"Holes"

Greene Room Productions, Monson
through May 16-18, 2008
May 14, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

"My no good, dirty rotten pig-stealing great-great-grandfather!" is the rationale spouted by Stanley, the hero of "Holes," for being wrongly accused, convicted and sentenced to a juvenile detention center preposterously named Camp Green Lake: there is no lake, no lanyard-braiding, no s’mores. Further, the camp uniform is an orange jumpsuit, the camp talisman is a long-handled shovel, and every day every "camper" has to dig a five by five foot hole. The soil is the desert sand in the wilds of West Texas, the home of rattlesnakes and poisonous lizards. Stanley’s orientation is brief. Because of the camp’s remote location, there are no fences; to run away would be tantamount to running into death.

"Holes" began as a novel (1998) by Louis Sachar; the book won many awards including the National Book Award. The play premiered in 2002 and the 2003 movie starred Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight and Shia LaBeouf .

The cast is huge – 32 characters – ranging from children to the middleaged. There are, seemingly, separate story lines, that begin in 19th century Latvia, switch to Texas at the beginning of the 20th century, and come together in today’s West Texas. There’s a gypsy, Madame Zeroni (Deb Sprout) and the pig-stealing ancestor as a young man (Kasey Greene). There’s Sam, the onion man (James-Ethan Linton) and schoolmarm Katherine Barlow who transforms herself into the outlaw, Kissin’ Kate Barlow (Emmy Cote).

Most of all there are the delinquents – Xray (David Clark), Magnet (Jin Choi), Armpit (Joe Masterjohn), Zigzag (Jacob LaPierre), Zero (Josiah Durham) and Stanley (Paul Adzima) – each one a full-fledged character. Adzima is outstanding. Produced and deftly directed by Erin Greene, the all-volunteer crew and cast have created a polished production

As farfetched as it may seem, "Holes" and the perennially popular, "The Christmas Story" (think Red Ryder BB gun) are similarly engaging. Both pass the family entertainment litmus test. However, "Holes" exudes non-stop energy.

A Little Night Music

Exit 7 Players, Ludlow, MA
Now through May 17, 2008
May 9, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

If the meanings within the song, "Send In The Clowns" have eluded you, the answers await within the musical now glowing at Exit 7 Players theater. At the core of this engrossing marriage of lyrics which along with the spoken word propel the plot forward, is love that reveals its link with the four basic emotions: mad, glad, sad, and afraid.

"A Little Night Music" bursts open with a Greek-like chorus of five superb singers: Harrison King III, Mary Annarella, Michelle Liaszenik, Katie Clark (who knows how to sell a song) and at the performance I saw, Director Robert Laviolette filled in for laryngitis-silenced Ken Hebert. They deliver Stephen Sondheim’s intricate lyrics and music at a steady clip – the Sondheim signature: do not to fret if there’s not time to catch every word.

A plot synopsis can only hint at the rampant hanky-panky, the desperate longings, the pain of betrayals. An aging attorney, Fredrik (winningly portrayed by Phil Prather) has wed Anne, a mere girl (the delightful Stephanie Devine). His former lover, Desiree (Roxanne Labato, a polished pro), is a worldly courtesan, and her current amour Count Carl-Magnus (forceful Andy Banas) is jealous and his wife Countess Charlotte (Mary Fernandez-Sierra who almost steals the show) grows a spine, sort of. When she describes her pain as a betrayed wife in, "Every Day A Little Death," the destructive power of adultery is laid bare. Featured in the large cast is the young love-starved seminarian Henrik (an endearing Michael Holt), perky Petra (Jami Wilson), winsome Fredrika (Sara Banning) and her weary grandmother Madame Armfeldt (Esta Busi). Zack Parizo, Aileen Terzi, Sarah Dion and Marc Parsons perform their supporting roles with imbedded characterization.

Act One ends with all liaisons poised to implode during Act Two – a weekend in the country at Madame Armfeldt’s palatial mansion (designed and painted by Ken Samonds). Costumer Maryann Scognamiglio has created a symphony of beautiful, lush costumes. that reflect early 1900 styles.

Kudos to Director Robert Laviolette and Musical Director Bill Martin for bringing in an intricate, tricky, first-rate show in keeping with the Exit 7 Players commitment to present quality performances. Their "A Little Night Music" is a community theater triumph.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Bushnell, Hartford
May 6, 2008
By Bernadette Johnson

There’s something to be said for the tried and true. Doubtless, it was this that led to the choice of Ted Neeley for the lead role in the current tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s timeless rock musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Neeley, who at age 65 is almost twice the age Jesus was when he died, was nominated for two Golden Globe awards for his groundbreaking performance as Jesus in the 1973 film version and has played Jesus in thousands of performances on and off for decades. A legend is a legend. But is it enough?

It took Neeley a while to hit his stride, his voice a little scratchy and rough during Act I, but he was up to the task in Act II, hitting the high wailing notes of “The Temple” and “Gethsemane,” demonstrating that he still possesses a great vocal range.

JCS standouts included newcomer Corey Glover, lead singer of the rock group Living Colour, in a riveting, heartfelt performance as Judas, and Tiffini Dodson as a tender, solicitous Mary Magdalene. Glover owned the stage from the first notes of “Heaven on their Minds” and never gave it up, culminating his performance with a heart-wrenching “Judas’ Death.”

As Caiaphas, Darrel R. Whitney’s shockingly deep basso profundo tones are rich and ominous, and Craig Sculli is intriguing as Pilate. Adding comic relief is Aaron Fuksa, whose Herod performs his campy routine in multicolored bathrobe and fluorescent Crocs.

Favorite moments included the disciples’ recreation of the poses of DaVinci’s “The Last Supper,” which the audience immediately recognized and reacted to, and the leper scene, where a sea of dark cloth, leaving only hooded heads visible, convulsed and undulated, a writhing mass of suffering humanity.

Strategic lighting (especially beams of white light that appear to trap Judas and prevent him from escaping his guilt), striking audio and visual effects throughout, a simple set (a few platforms and a catwalk bridge), fabric drops, monochromatic costumes, wonderful energy and great sound combine to make this a truly memorable performance.

Blithe Spirit

Suffield Players
Mapleton Hall, Suffield
through May 17, 2008
May 1, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

All hail the incomparably gifted Noel Coward – dramatist, actor, writer, composer, lyricist, painter, and wit, knighted by Queen Elizabeth – whose impressive body of work lives on, including his bright comedy "Blithe Spirit," the latest star in the Suffield Players’ crown.

Charles (Christopher Berrien, so suave, whose glides and dips are reminiscent of Jackie Gleason), a novelist, is married to Ruth (Becky Schoenfeld, rather uptight), his second wife, while above the mantle hangs a picture of his first wife, Elvira (Rayah Martin, once a vamp, always a vamp) who has been dead and gone for seven years but not forgotten. Because Charles’ new novel’s plot will include the occult, he invites the eccentric Madame Arcati (Kelly Seip, delightfully dotty) to conduct a seance. Other guests are Dr. and Mrs. Bradman (Bruce Showalter and Cynthia Lee Andersen, whose marriage must be a perfunctory bore). Forever one misstep away from a pratfall is the always-in-a-hurry maid, Edith (Brianna Stronk).

Throughout this three-act sophisticated romp, Coward’s impeccable dialogue entertains. Simple laugh lines include such non-sitcom words as didactic, puerile, obtuse, umbrage, and phrases such as "threw in the sponge and not the gauntlet" and "Concentrate! Think of nothing!" The cast spits out bantering at a steady clip and has a jolly good time doing so. Oh yes, they’re frightfully British, swig many martinis, and the real world is turned on its ear by the spirit world.

Veteran Seip squeezes every possible laugh out of the flighty Madame Arcati. Equally adept at comedic timing is Stronk whose previous roles include strong dramatic performances as Laura (The Glass Menagerie) and Catherine (The Heiress).

Director Robert Lunde works the Suffield Players magic on their latest arresting set -- the livingroom in a English country cottage designed by him and Konrad Rogowski

The history of "Blithe Spirit" invites name-dropping. At its 1941debut in England, the great Margaret Rutherford was Madame Arcati; on Broadway that same year, Mildred Natwick did the honors. Both actresses reprised their roles in the British and American film versions; and Natwick also in the 1956 U.S. television version. Although born 67 years ago, the play is ageless.

Piecemeal

Broad Brook Opera House, CT
through May 18
April 27, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Igor, the ubiquitous hunchback of Frankenstein notoriety – oh dear, here comes an unbidden pun – has a back story thanks to local playwright Howard R. Odentz, who not only wrote the book but the lyrics and music for "Piecemeal" now enjoying its world premiere at Broad Brook’s Opera House. Actually, there are two Igors – as a young boy (winsomely portrayed by Benjamin VanDine) and as a young man (a charming Erik Landry) who imparts a nobility of purpose: he aspires to become a doctor and not follow in the footsteps of his grave-robbing, avaricious parents, Asher (Jim Metzler) and gap-toothed Gerta (Jaime Taber) who is particularly nasty. They are also into the dead body parts business. Hence the title, "Piecemeal." Well, how do you suppose a monster is created – out of whole cloth? Igor meets Victor Von Frankenstein (Dallas Hosmer), a dandy of a fop whose parents have paid for his medical school education but he longs to become a fashion designer. When he sings, "I Love To Sew," his sincerity is not questioned. Victor and Igor swap identities and all is well. Sorta, in an Earnest sort of way plus there’s a loving correspondence a la Cyrano with the shallow, spirit-swigging Elizabeth (Megan Fish).

Director Sharon FitzHenry and Musical Director Amy Roberts-Crawford have done the script proud. The orchestrations are the work of Bruce Zimmerman. There are 29 musical numbers, an 8-piece orchestra, a cast of 14 (24 characters total) and fine singing voices. The Set Design (David Gilfor), Costumes (Ronnie Cooley, Solveig Pflueger), Lighting Design (Diane St. Amand, Sharon FitzHenry) and Sound (Jeff Clayton) are all first rate. This is community theater with a professional mindset.

Writer/composer Odentz’s first original full-length musical, "In Good Spirits" which premiered in 2004, continues to be performed at theaters around the country and returns to the Opera House in September. Once Odentz knew the beginning and ending of "Piecemeal," he said, "It pretty much wrote itself." "Piecemeal" flows surprisingly well for a Broadway-size musical that skipped the workshop phase and went straight from the script into production.

“The Full Monty”

Majestic Theater, West Springfield
Through May 25
By Shera Cohen

Colloquial definitions of “the full monty” mean: the whole lot, entire pot, full amount, and the more commonly understood “full striptease routine.” The Majestic’s interpretation of the musical “The Full Monty” gives many meanings to the word “full.”

“Monty” tops off what has been a creative and exceptional season at the Majestic. From a two-character play, to Shakespeare, to a hysterically funny show on ice-fishing, to the large-cast and full-fledged musical of “Monty,” this company continues to prove that home-produced theatre is among the best. It’s costly and a risk, yet mounting plays from scratch instills a pride in cast and crew, not to mention audiences.

This musical, the story of down and out unemployed factory workers, is far from a “downer.” Yes, the characters are broke, with family problems, and depressed. Yet at the same time, they are full of hope, dreams, and the potential for self-esteem. Their means to the latter are unorthodox in the reluctant plan to become Chippendale-wannabes.

Randy Ronco (leader of the troupe) has energy, relates to his stage-son in poignant scenes, and represents a flawed man who doesn’t give up. Robert Clark (big-lug buddy Dave) portrays a pussycat with a heart. Darron Cardosa (mama’s boy) is the best of the singers. Also in this wonderful ensemble are Tom Knightlee, Van Farrier, and Dann Black. They are a perfect motley team, especially in their song and dance (creatively choreographed by David Wallace) piece “Michael Jordan’s Ball.”

While it’s the guys who “are” the play, Paula Cortis and Lea Oppedisano (wives) develop background of whom these men really are. Their juxtaposed scenes, in song and physical placement on the stage, in “You Rule My World” are highlights of the show.

Director Danny Eaton has a lot to do connecting the many segments to the next, as he works with Set Designer Amy Davis (creating a warehouse simply with moving panels) and Band Leader Mitch Chakour keeping up the pace.

“Monty” is a play with lyrics that move the story along, no hard-to-understand British accents (remember the movie version), and proof that there is no difference in talent between Equity and non-Equity actors.

The Music Man- A 50th Anniversary Tribute

The Bushnell, Hartford
April 22nd-27th, 2008
By Rachel White

Marching into Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts as part of their 2008 Broadway Series, "Meredith Willson's The Music Man" celebrates the timeless Broadway and film classics' 50th Anniversary and brings with it a star-studded cast, both new and legendary to the musical's history. Produced by the Bushnell's own Vice President and starring the famous mother and son duo of Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy, this wonderful story unfolds using the entire theatre as its stage and set.

For those in need of a refresher, Shirley Jones played the role of Marian in the film version, while pregnant with her son Patrick. In this anniversary edition, Jones shines in the role of Marian's mother, Mrs. Paroo, while Cassidy is completely stunning in the role of Professor Harold Hill. Creatively staged, the musical is told by the cast and the orchestra, which stays on the stage throughout the entire performance. The conductor actually plays a pivotal role in delivering the story to the audience and adds his own humor to the performance.

True to film version, the ensemble delivers a colorful and energetic performance to the classic songs such as "Goodnight My Someone," "Marian the Librarian" and ever-famous "76 Trombones," which will have audiences clapping and singing along throughout the evening. Notable and endearing is the roles played by the children actors who completely captivate with their talent and maturity while sharing the spotlight with more seasoned performers.

The Bushnell should be applauded for this wonderful and rare opportunity that it offers to patrons by bringing this fun, family classic for audiences of all ages to enjoy. The chance to see Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy perform together is a memory theatre-goers will be sure to treasure long after the curtain closes and the band has marched out of Hartford.

The Scene

Hartford Stage, Hartford
through May 4, 2008
April 13, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

This lively, well-written play bears one essential resemblance to the sophisticated drawing room comedies of yesteryear: actors perform. And oh my, do they! Warts and all. The first act is awash in superficiality. By intermission I didn’t care about any of the four characters. If I had not returned for the second act, I would have crafted an ending and it would have been deader than a doornail wrong. Or, said another way, "Don’t judge a book by its cover," because in Act 2, the covers come off.

Here’s some of what is learned in Act One. Clea (Christy McIntosh) has come to NYC from Ohio bringing her annoying Valley Girl sing-songing mannerisms with her. Lewis (Liam Craig) is a bachelor and faithful friend to Charlie (Matthew Arkin) an actor who has not landed a role worthy of his talent in several years, and to Charlie’s wife, Stella (Henny Russell) who hates everything about her work she loves. (Yes, you read that right.) On a rooftop exposed to the city’s light-twinkling skyline, Cleo prattles on to Lewis and Charlie about being interviewed by a woman she describes as a "Nazi Priestess," not realizing that the woman is Stella. Not that Cleo would care: she is hedonistically uncaring. However, she is sensitive to Charlie’s body language and tone as it applies to her and she challenges him to be honest. In spite of his initial dislike of the airhead, he allows himself to be drawn into her web. Exasperated, he exclaims, "How can you know so much and so little at the same time?"

Surely all four actors were recruited from Central Casting: they are ideal in roles they honed at the George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick, NJ), with whom Hartford Stage has formed a new partnership – an alliance that fosters the artistic and business needs of any successful theater.

Playwright Theresa Rebeck headlines her blog with this revealing quote, "As a writer, I have always considered it my job to describe the world as I know it; to struggle toward whatever portion of the truth is available to me." She dips into her characters’ subterranean closets and while there, she eschews cheap jokes and instead burnishes lines that range from ruefully funny to piercingly hysterical. And in the process, she crafts a dynamite script.

Brighton Beach Memoirs

Theater Guild, Hampden, MA
Weekends through April 5
March 29, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Although this warm, funny, problem-ridden family play is set in September 1937, there are similarities with today’s vicissitudes and the inevitable maturations of human nature. Still mired in The Great Depression, the Brooklyn family has reconfigured their living space to accommodate recently widowed and destitute Aunt Blanche (Kathleen Epaul) and her two daughters, young Laurie (Angelina Cavallini) and impatient teen Nora (Christine Arruda). Because Hitler has shredded the Treaty of Versailles and positioned his army to invade Poland, concern for their European relatives and keeping a roof over their own heads beset the mother and father of the household – Kate (Patricia Colkos) and Jack (Jonathan Trecker). Their two sons, young adult Stanley (Dan Tapper) and teenager Eugene (Michael Piel) are wrestling with their own rites of passage. Shepherding this cast is Mark Giza, director, whose vision as founder of the Theater Guild of Hampden is not sabotaged by negatives.

Consider the L-shaped set designed from space stolen from the Hampden Country Club’s dining room. The approximate six foot depth of the staging supports an outdoor porch at right angle to an interior that includes a hallway, two bedrooms, dining and living rooms, furnished with tables, a console radio, easy chair, settee, upright piano, sewing machine, and more, in which seven actors inhabit as a family to bring Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical play to life.

Michael Piel as Eugene chronicles the family’s events with a stage presence generously endowed with aplomb. There is no mistaking Eugene’s self-absorbed anguish and wonder about advancing puberty. The hilarity this awareness engenders evokes Philip Roth’s classic, "Portnoy’s Complaint." Compared to 1937, now formerly naughty French postcards are benign.

As the no-nonsense mother, Colkos is appropriately stressed by running a house bursting at its seams. As the exhausted father working two jobs to support the family, Trecker’s performance is reminiscent of a physically worn out Willy Loman but unlike Willy, Jack has a philosophical overview who gently guides those who come to him for advice. The love emanating from the parents is that intangible glue that keeps the disparate souls anchored as a family.

12 Angry Men

The Bushnell, Hartford
through March 30, 2008
By Keith H. Purcell

Reginald Rose’s gritty human drama “12 Angry Men” was vividly brought to life as part of the Bushnell’s Broadway Series. It is a complex study of human interrelationships under stress and how it brings out the worst and the best in men.

The story revolves around jury deliberations of a capital murder case on a hot summer day in 1954. In the locked confines of the jury room, all but one of the jurors believe the young defendant is guilty and would rather get their duty over with quickly and go home.

In this production, which is played in one act without an intermission, Richard Thomas stars as Juror Eight, a role made famous by Henry Fonda in the 1957 movie of the same name. This juror is not so sure about the boy’s guilt, but believes that the jury should not vote to sentence him to death without talking about it first, and discuss it, they do. And so begins the crux of the entire play.

Two performances especially stood out. Julian Gamble as Juror Three portrays a man whose own troubled relationship with his son colors his judgment and arguments and eventually, his vote. His final rant made a few audience members gasp and others silent. Kevin Dobson (of "Kojak" fame) played Juror Ten with such venom and hatred for people of the defendant’s kind, it made audience some members squirm.

Allen Moyer’s set design superbly evoked images of what one would think a New York jury room of a by-gone era would be like on a hot summer day. The lighting and sound design by Paul Palazzo and Brian Ronan also added a just the right touch in the form of a late summer thunderstorm.

The only disappointment in the production was, unfortunately, the performance of Richard Thomas. The portrayal of his character was inconsistent and constantly looking into the audience.

The Bluest Eye

Hartford Stage, Hartford
Through April 20, 2008
By Bernadette Johnson

“There were no marigolds in the fall of 1941,” begins the narrative to a backdrop of sheets hung out to dry. As the sheets are taken down and folded, a simple set is disclosed gently and deliberately, as are the ugly secrets and the harsh realities in the coming of age of Pecola Breedlove (Adepero Oduye), a poor, 11-year-old black girl growing up in Ohio in the 1940s. Pecola’s family life, such as it is, is defined by an abusive father’s drunkenness and a mother’s bitterness.

Based on Toni Morrison’s Nobel-prize-winning novel of the same name, the play unfolds through a combination of convincing dramatic portrayals and transitional commentaries, offered sympathetically by Pecola’s grammar school friends, sisters Claudia (Bobbi Baker) and Frieda (Ronica V. Reddick), who share their perspectives (as adults) on Pecola’s tragic vulnerability.

Society’s mirror tells Pecola she is ugly. She prays for blue eyes, not to see the world differently, but to be seen differently, like the little white girls that fill the pages of her “Dick and Jane” reader.

Oduye expertly conveys Pecola’s angst through her remoteness and wistful reflection: her stooped shoulders, her cringing, her expectation of rejection. Particularly heartrending is her explanation of disappearing, piece by piece, except for her eyes, which, of course, she “sees” as blue.

Baker, on the other hand, adds pathos and humor as she releases her pent-up anger and jealousy of “white girls” by beheading and dismembering her white doll.

Also offering comic relief are Ellis Foster’s dissertations (as Daddy) on kindling and coal, and Miche Braden’s mock diatribe (as sharp-tongued but compassionate Mama) on milk consumption. There is so much more: Silhouettes, gossiping women, a magician, stardust, Braden’s soulful Gospel hymns and a dramatic storm that floods the stage.

Through it all, Pecola’s inner storm rages unceasingly. She carries her emotional scars with her straight through to a chilling, but not totally unexpected, ending. This is drama at its finest.

“Enchanted April”

Majestic Theater, West Springfield
through April 6
by Shera Cohen



It’s March 2nd, dirty snow aligns the streets and sidewalks of downtown West Springfield. Yet inside the Majestic, it’s a warm spring full of flowers that could have been painted by the best Impressionists, setting the stage for rebirth and renewal. The current production at the Majestic is “Enchanted April,” which accomplishes all of the above and more.

It’s 1922 England at the play’s start. Two strangers, both dressed in black on a bleak stage with next to no furnishings, are the catalysts that change this setting, and indeed themselves and others, into bright and shining individuals. Act I creates a motley quartet of women, each leaning close to caricatures. As the story evolves, however, these stereotypes truly become characters with personalities, people to take seriously, laugh with, sympathize for, and perhaps emulate.

Lisa Rowe-Beddoe and Cate Damon lead the cast. Both are housewives in their own uneventful worlds. On first look, they portray the antithesis of each other, but beneath the exterior each needs to fill her own hole of things lost in life. The women play off of each other well, with the former acting crass and in-your-face, and the latter demure and saintly. Joining them on their journey toward hope are Margery Shaw (dowager) and Sandra Blaney (socialite). As their characters require the four actresses to become more and more real, the audience appreciates each as somewhat injured yet with purpose to go on. Blaney, who was so wonderful in this season’s “Trying,” is an especially welcome addition to this cast.

Yes, there are some male actors, who get more onstage time in Act II. Keith Langsdale (uppity lawyer/husband) makes the most of his role, particularly as he receives the longest laughs in this serio-comedy. Actually, every actor was well-chosen for his/her skill, not to mention keeping English accents going throughout the play.

Special kudos to the stage hands, which swiftly created each of the many scenes. The artistic crew – Bev Browne, Gary Miller, and Danny Eaton – made seeing believing, and believing is the core of this enchanted play.

The Last Five Years

Greene Room Productions, Monson
Weekends through March 9, 2008
February 24, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

A sophisticated retrospective of a five-year relationship – courtship, marriage, and disillusionment – is Greene Room Productions’ midpoint attraction of their second season. For "The Last Five Years" 2001 off-Broadway debut, the multi-talented Jason Robert Brown – book, composer, lyricist – won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics. Two years earlier, he won a Tony for his "Parade" score. Although "The Last Five Years" is a popular choice for community theaters, this may be its Pioneer Valley premiere.

This premiere is worthy of an appreciative audience.

Its intricate contemporary score – think Sondheim – and demands upon the two actors’ emotional range – think pithy drama – posits an intriguing twist: the husband plays the last five years from the beginning while the wife retraces backward from the end to the beginning. The one time they meet is when they marry. Along their disparate time-travel paths, they love, complain, whine, soul search, quarrel. Based upon the divergent trajectories, the suggestion is that one of the partners grows.

Presented in the three-quarter round, the cavernous space of Monson’s historic Memorial Hall becomes an intimate arena that Director Robert H. Clark III uses well. Here Erin Greene (Cathy) and David Wallace (Jamie) share their memories and reflections, their candor at times unsettling, provocative, and occasionally humorous. They disclose feelings that range from the banal to the esoteric and universal touch points in between, a gamut that is familiar to anyone who has experienced an emotionally-charged relationship. Their performances are polished and so very human.

Music Director Neal Schermerhorn leads a first-rate orchestra – Rob Degree (guitar), Kevin Germain (sub guitar), Julia Kay (bass), and Elaine Holdsworth (violin) – which does not distract but enhances, especially the aching bowing of the violin.

This production has everything going for it except the sound system it deserves – a glitch on the way to being resolved.

The Drowsy Chaperone

The Bushnell, Hartford
Through February 24
By Shera Cohen

This is an easy review to write. The hard ones are dramas and musical dramas, one-person plays and those with casts of thousands, avante garde and Shakespeare. “The Drowsy Chaperone” has none of the angst, tour-de-force performances, or difficult language found in any or all of the above categories.

The Bushnell has brought in a wonderfully energetic, humorous, oftentimes just plain stupid play with catchy tunes, tap and Charleston dance numbers, and one of the worst titles ever given a musical. It could have been titled “Aldolpho the Lothario” or “Man in Chair” for all it matters. The chaperone is simply the name of one of the roles in this ensemble production.

“DC” is a combination of Busby Burklee and Damon Runyon locked in the 21st century, but only sometimes when the record skips. Hmmm, that makes little sense. That’s exactly what “DC” is – a musical within a comedy (that phrase is taken from the playbill) abounding with froth, shtick, clichés, and nonsense. What makes this musical unique from “Me and My Gal,” “The Boy Friend,” et al is its concept and format. Yes, readers of this review can google and discover the hidden gem that makes “DC” different and funnier than the norm, but our policy is not to “give it away.” It’s better for audience members to walk in unfamiliar with the book and the songs, and simply enjoy everything that happens for the next 90 or so uninterrupted minutes.

Everything is right about this musical – the cast of talented singers/comedians, small band that sounds like an orchestra, and strange sets that seem to come out of nowhere. Who would expect a dozen actors in 1920s costumes to walk out of the refrigerator? Expect for the narrator, the play is populated with caricatures, all played over-the-top, with not a bit of scenery left unchewed. The lyrics are distinct and oftentimes ridiculous (a love song about a monkey), there’s a tap dance on roller skates, cheesy costumes, lampooning of musical theatre, four weddings (no funeral), and Georgia Engel.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” is a delight. Expect no more.

All My Sons

Exit 7 Players, Ludlow
Weekends through February 16, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

This play is worth seeing.

At the end of the first act, there was silence. No applause. No one moved. For two reasons: the audience had become riveted by a masterfully-written story performed by a fine cast and the house lights had not brightened enough to signal that intermission had arrived.

Exit 7 Players have bestowed upon Arthur Miller’s emotionally-stirring, "All My Sons" the highest honor: respect for the material and for the craft itself. Noted for their upbeat productions of such musicals as "Gypsy," "Sweet Charity" and "Cabaret," presenting this particular drama now is as timely as it was when it opened on Broadway in 1947. There’s not an old bone in its body because "All My Sons" is about timeless concerns – family and business, love and ethics, courage and cowardice – huge subjects that beset ordinary people.

Director Jennifer Curran has stated, "This is the story I needed to tell. What we can choose to ignore, what we can and cannot live with and what we cannot forgive." Her emotional connection with the script is reflected in the performances, especially those of Kate Keller (Jennifer Bauduccio), Joe Keller (Fred Piel), Chris Keller (Charles Holt) and George Deever (Dan Derby). The conflicted Kellers and the accusatory Deever are superb. Special kudos go to Bauduccio who stepped into a demanding role less than two weeks before the opening. As Anne Deever, Lea D. Oppedisano plays an establishment daughter, a far cry from her most recent Exit 7 Players role as Charity Hope Valentine in "Sweet Charity."

Once again, Paul Hamel (Set Designer/Technical Director/Set Construction) has fashioned a set that complements the play’s theme, especially as represented by family and business: the Keller’s house dominates the stage but visible across the road is the factory.

There are strong similarities between "All My Sons" and Miller’s play "A Death of a Salesman." But to paraphrase a line from "Salesman," more attention must be paid to "All My Sons" because, to paraphrase a cosmetic’s advertising pitch, it’s worth it.

Don't Dress For Dinner

Suffield Players, Suffield
Weekends through February 23, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Deliberate, fantastic lies that if recounted during a 55-minute hour would qualify as confabulations worthy of certification are the fluffy stuff of The Suffield Players’ contribution to breaking up any mid-winter blues. "Don’t Dress For Dinner" is a delectable French farce. Thanks to Director Rayah Martin’s sense of pace and an appreciation of the ridiculous, this silly play delivers its purpose: it entertains.

Because the cast takes their characters seriously, the roles fall several giggles below (or above?) cartoon level. A preposterous plan is conjured up by an otherwise sophisticated Bernard (Robert Lunde) – to take advantage of his wife, Jacqueline’s (Gina Marie Paro) absence by inviting his mistress Suzanne (Meagan Kinney) to come spend the weekend. In the event Suzanne’s presence requires explanation, Bernard includes his best friend Robert (Christopher Berrien) as a houseguest who can pass, if needed, as Suzanne’s lover. What Bernard doesn’t know is that his wife and best friend are lovers. This recipe for failure has one more ingredient, a chef hired to come in and cook, Suzette (Amy Rucci, who cavorts with abandon).

When Jacqueline announces she’s staying home, pandemonium breaks loose. Extemporaneous lies pile up leading to improbable entanglements, sight gags and double entendres, until the identities are qualified and re-qualified so many times that no one knows who’s who or what. Eventually the multi-dimensional puzzle is figured out by Suzette’s husband, George (Edwin R. Lewis, III): that rapid fire dialog is enough to make heads spin.

Deft comedic timing is delivered by Lunde, Berrien and Rucci who feed the laugh meter with aplomb. In the brief mop-up role of George, Lewis injects gravitas into the whirling nonsense.

"Don’t Dress For Dinner" is so light – how light is it? – too light to leave a carbon footprint.

"Zerline's Tale"

Hartford Stage, Hartford CT
through February 10, 2008
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

The accomplished actress Elizabeth Ashley in, essentially, a one-woman play, holds an audience’s attention for 75 minutes as she stirs a cauldron of major emotions that stem from a time in Zerline’s life. Burbling from the past into the present are desire, jealousy, abandonment, revenge, all woven into a narrative that Ashley spins with the skill and aplomb of a Scheherazade. As Zerline tells her story, she re-experiences the feelings that surfeited her being forty years earlier. Within an aging female servant, there still lives a flirtatious country girl, once innocent but now worldly wise, who revels telling about her romances, and who especially relishes the memories of perfect bliss and of schemes to avenge her heartache.

Ashley as Zerline represents the epitome of type casting. She’s the right age (she comfortably acknowledges she is 68). Like Zerline, to borrow a reference to Agnes Gooch, she’s lived. Among her professional kudos is the Tony Award she won when 22. In 1974 when 34, she sizzled as Maggie in a Broadway revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." In 2005 in Hartford Stage’s "Cat..." she was Big Mama ("Elizabeth Ashley’s Big Mama endures her husband’s verbal abuse; across her face play waves of grief as she braces for his fatal illness.") As Zerline, a maid who absorbed many of her employer’s refinements, her fluid gestures reflect her study of ballet, lo so many moons ago.

Adapted and translated by Jeremy Sams, this is the American premiere of "Zerline’s Tale" and the first English-language production. The play is based on one chapter from a novel, "The Guiltless," by Hermann Broch.

Scenic Designer Alexander Dodge has replicated a typical small bedsitting room in a substantial European home – high ceiling, mammoth wardrobe, a shuttered window, a fireplace that burns large chunks of coal, a narrow bed, and more – and two people occupy that space, Zerline and Man (Jon David Casey) who is almost as mute as Zerline is verbose. Casey is attentive, caught up in Zerline’s memories. Let’s face it: we’re all suckers for a good story well told.

This polished production is Director Michael Wilson’s ninth project with Elizabeth Ashley, a collaboration that works exceedingly well.

"The Producers"

The Bushnell, Hartford
January 15; runs through Jan. 20
By Bob Smith

Those of you who worry that “THE PRODUCERS” needs star-powered leads to succeed, needn’t fret; the touring production now showing at The Bushnell proves that the material works just fine without a Nathan Lane or Matthew Broderick. The book, music and lyrics, all by Mel Brooks, proudly hearken back to the days when musicals had big songs, big dance numbers and big heart. Of course, it also has Brook’s bawdy humor to keep you rolling in the aisles when you’re not humming the tunes.

Since the show won more Tony awards than any other show in history, there is a good chance you already know the plot. Max Bialystock, a down and out Broadway producer teams up with meek accountant Leo Bloom to stage the worst show in history so that they can pocket the investors’ money and head to Rio.

Brad Nacht, as Max, actually has a number of qualities in greater abundance than Lane, including a stronger singing voice, more imposing physique and better looks. When he sums up the story near the end of the show in “Betrayed” he commands the stage with such physical presence that it feels like he’s singing in your lap. His Max owed more to Zero Mostel, with the heavy shtick toned down and a bit of pathos crossing his face.

Austin Owen, as Leo and Elizabeth Pawlowski as Ulla, each had a chance to bring down the house with his “I Want to be a Producer” and her ‘When You Got It, Flaunt It” and they certainly succeeded. Both were charming and energetic performers. Much credit for the show’s vigor goes to all the ensemble players (female AND male) who played the little old ladies that Max woos for “checkies”.

For this show to be done well, no expense should be spared in the costuming and this production delivers on that requirement. From the dancing girls festooned with sausage, pretzels and beer steins to Ulla’s flowing blue dress, each outfit contributes to the narrative by enhancing a character (See: bawdy humor) or serving as an actual punch line (the shiny $10,000 Chrysler building costume worn by effete director Roger De Bris).

This is fifth version of “THE PRODUCERS” that I have seen; the Broadway version with Lane and Broderick, the Bushnell’s last touring production with Alan Ruck from TV’s “Spin City”, the original movie and the film of the musical. If you haven’t seen any incarnation, then this is a great place to start. This is simply a great show!

“Guys on Ice”

Majestic Theater, West Springfield
Through February 10
By Shera Cohen

No, the musical currently running at the Majestic is not about Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, or even Will Farrell. “Guys on Ice” is, however, a lot slicker than any movie starring Farrell.

When this play was listed on the Majestic’s 2007/08 roster it brought quizzical looks and “I never heard of it” comments. Written by Fred Alley and James Kaplan added little insight. This was not to be a “Miss Saigon” – the Majestic’s huge hit in recent years. Yet, this musical, with its cast of three, may go down in WestSide as the funniest ever produced.

With the backdrop and floor of pastel blue and white, lighting created the set for this contemporary Wisconsin winter fishing hole. A rustic shanty turns 180 degrees for the audience to see the exterior and interior. Throughout the play, two buddies prepare to ice fish as they await a local television crew to film them. The men are equally dim, nice people, who seek very little in life but their 15-seconds (not minutes) of fame.

Equity actor Sam Rush and novice Alec Nelson are Marvin and Lloyd, respectively. Each is perfect for his role, and they are perfect together as they portray guys just being guys, telling jokes, drinking beer, wishing their love lives were better, drinking more beer. Neither actor is a great singer, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. The songs are funny; i.e. Rush doing “King of the Icemen” a la Elvis, and the showstopper “Snowmobile Suit” with its ingenious choreography. Without “giving it away,” never before have Velcro and zippers been utilized to achieve such humor. Special note must be made on their wonderful ability to maintain their accents. It wouldn’t be a surprise if after six weeks in this play, the actors find it hard to kick the Wisconsin “yaaah.”

Frank Aronson, in a smaller role, creates an intermission segment with audience participation that has everyone laughing. Talented Amy Crawford “is” the orchestra, on her piano.

“Guys on Ice” is a musical play to warm your heart with a smile and a belly laugh. Both are welcome. The Majestic has the perfect show for this season.

"Christmastime is Here"

Exit 7 Players, Ludlow
Weekends through December 15
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

If you want to be entertained and charmed, check out the Exit 7 Players’ "Christmastime Is Here," an original musical production that rediscovers the enchantment and humor within this hectic season.

For a cast that ranges in age from seven to decades more, the premise is ideal: dress rehearsal of a Christmas musical review. Their director is harried but everyone else is relaxed, upbeat. The first non-catastrophe is the unfinished painting of a cut-out horse (for drawing the sleigh) which the sleigh’s passengers take turns pushing and pulling, all the while singing, of course, "Sleighride." The power of a well-paced performance is off to the races.

There are 22 acts, all done well and some are outstanding. Such as a condensed version of "The Nutcracker" performed to Tchaikovsky’s music by the children’s ensemble and a few key adults (the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy). The choreography (Aileen Merino Terzi and Amy Szczepaniuk Meek) is pleasing and appropriate for the fledgling corps de ballet. Mice, the Nutcracker’s army, The Russian Dance, The Chinese Dance (super delightful), and a dazzling Christmas tree – and that was only the third act.

Mini bursts of levity included a running gag (sometimes literally) of a cast member’s determination to sandwich in her rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" in spite of the director’s objection; pantomimes of Guy vs. Tangled Lights while Gal Wrestles with Wrapping; and of two last-minute, desperate shoppers squabbling over a piece of clothing which they render into pieces.

In this spirited, gentle, amusing, wholesome musical, the commercialization of Christmas is banished. Instead simplified pleasures prevail, including the readings and recitations of Christmas classics and a letter from Iraq, a living Nativity scene, even a Carol sing and a rafter-rockin’ "Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree."

The Exit 7 Players’ Christmas show generates good cheer. Kudos to the writers and creators of "Christmastime Is Here" – Rebecca Sullivan, Robert Sullivan-Neer, Amanda Davis and Andy White; and to Director Amanda Davis; Musical Director Bonni Drumheller; Technical Director and Master Carpenter Paul Hamel; Calvin Anderson’s Lighting Design.

And bravo to the talented, enthusiastic cast, all 39 of them – the Adult Ensemble (16) and the Children’s Ensemble (23).

Next: Arthur Miller’s "All My Sons" in February 2008

"Sister's Christmas Catechism"

CityStage, Springfield
Through December 2
By Bernadette Johnson

Words prove inadequate to describe just how entertaining this production is. It’s one of those "you-had-to-be-there" shows. You don’t even have to be Catholic or “in recovery,” but if you are, Sister is sure to stir up more than one memory of your Catholic school days and provide fodder for many "tales told out of school." Yes, public schoolers, most of those stories you’ve heard have at least some basis in reality.

There is a set script, hilarious in itself, but spontaneity reigns. Mary Zentmyer brings wit and wisdom to the role and has an uncanny knack for catching members of the audience, make that her classroom, behaving badly. Classroom etiquette is de rigeur. Gum chewers beware. And keep those hands out of your pockets. There are consequences to pay for misbehavior. But then, there are also the holy cards ("baseball cards of the Catholic Church") and other "holy" trinkets to reward right answers. There are even pointers on what to buy (and not buy) nuns for Christmas, any perfume bearing Elizabeth Taylor’s name being particularly taboo.

Hilarity reigns in the second half of the show as Sister recruits, then dresses audience members for a Nativity tableau unlike any other. Much of the fun is due to the willingness of "volunteers" to laugh at themselves and allow Sister to bedeck them in shower curtains, lampshades and other makeshift costumes for the pageant. And let’s not forget Sister’s fascination with "Forensic Files" and her determination to find out what became of the Magi’s gold.

Yes, here is the Christmas story like it has never been told, and, hopefully, Sister's brief visit will become a holiday tradition at CityStage.

"Wicked"

The Bushnell, Hartford
Running through December 9
By Bob & Sharon Smith

You can tell that the musical WICKED strikes a cord with the audience just based on the excited energy buzzing through the capacity crowd at the Bushnell. The audience responds to this tale of “what happened before Dorothy dropped in” to Oz, partly because it is a stirring production and partly because of the dual personalities of Elphaba and Glinda, the Witches Wicked and Good. Who, at one time or another, has not felt like an outcast or yearned to be popular, as are these two very different schoolmates? The last notes of the final number had not even been sung and the audience was on their feet.

Like the Harry Potter books, WICKED uses a fantasy setting to explore modern themes. “Where I come from,” the Wizard explains, “the best way to unite the people is to give them a common enemy.” When Elphaba discovers that some of the very issues she was hoping “the Wizard” would fix are of his own creation, she vows to use her
powers to set things right. Using misinformation and spin control, she is soon branded a ‘wicked” witch and declared a pubic enemy.

Unlike another fantasy franchise where the “backstory” of the villain is revealed, ("Star Wars" Episodes 1-3) the audience can readily accept and believe this origin story because it is presented with far more emotional and personal investment than that of Darth Vader. All of the characters grow and develop in WICKED and it is
often as much the story of Glinda as it is of Elphaba.

The leads certainly rise to the challenge; Carmen Cusak (Elphaba) and Katie Rose Clark (Glinda) were well matched as friends and foils. The music and lyrics by Steven Schwartz are evocative and stirring, giving Cusak a number of show stopping, emotion-packed numbers. “I’m Not That Girl,” “Defying Gravity,” and “No Good
Deed” brilliantly reinforce Elphaba’s inner life. “Popular” is Clark’s showcase and never has an ode to shallowness been crafted with such heartfelt conviction. In the end, when the two join together in “For Good,” the audience truly believes in the depth of their mismatched friendship.

The costumes of the inhabitants of Oz, despite their bright colors, are a bit grotesque and when they all donned round green glasses it looked like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” not Oz. But this is just a minor point in a brilliant production, which is getting its second run through Hartford in recent years.

One technical note: there was a crew member located in the light rigs that had the loudest headset voice ever heard in a professional setting. His voice rang out clearly during two very poignant musical numbers.

"The Taming of the Shrew"

Majestic Theater, West Springfield
Through December 9
By Shera Cohen

For Shakespeare purists, the Majestic's production of "Taming of the Shrew" might disappoint. For the rest of the world (okay, Western MA), it is a huge hit. What a shame many believe Shakespeare and 16th century dialogue is over their heads. "Shrew" is especially easy for Bard novices to understand – perhaps the reason it is often performed and the reason it will receive kudos for the next six weeks in West Springfield.

The plot is well-known, with the overall concept being the battle of the sexes. Five centuries ago, women did as their husbands commanded. Shakespeare, however, was a playwright ahead of his time, whose females were oftentimes strong-willed. "Shrew" can be a benchmark for feminism.

This production is based on the original script – a play within a play. A troupe of actors happen by a drunkard, don him in regal duds, tell him that he slept for 15 years, and entertain him. The drunkard becomes a member of the audience.

This presentation, more than any other, takes the play within a play quite literally and hysterically, with an abundance of shtick, cheesy props, and oh-so-fake sound effects. Chris Rohmann directs his cast of 15 with a sense of delight and whimsy as a mix of Keystone Cops, Three Stooges, and "Mad TV." There is no shame (in fact, the opposite) in jamming as many gimmicks, pratfalls, and slapstick that can possibly fit in the two-hour show. Several lines stolen from other Shakespeare plays add to the fun. One would guess that William (Will, to his friends) is smiling at this 21st century adaptation.

Alan Schneider and Marina Morrow handle their leading roles with determination and fun. Schneider revels in taming his shrew. It is a pleasure to see some Majestic "regulars" tackle Shakespeare: David Healey, Steve Henderson, Chris Carey, Stuart Gamble, and Roger Patnode. The latter portrays the sound effects man with the job of ringing the Round 1 boxing bell as the men and women fight. Dan Robert is especially funny and very cute in drag.

Amy Davis' huge landscape stage design of brick, glass, cement, and wood easily creates multiple sets. The sound crew cleverly fills any time gaps (the play's start, set changes) with music, appropriately, from "Kiss Me Kate."

"1776"

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT
Running through December 9
By Shera Cohen

While historians may guess at facts about the creation of these United States of America, no person in this century can go backwards 230 years. The most anyone can really know is hearsay. Given this obvious information, the musical "1776" is probably the best depiction of what happened on those hot summer days in Philadelphia.

"1776" is a thrilling, you-are-there (well, almost) account of the months, days, and literally the minutes leading up to July 4th. In spite of our knowing the outcome – to separate from England or not – there is definite tension in the play as the audience awaits the final count of the 13 voting colonies. The story is dramatic at its core, yet so full of humor that one can't help but laugh out loud, and often. The dialogue and song lyrics are purposeful and important.

How Goodspeed fits 26 actors on its small stage is still a wonder. In the play's first minutes, a huge British flag/curtain rises on the poised and motionless image of our founding fathers. It is stunning and receives instant applause. Every stage element is there and is perfect; i.e. set design, costumes, hairdos, lighting. In spite of having the burden of directing such a large cast, Rob Ruggiero makes each character an individual.

Peter Carey (John Adams) leads a troupe of excellent, professional actors/singers. His is a demanding role as he portrays this physically slight man with gigantic dreams, power, ego, and even self-doubt. Carey has the most lines and songs; he is the linchpin that holds the plot and the other 25 characters together. In significant supporting roles are Ronn Carroll (Ben Franklin) who looks exactly like he should look and spouts Franklin-isms constantly; Jay Goede (John Dickinson) as the uptight, conservative naysayer of the Declaration; and Glenn S. Allen (Edward Rutledge) whose "Molasses to Rum" song is almost frightening dramatic. There are only two women in the cast, and they hold their own well with the men. In particular, Jayne Paterson creates a very real Abigail Adams.

As it began, the final curtain is quite memorable with a trick which this reviewer will not give away. Every citizen in this country should see this play at least once.

“Chick: The Great Osram”

Hartford Stage through Nov. 11th
By Shera Cohen

This biographical play of arts entrepreneur Arthur Austin had to be presented in Hartford. Better known as Chick, this was the man who became the director of the Wadsworth Athenaeum, bringing it to its heyday in the 1930s. Presented in 90-minutes, without intermission, the play is essentially three long monologues. One might think, well, that can’t possibly work. However, with the skill of two excellent actors, it can.

Chick was a man whose passion was visual art. He hated the exhibit goers who looked at a painting (modern, Picasso-like art) and asked: “What does it mean?” To him the meaning was inconsequential. It meant feeling, love, a tingling of sensations that made each piece alive. In many ways “Chick” is a lesson in art appreciation. Although didactic in parts, it is a subject that this reviewer learned much from. Through the exposition of only two characters, we become familiar with and understand the life that was Chick’s.

Robert Sella (Chick) makes a bizarre entrance in a wizard costume. His exit in the final scene is equally odd. Sella portrays the man as over-the-top as is necessary for who the real Chick was – the life of the party, a name-dropper, buddies with the rich and famous, and yet a man with a façade. Sella has a lot of work to do in this tour-de-force role. He is perfect for the job.

His real-life wife, Enid Graham, portrays Chick’s wife Helen. While living the high life, this is a woman portrayed with vulnerability, lack of confidence, and inner torment. The purposeful hesitation in her words as she speaks to the audience as her confidants is an easy, instant give-away of what is to come.

Playwright David Grimm’s dialogue is elegant and artful, with the words depicting the characters that speak them so well that this could have been a radio drama and essentially achieve the same goals. There are many lines that should later be quoted by anyone interested in the arts.

A short video of the Wadsworth’s Paper Ball is shown between two of the acts. Many in the audience seemed to be familiar with this spectacle. One wonders, however, if this play would work as well on tour, or if it must and can only be presented at Hartford Stage.

“Shout! The Mod Musical”

CityStage
through October 21
By Barbara Stroup

“SHOUT ! The Mod Musical” opened at CityStage to long and well-deserved ovations. President Cynthia Anzalotti chose this colorful celebration of the ‘60s show to mark the beginning of the theatre’s 10th anniversary year.

Five amazing ‘girl’ singers populate the stage throughout the no-intermission and high-energy production - they are named only by the colors they wear. These talented performers bring just the right sensibility to the production’s 30 songs of London’s mod ‘60s as they sing in solos and in varying ensemble combinations. Director Jay Falzone’s choreography never overtakes the music and none of the songs go on too long. Four decades later we hear a sameness to these rhythms and orchestrations, but the production’s volatility overcomes it. These athletic performers are having fun with the music and although it took a while, the audience soon caught on to the humor.

Weaving these songs together into a coherent whole are a few recurring plot substitutes – a large “SHOUT” magazine reveals the year on its back cover and gives the girls insights into mod culture. Off-stage, advice-giving voices preach put-down answers to universal relationship questions.

While referencing the best of mod London’s music, the production refuses to take the ‘60s too seriously. In fact, the lyrics are often mocked by literal stage movements – ecstatically so in one case. One-liners delivered in the style of television’s “Laugh-In” give us even more opportunity to laugh. One awkwardly serious moment comes up toward the end; it reminds us what happens to some women in every decade behind doors that hide the abuse of power and violence. But the mood quickly turns light again with a nostalgic “Those Were the Days,” and the audience sings along until the show’s terrific finale and curtain calls.

This reviewer would love to have seen this production with live musicians. These talented women deserve the opportunity to interpret the songs beyond what’s available with a pre-mixed, back-up recording. First night glitches in the sound and miking will surely disappear. For an ensemble that probably saw the theatre for the first time that afternoon, Wednesday night’s opener looked polished and practiced. Anzalotti greeted the audience like old friends who all seemed happy to be kicking off a new season at CityStage -- “Downtown!”.

“High School Musical”

The Bushnell
Through Oct. 14
By Bernadette Johnson

There was no mistaking fans of the 2006 Emmy Award-winning “High School Musical” who turned out en masse for the stage version. They tended to be well under five feet tall, wide-eyed and expectant, parents in tow.

In this smash Disney Channel hit, popular basketball jock Troy (John Jeffrey Martin) and class brainiac Gabriella (Arielle Jacobs) defy their friends’ expectations by auditioning for the school musical, much to the dismay of to-date undisputed star Sharpay (Chandra Lee Schwartz) and twin brother Ryan (Bobby List). Landing a callback, the budding thespians are thwarted by Sharpay and by well-meaning classmates and teammates, who are intent on upholding the “status quo.”

The touring company wowed with their unflagging high energy, crisp precision and timing of intricately choreographed numbers. The fact that the band often overpowered the cast (and the cast our eardrums) didn’t seem to matter to the denizens of Disney Channel, who knew all the lyrics and sang along and clapped spontaneously.

While Martin and Jacobs quickly won hearts with their youthful innocence and tender duets, Ellen Harvey as Ms. Darbus, the school’s drama coach, upped the ante with a quirky no-holds-barred delivery, while Schwartz and List dazzled and delighted as the scheming arch rivals, particularly with their rendition of “Bop to the Top.”

Script writers have met challenges head-on as have set designers. The film’s laid-back detention scene evolves into farcical improvised drama onstage, and scenic designer Kenneth Foy arranges for too-numerous-to-count scene changes (hallway to gym to chem lab to theater to cafeteria etc. and back again) to flow seamlessly.

If there was any doubt about the popularity of this production, it was obliterated by screaming tweens, who took to their feet with Troy and Gabriella’s first kiss and whose deafening cheers rocked the house through the very last bow and final curtain.

“The Secret of Sherlock Holmes”

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox
Through October 28
By Shera Cohen

Just when you think you couldn’t possibly see another Sherlock Holmes play, movie, book, or PBS special, along comes Shakes & Co.’s current production of “The Secret of Sherlock Holmes.” Is it worth seeing this dark, brilliant, and tortured detective along with this faithful friend Watson again? Yes!

This look at Holmes is different from the norm, which makes it especially enjoyable. The play could easily be subtitled “Holmes & Watson,” as both men receive equal stage time. To date, Holmes’ mysteries have always included his sidekick Dr. Watson. But, did anyone ever think how Watson became Holmes’ friend, confidant, and housemate? Playwright Jeremy Paul did, and with the assistance of director Robert Walsh, they have created a relationship play about two men who we thought we knew so well – but perhaps not.

Michael Hammond (Holmes) and Dave Demke (Watson) are each Shakes & Co. “regulars.” Both are adroit at spouting Shakespeare’s language, or that of Wharton or Hawthorne. Paul’s crisply written script, which says much with few words, requires a talented duo to create the relationship between Holmes and Watson. These actors are up to the task, becoming their characters. This is the first Holmes’ story in which the audience learns about who Watson is, how he came to live on Baker Street, and why he stayed.

Often dark in mood (Holmes’ cocaine addition is important to the play), there is room for much humor, oftentimes very dry. The balance is well paced particularly in Act I. Walsh’s direction of Act II needs a couple of jumpstarts to move it along and it seems that the actors will succeed at doing this in upcoming performances.

The set is as perfect as anyone can imagine Holmes’ environment would be, literally ripped out of the pages of a London story. The play opens with a shadow of Holmes growing to 20 feet or so, then subsiding. This occurs again later on, both to the accompaniment of classical violin music.

Shakes & Co. has given its audiences a wonderful summer. Now enjoy the fall in Lenox with a trip back in time to London, mystery, the powers of deduction.

A Quick Glance at Summer at Shakespeare & Company

Lenox
through 9/2
By Shera Cohen

During its 30th anniversary year, Shakespeare & Company never waivers in its excellence in presenting the best in the Berkshires. Especially amazing is the fact that the same actors perform in two plays each (oftentimes on the same day, two in English and two in 16th century English), not to mention their "day jobs" in managerial capacities. Do any of the actors/employees get much sleep? Perhaps not, as they run the summer series from May through September.

The seldom staged "Antony and Cleopatra" was a tour-de-force for actors Tina Packer and Nigel Gore and director Michael Hammond. This tragic and fabled love story amid years of war made for a dramatically balanced play. Having the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal offered this reviewer a keen look at the challenges faced by actors and crew.

The Bard's often staged "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was the other selection on the roster, and as different from "A & C" as night and day. How these same actors keep their lines straight and never mix the language of the two plays is sheer professionalism. "Dream" is a romp in the forest, literally, with lots of fun had by all, including the audience.

Tom Stoppard's "Rough Crossing" could also be dubbed a romp -- this time onboard ship in the 1930s. Dialogue connecting one player's words with another's was a common humorous thread -- what had meaning for the first player had a second meaning for the other. This was a leave-your-brain-at-home experience.

Shakes & Co.'s Bankside Festival is always free of charge and equally delightful. It includes lectures, mini-pre-shows, dances, and one fully-staged comedy all performed by the student acting troupe. Moliere's "Scapin" took the tent stage. Fitting the usual Moliere formula, this was one of his funniest and less political plays. Full of slap-stick, malaprops, whimsy, mistaken identities, and chase scenes, "Scapin" had it all -- for all ages.

Note: Catch Shakes & Co.'s bonus play, "Sherlock Holmes," in late September/early October.

"Blue/Orange"

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox
Through September 2, 2007
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Those who determine the summer’s schedule have done it again: they’ve included a gem that is both provocative and entertaining, and then had the audacity to assign a sensitive director (Timothy Douglas) and cast three stellar actors who, seemingly, become the characters. And the other good news is that "Blue/Orange"is playing through September 2.

Presented in the 3/4 round, this engrossing drama takes place within a London psychiatric hospital where a young man, Christopher (LeRoy McClain) prior to his scheduled release the following day is interviewed by his psychiatrist Bruce (Jason Asprey) and the facility’s senior psychiatrist Robert (Malcolm Ingram). Chris is happy, ebullient, "I’m going home!" He springs about the room on the balls of his feet. Bruce sets out to demonstrate that Chris, diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder, is not well enough to be discharged. Robert has a different opinion. What begins as an academic disagreement becomes loaded with personal agenda witnessed, in large part, by the patient who misinterprets what he mis-hears. The younger doctor pushes for a schizophrenia diagnosis and lobbies for treating Chris as an inpatient whereas the older doctor favors sending Chris home "while he still knows what home is" before he becomes more comfortable living within an institution than on the outside. He quotes Allen Ginsberg: "Human is not a noun. It’s a verb."

Strategically placed situational humor provide brief tension breaks within playwright Joe Penhall’s tight script’s dedication to emotionally-loaded issues–-imperfect health professionals within an imperfect health care system trying to bring psychically-damaged patients to a mental health level where they are neither a threat to others nor to themselves. Further complicating this effort are moral and ethical questions that swirl about the effects of race on both medical judgments and patients’ interpretations.

"Blue/Orange" is not a simple entree: it is a theatrical banquet.

"The Real Inspector Hound"

The Suffield Players
Mapleton Hall, Suffield CT
Friday and Saturday through May 19 2007
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

Take a generic Agatha Christie-like murder mystery set in a spooky manor house staffed by strange servants and add hangers-on who seem to stem from long lines of inbreeding. Present these ingredients to playwright Tom Stoppard to stir and shake well until all brains are addled, then write and publish a script which attracts the Script Staff of The Suffield Players. Audition seasoned adult actors with an appreciation of the zany. Designate as director Konrad Rogowski who whips into shape a production that excels in timing, milking details, nutty nuances – surely you’re getting the picture?

But, ah there’s the rub. Because what you see is not necessarily what you get until the scene is repeated – well, sorta – and a character bespeaks a throw-away line, "Does this play know where it’s going?" By then, who cares? Because getting to where it’s going (if it gets there) is not half the fun, it’s all the fun.

The actors are the only ones who take themselves seriously which heightens the almost non-stop comedic moments. Especially adept is Kelly Seip as Drudge, a multi-faceted servant, who puts a feather duster through outlandish maneuvers, serves tea with the studied absence of social graciousness, and is the antithesis of a tactful retainer. Vanda Doyle, a newcomer to the Suffield Players but not to the stage, slips effortlessly into the lady of the manor (Felicity), vacillating between haughty and naughty. Indeed, all the cast become their wacky characters – Steve Wandzy, Bruce Showalter, Rob Lunde, Karen Balaska, Roger Ohs, and Dale Facey.

The Suffield Players are noted for their professionalism, a direct offshoot of their love and respect for the theater. Their success is due to the company’s spirit and attention to details. "The Real Inspector Hound" is especially indebted to the adroitness of its director, Konrad Rogowski, who taps into his accumulated lore and his appreciation of silliness extraordinaire.

“I Am My Own Wife”

Hartford Stage, Hartford
Through May 13
By Bernadette Johnson

Phew! What an exhausting role! James Lecesne makes it look easy. He does a phenomenal job in this one-man show that is peopled with a cast of at least 34 characters (count them in the program), including the play’s author himself. Lecesne never leaves the stage and shifts seamlessly from one character to another with a simple twist or turn, changing voice, intonation, posturing, and even languages, speaking German just as fluently as English (though this reviewer does not know German, a patron was heard to remark that his German was excellent). Much credit is due to vocal and dialect coach Ralph Zito.

Doug Wright’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning “I Am My Own Wife” chronicles the true (or mostly true) tale of Lothar Berfelde, a woman in a man’s body, aka Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a celebrity in her own right, museum curator/obsessive collector of antique furniture, gramophones and music machines of all sorts. Berfelde was a transvestite caught up in the maelstrom of World War II Germany and the ensuing Russian invasion, whose museum basement became a gathering place for the persecuted gays and lesbians of the Nazi/Communist regimes. It is also revealed that key to her survival was her role as an informant.

Lecesne is most convincing and fascinating as the incredible Charlotte. Other roles, that of the play’s author in particular, though still most remarkable, were sometimes hurried and confusing. With very little to work with, simple props and therefore, few distractions for the audience, Lecesne is totally focused, the quintessential story-teller.

Kris Stone (scenic design) and Marcus Doshi (lighting) depict a museum that is ornate in its very simplicity, a backdrop, a supporting character of sorts, in which the gramophone figures prominently.

Be prepared to wonder. Be prepared to laugh. Be prepared to enter into the intrigue.

“Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner”

Hartford Stage, Hartford
through April 1
By Bernadette Johnson

Hartford Stage has little onstage, but a lot on its plate with Luis Alfaro’s comedy, or more aptly, tragi-comedy, a tale of two sisters with voracious appetites — one for food, the other for sex — and both with unresolved issues.

The script is never rolling-in-the-aisles funny, though there are many chuckles and some interesting commentaries on life and human foibles. The audience is expected, however, to swallow a great deal as Minerva, the food-crazed sister, balloons from obese to buoyant and literally “lifts off.” This script is not tethered in reality.

That said, Elisa Bocanegra as Minerva is outstanding and convincing. She struggles as much physically with her ever-expanding girth — difficulty walking, labored breathing — as she does psychologically, with its impact on her life. (Kudos to costume designer Christopher Acebo — Minerva’s added pounds look “natural”). Minerva’s monologue “letters” to Mee Chee, a “fat-farm” soul mate, are moving and tender, and Bocanegra infuses vulnerability. Yetta Gottesman as Alice is pert and saucy, and the “love” scenes with “Officer” Fernandez (James Martinez) are refreshingly uninhibited.

Act two introduces odd elements that for some strange reason, the other characters — Felix Solis as Minerva’s understanding husband Al among them — accept as normal, and the plot thickens, but never quite solidifies. The play’s end is ambiguous — leaving the audience wondering what really happened.

The “simple scene” changes are fast-paced (aptly by stagehands dressed as chefs), though perhaps too frequent and distracting, and a refrigerator and beds figure prominently. Perhaps more aptly titled “Bed and Breakfast,” “BL&D” is a lot to digest. As Alice tells Fernandez late in Act II, not only do “We never quite get what we want,” but we don’t even have a clue as to what that might be. It’s simply not on the menu.

"The Glass Menagerie"

Exit 7 Players, Ludlow
February 2, 3, 9, 10 at 8 p.m.; matinee Feb 10 at 2 p.m.
By Donna Bailey-Thompson

When Tennessee Williams wrote "The Glass Menagerie," he was writing about what he knew: the mother is a stereotypical faded Southern belle who exaggerates the comforts of her youth; the sister has a slight limp (Williams’ sister was mentally retarded); and the brother is a stand-in for Williams himself – an aspiring writer who feels trapped by the financial and emotional needs of his mother and sister. Like his real father who abandoned the family, the play’s father has been gone for almost 20 years. And like the brother in the play, Williams walks out, in effect, leaving the mother and sister without hope.

Under the direction of Nathan Newton, Ludlow’s Exit 7 Players do their best to breathe new life into this 63-year-old play which has been analyzed almost to death, its symbolisms enumerated and debated. In bare-bone language, "The Glass Menagerie" is about an unhappy family headed by an aging mother who is panicking at the likelihood her withdrawn daughter will never marry and her son who to avoid suffocation of his psyche, must break away.

As Jim O’Connor (the gentleman caller), Doug Wilson gives a creditable performance. Betty Burrage as the frantic mother, Amanda Wingfield, hits her marks often; her nattering and verbal bullying of her children (one could argue for their own good) succeeds in deepening the reclusiveness of her daughter and the inevitable flight of her son. Brianna E. Stronk’s Laura Wingfield is emotionally repressed and physically shy: she wears her interior pain on her sleeve. She breaks your heart. Dan Derby’s Tom Wingfield is imbued with hair-trigger frustration, tender feelings for his impaired sister, and banked fantasies of flight.

Technical Director/Master Carpenter Paul Hamel and Scenic Designer Ken Samonds’ multi-level set reflects Amanda Wingfield’s attempt at creating a pleasant apartment off an alley. Costume Designer Rosalie A. Dialessi catches the flavor of the early Depression years.

Next: "Sweet Charity" in May and "Nunsense II" in June.