However, with a fabulous music and lyrics given by Stephen Schwartz and musical staging done by Wayne Cilento, “Wicked” wouldn’t have been better! The story is based on Gregory Maguire’s best selling novel. The story talks about the life of two girls, who meet in Oz before the entry of Dorothy.

One of them has an emerald green skin with smart and fiery looks. She is largely misunderstood. The other one is pretty, highly ambitious, and popular. Wicked follows the two young women, who are completely different from each other. One of them becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, while the other turns into Glinda, the Good witch. The story has many new as well as familiar characters to watch out for.

The show stars Julia Murney in the role of Elphaba; Kendra Kassehaum plays the role of Glinda, the good witch; Lenny Wolpe can be seen as The Wizard; Sebastian Arcelus plays the role of Fiyero; Jane Houdyshelll performs beautifully as Madame Morrible; Cristy Candler is Nessarose; Logan Lipton can be seen as Boq; and Steven Skybell is Doctor Dillamond in the story. The entire star cast has displayed a remarkable performance, thus, contributing to its phenomenal success.

This show is prohibited for children below 4 years of age. Although, the show is free of sexual depictions, there are a few adult themes that might not be appropriate for children. The show runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes, yet, you never feel bored a single second. In fact, you hardly remember to glance at your watch! As the mystery of the two witches unfolds, you are spell bound by the picturization and action happening on stage. The most interesting part of the story is when they show how the two girls turn into completely different witches!

The entire Land of Oz comes to life on the stage! You are gripped by the charisma of each character and can hardly escape! If you want to experience the thrill of spending time with witches, then book your tickets fast through phone or internet. The best place to watch “Wicked” is from the front row seats! How close you are to the magical land, the land where there is good as well as evil magic, where the witches are fiery, ambitious, beautiful, and popular!

There is something in “Wicked” that draws audience like bees to honey. Has the director cast a magic spell on the show or did the wizard of Oz come to life during the making of the show? Perhaps, it’s just the coming together of highly talented and creative artists that have made history on Broadway!

“The Drowsy Chaperone,” created by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, is popularly known for being a Tony-award winning production. The world-famous play centers on a vain showgirl, who is about to marry a man she only just met, and her producer, who does not want to lose his precious starlet. The said musical have also garnered countless nomination and has acquired a number of worldwide recognitions and acclamations.

This should be a simple and uncomplicated venture for this theatre buff that has previously starred in a number of Broadway and off-Broadway shows, not to mention films and TV projects. Spending majority of his acting career in theatre, Glover takes this opportunity as an invigorating pep up and affirmation of his successful acting profession.

On the show Smallville, Glover plays Lex Luthor’s father, Lionel Luthor, who is perceived as a deceitful and corrupt but very powerful person. Armed with abundant resources, he utilizes his wealth and influence to entice and lure illicit deals. Although Glover portrays a very challenging and interesting character, his addition to Smallville appears to be a “poles apart” undertaking for this established theater actor. But still his inclusion to the series has given him much diversity and versatility in acting, and has ultimately established his stance on the television loop. Moreover, the series has given him much exposure and opportunity to flaunt his convincingly good acting.

The much-awaited Broadway performance of John Glover will be shown in April this year. In the mean time, fans and spectators can catch a glimpse of Glover’s brilliant acting expertise on Smallville, which airs Thursdays at 8:00 PM on The CW Network.

For more information about Smallville or even about Smallville’s John Glover To Star on Broadway please review this website http://www.buddytv.com

“The Little Mermaid”, which had its world premiere in July 2007 at the Denver Center, is about to create a wave at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in November this year. For Francesca Zambello, the director of this show, this is an exciting time of her career, as this Disney musical is her debut Broadway production.

“The Little Mermaid” features some prestigious people working behind the scenes, to create a magical outcome. The fine dance moves displayed by Ariel and her friends down in the ocean are the brainchild of choreographer Stephen Mear, who has an Olivier Award to his credit. The striking lighting arrangement that creates an almost real underwater feel is the product of lighting designer Natasha Katz’s creativity. She has a Tony Award to her credit. The book for the musical has been written by Doug Wright, who boasts of winning a Tony Award and Pulitzer Award. The famous “I Am My Own Wife” is also the work of Wright.

The other cast includes Norm Lewis as King Triton, Derrrick Baskin playing the role of Jetsam, Sherie Rene Scott in the character of Urusla, John Treacy Egan playing Chef Louis, and Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby. The costumes have been designed by Tatiana Noginova and the sets have been designed by George Tsypin.

Although, the critics have had their say with regards to the design and direction of this musical, it fails to dampen the spirit of the audience, who is impressed by the storyline, picturization, and fine tunes featured in the musical.

The melodious songs like “Part of Your World”, “Under the Sea”, and “Kiss the Girl” have managed to settle deep in the hearts of the audience. The song “Under the Sea” has already been awarded as the Best Original Song by the Academy Award jury. It has been created by Alan Menken and the eminent Howard Ashman. Alan Menken has been presented with the Academy Award eight times! The musical also features some splendid compositions by Menken and Glenn Slater.

“The Little Mermaid” promises to entertain you like no other show. Come with your family or your friends. You will have a blasting experience of watching the sea creatures come to life on stage! And the mermaid simply can’t help but steal your heart with her beauty, brains, and her melodious voice. The theatre fans have already made a beeline at the box office. If you delay further, you will lose the chance of getting the front row seats, which will make your underwater experience even better.

Creative Team

The play is a National Theater of Great Britain production that has been written and directed by the versatile Conor McPherson. The sets and costumes are by Rae Smith and the fight director is Thomas Schall. The lighting is by Neil Austin and sound by Mathew Smethurst-Evans. The play is produced by Boyett Ostar Enterprises and the press agent is Boneau/Bryan-Brown.

The Cast

The play has a stellar cast comprising of Ciaran Hinds who plays Mr. Lockhart and Conleth Hill who plays the myopic Ivan Curry. Sean Mahon is Nicky Giblin and David Morse plays the role of James ‘Sharky’ Harkin. Jim Norton plays the character Richard Harkin who has been recently blinded due to an unfortunate fall in a dumpster. Each actor has been portraying his character to perfection that has been guided by a superb director who has done a swell job. It is no wonder that Seafarer Broadway tickets are quite in demand.

Venue

The venue is Booth Theatre, 222 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036. The play is of the time duration of 2 hours 20 minutes, including a 15 minutes intermission. The play may be inappropriate for children less than 16 years of age and please remember that children below 4 years are not allowed.

Synopsis

The story revolves around the lives of Sharky and Richard. They are two brothers in their fifties and Sharky is taking care of his blind sibling. It is Christmas Eve and the two brothers have their buddies Nicky and Ivan for company. Nicky brings along a stranger, a Mr. Lockhart who actually is the devil who has come to collect Sharky’s soul.

Booking Your Tickets

Securing an orchestra, mezzanine or premium seats to the show is not as difficult as it may seem. Seafarer Broadway tickets can be secured at the box office on the day of the show, but you run the risk of not getting there on time and being disappointed as the last few tickets that were available were sold out.

Seafarer Broadway tickets can be secured from your neighborhood scalper or via an auction site online, but you may end up paying hefty prices for rather cheap tickets or perhaps may even end up buying counterfeit tickets.

Seafarer Broadway tickets can be secured in a most convenient manner by using the services of an authorized ticket broker. Just go online, select the seats of your choice and the day. You can also get tickets to shows that have been sold out without any trouble. The tickets are guaranteed and you need not worry about whether you are getting the Real McCoy. The tickets are usually delivered 24 hours after they go on sale via FedEx. The websites are safe and secure as encrypted servers are used. You need not wait at the box office or go back home disappointed. The whole process is simple and uncomplicated, and you can book your tickets 24/7.

Book your Seafarer Broadway tickets in advance and treat your family to the play that seems to have more admirers that critics.

A Master’s Masterpiece

Pygmalion was written by GB Shaw in 1913, and was adapted from the original Pygmalion that was written many years ago by Ovid. Shaw had already distinguished himself as a playwright par excellence. While some plays plodded on in heavy overtones about the social injustices of the times, others were nothing more than light-hearted pieces, with very little or no substance at all. Shaw managed to marry both concepts quite expertly in all his plays- Pygmalion in particular is indeed a stinging satire about class distinctions in England at that time. Nevertheless, it is done in such a light-hearted and witty way, Shaw neatly puts his point across, without being melodramatic or heavy-handed.

Today, fans are prepared to wait in line for a Pygmalion NY theatre show, because the play is still very popular. This has been another notable aspect of the play- while some works are simply enjoyed for what they are; Pygmalion has been adapted numerous times on the stage and in Hollywood to suit the changing times. In fact, the unforgettable movie Pretty Woman that catapulted Julia Roberts into superstardom is a modern take on Pygmalion. However, perhaps the most monumental production of the play is the Academy award winning My Fair Lady.

All I Want Is a Room Somewhere

My Fair Lady was already making waves, even before it went into production. If there is such a demand for the Pygmalion NY theatre show today, it’s because of the buzz that started back then when the play hit Broadway. Julie Andrews was a legendary success in the lead role on stage, but on film, it was Audrey Hepburn, who would beat out stalwarts like Elizabeth Taylor for the role. The play is perhaps best known for its songs, such as ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’, ‘The Rain in Spain’ and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’.

If the Pygmalion NY theatre shows were successful, My Fair Lady would prove to be phenomenal, veritably sweeping the Oscars with a stunning eight Academy award wins. The movie would go on to be ranked as one of the greatest American movies of all time and one of the best musicals. Pygmalion of course has done very well for itself too. Not only is it prescribed in curriculums right across the world, it regularly is revived on the stage, with many top-notch actors trying their hand at the immortal roles of Eliza and Henry Higgins. Needless to say, getting tickets for Pygmalion will mean waiting in line, but you can easily avoid all that. Contact an authorized online ticket vendor and you can buy your tickets for a Pygmalion NY theatre show from home.

Putting together a home theatre can be a fantastic family project that results in a room everyone enjoys spending time in together. To make sure everything is right from the screen down to the home theatre seating, some planning must come into play. One of the keys to making the room perfect is in fact the comfort level, so the seats will be vital.

Choosing home theatre seating will likely be more involved than many people might realize. The truth is there are a lot of options out there and some are better than others. Pricing will likely play a big role in the choice as will size restrictions and personal taste. There are seating choices that fit just about any desire.

Some of the types of home theatre seating choices include:

Recliners: Regular recliners are the choice of many for home theatre seating. Easy to find, generally quite comfortable and typically affordable, this choice of seating is perfect in rooms that can accommodate multiple recliners and still look good. Regular recliners tend to be a bit bulkier, so this could be a chore in a smaller room. The truth is, however, this can be a fantastic way to provide a good look and comfort, too.

Couches: Run of the mill couches can work perfectly for home theatres. As long as they are comfortable and provide enough seating, they can be a great choice. The only downfall with couches is that typically don’t offer the ability to kick back and put the feet up, but good ottomans can solve that problem.

Theatre chairs: Some families opt to buy actual theatre chairs to incorporate into the design of their rooms. Generally mimicking actual theatre seating to the letter, these chairs can really add to the atmosphere, but not necessarily the comfort level.

Theatre recliners: This is considered by many to be the ultimate choice in home theatre seating. These recliners are specifically created for home theatres, offering great looks and designs for these specialized rooms. Some of these recliners come with built-in refreshment holders and they are typically meat to be set up in rows. Their design is generally a bit more narrow than a regular living room recliner, making them work well in viewing rooms. They can offer a variety of styles and looks, too, making it fairly easy to fit them in with almost any theme.

Other specialized seating: Some people prefer futons, bean bag chairs and even hard-back or high-back chairs for their theatre rooms. The fact is anything goes, but the key is making the room a hit is to be sure the chairs chosen are comfortable enough to make watching a long movie comfortable.

When setting up seating, don’t forget to make sure each seat offers a good view of the screen. In some rooms, this might require seating to be closer to the screen than in others. Go with what looks and feels right.

Creating a home theatre is a wonderful way to bring entertainment home. Everything from the screen down to the home theatre seating should be carefully considered to make the best room possible. Budget constraints aside, there are some great choices along the way.

I’d like to begin by differentiating postmodern theatre from its preceding periodizing categorization, the ‘classical’ and the ‘modern’ drama. Classical drama is characterized by the value placed in the plot and its adherence to Aristotle’s laws of dramatic unities. In the nineteenth century we also observed how Hegelian philosophy filtered into modern drama with the movement of ‘man’/character at the forefront of dramaturgy in the character dramas of Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekov. We also see how Aristotle’s mimesis is taken to the heights in the period of naturalism as influenced by the Darwinian science in the stagings of modern theatre. Raymond Williams observes the perfection of tragedy in modern drama where the alienated predicament of the human being in a highly industrialized world is highlighted. He sees Beckett’s tragicomedies representing the reduction and degradation of the human beings in a new absurdist dramatic structure.

To Elinor Fuchs, it is in the postmodern theatre that we witness the “death of the character” and the eradication of the plot. In this statement we are reminded of Barthes’ announcement of the “death of the author”, Foucault stating the “death of man” and Lyotard hailing the dissolution of metanarratives. As rigid categorization and structures of modernism collapse, eclecticism now characterizes postmodernism. But unlike Jameson’s notion of pastiche and extreme consumerism of multi-national capitalism, critical postmodern theatre derives its theory from the post-structuralists’ insight on semiotics. De Saussure laid bare the very construction of the human language exposing its structure of signs and codes. Taking off from this, Derrida’s analysis of the subjectivity of man’s meaning-making has furthered the invalidation of metanarratives. Now as the validity of the sign-signified and code-meaning constructs of languages are put into question, postmodernists are forced to investigate the language construction itself. Ultimately, we come to realize that meaning and signification is subjective and should be contextualized. With this, categorizing boundaries set by modernism collapse as well.

How do all these reflect in postmodern theatre?

Raymond Williams notion of the theatre convention explains this. Conventions in theatre according to Raymond Williams are methods such as figurative speech, stage blocking, songs or dance through which specific dramatic objectives are achieved. He pointed out how conventions in the theatre whether, performative techniques or literary devices, are characterized by its acceptability by the audience and its relations to the specific given standards. With this, he stressed the fact how dramatic conventions are maintained as “terms upon which author, performers and audience agree to meet, so that the performance may be carried on.” Nicole Boireau expounded on the concept of dramatic conventions through the Hamletesque metaphor of the ‘Mousetrap’. From this, he claims that the truth can be accessed through the world of illusion; that it is only through theatricality that truth can be revealed. Theatre expresses reality through the use of artificial conventions. He explained that only through the reflective nature of drama and the dramatic conventions that truths presented in drama are validated . It is then through the same dramatic and theatrical conventions set as the medium in expressing truths, that the expressed truths can be validated. It is through the limitations and self-confined means of definition can the expressed truths substantiate.

Williams and Boireau’s explanation is a profound manifestation of structuralist and post-structuralist concept of laying bare language and systems of signs and codes. Although rooted in the Classical and Modern Theatre tradition, this is a postmodern realization of what Linda Hutcheon calls the self-reflexive nature of postmodern theatre.

With the dissolution of a ‘universal’ language, postmodern theatre is but provoked to look into historical and cultural contexts for a language to articulate itself. The same characteristic is seen in other art forms. Postmodern choreographers made dances about dance, inquiring on the very core of movement vocabularies that gave birth to choreographical works on walking, skipping, etc. This is also true in the experimentations on the various dance styles seen in Twyla Tharp’s combinations of jazz, ballet and ballroom. In the Philippines, this is seen in Agnes Locsin’s and Alice Reyes’ fusion of jazz and ballet and Philippine folk and ethnic movements. Postmodern architects see the history of architectural design as a diverse source of signs to be combined and recombined, thus Greek columns, Art Deco ornamentation and Modern Industrial materials are eclectically put together in a single building.

Postmodern theatre sees the various cultural and historical traditions as a vast source of signs. Kaye describes how postmodernism sees history as a store of signs available for postmodern theatre practice. In a recent production of Hamlet in Singapore, Hamlet was shown as a Noh actor Ophelia as a Balinese dancer. Or in the recent staging of Dulaang Habi’s musical Sa Kaharian ng Araw, audiences are taken into an seemingly incoherent worlds of a cabaret/rock concert, a Peking opera stage, and an extremely expressionistic theatrical world. The music is a mixture of Broadway influenced pop and rock songs, and fusion of classical and traditional Filipino ethnic and folk music. In the postmodern theatre, representations in acting style, costumes, production design, music and other elements are taken from different contexts.

With the collapse of the modernist boundaries, postmodern theatre takes on pluralism and multiplicity in style, approach and over-all process. This has been reflected in various approaches to production. Another important postmodern theatre practice is the use of inter-text, or what Jameson calls a culture of quotations, where various texts could be used to comment on each other. Such is in a production of Romeo and Juliet, where the play ends with the closing monologue by Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In Nick Pichay’s musical version of the Oyayi ng Ulan, the character Dugong complained about the accumulating garbage in the ocean. He remarked that the worst kind of garbage is the postmodern poetry of new poets- which of course includes Pichay himself.

With the similar collapse of the modernist notion of Aristotle’s linearity and the Hegelian logic of cause and effect, postmodern theatre is characterized by multi-dimensionality and simultaneity. A simplified example of this is Maria Irene Fornes’s Fefu and Her Friends where the audiences are divided into groups to see different scenes of the play happening in various places. Or in the seashore scene of the 2002 staging of Sa Kaharian ng Araw, past and present converge with the appearance of Paolo’s deceased parents in the same stage where Paolo lovingly recalls them. On the same space in the stage an actor fishes on one side, while another plays with a rain stick, while other actors waiting for their cue sit attentively on chairs onstage. Here, multi-dimensionality and simultaneity is not just seen in how the plot is (dis)arranged. Even the actors playing the characters go through different dimensions of performance and representation in the same time and space. The actor although dressed up for the character he is to portray sits on a chair on the side waiting for his cue, substantiate both as the actor and as the character. The person exist as both the actor and character simultaneously but in different dimensions – where at one point, while he waits for his cue he essentially is not part of the play but simultaneously, physically and intentionally, he is physically there.

As Fuchs sees the diminution of character and plot in postmodern theatre, she sees the other theatrical elements taking on equal importance with these elements. She sees that “each signifying element – lights, visual design, music, etc., as well as plot and character elements – stand to some degree as independent actor.” She pointed out that the Aristotelian elements survived but their classical and modern structural hierarchies ceased to operate. This attitude in theatre production takes its roots from the Brechtian Epic Theatre. Brecht earlier on said: “Today we see the theatre being given absolute priority over actual plays. The theatre apparatus’s priority is a priority of means of production… The Theatre can stage anything; it theatres it all” (Raymond Williams, p.280).

And as postmodern theatre see the “death of the author” (the playwright), the director now takes the central role as the theorist responsible for creating the language of a production.

Postmodern theatre is also differentiated from the modern theatre with its mode-of-production. The Industrial Revolution and the idea of mass-production and the division-of-labor affected music and theatre production. The symphony orchestra and the opera are megalomaniac inventions of modernism. The eighteenth century symphony captured the massive sound of modernism. Here music is produced by a big group of musicians who are divided into sections. The opera is an even bigger modernist creation. Such massive theatre production requires a complex web of ‘workers’/artists who work as a big company that include an orchestra, singers, dancers, clothes-makers, carpenters, etc. Even the art-products are now produced for mass consumption. While music used to be performed in courts and chambers, the symphony and the opera are staged in large opera houses that sit thousands.

This new paradigm in theatre production calls for a different attitude from the audience as well. In postmodern theatre, Aristotle’s notion of catharsis comes to extreme obscurity in postmodern theatre. Aesthetic experience becomes completely dependent upon the meaning making process. The aesthetic experience that transpires in the postmodern process is closer to Kant’s sublime. Unlike Aristotle’s cathartic drama that succumbs its audience to empathizing attitude towards the mimetic illusion of classical and modern drama, Kant states that distance is necessary in achieving aesthetic pleasure. Brecht in turn, proposes ‘complex seeing’ in theatre: “Complex seeing must be practiced… . Thinking above the flow of the play is more important than thinking from within the flow of the play” (Ibid., p281).

In as much as postmodern theatre is required to go through a dialogic process of taking theory into practice and back to theory for it to be able to express itself, postmodern audience then is also called to go through this process of meaning-making. Here, postmodern theatre forces its audience to always take on a critical stance in watching. Language-creation and meaning-making in postmodern theatre is never a simple one-on-one correspondence mode of cognition. With a wary stance towards subjectivity of language, postmodern productions then are manifested with recurring disruptions in its audience’s cognitive process. John Orr sees this as intentional dis-recognition/mis-recognition and he notes that these are often used as dramatic-shock effects. The audience is provoked to figure out what is ‘menacing’ and ’strange” in familiar objects onstage and they are prodded to “translate back the strangeness, as a performed disguise of the metonymic, into something they truly recognize, knowing there is no complete translation” (John Orr, p.32) .

In the elusive nature of postmodernism as a theory, DiGaetani sees the importance of having a terminology that can serve as a handle. He noted that “it is wonderful to have a term like postmodernism to describe the art” (John DiGaetani, p. xv). To Fuchs, the theatre has indeed what we can call now postmodern and she asserts that the sooner we grasp its methods we are “immediately at a better vantage point from which to view what used to be called ‘avant-garde’ theatre” (Elinor Fuchs, p.171).

Works Cited:

Boireau, Nicole. Drama in Drama. Macmillan Press: London, c.1997. John DiGaetani. The Search for Postmodernism: Interviews with Contemporary Playwrights. Greenwood Press: New York, 1991. Elinor Fuchs . Death of the Character. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, c.1996 John Orr. Tragicomedy and Contemporary Culture. Hong Kong: Macmillan Academic and Professional, Ltd., 1991 Raymond Williams. Drama from Ibsen to Brecht. Oxford University Press: New York, 1969 c. 1968.

“If the world were like the movies

we would never make mistakes

we’d correct our little blunders

and select our better takes”

- From the 1982 film

“My Favorite Year”

The shows I’m reviewing this week, “The School for Scandal” and “The Altar Boyz,” are a mixed bag of entertainment pluses and minuses. While each show has a lot going for it, each has a way to go or grow, depending on how you look at it.

The Role Players Ensemble Theatre in Danville is presenting a brilliantly clever restoration comedy, “The School for Scandal,” by the articulate author, renowned orator and British parliamentarian, Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

First produced in 1777, Sheridan’s marvelous play affectionately satirizes the fashionable society of the wealthy class, with its overt materialism, gossip and hypocrisy. His story takes place within an elitist social circle whose members’ favorite pastime seems to favor finding someone to defame, ridicule or malign through carefully constructed falsehoods and/or innuendo. These individuals focus their primary interests into devising secret, cunning and complicated schemes, all to achieve a particular goal or to cause harm to others, often for their own personal gain or pure entertainment. These egregious character-slayers comprise many layers in “School for Scandal.”

This is a complicated play and certainly a very ambitious play for community theater

There are 15 diversely comic and intriguing characters in this farcical story about sibling rivalry, love, lust, fidelity, infidelity and artificial relationships. The characters are given names that in some small way describe some aspect of their character, such as Snake Lady Sneerwell, Sir Benjamin Backbite, Mrs. Candor, Mr. Crabtree, Sir Peter Teazle and Lady Teazle, Moses and the Surface Brothers.

The plot is blunt. Practically everyone has something to glean by mischievous and treacherous means.

Director Sue Trigg has done an excellent job of selecting cast members capable of providing full meaning to their characters. This play is an outrageous farce, a grand comedy and for the most part it is carried off very well. The language is “stately English” and at times is difficult to capture, for lack of familiarity.

It was not until I went online to review the actual script that I fully grasped some of the relationships. The play opens with two of the lesser support characters plotting to spoil Charles Surface’s character. It is here where we begin to grasp that there is a circle of socializers who gather routinely to pander in slander, to gossip and trade “delicious” tales out of context, fabrications and fornications of the truth.

Lady Sneerwell wants to damage a budding relationship between Charles Surface and Sir Peter Teazle’s ward, Maria, because she had at one time been in a relationship with Charles and doesn’t want him to marry this beautiful younger woman. Sir Peter Teazle has a much younger wife, who has romantic aspirations toward Charles’ brother, Joseph. While Joseph pretends to have similar inclinations toward Lady Teazle, he does so in order to get back at his brother, Charles, because he also lusts after the attractive young Maria.

Intrigue after intrigue compound the relationships, especially that of a wealthy uncle of the brothers, Sir Oliver Surface. He arrives on the scene incognito to determine the true character of his nephews, to help him decide who is the most worthy to inherit his estate when he dies. Sir Oliver Surface is played by Chris Chapman. Lady Teazle is played by Kathryne Davidson, Maria by Xanadu Bruggers, Mrs. Candor by Melynda Kiring, Mr. Crabtree by Candy Campbell (a lady who plays an older man very well), Moses by Elias D. Protopsaltis, Rowley by Michael Green, Careless by Jill Davidson, Snake and Sir Benjamin Backbite by Paul Plain and the stalwart servant by Joel Stefani.

Sir Peter Teazle (John Blytt) acknowledges his uneven and contradictory friendship with his deceased friend’s sons, the brothers Joseph Surface (Michael Sally), and Charles Surface (Craig Eychner). He believes Joseph to be the epitome of virtue and honor, while he believes Charles to be the opposite in character, the epitome of personal corruption and deplorable financial carelessness. He wishes that his young ward, Maria, would find Joseph an acceptable suitor for her hand in marriage, over her obviously romantic admiration for the more colorful and more handsome Charles Surface.

As the play develops, we quickly discover that brother Joseph Surface is a two- faced individual. Lady Snearwell describes him thus, “I have found him out a long time since. I know him to be artful, selfish and malicious-in short, a sentimental knave; (but) while with Sir Peter, and indeed with all his (general) acquaintance, he passes for a youthful miracle of prudence, good sense, and benevolence.”

I enjoyed the play very much and laughed at times. I did find fault with some aspects, but not enough to belabor any specific points. It was obvious that the play fell shallow on some ears. This is a long play, too long without a full professional cast. The first act was hard to sit through, but the second act moved much better. On the whole, the production never quite came together.

While every member of the cast contributes significantly to this production, the following actors deserve “outstanding” kudos for their efforts: Michael Sally, Melynda Kiring and Craig Eychner.

This humorous restoration comedy plays Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through Saturday, May 10, in the Community Center Theater at 420 Front Street in Danville.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 314-3400 or 314-3463, or online at www.villagetheatreshows.com, or in person at the Community Center, 420 Front Street, in Danville. Tickets are a reasonable $22 to $25 each.

“Altar Boyz” at the Willows

The Willows “Cabaret” Theatre in Martinez is carrying forward the little theater’s theater of Catholicism with another musical that will be appreciated by anyone with a personal history closely aligned with Catholic experiences. This cabaret-style theatre is presenting the Off-Broadway musical, “Altar Boyz.”

This is a venue where the audience sits at small tables where they can order drinks and snacks to enjoy during the show.

This upbeat, modern religious rock musical professes no one specific religious point of view. It must have been penned by someone with a great knowledge of Catholic ritual and rhetoric. “Altar Boyz” tells the inspiring, upbeat story of five guys from small-town USA who are drawn together in their quest to “save souls.” They form a singing, dancing company that travels town to town, like a comic revival show, seeking to inspire, cajole, convert and re-commit a sagging religious following among the young; to seek out and embrace Jesus as their savior. They make fun of religion, but not too offensively.

With songs such as “Jesus Called Me on My Cell Phone” and “Girl You Make Me Want to Wait,” the verbal message is loud and clear, but their sinfully terrific dancing, suggestive body language and straight street talk are modern and in touch with today’s hip overtures.

The musical is youthful, exuberant and exciting, tuning the audience into their party-exhilaration wavelength before the evening is over. The songs include the terrific “Rhythm in Me,” “Church Rulez,” “Something About You,” “Everybody Fits,” “La Vida Eternal” and “I Believe,” to mention a few. The songs relate to issues in the boy’s lives as well as issues that many audience members must have found relative as well. The audience was enthusiastic and appreciative. The lyrics are clever and fun.

Director and Choreographer Mickey Nugent has brought together five unique young men that include Kenneth Scott as Matthew, Bobby Bryce as Mark, Michael Scott Wells as Luke, Rod Voltaire Edora as Juan and Herbie Raad as Abraham. The musical director, Carl Pantle, provides great accompaniment.

The sound didn’t work for me. It too loud to be comfortable and many lines were walked over or just not delivered clearly. Rod Voltaire Edora who portrayed Juan had such a thick accent that I missed many of his lines entirely. They are all outstanding talented performers, but if you cannot understand them, the show loses much of its punch.

The other problem I have is that the theater seating is just too crowded for comfort. Other guests expressed the same feeling to me. This is a great show, an attractive little venue, but how often does one want to be so crowded that when the young women who serve drinks and snacks (at a fairly hefty price) have to shove their way past you so that they can reach other patrons.

If you sit near the aisle, you continually have to move your chair even closer to an already uncomfortably small table and other guests, so much so that it disturbed my enjoyment of the show and its hardworking performers. This is not good. One reason I don’t often go back to this theater to review shows is that the experience of the theater itself is basically the same, and that’s a shame! The whole concept is a great idea, if they just didn’t try to squeeze so many people in.

“Altar Boyz” continues Wednesdays at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 8, Saturdays at 2 and 8, with Sunday performances at 3, now through May 11.

The Willows Cabaret “Campbell” Theatre is located at 636 Ward Street in Downtown Martinez, one block east of Main Street at the corner of Estudillo Street. Call 798-1300 for tickets or visit the Willows Web site at www.willowstheatre.org. Tickets range between $20 and $30 each with discounts for seniors.

But that aside, I enjoyed Katjana Vadeboncoeur and the Washington Ensemble Theatre’s take on Titus as much as anyone who fundamentally dislikes a script can.

Notorious for being one of Shakespeare’s most violent plays, many love it for its gory and cheesy nature. But if you’re expecting buckets of fake blood to get thrown around the stage, this isn’t your play. The design team instead opts for confetti and rose petals blown by characters or shot from slingshots.

This decision is a small part of what makes this production work; WET does an excellent job balancing the tone of the play. Instead of creating the dark, erotic production that usually comes with Titus, Vadeboncoeur and the WET create something more surreal and dreamlike, ultimately drawing more attention to themes of grief than to the spectacle of revenge and murder.

The menacing core of the play is still there, but it’s given a little relief by short, artistic dance numbers, old jazz songs, and the projection of images such as raindrops in the background.

The cast does a fine job: guest performer Adam Standley in particular makes a rock star out of the evil emperor Saturninus, and Nathan Sorseth, playing Titus in his WET debut plays the role with confidence.

Despite my prejudice coming in, the Washington Ensemble Theatre has impressed me once again with its creativity and enthusiasm, and if you’ve never seen Titus before, this version is the one to go to.

The first few years of the theatre saw the performance of the first modern English opera, “The Mountain Sylph” the same year of its opening. This performance was followed by “Fair Rosamun,” performed in 1837, “Farinelli” in 1839 and “Blanche of Jersey,” shown in 1840.

Michael Balfe managed the theatre from 1841 to 1843, producing National Opera, but this proved to be unsuccessful. The works of Charles Dickens became associated with the theatre at this time, and an adaptation of “Martin Chuzzlewit” ran for more than 100 performances between 1844 and 1845.

Madame Lucia Elizabeth Vestris managed the theatre from 1847 to 1855 and produced shows by James Planché and the adaptation of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Tom Taylor. It was then managed by Charles Fechter from 1863 to 1867.
Canvas Print, Sherlock Holmes: The Lyceum Theatre, London – 12 x 18
In 1871, under manager Hezekiah Linthicum Bateman, the theatre produced shows starring Sir Henry Irving. In 1874, “Hamlet” ran for 200 nights with Irving in the starring role. Upon Bateman’s death in 1878, Irving took over the theatre. During his tenure as manager, several popular shows were played, including “The Merchant of Venice,” “King Lear,” and “Much Ado About Nothing.”
1904 saw the rebuilding of the theatre’s interior and the theatre began presenting music and variety shows, trying to compete with the London Coliseum and the Palace Theatre. This, however, was not successful, and the theatre began, once again, showcasing strictly drama. In 1919, more alterations were made and dramas continued playing for 10 months out of every year.

In 1937, the theatre was converted into a cinema, but only one film, “The Gang Show,” was ever shown, in April of 1937. The following month, the space was converted back into a live theatre venue.

The London City Council bought the building in 1939, planning to demolish it. After the war, the demolition plans were abandoned, and the building was reopened as a ballroom. During the 1960s and 1970s, the space was used as a concert venue and for television broadcasts.

The theatre shut down in 1986. Owner Brent Walker leased the space but eventually gave up the lease, allowing the theatre to be restored and in 1996, the space was reconverted into a theatre with the capabilities to present large-scale musicals or opera. “The Lion King” musical has been playing since 1999.

Author:
If you fancy some tickets for the Lyceum Theatre or any other London Theatre Tickets visit the website.

Terms: Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live

Source: www.articledepot.co.uk