All Posts

ALL TRAINS LEAD TO HOME or TRAINING SPACES – Written by Richard Sebastian-Coleman; Directed by Lori Adams-Miller.  Produced by the Iron Springs Chateau Historic Melodrama Theatre (444 South Ruxton, Manitou Springs) through September 23.  Tickets available at 719-685-5104 or info@ironspringschateau.com.

 

Ever since I’ve started monitoring Colorado theatre, I’ve been intrigued by this place in Manitou Springs with the strangely French name.  Since we lost Heritage Square, we haven’t had an old-fashioned melodrama theatre to enjoy without going all the way to Cripple Creek.  So, a friend and I decided to check this place out.  Turns out it was fortuitous timing as the theatre is under new management.  Jolene and Craig Howard purchased the restaurant and theatre only two months ago.  Whatever it has been in the past 60 years, this is what it is now. 

And what it is is a cozy sunlit restaurant on the ground floor surrounded by trees.  The restaurant servers are friendly, introduce themselves and serve your pre-ordered meal family style with heaping bowls of mashed potatoes, veggies and warm bread.  No credit is given in the program to the chef in the kitchen, but it seems to be an in-house operation using fresh ingredients to present a delicious meal.  I had the well-seasoned chicken breast; my friend had the excellent pot roast; both were delicious. 

The small theatre seats about 120 people comfortably around tables on the second floor.  No elevator but there is a way of getting to the second floor without using stairs.  The theatre features an old-fashioned fire curtain with ads for local businesses and a piano stage right. 

The show starts with a careful explanation of what is expected of the audience.  This form of performance was the original immersive theatre because, as an audience member, you are not just encouraged, but expected to cheer the hero, boo the bad guy and whoop at the vamp. Our audience took their duties seriously and participated with gusto.  The players as well entered the performance with energy and a twinkle in their collective eyes, telling their railroad story interspersed with contemporary songs.  The company consists of two men – Luke Steiner and Noah Dale Whitstine – and three women – Cassidy Forrest, Lexi Remy and Daisya Brown – all accompanied by Kathryn Allen on the piano. 

The intermission brought owner/entertainer Craig Howard to the stage to perform a medley of Bobby Darin songs.  He also led the audience in a singalong segment featuring songs whose words were in the program – like ‘Bill Bailey” and “Bye Bye Blackbird 

The second act was an extended Curtain Call olio of songs, skits and Dad jokes.  The funniest song was performed by Luke and Noah singing “Your Feets Too Big” from AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’.  Daisya Brown did a version of “Harper Valley PTA” that took her out in the audience kissing bald men’s heads.  But the best voice in the whole company was the surprise appearance of the stage manager Sarah Greenley. 

So, this seemed more like a house party than a professional performance.  It had a home-grown vibe – a sort of “we’re gonna have a good time” feeling to the whole evening.  The energy, the expectation of participation, the engagement with the audience all contributed to the success of the total evening.   While this group is nowhere close to Broadway, they are having fun and making sure that you have fun too.  I went away looking forward to coming back.  Is that not the highest compliment you could pay to a theatre? 

A WOW factor of 8 for the show!  Meal – WOW factor of 9! 

Just a word or two about what’s coming up.  In October they are doing a ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW lip-sync set of performances.  You should get your toast, toilet paper and water guns and go on down to participate.  Then after a short break, they start a new holiday melodrama in November. Yea! An opportunity to go back. 

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE CASE OF ALICE FAULKNER – Written by William Gillette and Arthur Conan Doyle; Directed by Maru Garcia. Produced by the Wheat Ridge Theatre Company (5455 West 38^th Avenue, Wheat Ridge) through August 13. Tickets available at 720-244-5204 or wheatridgetheatre@gmail.com. 

I would call the Wheat Ridge Theatre Company a start-up theatre. They have been in business since 2017 and have done about ten shows in a variety of locations ranging from a Mexican restaurant to the back room of a brewery to parking lots and finally to their new space at 38^th and Sheridan. The SHERLOCK HOLMES episode was about their fifth show in this location. They offer entertainment for theatregoers and a place where fledgling actors can work side by side with more experienced performers and directors. So “start-up” in two senses of the word. 

Which often means that you don’t know what you’re going to get when you attend a performance there. They don’t quite have an established track record yet. I have seen about nine of their shows over the years in a variety of locations, including two of the drive-through shows they did during the pandemic which allowed participants to enjoy a little theatre while remaining in their cars. I am inclined to keep attending because when they are good, they are very very good. A comedy called THE IRISH CURSE done earlier this year was excellent and could hold its own against other bigger theatres in town.  

Their production of SHERLOCK HOLMES hits somewhere in the middle. It’s a somewhat dated script (more on that later) which called for an acting style not altogether familiar to most modern actors. The script walks a fine line between a serious mystery and dramedy (both dramatic and comic). Jeamus Wilkes who plays Sherlock did, for the most part, a fine job of portraying a serious detective, secure in his own deductive abilities, confident in his experience in solving difficult crimes and creative as an actor to bring the character to life. Only once or twice did I detect a sly remark or humorous aside that probably wasn’t in the original script but made sense in a modern setting.

 

As Alice Faulkner, Jacci Kitts became a dignified member of the nobility in desperate need of Sherlock’s assistance and woman enough to catch his eye. Bryan Sanchez was a “hop to it” pageboy Billy with the right amount of deference and trust in his service as an assistant to Sherlock. Jim Hayes had the experience of allowing his Dr. Watson to be an authentic background player and fulfill his role with confidence. Jason Rexx, even while playing a smarmy safecracker, brought humor and a realistic attitude to his role. 

Jaime Lewis was the player with the most current experience on the stage and it showed in his no-nonsense portrayal of Moriarty. His business-like handling of the task of being a bad guy in charge of a small army of gangsters taking care of all sorts of sordid business was crisp and clean. Done in a matter-of-fact military precision, he “handled” all the underground problems without lifting a finger. Until it came to Sherlock. That he had to take care of himself. Which led to the one awkward scene involving his status of being in a wheelchair. The only time it made any difference was in the final scene when he comes into the room in “disguise,” recognized only by Sherlock. While it was easy enough to change costumes to become a cab-man for the scene, there was no disguising his wheelchair. Believing firmly in the proviso that the best actor should get the part, I applaud WRTC for casting Jaime in the role. I think authors Gillette and Doyle would have forgiven them for rewriting that single scene to make it more authentic for the actor. 

There is very little mystery to this script; you know immediately who the bad guy is. The mystery is why everyone wants this certain packet of letters. What’s in them that is most damning? The play was actually written in 1899 by playwright/actor/manager Gillette while he was touring with another play. Suggested to him by his long-time producer, he wrote to Arthur Conan Doyle for permission to adapt three of his stories into a theatre production. Permission was given and a long-term friendship and business relationship evolved out of this first effort. Gillette went on to play the role over 1300 times across the country and in England and France. He was one of the first actors to use a “naturalistic” style of acting which worked very well for his laconic characterization of Holmes.  

You must give kudos to Wheat Ridge Theatre Company for their variety. They have their modern version of this turn-of-the-century script running now. They just finished performing a brand-new musical. Their next production is a tense ultra-modern dilemma situation involving corporate bigwigs trying to solve an elimination problem which turns macabre. They come back in October with the truly spooky WOMAN IN BLACK. Who knows what they will come up with next. 

A WOW factor of 8! 

ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS – Written by Richard Bean; Directed by Tim Orr.  Produced by the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Roe Green Theatre, CU campus, Boulder) through August 13^th.  Tickets available at 303-492-8008 or coloradoshakes.org. 

Much is made of the fact that TWO GUVS is a modern version of a play written by Goldoni in 1743. Goldoni was one of the first to write for the emerging middle class of his time. Instead of the stylized comedy of manners more familiar during that era, Goldoni’s characters are everyday people who are aware of the differences in social status but usually ignore it. At the request of actor Antonio Sacco, Goldoni wrote the script for THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS to highlight the actor’s comic abilities by creating the character of Truffaldino, then putting him in awkward situations and letting him improvise his way out. Richard Bean took the same basic plot in 2011 and whirled it in a blender to create the crazy convoluted chaos that become the story of Frances. This part will forever be associated with James Corden who originated it in the original National Theatre production and later travelled with the show to Broadway where he won a Tony. 

Matthew Schneck fills the character’s big shoes in the current production by the indoor company of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He embraces the chaos, engages the audience in his shenanigans, and honestly tries his hardest to find food to eat and a way to get Dolly to go to Majorca with him. While those are his main goals, keeping his dual employers separated, keeping their errands straight, and keeping their money and letters in the right pocket also occupy his time. All of this is attempted with nonstop patter, double takes, spit takes, audience participation, improvisation, and every other comic gimmick known to man. His genuine sense of having fun with a “balls to the wall” kind of energy makes it a joyful evening for his audience. 

Schneck is ably supported by his cast mates in making sense and coherence out of this wildly convoluted script that asks the audience to forget spending time trying to figure it all out, just enjoy what’s happening. Emily Van Fleet plays both Rachel Crabbe and her dead brother Roscoe in an attempt to get money owed to her brother from mid-level gangsters. Noella Antweiler as Pauline Clench was supposed to marry Roscoe and is more than delighted that he is dead, and the engagement is off. Now she can marry Alan Dangle, a would-be actor whose idea of acting is striking poses and looking wistfully into the distance. Christian Ray Robinson gets a well-deserved laugh every time he goes into “actor” mode. Pauline’s father, Charlie “The Duck,” is the one who owes the money to the dead Roscoe and doesn’t really care who his daughter marries. The always brilliant Leslie O’Carroll plays The Duck with startling reality. The other characters move in and out of the plot and the scene with speed and purpose – even if you don’t always know what the purpose is. 

The scenes are enhanced by the music of a three-man skiffle band who open the show and play between segments. Skiffle bands were prominent in the early 1900’s and grew out of rent parties where people used anything handy as an improvised musical instrument and did their own versions of popular songs. The tradition died out but was brought back to life in the 50’s and 60’s during the early performances of entertainers like the Beatles, Rolling Stones and David Bowie. It consists of a mix of folksy, bluesy, rockabilly and patter music made most famous by Lonnie Donegan in England. The music performed by Josh Innerst, Brian Bohlender and Dave Willey gets your toes tapping and your hands clapping. 

What a treat it is to see both shows performed by this group of talented actors with such versatility that they can tackle both the high drama of A WINTER’S TALE and the low comedy of TWO GUVS. For instance, our skiffle musician Innerst has the role of Leontes, the King of Sicilia, who orders the death of his baby daughter and the imprisonment of his wife in WINTER’S TALE. Matthew Schneck who expends such energy and wit as Frances in TWO GUVS has a minor role as Camillo charged with the killing of Leontes unwanted baby in WINTER’S TALE. The whole company of actors slides into their roles in both casts with equal ease and grace. 

The original production of ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS was hailed as “the feel good hit of the summer.” I second that emotion. 

A WOW factor of 9!! 

EDMONDS STORIES – Written by Nora Douglass; directed by Madge Montgomery.  Produced by The Theater Company of Lafayette (300 East Simpson, Lafayette) through August 5.  Tickets available at TCLStage.org. 

Nora Douglass must count herself very lucky that she has found a theatrical home at TCL.  They have previously birthed another of her full length plays and performed several one acts.  Her best friend since college Madge Montgomery just happens to be a long-time director for TCL.  Her sister Elizabeth Hart lives locally and apparently was happy to help put this production together. 

This is a story about a Swedish immigrant family told from the times when nearly every adult was an immigrant from somewhere and it became a point of pride that all the children of a family were born in America.  A time when the outward trappings of a house did not reflect the prosperity of the family that lived there.  A time when the pecking order of origin, profession, gender and attendance at the right church with the proper amount of piety dictated the quality of your life.  When acceptance into a community was predicated on humility, appearances and never “getting above yourself.”  The Medin family struggles with these parameters. 

A father, mother and four daughters live, work and grow up and older together.  Reflecting shades of LITTLE WOMEN, each daughter has a distinct personality and place in the family.  The oldest daughter Anna (Zeah Loren) knows she must work to help support the family and is hired out to a wealthier family as a companion.  Her exposure to a better lifestyle, although she works to keep it from happening, causes a further rift with her mother.  The second daughter Astrid (Cristina Twigg) – the rebellious one – wants to become a photographer and seems to have a knack for it.  But she is too naïve to understand that her independent ways can bring shame on her family.  The third daughter Emma (Valerie Clelland) is most influenced by her mother’s demands for orderliness and propriety.  It is easy to see that she will grow up to be as critical and unhappy as her mother.  The youngest Hyldi (Sri Bangaru) is still young enough to be hurt and confused by the tension in the house without understanding why it exists. 

It evolves that the mother Johanna and the father Jonas have a different idea of what is important in life; a difference that renders them at cross purposes regarding where they are (a small town outside of Seattle) and why.  Johanna had a secure life in Sweden with the promise of inherited land and prosperity.  A disastrous mistake on Jonas’ part lost that security and he will never be forgiven for the result.  In a time when divorce was nearly impossible, these two unhappy people are destined to live out their lives in isolated misery. 

As a cast, these actors work well together to tell this intriguing story.  The small stage of the Mary Miller Theater requires them pitching in to create various acting spaces within the confines of their house.  The daughters are particularly appealing and reflect the familial connection without giving up their individual personalities.  It’s easy to see that despite the difficulties of living with two unhappy people, the girls love each other and both parents.  They just know not to cross their mother. 

Dean Espitallier creates a Jonas that works hard at pleasing his wife even while knowing his efforts will never work to garner even a smile.  He’s like a big St. Bernard that keeps coming back for more.  While Munam Goodwyn is an excellent actress and gave the audience a tormented and repressed Johanna, originally her non-Swedish appearance created confusion.  It soon became apparent, however, that this was one Swedish family with parents from the old country.  Matthew Dickson also did a good job as Mr. Joe Jackson, an itinerant photographer who went from town to town taking pictures of people to sell. Camille Libouban-Gunderson has the small part of Olina, a neighbor and friend to Johanna who manages to save the day when the family most needs help. 

I’m always amazed and pleased to see the ingenuity of designers when faced with a small stage and a lot of action.  The crew at TCL do a good job with what they must work with.  In this case, they created the façade of a house that indicated a richness of life that did not exist on the inside.  A small kitchen and an appropriate “front” room into which guests were ushered were provided.  The small lobby and the center aisle of the theatre were also called into action as other parts of the house and the front yard.  As the girls grew up, the younger ones seemed to even inherit the clothing of the older sisters when they moved on. 

There is a certain inevitability to the unfolding of this family once the basic personalities are established.  It becomes evident how things will progress, the unhappy circle they will either live with or get away from.  As an audience member, you root for all of them to find a good place for themselves while knowing that some people are their own worst enemies. 

A WOW factor of 8!! 

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW – Written by William Shakespeare; Directed by Caitlin Lowans. Produced by Theatreworks (Presented at the Lawn or Dusty Loo Theatre at the Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 North Nevada Avenue, Colorado Springs) through July 30. Tickets available at 719-255-8181 or tickets@uccs.edu. 

Those folk down at the Ent Center know how to do a summer show. They have an outside playing space on the front lawn of the building AND an indoor space they can easily move into should the weather suddenly become inclement. Additionally, there is a small outdoor amphitheatre just across the highway that features Friday night concerts. So they routinely move inside on Friday nights to avoid the conflicting noise. Very smart of them. 

In a show that usually has a cast of 22, this cast of 6 women and 2 men take on a madcap whirlwind of changing costumes and characters in the blink of an eye. Ian Michael Minh and Colton Pratt take on the all-important roles of Kate and Bianco, respectively, with Colton jumping in on a couple of minor roles as well. Which leaves five women to carry the weight of most of the men’s roles. Annie Barbour has become a cocky and confident Petruchia. As you can tell by the role assignments and slight changes of names from the masculine to the feminine, this is a production that looks at clouds from both sides now, giving genders a playful pinch on the rear. 

It took a while to bend my mind around what was being done and hearing the familiar lines coming out of the mouths of the opposite gender. But like all things foreign, when you stick with it, it begins to get easier. The women became bold and unapologetic using the words of men. The men had a little more difficulty getting the under-the-male-thumb traditional attitudes to work. However, by the time Kate got to the “why women should obey their men” speech, his gentle rendering gave the sentiments a whole new meaning. 

The abbreviated cast meant the combining of some parts and the exclusion of others, along with the scenes in which they would have been present. However, the female cast tackled all the roles thrust upon them in this version with vigor and enthusiasm. Annie Barbour made a forceful Petruchia and led her band of friends and servants on a merry romp.  Birgitta De Pree, Rachel Fey, Iliana Lucero Barron, Cheerish Martin and Adrienne Martin-Fullwood completed the ensemble of quick-change artists. 

I am increasingly pleased with the productions of TheatreWorks, a company within the Theatre Department of the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs. They provide an opportunity for students to work alongside professional actors from the Springs and Denver area to the advantage of both. The theatrical product, the skill exhibited in the production values, and the care of visiting actors shows in the quality of work presented.  

Not to rest of their laurels, their next production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS takes place in a Black beauty parlor in Louisiana and promises an equally fresh take on another familiar script. 

A WOW factor of 8! 

THINGS WE WILL MISS – Written by the cast; Directed by Emily K. Harrison. Produced by square product theatre (Presented at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut, Boulder) through July 22. Tickets available at 303-444-7328 or thediary.org. 

THINGS WE WILL MISS is a self-described “Meditation on the Climate Crisis.” Couched in the form of an experimental theatre production, it is both a call to action and a recognition of apathy. One of the actors asks, “What can one person do?” Another echoes “What can one show do?” No easy answers. The apparent hope is that someone in one of the audiences will be moved to initiate a conversation with someone higher in the power grid . . . . who will then convey an original idea to someone even higher . . . . until eventually a radically new concept will reach someone who can actually command action. In the meantime, this well-meaning group of teacher and students express their fears and concerns in a loosely written conversation. 

The “things we will miss” part of the evening is expressed as the five actors walk back and forth across the stage expressing personal potential losses simultaneously. Things like fireworks – ice cream – pizza – horses – pop out of the mingled dialogues. One humorous listing caught my ear. One of the girls included “My Mom” . . . “My Dad” . . . “My little brother” . . . (long pause) . . . “Oh, OK, my big brother.” 

Their points are made through personal stories and ponderings. Emily Harrison as their teacher is often questioned and admits to having no concrete solutions, other than continued conversation. But the revelations do have a positive impact on your understanding of the issues. 

Do not go expecting a polished script or performance style. A great deal of thought has been put into how best to express their concerns – actually, more than concerns – about their belief in a coming cataclysmic event. In their belief that the rise of humankind – the Beginning – naturally pre-supposes that, at some point in time, there will be an Ending brought about by our own lack of forethought, greed and need for comfort. The honest expression of these sentiments is startling in its logic. 

“The mission of square product theatre is to engage in radical acts of inquiry that leave an audience with just as many questions as answers.” Mission accomplished. 

A WOW factor of 8.5!! 

HEAD OVER HEELS – Music and Lyrics by the Gogo’s and others; Book by Jeff Whitty; Adapted by James Magruder; Directed and Choreographed by Josh Walden; Musical Direction by Tim Fletchey. Produced by Theatre Silco (460 Blue River Parkway, Silverthorne) through July 23. Tickets available at 970-513-9386 or thesilco.org. 

HEAD OVER HEELS is definitely a jukebox music utilizing the catalog of the 80’s all-female group, the Gogo’s. But a jukebox musical in the mold of MAMA MIA and MARGARITAVILLE, rather than THE JERSEY BOYS. A musical that uses the music of the group but has nothing to do with the story of the group. It appears that Mr. Whitty had the idea of pulling some of his favorite GoGo songs and sliding them into a fantasy story about a mythical kingdom that feared losing their “Beat.” 

A new oracle is in town and unhappy with the current administration. A prophecy is made that four things will happen that will cause the Arcadian folk to lose their all-important Beat, the thing that allows them dance through life. A journey is undertaken to find a solution to the problem and along the way, things happen (like all four prophecies take place), but understandings arise about the Beat (“We’ve Got the Beat”) and all ends well. In a nutshell. 

Maybe it’s unfamiliarity with the music of the GoGo’s that dampened my enthusiasm for this show. The dichotomy of the Shakespearean language of the script and the modernity of the music seemed out of balance somehow. Mixed in with the almost frantic illustration of nearly every type of sexual coupling possible and a convoluted plot that seemed to spiral in every direction, it became difficult to remain invested in the tomfoolery. 

That being said, the singers and dancers who were performing the script as it was written did their best with the material. While some of the voices were not as show-worthy as others, all carried on valiantly awarding the audience with a show they could smile through. Trinity Wolff had a beautiful belt and used it as the Queen who utilized the old “switch in the dark” bit from time immemorial to prove to the King what he was missing. Grace Napoletano was a quietly sly handmaiden with a yearning for a Princess. Alexa Hendrickson gave us a winky-winky portrayal of a Princess with an exaggerated sense of her own beauty. Adam Magnacca made a pretty and convincing Amazon. So, see, it was mostly the script. 

I really enjoy going to Theatre Silco. Their spacious lobby is welcoming as is the number of people who take care of your ticket and refreshment needs for the evening. It’s a true Black Box theatre in their acting space with each performance (so far) reflecting a different seating arrangement. I admire the creativity of the sets and, in this case, the costumes. Although whoever thought basketball shorts were sexy – ?? 

For folks in Breckenridge, Dillon, Silverthorne and surrounds, go on over to the theatre, especially if you were born in the 60’s. You’ll love it!  

For folks in Denver for whom it is an hour and a half drive, I’d say wait for the next show. A completely different light drama about the friendship between Marie Curie who gets in trouble with the scientific world and the media for following her heart and another female scientist who comes to her rescue. You’ll love it! 

A WOW factor of 7.5!! 

KISS ME, KATE – Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter; Book by Sam and Bella Spewack; Directed by Ken Cazan; Choreographed by Daniel Pelzig; Orchestra conducted by Adam Turner. Produced by the Central City Opera (124 Eureka Street, Central City) through August 5. Tickets available at 303-292-6700 or centralcityopera.org. 

God bless them, the Central City Opera Company quite often pops a true Broadway musical into their schedule to give us theatre folk an excuse to spend an afternoon or evening in our own Las Vegas up the hill. The show they chose this year could not be MORE Broadway if it tried. With its show within a show format giving the audience a backstage peek during a performance of a musical version of TAMING OF THE SHREW. Fred Graham (Jonathan Hays) and Lilli Vanessi (Emily  Brockway) were once married, went through a contentious divorce, and are now stuck with working together to the dismay of both. While each secretly regrets the divorce at this point, neither is willing to admit it. Their relationship echoes the “merry war” between Katherine and Petruchio in the play they are performing. An especially sweet scene/song starts as they reluctantly remember a past production in which their characters had a “Wunderbar” relationship which reminds them of their past love. 

A second subplot involves two of the other dancers in the show. Lauren Gemelli is playing Lois, a dancer in the cast, and Bianca, the younger sister in the play. She has a casual but hot affair going with Bill Calhoun (Jeffrey Scott Parsons). The nature of their coupling is explored when Lois sings to Bill “Why Can’t You Behave?” and then tells him that she is “Always True to Him in My Fashion.” 

Yet a third subplot introduced the comic relief characters in the form of two gangsters who are brought in to keep the show on track so they can collect the money owed them. Dressed in borrowed or swiped tunics, they invade the performance and regal the audience with “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” in a show-stopping number. Adelmo Guidarelli and Isaiah Feken make the most of their time on stage. 

The majority of the huge cast are members of the opera company of trained and apprentice singers. The leads are also trained singers but trained in the Broadway tradition. The difference in style becomes evident when one of the opera singers takes a solo line or two and struggles with sounding “Broadway.” But all in all, the blend of voices works remarkably well. Six dancers from local companies and beyond join the cast to add a needed bounce to the dance numbers. And look at Jeffrey Parsons go! Not only does he act and sing beautifully to play Bill Calhoun, Lois’s wandering boyfriend, but he can tap dance like nobody’s business. 

The supporting crew of costumer Jeff Mahshie, set designer Matthew Crane, lighting designer Abigail Hoke-Brady, and sound designer Jason Ducat make everything else ready for the cast to do their thing. It all works but, I have to say, when the whole cast gets on stage at the same time, it gets a little crowded. Director Ken Cazan had his work cut out for him to maneuver everyone into place during those scenes. 

It’s a long haul up the canyon to partake, but on a cool summer evening, it’s a great place to be. Even Wunderbar. 

A WOW factor of 8.75!! 

THE LITTLE MERMAID – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater; Book by Doug Wright; Directed by Matthew Dailey, Music Directed by Jerimiah Otto; Choreographed by Kate Vallee. Produced by Candlelight Dinner Playhouse (4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown) through September 10. Tickets available at 970-744-3747 or ColoradoCandlelight.com. 

As a high school student in Illinois, my class once took a field trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. After wandering through the displays of various under the sea life, we stopped at their cafeteria for lunch. Feasting on hamburgers and hot dogs, we couldn’t help but notice that there was no fish or seafood offerings on their menu. We were told it was out of respect for the living aquatic animals in their care. Approaching Candlelight recently, I wondered if the same distinction would be drawn on their themed dinner menu for THE LITTLE MERMAID. I needn’t have worried; no hesitation about eating fish here! There are crab, shrimp, whitefish, calamari and scallops abounding on their fishy menu, along with the usual chicken, beef, and pork dishes. Try the cassoulet – it’s delicious. 

There are many things to like about this bright colorful production. It stays true to the animated movie most of the kids in the house had seen dozens of times. This is definitely a kid show and parents are enjoying the reduced prices for kids to bring them to the theatre. Management reported that over 200 child tickets had been sold for the first five performances. Under the sea and castle backdrops adorn the lobby for photo opps. The familiarity of the music and silly seafish are appealing to everyone in the audience. You know what to expect and you are not disappointed. 

 
Susanna Ballenski makes an energetic and delightful Ariel. She has been a favorite since first being seen as Lucy in JEKYLL AND HYDE.   Susanna’s voice is suited to the haunting quality needed for Ariel; her joy at finally reaching “up there” was boundless; and her love of her undersea family and friends was touching. I’ve seen various ways of illustrating the metamorphosis from fish tail to legs, but this production team and costumer produced a smooth, seamless, nearly invisible transition. With the help of her fellow dancers, her swimming prowess is gracefully displayed. 

To match a talented Ariel, you need an equally talented Prince Eric. After all, he must be worthy of her sacrifice. Jack Wardell is just beginning to make his well-deserved splash (see what I did there!) at Candlelight, but rest assured, you will see more of him in future productions along the front range. He has a loose confident way of moving, a strong baritone, and the looks of a leading man. 

Ariel’s fishy friends bring much of the pleasure and humor to the show. Ethan Knowles returns to Candlelight after his spectacular performance as Brother Jeremiah in SOMETHING’S ROTTEN at BDT to create a jaunty jolly Scuttle the Seagull who thinks he knows everything about humans and displays considerable tap-dancing skills with his backup flock. A newcomer to the Candlelight tribe, Jack Olson becomes Flounder who is more of an angelfish than a flat flounder. His schoolboy crush on Ariel is sweet to behold. He proves to be a true friend, however, when he discovers “She’s in Love.” Sebastian the Crab completes Ariel’s triumvirate of friends. In this performance, despite HIS name, Sebastian identifies as a woman – a star turn for another newcomer to Candlelight, Ghandia Johnson. With her Jamaican accent, she leads the entire cast “Under the Sea” and gives chase to Chef Louis during “Les Poissons (the Fish).” She is charged by Ariel’s father to watch over her, but no one counted on the appearance of Ursula. 

The dark side of the cast is represented by Kelly Maur, another familiar face at Candlelight. The villainess Ursula works a devious plan to not only steal Ariel’s voice for spite but to also get her power back from her brother, King Triton. Kelly’s voice and performance skills are more than enough to convey the necessary evil to make Ursula intimidating. Unfortunately, she was hindered in her movement by an overpowering costume. For some reason rather than trusting that Kelly could be sufficiently evil on her own two feet, the production team thought bigger was better for Ursula and created a movable platform under her hoop skirt that made her about ten feet tall, a device that allowed her to “melt” like the witch in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Ursula’s hinch-fish, Flotsam and Jetsom, portrayed by Nathan Petit and Chas Lederer, are efficient and competent as they carry out the deeds demanded by Ursula. As moray eels, they often spoke and moved in unison. However, they too had confusing costumes. Their evil looking eel heads were attached to their hands to create snake-like movement with their arms. It became hard to decide which to watch – their eel heads or the real faces doing the speaking and singing. But this trio gets some of the best songs – “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Daddy’s Little Angel.” 

The ensemble triples as the Mersisters to Ariel, the various undersea inhabitants, and the staff of Eric’s castle with great efficiency. Scott Hurst, Jr. brings his considerable presence to King Triton, Ariel’s father. Stephen Turner is an enthusiastic Chef Louis who wields a wicked cleaver. 

The versatile set designed by Brian Watson provided the deck of a ship as well as an underwater AND an above the ground castle with very quick turnaround. An especially nice effect was a lighthouse tower with a rotating spotlight for Prince Eric to look out to sea in search of Ariel. The production team always pulls out all the stops for each new production This is no exception. 

A WOW factor of 8.5!! 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – Written by William Shakespeare; Directed by Kevin Rich. Produced by the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, CU campus, Boulder) through August 13. Tickets available at 303-492-8008 or cupresents@colorado.edu. 

Shakespeare seems to have loved to make his audiences laugh. MUCH ADO claims one of the funniest scenes he’s written – second only to the Mechnical’s rendition of PYRAMUS AND THISBE in MIDSUMMER. The adjoining scenes during which the friends of Benedick and Beatrice knowingly gossip about how the two secretly love each other but won’t admit it, if staged well, is screamingly funny. Each of the lovers during their “overhearing” try to hide from the gossipers to get more information. They end up under bushes, behind tapestries and pillars, in fountains, anywhere they can get closer to the gossipers without being seen. Of course, the friends know exactly where they are at all times and lead them on. K.P. Powell and Jessica Robblee literally throw themselves into these roles with gusto.  

This production is set in 1920’s Paris as the gentlemen warriors return home in clean uniforms to rest and celebrate with their peers. To perhaps renew old friendships and rivalries. In addition to the light-hearted banter being batted back and forth by Benedick and Beatrice, we also have the more diabolical rivalry between Don John and the gullible Claudio. Don John is the illegitimate brother of Don Pedro, a Prince, and has a sort of “spare heir” hatred of him. He will do anything to humiliate his brother and cause him pain, including convincing the friends, Don Pedro and Claudio, that Hero (Claudio’s wife-to-be) is “disloyal” and unfaithful. But, at heart, this is a comedy. The dark undertones only enhance the giddy happiness when all is resolved and happy endings achieved. 

Once again, a tight ensemble has been formed by this company who play well together. In addition to the sly comedy enjoyed by K.P. Powell and Jessica Robblee in the lead roles, we enjoy the gentle innocence of Hero as portrayed by Shunte Lofton wooed by Claudio (Ryan Omar Stack). Sean Scutchins doubles as Balthasar – one of Don Pedro’s soldiers in the first act – and then comes back in the second act to rock the character of Dogberry, a constable who accidentally manages to arrest the fleeing villains in the plot against Claudio. Dogberry is a sort of Don Knotts constable, so full of himself but so obviously dumb about everything. He is called “an ass” by one of the men he has captured and loudly and proudly proclaims himself an ass continually as though it were a mark of distinction. “Give me a medal; I’m an ass!” Sean knows how to make the most of a comic character. 

Local actresses Susannah McLeod and Anastasia Davidson also give winning performances as the dastardly Don John and Margaret, a maid to Hero who gets pulled into the plot to discredit her. Even Ellen McLaughlin who plays King Lear on the alternate nights steps into a small part as one of the Deputy Constables who assists Dogberry in his interrogation of the prisoners. 

All in all, it’s a delightful evening under the stars with music, ribaldry and fun. The way Shakespeare wanted it to be. 

A WOW factor of 8.5!!