Arsenic and Old Lace at Midvale Performing Arts Center

Hello blog readers! Did you miss me? Well, forgive me. I was busy having other adventures that I could use for blog material, and I didn't want to blog on vacation.

Thursday night, a few weeks ago, a huge group of friends and I went to support our darling friend, Larissa who was in "Arsenic and Old Lace" at the Midvale Performing Arts Center. We took up almost the whole row. Amy and her husband, Josh were there, as well as Dennis and I.

Dennis, Me, Amy, and Josh
Do you see that guy's face in the background?
I burst out laughing when I saw him!

Justina, Curtis, Kristen, and her friend, Sparky were there too.

Sparky, Kristen, Curtis, and Justina
I could have cropped this photo more, but Larissa's friend Xela is in it too in the upper right corner.
Also, I really liked the old lady in the background smiling and looking directly at the camera.

The set had so much detail. They really put a lot of thought into the house furnishings. I noticed that the set looked familiar. There was a window seat, two back entrances (one with a swinging door), a stage right entrance, a staircase...it looked just like the set we used at the Sugar Factory Playhouse in Miracle on 34th Street, when I played Doris! 

That's because when they tore down the Sugar Factory, they brought a lot of set and prop pieces over to the Midvale Performing Arts Center. They had also used this same set when West Jordan Arts did See How They Run.

See all those hats by the door on the left hand side?
I noticed them right away, and figured they were from all the gentlemen the Barker sisters had poisoned...I was right!

Larissa was fantastic (as usual)! She lit up the stage from the moment she came on. She was completely adorable, and perfect for the role. It was fun to see her kiss someone on stage. She had several hilarious moments, when her friend, who played Mortimer tried to push her out the door, or physically pick her up.  I laughed each time he picked her up and carried her, and each time she dug her feet in, or went stiff.  Once she even impatiently drummed her fingers on his back!

At the end of the play, he picked her up in a princess carry and swung her around in a circle (I don't know what it's called, but I always told my daddy to carry me like a princess, and it basically meant that he carried me like Rhett Butler carries Scarlet O'Hara). The audience collectively gasped, because he seemed to lose his balance, with her in his arms. We all thought he was going to drop her.
 
I really enjoyed the performance of Catherine Nelson Bohman, who played Abby Brewster. She was so convincing as a cute, sweet, little old lady, and her lines flowed effortlessly from her. I was very surprised after the show, to see she was really quite young, and beautiful!

Dennis, Justina, Me, Catherine Bohman, and Amy

I have to be brutally honest, and say that the majority of the actors stumbled over their lines, as if it were a dress rehearsal, as if they weren't sure of what to say. I was shocked to see that so many of them had done several shows before, because some of them delivered their lines without any character, or vocal inflection. Some actors were VERY aware of the audience, and they even occasionally broke the fourth wall. At times it was almost like watching elementary-school-kids delivering their lines.

It was definitely a strange performance that night. There were several mishaps (some covered well by the actors, and some taken to the extreme by hamming it up even more). At one point, one actor who was supposed to have exited, kept coming back in again, and again for another joke and another laugh. I turned to Dennis and said, "What in the HELL is going on with this play?" 

While I found it funny as an audience member, I found it extremely unprofessional as an actor. The audience was laughing hard, as were some of the actors, who broke character. It just goes to show that you never know WHAT will happen in live theatre.

Luckily, the story line is plenty engaging, even with straight-faced, monotone line delivery. And with the physical comedy and a few shining stars, this production still had us rolling in the aisles. You can pretty much guarantee that Larissa will be excellent in any show she participates in, and she did not disappoint.  

Larissa, and two of her cast mates during the curtain call

I was hoping Larissa would have come out in her costume, but she wasn't allowed.

I just threw this in there because I like the angular style. Curtis took this one. VOGUE.

Annie Get Your Gun at the Empress Theatre

Last weekend, my friends Larissa, Megan, and Kristen invited me to see Annie Get Your Gun at the Empress Theatre. I know, I know, I just saw this play last year done by West Jordan Arts. It's not like it's my favorite show or anything, but it's a family friendly show, and I had several friends in it.

Kristen, Megan, Larissa, and I

I decided to invite Spitfire, and my sisters Skinny and Dreamer. Skinny brought along my nephew Chief.

 

Me, Skinny, Chief, and Spitfire
(I hate how fat my face looks in these pictures)

Right off the bat, I was impressed with this cast. I was immediately drawn in to the story of the play. The opening number was fun and engaging. I noticed that the ensemble were all smiling, present in the moment, and invested in the scene.

Immediately after the opening number is when the Charlie Davenport character announces the set up of scene one. In the production I saw last year, I had HATED this aspect of the play. It pulled me completely out of the scene, and was a blatant reminder that I was watching a play.

However, in this production, I found that it worked. This was in part due to the intimacy of the Empress' 3/4 thrust stage. I also believe it was because of the excellent direction of Nancy Jensen. The actors (who doubled as the stage crew) immediately flew into action setting up the scene, even before Charlie had finished his call to action. It made the awkward transition seem smooth and flawless.

In fact, all of the scene changes were executed very quickly and efficiently, utilizing the characters to carry out the transition into the next scene. This Charlie Davenport, (played by Perry Whitehair, Sr.), spoke confidently, and with authority. making it easy to see he was the "Stage Manager". 

I was particularly impressed with the children who played Annie Oakley's siblings. They spoke their lines with clarity, and you could hear them, despite not wearing microphones. They were in the right places at the right times. Very good casting choices.

I enjoyed all of the leads. Frank Butler, played by Eric Barney had a rich, wonderful voice. He didn't seem to be the sort of "Man's Man" physically that I picture Frank Butler being, but he won me over with his confident portrayal of Frank.  April Henderson, who played Annie Oakley, had a strong, impressive belt. There were a couple of times her pitch was off, but it happens to the best of us. She was likable as Annie, warm and funny. 

I enjoyed Erica Jones as Winnie Tate. She lit up the stage with her smile and personality. Skyler Bluemel was an energetic Tommy Keeler. Both made the silliness of young love fun, without being cartoonish. The musical number "I'll Share It All With You" was very entertaining, although pitch seemed to be an issue on the harmonies for Skyler.

Tim Frost did well as Buffalo Bill, though I wish his wig would have been fuller and longer below his cowboy hat! I enjoyed Thomas Gasu as Chief Sitting Bull. His headdress was awesome and in the front, it looked like he had long braids. However, when he turned around you could see his short, square haircut on his neck. It was distracting to me. John Lettelleir did a fine job as Pawnee Bill. Again, all of the lead characters were very strongly cast.

I saved my review of Dolly Tate for last. You may remember from my previous review of AGYG that I have played the part of Dolly before, 11 years ago. I had been very underwhelmed by the Dolly I saw in the production last year. In this production, the part of Dolly was played by Jamie Victor. She was fan-freakin-tas-tic! I found myself laughing out loud several times at her antics. I loved the villain in her. She brought a wonderful dramatic flair to the role that fit perfectly. She was mean, without being nasty. She completely lived up to my expectations. Well done!

The ensemble wasn't chopped liver either! Every member of the ensemble was energetic, had their own character. My friend Justina was a cute cowgirl and was beaming from ear to ear! I laughed when I saw her doing a head-stand during one scene, and wearing a french cabaret dress, doing the can-can in another.  17-year-old Perry Whitehair, Jr. got to kiss the leading lady (she mistakes him for Frank Butler) which tickled me immensely. Sasha Nutger looked gorgeous in her ballgown. I did not see ONE single member of the ensemble who looked bored. Every one was interesting to watch. SUCH a great ensemble.

Perry Jr., Perry Sr., me, and Justina

I was really impressed by the use of live instruments onstage. There was a member of the ensemble who played the guitar during "Moonshine Lullaby", which was very charming. She also played during "They Say It's Wonderful" along with a fiddle/violin player, which really brought a sweetness to the song.

The sound was done by Curtis Bailey, who made sure the actor's microphones were off when they needed to be, and most of the sound cues were perfectly timed. There was one little mishap during the sound cue for "Anything You Can Do", when the song failed to start. This is an actor's worst nightmare. I could tell the actors were a bit flustered at not having the song play when it should, but they all stayed in character, and covered it well by staring each other down, pacing, staying in the moment, and ad-libbing.

I was so impressed with the quality of this production in every aspect, from directing, to acting, singing, scene changes, ensemble, child actors, and sound cues. The Empress puts on a caliber show, and you do not want to miss this one!

Annie Get Your Gun plays Monday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. until April 7th. Tickets are $12.00 for adults, and $10.00 for children and seniors. Don't miss this very well done gem of a show!

After the show, my family went to Arctic Circle for shakes. Mmmm!

 

Annie Get Your Gun--West Jordan Performing Arts

Last night I attended Annie Get Your Gun by West Jordan Performing Arts with my friends, Larissa, Megan, and Justina.

This particular musical was done by West Jordan exactly 10 years ago, starring yours truly, as Dolly Tate. It was my first supporting role, and gave me the confidence I needed to be cast in other leading roles.

I knew a couple of people in the cast, but honestly, I only went to compare their show to the one I had been in. I had pretty low expectations going in, because I felt that our show 10 years ago had been excellent. But I was pleasantly surprised.

First off, the microphones kept cutting in and out. Luckily, the actors did a wonderful job projecting, and we were sitting close enough to hear them, but it was REALLY annoying.

A couple of times, the microphones were not muted once the actors had gone off-stage, so you could hear their conversations and laughter overlapping the stage dialogue. I know this sometimes happens, it's happened to me, but it seemed to go on forever. Nobody told the actors backstage that their mikes were on, and nobody in the sound booth realized they should mute their mikes.

The leading characters were very strong. I immediately liked Frank Butler when he came onto the stage. He commanded the stage with charisma and confidence, and had a strong singing voice. The actress playing Annie Oakley was adorable in the role. She was charming and lovable, and had very nice vocal control. And by the way, their kissing scenes were magnetic! They seemed very passionate, and in love, not awkward the way many stage kisses are.

I also really liked Chief Sitting Bull. He had a very strong stage presence. I thought my friend Brett did a fine job as Buffalo Bill. Initially, I couldn't see him in this role, but he really comanded the stage with his voice.

Early on, the character of Charlie Davenport, the Wild West show manager, would come on-stage and yell out to set up the next scene. It happened throughout the play between every scene. I had to ask my friend Mike, if that was something the director added, or if it was actually in the script. Since I learned that this was in the script, I feel confident saying how I felt about this, as it in no way relects upon the actor or the director.

I HATED it. I felt it pulled me out of the moment every time it happened. It was an unwelcome reminder that I wasn't watching someone's life unfold, but sitting in a high school auditorium watching a play. It really did not work for me. Sorry, Charlie.

The gal playing Annie Oakley had an excellent voice, which was really showcased by the song "Moonshine Lullaby".

I also enjoyed "My Defenses are Down" performed by Frank Butler and the men in the cast. It was a fun little number, and was the highlight of the first act.

I enjoyed the contrast in "An Old Fashioned Wedding" between Frank, who wanted a small little wedding, and Annie, who wanted what every girl wants, a grandios, over-the-top wedding. As they sung, Annie's wedding desires manifested onto the stage, which included bridesmaids, flowergirls, the whole ensemble as wedding guests, and at the very back were two stained-glass windows to represent a church. The funniest part was at the end of the song, when Frank told everyone to get out of there, and then added, "You too, windows!"

In the property room scene, Dolly is caught messing with Annie's guns in order to fix the contest between Frank and Annie. Charlie Davenport and Chief Sitting Bull tie her to a chair and threaten to choke her. I don't remember how the scene ended in the one I performed, but in this one, Charlie Davenport realizes how beautiful and vulnerable Dolly is all tied up, and decides he's in love with her. This was a twist in the story I did NOT see coming.

The best song of the show was "Anything You Can Do". I loved the back and forth banter and the one-upmanship. When Frank Butler said he could sing sweeter, his voice sounded a lot like Frank Sinatra. Annie could definately sing higher. She nearly shattered the glass in the room with the crystal clarity of her high notes.

I'm not sure of the character's name, but there was one gal during the ballroom scene who kept laughing this obnoxious laugh. She made me laugh every time she laughed. Her character was very fun.

I was a little underwhelmed by Dolly's costumes, because she's the original showgirl, so she's supposed to be flashy. I remember my costumes being much more elaborate, but I think the theatre was able to borrow some really high end costumes for our production.

I also didn't remember the character of Dolly being so racist, but perhaps I blocked that from my memory. Since it was one of my first supporting roles, and it was 10 years ago, I am unsure how good of an actress I really was, but I seem to remember getting a lot more laughs when I was on-stage, and several people told me afterward that I was the character they loved to hate.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. It was good to relive some memories and to notice the differences. Here are some pictures from my show.



Dolly with Mrs. Potter Porter



Pawnee Bill and Dolly