ArtNELA - Northeast La. Arts and Culture

Co-stars Elizabeth Bennett and William Tatum.

I was waiting as patiently as possible for the new season at Strauss Theater to begin. I had missed the last one, and all the ones before that, because I only just moved up to the Monroe area late last year. Strauss is obviously “the” theater in Monroe, so I had my hopes up ever so slightly that I would discover a gem in the same manner as Le Petite in New Orleans, or Rivertown Repertory in Kenner, La. I had performed myself at both of these theaters in the past, and seen a fair number of shows, too, and can say that they are “the” theaters in that area, if you want to see the best productions.

At any rate, since the Strauss Theater seemed to be the only game in town for Monroe, I figured it either had to be really good, with a lot of local support and enthusiasm, or it would just be a slacker theater with lackluster productions that got by simply because they were, again, the only game in town.

So, I just saw the season opening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and whoopee baby, it turns out that the Strauss Theater is really good.

Flappers, fer real, on stage at Strauss Theater.

Having come almost a year ago from probably the most theater-saturated city in the South, I’ll admit to some desperation right now to see live theater. I would have been happy with even a fair-hearted attempt at this show, really. But the crew at Strauss showed me such a good time that I’m still laughing about some of it two days later.

Some of the community shows I’ve been to elsewhere are met with a mass exodus at intermission. Even the lavish productions at Tulane Summer Lyric don’t always hold an audience.

That’s something this show doesn’t have to worry about in the least.

The opening number, “Not for the Life of Me,” from Elizabeth Bennett as Millie Dillmount, captured my attention in a big way and really gave the rest of the show something to live up to. Bennett’s voice has that classic Broadway sound, sharp and bright and enthusiastic, handed over with a giant, I’m-giving-it-all-I-got smile. She completely set the tone for the next two hours. Her second act solo, “Gimme Gimme,” was a real show stopper, too, and she gave it just as much energy, if not more, than her opening number.

I'll be checking out the movie soon, since the stage show was so much fun.

The youthful chorus jumped in with Bennett pretty quickly for “Thoroughly Modern Mille,” and thankfully had the stage space to show off the colorful costumes by Marcy and Mary Hall, and some spins, parades, and well-rehearsed choreography by Shawnee Corbin, along with a powerful, polished group voice that filled the room. I was hooked and held my breath in hopes that the whole show was would go at this pace.

Hats off to set designer Scot Baronet for his enjoyable 3D scenes of New York which gave some depth to the stage and went well with the roll-on office furniture. I liked Millie’s use of the office desk as a sort of comical way to scoot around the stage without actually standing up. I also thought the roll-on window ledge was effective, and kudos to Bennett and William Tatum, as Jimmy Smith, for being sure on their feet and their vocals during their ledge-top dance number, “I Turned a Corner.” Tatum, for his part, was well suited as the romantic interest for Millie.

Cast members from "Thoroughly Modern Mille" at Strauss Theater, Sept. 20, 2009. Left to right: Laura Sidders, Amy Medlin, Samantha and Lauren Matherne, and Gayle Frck.

The Hotel Priscilla scenes were a riot, with Jeanine Patton as Mrs. Meers and Josh and Jacob Branson as Ching Ho and Bun Foo. Mrs. Meers, as if her makeup wasn’t enough, had an appropriately rough and twangy Japanese accent to match her later exposure as a wannabe actress, and her “oh, wee-whee” take on “oh, really,” got a laugh on more than one occasion. The brothers performance of their very unexpected Japanese-only duet, a reprise of “Not for the Life of Me,” was hilarious. We kept expecting them to start singing in English, but the fact that they didn’t made it all the funnier, as they just kept going in Japanese or whatever it was, and playing it as though we understood every word.

A song between these three later, “Muquin,” is the closest I’ve ever come to actually watching a really good Saturday Night Live skit, live on stage, from back in the day when SNL was sincerely funny.

The early duet between Bennett and Lauren Matherne, as the petite Miss Dorothy Brown, made me think of the impeccable match-up of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked. Their voices went together perfectly and they had the smiles and characterizations to match. I couldn’t get enough of either of them.

Melissa Tucker turned in a good, hard-nosed role as Miss Flannery, and she pulls off one of the funniest lines in the show–“my family is known for our elbows,” which I’m laughing at again as I write this.

Gayle Frick deserves a note also for her exceptionally well-sung role as Muzzy Van Hossmere, the classy lounge singer who gives Millie a shoulder to lean on.

From left: Sarah Keyes, Schylar Berry and Allison Tugwell.

Possibly one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen on stage happened during the second act between Matherne and Troy Wold, impeccably cast as the pretentious and sporadically soused boss-man Trevor Graydon. One moment, Wold is dictating to his new stenographer, and the next–and I mean this happened in a blink–he launches into a scene right out of the recent movie, Enchanted, where he is smitten by the blinding beauty of Miss Dorothy and has no other way to express it except through SOOONNGGG!  His delivery was absolutely on target as he stood there with hand-on-heart, and Matherne’s reaction as the lovestruck hummingbird was perfect. The audience was in stitches, watching these two swirl and bound around the stage in ridiculous, squealing, musical bliss.

I was impressed with the “The Speed Test,” which had Millie surrounded by a set of office workers clad in alternating colors of stockings, and everyone tapping at the speed of typing as Millie did her best to maintain her new job as Graydon‘s stenographer.

The music director and choreographer deserve a hand for the excellent dancing and choral parts, which were a good leap better than I had prepared myself for. Getting a chorus together vocally is a challenge, but this group made it look easy, and I was constantly impressed with how big they sounded. I even wondered if they weren’t being embellished by a light overlay of vocals on the recorded music. I don’t think that was the case, however, and it was all the more impressive to listen to them sing as they danced and even did flips here and there.

From left: Morgan West, Charity Wilkins, Jacob and Josh Branson, Amy Medlin, Beaux Coleman and Nathanael Medlin.

I especially appreciated this chorus and that they stayed active during their scenes that were shared with the leading roles. It’s easy to waste an ensemble and have them stand stock-still, but this group added a whole new dimension of realism and production, especially during the Tie-One-On Club party scene and “The Nuttycracker Suite,” and also “Long as I’m Here with You.” They were an integral part of the dancing and acting, extremely energetic, and also kept life in the scenes by interacting as groups in the background while the leads moved into solo parts. I constantly had my eyes going from one part of the stage to another trying to catch all the activity, and was never disappointed.

Overall, the ensemble parts were impeccable and gave me all I could have asked for, and more. Fairly often, the energy of a local theater group can far outshine the road-wearied repetition in a large, traveling Broadway show. I haven’t seen the road version of this show, but it would be tough to outmatch the gusto this cast gives it.

Director Jon Baccarini with Jeanine Patton at "Thoroughly Modern Mille" at Strauss Theater, Sept. 20, 2009.

Director John Baccarini did a wonderful job casting the roles and has managed to find the perfect pacing. It might actually help that they’re using a recorded CD for the music rather than a live band, since this forces the speed to stay where it should, at least musically. But Baccarini never lets the cast slow down, even during scenes where you might forgive it, and this alone does wonders to keep things interesting. There’s an awful lot going on backstage, I’m sure, what with ensemble costume changes and complete walls of scenery dropping down from the ceiling, but we’re kept blissfully in the dark, so to speak. I was surprised at how much happened and how quickly, without some sort of major screw-up.

There were a few flops here and there, of course. The lights went out for a few seconds during the window ledge scene, but Bennett and Tatum wisely kept going and didn’t seem fazed by the interruption; also, I’m pretty sure there was a moment during one of Bennett’s office scenes when a verse of music got skipped, or something odd, but Bennett did such a nice job of looking busy that she made it through this without much damage, and jumped right in with her two toe-tapping chorus girls at her next opportune moment.

This was evening of theater well-spent. Baccarini has it all polished it to an enjoyable and highly entertaining musical, while also leaving room for his cast to convey that footloose, and thoroughly modern, 1920’s feel.

You can still catch this show, Sept. 24-27. Call 318-323-6681 for reservations.

The Strauss Theater’s next productions are Barefoot in the Park in November, and The Adventures of Robin Hood for children in late October.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

 

Show goodies: a program, DVD and magnet.

BASTROP, La. 6/8/09 | Published in Delta Style Sept. 2009

I spent the last two days trying to re-create this blog on its own domain, and miracle of miracles, I have figured it out at last. Welcome to the self-hosted, official new location. I’m also working on graphics and video. Hopefully those sections won’t take long to put up.

I said earlier that I wasn’t an art critic, but maybe I am, just a little. So here’s an overdue rundown on Jekyll and Hyde … the performances ran for two weeks in July at The Rose Theater, a quaint place in Bastrop, La., where they even have a lighted, scrolling marquee across the front, a classic addition that I haven’t seen often. Something else they offer is free refreshments during intermission. I saw that and started wondering if I had crashed a private party. This is small theater, of course, but with these special touches, it’s obvious there are people who care about its welfare. I’ve seen a lot of community theaters come and go, so it’s nice to see one that’s thriving.

I spoke with the director, Hal Robinson, just before the Saturday performance on July 25.

“The idea to do this show actually came up about five years ago, but we’ve only just recently been able to do it,” he said. “It’s not the kind of show we normally do … It’s taken about three months of preparation, the cast was chosen only about eight weeks ago and we’ve been in production since. I think people have been surprised by how good it is. The voices are outstanding, and we have a great cast.”

A partial cast shot following the July 25 performance of Jeckyll and Hyde at the Rose Theater, Bastrop, LA.

I was happy to see the show for myself. Though I was late getting a reservation, the theater granted me a comp ticket in the balcony. It’s an area that just doesn’t get the same attention as the lower levels; in this case, it meant being in a glaring spotlight from the keyboardist’s music stand about ten feet away. This was a distraction and a blessing–it killed the dark-theater ambiance, but provided lots of light for me to write notes. The keyboardist and single source of music, Charles Fricke, was really on top of his game though, and I appreciated his timing and attention to the dialogue during the show. Live music really makes a tremendous difference.

The chorus is always a part of any musical that I’m curious about, because I’ve been a part of them myself so often. It’s easy to forget when you’re in a crowd that you are just as unique and visible as a main characters onstage. This show had a chorus of about twenty people that was too big for the stage but they handled it well. The highlight was their sound, which was more than I expected and surprisingly well-mixed–credit to the sound engineer, Randy Norman, and the vocalists, because it all worked together, and there were times when the soprano and tenor voices really stood out at just the right moments and at a perfect volume.

Actors Tony Bales and Kathy Marquis in the lobby after the July 25 performance of Jeckyll and Hyde.

The choreographer, Aleta Eley, played it mostly safe with the chorus, and there were highlights such as a full split by one young chorister, and a nicely-posed pyramid at the end of “Murder, Murder.” She introduced some fight action during Hyde’s first murder scene with the Bishop of Basingstoke, played by Steve Barton–the poor fellow–and both actors played this with a good amount of rolling around and physicality. I occasionally wanted to chorus to be more active in various scenes, but there’s always a fine line between them being involved or taking over, particularly in a small theater.

Costumer Marcy Hall obviously put a lot of attention into obtaining or creating period clothing, and saw that everyone knew how to wear it. The bear coat on Hyde during the second act was impressive and made him look three times larger than life.

Leading man Victor Fricke, whose son and father were also members of the cast and crew, gave an excellent turn as Jekyll/Hyde. My impression of him was that of a preacher at the pulpit, begging his followers to believe in him, and as the show moved ahead, this character was the perfect backdrop to Hyde, whose altered appearance quite literally made me a little jumpy. It seemed that fella might get out of hand and start roaming the theater once he was done with the cast. The change from Jekyll to Hyde was really no more than a change in breathing, posture and voice, plus a generous explosion of natural long hair, but Fricke made it totally effective. He managed to get a laugh, too, by slouching over his lab notes and quipping with a sly glance to the audience, “Four-o’clock … and all is wee-e-ll …” while it most apparently was not.

Fricke’s vocals were authentic and strong, and backed up with confidence by the supporting characters. I enjoyed that Fricke really gave it his all a few times, such as “This is the Moment,” and these efforts were likewise applauded by an audience that was especially responsive throughout the evening. There was also a vocal quartet near the end of the first act that received a well-deserved round of applause, with Fricke as Jekyll, Donna Edwards as Emma, Toby Otero as Sir Danvers Carew and Russell Givens as Jekyll’s lawyer, G. J. Utterson.

Charles Fricke plays a bank of keyboards for the July 25 performance of Jeckyll and Hyde at the Rose Theater in Bastrop, LA.

I think I have all that right … the program for the show didn’t feature a scene list, for some reason, so I’m having to go back and forth between my notes and the Wikipedia version to figure out who went where. There were a number of too-long breaks between scenes where a full program might have given fidgety audience members something to read while they waited.

The set was a sparse red floor with four red posts for the first few scenes, and I was happy to see some very nicely detailed pieces roll on later. I really loved the laboratory cabinet, which featured flickering colored lights, a wide selection of beakers, tangled tubes and a real gas lamp. This gas lamp, it turned out, had a higher purpose: it was the catalyst for the entire front of the cabinet to flame up at the end of “Obsession.”

The Rose Theater, Bastrop LA

Crew member Moe Marquis, who built the gas piping for the set, told me that getting the flames to work required someone to be standing near the gas line with a lighter in hand, ready to go. I couldn’t tell that there was anything so straightforward going on during the show, though, and the couple of times that flames appeared, it just looked like Hyde had shot them there out of his hand with a spectacular flourish.

Actors Toby and Dana Otero in the lobby after the July 25 performance of Jeckyll and Hyde.

Outdoor scenes were implied via projected images on the back wall. This would have been aided by some London fog pumped in from the wings, though it might have just obscured everything.

I also enjoyed Mr. Stride, played very confidently by Tony Bayles; Dana Otero as the Madame, who was blessed with some welcome one-liners; and Matt Wilkens as the very scary Spider, who I have written in my notes as “Dark Pimp.” I didn’t know who he was at the time, and that was the best description I could think of. Also, Poole, Jekyll’s butler, played by Roy McCoy, was about as close to a living Igor as I’ve seen, though I couldn’t be sure if he was trying to be amusing or if it was just coming out that way.

Larua Ulrich gave us everything we might have expected out of Hyde’s tortured female interest, Lucy Harris. Her voice was rich and matched her corsetted, hourglass, lady-of-the-night character. Ulrich later told me that she had wanted to play the role since she was ten years old. I had fun watching her pull off her sassy solo during her intro at the Red Rat pub, then the change into some of her softer songs such as “A New Life,” and felt like I had gotten to know her by the time she was sliced and diced by Hyde at the end. Ah, it’s just a fake knife, right? Because that scream sounded real.

The show needed to pick up the pace from the first act, and Hyde whacking his way through bodies in the second act definitely sped things up. By the show’s nature, the most dramatic scenes were entirely Hyde’s. Watching Hyde and Jekyll face off during “Confrontation” was fascinating and must’ve taken quite a bit of solitary rehearsal on Fricke’s part.

“I’d do this kind of thing more often if I had the time,” Fricke told me later. “It’s so much fun.”

Special thanks from me to the cast members who passed along a memento magnet and the DVD. I’ll post a video from that soon.

The Rose Theater’s next production is Alice in Wonderland, Aug 7, 8 and 9.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

 

McConnell Collection, African Art, from a previous exhibit at GSU. I'll post some shots of the current student show after I see the exhibit.

Just two days old, and this blog has already gotten some positive feedback! Wow. Thanks to everyone who commented. Apparently, it’s been placed on the virtual doorsteps of members of the Masur Museum, courtesy of Director Anne Dennington. So, hello, Masur members, and please feel free to offer any suggestions for the site.

I’ve been compiling the list of links, in the sidebar at right, by researching other lists of links compiled by other local art sites, and I think I’ve finally compiled a comfortable pile of pre-compiled art links … confusing, ain’t it? At any rate, most of what you see there, at right, again, should go directly to the current schedule of events for that particular gallery or association or what-have-you. The idea is to save readers a few clicks of going to the sites, and then having to search for exhibition and performance schedules.

Now, on to some art news …. here are a few events in progress or upcoming. At Grambling University, the student art show is going on through Aug. 28. The gallery is open during the week only, take note. At Strauss Dinner Theater, you can assist Rick Archer, PI, in solving a mystery titled “Murder at Cafe Noir,” while also enjoying your baked redfish with crabmeat sauce and a side of tomato basil soup, or a 16-oz ribeye, or something equally appetizing. Wowee. My guess is the chef did it. Playdates for that are Fridays and Saturdays in July at the Hilton Garden Inn, West Monroe.

Strauss Theater offers that ever tantalizing combo of dead guys and dinner. Uh, waiter, there's a knife in my soup.

The Rose Theater has Jekyll and Hyde, the musical, running for two weeks starting on July 17, Fri-Sun. This is something I don’t want to miss, mainly because of my deep affection for the 1990 concept recording, Highlights From Jekyll And Hyde, with Colm Wilkinson and Linda Eder singing everything almost a capella. It’s stunningly beautiful … a lot of the songs on the CD never made it to the stage, unfortunately, so I don’t know how the live version compares, but anyway, it’s a great story, and I’d like to see what the Rose does with it.

Jekyll and Hyde battle their inner demons at the Rose Theater. Hey, hold on a minute, I'm changing ... grrrrrrrrraaah!

And that’s it for now. I should have a review or two posted after this weekend if all goes well.