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THE OPEN HOUSE – Written by Will Eno; Directed by Jack Krause. Produced by Bas Bleu Theatre (401 Pine Street, Fort Collins) through March 10. Tickets available at 970-498-8949 or basbleu.org. 

Can anyone remember the Anthony Hopkins movie a few years back called THE FATHER where things kept moving around in his apartment? The people caring for him looked young one moment and old the next. He kept getting more and more angry because we – the audience – were led to believe that his caregivers – including his daughter – were being deliberately deceptive to him and you (and he) couldn’t figure out why. It ultimately turned out that he had had a stroke, and his perception and memory were skewed. His mind had slipped into partial dementia. He told his daughter in a lucid moment that he was losing “his leaves, the branches, the wind and the rain.” There’s a lot of power in the words describing “cognative ability” these days. This character’s had gone off the track as was revealed at the end of the movie. 

The Father figure in Mr. Eno’s play seems to be going through the same thing. His family does not respond to him or his needs the way he thinks they should. They have gotten older; they don’t look the same. He is rude to them in his confusion and frustration and doesn’t understand why they are rude right back. Anger seems the only solution and it doesn’t really help. Mr. Eno himself once said that “I like hearing people in pain in rooms with good acoustics.” He certainly succeeds in this production. 

Suddenly they all one by one leave him on this errand or that. Then the fear hits hard. Even worse, the house suddenly starts to fill up with people again. But who are these people? He doesn’t know any of them. What are they talking about? Why are they pulling down the wallpaper? The chaos in his living room matches the chaos in his brain. 

This excellent cast doubles up on the roles, playing both the members of the dysfunctional family and the intruders in the house. They turn out to be a real estate agent who is showing the house, a set of prospective buyers and a couple of guys who might be involved in a remodel. They seem totally oblivious of his confusion and anger, typical in some circles of the treatment of our elders. 

The beleaguered father is Kevin Reifel fresh from the OpenStage production of SWEAT. He succeeds in both his gruff and helpless old man in a wheelchair and in his tennis playing counterpart. His wife in the family (Corinne Wieben) shows her angry frustrated side as well as the perky half of the prospective buyer-couple in the second. The other two-sided members of the family are Kiernan Angley as the son who later becomes the redecorator and Bryan Hill, an uncle ridiculed and downtrodden in the beginning who becomes a landscape designer in the latter. Leah Rohlfs charms as the daughter in the first family and the real estate agent hot on the trail of a sale in the second. Once your mind adjusts to what the heck is going on, you must respect their ability to pivot into new roles halfway through. 

The director, cast and crew came up with an interesting dumb show to get us into the family home. The only thing on the stage as you enter the theatre is a standing sign announcing the open house. As the lights dim, the cast begins to carry on furniture pieces and greeting each other warmly. They seem as though they are long absent family members working together to put their mutual home to rights. The crew moves in walls while the cast continues to make adjustments while getting a little older and less friendly as they go. Until finally we have the full set in place, Father in his wheelchair surrounded by the frustrated and mentally exhausted members of his family. A view of what was and what it became. Very clever – 

A WOW factor of 8! 

NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Dave Malloy; Directed by Lynne Collins; Music Direction by David Nehls; Choreography by Grady Soapes. Produced by the Arvada Center (6901 Wadsworth, Arvada) through March 31. Tickets available at 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org. 

This is not a play – not simply a play. It is an adventure – a celebration – an explosive theatrical experience. You don’t just sit in your seats and placidly watch. From the beginning, you are involved, you clap, you are impassioned to sing along after being taught the song, you laugh, you cry, but, most of all, you EXPERIENCE. 

Opulent is the word that comes to mind when I think about my night with NATASHA. Walking into the Black Box theatre, you are immediately aware that there is nothing black left in the Black Box. It’s all a gorgeous burgundy/red color that reeks opulence and decadence. Not suggesting anything about Scenic Designer Brian Mallgrave’s (or my) life experiences, but it looks like the inside of a brothel . . . a very expensive brothel. Exploring the fun of theatre in-the-round, a five-piece orchestra sits in a “pit” in the middle of the stage (how much fun it would have been to have had them in Russian costumes as well) with the music and dancing swirling around them. Occasionally Music Director David Nehls will leave his post at the piano, deferring to an actor to accompany him or herself for a song. 

But while some “songs” are easily determined, for the most part, these are not songs, but dialogue set to music. They may announce how someone is feeling, carry on a musical conversation, have someone in the ensemble explain what is going on and the cultural implications of someone’s actions. It started early in the evening when instead of verbally reciting the list of sponsors and instructions to the audience about phones, feet in the aisles, etc., it was all sung with great enthusiasm by the entire company. Wait, I forgot – it actually started even before that. As the audience arrives, they are warmly welcomed into the space by members of the company carrying musical instruments, strolling around, making conversation, practicing a little, showing off their costumes, extoling the virtues of vodka, just generally being rowdy and having fun. Immediately, the chaos of the pre-show gives the audience an understanding of what they are in for during the rest of the show. 

And it does not disappoint. The action never lets up. It may slow down a little in places to make a point about someone being hurt by someone else’s words or actions. For instance, Sonya, Natasha’s best friend, has a lovely song about her fear of what her friend has got herself into. But then a few minutes later, a boisterous troika driver (Brian Watson) arrives and engages them all in a song built around his exploits of driving his horses all over the country in service to Anatole and his friends.

This cast makes the evening come alive. This musical story soars from their throats; each player contributes to the storytelling; each player brings their own musical talent to the stage with French horn, cello, violin, percussive instruments, piano and more. Bella Hathorne is a breathtakingly beautiful Natasha. Jack Wardell is a selfish and thoughtless ego driven fool – but oh-so-hot! Anna Maria High embraces the role of opera diva and fiercely protective friend to Natasha. Nicole deBree is the amazingly sexual but unfaithful wife of Pierre. Brian Watson’s turn as the old lecherous Prince Bolkonsky was a hilarious high point.  

While the more obvious story is the blossoming of the forbidden romance (she is promised; he is secretly married) between Natasha and Anatole, thought must be given to the plight of Pierre. Trapped in a loveless marriage, fighting against and giving into alcohol too often, caught in the malaise of an unfulfilled life, he wavers between depression and drunkenness. His sorrow seems to be because he can look back and see his mistakes and the lost potential; the future is slow in realizing itself to him. If the story were being told about a man in 2012 instead, it could be said he was suffering a mid-life crisis. But he rises out of his own self-pity to offer consolation to Natasha in how she has destroyed her own opportunities by reminding her that she has her whole life in front of her. Despite what she feels now, at 19 her possibilities are unlimited. He reminds her that she is beautiful and young and that if he were a better (not younger) man, he would ask for her hand in marriage. Her gratitude for his kindness and forgiveness fills the room. In that simple act of kindness toward another and the arrival of the comet, he begins to see that he too has time left to find a different ending for himself. “It seems to me that this comet feels me, feels my softened and uplifted soul and my newly melted heart now blossoming into a new life.” “I gaze joyfully” as the show closes. Brett Ambler brings Pierre’s story to life with graciousness and dogged determination. It is such a pleasure to see him return to the Arvada stage.

Beautiful stories, beautiful people, beautiful costumes, beautiful music, beautiful set . . . what more could you ask for? I could say much more about this amazing script and this brilliant interpretation, but I’ve told you what you can expect by attending. It’s up to you now. This is a crowning achievement for the Arvada Center who consistently build their reputation as THE place to go for outstanding theatre. 

A WOW factor of 9.5!! 

THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE – Book by James Magruder; Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead; Music by Jeffrey Stock; Directed by Alex Romberg; Musical Direction by Mireya Rinna; Choreography by Lauren Russell.  Produced by Wheat Ridge Theatre Company (5455 West 38^th Street, Wheat Ridge) through February 18.  Tickets available at wheatridgetheatrecompany.ticketspice.com. 

This comical farce has had a checkered career getting to its present production at Wheat Ridge Theatre Company.  Originally written in 1732 by Pierre de Marivaux to poor reviews, it closed after only six performances.  The French thought it unseemly for a woman to make romantic advances to three different people in the course of one play.  But that didn’t stop the French.  The national theatres of the era brought it back in 1912 and again in 1956.  This led to the musical in 1997 and a movie version in 2001.

The convoluted plot has a princess falling in love with a scholar after spotting him in a garden one afternoon.  She finds out that he is the rightful heir to the crown she holds and resolves to meet, woo, and give him his kingdom back in return for his eternal love.  To do this, she seeks to remove the suspicions of his guardian, an elder philosopher, and the guardian’s sister by convincing both that she – now disguised as a male student in search of a teacher – cares for each of them romantically.  While all the time, she is only trying to get closer to the young scholar who by now has been charged with the assassination of the usurper to the crown . . . . which is HER!  Aided and abetted by various castle employees, the story winds around and around in appealing circles to a happy ending. 

The music is spritely in some instances and somber in others.  The cruelty of the trick played on the elder brother and sister is expressed in “The Tree” in which they explain how their lives are unfruitful like a tiny tree. The various lackeys who have supported the princess’ efforts and find themselves unrewarded for it lament their lot in life in “The Henchmen are Forgotten,” slightly reminiscent of “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from KISS ME KATE. The Harlequin gets to remind the audience of the duties of the “Classic Clown.” A happy ending is celebrated in “The Day of Days.” 

The players give joyful life to their characters and have fun providing laughs and music. Even the slighted brother (Jim Hayes) and sister (Erin Banta) are so silly, you can’t take their hurt seriously. The three Henchmen are the Gardener (Phi Johnson-Grin), the Harlequin (Emma Ackerman) and Corin, the Handmaiden (Cooper Rae). Their interactions add another layer of comic relief to an already funny script. Princess Leonide manages to give away both her heart and her crown, but not before she has some fun dressing as a boy and flirting with EVERYBODY. Kryssi Miller enters her role with enthusiasm. The bewildered scholar is played by Bruce Robinson with the befuddled air of someone who has had no public life and doesn’t have any idea of what is going on. 

The parameters of Wheat Ridge’s playing space do not allow for elaborate sets, but they always do a good job with setting the scene and making sure the audience is able to follow the story from one place to another. They also provided excellent tracks for accompaniment for the singers.  

If you can keep up with this roundelay of lovers, you’ll have a good time at this show. 

A WOW factor of 8!! 

CEBOLLAS – Written by Leonard Madrid; Directed by Jerry Ruiz.  Produced by the Denver Center Theatre Company (Singleton Theatre, 13^th and Champa, Denver) through March 10.  Tickets available at 303-893-4800 or denvercenter.org. 

There is always a special bond between sisters.  Even if they haven’t lived close to each geographically for yours.  Even if there are years between them in age.  Even if they consider one of their number a bit of a screw-up.  Regardless, there are always shared memories, shared stories, shared love.  The three sisters in this production bring their differences to the stage as well as their sameness. 

Tere (Zuleyma Guevara) is the worldly but down-to-earth older sister.  She has a heart of gold, but also can’t believe the situation they find themselves in because of her irresponsible youngest sister.  However, when a solution presents itself to the problem they have all undertaken to solve, she jumps in with both feet.  The middle sister is Celia (Xochitl Romero), the practical one who does all the driving and keeps the path moving straight ahead.  She seems to like fun and joking, but when there is work to be done, she gets to it.  Yolie, the youngest, (Jamie Romero who got her start right here in Denver) is the one with the problem through no fault of her own.  So to speak.  I mean, she has found herself VERY pregnant by a man she doesn’t love, who is married, who lives in Denver, and who is right now dead in her LazyBoy. 

And so it begins.  The solution about what to do with the body is drive it from Albuquerque back to Denver, sneak it into the house (Yolie has a key) before his wife returns from her night job.  That’s only something like eight hours in the middle of the night.  But they manage to find a little fun along the way as they pass familiar landmarks to most Coloradans and New Mexicans.  A roadside store with huge carved animals out in front, a gas station with slot machines, the rock at Castle Rock, and, best of all, the IKEA store on the outskirts of Denver.  Along the way, with conversations both light and dark, family secrets are revealed, apologies long overdue are made, and new connections are forged.  How could you avoid not getting closer on an adventure like this? 

All three actresses embody their characters with authenticity and enthusiasm. The script gives them ample opportunity to review family history and common jokes. They invoke the familiarity of family members while also celebrating their differences. It’s an entirely different trip to one undertaken by three strangers for a less fragile reason. This is an unusual slice of life drama with its funny side on full display. A truly touching moment was created by Jamie Romero as Yolie as she acknowledges the place in her life that had been held by her lover. 

Giant kudos must go to the technicians who created the corpse which proved to be weighted, jointed, and colored realistically. Without “his” uncomfortable presence in the back seat, this would have been an entirely different episode in their lives. Yet his static appearance became only the reason for the trip, not the catalyst for the conversations that ensued. As an audience member, as soon as you accepted the situation, he became redundant, and you forgot to look at him. 

The car devised for this journey was also a work of art. Enough of a body to provide seats and a semi-realistic mode of transportation, but not enough to get in the way of the actresses’ entrances and exits. Very cleverly devised. Yet another extraordinary component adding to the reality of the women’s journey were the projections that illustrated the highway they travelled and the stops they made. Projection Designer Alex Basco Koch obviously made the trip himself with a camera out the window documenting every step of the way; then condensed it to fit the time frame of the script. A brilliant addition to the production. 

Those wishing to see more of Mr. Madrid’s work should plan a trip to Creede this summer to see PRIMA’S GUIDE TO FUNERALS, another comedy about three women dealing with a death in the family.  

A WOW factor of 8.75! 

URINETOWN, The Musical – Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollman; Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis; Directed by Robert Michael Sanders; Musical Direction by Dan Graeber; Choreographed by Ronni Stark. Produced by the Town Hall Arts Center (2450 Main Street, Littleton) through February 25^th. Tickets available at 303-794-2787 x5 or boxoffice@townhallartscenter.org. 

Mr. Hollman and Mr. Kotis, the creators of this funny script, have three (or more) things working for them. (1) An interesting premise that provides an easy conflict (those that have access to water and those that don’t) with ample opportunity for sight gags and verbal innuendos. (2) The device of a narrator who “explains” it all for the audience while chatting with his sidekick. He makes sure that everyone knows they are IN a musical world which has certain traditions to follow and formulas to be honored. (3) The ability to drop other musical memories into the middle of the action for the fun of audience recognition. 

Mr. Sanders, Mr. Graeber and Ms. Stark have all these ingredients plus a talented cast of singers and dancers to bring the show to life; an experienced set of designers and crew members to make everything look and sound right; and an on-stage four-piece band to provide the back beat. It all adds up to a fun afternoon or evening at Town Hall. 

While the last production reviewed featured people trying desperately to hang on to their dignity, the denizens of Urinetown (the Musical) have no shame in revealing their need to use the bathroom. Straight up, we are invited to watch a line of men and women lined up in front of a UGC (Urine Good Company) public urinal struggling to hold it together . . . and in. Under the guidance of Pennywise (Liz Brooks), the keeper of the keys to this latrine, the chorus of the Poor explain musically that it is a “Privilege to Pee.” A long-term drought has drained all the water sources; all that remains is under control of UGC owned by Caldwell B. Cladwell (Jim Hitzke). So, it costs to use a bathroom. One can only imagine what happens when you don’t have the money needed. There are several references to the “Stink Years” answering that question. 

But how do you deal with this situation except with humor or rebellion. This script – in the accepted method as explained by Officer Lockstock (Damon Guerrasio) – encourages both. Pushed to the wall by Cladwell and his potty goons, the Poor finally stand up for their right to sit down. Depending on whether you are male or female. 

This carefully constructed musical thought of everything. Even the names of the characters are puns. The two police officers are Lockstock and Barrel. The villain is the well-dressed (even in his bunny slippers) Mr. Clad-Well. The hard-hearted yet realistic manager of the latrine is Ms. Pennywise; the family that rebels against the UGC are the Strong’s, led by son Bobby (Jake Bell). Could you be more obvious? 

While poking fun at the traditional musical – which this is not! – the show also pays musical and choreographic homage to the very tradition it mocks. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, WEST SIDE STORY, LES MIZ and many others are lovingly tossed into the mix. Traditions are honored – there is, of course, a love story and songs, a gospel rouser, a rebellious anthem, an “I Want (to pee)” song – and traditions are broken – unexpected people die (gruesome but funny scenes not unlike the throat cutting in SWEENEY TODD), happy endings are mocked, and no one repents. Even Cladwell is dragged off stage singing “I’m not sorry.” Which all adds to the fun. 

I love this community of players that will happily take their place in the ensemble when that is offered, even though they have done leads in recent productions. It’s all about the show – not the ego. This strong ensemble which includes such local favorites as Carter Edward Smith, Corey Exline, Elliot Clough, Isabella Duran, Mark Shonsey, and Sam Barrosso mines the script for humor and finds it all. Each member contributes to the story enthusiastically and with skill. The dances are tight, the songs soar, and the jokes catch the audience off guard.  

Kudo’s also to the on-stage band and the sound crew for providing the musical background without overwhelming the singers. It would have been so easy to do with their proximity to the performers and audience. 

“A Splash Hit!!” 

A WOW factor of 8.75! 

THE NACIREMA SOCIETY REQUESTS THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE AT A CELEBRATION OF THEIR FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS – Written by Pearl Cleage; Directed by Kenya Fashaw. Produced by Firehouse Theatre Company (7653 East 1^st Place, Denver) through March 2. Tickets available at 303-562-3232 or firehousetheatrecompany.com. 

Many organizations celebrate Black History Month with remembrances of the work of early pioneers – Rosa Parks, Bayard Rustin, Dorothy Height, Dr. King and hundreds of others who have fought the fight and braved the battle. Firehouse has chosen to honor the women who have worked to preserve the best of plantation life by celebrating with a high society ball that recognizes a different form of civil rights. Their foremothers had observed and copied the “right” way to manage a household in their positions within Southern mansions. In 1864, the Nacirema (American backwards) Society was formed by a group of freed women determined to preserve the best of Southern living and their personal dignity. Through the years, it has morphed into a group that celebrated itself with elegant events. A once-a-year debutante ball introducing six young women and their escorts to the best Montgomery, Alabama has to offer provided an occasion for the young people of this elevated group to dress up and celebrate their good fortune. Whether they wanted to or not. 

The production opens one week before the 100^th celebration as preparations for the big day are on high alert. Grace Dunbar is the calm at the heart of the tornado of preparations. Her granddaughter, Gracie, is the Queen of the Ball this year and everything must be perfect. But a monkey wrench is about to be thrown into the proceedings in the form of Alpha Campbell Jackson (Artie Thompson) whose mother was the Dunbar’s maid for forty years before her death. Alpha has her own daughter who is active in the Mississippi civil rights activities and is studying to be a doctor. Money is tight and she has devised a scheme to get what she feels is owed to her family. The fun begins in watching the oh-so-dignified dealings between the grande dame Grace and the down-to-earth Alpha and to see their carefully crafted dignity begin to disintegrate. 

Grace is portrayed with unfailing – well, grace – (up to a point) by Latifah Johnson whose experience on stage and personal persona of gentility and style fit her well for this role. Her character firmly believes in the correctness of her position in the Society and the significance and importance of its meaning and purpose. Her all-female family consists of her widowed daughter-in-law Marie (Zeah Loren) who looks on all the fuss about the Ball with pride in her daughter and a jaundiced eye toward the silliness of it all. But she knows her place as the buffer between her daughter, Gracie (Liyah Patrick) and her grandmother. Gracie, on the other hand, has a realistic view about the frivolity of the fuss and has higher aspirations than marrying well. The final member of the household is Jessie, the maid, given delightful life by Larea Edwards. Her silent entrances and exits as she gathers coats, glasses, and flowers is always fun to watch. Without a word, she plays a crucial role in saving the day. 

The remaining players are the members of the Green family, another legacy family of the Society. Catherine, played by Colette Brown, is Grace’s counterpart until put under pressure; then she turns into Edith Bunker, frazzled, confused, scatter-brained and frightened. What a treat to watch her transformation and her attempts to keep everything under control. Her grandson Bobby (Josiah Peters) is destined by his determined grandmother to marry Gracie. It doesn’t seem to matter that Bobby has his own ideas about that and his eyes on another girl. 

Then we have the mother-daughter Jackson duo. Alpha’s machinations to provide her daughter Lillie with money for medical school form the conflict in the story. She is determined and righteous in her efforts. Her daughter Lillie thinks she’s crazy and inadvertently spills the beans before things too much out of control. Nadiya Jackson with her tight fro is a young Angela Davis look-alike and brings a laid-back energy and authenticity to her role. 

Finally, the catalyst for a lot of the tension in the house is caused by a New York Times journalist, Janet Logan, who has come to Grace’s home to cover the Ball. While pleased for the publicity, trying to keep everything that unfolds on these few days out of the paper becomes everyone’s goal. Sydney Odion-Smith– in a first role – brings a more urban vibe into the proceedings. Confident and competent, she looks on all the folderol from a bemused distance. 

There you have all the players. The plot will work itself out as you put all of these people with different motivations and goals in the same room and let them riff. 

The design for The House of Dunbar came the imagination of Director Kenya Fashaw, the skills of Builder Jeff Jesmer and Scenic Painter Megan David, and the style by Helen Hand and her Southern ancestors. The costumes – both everyday and ball-worthy – by Holly-Kai Hurd are absolutely gorgeous. If I ever get to be a placeholder at the Oscars (personal bucket list item), I want her to style me. The lighting design by Emily Maddox makes the small stage at Firehouse large enough to provide multiple simultaneous acting areas by keeping the eyes focused on the right place as the action moves quickly. The Sound Design by Rick Reid added lovely transition and dance music in appropriate places and threw in crickets for good measure. A joint effort that resulted in a lovely setting for this funny show. 

For a different take on Black History, check out the ladies of the Nacirema Society. You won’t be disappointed. 

A WOW factor of 8.75!! 

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME – Written by Heidi Schreck; Directed by Allison Watrous. Produced by Butterfly Effect Theatre Company (BETC) (Presented at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut, Boulder) through May 3 to 19). Tickets available at betc.com. 

Another good show; bad title (to steal a line from URINETOWN marketing). The title makes you think this show is going to be a boring history lesson involving B. Franklin and A. Hamilton. They are mentioned in passing but it’s much more about Heidi herself, the playwright now morphed into the leading character in this exploration of past and present history. 

Heidi reveals her 15-year-old debate contender who routinely wins debate challenges with her patriotic verbal expression of “The Constitution is a Crucible.” She then goes on to stretch that metaphor to a crucible being a place where everything gets mixed together like a cauldron – followed smoothly by an expansion into witchcraft and their reliance on magic. Therefore, the Constitution is like magic. Strangely, it all makes sense as Jessica Robblee as Heidi explains her premise. 

As the evening continues, not only do we learn more about Heidi’s personal life and beliefs, but she engages the audience as the judges in this debate, cajoling us to her point of view. Her passion about the subject matter and her high-grade energy never allows your attention to falter or our interest to flag. She explores why women were left out of the conversation in Philadelphia so long ago and what has and hasn’t changed since then. Her constant belief is that the Constitution is a bunch of laws designed to reinforce that women are worthless. She paints a powerful picture. 

She is joined on stage by Rodney Lizcano as Mike, the Legionnaire who is her local host and timekeeper. He eventually sheds his Legion persona and joins in the conversation about what the Constitution means to him and how it impacts your everyday life. The final cast member is Mariam Faal who plays a “real life” 15-year-old debate participant who takes on Heidi in a fast-paced argument to decide should we change the Constitution or dump it and start all over again – as Jefferson thought should be done for every era. 

Set in an American Legion Hall with portraits of past Legion presidents staring down from the wall, this is truly a slice of American culture in the 80’s. 

BETC is spreading its wings and has a continuing set of programs scheduled for the remodeled hotel turned event center. Check their website for upcoming events. This program continues at the Savoy through February 11. It will then continue its run at the Dairy Center in Boulder from May 3^rd to the 19^th. 

While you do not get a dry boring history lesson with this evening at the theatre, you do learn a lot, question long held beliefs, and are gently encouraged to explore America’s beginnings and how the Constitution impacts your everyday life. Plus it’s just fun. 

A WOW factor of 8.75!! 

MISERY – Written by William Goldman; Directed by Warren Sherrill.  Produced by Miners Alley Theatre Company (1100 Miners Alley, Golden) through February 11.  Tickets available at 303-935-3044 or minersalley.com. 

No one expects the audience to do research on the play they are about to see or have just seen.  But sometimes a little background makes the story even more interesting. We all know that this epic started out as a novel by Stephen King – but what was his inspiration for this deadly character. He reports that he dreamt this scenario on a cross-Atlantic trip and wrote the outline on a napkin so he wouldn’t forget it. It has been suggested that he may have had his dream inspired by the story at the time of a nurse – Genene Jones – who routinely murdered about sixty children and adult patients with injections of drugs that impaired respiration. The novel turned into a movie (Kathy Bates and James Caan); then into the William Goldman play (on Broadway played by Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf).

Regardless of who King’s inspiration was, he created an unforgettable character. Those attending the Miners Alley production of King’s story will witness an equally unforgettable character brought to a frightening life by Ms. Emma Messenger. 

It has long been agreed that Emma is one of the most talented and versatile actresses making her home in Colorado. She performs all over the state, recently in Colorado Springs and Silverthorne. She can be as funny as Carol Burnett, as domestic as Martha Stewart, as serious as Meryl Streep, and now as scary nutso as Mrs. Lovett. But, needless to say, I’m her No. 1 fan. The plot is well known but what the play adds is the possibility that Annie may have caused Paul’s original injuries herself as she admits stalking him as he finishes his current book in the Misery Chastain series. What puts her over the edge is the realization that it is the LAST in her beloved series. Then the fun begins, the manipulation, the coercion, the torture and mind games. 

Ms. Emma can be coy, menacing, hysterical, whimsical, touching all within the course of two minutes, whipping from one emotion to the next with heartfelt honesty. You just can’t see the changes coming. Her anger and deadly disappointment rise out of some lonely place deep inside her and surfaces with menacing intent before you see it coming. She has a death stare that would terrify the most defiant opponent. Yet she arouses sympathy in the most hard-boiled of observers. This is a tour de force performance; Stephen King himself would be impressed. 

It takes a strong and versatile actor to play against the whirlwind that is Annie Wilkes. Director Warren Sherrill aced in his casting of Torsten Hillhouse in the role of Paul Sheldon, author. Torsten is relatively new to Colorado having performed in Creede and Aspen and one role years ago in Arvada. But however he ended up in Golden to do this role, I hope he sticks around for a while and brings us other performances equal to this. He is a worthy determined opponent for Annie, using charm, guile, guilt, pity, anger, even a hint of romance in his arsenal of weapons against her cruelty. He is as determined to escape as she is to keep him there. His deception is so clever as to make her off balance and hopeful at times, which makes the disappointment deeper when his true feelings surface. Knowing her weaknesses, he can be as cruel as she in devious ways. It is a true match made in hell. 

The third player is the always winning Mark Collins, an innocent but suspicious sheriff who leads the search for the missing Sheldon. You can’t help but root for him to uncover the hostage situation, even knowing what danger in the hands of Annie that puts him in. But Mark plays the good ol’ boy law officer to a tee and is a hero in our minds for his determination to figure out what happened to his missing person.  

I have so many older women friends who have been scammed by men who enticed them with promises of caring for them. There were so many bits of dialogue that echoed their stories in this production. Sometimes Annie is the scammer who becomes the victim and sometimes it’s Paul.   A startling recognition of a life-like situation. 

Special kudos MUST be given to the amazing work done by the tech team for this production. Designed by Jonathan Scott-McKean, the small claustrophobic basement room Sheldon is held in is stark and inhospitable. The combination of John Hauser’s sound design and Vance McKenzie’s light design create the most realistic storms I’ve witnessed on a stage in a long time. The whole audience jumped with the first lightning flash and thunder boom that echoed through the theatre. Whenever Annie was reading her Misery novels, she played a Liberace album of mushy romantic music. But it always sounded just a little bit off kilter, not quite the right speed, just a little bit mushy, reflecting her state of mind. The costumes designed by Crystal McKenzie for the men were authentic and timely. Annie’s clothes illustrated her depressed state of mind and her hopelessness of being considered a womanly woman. Amy Arpan lends her talents as a fight choreographer to the most realistic final battle between the two opponents. One last creepy lighting effect closes the show with a whimper. 

Thank you all for your work on this amazing production. 

A WOW factor of 9!! 

SWEAT – Written by Lynn Nottage; Directed by Kenny Moten.  Produced by Openstage (Presented at the Lincoln Center, 417 West Magnolia, Fort Collins) through February 10.  Tickets available at 970-221-6730 or lctix.com. 

I used to have two female friends that I did everything with.  How many times did they bail me out financially, when my car ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, when I wondered if my life would ever get any better.  (It did!)  And how many times did I hold their hands when they were tired and worried about family, cooked meals for all of us, shared my theatre tickets with them, and picked our Friday night movies.  The Three Amigos were my constant companions for a long time.  One now lives in North Carolina, the other is home in Columbia, and I’m still here in Denver. 

So, it was easy for me to recognize the ease and comfort the three friends in this play shared . . . in the beginning.  They were more raucous than me and my friends, but there was no shame with these women over getting drunk or shaking your bootie in public or outrageously flirting with the men in and out of Mick’s Bar.  The bar where the action takes place.  Anything goes and nothing’s gonna harm you.  Mick’s is their safe place and Stan, the barman, is their guardian.  They all work at a back-breaking factory jobs “on the line” so they need this down time to keep going back to it. They celebrate new boyfriends, getting rid of old husbands, birthdays, promotions . . . . . wait a minute, who got a promotion?? 

And that’s where the trouble begins. These factory jobs are the only kind of work available to them in the small town in which they live. They all hate it, but they and their families have worked there forever. Equally hard; equally long. A management job comes open and scrambling ensues to “move up,” make a little more money, work in a different way. It is inevitable that when one gets the job over the other, jealousy mounts. Then when lay-offs begin to happen and jobs are lost, it gets worse. Add in drug-addicted husbands, arrogant and angry sons, a union strike, people crossing the picket line and you’ve got a real mess on your hands. 

The tension in this situation grows like a tsunami and someone is bound to get hurt. The players in this drama make the situation come alive and shove their frustration in your face. As the three female friends, Ghandia Johnson, Sydney Parks Smith and Samantha Jo Staggs devolve from abandoned joy in each other presence and Friday night fun to hateful and hurtful arguments with insults being hurled across the room. It affects their sons who have grown up together who worked the factory line and now walk the picket line together. Rashad Holland and Kimber Freestone Hoven reflect painful acceptance from one and angry violence from the other. Don Randle gives a touching performance as the addled and sorrowful husband of Cynthia as he fights his addiction. Kevin Reifel as the manager of Mick’s and Miguel Munoz as his immigrant helper try to keep the peace, but they have their work cut out for them. The final player is Chaz Grundy who starts the play as a parole officer asking the questions that bring the whole story out into the open. A more talented group of actors you will not find playing against type. Ghandia generally plays happy comedic roles and Sammy Jo is known for her work as a performer in fun musicals. But these two and the other seven in the cast bring their hard as nails persona to the stage to tell this touching story of forgiveness and growth toward maturity. 

A fully equipped bar designed by James Brookman provides the dance floor for this tangled tango. The show’s program shows all 24 people behind the scenes working hard to make everything right for the nine on stage. That includes Director Kenny Moten who is popping up all over the Front Range these days sharing his talent from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs and beyond. All the communities and theatres benefit from his fine touch with everything from musicals to tough dramas like this one. Every performance I’ve seen at Openstage has been well constructed and well performed; Fort Collins is lucky to have a group of this quality in their midst. 

A WOW factor of 8.75!! 

TRUTH BE TOLD – Written by William Cameron; Directed by Christy Montour-Larson. produced by Curious Theatre Company (1080 Acoma, Denver) through February 10. Tickets available at 303-623-0524 or boxoffice@curioustheatre.org. 

I have occasionally confessed that one of my gauges for how engaged I am in a production is measured by how many notes I take. Quite frankly, if I think I’m not going to be able to remember what happened, I take a lot of notes. If I am intrigued from the starting gate, no notes are needed. Maybe instead of a WOW factor rating, I should use 1-2-3 pages of notes as a ranking tool. 

This show would have been a “no notes” ranking!! 

Engaging, startling, feisty, intriguing, captivating from the start to finish. A two-hander involving a true crime journalist is interviewing an ordinary woman named Kathleen who is the mother of a teenager who shot a group of people at his workplace, including his stepfather. The journalist is convinced she has all the facts and is working on the “why” of the situation. The mother knows the novelist does NOT have all the facts and wants her to see things the way she sees them – that someone else did it and her son is being sacrificed on the media cross. The brilliant Karen Slack plays the mother with determination and passion. She has been harassed by the public to the point that she had to move out of her home into a dingy basement apartment, maligned in social media with life-threatening emails, and feels that this her last chance to get the truth about her son out to the public. She is worn down, ragged and mourning, but still determined to clear his name. Trying very hard to remain calm and present her case in a logical professional manner, she just barely keeps herself from screaming. 

The journalist is played by an actress Karen’s equal, Jada Suzanne Dixon. She brings a professional noncommittal patina to the role of Jo Hunter. She wants to “do her job” to get the deep background she feels she needs for her story, without getting so involved she loses her perspective. Her questions are pointed, sometimes blunt, nearly every one a visible pain in Kathleen’s heart. In an attempt at solidarity with her interviewee, she confesses her own insecurities and perceived weaknesses as a mother. But her impatience with Kathleen’s unwillingness to accept the truth seeps through her veneer of sympathy. Does a reckoning come? You bet it does in one of the most startling and heartbreaking scenes you’re likely to see this year.  

Caitlin Ayer’s design of a dingy $500 a month hole in the wall apartment with its beige furniture and tiny kitchen was too authentic for words. I feel like I lived there during college. The whole set is framed with a false proscenium that focuses your attention on center stage where the action is going on and presents the play almost as a TV show.  

This is a poignant and powerful portrayal of every parent’s worst nightmare. You will want to go home and hug your kids after this show. 

A WOW factor of 9.25!!