THE SOUND OF MUSIC

BDT STAGE: 4/29 -8/19

BDT Stage’s production of the perennial favorite THE SOUND OF MUSIC is the Hottest Ticket in Town for Denver families this summer! It was the most requested musical by the patrons of this beloved theatre, and BDT Stage has given those patrons an experience to remember! This musical is so universally loved, and the emotions run so high during this production, it will, I am certain, prove to be an unforgettable evening of familial bonding. 

     Under the astute directorial eye of Alicia K. Meyers (she also plays Elsa,) BDT Stage has taken this musical from an out-to-pasture old war-horse to a coltish, fresh-feeling and healing experience. It’s one we all need after Covid and the political travesties of the last several years. 

     McKayla Marso McDonough is a Maria for the ages! This beautiful actor has a soprano to die for and blesses us with a Maria that is not only innocent, but the embodiment of real ‘goodness.’  Her singing of the title song, “My Favorite Things,” and “Confidence,” stun!

     Scott Severtson gives us one of the most endearing performances of Georg ever! “Something Good,” his duet with Ms. McDonough, enchants.

     As the Mother Abbess, Colorado favorite    Tracy Warren’s singing of “Climb Every Mountain,” will lift you out of your seat!  A shining musical moment indeed!

     Bob Hoppe plays an exceptionally animated Matt Dettweiler. He’s at his best leading the Von Trapp children singing “The Lonely Goatherd.”

       In their delightful duet “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” Claire Leon is an adorable Liesl, and Chris Warren, a strong Rolf.      

     All the young actors who act and sing the parts of the Von Trapp children are excellent. Their “So Long, Farewell” and “Edelweiss,” most memorable.

     Under the baton of Music director Neal Dunfee, the scrumptions BDT Stage orchestra sounds better than ever.

     The morphing of Amy Campion’s scenic design from the Abbey to the Von Trapp family’s mansion is sheer magic.

    The traditional choreography of this piece by Tracey Dennig, is spot on.

    Wayne Kennedy’s sound design is outstanding. 

     The lighting design by Brett Maughan is the professional work we have all come to expect from him.

     The projection design by Tom Quinn gives us glorious views of the stained glass rose window in the Abbey as well as views of the soaring mountainous landscape at the top of the show.

     

     As devastated as we all are to have heard that this much loved 45-year-old dinner theatre is closing due to some people from another state buying her, there is, I am told, some hope. There are rumors flying everywhere! It is to be hoped that there will at least be an extension of time. If so, the theatre’s creator, Ross Haley is surely blessing us once more. This time from Heaven.

    

     And “Wonder of wonders, Miracle of miracles,” It’s just come across the internet! BDT gets one more production. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF with WAYNE KENNEDY reprising his outstanding portrayal of Tevye  from September 9 to January 13, 2024. The show will be directed by Colorado favorite, Kenny Moten. 

 

                           GRATEFUL!

 

For tickets call 303-449-6000 or go online at bdtstage.com

 ELIZABETH REX

11 MINUTES THEATRE COMPANY: APRIL 27 – MAY 15

 

                Margaret Casart and Verl Hite

Written by Paul Thompson and Timothy Findley, and directed by Tiya Trent and Janine Ann Kehlenbach,” Elizabeth Rex” is currently playing at the People’s Building on East Colfax.

    What a treat to get to see Margaret  Casart as Elizabeth the First. Frequently seen in the classics presented by Ed Baierlein and Sallie Diamond over at Germinal Stage Denver, one is overjoyed to see her treading the boards once again.   Ms. Casart is a truly great actor, and costumed in gold and ivory, she commands the stage beautifully as Queen Elizabeth I. 

     Matthew Schultz turns in a passionate performance as Ned Lowenscraft, a male actor who performs the female roles in Shakespeare’s plays. This time, it’s Beatrice in “Much Ado About Nothing.” 

     Visiting the Bard and cast after the performance, Elizabeth is distraught. It’s the evening before her one-time lover, The Earl of Essex’s execution.

     The Queen has required herself to take on a ‘manly’ disposition as regent to protect her England. Ned has been required by custom-and sexuality-to conform with the tradition of taking on a womanly disposition playing the Bard’s female characters.

    The catch-line for the play, which is spoken by the queen is, “If you will teach me how to be a woman, I will teach you how to be a man." 

     This compelling puzzle that Elizabeth creates as a distraction from the inevitable, is muddied by some of the other characters' lack of understanding of protocols required in the presence of a monarch. The treatment of this sovereign by the characters in this play is on several occasions less than deferential.

     One must lay this at the feet of the playwright(s). 

     One would not argue, dispute her opinion, or raise one’s voice to her. The punishment for this would have been immediate “towering” and execution.

     That said, there is much good to be said  about the performances. 

     Joseph Graves Jr. is an amiable and articulate Shakespeare.     

     Shashauna Staton, is a very funny Mistress Kate Tardwell.

     Alison Talvacchio is appropriately proper and sober as Lord Cecil.

           Verl Hite is outrageously hilarious as Percy, a fool who’s remembered by the queen for his “exquisite falling down.”

     Julie Williamson delivers a Lady Anne Henslowe who is appropriately sour and barely ambulatory.

     First produced in 2000 at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, it won the prestigious Governor General’s Literary Award.

Go and support the 11 Minutes Theatre Company at The People’s Building located at 9995 E. Colfax

 

For tickets call: 720-333-3499

 

 

 GERTRUDE AND OPHELIA IN HELL

                            &

ONE LAST THING BEFORE I FORGET

 

AND TOTO TOO THEATRE COMPANY: APRIL 20-30

 

                 Susan Lyles and Kate Poling

 

     Fresh from The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, And Toto too Theatre Company’s production of “Gertrude and Ophelia in Hell” is currently on view at The Roaming Gnome Theatre in Aurora.   

     In Rebecca Gorman O’Neill’s play about the two women from Elsinore, Susan Lyles is luminous as the ghost of Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude, as she attempts to connive her entitled way out of Purgatory while upstaging Hamlet’s old flame, Ophelia (a charming and pouty Kate Poling.) Ophelia blames the tree branch for her downfall, and Gertrude is claiming not guilty for multiple sins, including adultery. Award-winning Billie McBride directs.

    Accompanying this play, is another one-act by Rebecca Gorman O’Neill, entitled “One Last Thing Before I Forget.”  This is a fascinating look at two discarnate entities who have died and are clinging to their memories of life on earth. It seems that as long as you have one more story that people remember about you, you can still haunt the old homestead.

     Gorman’s writing is excellent, and Kate Poling and Cyndi Parr as Harriet and Violet respectively, perfectly cast by director Melissa McCarl.

     With set and sound design by Darren Smith, Lights by Alexis Bond and Music by Sparkle and the Burn, you can’t go wrong getting tickets for these two one-acts that are part of And Toto too’s 18^th season of plays written by women playwrights.

     Hurry to get tickets. This is the final weekend!

 Roaming Gnome Theatre is located at 2520 Galena Street in Aurora, 

For tickets call 720-583-3975

 

 La Cage Aux Folles

Town Hall Arts Center: April 7 – 30

 

L-R: George Zamarippa and John White

With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, “La Cage Aux Folles” won six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1984.

      It’s a gloriously tune-filled musical about Georges and Albin, a gay couple who own a drag night club in St. Tropez.      

     When their son comes home to tell 

them that he’s marrying a young woman, their world momentarily turns upside down.  Then when they come to terms with Jean Michel’s choice, they discover their future daughter in law’s father is a homophobic politician…and guess who’s coming to dinner?

     The current production is so much fun, I must admit it’s better than the one I saw on Broadway.

     John White is Outstanding in the role of Albin! George Zamarripa is the best Georges I’ve seen to date! Both men sparkle and shine. Their voices complement each other beautifully.

     The scenic design by Michael R. Duran is just about perfect. So are Sammy Gleason's glitzy, glamorous costumes for ZaZa and Les Cagelles!

     Tracy Nicole Taylor is a Jacqueline for the books!!! Awesome!

     Caleb Wenger is a genuine charmer as Jean Michel.

     The music direction by Phil Forman is amazing.

     Director/Choreographer Nathan Halvorson knocked it out of the park.

     This timeless musical about the importance of being who you are, has taken wings down at Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton.

 

Fly to get tickets!

 

 

 

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

 PART TWO OF 

THE INHERITANCE

VINTAGE THEATRE: APR 7 – MAY 14

 

 

                   L-R: Dakota Chase Hill and Andy Anderson

THIS PRODUCTION WILL HAUNT YOU LONG AFTER THE FINAL CURTAIN. 

RUN TO GET TICKETS.

 

 

Matthew Lopez’s “The Inheritance,” is a sprawling two-part opus that uses E.M. Forster’s “Howard’s End” as blueprint. Having won the Olivier for Best Play in London, “The Inheritance” also garnered a 2020 Tony for Best Play on Broadway. 

     Forster’s words, “just connect” lead us into a far more visceral interconnectivity activation in Part Two.         

     Having become familiar with the characters in Part One, we as audience are now given their back-stories. 

     Our perception of the words and actions of Toby Darling become somewhat softened once we learn about his early life.

   The introduction of Young Henry and Young Walter, played with animated exuberance by Joe Barnard and Reese Blanton respectively, shed light on their more mature selves.

     The argument about politics involving Henry Wilcox’s (Andy Anderson) wealthy elitism and right-wing views as opposed to the more liberal points of view of the ensemble, rivets.

     As Toby Darling, Bobby Bennett continues a performance one can only refer to as a tour de force.

     Likewise, Andy Anderson as Henry Wilcox and Dakota Chase Hill as Eric Glass deliver stunning performances. 

     As Margaret Avery, the caretaker of Walter’s home, Deborah Persoff is luminous and utterly natural in a heart-opening scene near final curtain. 

     Persoff’s heartfelt aria recounting her reconnection with her son, and subsequent assisting of others in need, is both poignant and bittersweet. 

    One would be remiss not to mention the work of director Bernie Cardell. 

     Cardell’s quick-paced, layered direction illuminates Lopez’s writing in what one can only refer to as sheer magic. His transitions are as seamless as those in a Beethoven symphony.

 

               Not to Be Missed!

 

    Part One and Part Two of the play may be seen one after the other on some days or else one at a time. Each runs about three hours, and like two-part plays such as “Angels in America” and “The Kentucky Cycle,” each play is ticketed separately.

 

 

 

 

(Leave the kids home.)

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

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010

 

 

 THE INHERITANCE:

 PART ONE           

VINTAGE THEATRE: APRIL 7 – MAY 14

 

                         L-R: Dakota Chase Hill, Bobby Bennett and Kyle Lawrence

THE INHERITANCE IS AN OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION THAT MUST BE SEEN! 

RUN TO GET TICKETS! 

 

Matthew Lopez’s “The Inheritance,” is a sprawling two-part opus that uses E.M. Forster’s “Howard’s End” as blueprint. Having won the Olivier for Best Play in London, “The Inheritance” also garnered a 2020 Tony for Best Play on Broadway. 

     Forster’s admonition to “just connect” is key to LGBTQ’s intergenerational reflection on its tragic past and subsequent evolution with its attendant social crises. 

By “connecting,” generations well past the AIDS epidemic begin to become aware of how much their present status and their problems regarding equal rights have been made accessible due to the suffering of those who have gone before.

 The show, which looks at classism, healing, and the need to belong, includes adult situations, male nudity and gay sexual relations along with mature language. 

     Director Bernie Cardell has cast the show with an eye to diverse looks in race and body types. His quick pacing pulses with urgency and makes the evening fly.

     As Toby Darling, a sarcastic, narcissistic, and successful playwright, whose work is on the verge of going to Broadway, Bobby Bennett gives a brilliantly nuanced performance.

      Dakota Chase Hill is superb in the role of Eric Glass, Toby’s naïve lover. 

     Kyle Lawrence is fine as Adam McDowel, a down on his luck sex worker, who’s taken under the wing of Bennett’s Toby Darling. 

     Matthew Murry is Morgan ,a stand-in for E.M. Forster, who provides the voice of reason in the play.

     Todd Black is an indelibly engaging Walter Pool - a frail, endearing neighbor who befriends Eric, making him aware of the secrets of his past. Pool reveals his empathic response to a collective  traumatic past in a poignant and  magnificent monologue.

     Andy Anderson is a splendid Henry Wilcox, Walter’s nearly always away-on-business partner. 

      The rest of the vibrant ensemble functions as a sort of “Greek chorus.”

 

Part One and Part Two of the play may be seen one after the other on some days or else one at a time. Each runs about three hours, and like two-part plays such as “Angels in America” and “The Kentucky Cycle,” each play is ticketed separately.

 

You owe it to yourself to see this brilliant work!

(Leave the kids home.)

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

Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010

 

 

 

  

 

ALICE CLEANS UP WONDERLAND

TOWN HALL ARTS 

CHILDREN’S THEATRE

 

                                          Brian Murray as W. R.

                 (photo credit: Maggie Tisdale)

 

With “ALICE CLEANS UP WONDERLAND,” Pamela Clifton proves that theatre can not only be entertaining, but also educational.

      Clifton wrote this marvelous piece for grade school and middle school children in our community in order to foster environmental awareness and social change. 

    The school children in attendance at the play’s first performance at Town Hall Arts in Littleton were totally engaged with rapt attention and lots of giggles. To be truthful, the piece enchanted those adults present as well.

     Together with the superbly gifted Martha Yordy, who created the whimsical musical tracks, Clifton weaves a tale based upon your memories of “Alice In Wonderland.”

     Alice (Lynzee Jones) is first seen not only as an apathetic and narcissistic brat, but also an antagonistic one as far as caring about the environment goes. She would prefer that the gorgeous trees be chopped down so the world could have 'more shops and a wider boulevard.'

     She’s also non-plussed by graffiti and clueless about composting. 

     W.R., the white rabbit, is played with gleeful disdain by Brian Murray. He’s a negligent and greedy toy factory CEO who only wants more and more money and who allows spillage of dangerous chemicals into the water and thus, the land of the small community. Alice learns more about his greed when she visits his factory.

     Realizing that her apathy is to blame, Alice joins the people who are protesting. She creates posters and signs saying things like: “Wake Up! Look around!” and “People don’t care about the air!”

     Clark Brittain is of special note in the roles of Door and Worm. Brittain brings a wealth of wit and double entendre to his characters. In the role of Door, he's the victim of spray paint graffiti. Then as Worm, he gets to be a sort of “natural” hero, chomping up the compost! Brittain charms in both roles!

     First seen as skateboarding girls with boom box, and later as flowers in the box, Cecelia Kim and Maggie Tisdale double up as hilarious singing partners Dee and Dum and Rose and Daisy, illustrating the damage being done by W. R. and his factory on the flora and fauna of the land.     

     Both women fill these characters with warmth and humor. Later in the show, these two create a thing of beauty and Art out of items - string and sticks- discovered in the trash. Slamming trash can lids together, they perform a mini version of your rhythmic and percussive memories of shows like STOMP! In such a way, they incite demonstrations against industrial waste and pollution. 

    Kristianne Seaton is the concerned face - and voice - of the Tree.

     The costumes are vibrant and inventive. For Brian Murray’s White Rabbit we get a mafia-flavored rascal with long white ears extending well beyond his colorful fedora, and a cotton tail protruding from his back pocket.

     Brittain’s costumes for the characters of Worm – a trash bag is used as a bib while he’s in the tan sleeping bag outfit - and a pop-tart looking Door ( he’s the filling!) are just perfect.

     The canvas backdrops for the various scenes work wonderfully well.

      There is also an eye-popping gizmo simulating industrial machines at the factory, that you’ll have to see to believe.

By the end of the show, children have seen and felt the need to “reduce, reuse and recycle,” as well as stand against smog-filled air, chemically poisoned water, and trash-littered landscapes.

 

Please be aware. There will be bubbles!!!

 

Local Educators: This show comes highly recommended from this critic’s desk as educational theatre for grade schoolers and middle schoolers alike!

Contact Town Hall Arts Center( 2450 W. Main St. Littleton, CO  80120)

303-794-2787 or go online at townhallartscenter.org