Monthly Archives: February 2018

2018, Loveland, Loveland Opera Theater, Musical, Review, Rialto Theater

Loveland Opera Theatre Is A Winner As That “Merry Widow” Waltzes Onto Rialto Stage

Terrific Voices, Lavish Costumes & New Libretto Combine For Delightful Production of Lehar’s Famous Operetta!

Reviewed by Tom Jones,
February 20, 2018

More than 100 years ago Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” premiered in Vienna. Audiences and critics were quick to realize the charm of the operetta, and productions quickly spread across Europe, and ultimately throughout the world. It just might be the most popular operetta in history.

Photo Courtesy of D. St. John Photography

This winter Loveland audiences were becoming aware that something special was happening with the arrival of the show. Stage Director Timothy Kennedy has worked on various productions of The Merry Widow” for many years, and went to work writing a new libretto for this production, adding to the wonders of the Lehar music. The result is a winner. Costuming is excellent, as Davis Sibley designed them specifically for this production.

Tale is very loosely based on a real situation, although names and locations have been changed. Pontevedro, an imaginary country near Paris is in a financial crisis. The country’s most wealthy citizen has died leaving his fortune to his widow, Hanna. If she should marry someone outside the country, Pontevedro would be in financial ruin.

Photo Courtesy of D. St. John Photography

This problem comes to a head when the Pontevedrian Ambassador to Paris is giving a ball at the embassy in Paris to celebrate the birthday of his king, and the arrival in Paris of the widowed Hanna Glawari. The Ambassador learns that he must do everything in his power to keep the widow from marrying anyone not a local Pontevedrian.

Mayhem ensues. The Ambassador’s wife is smitten by the charm of a Frenchman who just might be on the lookout to marry the wealthy widow. The Pontevedrian king’s nephew, Count Danilo, is on the short list of possible candidates and is currently working in the Parisian embassy. Danilo had been in love with Hanna many years ago. His uncle refused the request for the two to marry, and sent Danilo away. He is embittered by what happened to him and refuses to be party to the idea of marrying the now-wealthy widow. There is comic relief as the Ambassador goes through a ritual of calling the roll each time he meets with his goofy three-man staff.

Photo Courtesy of D. St. John Photography

This is all going on to the lilting Lehar music. “The Merry Widow Waltz” is front and foremost, instantly recognizable. Equally charming, however, is “Vilja Song” which is so beautifully performed that I wanted the audience to stop the show with a standing ovation. That didn’t happen, but the sequence remains rich in my mind as the show’s most brilliant scene. “You’ll Find Me at Maxims,” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” are also familiar songs. The operetta is performed in English.

Some of Colorado’s most powerful voices are front and center for this production. Leads are Phoenix Gayles as Hanna, Josh DeVane as Danilo Danilovitsch, Emily Morris as The Ambassador’s wife Valencienne, Nathan Snyder as Camille de Rosillion, and Rob Hoch as the Ambassador.

The cast is large, nearly 50 performers on stage plus an orchestra of 13 plus keyboard. Set is designed by Noel Johnston, lighting by Peter F. Muller. Orchestra is conducted by Adam Torres with choreography Sarah Wilhelm.

Director and libretto writer Timothy Kennedy has assembled a very talented ensemble, with standout performances by the lead performers, chorus, and orchestra at every turn.

Dr. Juliana Bishop Hoch, Executive and Artist Director of the Loveland Opera Theatre is to be applauded for her work, not only providing excellent productions to Northern Colorado, but for making it possible for school-age students to go to the shows. “The Merry Widow for Kids” is a one-hour instructive introduction to opera and what goes on behind the scenes. Families are invited to attend performances of this abbreviated performance Saturdays February 24 and March 3 at 2:30 p.m. In addition, many schools in the Loveland and Fort Collins area bring students to one-hour versions of the show in late February and early March during school hours.

“The Merry Widow” is a Loveland look at the “lost and found” of love, highlighted by incredible individual, orchestral, and choral talents. The show is a somewhat naïve look at romance of a century gone by, displayed with great charm. And that brilliant music.

“The Merry Widow”
Where: Presented by Loveland Opera Threatre, on the Rialto Theatre Stage
228 West 4th Street
Loveland, CO 80537
When: February 23, 24, and 25, March 2, 3, and 4
For information: www.lovelandopera.org, 970/593-0085
Rialto Theatre Box Office: Telephone 970/962-2120

2017, Bas Bleu, Drama, Fort Collins, Review

“Waiting For The Parade” Provides Very Good Theatre At Bas Bleu

Five Canadian Women Are Poignantly Portrayed On The “Home Front” During World War II

Reviewed by Tom Jones,
February 6, 2018

“Waiting for the Parade.” What is this? I was not aware of this moving story. This was my loss. Canadian playwright, John Murrell, was commissioned by the Alberta (Canada) Theatre Projects to write a play about Canada’s involvement in the Second World War. The result was his 1977 look at the war through the eyes of five women in Calgary who saw the conflict from a variety of prospectives.

Murrell’s play was not an instant hit, but went on to become probably the most-produced Canadian play in history.

The Bas Bleu Theatre Company rehearses their production of “Waiting for the Parade,” January 31, 2018.
© 2018 William A. Cotton

We meet five women who gather as volunteers to work for the war effort while Canadian men are away, fighting in the war. They are not a gaggle of best friends, but five women who have ended up together rolling bandages, preparing sanitation kits, and other items they hope will help sustain the far-away soldiers.

Their “boss” is the incredibly unlikeable, Janet. She is well portrayed by Lou Anne Wright as a no-holds-barred taskmaster, more interested in being self-important than really helping her staff. Her military-age husband has opted to stay home, working for a news agency that reports the war news over the radio.

The Bas Bleu Theatre Company rehearses their production of “Waiting for the Parade,” January 25, 2018.
© 2018 William A. Cotton

Wendy Ishii is a jewel as Margaret, who openly remarks, “I can’t stand that Woman,” (Janet, the boss) as the bandages must be rolled again –if they are not “perfectly tight.” Margaret is a widow with a son in the military, and another son at home who opposes the war.

Lauren Scott is wonderful as Catherine, whose husband Billy is “somewhere” overseas, but she has minimal news of his whereabouts. He has been gone so long that she begins to wonder how much she cares for him – noting that she really can’t even remember what he looks like.

Eve is well-portrayed by Dominique Mickelson. Eve’s husband is older than she is, and is not currently serving in the military. She is a young school teacher who agonizes that her young male students are more interested in joining the army than completing their studies.

Rounding out the intriguing group is Ellen Badger as Marta. Marta is a near-outcast in the town, as her father was taken away to live in an internment camp after German propaganda was found in their basement.

Playwright Murrell has produced a moving story, keeping the audience enthralled with each revelation of the five women. Not one “of the five,” but every bit a “character” in the show is the music. Some of the music, such as “White Cliffs of Dover,” is familiar, and is effectively used to provide various moods of the war as seen from afar. The women even take time out from the conflict to dance together!

© 2018 William A. Cotton

Direction of the Bas Bleu presentation is by Ami Dayan and Lou Anne Wright. Together they have provided an evening of great entertainment. The set and lighting are very effective. The set has been designed to be a “home” for each of the five women, as well as the meeting place for their volunteer bandage-rolling. Set and props detail are especially effective.

“Waiting for the Parade” is a warmly moving and educational production. News of American citizens on the home-front has been depicted often. This is a rare look at the lives of our Canadian neighbors to the north. Wendy Ishii, who is very good as “Margaret,” notes, “Part of the fun of these characters is that their stories are laced with humor, pathos, and resiliency as they live in the uncertainty of the future.”

“Waiting for the Parade”
Bas Bleu Theatre Company
401 Pine Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524
When: To March 4, 2018
Telephone 970/498-8949
Online:  www.basbleu.org

2018, Drama, Fort Collins, Midtown Arts Center, Musical, Review

Award Winning “Fun Home” On Stage At Midtown Arts Center In Fort Collins

Excellent Performances Highlight This Regional Premier

Reviewed by Tom Jones
February 2, 2018

The last time I saw Vince Wingerter on stage, he was Bert, the affable chimney sweep in the heartwarming, “Mary Poppins.” He was very good in that role, but soars this season as Bruce, the tormented father in “Fun Home.” He rules the roost over a family in turmoil in their restored Victorian “House on Maple Avenue” that doesn’t quite fit into the All-American happy façade.

Image by Dyann DIercks Photography

This is a no-holds-barred look at a slice of the Americana dream that has rarely been so carefully dissected. Bruce, an English teacher in the local Pennsylvania town, took over the family funeral home (the “fun” home of the title) at the death of his father. He is confusion in motion, sometime playful and loving to the children, seen in fits of near rage the next, when the family doesn’t do precisely at he wants at the precise moment he desires.

The children are bewildered by him. His wife, Helen, unhappily endures what is happening, not wanting to cause further wrath. Bruce is a closeted gay man, in his personal hell of having no idea how to accept himself. His daughter, Alison has turmoil of her own. When she was very young she realized that she was attracted to women. She has no idea of where she fits in, until she goes to college and becomes aware of a society within a society which may actually accept her for who she is.

Image by Dyann DIercks Photography

This is a sometimes uncomfortable realization, but is very well portrayed by a talented cast. The story is based on the memories of the real Alison Bechdel. She is shown in three stages of her life: Small Allison (the young girl), a Middle Alison (college student), and as an adult, recording and drawing what has happened to the “House on Maple Avenue” in mid-Americana, USA. The young Alison is double cast, with Julia Gibson and Ella Sokolowski playing in alternating performances. The Small Alison I saw was Julia Gibson. She is a star in the making. It will be exciting to watch her develop over the years.

Photo Credit: Dyann Diercks Photography

Sarah Lewis is very convincing as the college-age Alison, carefully taking notes of what she sees in life, and transferring her ideas to artwork. She has the challenge of accepting herself as a lesbian, initially having no idea of what such a label entails.

Monica Howe is the protagonist, playing the adult Alison. “Fun Home” is basically her story, looking at the family life as she saw it. The real life Alison Bechdel created the comic strip “Dykes To Watch Out For” which ran in lesbian and gay publications for many years. She gained a wider readership with the publication of “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” a graphic memoir about her relationship with her gay father.

Alisa Metcalf is very good as the bewildered wife, having no idea of where to turn in the family confusion. She takes refuge with her piano. Her song, “Helen’s Etude” is one of the most memorable scenes in the show. Zulfiya Asquino is effective as the college-age Alison’s first lover. Corbin Payne is seen as the local handyman and other characters. Matthew Farley and Ryan Fisher are the family’s young boys. They are good dancers, and bring some comedy relief to the heavy story, climbing in and out of the “fun home” caskets.

Image by Dyann DIercks Photography

The musical was developed through several readings and performances, culminating with the Broadway opening in the spring of 2015. It is the first Broadway musical with a lesbian protagonist, and the original New York run was extended several times. It was nominated for many awards, and was named as Best Musical in the 2015 Tony Awards.

Music is by Jeanine Tesori; book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The Midtown Arts Center production was produced and directed by Kurt Terrio. The music is pleasant, with thought-provoking lyrics. The score received many awards.

This is a very well-acted production. It is NOT “The Sound of Music” or “Mary Poppins,” but a disquieting rendition of a family trying to come to terms with reality. The set is terrific. The cast is terrific. The show is an eye-opening glimpse into the challenging world of gay and lesbian persons coming to terms with themselves, their families, and society as a whole.

“Fun Home”
Where: Midtown Arts Center, 3750 South Mason Street, Fort Collins, CO 80525
When: To March 17, 2018
Box Office: 970/225-2555
Online at  www.midtownartscenter.com