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ONCE UPON A MATTRESS – Music by Mary Rodgers; Lyrics by Marshall Barer; book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer; Directed by Kenny Moten; Choreographed by Christopher Page Sanders; Musical Direction by Jordan Ortman.  Produced by the Arvada Center (6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada) through December 29.  Tickets available at 720-898-7200 or ArvadaCenter.org. 

Sometimes you just need a laugh.  The holidays are a good time to partake of this life-affirming practice, often indulged in by families and friends gathered over food.  Even occasionally on family treks to the theatre in a time-honored tradition of re-visiting yet another production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  Does the Arvada Center follow tradition?  Not always.  This year their light-hearted holiday offering is the very charming ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, a musical riff on the Princess and the Pea legend.  Not a sprig of holly or a Ghost of any Christmas in sight. 

To illustrate the silliness of this script, our heroine, Princess Winnifred (Fred to her friends), enters the scene with a song proclaiming “I’m Shy” as she bounces around the stage like a kangaroo, winning the hearts of all the courtiers in the castle with her extroverted charm.  There is nothing shy about this exuberant performance by Alana Watters, returning to Arvada after playing the statelier role of the Fairy Godmother in last year’s CINDERELLA.  She is down-to-earth, practical, full of joy, susceptible to kindness, and oblivious to the offhand cruelty of her nemesis, Queen Aggravain.  The interplay between the two women and the Prince looking for a wife is glorious. 

Joanie Brosseau-Rubald is such a joy to watch in everything she does.  Straight role or musical, she grabs it the hair and heart to make it her own.  As she does with the maternal role of the Queen who wants to keep her son to herself.  Therefore, she does everything she can to sabotage all the “real” princesses who come to audition for the role of the Princess Bride.  Joannie’s prickly Queen sets the almost-but-not-quite over-the-top mood of the production. 

A subplot reveals the dilemma of two members of the royal court.  Tradition demands that couples cannot marry until Prince Dauntless, the Queen’s son, gets wed.  Therefore, the frantic search for a Princess is abetted by the rather desperate and frustrated members of the court.  Lady Larken and Sir Harry have a particularly pressing reason to desire an immediate wedding.  Performed by Elizabeth Halren and Mathenee Treco, their relationship is feisty and fun and their duets breathtaking. 

EJ Dohring returns to Arvada and puts on his best pair of doofus shoes to bring us Prince Dauntless.  By the time all the other Princesses-in-waiting have been sent away by the equally dauntless Queen, the Prince has had all of his daunt drained by disappointment.  But the sight of Winifred making her dramatic entrance decidedly not dry delights him.  He is captured by her difference-ness, becomes dreamy and, once again, full of daunt.  EJ personifies a goofy teenager in the throes of first love.  So much fun to watch. 

These primary characters are ably supported by Brian Watson as the narrator/Minstrel; Megan Van De Hay as the wise and womanly wizard; Colin Alexander as the silent King Sixtimus and the Jester, David Otto.  David is one of those hard-working actor/dancers who has filled ensemble roles with quiet grace and competence for years.  It’s wonderful to see him get a breakout role like this and take the lead in the dance number “Very Soft Shoes.” 

Director Kenny Moten always seems to recognize and reward the truly talented members of his casts, giving each a few moments in the spotlight.  He brings the thirteen members of this ensemble to the forefront to showcase a taste of their talent.  All are given lines and solo moments in the dance numbers.  Kenny has diligently worked his way into becoming one of the busiest and most in-demand directors in Colorado.  Deservedly so – but let’s just say I first met Kenny as a dancing candy cane in yet another holiday extravaganza.  And he was brilliant in that role as well. 

Once again, the technical crew and backstage workers at the Arvada Center come through professionally in their support of this production.  It’s always a pleasure to welcome Christopher Page Sanders back to town for the style and charm of his choreography.  Justin Ortman conducts the big sound of music which comes forth from under the stage created by his eight-piece orchestra. Another beautifully layered set designed by Brian Mallgrave has been brought to the stage by Nick Cimyotte and the carpenters and painters on his crew.  The colorful and beautifully made costumes were designed by Madison Booth and constructed by the drapers and stitchers on her crew.  Although I never did quite figure out the Wizard’s look.  The props and set dressings were collected and curated by the three members of the prop shop while Casey Burnham and Jon Olson brought the sound and light designs of Max Silverman and Kate Bashore to life with the assistance of board and spotlight operators.  Everything was kept running smoothly by the expertise of Christine Rose Moore and her crew of ninja warriors, both front of house and backstage.  It takes a village to create a kingdom. 

A WOW factor of 8.75!

CONFEDERATES – Written by Dominique Morisseau; Directed by Marisa D. Hebert.  Produced by Curious Theatre Company (presented at 1080 Acoma St, Denver) through December 8.  Tickets available at 303-623-2349 or at curioustheatre.org. 

A set of circumstances beyond my control has prevented me from writing about this show earlier in the run.  I apologize as I would like to have encouraged more people to see, feel, and contemplate this exciting production.  As with all Curious productions, CONFEDERATES will bring you a riveting story that thoughtfully explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of modern life often using the past as a starting point.  They generally encourage recognition of and contemplation of solutions to the problems that – no matter how far we have advanced – still exist.

This production and script illuminate one such comparison. It offers a lot to absorb.  The dialogue is dense and the emotions expressed are complicated. 

Also, you can always safely anticipate an outstanding cast that brings the script to thoughtful life. Such is the case with the current production.  The cast of five represents characters from both the life of the enslaved during the Civil War and the modern dilemma of a university educator caught in the crux of a dilemma not of her own making.  The cast moves easily – with the device of on-stage costume changes and small adjustments to the set – back and forth between each person’s story.  Kenya Mahogany Fashaw as Sandra gives a riveting performance of a tough but fair professor.  She is knowledgeable, humane, and demanding of the best from her students.  The thoughtlessness of two of her most promising students puts her in an untenable position for which there is no easy solution. 

Kristina Fountaine is feisty and funny as a fellow educator with high expectations for friendship based on nothing more than their mutual skin color.  She doubles as a devious house servant in the home of a Confederate officer.  Tresha Farris plays Sara, another house servant, who enlists her brother Abner (Cameron Davis) in a plan to enter the war as a soldier.  Cameron also doubles as Malik, an excellent student being mentored by Sandra.  His poor judgment initiates the situation that evolves out of control.  Rachel Turner originally provides a subtle touch of humor as a sexually awakened daughter of the Confederacy who REALLY wants Sara to like her – and – a student trying REALLY hard for a good grade from Sandra in her second role.  The two stories move in tandem to a frustrating but realistic conclusion. 

A beautiful set that doubles as both the plantation library and a university office was designed by Mathew Crane.  Richard Devin’s lighting allows for subtle differences in location and adds drama to the costume changes.  Nicole Watts design for the versatile costumes of both eras allows for smooth transitions and authenticity. 

You’ve got one weekend left to catch this exciting new play. 

A WOW factor of 8.50!! 

EYES OPEN – MOUTH AGAPE – Written and directed by Buntport Theatre Company.  Presented at Buntport Theatre (717 Lipan, Denver) through November 23.  Tickets available at 720-946-1388 or buntport.com. 

No one ever forgets their first time. That surprise that something could be so good.  Such an unexpected delight.  And you suddenly can’t wait for the next time.   You wish that those talented kids at Buntport did shows more often.  What? What did you think I was talking about?  Those of us who are old-timers exist in anticipation of their next production – even if it’s revisiting an older script.  Their older scripts are better than other writers’ brand-new scripts.   

What do we like about Buntport?  Well, for one thing, the genius of five (used to be six) kids who met in college and banded together to build one of Denver’s most successful theatres, doing only their own original scripts.  The creativity of thought and deed.  The brilliant take on pieces of literature adapted and molded into their own whacked-out version of something barely recognizable but insightful and clever.  The illogical logic of explaining the familiar in new terms.  The turn of a phrase that sheds a light.  The bravery and willingness to do anything for the laugh.  (I’ll never forget the look on the COYOTE’s face when caught in the museum). The confidence that their audiences will go along with their absurdities and understand their motifs.  The feeling that you, the audience member, enjoys when you get it – the mounting “in” joke – the pleasure of recognizing their intelligence and yours because you do get it. 

And no one does forget their first time.  Looking back through their archives, I realize that my first show was called THE ODYSSEY; A WALKING TOUR in 2002.  I’ve been watching Buntport for 22 years and have never been disappointed.  In this first one, the audience donned earphones while a tour guide (“We’re walking – we’re walking”) moved them through visualizations of Jason’s mythical journey.  It featured a giant eye projected against the wall as the cyclops and a pig pen full of transformed sailors.  But then the next was the brilliant and oft-repeated TITUS ANDRONICUS with its chalkboard marking off the murders, the van that made eight-point turns to expose another side and another location for mayhem, and the blood by the buckets full.  After a production of SOMETHING IS ROTTEN (an adaptation of HAMLET), my 12-year-old grandson explained to me that Ophelia had to be a goldfish because then she wouldn’t have drowned.  And my joy in realizing he GOT it. 

But what have they done lately?  They took a relatively insignificant incident that happened twenty years ago in Chicago and made us laugh.  A lone bus driver in a tour bus for the Dave Matthews Band decided to dump his honey wagon through the grid of a bridge not realizing that a sight-seeing open-air boat was going under the bridge at the same time.  The people below got something like 800 pounds of inglorious (even if it did come from the band members) poo dropped on their heads as they sat EYES UP, MOUTH AGAPE.  How do they tell this lurid tale?  A documentary is being filmed about the incident as the bus, the bridge, and the boat are being interviewed about their role in the horrendous happening.  A fifth character – the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) – chimes in with occasional observations from her excellent viewpoint.  The characters soon start bickering about whose fault it was and why they are not to blame, thwarting the camerawoman’s efforts to get the story told logically. 

The original group includes Sam (who provides the outstanding sound and light background for all the shows); Erin who doggedly continues to hope she can get her subjects to dampen their egos and answer her questions; Hannah, the righteously indignant boat full of caca; Erik, the bridge who insists he was an innocent bystander; and Brian, the bus which created the whole mess.  A fifth collaborator for this adventure was Emily Harrison from Square Product Theatre in Boulder, a quite tall Sears Tower with a spire hat and a guitar. 

Let me just close by saying you’ll not find a more creative and talented bunch of performers, search high and low as you may.  Attending Buntport shows is a rite of passage for Denver theatregoers.  And you’ll always remember your first.  Although there was that other one . . . . . oh, and don’t forget the one about the . . . . . .  

A WOW factor of 9!! 

NUNSENSE – Book, Music and Lyrics by Dan Goggin; Directed and Choreographed by Nancy Evans Begley; Music Direction by Andrew Fischer.  Produced by Parker Arts and Veritas Productions (Presented at the Schoolhouse Theatre, 19650 East Main Street, Parker) through November 17.  Tickets available at 303-805-6800 or ParkerArts.org. 

There are shows that even the most casual theatregoer has probably seen.  FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – OUR TOWN – SOUND OF MUSIC – FOREVER PLAID – and, most likely, NUNSENSE, a cherished piece for when your company has more women than men.  So, it’s nice to revisit it once and awhile.  There’s nothing that makes these corny jokes and songs about being a nun very up-to-date, but you find yourself laughing (or smiling loudly) in spite of yourself.  Generally, because the women playing the nuns are having so much fun doing it. 

What makes the whole she-bang (see what I did there?) fun is when it is cast with five ladies who know their stuff, as Pace and Veritas Productions have done with this show.  Let’s take the Mother Superior, for instance.  Jennifer Burnett is more than qualified to lead this rowdy bunch.  She has taken leads in productions all over town, been nominated for Henry awards (and won one), toured nationally, and just did an outstanding job in a performance of CABARET.  Her Mother Superior is quietly commanding, generously gruff, and a no-nonsense leader of the pack.  Her introduction to nose candy is quite a rush (whoops! I did it again!) 

Sister Hubert is given an exuberant life by Arabella Beaubrun with a hardy laugh and bouncy humor.  Every musical with any hint of religion must have a big shouty gospel song and Arabella makes the most of hers with “Holier Than Thou.”  She is sympathetic to the trials of her fellow nuns, but still backs up the Mother Superior as in their duet of “Just a Couple of Sisters.”   

Sister Amnesia – so named because she lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head – gives Jamie Molina a chance to shine.  She is the dippity doo in this crazy little show.  Her memory lapses allow the other nuns to poke gentle fun at her and reveals her personal gift of comic timing.  In a recent production at Town Hall Center, she held her own as the second banana to comic legend Annie Dwyer.  No small feat.  She brings the same commitment and charm to her role as Amnesia and gets the happy ending she deserves. 

Ali Chung is fast becoming a familiar face in Denver’s many theatres.  Here she plays the tough girl nun from New Yawk, Sister Robert Anne, who can strip down a motorcycle and save your soul without breaking a sweat.  Her running joke with the Reverend Mother is that she is not allowed to perform a solo and has to be devious in getting her moment to shine in “I Just Want to be a Star.” Ali is definitely already a star. 

A nun in training is called a novice but Kayleigh Bernier is no novice at musical comedy.  She’s already got lead roles under her wimple – such as her recent performance at the Pace Center as Ellie in LEGALLY BLONDE.  She brings an unabashed charm to her role as the nun-in-the-making with her gentle manner, quiet grace, and sweet voice.  Such is her talent and versatility. A marked change from the high-energy role she just completed in the bigger theatre in Parker. 

Director Nancy Evans Begley picked five differently talented women to complete her cast and then let them show their humor and talents confidently.  Her choreography is simple as suits women in habits yet well taught and performed.  A talented actress and dancer herself, she has now turned her energy to producing and directing.  Lucky us to benefit from her experience. 

A WOW factor of 8.75!! 

MURDERERS; A Killer Comedy – Written by Jeffrey Hatcher; Directed by Bernie Cardell.  Produced by Vintage Theatre (1468 Dayton Street, Aurora) through November 17.  Tickets available at 303-856-7830 or vintagetheatre.org. 

Most murder plays concentrate on WHO dunnit and try to fool the audience with red herrings and subterfuge. MURDERERS is the exact opposite.  One at a time, the audience is introduced to three normal looking people, charming, funny, and murderous.  They readily admit their crime and are anxious to share with the audience how their dastardly deeds got done.  All three episodes are set at Riddle Key Luxury Retirement Living Center and Golf Course and involve residents and staff members.  Offhand, I would say this is not a good place to retire. 

The first murderer is Gerald (Troy Lakey) who got involved in a very complicated scheme with his fiancé and potential mother-in-law to beat the inheritance laws.  The story is full of characters with names like Spiff, Puss and Pepper and way too complicated to try to recall.  Suffice it to say, it all makes perfect sense and is a great way to protect the mother-in-law’s money for her daughter’s family . . . until it isn’t.  Troy reprises his role from the first covid-cancelled production and brings a charming, handsome, easily beguiled man to life while he awaits his execution. 

Our second tale involves a woman done wrong.  Margaret – played by Mary Campbell – puts up with her philandering husband as long as she can.  The kicker is when she finds his viagra in his golf bag – in the little side pocket, you know, where he keeps his balls.  Margaret’s tale of woe is relayed with sass and authenticity as if this were the first time she told the story.  

The third go-around involves a successful serial killer named Minka who works at the Living Center and finds convenient ways to “take care” of inconvenient clients and members of their rotten families.  Mari Geasair brings a subtle slyness to her role that allows you to almost root for her continued success.  Her methods are creative and almost undetectable – but don’t get any ideas.  This is Mari’s third time in the role; she does it very well. 

Three very attractive and talented players explaining three very well-written episodes of three murder no-mystery-here stories. 

A WOW factor of 8.5!! 

SPIRIT LEVEL – Written by Pam Valentine; Directed by Paul Newman.  Produced by Evergreen Players (Presented at Center Stage, 27888 Meadow Drive, Evergreen) through November 10.  Tickets available at 720-525-1528 or evergreenplayers.org. 

What an wonderful way to spend an afternoon or evening!!  Most serious theatre companies – of which Evergreen Players is one – have a reading committee that spends their time investigating scripts to find the next great show for the company to perform.  Whoever found this script and encouraged its production is to be congratulated.  Ms. Valentine’s witty and poignant writing gave us everything we wanted in a drawing-room comedy – a clever story, crazy characters, great one-liners, and a message snuck in for good measure.  At its heart, SPIRIT LEVEL is like the third act of OUR TOWN when the characters who have passed over realize how much of their time on Earth they wasted with foolish arguments and not paying attention to the beauty of life.  

Jack and Susie Cameron (Dan Sares and Linda Swanson Brown) have drowned in a boating accident and have been refused entry into Heaven because Jack is a card-carrying atheist.  They are stuck in limbo in their cottage . . . . until the estate agent (Gary Leigh-Webster) arrives with a young couple intent on renting the place.  The agent has had some difficulty renting because of the machinations of the ghostly couple who want to keep the place to themselves.  But Jack and Susie are charmed by this couple because Simon (David Speechley) is a would-be mystery writer and a great admirer of Jack’s successful career.  Flic, his wife, (Tess Greenhaw) charms Susie when it is revealed that she is pregnant.  Keep in mind that the audience members are the only ones who can see Jack and Susie even though they are constantly present and commenting on the action. 

The discovery is made that Susie is a sort of medium and can transfer thoughts into the heads of all the characters.  This allows her to help Jack mentor Simon in his attempt to finish his own book.  She is also able to put thoughts in the minds of Flic and Flic’s overbearing mother in one of the funniest scenes you’ll ever see.  Watching the naughty spew forth from the mouth of an uptight grouch (Julie Williamson) was hysterical.  The ghostly couple also gets some advice on how to achieve Heaven from a deadpan Guardian Angel (Kathleen Davis) who talks to St. Peter on her cell phone.  I don’t want to give away too much because watching this story unfold and how the characters learn from the happenings is the joy of the production.  Suffice it to say that you will laugh uproariously and shed a tear or two during the evening.  And you’ll be happy you found this delight. 

All of the actors bring their A-game to their work on this show.  So much rests on the very able shoulders of Dan and Linda as the not-quite-angelic couple.  They must avoid bumping into the other actors in addition to moving the story along.  Their realistic take on a loving but troubled couple is spot on.  David and Tess, who are newly married and still excited about everything, provide a great contrast.  Gary is delightful as the bewildered and spooked estate agent.  Julie is one of the bravest actresses I’ve seen as she does a complete 180 on her character midway through the show in a daring scene of awakening.  And Kathleen as the “nothing phases her” angel was amazing with her matter-of-fact delivery of heavenly lines.   

Thanks to all who contributed to this sweet production.  Director Paul Newman caught just the right attitude from his actors by understanding the humor and sweetness of the script.  The costumes by Nealy Drew and the set by Biz Schaugaard provided just the right look for the production and avoided the cliche of putting wings on the Guardian Angel.  But the Angel from the top of the Christmas tree played a crucial part in the story.  Kathleen Davis (in addition to playing the pompous mother-in-law) and Nya Pruitt (also the Stage Manager)  came up with a clever sound effect for the transfer of thought from one character to another while Tom Junker devised a lovely effect to end each scene in a halo of light.  This is a team that came together under the guidance of Production Manager Marilyn Herrs to provide a touchingly sweet and funny afternoon/evening for their audiences. 

A WOW factor of 9.00!! 

FRANKENSTEIN – Written by Alyssa Bosch; Directed by Logan Custer.  Produced by Audacious Theatre Company (Presented at Fiction Brewery, 7101 East Colfax, Denver).  Additional performances at a different site.  Tickets available at Audaciousimmersive.com through October 31. 

For pure unadulterated (well, maybe it is ADULTerated!) fun, you can’t beat Audacious Theatre Company.  They “pop up” in most unexpected places and ways.  Their current offering is a silly, over-the-top updated take on the Frankenstein story originally devised by Mary Shelley in 1818.  This version features a cast of six playing multiple roles to tell the story of a man-made monster. 

With dialogue straight out of a Victorian novel, Ren Manley – the mastermind behind this madness – plays Dr. Frankenstein who thought he was doing a good deed by creating new life from old parts.  Jason Toennis plays the hulking monster whose search for love and companionship leads to disaster.  The remainder of the crew – Sara Stephenson, Joaquin Liebert, Shawna Urbanski, and JoJo Pride – fill out the roles of damsel in distress, townspeople, friends of the fiend maker, and so on. 

More participatory than immersive, prop bags are handed out that include things like miniature flashlights to become lightning accompanying the many thunderclaps, a ballot to vote on the monster’s fate, and a couple more surprises to be used intermittently during the proceedings. The versatile pairing of steampunk costume pieces by Macbeth Richardson and the creation of a plethora of hand props by Rachel Lowman adds to the silly fun.  The actors’ dead-serious commitment to telling this story – no matter what happens in the room – is a wonder to behold. 

Just pure fun, they have one more weekend to delight you at the Fiction Brewery in Parker.  Their infamous take on the CHRISTMAS CAROL story known as DRUNK CHRISTMAS will start again in November playing all over town.  Check it out!! 

A WOW factor of 8.25!! 

THE LAST NIGHT OF RED BARKER – Written by Jeff Neuman; Directed by Amanda Berg Wilson.  Produced by the Catamounts (Presented at the Westminster Grange Hall, 3935 West 73^rd Avenue, Westminster) through November 2.  Tickets available at thecatamounts/well-attended.com. 

Lloyd (Red) Barker was a titular member of the infamous Barker Gang of the 30’s and 40’s Midwest.  Titular because he was born into the family of Arrie (Ma) and George Barker, but rarely took an active part in their bank robberies or kidnappings.  An early attempt at robbing the mail landed him in Leavenworth for 16 years, a sentence that taught him the error of his early ways and kept him (for the most part) on the straight and narrow after release. 

The audience knows this is Red’s last night going into the adventure.  Our journey is to find out why.  We meet Red (Jason Maxwell) at his last job – as a bartender at the Denargo Grill, probably close to the old Denargo Market in LoDo.  It is obvious that he is concerned over the phone calls he keeps getting from his upset wife until his boss Charlie (Sam Gilstrap) puts an end to her disturbance.  Even then, Red defends her to Charlie and acknowledges that she has “spells” that he has learned to live with.  When Charlie leaves, the Spanish character that symbolizes Dia de Muertos comes calling with her siren song.  She leads Red and the audience on a stroll through an adjacent park where scenes from Red’s life are revisited. 

At the first stop on our ghostly journey, we meet his younger brother Herman (John Hauser) who is neck-deep in the gang’s work and tries to recruit Red back into the fold.  Herman has been deceased since 1927 when he committed suicide to keep from being taken in by the police.  We next see an interaction between Red and his cellmate in Leavenworth (Don Randle), a man so desperate for proof that there is a world outside prison that he begs to read Red’s letters from his mother and smells them first, just to remember what outside smelled like.  Each stop along the way illustrates another thing that Red has learned. 

The third stop gives us a scene between Red who has gotten a job as a guard at the Ameche Internment Camp during WWII and one of his female detainees (Min Kyung Kim).  She wants to go outside the gate to get a medicinal plant that would help her father.  He stops her but when he hears her story and talks to her about her art, he lets her go.  It was such a touching scene that I wanted to tell him that it was a nice thing he did but found that I was so choked up that I couldn’t.  We’ve learned along the way that Red has a gentle soul and trying very hard to be a better man. 

Inside the Grange Hall, we finally meet Ma Barker (Emma Messenger) who was killed in an FBI shootout in 1935.  She has a great deal of affection for Red but doesn’t agree with his lifestyle and doesn’t like the woman he married.  She warns him that the only women men can ever trust are their Mothers.  But her love of her sons seems wrapped around what they can do for her without consideration of what it is doing to them.  He finally has a cookie and heads for home to confront his angry wife.  It is there that he meets his maker as we hear three gunshots after he enters the house.  A final scene memorializes Red for all of us as we have become his last friends. 

It’s a thoughtful piece about the decisions that people make that can impact the rest of their lives.  By virtue of Jason Maxwell’s considered understated performance as Red, we have all grown to know him as a good man.  Even his last act, as he squares his shoulders to face his wife and talk her down from her craziness, is an act of hope and kindness.  He just wasn’t successful, and she ended up in a mental asylum.  Everyone else along the way also contributed to our picture of Red as honorable.  John Hauser was a very persuasive younger brother but Red turned away without turning his back on his brother. Don Randle as Red’s cellmate put up a good facade of accepting his life sentence but his anxious body language gave him away.  The scene between Red and the lovely young Japanese girl beautifully illustrated how he had moved into kindness as a way of life despite his position as a guard to people who had done nothing to be locked up.  She had found a way to make their prison tolerable and shared it with him.  Even his conversation with his mother as she washed socks and “other” items allowed him to stand up to her demands and make his own way out the door.  Neuman’s vignettes from Red’s life were well conceived to illustrate his journey from kinda good to much better in a realistic way. 

By day, it’s a lovely park to stroll through.  With the understated lighting by Zoe Gidiere and the live music provided by Nika Garcia as our ghostly guide, it turns into a different setting altogether.  When you go, be sure to take a jacket and flat shoes; part of the path is not paved.  The nights are getting chilly and you are outside most of the time. 

A WOW factor of 8.25!! 

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS – Adapted by Mark Brown from the novel by Jules Verne; Directed by Richard R. Cowden .  Produced by the Aurora Fox Arts Center (9900 East Colfax, Aurora) through October 27.  Tickets available at 303-739-1970 or AuroraFoxArtsCenter.org. 

What can you do with about eight boxes of varying sizes, some old rugs and blankets, and a few ropes?  Under the brilliant guidance of Director Richard Cowden and the technical genius of Brandon Case and his team, you can make a runaway train, a hot air balloon, and an elephant among other things.  These were all part of Phineas Fogg’s trip around the world in an 80-day journey.  It is estimated that a flight around the world today would take a little more than 46 hours. But this story is set in 1872.  

That sets up the script.  Then throw five incredibly talented actors into the mix and you’ve got a show. Director Cowden kept the cast moving through the character-building exposition, the discussion among friends that prompted the impromptu trip, and then the journey itself.  While we do not doubt that Fogg and his newly hired valet, Passepartout, will be able to complete the trip, the adventures they have along the way could not have been predicted.  To complicate matters, a Scotland Yard detective named Fix is following them because of a mistaken belief that Fogg was traveling with stolen money.  Then to make the journey even more perilous, in India, they rescue a woman about to be burned on her dead husband’s pyre and take her with them. The tale is replete with obstacles that need to be solved and overcome in creative methods. 

All five actors are making their Aurora Fox debuts, but how easily they work together as a cast telling the story while making all the set pieces out of the above-mentioned boxes, etc. In front of the audience.  Bill Diggle is a methodical, almost prissy Phineas Fogg.  He is unflappable with faith that all difficulties will be resolved by either ingenuity or money.  His growing relationship with his valet and his new traveling companion takes a little of the stiffness out of his upper lip, but he remains true to his character to the end. 

Matthew Murry is fast becoming one of my favorite actors to watch on stage. His turn as E.M. Forster in THE INHERITANCE was a study in calm deliberation.  This role has him running, jumping, and performing all sorts of crazy stunts as well as being in the subservient role of a valet.  He did it all with charm and athleticism.  Maya Jairam also makes an impressive debut at the Fox after gaining considerable experience in Fort Collins theatres.  She riffs between street people and the rescued East Indian woman Aouda with flexibility.  She is charming in both a sari and a proper English woman’s suit. 

I’m pleased that I was present on the day that the swing for the character of Detective Fix – Joseph Steiner – took a turn in the role.  Normally played by Grant Bowman who this day took on the task of putting the boxes in the right place at the right time to represent the modes of travel.  Joseph did an excellent job of portraying the frustration of Detective Ha Ha Fix as he plays catch up to Fogg on their mutual journey.  Fix too is a very athletic role that Steiner took in stride.  I’m sorry I didn’t get to see Grant in the role, but I’ve seen him perform any number of characters in nearly every theatre in town.  I know how good he is. 

This leaves Brian Watson who describes his character(s) as “Everyone Else.”  This includes gnarly sailors, English gentlemen, cowboys, and train engineers – in other words, fourteen versions of the necessary everyone else.  He too proved to be an athletic actor performing quick costume changes, adapting boxes into set pieces, and making the whole thing come together.  Brian is a versatile actor who, as far as I can tell, can do darn near anything he wants on stage and does it well. 

True brilliance was shown in the construction of this show.  The simplicity of the sets was complimented by an amazing set of projections against the screened back wall.  I’ve not seen anything in Denver as beautiful as the ocean scenes were toward the end of the show when they are rushing to get home in time.  A very subtle sound design by Patricia Mondragon allowed you to believe that the water was breaking on the shore and was close enough to come over the edge of the stage.  Truly subtle and amazing – good work!  Linda Morken also provided a full range of costumes for all 39 characters from top hats to cowboy hats. 

This season at the Fox is getting off to a great start.  This is a great way to spend an evening at the theatre. 

A WOW factor of 8.50!! 

ROCKY HORROR SHOW – Music, Lyrics and Book by Richard O’Brien; Directed by Kelly McAllister.  Produced by Stagedoor Theatre Company (25797 Conifer Road, Conifer) through October 26.  Tickets available at stagedoortheatre.org. 

Let’s be perfectly clear from the get-go: ROCKY HORROR SHOW is not my favorite show.  In fact, it’s pretty high on the list of shows I’m not crazy about.  But some shows seem to have a mystique about them that actors who have performed in them adore.  Rocky seems to be one of them.  Since its premiere in London in 1973, it has gained cult status with multiple productions across the country usually around Halloween.  Its longevity and honored place in the catalog of shows every theatre MUST do at least once has moved it to the top of the mountain of cult favorites. 

It was bold and ground-breaking in 1975 when the movie version was released.  To the outsider, it is ridiculously campy, misrepresentational of transgender folk, outdated in its attempts at shock value, and hopelessly convoluted plot-wise.  Before I go all crazy on the piece, let me state that I understand the social significance of works like Rocky.  It was written 49 years ago in 1973 when outward gayness was rewarded with time in jail. When cross-dressing was a criminal perversion.  When women wore aprons and men only wore dresses in the privacy of their bedroom.  Rocky’s outrageous costumes (or almost lack thereof), language, sentiments, and sexual statements helped break the mold – open the door – for the community at that time. Even today, the freedom of self-expression, sexual freedom, fluid gender identities, and other-ness acceptance is an ongoing struggle.  If Rocky speaks to teenagers and “others” who are slow in finding their place in the world, then more power to it.

To make a quick stumbling synopsis of the confusing story, two innocents – Janet and Brad – find themselves stranded on a dark and stormy night.  They seek shelter in a dark and stormy mansion populated by a mixed set of aliens and sexually ambiguous creatures.  The top dog is Frank-n-Furter who has created a perfect male robot named Rocky as his sex toy.  But Rocky’s naivete and willingness to experiment with his new body gets him initiated into the pleasures of the flesh pretty quickly.  Taking many of the other characters with him.  Until they all fly off into space to return to their home planet. 

The recent production at Conifer’s Stagedoor Theatre encourages – nay, almost demands – audience participation.  This means the audience is taught the Time Warp dance before the show and encouraged to get up and dance in the aisles when it arrives.  They also encourage bringing or buying prop bags that contain tools like glow sticks, confetti, toilet paper, playing cards, and other assorted items that could be hurled onto the stage on designated lines.  There were call-and-response gambits throughout that were to be delivered by the audience on cue.  For instance, every time Janet’s name was uttered, the whole audience responds by shouting “Slut!”  and so on.  This gave the audience a lot of fun, but even the actors admitted to me after the show that it was a little distracting to those on stage.  Even when they knew it was coming.  They felt like they had to wait for the audience’s response before they could move to their next line. It was also confusing for those members of the audience who were Rocky virgins and didn’t know the secret language. It made the evening feel choppy and disjointed.  But that’s the way it’s supposed to be done, according to the Rocky rules. 

 Roger Ebert, a noted film critic, described the movie made from the original script in 1975 as “a horror-rock-transvestite-camp-omnisexual-musical parody.” That just about sums it up.  Even the staid BBC asks in a review of the original play: “Will it appeal to everyone? Certainly not. But for those willing to experiment with something a little bit different, a little bit outré, The Rocky Horror Show has a lot to offer.”

So, if you are curious or determined to see one of the Rocky’s being performed on this 49^th anniversary year, there’s plenty to choose from in this Denver Halloween theatre scene. The Conifer version is a lively, energetic, very sexy, compelling production that both the actors and audience seemed to enjoy sharing. Ignore the caution of an old lady. 

A WOW factor of 8!!