“Damaged Goods”: Louisville Improv Team Cracks Up Audiences at the Chicago Improv Festival

Parker Bowles, Stefan Gearhart and Rocky Williams of
Damaged Goods. Photo – Damaged Goods.

By Carmen Marti

Entire contents copyright © 2013 Carmen Marti. All rights reserved.

On a Friday afternoon in early April, the members of Louisville’s improvisational comedy ensemble Damaged Goods sat in the rooftop bar of the Lincoln Hotel, quintessential views of Chicago and Lake Michigan glistening outside the windows. They discussed details of the night before; they described dreams for the future. They had made their Chicago debut as a featured act in the 16th annual Chicago Improv Festival, and they were literally and figuratively high in the sky.

“I was high on life after the show,” said team member Stefan Gearhart. “This is the most important thing I’ve ever done.”

“CIF gave us reassurance after the end of last night,” added teammate Rocky Williams.

“Bottom-line is, we’re at the Chicago Improv Festival – the biggest, longest-running, most prestigious comedy festival in the world,” concluded Parker Bowles, the third of the three-member team. “The sky’s the limit.”

Jonathan Pitts.

According to a blog post of CIF executive director and co-founder Jonathan Pitts, CIF16 drew 154 acts from 10 countries performing in 94 shows on 20 stages over 7 days. “That’s over 765 improv-artists from around the world improvising here in Chicago, aka the birthplace and Mecca of modern improvisation.” 

There’s no doubt Chicago is the heart and home of improv comedy. The form took hold in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood, where in the 1950s the Compass Players experimented with improvisation and helped lay the foundation for sketch comedy. From there Second City was formed, and from there Saturday Night Live. On their heels, the Chicago Improv Festival was created by Pitts and co-founded with actress Frances Callier in 1998.

Gearhart knows all that. He’s studied and practiced improv for 13 years, working with teams such as Happy Gas as a student at Western Kentucky University, and founding the Nannie Tharp Experience – which became NTX Comedy – in Louisville. That’s when he met future Damaged Goods teammate Parker Bowles and encouraged him to audition for NTX. In 2009 as members of that team, they were invited to participate in the CIF Apprentice Teams program, where young teams take part in festival workshops and perform. “The apprenticeship program is why we’re on the main stage now,” Gearhart said.

NTX Comedy went on to a foray in Los Angeles before eventually disbanding, opening the door in 2010 for Gearhart and Bowles to co-found Damaged Goods with four other players. Eventually they recruited long-time friend and funny man Rocky Williams to join them. Over time, several people left the group and then there were three.

“Three is good,” Gearhart said. “We have no issues. We’ve totally taken the improv rule ‘Yes, and’ and put it in our business structure.” Though all three have other full-time jobs, they view Damaged Goods as a business and they are intent on building their brand. “Like” the Damaged Goods Facebook page to see their new logo; follow their show times at the Bards Town; and view photos and videos of their work, including the run at CIF. They founded the Dam Good Nation to establish their community and the Dam Good Network on YouTube to showcase new sketches. (Williams is a videographer and director.) They rehearse three times a week and organize workshops for themselves as part of their focus on professional development.

“We feel very proud of what we do,” Gearhart said. “It’s different from what a lot of people do. We can teach it. We can teach classes and build the Damaged Goods brand of improv.” That means high-energy, distinctive characters, quick response and a powerful telepathic connection.

“In our case,” said Bowles, “it’s the friendship that makes the improv work. We trust each other – I trust those guys 100 percent. If I screw up, they’ll make me look good. No stars. We do all we can to make each other look as good as we can be.”

They practice short form theatrical improv with a focus on full scenes and a beginning, middle and end. Short form is generally based on games, with rules the improvisers follow as they respond to suggestions from the audience. ““We don’t go for the quick hit or laugh,” said Bowles. “We build scenes from the rules of the particular game. The only thing set when we take the stage is what games we’ll play and who’s playing.

“It’s scary as crap,” he continued. “But it’s that fear that propels you to do it.”

The fear factor was strong in Chicago with the festival enjoying a record-breaking year. Audiences were huge with venue after venue sold out over the seven-day period. Damaged Goods was selected as a featured act and shared a line-up with Jon Barinholtz and Rob Belushi (yes, of the Belushi family). Other big names included 30 Rock’s John Lutz, Scott Adsit and Kay Cannon.

But Damaged Goods was ready. Hot off being voted among Louisville’s best acts in the 2011 LEO Awards, Gearhart said the team hit its stride in 2012 with a retreat in Gatlinburg, a Midwest comedy-focused road trip for Bowles and Williams, and a six-week intensive workshop Gearhart led for the group. “Stefan does all the teaching,” said Bowles. “He’s our education director. He leads our rehearsals. We used to just play the games, but Stefan said let’s do a workshop. Let’s get serious. It was tough, but it changed everything.”

According to Gearhart, “One of the reasons we did the workshop was because we really wanted to come to Chicago. We wanted to make the best [submission] tape we could.”

CIF co-founder Jonathan Pitts said the presence of teams such as Damaged Goods at the Chicago Improv Festival is fundamental to the success of the event. “If we just had Chicago teams,” he said, “the festival wouldn’t be any different than any average week in Chicago. Our weekly offerings here are somebody else’s killer festival.”

CIF has always been broader than Chicago, according to Pitts, the mastermind behind Chicago Improv Productions, which includes CIF, College Improv Tournament and Chicago Improv League. “To me the improv community is everybody who’s involved in the form,” he said. “There’s a Chicago community, but there’s also a larger community and connecting with people across the country and in other countries is being part of that larger community.”

Plus, he said, “There are really wonderful regional improv teams across the country. Ten years ago, the regional teams coming to CIF came from a hit-and-miss scene. Maybe a place would have one good team and a bunch of mediocre ones. But now as regional teams have gotten exposure through opportunities like CIF, the scene has grown really well regionally. Now it’s not that often a crapshoot in terms of how good a group will be in a smaller city, because the groups that are good in the smaller cities are really good.”

Pitts’s advice to emerging acts is, “Keep playing; play as much as you can. Find your own voice. Become who you are. Go to other festivals, see what everyone else is doing, learn from them, pick up what you can. But ultimately, don’t just be another team – find your own voice. Because that’s what separates anybody from everybody else.”

He recommends that regional teams play on their area’s unique qualities. “What’s different about living in Louisville?” Pitts asked. “How does that affect how you play? Once you find your unique regional voice, that voice has a stronger chance of resonating with the audience. If you’re generic, it’s harder to generate any enthusiasm.”

It’s not hard for Pitts to generate enthusiasm. “Tell those Louisville guys that I’m really thankful they came out here and were part of CIF16,” he said. “You are good. Keep going. You might be called Damaged Goods, but you’re not.”

The team is ready to take his advice. Williams remembers that when they were coming to Chicago, there was “all this hype,” he said. “But now I’m kind of feeling like I know I’m on the right track. CIF has been valuable. It’s told us, ‘Keep dreaming.’”

Damaged Goods presents: The Rule of Three

Brace yourselves for another epic evening of Dam Good Improv as Damaged Goods celebrates Three Years of IMPROV COMEDY!

May 25 @ 7:30 p.m.

The Bard’s Town

1801 Bardstown Road

Louisville, KY 40205

502-749-5275

Only $10 cash at the door

https://twitter.com/damgoodimprov

“Perfect” Iconic Musical Gets Revamped

 

The cast of the national tour of West Side Story. © Broadway.com

West Side Story

Book by Arthur Laurents

Music by Leonard Bernstein

Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by David Saint

Review by Kathi E.B. Ellis

Entire contents are copyright © 2013 Kathi E.B. Ellis. All rights reserved.

West Side Story is about as iconic an American musical as one can get. The current national tour opened at The Kentucky Center on Tuesday, bringing a “based on” the 2009 revival version to Louisville audiences.

The 2009 Broadway revival, which I saw, generated much interest with original producer Arthur Laurents’ declared intent to integrate more Spanish language into the script (undertaken by In the Heights’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda), which he also directed this time around. Since then, many of the lyrics have reverted to English; e.g., “Un Hombre Asi” is now, again, “A Boy Like That.” Nonetheless, a sprinkling of Spanish dialogue in this iteration of the revival serves its purpose to emphasize the cultural difference between the young men and women of the Jets and the Sharks.

I should come clean and make clear that I consider West Side Story an almost-perfect musical. There is an overwhelming sense from the first iconic notes of the prologue to the final silence that everything that happens is absolutely inevitable. The original creators (Laurents, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and newcomer Stephen Sondheim) seamlessly blended all musical theater elements together to drive the essence of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet into a compelling production – one that has survived more than a half century of productions, at all levels of theatre, throughout this country and across the world. I’ve seen both the stage and movie versions many times and have worked on productions. It’s a musical I love.

So I stand firmly ambivalent about this version, and what, for me, works and does not work.

In principle, the integration of more Spanish dialogue and lyrics is a great idea – indeed almost too self evident for it to have taken fifty years to incorporate. However, the application of the concept is inconsistent. The addition of high school dance chaperone Glad Hand (Matthew Krob) blundering through some hilariously incorrect (and politically incorrect) translations of his dance instructions is spot-on. The Jets, including Tony (Addison Reid Coe), now have more freedom to speak the language badly because the audience hears the Sharks speak it authentically. “I Feel Pretty” veers between English and Spanish – possibly because the lyrics are repeated – so there’s little fear a predominantly English-speaking audience will miss much. Yet the passionate “A Boy Like That”/“I Have a Love” (Anita, Michelle Alves and Maria, understudy Carolina Sanchez) have reverted to English, an illogical decision in a putatively bi-lingual production, because at an extreme of emotion we typically revert to our earliest way of speaking – in this case Spanish. And yet, Chino (Juan Torres-Falcon) bringing the news of Bernardo’s death to Maria has a whole scene – in which a major plot point is delivered – in Spanish. And Rosalia, who yearns for Puerto Rico, is left to yearn in English. 

James Youmans’ set simply and effectively captures both the immenseness of New York buildings and the crampedness of the mid-twentieth century Upper West Side. Continuing with the bridges link in this season’s PNC Broadway in Louisville series (Flashdance, Memphis), New York’s characteristic bridges and overpasses hover and loom over the action. The Act One finale overpass is less impressive than in the Broadway production but, together with the chain link fence curtain, creates an environment of danger and tension for “The Rumble.” Howell Binkley’s evocative lighting supports the emotional content of the production, while David C. Woolard’s costumes recreate the 1950s’ styles in a vibrantly contemporary palette.

There is much energy in this production, directed by David Saint. The Jets and the Sharks hit their marks with precision; but the passion seems technical, down to the obvious make-up bruises they sport throughout. These are rougher crews than in the Broadway version (New York reviews found the gangs a trifle too nice). But there’s little vulnerability under that street toughness to generate sufficient empathy in the audience to carry the tragedy. Indeed, on opening night there were titters from multiple places in the Whitney auditorium when Chino shot Tony. This is not a great response to a moment that should have some of the most weighted emotion – on stage and off.

Another moment that does not deliver for me is the frantic end of this Act One. The rumble itself continues to compel. Robbins’ original staging (reproduced by Joel McKneely) and Bernstein’s music set the scene for the inevitable violence and death. In the original script, after Tony has killed Bernardo, it is over Riff’s body that he mourns: his best friend, his second in command and the one to whom he pledged “from womb to tomb.” In this version, Riff is left comfortless while Tony dithers over Bernardo’s body.

The underwritten role of Tony is a challenging one. Mr. Coe handles both the romantic and erstwhile-gangleader aspects of it with effectiveness. His “Something’s Coming” is one of the most active interpretations I’ve seen of this song. On Tuesday there were a couple of strained notes in his upper register, which marred both this and “Maria.” Mr. Acosta and Mr. Lencicki bring appropriate gusto in their respective roles. Their dance duets (with Anita and Graziella) in the gym dance were powerfully energetic and precise.

For me, the outstanding performer is Ms. Alves as Anita, admittedly the most dynamically-written character in the script. Whether she was with Bernardo or merely imagining being with him, she exuded sensuality. “America” – as with the original stage version all-female, unlike the more well-known movie version with Shark guys as well as girls – was an energetic parody and paean to this country. An unfortunate staging choice during “Quintet” meant that, although she is upstage center, the lighting choices illumine the other four entities more effectively than her. Ms. Sanchez’s Maria was charming. The Rider University student has a lovely voice that serves her character and the relationship with Tony well. In the Bridal Shop, at the end of “One Hand, One Heart,” there was an unexpected moment of almost-uncertainty that stilled the audience as Maria and Tony took in the enormity of the vows they’d just enacted. One could have wished that Mr. Saint had found more such moments to engage the audience’s emotions.

My biggest obstacle to liking this version is dramaturgical. I understand neither now, nor when I saw it four years ago, why the Act Two dream sequence is truncated into only the “happy” half. The absence of the “nightmare” leaves Act Two without the needed gravitas to lead into “A Boy Like That,” which leads to Maria’s lie to Lieutenant Schrank (Konrad Case) and the rape of Anita, and thus Anita’s lie to the Jets, and finally Tony’s decision to go back out into the streets, and Chino’s action. This absence means that the hardworking cast has to work harder to make the second half of the production work (and both Riff, Theo Lencicki and Bernardo, Andres Acosta, get to spend all of Act Two in the green room…).

A nod must be given to the unlisted (neither in the program nor on the Troika website) understudy Melanie Wildman who played Anybodys on opening night.

Opening night jitters may have been responsible for an unfortunately premature light cue in Act Two that took the audience out of a key scene and meant that the effect had been previewed in a way that undercut its impact in the following scene.

The ultimate testament to West Side Story is that it continues to survive, that the universal aspects of the story transcend a particular time and place, and that moments of power and passion transcend individual production choices. For those of us who are passionate about this story, we’ll continue to go see productions and we’ll continue to debate the relative merits of each production we see – with passion.

West Side Story

May 14-19, 2013

PNC Broadway in Louisville

The Kentucky Center

501 West Main Street

Louisville, KY, 40202

502-589-7777

http://louisville.broadway.com/

Clarksville Little Theatre’s “The Wedding Singer” Is Fun Show That Should Please Fans of the Movie

The Wedding Singer

Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy

Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

Based on the Screenplay by Tim Herlihy

Directed by John Campbell Finnegan

Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley

Entire contents copyright © 2013 by Craig Nolan Highley. All rights reserved.

As far as the catalog of movies-turned-into-Broadway-musicals goes, The Wedding Singer is never going to be on the top of anyone’s list, but it would also be far from the bottom. Considering that the 1998 Adam Sandler movie on which it’s based is hardly top-drawer source material, it’s a surprisingly fun show that should please fans of the film. It also ran barely six months on Broadway, which should tell you something.

Clarksville Little Theatre’s current production of the show throws caution to the wind and mounts a largely successful adaptation. It’s mostly well cast (with one glaring exception), and as directed by John Campbell Finnegan it sails along on the strength of one catchy ’80s-inspired musical number after another. There are some pacing issues, and the live band frequently drowns out the soloists. But if the enthusiastic opening night audience reaction is any indication, it’s a real crowd-pleaser.

It tells the story of Robbie (James Butterfield), a wedding singer, dumped on his own wedding day by his shallow fiance (Jess Harris). He would seek solace in the arms of caterer Julia (Heather Anderson), but she’s already engaged to Wall Street tycoon and all-around d-bag Glenn (Harrison Coffman).

While I thought both Butterfield and Anderson seemed a little long in the tooth for the two lead roles, Butterfield is surprisingly effective and melts into the character very nicely. When he’s not being drowned out by the band, he is in fine voice, and his Robbie is arguably a much more sympathetic creation than Sandler’s original. Sadly, though, Anderson is hopelessly miscast as Julia; she and Butterfield have absolutely no chemistry and she seemed to sleepwalk through all of her musical numbers, effectively sucking the life out of some otherwise well-staged pieces*. Coffman turns in one of his best performances yet, oozing sleeze as the self-idolizing Glenn.

It’s in the show’s ensemble, though, where some really great performers get to shine in supporting roles. Brad Lambert is an absolute riot as George, Robbie’s Boy George-obsessed band mate; and Emily Miller seems to have the role of her lifetime as Robbie’s rapping grandmother Rose. Paul Stiller makes quite the impression with his Flock-of-Seagulls hair and is quite lovable as he pines for his ex-girlfriend (and Julia’s best friend) Holly (delightfully played by Winnie Spitza). And John Aurelius’s spot-on Billy Idol impersonator is worth mentioning if for no other reason than that amazing wig!

On the technical side, Finnegan’s whimsical set design is simple yet quite striking, and along with Valerie Hopkins’ choreography and Anita Westrup’s costumes (and the work of an uncredited lighting designer) really creates the feeling of being transported back to the 1980s. For those of us who came of age in that decade, it was great nostalgia.

The Wedding Singer at CLT is, all in all, a fairly good production of a flawed musical, probably better than the material deserves. Still, I had fun with it, and if you like this sort of thing, you probably will too.

Featuring Heather Anderson, Madison Anderson, John Aurelius, James Butterfield, Harrison Coffman, Nick Dalton, John Campbell Finnegan, Elisa Freeman, Jess Harris, Brad Lambert, Emily Miller, Mary Rose Pinotti, Heidi Gibson Platt, Kevin Renn, Daniel Spitza, Winnie Spitza, Paul Stiller, Norma Thieman, Shari Vaughn and Andy White.

*I thought I should mention that after I had already written that rather strong criticism of Heather Anderson’s performance, I was told by someone close to the production that she had taken ill suddenly just before the show I attended, and that her subsequent performances were much better. I can only comment on what I saw, but I think she deserves the benefit of the doubt.  – CNH

The Wedding Singer

May 10-18, 2013

Clarksville Little Theatre

301 E. Montgomery Avenue

Clarksville, IN 47129

812-283-6512

www.clarksvillelittletheatre.org

Walden Theatre Presents the Louisville Premiere of David Ives’ "The Liar"

Writer David Ives. Photo – BBB.

The Liar

By David Ives, adapted from Pierre Corneille

Directed by Charlie Sexton

Review by Keith Waits

Entire contents copyright © 2013, by Keith Waits. All rights reserved.

Although it is indeed a classical piece in its origin, the presence of this version of The Liar introduces a modern sensibility to the Young American Shakespeare Festival at Walden Theatre. The setting and especially the grand and glorious costumes by Laura Patterson are firmly period, but the new translation by noted playwright David Ives (Venus in Fur) updates the iambic verse with a modern sensibility and quick wit that positions this as one of the more accessible verse texts you are likely to encounter.

The story follows Dorante, a fellow who is truthful only in explaining the merits of his gift for compulsive mendacity. After pressing the hapless Cliton into his service, he meets two women in the Tuileries of Paris, setting out to woo the one named Clarice…except he has confused her with her friend Lucrece. Cliton is quite taken with Lucrece’s servant Isabelle, whose twin sister Sabine is servant to Clarice…. Yeah, it’s that kind of plot, but Mr. Ives works the story elements for all they are worth, lacing the scenes together with sharp dialogue and forming the whole into a tightly constructed scenario that seems designed to move with economy.

Director Charlie Sexton gives it a brisk staging that makes the most of a smaller cast than the Shakespeare plays also featured in the festival. Jake Nichols delivers a tour de force performance as Dorante, using rakish charm to allow us to connect with a character who seems lacking in empathy and compassion for others. He seizes the stage in commanding fashion and never lets it go. As Cliton, Aaron Roitman proves a more than able foil for Dorante, with a sparkling energy that, at times, almost steals the show from Mr. Nichols. The women who suffer the shenanigans and eventually master the fools behind them are essayed with grace and supple good humor by Jordan Lee (Clarice) and Callie Trawick (Lucrece); and I found Tess Varga to be an absolute delight as the twin servants, Isabelle and Sabine.

It bears repeating that The Liar is a much-lauded new translation from 2010 and that this production is the local premiere of this material. For theatre-goers who might be put off by the idea of a verse play, I would encourage them to give this a try. In this merging of modern and classical energies, Walden Theatre offers a real treat to Louisville audiences.

The Liar
May 9-19

Running in repertory with The Liar and The Tempest in Walden's annual Young American Shakespeare Festival

Nancy Niles Sexton Stage at Walden Theatre

1125 Payne Street

Louisville, KY 40205

502-589-0084

www.waldentheatre.org

Raucous Laughs Mix Well with Murder in WhoDunnit’s Season Closer

The cast of Murder at the Five and Dime.
Photo – WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theatre.

Murder at the Five and Dime

Written by Teresa Wentzel

Directed by Craig Nolan Highley

Reviewed by Keith Waits.

Entire contents are copyright © 2013 Keith Waits. All rights reserved. 

Pace and momentum are often points of discussion in a theatre review, but WhoDunnit shows always face a curious challenge on this score in that they are structured as a group of scenes broken up by the serving of three courses of a meal. So the inertia of a narrative building steam is far more difficult to accomplish.

The device of having actors mingle with the audience between scenes attempts to address the question, and in this new production, the “table walks” were among the most potent I have witnessed. The very first one, which occurs before the first scene while patrons are still getting situated, was especially impactful, with the character of Larry Thomason (Rick O’Daniel-Munger), a drunken boor, introducing a very noisy and intrusive presence that caused some in the room, for a moment, to mistake him for a real-life intrusion. The sum effect was tantamount to a nearly-improvised introductory scene.

This same emphatic energy found its way onto the stage, illustrating another answer to the question of fragmented momentum: a little bit of overplaying goes a long way. The murder mystery dinner theatre format benefits from playing things a little broadly, and director Craig Nolan Highley does a good job of pushing his cast just enough to engage the audience without undercutting the integrity of the material. It made for a lively and laugh-out-loud funny evening.

In this instance, the murder victim happens to be the drunken boor, and the suspects are all employees at his Five and Dime: the slatternly store manager involved in an affair with him, Moxie (Barb O’ Daniel-Munger); two young employees smitten with each other, Jimmy and Evelyn (Jeremy Guiterrez and Makayla Staudenheimer); the fastidious store accountant, “Perfect” Paxton (Robert Thompson); and the painfully awkward old-maid former store manager now demoted to sales clerk, Martha (Erica Goldsmith). A dedicated police detective also enters the scene to investigate (Alphaeus Green, Jr.).

Besides the raucous Mr. O’Daniel-Munger, two others in the tight ensemble deserve mention:  Mr. Thompson’s supercilious turn as Paxton; and Erica Goldsmith, effectively burying her usually charismatic presence as Martha. Each delivers comic gold revisiting sturdy sketch comedy stereotypes.

The one quibble is that the story supposedly takes place in the 1940s, yet the period never is really made manifest beyond a few costume choices and the fact that Five and Dimes are pretty much extinct in this day and age. In all honesty, I feel like the performance overcomes any serious objection on this score.

The meal was tasty, the laughs were plentiful, and the mystery was cleverly accomplished in Teresa Wentzel’s script – too clever for me, anyway, but then, I never solve these things. Maybe you will have better luck.

Editor’s Note: WhoDunnit roles are double-cast to accommodate their particular schedule, and some actors mentioned here may not be appearing when you attend.

Murder at the Five and Dime

Saturdays, May 11-June 22

Seating at 6:30 p.m. / Show starts at 7 p.m.

WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theatre

Performing at the Hyatt Downtown

320 West Jefferson Street

Louisville, KY 40202

http://www.whodunnitky.com/

YMCA of Southern Indiana Mounts Respectful Production of “Anne Frank”

The Diary of Anne Frank

By Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett
Adapted by Wendy Kesselman

Directed by Bryce Blair

A review by Kate Barry

Entire contents are copyright © 2013 Kate Barry. All rights reserved.

It shows true commitment to your craft to take on a subject that demands great amounts of understanding to what the human spirit will endure and the effects of hate. To see all of these things through the eyes of a young hopeful girl who saw the good in people no matter what resonates in The Diary of Anne Frank, the personal diary of a young victim of the Holocaust that was later adapted to a play. A powerful story with elements of great emotion that seem far too overwhelming to even begin to fathom, the theatrical director has a challenge laid out for him. In YMCA of Southern Indiana’s Family Theater’s current production, the material is approached as though the audience is silent witness to innocent victims of one of the most tragic events in history.

Without a doubt, this is no ordinary theater experience. Due to the nature of the narrow rectangular performance space, the staging and blocking is in the round. Set pieces and sections of seating for audience are intertwined. This technique provides an intimate, up close and personal experience. On the other hand, this restricts the performance as well. In a sweet moment between Anne and her fellow hider, Peter, there was a major hindrance in visibility as well as being able to hear the young actors. Where most of the attention was incidentally placed on the centrally located dinner table, more attention should have been drawn to the action occurring between the two younger actors.

In his curtain speech, director Bryce Blair informs his audience of a few house rules concerning intermission and how his cast would not be leaving the performance space. This was a fascinating idea which fits the claustrophobic feel of the play. Perhaps a more obvious cue like pre-show music or even a simple blinking light signalling the beginning and end of acts would have helped the audience to know appropriate times to applaud. This idea of keeping the innocent people trapped on stage while constantly in audience view strengthened the concept for the show. Yet during intermission audience members whispered and composed themselves as though the performance was still happening. I hope one day the YMCA Family Theater can revive this production, complete with the same theater-in-the-round concept in a more theatrical friendly space.

As for the individual performances, credit is due. Makenzi Cooley has boundless amounts of youthful energy that matches teenage girls from every walk of life and every era. She makes a spirited effort to match the steadfast hopefulness of what Frank wrote about during her time in hiding. Sharon Cardwell and Howard Whitman are Mrs. and Mr. Van Daan, the family who share the hiding room with Frank’s family. Stressed out, worried and fearful, these two actors make strides to match the authentic emotions of those who actually were hiding. Jeremy O’Brien is noteworthy as Alfred Dussel, Anne’s cranky bunkmate. O’Brien faces a challenge in his role as a man who is stoic and stern with the Van Daans and Franks. He manages to gives a softer tone to a character that has a critical and harsh edge. Grace Poganski and Larry Chaney provide strong support as Anne’s parents, Otto and Edith. These seasoned veterans to the Louisville area theater community provide subtle performances and shine as a couple who are not only trying to show any kind of fear but also ease the growing tensions of their family and friends.

The Diary of Anne Frank is an emotional story about hope and optimism in a time of great evil in the world. A production of any kind involving Anne Frank’s story demands care, authenticity and, most importantly, respect. And this production is certainly a respectful tribute.

The Diary of Anne Frank

May, 10, 11, 16 & 17 at 7:30 p.m.
and May 12 & 19 at 2 p.m.

The YMCA of Southern Indiana Family Theater

Performances will be held at the YMCA's Camp Honor Bright
(7804 Old State Road 60, Sellersburg, IN 47172)

Tickets are $10 General Admission.
Seating is limited, so reserve your seats early.

Playful Tempest at Walden Theatre: Fun Onstage Translates to Fun for the Audience

The Tempest

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Julane Havens

A review by Kate Barry

Entire contents are copyright © 2013 Kate Barry. All rights reserved.


In Julane Havens’ director’s notes for the current production of The Tempest at Walden Theater, she calls attention to the elements of magic and the spirit of play within the piece. As these are young actors, this appropriate and accessible approach to Shakespeare’s romance provides an end product that was enjoyable because these young actors were, indeed, having fun.

The production is fuelled by actors having a ball. Whether it’s the flashing lights and arms flailing about in pantomime resembling the shipwreck or the train of spirits in tie-dyed pastels that play and prance behind Ariel every which way, Haven’s cast deserves all the credit for this kid-friendly production. Extra applause goes toward the copious musical talent this cast has as well. Scenes are accented with simple chimes, guitar riffs and cello melodies to set the mood for storms, falling in love and even the ramblings of a drunk butler and his companion. 

These young actors give every last bit of boundless energy they have to make magic happen. As Prospero, Chris Lockhart is a dominant presence with staff in hand and cape on shoulders. He displays the utmost confidence as the sorcerer and duke even in moments where he might have tripped over a line or two. His daughter, Miranda, is played by Jamie Coffey. In the throes of love-at-first-sight with Ferdinand, played by Marty Chester, Coffey brings authentic innocence to the part. Chester and Lockhart share moments of dry humor as Ferdinand tries to abide by and please his future father-in-law. Ariel is played by Hank Paradis, who strums his guitar and does the bidding of Prospero. Paradis provides an energetic performance that channels the giddiness of one of Peter Pan's lost boys with a dash of Ziggy Stardust style. Chandler Dalton and Rebecca Willenbrink are a couple of clowns, in every meaning of the word. With pig tails and colorful garb, these two provide a boost of energy toward the end of the first act. As two drunken shipwreck survivors, these two young ladies tumble and stumble with great comedic timing. Brooke Morrison plays the deformed slave, Caliban. Morrison squats, stretches and lingers about in her leafy outfit with defiance and charisma that match a certain hobbit from a familiar trilogy about a ring. From the first moment she slithers on stage, Morrison demands all attention while she is on stage and certainly receives it.

This production is strong testament to the playfulness of The Tempest. With all the talents and creative staging, there are some minor hiccups here and there concerning pacing and delivery, which is to be expected on opening night. Regardless, this is a production that sets out to be playful, and it certainly accomplishes this goal.

The Tempest
May 9-19

Running in repertory with The Liar and Two Gentlemen of Verona in Walden's annual Young American Shakespeare Festival

Nancy Niles Sexton Stage at Walden Theatre

1125 Payne Street

Louisville, KY 40205

502-589-0084

www.waldentheatre.org