Annie Get Your Gun
Published: May 9, 2002
Gallery Theater play runs through May 25
By Starla PointerOf the News-Register
Gallery Theater scores a bull's-eye with "Annie Get Your Gun," a musical comedy based on the real-life love story of Annie Oakley and Frank Butler.
The dance sequence featuring Annie (Jenny Root) and Sitting Bull (Laurel Adams) is worth the price of admission. Lucky for us, it's just one highlight of a thoroughly enjoyable show.
Root is as natural as can be in the title role. Her Annie is fresh and innocent, yet, in many ways, wise beyond her years and her background. She knows all about shooting, taking care of her siblings and "Doin' What Comes Naturally," yet she melts into a teen-age swoon when she first lays eyes on Frank (Eric Ernst).
She's neither the first nor the last female to be dazzled by Frank, but she's the first to stand up and declare that she has talents, too. His condescending attitude toward women - which, in the 1870s, was considered being gentlemanly - just makes her more determined. In fact, she beats him at his own game - marksmanship.
Still, Annie realizes that showing him up isn't the way to win Frank's heart. "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun," she laments, and accepts a secondary role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show so she can be near him.
He's happy to treat her as an apprentice. And he's overjoyed that she's becoming more ladylike - pinker and whiter, like the china doll he's always dreamed of marrying.
In fact, he's all ready to propose, despite the warnings of his cowboy buddies. It may be Ernst's best great number - "My Defenses are Down," in which Frank looks forward to marriage with the refrain, "Being miserable is gonna be fun." The scene wouldn't be complete without the cowboy chorus, Robin Wirfs, Dylan Sovey, Andrew Wardell and Ian Godbey.
Everything seems to be headed toward a ride into the sunset. But when Buffalo Bill, knowing he can draw a crowd by showcasing Annie's talents, makes her a star, Frank gallops off alone.
Adams make a fine Sitting Bull, a man of few words, every one of them hilarious. Ryan Findley is just right as Buffalo Bill. Josh Harrison and Laura Hilliker make a good team as a sharply contrasting brother and sister, Charlie and Dolly.
Throughout the show, Irving Berlin's hit songs are performed with gusto and tenderness or humor, depending on the number. "I'll Have an Old Fashioned Wedding," in which Annie and Frank present their conflicting views, "Anything You Can Do," "I Got the Sun in the Morning" and several versions of "There's No Business Like Show Business" are among the highlights, of course. The more romantic "They Say It's Wonderful" and "Moonshine Lullaby" are lovely.
Scene changes dragged at times on opening night. The waits weren't unpleasant, though, because the live combo kept playing throughout.
Nice touch, by the way, having the musicians not only visible, but in costume. And oh, what costumes by Carol Burnett, Barbara Millikan and others. They're fabulous. The many costume changes are a visual treat.
The set is just enough to establish the locales, but simple and understated so that the performers are the real stars. The lighting effects in the ball scene are a good addition.
It's been 20 years since Gallery's first production of "Annie Get Your Gun." Whether or not you remember that one, you should see this version. Strong performances under the direction of Jane Maddox, quality music directed by Frank Messina and a good cast - especially Root, and especially in that dance sequence with Adams - make this a show not to miss.
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
High School Musical (Review)
Disney's 'High School Musical'
Published: May 8, 2008
Go back to 'High School'
By STARLA POINTER
Of the News-Register
It's a classic story - a handsome young man from one world and a lovely young woman from another meet while on vacation and fall in love. Reunited during the school year, they're torn between being their true selves and fitting in with the crowd. Love wins in the end, and everyone in the whole school is better off.
And they all do the hand jive and sing a lively finale, "You're the One that I Want."
Oops, that's the version of the story from my generation, when "Grease" was the word and we teens were nostalgic for the 1950s, a decade we hadn't actually lived through ourselves.
This generation's version is Disney's "High School Musical," which started as a TV movie and now is a stage play and marketing tour de force. Writer David Simpatico cleverly gives a nod to the genre's genesis by making HSM's much-auditioned-for, but never seen, play-within-a-play a tap-dancing, musical version of "Romeo and Juliet."
This generation makes up almost the entire cast of Gallery Theater's version of "High School Musical." And this generation, along with a good number of parents and grandparents, practically filled the theater for the first three performances - one of the biggest opening weekends ever at Gallery.
The audience, which probably would have loved the show no matter what, was rewarded with a visually appealing production filled with pleasant music and some really good performances.
I may have been the only one in the theater who minded that the show started 15 minutes late or that the intermission stretched almost twice as long as advertised. And even I almost forgave those faux pas when I saw that the school colors in the show were the same as those of my own high school, and the mascot the same as my college. Go Wildcats, indeed.
Once things got under way, director Adam Ewing and his cast did a great job using the entire stage and, in fact, the whole theater.
The set looked great. Even if it hadn't been painted red and black, I would have loved the multiple levels and rolling carts that allowed for quick, effective scene changes.
I enjoyed Kathleen Fraser's choreography, especially the group pieces - the "Head in the Game" number with basketballs, in particular. The dance numbers featuring drama queen Sharpay and her twin also were a treat to watch.
The twins (Jasmine Klauder and Justin Roisom, both excellent) play a central role in "High School Musical," not only in the plot but also in the way the whole story is shaped to be positive and uplifting.
Yes, Sharpay is willing to "improvise" a lie to beat out her rival, and yes, she and her brother act like they are better than everyone else. But we also learn that they, too, are motivated by the same teen angst as their peers. If she can't be the school's star, Sharpay worries, all she'll be is herself, and how boring is that? Naturally, this Disneyesque script teaches us, she deserves understanding, too.
Gabriella (Brittney Hoskisson, who has a lovely voice) and Troy (Jesus Gomez) are the Sandy and Danny of "High School Musical." They would be perfect for the leads in the school play. But to take the parts, they not only will have to out-do Sharpay and Ryan, they'll also have to step out of the roles in which they've been cast in school society - Troy as the basketball whiz and Gabriella as the academic one.
Seth Renne practically steals the show as the "Voice of East High School" who reads announcements over the intercom - a clever way to use a narrator to set the scene.
Pat Meyer and Terri Swanson, who have the only significant adult roles in "High School Musical," do a great job as the coach and the drama teacher. Swanson, in particular, plays her role with all the flamboyance and frustration of an arts-lover trying to promote drama in a sports-oriented world.
Others who stand out were Nick Quinteros and Chris Helwig, Troy's affable basketball buddies; Jaimie Meyer and Michelle Sanchez as members of the academic clique; Lindsay Harrop as the young composer and playwright; Austin Ewing as the Wildcat mascot; and the ensemble as a whole.
Because the cast changed somewhat in the weeks between auditions and opening night, the names of several members were omitted from the article previewing "High School Musical": Jesus Ordaz, Katie Cocchi, Cassie Gamble, Stephanie Sulak, Chelsey Manning, Brittany McKinney, Lamont Jarvis, Stacey Jarvis and Tricia Harrop, who also was stage manager.
The initial cast list also didn't mention the musicians who provide the live soundtrack for the show: pianist Anne Britt; guitarists Aaron Knudson and Seth Schwebs; bass player Shelly Sanderlin; drummers David Quillen and Eric Fellows; saxophone players Ron Bork, Max Dixon and Duane Bond; and brass players Bob Thornburg, Mike Quillen, Richard Manning, David Clark, Doug Ausmus, Larry Hake and Tom Adams.
Published: May 8, 2008
Go back to 'High School'
By STARLA POINTER
Of the News-Register
It's a classic story - a handsome young man from one world and a lovely young woman from another meet while on vacation and fall in love. Reunited during the school year, they're torn between being their true selves and fitting in with the crowd. Love wins in the end, and everyone in the whole school is better off.
And they all do the hand jive and sing a lively finale, "You're the One that I Want."
Oops, that's the version of the story from my generation, when "Grease" was the word and we teens were nostalgic for the 1950s, a decade we hadn't actually lived through ourselves.
This generation's version is Disney's "High School Musical," which started as a TV movie and now is a stage play and marketing tour de force. Writer David Simpatico cleverly gives a nod to the genre's genesis by making HSM's much-auditioned-for, but never seen, play-within-a-play a tap-dancing, musical version of "Romeo and Juliet."
This generation makes up almost the entire cast of Gallery Theater's version of "High School Musical." And this generation, along with a good number of parents and grandparents, practically filled the theater for the first three performances - one of the biggest opening weekends ever at Gallery.
The audience, which probably would have loved the show no matter what, was rewarded with a visually appealing production filled with pleasant music and some really good performances.
I may have been the only one in the theater who minded that the show started 15 minutes late or that the intermission stretched almost twice as long as advertised. And even I almost forgave those faux pas when I saw that the school colors in the show were the same as those of my own high school, and the mascot the same as my college. Go Wildcats, indeed.
Once things got under way, director Adam Ewing and his cast did a great job using the entire stage and, in fact, the whole theater.
The set looked great. Even if it hadn't been painted red and black, I would have loved the multiple levels and rolling carts that allowed for quick, effective scene changes.
I enjoyed Kathleen Fraser's choreography, especially the group pieces - the "Head in the Game" number with basketballs, in particular. The dance numbers featuring drama queen Sharpay and her twin also were a treat to watch.
The twins (Jasmine Klauder and Justin Roisom, both excellent) play a central role in "High School Musical," not only in the plot but also in the way the whole story is shaped to be positive and uplifting.
Yes, Sharpay is willing to "improvise" a lie to beat out her rival, and yes, she and her brother act like they are better than everyone else. But we also learn that they, too, are motivated by the same teen angst as their peers. If she can't be the school's star, Sharpay worries, all she'll be is herself, and how boring is that? Naturally, this Disneyesque script teaches us, she deserves understanding, too.
Gabriella (Brittney Hoskisson, who has a lovely voice) and Troy (Jesus Gomez) are the Sandy and Danny of "High School Musical." They would be perfect for the leads in the school play. But to take the parts, they not only will have to out-do Sharpay and Ryan, they'll also have to step out of the roles in which they've been cast in school society - Troy as the basketball whiz and Gabriella as the academic one.
Seth Renne practically steals the show as the "Voice of East High School" who reads announcements over the intercom - a clever way to use a narrator to set the scene.
Pat Meyer and Terri Swanson, who have the only significant adult roles in "High School Musical," do a great job as the coach and the drama teacher. Swanson, in particular, plays her role with all the flamboyance and frustration of an arts-lover trying to promote drama in a sports-oriented world.
Others who stand out were Nick Quinteros and Chris Helwig, Troy's affable basketball buddies; Jaimie Meyer and Michelle Sanchez as members of the academic clique; Lindsay Harrop as the young composer and playwright; Austin Ewing as the Wildcat mascot; and the ensemble as a whole.
Because the cast changed somewhat in the weeks between auditions and opening night, the names of several members were omitted from the article previewing "High School Musical": Jesus Ordaz, Katie Cocchi, Cassie Gamble, Stephanie Sulak, Chelsey Manning, Brittany McKinney, Lamont Jarvis, Stacey Jarvis and Tricia Harrop, who also was stage manager.
The initial cast list also didn't mention the musicians who provide the live soundtrack for the show: pianist Anne Britt; guitarists Aaron Knudson and Seth Schwebs; bass player Shelly Sanderlin; drummers David Quillen and Eric Fellows; saxophone players Ron Bork, Max Dixon and Duane Bond; and brass players Bob Thornburg, Mike Quillen, Richard Manning, David Clark, Doug Ausmus, Larry Hake and Tom Adams.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
FLASHBACK "Steel Magnolias" Review
Published: October 26, 2006
By STARLA POINTER Of the News-Register
"Steel Magnolias" is a play about what a mother will do for her child, about love and loss, about continuing to live, about Southern sass. But most of all, it's about the family-like bond that women friends create: how they squabble like siblings yet support one another like nobody's business as well.
Undoubtedly, such a connection really exists between the actresses in Gallery Theater's version of the show. The cast members are delivering lines written by Robert Harling, but the way they care for one another is genuine.
And that helps make this a superlative production - it shines like freshly washed hair.
Although it will have you digging for Kleenex at times, "Steel Magnolias" is absolutely hilarious. The characters speak their minds, without reservation, about men, about religion, about relationships, about their neighbors, about one another. Especially about one another.
Interestingly, two of the actresses played different roles in Gallery's earlier version of "Steel Magnolias" back in 1991. Harmon appeared as Shelby and Nielsen played Clairee. Whether that experience gave them more insight into their present characters or not, they both do a marvelous job this time.
Harmon is hilarious in the broadly-drawn role of Truvy, the sassy beauty shop owner who cannot stand not being first to know. And Nielsen, who always does a great job with comic roles at Gallery, makes Ouiser as sassy as a spit curl.
Under the direction of Seth Renne, the whole cast does a super job. Sharon Morgan is Clairee this time around, and she's perfect as the recently widowed mayor's wife finding a life of her own. Holly Spencer looks young and vulnerable as Annelle, who comes looking for work and mothering at Truvy's shop. Mercedes Cook and Deborah Johansen are well-paired as Shelby and her mother, neither of whom can turn off her maternal instinct.
(During scene changes, I overheard several audience members wondering if Cook and Johansen were related - a compliment to their work. I also heard people comparing the Gallery actresses to those in the hit movie of "Steel Magnolias," also favorably.)
All the actresses are convincing with their Southern accents, especially Spencer, and none goes overboard. The costumes are almost characters in and of themselves - especially those worn by Harmon as Truvy. Same with the hair and makeup. And it's interesting to see how much the clothes reveal about the wearer, especially as Ouiser becomes more feminine and Annelle more pious.
A soundtrack of '80s and pre-'80s songs by the likes of Phil Collins, Elton John and Wham! adds to the atmosphere. The set is clever, with a hair-washing station as well as the other accouterments of a beauty shop.
The shop is the show's sole set, and all the action takes place there. That's one of the things that distinguishes the stage play from the movie version; another is the focus entirely on the six women. All in all, it's a much more satisfying piece without the distraction of other characters and other locales.
"Steel Magnolias" is perfect for Gallery's intimate Arena Theater. It's almost as if audience members are sitting under the dryers, pretending to read magazines but actually listening in on the gossip.
But the setting also is this production's flaw. The Arena holds fewer than 100 seats, which makes it likely that performances will sell out and people who haven't secured tickets early might be disappointed. Don't risk missing this one.
"Steel Magnolias" continues through Nov. 11 at Gallery Theater, Second and Ford streets in downtown McMinnville. Shows are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12 for adults and $11 for seniors and students, with a $2 discount offered for advanced purchases. Call the box office at 503-472-2227 for reservations.
The Sunday, Oct. 29, performance is a fundraiser for the Yamhill-Carlton High School safe graduation party. Tickets are $15, available from 503-476-5481.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Deathtrap Review
Deathtrap
Published: October 25, 2007
By STARLA POINTEROf the News-Register
Whodunit? What did they do? And was it really done?
Those are the questions that delight audiences who see "Deathtrap." The Gallery Theater production slays us with its biting comic lines, sets hearts racing at dramatic moments and leaves us hanging in the end.
Or does it?
We're never quite sure in this show, and that's its charm. Ira Levin weaves a story that's as perfect as the fictional script that bears the same title as Levin's creation.
The play works as well today as it did when it was written almost 30 years ago, although one of the key relationships is not as likely to shock as it was back in 1978. That relationship isn't convincing in this version, anyway.
But it's the convoluted storyline we're here for, after all, and that works as well as a pair of Houdini's handcuffs. It tugs us first one way and then the other, and that's a lot of fun.
Chris Benham - with an intensity reminiscent of Richard Dreyfuss -does a marvelous job as Sidney Bruhl, a once-successful playwright who has hit a very long, very dry spell. Seemingly out of the blue, Bruhl receives a juicy script that's sure to be a hit - for its writer, a novice who attended one of the workshops the older man teaches in order to pay his bills.
Under the influence of jealousy, how far will a person go? the play asks. And is his action an anomaly, or an evil part of his personality that's just been hidden under a mask of normality?
Charity Benham plays Myra Bruhl, the playwright's wealthy wife, who helps her husband carry out his plans even though her heart isn't in it. Benham does a good job portraying the feelings of betrayal and disbelief that arise when someone we think we know suddenly reveals his dark side.
Jeff Sargent gives Clifford Anderson, the novice playwright, a slightly uptight edge as types away at his masterpiece. And Steve Cox is fine as Porter Milgrin, Bruhl's lawyer, the "fifth character" who does the yeoman's job of moving the tightly woven plot along.
But it's April Wilcox who steals the show as Helga ten Dorp, the psychic who's just moved in next door. With wild hair and a wildly European accent, Helga breezes in to tell us what's happening - she sees things much more clearly in her mind than we see them in front of us, as it turns out.
Or does she?
Gallery's "Deathtrap" is well-directed by Carolyn McCloskey, with assistance from Vanessa Terzaghi and Walt Haight; and technical work by Linda Weaver, Kate Pierce, Craig Luis and Robert Osterhout. It's a good example of teamwork, with more people behind the scenes than on stage.
The show features a great set by Adam Ewing, Bill McCloskey, Susan Parker and Richard Weaver, with additional touches by Jeaniie Kleinschmit and Matt Meador. The special lighting effects are generally good, but I wish the lightning was more contained - the flashes make it look as if Bruhl's study has no roof.
Phil Darling contributed the props that bring "Deathtrap" to life - a variety of murder weapons and torture devices. Bruhl collects them because he is a writer of mystery plays; a love of plays and theater in general must be Darling's reason.
Or is it?
Published: October 25, 2007
By STARLA POINTEROf the News-Register
Whodunit? What did they do? And was it really done?
Those are the questions that delight audiences who see "Deathtrap." The Gallery Theater production slays us with its biting comic lines, sets hearts racing at dramatic moments and leaves us hanging in the end.
Or does it?
We're never quite sure in this show, and that's its charm. Ira Levin weaves a story that's as perfect as the fictional script that bears the same title as Levin's creation.
The play works as well today as it did when it was written almost 30 years ago, although one of the key relationships is not as likely to shock as it was back in 1978. That relationship isn't convincing in this version, anyway.
But it's the convoluted storyline we're here for, after all, and that works as well as a pair of Houdini's handcuffs. It tugs us first one way and then the other, and that's a lot of fun.
Chris Benham - with an intensity reminiscent of Richard Dreyfuss -does a marvelous job as Sidney Bruhl, a once-successful playwright who has hit a very long, very dry spell. Seemingly out of the blue, Bruhl receives a juicy script that's sure to be a hit - for its writer, a novice who attended one of the workshops the older man teaches in order to pay his bills.
Under the influence of jealousy, how far will a person go? the play asks. And is his action an anomaly, or an evil part of his personality that's just been hidden under a mask of normality?
Charity Benham plays Myra Bruhl, the playwright's wealthy wife, who helps her husband carry out his plans even though her heart isn't in it. Benham does a good job portraying the feelings of betrayal and disbelief that arise when someone we think we know suddenly reveals his dark side.
Jeff Sargent gives Clifford Anderson, the novice playwright, a slightly uptight edge as types away at his masterpiece. And Steve Cox is fine as Porter Milgrin, Bruhl's lawyer, the "fifth character" who does the yeoman's job of moving the tightly woven plot along.
But it's April Wilcox who steals the show as Helga ten Dorp, the psychic who's just moved in next door. With wild hair and a wildly European accent, Helga breezes in to tell us what's happening - she sees things much more clearly in her mind than we see them in front of us, as it turns out.
Or does she?
Gallery's "Deathtrap" is well-directed by Carolyn McCloskey, with assistance from Vanessa Terzaghi and Walt Haight; and technical work by Linda Weaver, Kate Pierce, Craig Luis and Robert Osterhout. It's a good example of teamwork, with more people behind the scenes than on stage.
The show features a great set by Adam Ewing, Bill McCloskey, Susan Parker and Richard Weaver, with additional touches by Jeaniie Kleinschmit and Matt Meador. The special lighting effects are generally good, but I wish the lightning was more contained - the flashes make it look as if Bruhl's study has no roof.
Phil Darling contributed the props that bring "Deathtrap" to life - a variety of murder weapons and torture devices. Bruhl collects them because he is a writer of mystery plays; a love of plays and theater in general must be Darling's reason.
Or is it?
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