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STONEWALL – Written by Neil Truglio, Samwell Rose, Frankie Lee and the cast of STONEWALL; Directed by Neil Truglio.  Produced by Benchmark Theatre Company  (1560 Teller, Lakewood) through July 1.  Tickets available at 303-519-9059 or benchmarktheatre.com.

I have to congratulate the committed board and company members of Benchmark.  When they can’t find a play on the subject they want to highlight, they write their own.  They did this last year with OUR AMERICAN COUSIN; A NATION DIVIDED about the divisive turn politics has taken.  This year, led by company member Neil Truglio, they have gone back in history to look at the start of the LGBTQ movement in 1969 at the raid on the well-known gay Stonewall Bar.  They have found vintage footage that illustrates the common misconceptions about homosexuality prevalent at the time and investigated the literature and interviews from the era to create an authentic picture of the birth of a movement.  Particularly amusing was TV footage of interviews with “noted” experts regarding the home life circumstances that led to the “creation” of a homosexual.

A gigantic cast of 24 talented people work together to portray narrators, bar patrons, advocates of the movement, journalists, cops and politicians.  The theatrical evening sort of starts before it starts with the cast arriving at intervals to enter the “bar,” to gather around a table to plan, to socialize on Christopher Street outside the bar, all in sotto voce so the audience can tell there is conversation but not actually hear it.  Then the narrators – Dan O’Neill, Barbara Porreca, and Verl Hite – start the story in the current year, then take us back to when it started.  Even when a group of people are working toward common goals, there is, of course, differences of opinion about how to achieve those goals.  So, it was no surprise to see leaders in the Mattachine Society, a group devoted to achieving equality for gays, fighting among themselves about the most prudent method for realizing their goals.  The baby steps of the movement were also covered by the Village Voice, a neighborhood newspaper which also had internal conflicts over how the building tensions should be covered.  All sides are examined, even the police’s point of view, until it leads up to the night of the riot itself when, for the first time, the patrons of the bar stood up for themselves and fought back.  Their actions reverberated across the country, encouraging other groups quietly seeking the same acceptance to begin their own protests.  A summation of the continued lives of the participants from that fateful night and an examination of how far the country has progressed and how far we still have to go creates an appropriate epilogue for the evening.

The research that went to creating this educational and entertaining evening of theatre is truly impressive.  With a slight bias toward the gay point of view, the reporting seems balanced and true to life as the people on stage discover new truths about themselves in front of an audience.  At the same time, as the audience is engaged in watching, they are also engaged in absorbing.  The high points and basic truths of the events are expressed with passion by the narrators.  This group operates as a true ensemble with all contributing equally to the overall picture.  But standout performances happen even within a powerful ensemble.  Corey Exline takes on the role of editor of the Village Voice determined to present the events unfolding in a well-balanced non-judgmental manner.  Caden Pazo has a delightful turn as a drunken street soldier.  Johnathan Underwood and Dante J. Finley represent well the trans members of the movement . . . and look hot while doing it.

All in all, this is a fast-moving important production that needs to be seen.  A warning, however:  there are long strobe light segments used as a way of conveying the chaos of the riot.  For people who have the not uncommon reaction of migraine headaches to prolonged flashing lights, this can be a minor problem.  Just close your eyes and listen to the chaos instead of inflicting pain upon yourself.A WOW factor of 8!!

ONCE – Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; Book by Enda Walsh; Directed by Tanner Kelly.  Produced by Stagedoor Theatre Company (29757 Conifer Road, Conifer).  Tickets no longer available.

Well, sorry, folks, you blew it!  You had your chance to catch this compelling production and now it’s gone.  Theatre is like that; it’s both the good news and the bad news.  If you don’t keep informed about what is playing and when and where, you can miss truly gifted performances.  Like this sweetly sentimental ONCE.

This is a show not done often as it demands a cast of twelve people, all of whom must play a musical instrument and contribute to the music. The 13^th cast member is a baby child – this time the adorable Finley Stoten who can’t be more than 5 or 6 and, by tapping her toes and moving to the music, indicated that, in a couple of years, she could be banging a tambourine herself.  As it was, we had a constant mixture of 7 or 8 guitars, 2 or 3 banjo’s, 2 violins, a piano, a bass viol and drums of all sorts to create the astounding musical backdrop to a lovely Irish-Czech love story. 

OK – I’m going to try to describe how this magical musical treated its score.  You know how the usual beginning of a song is someone counting 3-2-1 and everybody hits the first note together.  In ONCE, most of the songs start with a single guitar and a lone singer for the first 8 to 16 bars.  Then a second or third guitar will join in and deepen the melody.  More voices join the singer and a violin or two pitches in.  The bass gently lends its lower line of melody.  Before you know it, the whole cast has created a harmonious choir playing and singing at the same time.  They sometimes end together on a common note but more often, the accompanying players drop out one by one, leaving the lone guitarist to finish the song the way it started.  It rolls over you like a wave – gently building and receding into silence.  I can only tell you the effect is hypnotic and brings joy to your heart.

Another instance of brilliant staging closed Act I with a song called “Gold.”  It’s open mic night at the neighborhood bar and Guy (Gunnar Bettis) has been encouraged to perform.  The rest of the cast is his audience as they get caught up in the beauty of his music.  As one, they start moving – swaying? – chair dancing? in perfect synchronization.  They too have been moved by a wave of musical emotion that sweeps through the room and takes your breath away.

It’s so easy to tell that this is one of those casts that have formed a definite tribe.  If one of them fell, there would be a dozen hands to catch them before they hit the ground.  If someone forgot a lyric, there would be a resounding group filling in the blanks before anyone in the audience even noticed.  The simplicity of the staging enhances the unorthodox love story.  Guy has had his heart broken and given up on love and music.  Girl (Olivia Kisicki) has had an equally sorrowful love story but finds hope in music.  Together they re-ignite their mutual capacity for love and re-discover the joy in music made together.  Thier’s is a complicated relationship involving a girlfriend who has left for greener pastures and an absent husband.  But, as they move forward into the world, they do not leave anything unfinished between them because their story was unstarted.

Gunnar and Olivia are relatively new local actors that have brought their fresh faces and lovely voices to this remarkable production.  Gunnar has an innocence about him that is most appealing, a true sense of a broken soul that gently re-awakens under Girl’s faith.  Olivia brings an authenticity to her Czech persona and her faith in the healing power of music.  This remarkable cast do everything.  Simultaneously.  They play multiple instruments, sing in breathtaking harmony, dance in both the Irish style and sometimes without leaving their chairs . . . all the while performing in a tightknit acting ensemble.  While this cast defines the meaning of ensemble, each also made their own individual contribution to the fun.  Linda Swanson Brown takes a comic turn as a bank manager wannabe song writer in “Abandoned in Bandon.”  Isabelle Duran as the sexy Reza asks for someone to “Satisfy Me.” Cooper Kaminski appeals to “The Moon.”  The titular song from the show “Falling Slowly” weaves its startling harmonies throughout the evening.

OK – I’ve tormented you enough with what you’ve missed.  Sorry!  But stay tuned and check back once and awhile, because I may have good news soon.A WOW factor of 9.5!!

ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE – Book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley; Music and Lyrics by Jimmy Buffett; Directed and Choreographed by Kelly Van Oosbree; Music Directed by Andrew Fischer.  Presented by Parker Arts (produced by Give 5 Productions at the PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker) through July 16.  Tickets available at 303-805-6800 or ParkerArts.org.

Just imagine the problem that Garcia and O’Malley faced when they tackled the creation of a show based on the music of Jimmy Buffett.  They no doubt had access to Buffett’s extensive catalog of hundreds of songs from which to choose.  But where to start?  A bar is a good start.  A bar on a beach, even better.  A bar on a beach on an island!  That’s got it!!  How about something that gently pokes fun at both tourists and islanders?  Throw in a couple of romances. . . . maybe a couple of older characters for comedy.  If they want to get them off the island for part of the show, throw in a volcano.

The philosophy behind this light-hearted concoction is that more people should lead an island kind of life.  The harder parts of life can be handed if you just “breathe in, breathe out, move on.”  Most problems can be solved with healthy doses of music and rum.  Not a bad way of looking at things.

Jake Bell plays Tully, the island Romeo, who demonstrates his “sincere” nature when, in the opening scene, he can’t remember the name or hometown of his girlfriend of the week.  The next week’s boat brings a more formidable challenge in the form of Rachel, played by Jamie Molina, as an environmentalist.  She is accompanying her best friend Tammy, a bride to be, on a bachelorette vacation before the big day.  Rachel has a much more serious attitude about life, but the island ultimately works its magic.  This leads to Tully finding his shoe firmly planted on the wrong foot.

In the meantime, Tammy (Brekkan Baker), the bride to be, has promised her fiancé (Damon Guerassio) that there would be no fooling around while she’s on the island.  But then she also promised to stay on her diet to meet his demands for a skinny bride.  Tammy immediately connects with Brick, the hotel bartender (Nick Rigg Johnson).  Despite their obvious attraction, they stay strong and build a friendship. For now.

The senior roles of Marley and J.D. are played with humor and finesse by Sonsharae Tull and Rick Long.  Sonsharae gives her role of the bar owner a resigned tolerance of the foolishness going on around her that pays her bills.  Rick as J.D. steals the show every time he opens his smartass mouth and wanders around the stage looking for his “lost shaker of salt.”  And he knows whose fault it is.  Rick takes what could have been a throwaway role and makes it the heart of the production.  His wicked grin and comic delivery of cheeky remarks wins the day.

A Kelly Van Oosbree production always features creative well-staged dances performed by well-trained dancers who seem to rise to new levels of skill under her tutelage.  This show is no exception.  The witty staging of “License to Chill” as an opener and “Fins” as we meet the new boatload of tourists keep us firmly planted in our temporary island paradise.  As always, her understanding of how all the components of a musical production – lights, sound, projections, set pieces, movement – all working together allow the composition of beautiful stage pictures.

All too often, the contributions of the people behind the curtains are overlooked.  Having done shows at the PACE Center in the past, I know personally how hard all of that crew works to make your afternoon or evening at the theatre a success.  The PACE Center is blessed with a full-time staff and crew who have worked together long enough to provide a level of professionalism difficult to achieve otherwise.  To this crew of Britni, Kevin, Roderick, David, Matt and the stage management crew of Lara, Bennie, Bella and Cade go special kudos.  They make the whole thing look easy.A WOW factor of 8.5!!