NUNSENSE

(PRESENTED BY VERITAS PRODUCTIONS AND PARKER ARTS)

At THE SCHOOLHOUSE THEATRE in Parker,CO.

 October 25 – November 17

 L-R: Ali Chung, Jamie Molina and Kayleigh Bernier (Photo credit: Noah Begley of Paper and Light Photography)

                     HALLELUJAH!!! 

NUNSENSE IS THE PERFECT JOYFUL TONIC FOR THE HIGH ANXIETY OF ALL THIS POLITICAL TURMOIL!

         

With music, lyrics and book by Dan Goggin, “Nunsense” is a musical comedy that opened in 1985 off Broadway. Subsequently it has become the second longest-running Off-Broadway show!

     When the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned fifty some nuns, they are suddenly needing the financial wherewithal to bury them. They decide to put on a variety show to raise the funds. There in a nutshell, lieth the plot.

     This small group of stalwart nuns includes Sister Mary Regina (the Reverend Mother), Sister Mary Hubert, the mistress of novices, Sister Mary Leo, who has dreamed of being a ballerina, a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne, and a zany forgetful nun named Sister Amnesia.

     As Sister Mary Hubert, Arabella Beaubrun blows the roof off with her outstanding rendition of ‘Holier than Thou.”

    Ali Chung’s “Playing Second Fiddle,” Jennifer Burnett’s “Turn Up the Spotlight,” and Jamie Molina’s “I Could Have Gone to Nashville,” are all show-stopping numbers indeed! Dance Captain Kayleigh Bernier keeps the entire ensemble on their toes.

     Nancy Evans Begley, Marlowe Award-winner for her performance as Drowsy in “The Drowsy Chaperone”, has nearly single-handedly brought this production to life! Besides her work as the director, this artist also designed costumes, props, was co-audio designer, production manager and choreographer. 

      Her superb choreography includes hilarious nods to “The Will Rogers Follies” as well as sending up the 'white glove' choreo of Bob Fosse.

     Whether you’ve seen a production of this show previously or not, you need to see it with this cast!

     These women transcend the material with their superb vocals, acting prowess and comedic excellence.

     It is to be noted that Andrew Fischer’s musical accompaniment and conducting enhances the proceedings, making the performances really pop!

     I hope every lover of musical theatre gets to see this show!

 

                        NOT TO BE MISSED!

 

For tickets call: 303-805-6800 or go online at parkerarts.org

 L-R in foreground: Molly Turner and Deborah Persoff. L-R in background:Bobbie Renee,Evan Marquez,Stephanie Saltis and Todd Black. 

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

VINTAGE THEATRE: 9/20 – 10/20

ALLISTAIR BASSE

 

A thrilling evening of mayhem, mystery and murder awaits you at The Vintage Theatre in Aurora! 

     Josh Levy is riveting as the intrepid Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.

     Directed by Denver Favorite Bernie Cardell, you simply can’t go wrong buying tickets for the family. 

     Cardell, who is one of Denver’s premier directors and actors, has cast some of Denver’s brightest and best in this Agatha Christie classic. Among them are Deborah Persoff, Molly Turner, Todd Black and Haley Johnson.      

     Deborah Persoff is eminently watchable as the disdainful aristrocrat, Princess Dragamiroff. Her every condescending glance wilts whichever peasant she is addressing.  This premier Denver actress is also currently performing her one-woman show, “Eleanor,” which is back by popular demand, mid-week at Vintage.

     Molly Turner turns in a very fine performance as Greta Ohlsson, the forlorn African missionary who is constantly weeping. This is the role for which Ingrid Bergman received the Oscar in 1974.

     Luke Fish is delightful as Hector MacQueen, the anxiously eager and willing secretary of the abrasive Mr. Ratchett(Terence Keane). 

      Todd Black, who recently turned in an exceptional performance as Walter Pool in Vintage Theatre’s monumental production of “The Inheritance, “is most memorable in the role of Pierre Michel.

      Returning to the stage after a five- year absence, Haley Johnson turns in a fine performance in the role of the former actress, Mrs. Helen Hubbard.  Johnson has stunned audiences in such plays as ‘Night Mother and A Streetcar Named Desire. 

     Alistair Basse is brilliant as Monsieur Bouc, the owner of the railway train. 

      Of all the many works of Ms. Christie, the author’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is this reviewer’s personal favorite. Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of this book for the stage is thoroughly engrossing.

          Luke Rahmsdorff Terry’s fine sound design bridges the scenes with a somber viola. Susan Rahmsdorff Terry does her usual excellent work with the costume design.

    You owe it to yourself to see this show!

     Run to get tickets!

 

 

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

 

 

     

 Othello 2024

The John Hand Theater: June 29 - July 28

Shakespeare’s Othello is adapted by Greg Sherman and Gregory Wolfe

 

     Othello was the first Shakespearean play I got to see. 

      It was 1965, and I was a sophomore in high school. If the nuns said it was important, our parents would send us as a class to see a movie for the group fee of just one dollar each. This version gave us Laurence Olivier in blackface as the Moor of Venice. Maggie Smith was Desdemona, and Frank Finlay was Iago. I was clueless about all that Elizabethan speech and was glad as hell to be at the World Theatre in Billings, instead of sweating out problems in Mr. Roberts’ algebra class.

       Subsequently I’ve seen Shakespeare’s tragedy many times.

     Timeless in its message, this adaptation is “timelier” than most in that “OTHELLO 2024” focuses not only on the deceitfulness of Shakespeare’s most heinously two-faced villain, but also upon the deception that is inflicted upon us as citizens by the media with all of its slanted political mudslinging and lying broadcasters. 

     This production is also updated in the sense that communication is done, not only by the spoken word, but also by texting, emails and even zooms.

      It may take you a minute to get into the flow of this production, but the director makes quick work of that by adding projections and ‘news videos’ that clarify.

      Insidious and ubiquitous, the villainous, Iago, is played with gleeful malevolence by Denver favorite, Kelly Uhlenhopp. Marlowe Award Winner for her performance as Maggie, the cat, in Vintage Theatre’s magnificent production of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” it’s hard not to have the words, “Mendacity, mendacity, mendacity,” ringing in his ears as she works her venomous plans.

     Director Andrew Uhlenhopp has cast the show well and paced it in such a way that the energy of his very fine cast never flags. (Fresh off his brilliant performance as Mark Rothko in Town Hall Arts’ excellent production of “RED,” one hopes to see Uhlenhopp onstage again soon as well as in the director’s chair again soon.)

     TJ Jackson is well cast as the honorable and credulous Othello. Handsome and charismatic, this actor speaks Shakespeare’s words eloquently, and gives a damned good stab at the madness required for the final scenes. 

    Emily Ebertz is an enchanting Desdemona. Her reading of the part is excellent, and her acting in the final scenes of this tragedy enhances our catharsis.

     Kate Poling’s Emilia is also a stand-out!

      Greg Sherman’s and Gregory Wolfe’s adaptation is a cautionary tale regarding the importance of source-checking   what we hear on the news and see on the internet.

     Not every adaptation of the canon works. This one will grab you by the throat and leave you breathless.

     Run to get a ticket. 

 

Photo credit: RDG PHOTOGRAPHY

 

The Firehouse Theatre Company is currently presenting Othello 2024, a contemporizing of Shakespeare’s play about The Moor of Venice.

For tickets call 303-562-3232 or go online at firehousetheatercompany.com

 LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST

(THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST)

CENTRAL CITY OPERA: July 7,10,12,14,19,21,23,27,31; August 3.

(playing in repertoire with Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance” and Kurt Weill’s “Street Scene.)

 

CENTRAL CITY OPERA’S PRODUCTION OF PUCCINI’S “GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST” ENTHRALLS!

 

     Composed by Giacomo Puccini with libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, this opera is based upon a 1905 play by David Belasco. Puccini had based “Madama Butterfly” on another of Belasco’s plays. 

     Influenced by the work of Claude Debussy and Richard Strauss, Puccini infused this opera with folk music and a cinematic pulse to give it the flavor of the American West.

     Admired for its melodic orchestral score, Puccini believed his “American opera” to be “the greatest composition of his career.”

     “La Fanciulla del West” was the first world premier staged at the Met. It was conducted by Arturo Toscanini. 

     Puccini’s only “American” opera, it was a departure from the composer’s usual fare in that it had no stand-alone arias, and (spoiler alert) has a happy ending. 

     Director Fenlon Lamb’s casting is superb. This artist’s pacing of Puccini’s opera keeps the audience enthralled throughout!

     Kara Shay Thomson plays Minnie, the owner of the Polka Saloon. This character is a strong woman, who is a conniver and survivor. Shay has a soaring soprano that expresses the power of a pistol-packing frontier woman, who knows what she wants and how to get it. Minnie’s fierce fortitude differs from the women in Verdi’s previous operas, who were mostly victims.    

     Minnie is pursued throughout by sheriff Jack Rance (Grant Youngblood) and later becomes enamored of newcomer Dick Johnson, who is sung with great passion by tenor Jonathan Burton. 

    Grant Youngblood has given flawless performances at Central City Opera as John Proctor in “The Crucible,” “Germont in “La Traviata, Sharpless in “Madama Butterfly” and Horace Tabor in “The Ballad of Baby Doe.” 

     Here his acting as Jack Rance is darkly menacing, and his baritone commanding!

     In Act Two we learn that Johnson is the bandit Ramerrez, in disguise. A posse shoots him, and Minnie hides him upstairs at the saloon. When Rance discovers where he’s at, Minnie challenges him (Rance) to a game of poker. If she wins, he must let Johnson go free. If she loses, she must marry Rance. Minnie wins by cheating. In Act three, Rance tries to hang Johnson with the help of a posse, and Minnie convinces the miners to let him go.   

      Under the baton of conductor Andrew Bisantz, the Central City Opera orchestra gives a rousing performance of Verdi’s score.

      Choral Director, Brandon Eldredge makes the sound of Verdi’s male chorus ring through the opera house with ear-pleasing gusto.

     The set design by Papermoon Opera Productions is mostly excellent…except for the two blossoms? of one knows not what on either side of the lip of the stage.

     Originally set in an 1849 California mining camp during a gold rush, this production is set in Central City during the gold rush in an opera theatre built during the gold rush.   

      Not to be missed! Rush to get tickets!

 

303-292-6700 or boxoffice@centralcityopera.org

 THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

 or

 The Slave of Duty  

CENTRAL CITY OPERA: 6/29,7//3,7/5,7/7,7/13,7/16,7/20,

7/24,7/27,8/2,8/4 

(PLAYING IN REPERTOIRE WITH PUCCINI’S “GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST” and KURT WEILL’S “STREET SCENE”)

Jennifer DeDominici as Ruth in PIRATES OF PENZANCE

 

Central City Opera’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance” is a TRIUMPH!!! 

 

Exuberant, exhilarating, tuneful, and deliciously tongue in cheek, Central City Opera’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” is outrageously fun entertainment! 

     The combination of Arthur Sullivan’s glorious musical composition and W.S. Gilbert’s delightfully crafted lyrics are ingredients for a scrumptious operatic confection.

       Central City Opera’s production is OUTSTANDING!

    Set on the coast of Cornwall during the reign of Queen Victoria, this farcical comedy gives us a young man named Frederic (Chris Mosz) who has accidentally been apprenticed by his nurse, Ruth (Jennifer DeDominici), to “pirates” instead of “pilots.” 

     Shortly thereafter Frederic falls in love with a beautiful young woman named Mabel played by Jasmine Habersham.

     Surfing the waves of Sir William S. Gilbert’s whimsical book, the twists and turns our hero must navigate involve sentimental pirates, pompous naval officers, and that super-annoying  problem of being born in leap year.

       Perhaps the most famous of the musical numbers in this operetta is “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.” 

     Adelmo Guidarelli delivers Major General Stanley’s “patter song” with tongue-twisting dexterity, and deliriously funny -laugh out loud - comic acting. 

     Conducted by Brandon Eldredge, the scrumptious Central City Opera orchestra has never sounded better!

     Director Kyle Lang has cast the show impeccably and paced it at a gallop. Lang also did the ginormously entertaining choreography as well as the spot-on costume design.

     The choral work, overseen by Michael Poll, is breathtaking!

     The only thing missing from the beloved sound of the original D’Oyly Carte recordings is the static created by playing that old vinyl on the phonograph.

     Much better than the Broadway version I saw in 1981 starring Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, Estelle Parsons and Rex Smith, the original Danny Zuko in “Grease,” I’m hoping to get a second seat for this very funny CCO production! 

     To find an operetta approaching this level of unbridled joy, one must go back in memory to Central City Opera’s 2010 production of Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld.”

     Alex DeSocio’s performance in the role of the Pirate King is splendid both in the singing and the acting.

     Jasmine Habersham is utterly delicious as Frederic’s love interest, Mabel. Habersham’s powerful and finely-tuned soprano made this reviewer hope to hear her again soon in such roles as Cunegonde in Bernstein’s “Candide.”Her rendition of “Poor Wandring One” is magnificent!

     Frederic’s nurse,Ruth is acted and sung with joyous abandon by Jennifer DeDominici (Mezzo-Soprano). This diva received the Marlowe Award for Best Opera Singer for her performance as Mother in “Amahl and the Night Visitors” last season.

     Chris Mosz delivers the role of Frederic with a splendid tenor.

     Andrew Harris’s performance as Edward, Sergeant of Police, enhances the proceedings with his superb baritone. 

     Also, it is to be noted that there are now screens on the walls flanking the stage on which the quick-moving lyrics are projected. 

         

                        RUN TO GET TICKETS!!!

 

 

    It was an honor to be present on the evening that the late beloved artistic director emeritus John Moriarty was inducted into the Colorado Musical Hall of Fame along with Central City Opera itself. Moriarty was a superb conductor, vocal coach and educator. He was also a good friend and is greatly missed.

    

 

For tickets call the Box Office at 303-292-6700 or go online at centralcityopera.org

 

 

 

 

 THE HEARTBEAT OF THE SUN

CHERRY CREEK THEATRE: MAY 3 -19

 

THE HEARTBEAT OF THE SUN DISAPPOINTS. 

 

Melissa McCarl’s new play about the lifelong friendship of two women of the theatre is one this reviewer had looked forward to for a long time. However...

     McCarl has been one of the most successful of local playwrights over the last two decades. Her play about Frida Kahlo, PAINTED BREAD, is a personal favorite. McCarl’s 2016 production of LOST CREATURES about a late in life meeting of critic Kenneth Tynan and silent screen star Louise Brooks, stunned!  McCarl’s play about Gertrude Stein, POIGNANT IRRITATIONS, succeeded brilliantly.

      In this play as Bea and Althea look back down memory lane from the home for the aged, one of them is exhibiting signs of oncoming dementia. The symptoms, presented as 'personified' inanimate objects, seemed an unusual choice.

   This play features Anne Oberbroeckling as Bea, Billie McBride as Althea and Maggy Stacy as Young Althea. All three women are award-winning Denver favorites. Daevon Robinson (Javier) is especially strong in a brief performance near final curtain. There is some nice work done in the lighting and sound designs by Emily B. Maddox and Michael Castro respectively.

     Unfortunately, this production never catches fire.

 

    See it if you must.

For tickets call 303-316-6300 or go online at cherrycreektheatre.org

 

 

 RED

TOWN HALL ARTS CENTER: 4/25 - 5/5

        L-R: Andrew Uhlenhopp and Josue Miranda

     Nominated for seven Tony Awards in 2010, John Logan's "RED" won six, including Best Play and Best Supporting Actor in a Play (Eddy Redmayne.) Alfred Molina, who portrayed Mark Rothko was also nominated for Best Actor in a Play that year.

     Director Matthew Kepler has cast this production impeccably and paced it in such a way that the evening flies by.     

      Andrew Uhlenhopp's pulse-pounding portrayal of abstract artist Mark Rothko is brilliantly raw, intense and revelatory!  One of Denver's Premier actors, it's thrilling to see him being cast in roles of this stature. 

      Josue Miranda delivers a nuanced performance as Rothko's assistant,Ken. This actor's journey from the suit and tie, guy on the street at the top of the show, to his self confident persona at final curtain is remarkable. Miranda, who you will remember from the excellent production of "My Name is Asher Lev" at The Cherry Creek Theatre, has matured into an actor whose name should be sought out in every program. 

     The Tony Award-winning script is rich in its exploration of the ever-evolving nature of the artist and his relationship to his Art. 

     A tip of the hat to Robert Michael Sanders, who heads up the operations at Town Hall Arts Center, for punctuating the excellent season of musicals with such an exhilarating piece of serious drama. 

    It's only here for one more weekend. Run to get tickets.

For tickets call: 303-794-2787 or go online at TownHallArtsCenter.org