A Two-Night Youth Production Of “Shrek” In July Was A Charmer And Regular Show Continues At Candlelight Dinner Playhouse Stage Through August 22

By Tom Jones
July 22, 2021

Johnstown, Colorado, is a magical place this summer. On the Main Stage of The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, a terrific production of “Shrek” opened to enthusiastic response in June. Separate from the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse is The Academy By Divabee, a production organization headed by Candlelight performing favorite, Jalyn Webb. While the current “Shrek” production continues on the Candlelight stage until August 22. The youthful performers of The Academy participated in the school’s summer program and put together their own “Shrek” version for two performances in July.

I thoroughly enjoyed opening night of the primary “Shrek,” production in June. So much so, that I asked if I could return to see the young persons of The Academy at a rehearsal of the same show a few days later. The rehearsal was an eye-opener. The cast was substantially larger than the main-stage production, and there as a feeling of camaraderie that is remarkable. The young people had bonded to the extent that they were cheering each other on, with every rehearsal number becoming a show-stopper.

The result was my return again to Candlelight July 19 for the second (of two) performance of The Academy youth group. What a show! “Shrek” is basically tale of fairytale characters who have experienced difficulty in accepting themselves in a harsh world – now being evicted from their Duloc homeland to live in a swamp, home of an angry and sorrowful ogre. The fairytale creatures consider themselves as “freaks,” having difficulty in coming to terms with their individual value. Being a fairytale character isn’t as wondrous as we might imagine.

The youthful performers were definitely not fairytale “freaks,” but talented teenagers perhaps realizing for the first time what amazing performance gifts they possess. The Academy has provided a terrific environment to realize the extent of their talents. They bonded under the guise of the wondrous “Shrek,” to provide a magical evening of entertainment for each other, for family, and for friends. In future shows they will become stars on the main stage, just as they are currently “stars” in student Academy.

The original Broadway “Shrek” production had a cast of about two dozen performers, whereas the original Candlelight show has just 13 – requiring each performer to play more than one roll. The situation was reversed for The Academy show, with about four dozen performers taking on the two dozen rolls. This has resulted in a particularly interesting evening, as some of the fairytale characters are played by more than one performer. Gillian McCreery, Hannah Schorr, and Aly Toews were equally convincing and professional as Fiona, the princess locked in a tower waiting for a prince charming to rescue her. Alden Vieira and Ali Steen took turns as the loveable Ogre, Shrek, who wants the fairytale creatures to get out of his swamp and return to their homes in The Kingdom of Duloc. Nathan Moss and Jack Ham took turns as Donkey, the fast-talking animal whose main desire is to be somebody’s “friend.’ The six performers were delightful as they wove their own personalities into the three primary characters. Laura Caikowski was a show on her own, taking on the role Duloc’s Lord Farquaad, the diminutive character sired by “Grumpy” of Seven Dwarf’s fame who was never accepted by his father. Caikowski was a wow, as she performed on her knees as the dwarf her “Grumpy” father sired. Another stand-out was Leta Peret singing the role of the somewhat ferocious but lovable dragon.

Jalyn Webb organized and directed the production, dividing directorial duties with Abigail Hanawalt, Rylee Vogel and Allison Hatch overseeing specific segments. Lincoln Brandt was Music Director, with Susanna Ballenski as chorographer.

The choreography was excellent, as were sound, lighting and costumes. Scenery used by the regular show continued to be super. The Academy performers were amazing. They all danced. They all sang. They became a single unit of great talent. And they put the show together from introduction to final curtain in just three weeks! This was rehearsing for four days a week for three weeks – for a total of only 12 days! The audience in the shows’ final performance did not want to show to end. The standing ovation of was prolonged. Webb announced that instead of greeting cast in the lobby of the theatre after the show, the cast was so large, that they would be greeting family and friends outside in front of the building This turned into a love-fest of performers, families and friends in a near hero-worship jubilation. It was an exciting night. One that all of the cast and crew can remember with great fondness. In the future, if they ever have the slightest inkling that they are not super individuals, they can look back on this experience with great affection.

And with such great memories still fresh, I’m returning to the original Candlelight production again this week, knowing that the joy of the story remains intact. Waiting in the wings for future stardom are four dozen members of this year’s Academy.

(Information for the upcoming season of The Academy classes can be found on their website )

The ongoing production of “Shrek” continues at
Candlelight Dinner Playhouse to August 22, 2021
4747 Market Place Drive
Johnstown, CO 80534
970/744-3747
www.ColoradoCandlelight.com

Award Winning Musical Hits All The Right Notes With Youthful Cast!

Reviewed by Tom Jones
July 26, 2019

How does it happen?  Mini-miracles are happening this summer in Divabee productions of “Matilda” and “Tarzan.”  What magical charm do persons involved with Divabee possess to produce four completely separate full-length musicals, using students from the Academy – with only three weeks of rehearsal?

When Midtown Arts Center opted to provide James Taylor “Highway” instead of “Matilda”  to close their current season, I was somewhat discouraged. So, it was with interest that I ventured back MAC this past weekend to see a student production of the show that I missed.  And what a production!

Continue reading “Matilda” Is A Mini-Miracle On Stage At Midtown Arts Center →

Felicity Slade and Tyler Grasmick Shine in Windsor High School Production

Reviewed by Tom Jones
May 4, 2019

Beware, that smooth talking salesman, Harold Hill, is back in town.  His reputation as a less-than-honest salesman precedes him, as he arrives in River City, Iowa, with a new gimmick.  This season he is selling band instruments AND uniforms to naïve townspeople, eager to give their youngsters something to do while out of school.

The tale takes place over a hundred years ago – July of 1912.  Citizens of Iowa were known to be stand-offish, and one lyric notes —

“And we’re so by God stubborn
We can stand touchin’ noses
For a week at a time and
Never see eye-to-eye.
(But you) ought to give Iowa a try!”

Continue reading Local Talent Provides Hometown Charm To Broadway Favorite – “The Music Man” →

Samantha Jo Staggs Is Truly Superior As The Mother Superior

Reviewed by Tom Jones

January 20, 2019

            Caution.  Finding great fun in “Nunsense” just may become habit forming. (Sorry, but I just could not stop myself).   Did you ever look at nuns with suspicion and perhaps with caution that they just might be an overly-stern and pious group of somewhat “older” women.  Forget all that.  Those on stage this season in Johnstown are a merry band, providing pure entertainment.  It would be interesting to meet the show’s creator, Don Coggin in person. He is the chap that put the show together. The book, music and lyrics are all due to his unique ideas.  He has excellent help with this production, under the skilled direction of Pat Payne, with choreography by Stephen Bertles.  They must be clever drill sergeants, as the entire cast is a whirlwind of energy, precision, and talent.

            The musical, as performed, is supposedly a benefit performance to raise money to bury four deceased sisters from the Little Sisters of Hoboken religious order.  I may have the details slightly confused as to how this came about.  Something about the nuns running a leper colony on an island south of France.  Their cook (Sister Julia, Child of God) accidently killed 52 of the sisters by cooking up an ill-fated vichyssoise.  Only five nuns remained healthy after the food poisoning.  They now live in Hoboken, NJ, and were able to find financial resources to bury 48 of the deceased.  They have kept the remains of the final four in the freezer, and the health officials are becoming suspicious. Now they are trying their darndest to come up with funds to “plant” the remaining four.  Thus the benefit.

            What a benefit they put together.  The five nuns are a whoop and a holler, under the stern direction of the over-the-top Mother Superior, superiorly portrayed by Samantha Jo Staggs.  This woman has no bones in her body.  At the conclusion of Act I she has a tour-de-force rendition of a naïve sister becoming high while sniffing a little bottle of “Rush.” She is a former circus performer who can’t resist the spotlight.  In reality, the spotlight just can’t resist her.

            Each of the five sisters is given a moment to shine. Lisa Kay Carter is sensational as Sister Amnesia, with no idea who is she or where she is. She lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head.  Before she became a nun, her name was “Sister Mary Paul,” destined to be a country western star.  Now she wanders around the convent with wide-eyed oblivion, and provides great delight with her foul-mouthed puppet.

Sarah Grover is Sister Robert Anne, a streetwise nun from Brooklyn, continually regretting that she is never “first” in anything.  She laments with great offerings of “The Biggest Ain’t the Best” and “I Just Want to Be a Star.”

            Abigail Hanawalt dazzles as Sister Mary Leo, a novice whose desire is to be the world’s first ballerina nun. Heather McClain becomes Sister Hubert, the dignified, but competitive second-in-command – always causing the Mother Superior to watch her back.  Sister Hubert is waiting.

            These are five enormously talented women who completely lose themselves in the lunacy of the moment.  They can sing.  They can dance.  They can whoop.  They can holler.  They can completely enthrall the enthusiastic audience.

            “Nunsense” turned up off Broadway in 1985 and ran for 3,672 performances, becoming the second-longest running Off-Broadway show in history, second only to “”The Fantasticks.”  It became an international sensation and reportedly 25,000 women have played in the show’s productions worldwide.

            Patrons at Candlelight are in the “habit” of enjoying excellent shows.  “Nunsense” keeps this tradition alive and well with five zany Little Sisters of Hoboken.

 “Nunsense”

Where:  Candlelight Dinner Playhouse

              4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown

To: March 3, 2019

For Tickets:  Box Office:  970/744-3747

Online:ColoradoCandlelight.com

Arvada Center Black Box Theatre Hosts British Favorite

Reviewed by Tom Jones
October 11, 2018

Rita wants in. John wants out. This is Liverpool, England in the 1980s. Class distinction is at its peak. The upper class holds all the cards. The working class struggles to stay afloat. Frank is an upper crust, cranky professor, disillusioned with the education system. He accepts a tutoring job just for the money. Rita is a minimally educated 26-year-old hairdresser in an unhappy marriage, eager to improve her social status. The two are just about as opposite as two persons can be.

Rita has an insatiable desire to learn. Learn everything. She is outgoing, cheerful, optimistic and chatty. Frank is a solemn curmudgeon, consigned to his office, no longer writing poetry, and unhappily awaiting the arrival of the student he has been assigned to tutor. Rita wants to get in to the world of the educated, and out of her common worker status. She hopes to improve herself under the direction of a tutor. Frank wants to get out of the educational world, but does not make any effort to do so – just spending his days feeling sorry for himself and drinking and drinking and drinking.

John Hutton and Emily Van Fleet play the two characters this season in “Educating Rita” on stage at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. John’s dismal existence is disturbed when the delightful Rita arrives, to “be taught.” She is miles below the professor’s social status, and finds the failed poet to be the most interesting person she has ever met. Frank is initially appalled by the new student in his charge. Beguiled by her naivety, he becomes interested in actually turning her into a British woman of status. She has no self-esteem. This is similar to Henry Higgins trying to make a duchess out of the flower market girl (Eliza Doolittle) in “My Fair Lady.”

British playwright Willy Russell lives in Liverpool. His “Educating Rita” “Blood Brothers,” and “Shirley Valentine” were international hits. “Rita” became a 1983 movie starring Michael Caine and Julie Waters. His idea about educating Rita is loosely based on the Pygmalion myth, which was also the inspiration for George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” as well as the musical “My Fair Lady,” the “Pretty Woman” movie, and even the “Frankenstein” story. They all have in common the notion of a mentor-student/creation relationship.

The Arvada Center has an amazing record of providing terrific sets. This excellence continues with Brian Mallgrave’s creation of Frank’s office. The cluttered desk, the stacks here and there and everywhere. The hidden bottles of his Scotch. The plants that die from having no care. Jon Olson has again excelled with his lighting design.

Director Lynne Collins’ credentials are impeccable. The two leads are both very convincing. The story evolves into a switching of roles. Frank becomes concerned that perhaps he has taught the delightful Rita too much, resulting in her becoming a somewhat unpleasant upper class woman. Rita perceives that she needs to help Frank get back to his poetry writing, give up the booze, and turn his life into something happy and productive. There is much of value in the lessons playwright Russell develops. The suggestion that everyone makes some effort to reach his/her potential and the value of helping others are always desired goals.

The total experience is an interesting look at British class distinctions of 40 years ago, as well as a study of how we perceive ourselves and others. I did find the production too long, and did have difficulty understanding everything the delightful fast-talking Rita had to say. However, I came away with a great appreciation of the acting effort, the time that was spent learning the roles, and the total “look” of the show.

The play’s worldwide acclaim strikes chords with audiences, as everyone needs a “nudge to action” sometime in life. The Arvada audience gave the performers a standing ovation at show’s end.

“Educating Rita”
Where: Main Stage Theatre, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.
6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada, CO 80003-9985
When: Through November 11, 2018
Tickets: 720/898-7200
For more information: Arvadacenter.org

“Sense and Sensibility” Is Whirlwind of Activity

Reviewed by Tom Jones
January 26, 2018

The Dashwood sisters are in unfortunate circumstances. They are suddenly poor and have no options other than finding a husband. This is England of the late 1700s. A woman without a dowry is a woman to be ignored. When Henry Dashwood died, he left a son, John, and John’s three half-sisters –Elinor, Marianne and Margaret. John’s self-centered and arrogant wife wants nothing to do with the three sisters and their mother — sending them from the family home to live in a tiny cottage with minimal means of support.

Plight of the Dashwood sisters is Jane Austen’s novel published in 1813. It has gone on to become one of the world’s best-loved classics. The production on stage this winter at Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities is a visual comedy delight. Direction and acting are flawless. Not only the Dashwood family “moves” out of the home, everything on stage moves – continually. This is very clever chorography without music. Scenery (and people on furniture) rolls on and off stage, characters play a variety of roles including dogs and chickens. There are horse-drawn carriages and even a two-person clock with one actor to portray the minute hand, the other to display seconds. Genders are continually switched solely by changing the style of a hat.

Amid this flurry of fun, the Dashwood sisters futures remain in jeopardy. There are two marriageable-age Dashwood daughters, Elinor and Marianne. They are very pretty and bright women – but without family money, they must rely on charm and charity of others to get by. Jessica Robblee is convincing as Elinor, the more orderly of the sisters. Regina Fernandez is very good as Marianne, a younger sister who appears to be delighted with everything around her, and susceptible to any advances from the opposite sex. In the space of a couple of hours, their persona switches from “sense” to “sensibility” and back, stopping somewhere in the middle each accepting traits from the other.

Robblee and Fernandez are the only cast members who do not play more than one role. There is a frenzy of entrances and exits played by everyone in the Arvada Repertory Company. They change their characters by the drop of a hat, by the swish or stagger in their walk, and by the tone of their voice. This is terrific theatre, but somewhat challenging to the audience trying to figure out just who is now who and how they now fit into the story.

Jessica Austgen, for example, plays two large roles to perfection. She has a distinct look, and moves with ease while portraying Lucy Steele, Fanny Dashwood, and several animals! At one point, with split-second timing, she has a frenzied fight with herself. The Company’s performers include Zachary Andrews, Abner Genece, Kate Gleason, Geoffrey Kent, Emma Messenger, Emelie O’Hara and Lance Rasmussen.

The performances are a miracle of movement. A woman sitting near to me in the theatre commented, “How in the world did the director get this show to work. It must have taken months and months of preparation.” Lynne Collins has directed this marvel.

Over the years, the novel has been transferred to movie screens and to the stage in a variety of telling. The version now on stage in Arvada is a playful adaptation by Kate Hamill. Her spinning of the tale, directed by Erik Tucker, opened in 2016 at the Bedlam Theatrical Troupe received great acclaim. On critic noted this is “the greatest stage adaptation of this novel in history.” The Arvada production is the Hamill play’s regional premiere.

While delightful in every respect, appreciation of the production is enhanced if threatre-goers take the time to read a synopsis of the story to refresh memories of the plot, and to better figure out which characters are being portrayed, as actors switch roles. The show is so very good, however, that the audience can follow along this wild and crazy whirlwind of the Austen tale.

“Sense and Sensibility”
Where: Black Box Theatre, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.
6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada, CO 80003-9985
When: Through May 6, 2018
Tickets: 720/898-7200
For more information:   Arvadacenter.org

A small Tennessee town is witness to the tragic demise of a circus elephant.

Reviewed by Tom Jones,
September 9, 2017

“The circus is coming town” was usually the shout meaning an exciting event was about to make small-town life more interesting. Especially to a muddy Tennessee town whose main claim to fame was that they had a railroad station, where a trainload of circus performers and animals could stop for a day or two to provide entertainment from the outside world.

Such was the case in 1916 when a struggling circus arrived in Erwin, Tennessee. The circus prided itself on owning a few elephants, including the enormous “Mary” that lead the team in the parade and under the big top at every performance. Upon arrival in Erwin, however, a newcomer to the circus crew requested that he be “in charge” of Mary, not realizing that experience in elephant training was a basic requirement. This resulted in the death of the naïve animal trainer, and ultimately of the elephant itself – reportedly the only elephant to be ever lynched.

The play is a staggeringly interesting mix of the excitement of the circus arrival, the subsequent tragic events, and the resulting conflict of reactions of the local populous. This is a haunting tale, and the cast on the dirt-laden stage of the Bas Bleu Theatre is up to the task of providing 75 minutes of non-stop interest. There is no intermission, as various townspeople and circus performers relate what they believe transpired. The mood is amazing, with the feeling of being inside a circus tent, watching the performances of humans playing out their reaction to the tragedy.

There is more going on than the tragic tale told. The author is dealing with the “elephant” in each of our closets – how bigoted we are, how unwilling to overcome racial discrimination. Our lust for blood payment. Although not mentioned in the play, there was a situation in tiny Erwin, Tennessee two years after the elephant was lynched – the lynching of a black person. The “circus” in the play is used as a tool to show how insular we can become – whether it be to our “fellow performers” or our neighbors in insular situations.

The story begins with the Ring Master looking back (from the circus ring) as to what has happened. The show ends with him sitting in the circus ring on an upside-down pail, discussing what he thinks he has seen, and whether it has or has not changed him.

The 14-member cast is flawless, as they individually relate where they fit into the story – never speaking to one another, but always addressing the audience. Nick Holland is the Ring Master, Liam Kelley is the experienced animal trainer who has gained the confidence of the animals. Kate Lewis is the ballet girl, often announcing that she is a “ballet” performer, and not a tawdry novelty. Scott McCoppin is the tour manager, Ken Benda is the strongman who can’t lift much. Elizbeth Kirchmeier is the acrobatic clown who has probably the most challenging time in accepting the death of her dear animal friend. Greg Clark is the local marshal. Jim Valone, the local preacher, desperately wanting some member of his congregation to seek solace in the church. Kaya Rudolph, Tabitha Tyree, and Holly Wedgeworth are local townspeople. Wesley Longacre is a local shovel operator; Drew Cuthbertson, the engineer. Paul Brewer is the guitarist and drummer. The entire cast is on stage the entire time, except when the train engineer is confined to his office. We never meet the red-head youth whose lack of training resulted in his own death.

This is heavy stuff, with no one singing “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” The audience is left to figure out its own reaction to what has transpired, and how it may fit into our own life and world.

Author George Brant received the 2008 Keene Prize for Literature and the 2008 David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award. The writing is impressive. We do not see the lynching of the animal, but are told so vividly what has happened, that we feel as if we were present. The current production is directed by Garrett Ayers who notes ‘…the writer reaches inside the imaginations of the audience. What could be more theatrical and dramatic than that?”

The current art exhibit of Elephant Watercolors by Kimberly Lavelle and Bristlecone Photography by Brian Miller is a beautiful complement to the story being told on the Tom Sutherland Stage.

“Elephant’s Graveyard”
Bas Bleu Theatre
401 Pine Street
Fort Collins, CO 80554-2433
970/498-8949
Bas Bleu Website
To October 8, 2017

Incredible Music And Sets Highlight The Enchanting Tale.

Reviewed by Tom Jones
May 18, 2017

The ultimate joy of overcoming adversity rules the stage in the enchanting “Secret Garden.” Finding redemption is given enormous help with incredible music and amazing sets. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book, written in 1911, has become a popular standard for young women worldwide. The story of loss of loved ones, at any age, has resonated over the years. The heartwarming tale includes the delight of a little robin helping a girl discover the door to a decaying garden, the excitement of teaching a bed-ridden young boy to walk, and the thrill of bringing a decaying garden back to life.

The musical version of the story opened on Broadway in 1971 and ran for more than 700 performances. When seeing the original show with friends while in previews, I was knocked out by the wonderful music, but had a reality check when a friend noted, “That show isn’t going to go anywhere. It’s just too confusing.” Some of the confusion concerning who is alive and who is portrayed as ghosts remains, but is vastly overshadowed by the beauty of the story, the amazing sets, and the unforgettable music.

The story revolves around a young English girl, Mary Lennox, living with her parents in India, awakening one morning to find her parents and just about everyone else she knows has died in a cholera epidemic. She is sent to the Yorkshire Moors of England to live with two uncles she has never met. The uncles have grief of their own, and are initially unhappy with the arrival of the sad girl.

There isn’t much for the young Mary to do in the large ancestral home, and she has difficulty coming to terms with the idea that she is no longer living a privileged life in India. Mary, as portrayed by Zoe Manarel, does have enormous spunk, and substantial help from a chambermaid Martha, and Martha’s young brother, Dickon.

Martha, excellently portrayed by Emily Walton, offers encouragement with “Hold On.” Liam Forde, playing Dickon nearly steals the show with his insightful information about “Wick” – the joy of bringing life to everything. Forde is a marvel!
Sean Palmer and Michael Halling are both very good as Mary’s Yorkshire uncles, Archibald and Neville Craven. They have problems of their own, as they were both in love with the same woman, Lily, who the young Mary greatly resembles. Among the show’s memorable moments is the heartfelt duet the brothers sing, “Lily’s Eyes.”

The entire score is among Broadway’s best. In addition to the delightful “Wick,” and the moving “Lily’s Eyes,” and “Hold On,” there are “A Bit of Earth,” “Race You to the Top of the Morning,” “Where in the World,” “How Could I Ever Know,” and the brilliant “Come to My Garden.”

“A Bit of Earth” is a wake-up call to the two uncles, as they don’t know what to do with Mary, only to learn that all she wants is a bit of earth to bring plants to life. Archibald’s “Race You to the Top of the Morning” is sung to his sleeping young son, fearing that he cannot provide the boy with the emotional love required. “Where in the World” and “How Could I Ever Know” come near the show’s end as Archibald and the spirit of his deceased and beloved, Lily, share their feelings for each other.

Marsha Norman wrote the book and lyrics, with Lucy Simon providing the music. The Denver production is directed by Jenn Thompson with music directed by Gregg Coffin, choreography by Patricia Wilcox, and scenic design by Wilson Chin.

The entire show looks sensational – the set, the costumes, the lighting. A word of caution – figuring out who is related to whom, who is alive and who is portrayed as ghosts can be a daunting task. Just relax and enjoy the beauty of the show, and everything will ultimately fall into place before the joyous conclusion.

“The Secret Garden”
Where: The Stage Theatre of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
When: To May 28, 2017
Information: denvercenter.org
Box Office: 303/893-4100