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trodding the boards by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com Twelfth Night at Tulane s Lupin Theater through July 23 Shad Willingham s Director s Notes for the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night state There is no deep message here, no historical significance. There is, however, a play that invites us to laugh at ourselves in each character, root for love, and escape the cares of the day to a far off land where madness reigns supreme. Well, all right. And Willingham certainly did deliver an enjoyable comedy, just right for a hot summer s eve with one of the best ensembles seen at the Shakespeare Festival at Tulane in some time. But still. Twelfth Night is not such a rarity that one couldn t ask for a somewhat more rigorous approach than merely shifting the setting from Illyria to St. Tropez so that we get a kind of La Cage aux Folles-influenced Shakespeare. For all its madcap hijinx and tomfoolery, this is a play in which characters behave very cruelly towards each other. Were it to be done al fresco like The NOLA Project s recent Midsummer Night s Dream a lighter touch would certainly be warranted. But given its academic setting, a darker approach might have yielded a richer, even more satisfying outcome. On its own comic terms, however, this Night takes a while, like many of Shakespeare s comedies, to get going as the Bard lines up his plot-filled dominoes. When they finally do come crashing down to hilarious and/or moving effect, Willingham nicely pulls all the strands together for a most resonant of payoffs. Bringing the play to life from the moment we see them is the comic trio of Sir Toby Belch, Maria and Sir Andrew Aguecheek. David W. Hoover creates a Sir Toby of Falstaffian proportions, a master manipulator with an underlying mean streak in him. Gary Rucker gives us a simpering but not completely foolish Sir Andrew while Amanda Zirkenbach s Maria is sassy yet wise. Why Maria was outfitted like Carmen (or Lucy Ricardo playing Carmen) was beyond me however. As Viola and Olivia, Michele Guidry and Heidi Dippold each make impressive New Orleans debuts. Alone in Illyria, Viola quickly transforms into the page Cesario and Guidry makes him outwardly assured while remaining a bundle of nerves within. Dippold creates a lovely, classy Countess; still mourning her brother s death, upon meeting Cesario/Viola, Dippold slowly allows love to bloom and the interaction between these two is a delight. John Neisler s Duke Orsino, in love with Olivia and the object of Viola s affections, was too much the commoner; lacking the regal bearing to match Dippold s Olivia might have explained, in part, why she was scorning him yet it somehow lessened the character unnecessarily. James Yeargain, as Viola s twin brother newly arrived in Illyria, may have the best moment in the entire play as Olivia, thinking he s Cesario, comes on to him. He may not understand what s going on but, as his eyes light up, it s clear he s not going to pass up such a fortuitous opportunity. Ricky Graham has the potential to be a great Malvolio. He certainly knows how to bring out the waspish humor of this priggish scold. But despite being an audience favorite, his was an overripe performance bordering on (and occasionally falling into) camp. Intriguingly, Graham seems to suggest that this Malvolio may be trying to convince himself of amorous feelings towards Olivia that don t really exist, but this idea needs further clarification. In his final, forlorn moments, however, shorn of all his trappings, Graham was truly touching as he faced a future that would demand a new concept of self. Filling out the cast were James Bartelle (Fabian), Clint Johnson (Feste), Martin Covert (Antonio), Alex Ates (Valentine), Brendan Bowen (Sea Captain/ Priest), Max Jay-Dixon (Curio/Officer), Erin Cessna (Lady/Maid to Olivia), and Matthew Mickal (Waiter). Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them goes Twelfth Night s most famous line. This Night may not achieve greatness but there s a lot to be said for very good-ness. Waiting Around at the AllWays Lounge through July 25 Ricky Graham and Harry Mayronne, Jr. s Waiting Around, a tasty evening that serves up the hopes, challenges, pleasures and frustrations of those who attend to us in fine dining establishments, premiered nine years ago. Not much has changed since then though now a restaurant is likely to add an 18-20% tip to a party of 6 or more rather than 17%. Inflation, eh? Waiting Around (formerly The Black & White Blues) has returned and, invoking the patron saint of waiters, Flo from TV s Alice, dishes up a new kid on the job s progression from mastering waiter lingo to deciding she s gonna stay in the biz. Covering a range of food-related topics from whiny customers to celebrity cooks, along the way we also meet a fairy god-waitress and a druggedout chef. This new version features accomplished direction and choreography by Amanda Zirkenbach if only restaurant service was always this smooth! Graham s cute book bestows a distinct personality on each of the servers and his lyrics are well-matched to Mayronne s bouncy tunes that occasionally contain echoes of their Great White Way counterparts (e.g., A Chorus Line). As before, I do wish Waiting Around employed a few less stereotypes. They re fairly harmless and, like a Don Rickles spiel, the inclusion of a multitude of ethnic groups blunts their force but with so many other targets to take aim at the authors might want to update this part of their menu. Tracey E. Collins makes for a scrumptious waitress who hopes to open her own restaurant; decked out in a bubble gum pink wig and rhinestone glasses, she s especially delicious as that Fairy Godwaitress. It s no surprise that Chris Wecklein, the one holdover from the original cast, has a sharp comic sense, but he achieves real pathos with the show s title tune and sole ballad, in which he contemplates how his life has turned out. Darcy Malone is properly bubbly as the newcomer but I miss the singular effervescence of Jessie Terrebonne who created the role; it s the difference, say, between a really fine Perrier-Jouët and Dom Pérignon. The surprise of the production, however, is Jason Kirkpatrick. With his raspy voice and common man physique, it seems like he just came over from working at Antoine s. What a pleasure to see him singing and dancing up a storm after his subdued turn in The Trip to Bountiful. And he makes a heavenly Julia Child! Su Gonczy s lighting seems even more appetizing than before and Cecile Casey Covert s reprises her audacious costumes ranging from a saucy shrimp to a crepe suzette. Yum! The 25 th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Cutting Edge Theater, Slidell through July 29 Since debuting in 2005, William Finn & Rachel Sheinkin s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has rightfully gone on to take its place in the standard canon of beloved small scale musicals. While not eclipsing still fresh memories of forefront theatre s Broadway-caliber Spelling Bee of 2009, Cutting Edge s current presentation offers a very good version of this delightful show which filters America s obsession with winning and losing through the lens of a local spelling bee. What makes this production noteworthy, aside from being held at the Attractions Hair Salon, is that its six spellers are mostly played by ageappropriate high school students removing the distancing effect that often occurs when adults portray teenagers. We especially feel for these contestants because they are us, back then. Brian Fontenot has staged this competition well. If this Bee lacks some of the more nuanced interaction among the characters that forefront s provided, the overall storylines of the various children s aspirations and insecurities emerge clearly enough. Not having an Asian actress play the overachieving Marcie Park dims some of Sheinkin s satire but doesn t detract too much from one s enjoyment. Though some of the cast s voices could be stronger, they sound fine when they all come together; Cat Hayes, making her area debut as the Bee s organizer and former champion, provides an especially lovely sound. Samantha Barnes, the speller with two Dads, nicely limned Logainne s awkwardness and intelligence; one could certainly believe she d become a Cabinet Secretary some day as the epilogue informs us. Though Jake Weaver s Leaf Coneybear doesn t make it to the final round, I would dub Weaver the champ of this production. Leaf, originated by Modern Family s Jesse Tyler Ferguson, has always seemed a little odd to me, a kind of man/boy inappropriately still in high school. Played by a young actor, Leaf s trances and tics become more understandable, as much a part of a sensitive boy s arsenal to get him through childhood as his scooter and self-made cape. Armed with a powerful, pitch-perfect singing voice, Weaver is that rare child actor who doesn t seem to be acting. Equally strong as one of Logainne s overbearing gay Dads, Weaver emanates a stage presence that should serve him well as he moves up to the big leagues. Sheinkin s witty, Tony Award-winning book may seem a little racy by Slidell standards which is all the more reason to make the trip to St. Tammany. Just [continued on 24] 22 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM July 19-August 1, 2011 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.COM
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trodding the boards...from 22 leave a little extra time to have dinner at the delectable Thai Orchid restaurant a few doors down from the theater/salon. pensacola paparazzi Brother at The Elm Theatre through Aug. 6 In Lisa Ebersole s Brother, Jamie s husband Kevin arrives home from work around 4am (he s a paralegal on the night shift) to find Carl, a black man whose name Jamie barely knows, and Margeaux, Jamie s younger sister whom he despises, in their apartment. Though it s Jamie s birthday, this is not the start of any happy celebration. Ebersole seems to want to tell a story involving love and trust and family loyalties and racism, but what should be ambiguous is confusing, what could be implied is spelled out, and much too much remains underdeveloped. Rather than creating characters that an audience can care about, Ebersole manipulates them with an all too obvious authorial hand. Director Sarah Zoghbi does as best she can with this, skillfully guiding her actors to negotiate both the plot s hairpin turns and those tangential passages that threaten to halt the play s momentum. As Jamie, Rebecca Elizabeth Hollingsworth is charmingly real and ingenuous while leaving open the possibility that she s not as innocent as she seems. As this 50 minute one-act comes to its conclusion, a look of ineffable sadness crosses her face mixed with ocean deep confusion as to what the future holds for her. Becca Chapman captures Margeaux s toughness but not fully the dissipation that would accrue to someone, even as young as Margeaux, if booze, pills, sex and cigs are as steady a diet as the script implies. After playing the dissolute Froggy in Blackbird, this naturally ebullient actress does deserve a lighter though no less complex role. At first I thought Gamal Abdel Chasten s Carl needed a sharper edge, but as his character was revealed, the humility and deference that Chasten affects, as well as lightning-quick ability to defuse a situation, seemed just right. I question whether, given the situation, he would come on to Margeaux, but one can t blame Chasten for that. As Kevin, Ross Britz brings conviction to the least focused part; we may not know exactly what causes Kevin s explosive rage when he sees Margeaux but we sure do believe he s really mad. Brother is provocative and provides an opportunity to see four fine local actors. One just wishes this vehicle was made of sturdier construction. Monica Heart getting the guys wet @ Emerald City s wet boxer contest July 4th Weekend @ Emerald City Brentt all smiles @ The Other Side We all feel safe with LLyod around Jessica & Valerie keeping it fun on the dance floor Bruce the WINNER of Emerald City s wet boxer contest Hostess of wet boxer contest Lauren Mitchell getting soaked herself Emerald City s very own William Lauren Mitchell & the ladies of Bingo Bingo @ The Other Side. The only place to celebrate your birthday! Great Friends @ The Other Side for BINGO Valerie Heart, BINGO S newest bartender Robert & Daniel @ The Other Side So happy to be at BINGO Jon Thomas double fisting as allways @ BINGO Wet, Soaked, Bingo ~ Pensacola, Florida ~ Photos by Lauren Mitchell 24 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM July 19-August 1, 2011 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.COM
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