-night-stand and becomes an annual romantic getaway for a quarter century.

     It’s a romantic comedy in which the yearly clandestine rendezvous is framed by societal changes as well as those involving the lovers’ actual families.

     Eric Mather’s comic timing in the role of George is impeccable. Long known for his comic genius, this actor has evolved superb dramatic skills as well.  Both he and Lauren Bahlman as Doris, succeed in giving us as audience the illusion of aging minds and bodies as the years progress.

     Bahlman surfs the quarter century of annual one-night-stands with consummate brilliance.

     Due to the changing ages of the characters a number of wigs were used for Ms. Bahlman.  Most were excellent. However… one blonde wig in Act One was unfortunately easy to see through, ruining the illusion.

     Illuminated by Vance McKenzie’s great lighting design, David J. Castellano’s scenic design is the best use of the Pluss Theatre’s stage in memory.

     Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry’s costume design is superb.

     Billie McBride’s direction is excellent.

     Same Time Next Year comes highly recommended from this critic’s desk.

For tickets go online at cherrycreektheatre.org or call the box office at 303-800-6578

                                       ROMEO AND JULIET

    COLORADO BALLET: FEB 4 – 13

L-R: Dana Benton and Yosvani Ramos (Photo credit: Mike Watson)

Colorado Ballet’s production of ROMEO AND JULIET is outstanding in every way.  A tip of the hat to Artistic Director Gil Boggs who has transformed this company into one of World Class status.

     Whether you’re a longtime aficionado of the ballet or a ballet virgin, the descriptive choreography by Derek Deane makes this story and all its characters come to life with easy accessibility.

     Under the baton of conductor Adam Flatt, the Colorado Ballet orchestra brings out every nuance of the powerfully beautiful music by Sergei Prokofiev.

      As Juliet,Dana Benton is a ballerina who dances as if she were a feather on a spring breeze. Her delicate girlish dancing in Act One transforms into one of frenzied strength and determination when fate darkens her world.

     Yosvani Ramos dances Romeo, her starry-eyed lover, with youthful abandon and great technique. In the pas de deux in the balcony scene the two lovers practically fly. Their pas de deux in Juliet’s bedroom the morning after their night together exquisitely conveys an ardent love and sheer bliss.

     This Romeo has great acting qualities.He’s able to convey the dizziness of first love and strong enough to easily lift and carry his Juliet around the Capulet crypt in agonizing grief.

     As Lady Capulet, ballet master Maria Mosina’s fury at the death of Tybalt is consummate artistry of the highest rank. One longs for the days in which this superb ballerina was the leading lady. 

     Gregory K. Gonzales as the stern overbearing Lord Capulet, provides the superb artistry Denver audiences have come to expect of him over these last decades. 

     Mercutio’s death scene is enacted with true bravado by Kevin Gael Thomas. His smoothly rising and falling again and again with cheerful abandon provides us with a knockout delivery of his character’s amiable insanity. Unmistakably, we hear a silent “A curse on both your houses” delivered in mime.

     Equally compelling is Tybalt’s death scene, in which the brilliant dancing of Jonathan Ramirez creates the jerky antithesis of the death of Mercutio.

     The show is staged to perfection by Ivan Gil-Ortega,Sandra Brown and Lorita Travaglia.

Illuminated by the lighting design of Todd Elmer, the scenery and costumes (Roberta de Bagno Guidi) which are courtesy of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, are eye-popping!

     The crimsons of the dancers’ costumes at the Capulet ball are as unforgettable as the violet of Lady Capulet’s swirling gown.

     The caliber of the entire corps de ballet is phenomenal.

 

     For tickets call 303-837-8888 or go online at Coloradoballet.org