‘Man of La Mancha’ provokes and delights in Little Theatre production

By Lynn Felder Winston-Salem Journal May 4, 2019

“Man of La Mancha” debuted on Broadway more than 50 years ago, during a time of political unrest and cultural upheaval in the U.S. That year, the Voting Rights Act passed, the Vietnam War was accelerating, Medicare and Medicaid were established, and Bob Dylan went electric.

The same musical opened to a packed and appreciative house Friday night against the backdrop of voting rights battles, another war somewhere, health care squabbles and Dylan still touring.

How can this musical feel so fresh when our ideals have undergone so many stalemates? It’s a sneaky show, really. It leaves us racked with sadness, reeling from ambiguity — and humming “The Impossible Dream.” Oh, and it’s pretty funny, too.

I think that’s the answer. The music is gorgeous, timeless — placeless too. Composer Mitch Leigh borrows from flamenco and classical guitar to transport us to Spain or Morocco or … La Mancha. Then he brings in the trumpet and the haunting clarinet, the ethereal piccolo, the vast and sweeping implications of the French horn.

Dale Wasserman based “Man of La Mancha” on his own non-musical teleplay, “I, Don Quixote” (1959), distilled from the 17th-century Cervantes novel, and Joe Darion wrote the lyrics.

The orchestra, led by David Lane is fine, but a sound technician is needed to turn up the vocal mics. Too often the very good band overwhelmed the singers.

The lead actors are spectacular, seemingly born to play these parts.

Chuck King, as Cervantes/Don Quixote, brings one of the finest voices in community theater to the role. When he swings into the first big number, “Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote),” with Ken Ashford as his squire/sidekick Sancho, you know that you’re in for a rollicking ride. The song is just rousing, and you’re ready to join Don Quixote on his quest, regardless of how wrong-headed and deluded it may be.

Ashford is splendid as Sancho, playing the comic servant with a raspy whine, twisted lip and twinkling eyes. He gets to shine on “I Really Like Him” and “A Little Gossip.”

Christine Gorelick is terrific as Aldonza/Dulcinea. It’s a tough role physically as she is handled by the Muleteers, a band of rough men; and emotionally, as she is whipsawed from hardened scullery maid to the object of Quixote’s adoration back to disillusioned viragos and ultimately idealist. Her introductory song, “It’s All the Same,” with the Muleteers is a bawdy delight.

Act I ends with King’s full-throated rendition of “The Impossible Dream,” and it’s impossible to resist his lure of delusion.

The ensemble players are all good, lively actors and singers, and the chorus numbers are gorgeous to hear.

Mark Pirolo directs and draws fine performances from everyone.

There are disturbing scenes: Dulcinea’s abduction and Quixote’s “cure,” with spectacular costuming, credited to Tara Raczenski.

The show is full of inspiration and terrible ambiguity, with a particularly seductive argument for idealism over pragmatism.

But when the full cast blend voice and band on the final “Impossible Dream,” it’s easy to see why “Man of La Mancha” — a show about a crazy old man with delusions of glory and nobility — won five Tonys in 1965 and why it still moves audiences today.

Mamma Mia - It's A Hit (Winson-Salem Journal Review by Lynn Felder)

Break out the champagne. We’ve got a hit, folks.

Photo by Danny Alverez

Oh, don’t bother with the alcohol. “Mamma Mia!”, which opened Friday at Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, has enough sparkle and bubble to make you feel like a dancing queen. The 100 percent natural and hangover-free high of “Mamma Mia!” is provided by a huge cast, a full orchestra and chorus; boatloads of energy — both youthful and not-so — and several bushels of sequins.

The irrepressible music of ABBA also helps. From “Dancing Queen” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Waterloo,” the hits just keep on coming, and this cast delivers them with gusto.

The plot is skimpy and convoluted, but ultimately sweet and funny.

Donna, the owner of a struggling taverna on a tiny Greek Island, had a daughter 21 years ago with somebody — either Sam, Bill or Harry.
Said daughter, Sophie, has summoned these three back to Greece on the eve of her wedding to Sky. Thus begins a 24-hour sprint to discover who’s her daddy. She wants her father to walk her down the aisle.

Donna is understandably flummoxed by the sudden appearance of these long-ago lovers, but she gets support from Tanya and Rosie. They all comprised a girl rock band back in the day, Donna and the Dynamos.

Jennifer deCoste is a lusty Donna, not at all subdued by time and financial struggles. She is a spitfire. DeCoste’s rich voice is particularly well-suited to the ABBA pop, which ranges from silly to soulful.
Jean-Marie Buckley as Tanya and Ruthie Tutterow as Rosie both display fearless physicality and great comic timing.

And, speaking of physicality, the Mutt and Jeff duo of Dru Billings as Pepper and Nic Zayas as Eddie are standouts. Stephen Gunter, a high school student at UNC School of the Arts, raises the performance level of the whole chorus.

The May-December flirtation between Billings and Buckley is delirious. He defines lanky, and she is petite and curvy. They are hilarious and outrageous together.

Graham Harrington is sweetly appealing as Sophie, giving lovely voice to “I Have a Dream” and “Name of the Game.” Andrew Duggins as Sky is a good match for her. Becky Koza as Ali and Meredith Brown as Lisa, Sophie’s friends, are frothy, buoyant and a joy to watch.

The three dads, Sam played by Troy Hurst, Bill played by Mark Flora and Harry played by Glenn Otterbacher, are all in, fully committed.

The creative team, Justin Bulla, director; Garrett Saake, music director; and Kacy E. Crabtree, choreographer, have really pulled off an amazing piece of entertainment. Crabtree has made dances that suit the performers — pushing the ones who can handle it to great heights. In a show that is about free spirits singing and dancing, anything goes — even snorkels and flippers on “Lay All Your Love on Me.” It’s a lark!

Justin Hall has outdone himself on the costumes — all complement the performers and the movement.

I almost never think a show moves fast enough on opening night, but I’ve got to hand it to Little Theatre: This one is ready for prime time.

Need a little getaway to a Greek island, a night of total escape and joy? “Mamma Mia!” is just the ticket.

Southern Hospitality: Stained Glass Playhouse Posted on May 3, 2015 by ghostlightreviews

Boy oh boy, do they put the “Southern” in Southern Hospitality.  From especially twangy dialects, to glittery star-spangled cowgirls, to biscuits and ham galore, the script leaves no stone south of the Mason-Dixon line unturned. Every line feels like part of the set up for a big head-shaking, groaning joke that either one identifies with or one doesn’t. If you don’t, then perhaps this show is not the one for you.

The playwrights (Jones, Hope, & Wooten) seem to enjoy continuous success as they churn out their formulaic “comedies” one right on top of the other. If I am honest, I don’t understand the draw. As long as community theatres continue to produce their stuff, they will continue to write it. It would be one thing if they were really smart about their dumb humor. If they took all of the energy they’ve spent writing 15+ plays and focused it into 3-4, perhaps the quality of all of them would be of a higher level. Unfortunately that is not the case.

However, Director Justin Bulla does a wonderful job of taking the less than stellar script and making it a fun and visually engaging experience for the patrons of Stained Glass Playhouse. There is always something going on, though sometimes to the point of upstaging, and some of the smallest choices end up producing the biggest laughs. It is clear that he put a lot of time into working with his cast. His note in the playbill says that there are some “newbies” in the cast, but after he was done with them I could not honestly tell you who they were based on the performances (though they do reveal themselves in their cast bios).

Kay Shelton as the irascible and icy aunt, Iney Dubberly, stole the show with her dead-pan deliveries of her especially cruel dialogue. I enjoyed her so much that, when a certain plot point occurs, I was left disappointed that I wouldn’t be seeing so much of her needling the other characters.

April Marshall plays the larger-than-life Rhonda, owner of the local Dairy Dog. Her laughter and enthusiasm on stage were truly infectious and I enjoyed every minute she appeared, especially her incident with a hoop skirt, though I wouldn’t have done that particular gag a second time.

I wanted to see more of both Miss Geneva Musgrave, played by Peggie Dull, and Raynerd Chism, played by Logan Chidester. Miss Geneva is loud, proud, and very much in charge of any room she graces with her presence, driving John Curtis Butner (Mark Craddock) to near insanity with her constant demands for perfection in their attempt at a Civil War re-enactment. And Raynerd Chism’s constant refrain of “I just LOVE Fayro” became more and more enjoyable as the scenes around him devolved.

The costumes by Sylvia Tyndall were fine, though at times made one uncertain if they were watching “Grease” or attending a rodeo. And one particular gag involving Rhonda Lynn would have been made much more enjoyable if it ended with a set of bloomers or other period undergarments rather than the green shorts that were chosen. The lights necessary for this show were minimal, though during scenes where there was a “full wash”, there did appear to be a large dark spot dead-center of the stage, which was somewhat distracting and could be easily fixed.

I felt the set, which does not have a designer listed, did not fully support the action of the show. While the director attempted to make the best of what he was given, the show would have benefited from a smaller house interior that didn’t take up the entire stage, particularly since half or more of the scenes do not occur within the house. Also, I kept getting a glimpse of a pastoral scene painted on the back wall of the stage, which would’ve been a great background for the scenes during the re-enactment, rather than trying to focus light in a small pool on a very small stage, which wasn’t fully effective. A lot of the exits on the stage were unnecessary, and the black curtains that were hung everywhere were distracting and at least one, perhaps two, were also unnecessary as they didn’t really block the back stage area as they were intended to. Perhaps if they placed them further offstage, at different angles, it wouldn’t detract from the action on stage. Or, if they insist on having the curtains onstage, perhaps put a beaded curtain in front of the black one, or something that is clearly not black instead and would more likely be found inside of a home. Either option would have drawn my eye less and let me enjoy the performance more.

All in all, ‘Southern Hospitality’ was a fairly enjoyable show, with the cast as the real standouts. They clearly enjoyed working together and it was more a labor of love than anything. If Southern comedy is something you enjoy, then it would be worth your time to catch this show. They have seven more performances, running May 8, 9, 15 &16 at 8pm and May 3, 10, & 17 at 3pm. Tickets are $16 for adults, with discounts for Seniors and Students, and can be purchased at the door, by calling 661-4949, or visiting their website at www.stainedglassplayhouse.org.

Winston-Salem Journal Review - "Fiddler"

‘Fiddler’ inspires us to weigh tradition’s place
Sunday, November 4, 2012 12:00 am

Matchmaker

Ken Keuffel/Winston-Salem Journal

Do we uphold tradition or let it erode?

That’s the principal question at the heart of “Fiddler on the Roof,” the popular musical that Twin City Stage is reviving. And it’s a question we’re inspired to care about in numerous ways as we take in the often-funny show, which opened Friday at the Arts Council Theatre.

The show, directed with aplomb by Bobby Bodford, also thrives on the able music direction of Margaret B. Gallagher and the imaginative choreography of Benji Starcher. The cast often fills the stage, but you never feel that it becomes unwieldy or unmanageable.

“Fiddler” is set in a Jewish settlement in a Tsarist Russia that is intolerant of it and ultimately shuts it down. The musical transports us to a time when resistance to “modern” ideas was beginning to weaken.

One result: a man and a woman might just bypass a matchmaker and marry because of their love for one another, even if such a union meant financial struggles, dislocation or being stigmatized for marrying outside one’s faith.

Tim Austin as Tevye

Tevye (Tim Austin), the loveable milkman, contends with revolutionary notions taking hold in his three oldest daughters as they find love and pursue marriage. The daughters are Tzeitel (Mary Lea Williams); Hodel (Katie Skawski); and Chava (Gracie Falk).

Austin is at his best when the rest of the play’s action freezes and he engages in a mini-soliloquy, weighing the pros and cons of a momentous dilemma. Tzeitel, for example, might not enter an arranged marriage with a wealthy butcher old enough to be her father, opting instead for Motel (Latimer Alexander), a poor tailor.

In each mini-soliloquy sequence, Austin goes back and forth thoughtfully between two extremes, beginning each scenario with “on the other hand.” His struggles emerge as genuine, exposing the tensions between rigid inflexibility and greater openness.

For some reason, I hadn’t seen a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” until I reviewed the current Twin City production. But I had certainly heard parts of it many times in the great songs by composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick. These were powerful enough to enter the collective consciousness and stay there for almost 50 years, delighting young and old alike. The original Broadway production of “Fiddler” opened in 1964, spawning numerous professional and amateur revivals.

On Friday, it was a joy to experience such classics as “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”; “If I Were a Rich Man”; and “Sunrise, Sunset” in their original contexts. The humor in Joseph Stein’s book, though sometimes a bit corny, usually hits the nail on the head in its expression of universal truths about life, money or the lack thereof.

Winston-Salem Journal Review - "Children of Eden"

Twin city Stage

Biblical stories sing in 'Children of Eden'

There are lots of people out there who've either never seen a live performance of musical theater or haven't attended one in years. Which show is best for them?


By KEN KEUFFEL | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: March 28, 2011

Twin City Stage makes a good case for "Children of Eden," which opened Friday at the Arts Council Theatre and will run there through April 10. I attended Sunday's show.

Congregations of churches and synagogues should flock to see "Children of Eden," as should families with young children, especially those who have read or heard the most popular stories in the Bible.

Twin City Stage

Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for "Children of Eden," and John Caird the book. The show dramatizes several familiar parts of the Genesis story, including the Creation; Noah (Art Bloom) and the Flood; and the stories of Adam (Justin Hall) and Eve (Amanda Martin). The tale of Cain and Abel is also retold.

Some liberties are taken in the retelling of these stories, but not enough to alter the most important basics.

We sympathize with Father, aka God (Chuck King), who lays down the law only to find that his children either keep questioning said law or ignore it altogether because, well, that apple is just too tempting.

The first act of "Eden" takes us through Cain's murder of his brother and the hardscrabble wandering in the wilderness that the sins of Adam and Eve have unleashed. Act II is given over to Noah and the Flood. Each character convincingly shows his or her personal growth, and we better understand their difficult choices.

Twin City Stage

I liked the Flood parts of "Eden" the best. Here Bloom adopts the stereotypical mannerisms and accents of the Jewish ghetto to great comic effect. We're also prompted to sympathize with the plight of the passengers and animals of the ark. God, if the rain doesn't stop and dry land doesn't appear, our provisions will run out. Will we be forced to eat the animals on board?

Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for "Godspell" and "Pippin," two Broadway success stories that revealed his mastery of the pop idiom.

In "Children of Eden," by contrast, I sense songwriting and choral music of greater range and ambition. Sure, the peppy sound of Broadway is frequently evident. But so is more potent and challenging ensemble writing that would be appropriate for opera or oratorio. The cast sings it well.

---

KKeuffel@wsjournal.com
(336) 727-7337

Winston-Salem Journal Review - "To Kill a Mockingbird"

excel: Play has consistently good acting

By Leigh Somerville McMillan | SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL
Published: October 31, 2010

Credit: Shawn Hooper photo
Laura Browne plays Scout and Jae Campbell plays Calpurnia in the Arts Council Theatre production of To Kill a Mockingbird.

     The Arts Council Theatre was packed Friday night for the opening of To Kill a Mockingbird, and, no doubt, most of the audience had either read Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-prize-winning novel or seen the movie, starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.
     In the program’s director’s notes, Stan Bernstein addresses the challenge of following in such footsteps. He writes, “the bar is set so high, you need binoculars to see it.” Did they clear the bar? Most certainly.

     Mark Boynton did not walk on stage with Peck’s physical height — a gift when an actor plays a giant like Atticus Finch — and he certainly did not appear to be 50 years old — despite the silver hairspray. But within minutes, the magic of his acting had us convinced we were looking at the lawyer who faced racial hatred in the 1930s rural South and didn’t turn away. 

     Don Pocock is his perfect foil as the strutting, smirking Mr. Gilmer, who represents the accuser, Mayella Ewell. In that role, Rene Walek hides under greasy, long bangs, wrings her skirt and wilts into an olive-drab cardigan as she portrays a young woman who is both incorrigible in her lying and pitiful as someone who is as much a victim as the black man she falsely accuses of raping her.
     Three exceptionally talented children held their own on a stage filled with adults, and that’s not easy. Laura Browne (Scout), Adam Chase (Jem) and Britton Sear (Dill) each came to this show with an already impressive acting history. The addition of such fine performances in To Kill a Mockingbird will certainly further their theatrical careers.
     Still, one question lingers. What happened to make the spitting tomboy, Scout — dressed in bib overalls and mismatched socks — grow up to become the adult Jean Louise who narrates the story? Sheri Masters, in that role, plays prim and proper from the tips of her high-heeled pumps to her tight French twist. She didn’t even bat an eye during one or two opening night microphone malfunctions. Positioning her on stage — and yet setting her apart by having her voice the only one amplified — very effectively illustrated her intense love for her father.

     And directing the two lawyers to play to the audience — creating the sense that the audience was the jury — did exactly what Bernstein intended. From our perspective 50 years after the book was written, we longed to free Tom Robinson (played with gut-wrenching resignation by Derrick Parker). The audience may not have been as innocent as the children hanging over the courtroom balcony, but we knew the truth of the situation — and the times — and it broke our hearts.

      Mark March, as Heck Tate, drew a round of applause for his delivery of the line, “Bob Ewell fell on his own knife.” It didn’t matter whether the applause was for March’s consistently strong performance as the conflicted sheriff, or because the audience supported his decision to protect the Finch family. The applause was well-deserved and provided the point at which the entire cast cleared Bernstein’s bar — with inches to spare.

Winston-Salem Journal Review - "All Shook Up"

Surrendering To Passions- Twin City Stage has a winner in '50s musical All Shook Up

By Ken Keuffel

JOURNAL REPORTER

SMART-SILLY: STAGE DIRECTION, CHOREOGRAPHY ARE A-1

The words that the King loved to sing came to mind as I reflected on the musical Twin City Stage is presenting at the Arts Council Theatre.

The show, which opened Friday, is All Shook Up. I couldn't help falling in love with it.

All Shook Up, which premiered on Broadway in 2005, capitalizes on the enduring appeal of 1950s nostalgia by integrating Elvis Presley's music into Joe DiPietro's retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The story takes place in a small American town during the mid-1950s. The dreams of mechanic Natalie (Katlyn Shaw) and a surprise visit from a guitar-playing stranger in a leather jacket named Chad (Darren Fuller) lead to several couples finding romance -- and giving into a rock-induced lust for necking.

The hookups run the gamut, growing out of friendships, love triangles, unexpected revelations, the shared love of Shakespeare and efforts to break down class barriers. One of the most memorable -- and funny -- connections happens when Chad falls for "Ed," who is Natalie in disguise. Another very amusing romance is consummated when Sheriff Earl (Daniel Alvarez) finally speaks up and gets Matilda (Margaret B. Gallagher), the town's too-moral mayor, to do with him what she has spent too many years crusading against.

So, yes, this spoof manages to be clever and silly at the same time, having benefited from imaginative stage direction and choreography of Rodney Luck.

And often, Presley classics are converted from solo-vocalist fare into everything from intimate love duets to stirring large-scale choruses; when it happens, the new version is just as appealing as the original or even more so.

Fuller stands out for moves that recall what made Elvis so famous. Watch his pelvis.

Wesley Hudson leads a pit that plays with polish. But the quality of the solo singing is uneven, with faulty intonation or an inability to project marring many of the vocal efforts. The show's best singers, however, really shine.

The technical crew deserves high marks for the nice 1950s retro feel achieved in the show's visuals. These range from small signs that hang on the walls to dresses that extend outward in the manner of an umbrella.

kkeuffel@wsjournal.com
727-7337

Twin City Stage will present All Shook Up through March 28 at the Arts Council Theatre, 610 Coliseum Drive. Evening shows will be at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and March 25-27. Matinees will be at 2 today, next Sunday and March 28. Call 725-4001 for tickets.