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RIPPLES: May/June 2008 |
| Headlines |
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| Gigi Arrives in Style |
Springtime in Paris, with love and music in the air – Riverwalk’s season concludes with Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical Gigi, May 29-June 8. |
| You might not know the show as such, but you probably know the songs “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore,” “I Remember It Well,” “The Night They Invented Champagne” – they’ve been around for 50 years and they’re all from Gigi. |
| The original 1951 Broadway play introduced Audrey Hepburn to the world, while the 1958 movie musical won nine Oscars and reignited the careers of Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold. The 1973 Broadway musical (which this is) won the Tony for Best Score and featured Alfred Drake in his last great role, 30 years after Oklahoma!, as well as Agnes Moorehead in her final role. |
| Our Riverwalk production features newcomers Claire Canfield as Gigi and Chad DeKatch as Gaston, and David Winkelstern as Dufresne with music direction by Alex Zakirov from Uzbekistan. Familiar faces include Marie Papciak as Mamita, Eve Davidson as Alicia and Thomas McCurdy as Honoré, with direction by T.E. Klunzinger. |
| Mike Siracuse informs us that one night is already sold out – order your tickets today! |
| Les Bonbons pour vous! To enhance your Parisian experience, our Gigi lobby concession will offer fancy chocolate truffles, homemade by Sandy Norton and Jane Zussman. $2 minimum donation — and check out our Auction Silencieux. |
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| The Dresser: a review |
| What is it like to be in a close, yet unequal, working relationship to someone else for half a lifetime? The Dresser, by Ronald Harwood, transports audiences into the unique confines of a British theater’s backstage area during World War II, where Norman (James Houska) provides assistance to an aging actor (Ken Beachler) who is simply called, “Sir.” Norman helps with expected backstage preparations as well as emotional labor that goes beyond any mere job description. As Sir’s doubts and fatigue with his declining career become known, Norman’s own strength, complexity, and conflicting motivations emerge. Rather than thriving on Sir’s theatrical renown, could it be that Norman has only been able to realize his own unique personal character as |
James Houska’s Norman at first seems to be a polite, yet effetely eccentric assistant, during his early conversations with Sir’s longtime acquaintance “Her Ladyship” (played by Eve Davidson with the wonderful strength that she brings to so many roles). Houska’s mild-mannered Britishness is only the beginning of what turns out to be a wide-ranging and demanding part. His comedic aspects were very effective, both from the understated wit hidden within the character’s lengthy monologues, as well as the gag-oriented aspects of segments using Monty Python style female voices and other impressions, split-second timing, and a delightful sequence in which poor Norman valiantly tries to simultaneously perform numerous important backstage tasks. But Houska also effectively develops Norman into a surprisingly dramatic realm in which the character wrestles with anger, jealousies,
frustrations, and sadness. His character’s final monologues present virtuosic demands; we see him as both fitful and faithful, devoted and indignant, endearing and enduring. He fulfills the literate script’s demands for complexity and ambiguity. |
| Critical to the realization of Norman’s character is an extremely strong supporting performance by Kasie Flaherty as Irene, whose youthful allure soon provokes an emotional confrontation that transforms her initial cheerful appeal into tearful defeat. Having recently excelled in the title role of LCC’s production of Jane Eyre, she is truly outstanding in her role here. |
| As Sir, Ken Beachler carefully balances his character’s charming and cantankerous aspects, layering subtle comedic elements on top of the more overt emotions and unruly behaviors. Thus, his performance presents complex, hybridized moods that allow the character’s transition to smoothly progress toward the play’s resolution. The role also has the added challenge of requiring the on-stage application of makeup and hairpieces. Move over, Man of La Mancha, here comes Sir! (Wigs and hair design was by Daniel Moore.) As the play unfolds, Sir’s decline evokes issues about the maintenance of one’s identity and purpose in life. |
| Marni Darr Holmes provides solid support for the scenario in her role as Madge, the resolute stage manager, whose no-nonsense task-oriented attitude is an excellent foil for the often flighty behaviors and attitudes exhibited by the others. Three other actors take on multiple roles very effectively, as participants in the play that Madge endeavors to stage. Merrill Wyble appears as a Shakesperean fool with a scene of effective humor and as the Voice of Kent (during a “play within a play” sequence). Mark Zussman also brought chuckles with his comedic portrayal of fellow actor Oxenby, as well as the voice of Edmund. Bob Gras provides the voices of Gloucester and Albany. These supporting characters also display some outstanding Shakespearean costumes (Lear, Oxenby, etc.) by Lee Helder and Mary K. Hodges-Nees, who in addition provide dressy period outfits for the World War II setting, ranging from high-class suits to characterizing bathrobes. |
| Directed by Bill Helder, with Judy Barber as A.D. and Sharon Straubel as Stage Manager, the script is brought to life with characterizing details provided by Houska and Beachler, while other characters are carefully placed with contrasting demeanors to sustain the proper balance for the serio-comic aspects of the script. The World War II setting is brought to the fore at the end of Act I, when Air Raid sirens are heard and the bombing of Britain threatens to disrupt the performance, leading to one of the most memorable intermission announcements in recent memory. Sound work by Joe Dickson and Ron McClintic, who also handled the lighting, allowed such recreations of the Blitz environment as well as conveying the sounds of a Shakesperean play taking place just out of view. |
| In the set designed by Bob Gras and built by Leroy Cupp, Brian Stratton, and Tim Beam, the audience focuses on the events backstage to that wartime Shakesperean production, with the dressing room at the back and stage-related events set toward the front. The lighting by Dickson and McClintic was also instrumental in making this work, with a particularly atmospheric transition taking place during a key scene involving Sir, Irene, and Norman in Act II. The dressing room set is overflowing with little props, from makeup kits and papers to whistling tea kettles, thanks to Props Master Tod Humphrey. There are cracks in the dressing room’s walls, period furniture in the rear, and theatrical noisemaking props (timpani and thunder sheets) in the front to present the necessary “backstage” look. Scenographer Craig Smith provided good services there, and the overall producer of the play was Mike Pohnl. The special performances of The Dresser were part of a fundraising event to support the development of a Black Box Theatre at the Riverwalk. |
| —Mike Sobocinski |
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| The Jungle Book: a review |
| The Jungle Book, which is the latest Riverwalk co-production with the All-of-Us Express Children’s Theatre, leans heavily on its teen members, to very good effect, in assembling its sizeable cast. All-of-us tends to alternate between shorter, locally-written productions and full-length productions of already-published scripts. I have long been impressed by the quality work that this group does with these longer productions, and The Jungle Book is no exception, offering quality rivaling that of many of the Lansing community’s adult productions. |
| Leading the cast (as a young Rudyard Kipling) is 16-year old Jonathan Turkus, a longtime favorite of local audiences for his ability to deliver natural-sounding lines and portray comedic reactions with seeming effortlessness. In this version of the Jungle Book, adapted by Joseph Robinette and directed by Scott Sorrell (with Rebecca Thelen as Assistant Director), all the characters in the initial boarding school setting later have jungle counterparts in the fictional story Rudyard writes for a school contest. When the scene shifts to the jungle (via an efficient, rotating set piece) Turkus appears as Mowgli, a youth who was raised by wolves. |
| Rival schoolmates, Fielding (18 year-old Deanna Domino) and Hanley (13 year-old Renee Hoekstra), seek to sabotage his writing efforts and win the contest themselves. These antagonists have a huge stage presence, but in the jungle setting, especially with wonderful costumes (supervised by Sandra Sigworth and Missy Foran), they transform into even larger characters, Shere Khan and Tabaqui. Deanna Domino’s Shere Khan is everything that youthful audiences would want from the snarling arch-villain who menaces most of the jungle creatures, and tears around the stage with great energy and booming voices. As the not-so-menacing sidekick, Tabaqui, Renee Hoekstra proves to be a real scene-stealer despite the more soft-spoken nature of her role. With her pleasant demeanor, comical use of mocking facial expressions, and good vocalization, Hoekstra will surely enjoy great success in many more plays in the future! |
In the school scenes, Austin Homant, Colin McCarthy, and Austin Elieff (aged 13 to 17) play adults, with appropriate British accents. But in the jungle scenes, again with outstanding costumes, the headmaster, priest, and teacher are transformed into a wolf, a panther, and a bear. All are very good, but as written, it is Colin McCarthy who gets to deliver the best comical moments, which earned plenty of laughter from the audience. Homant has the honor of providing the greatest heroic presence as Akela, wolf father and jungle leader, and Elieff plays a smaller but still highly memorable comedic role of Baloo the Bear. Rounding out the wolf family (including a young Mowgli played by Corbin Hatton) are Andrea Hibbs (age 17) as the concerned and responsible mother, and Amber and Kyle Sodman as extremely playful wolf cubs. All these roles are well-played, and the youngest cast members contribute lots of energy. (A row of four-year-old girls sitting in front of me appeared to be totally hypnotized by the humorous herpetological
happening of a hopping Hatton.) |
Four jungle wolves, who are led by the villainous Shere Khan, were also well played by Audrey Horrocks, Jazmyn Patterson, Caitlin Brown, and Juliana Elieff. Eleven-year-old Lindsey Blair demonstrated her own skills at hypnosis by playing Kaa the snake, Camila Nicholson gave true grace to her portrayal of the elephant Hathi with its swinging trunk, and McKenna Fernandez flew through her scenes in her delightfully feathery bird costume as Rann. Rounding out this parade of phenomenal animal costumes were a set of four hyperactive monkeys, played with completely chaos-causing conviction by Christopher Hibbs, Natalia Walter, Roman Ford, and Haven Allison. All hats are off in salute to the wonderful costumes by Sigworth and Foran (with help from Carol Turkus, Valerie Domino, Kathy Sodman, and Lisa Willis), and the Makeup Supervisor Miranda Hartmann. Special honors also earned by Anna Stouffer for set construction and Patty Huzar for props, as well as guild crew members who helped make all these things happen
smoothly from scene to scene. |
| Last, but not least, were the appearances of the final two characters in the jungle setting, the “Old Woman” and “Young Woman,” well-played by Kily Buta and Emma Fedorchuk. They gave extremely natural performances and provided an effectively sedate contrasting mood for the play’s denouement, while delighting the audience with rapid-fire patter of foreign-sounding dialogue. With shows as good as this one, it’s a sure bet that many are eagerly looking forward to the next All-of-us Express show! |
| —Mike Sobocinski |
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| Auditions |
| Little Shop of Horrors |
Sunday & Monday, July 13 & 14 at 7 pm in the theater.
SHOWS: Sept. 11-14 & 18-21, 2008
DIRECTOR: Erin Bennett |
| Click here for details |
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| Ooh la la! Auction Silencieux à la Gigi Lobby |
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| Join Riverwalk Theatre's Silent Auction of a fabulous framed Luidmila Kondakova serigraph Springtime in Paris. The painting is 40 X 20 inches. You may own this beautiful, lifelike, picture of a Paris street in spring, just after a rain, by being the highest bidder. It can be seen in the theatre lobby. |
| Kondakova is an “iconographer of the city” specializing in Paris London and Rome. Her paintings are rich with clarity and light: “romantic realism” with meticulous attention to detail. Her “serigraph” technique is an intricate color stencil process involving a separate stencil for each color. |
| Kondakova has been featured in a public television special and exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago and is held in corporate and private collections worldwide. |
| The value of this limited edition serigraph on canvas, signed by the artist and numbered 96/200 is greater than $2,000. Documentation is available. |
| How to bid: |
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Get a Bidder I.D. Form from Mike at the Riverwalk office; fill out your name and contact information. |
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If you include your e-mail address, we’ll keep you informed of the current bid if you wish. |
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You may also call the Riverwalk office at 482-5700 to ask the current high bid.
Bid as often as you wish although bids will not be taken by phone or e-mail. |
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Mike will assign you a Bidder Number and keep your information on file. |
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A Bid Sheet will be posted in the RWT lobby next to the painting to enter your bids. |
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The minimum bid is $500 with increments of at least $5 for subsequent bids. |
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The auction closes along with with Gigi, Sunday, June 8, 5 p.m.), so be sure to get your bid in! |
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| Lobby TV Coming!? |
| As part of Riverwalk’s Anniversary Celebration, we are putting together a DVD “slideshow” of old and not-so-old photo memories of Community Circle Players through the years. The goal is to have the slideshow up and running in the lobby for people to enjoy for the next few months as we celebrate Riverwalk’s 20th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of CCP. To show this, we are on the lookout for a very generous business or individual willing to donate, either permanently or temporarily, A FLAT SCREEN TV, at least 26” in size. The donation would be prominently acknowledged, of course. If someone out there is willing to help us out, please contact Tom or Carol Ferris at 517-627-6160, or email ctdferris@comcast.net. |
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