Dramateurs at the Barn Present Chess

Theater: Dramateurs at the Barn
Show Title: Chess
Opened: August 10, 2007
Seen: August 25, 2007
Reviewer: Charlie Seymour Jr
Submitted: August 27, 2007

[As I've written before, though I will write here from time to time, I will not present formal reviews - others do that better and I think it's just better to leave it to them.]

The Dramateurs at the Barn in Jeffersonville, PA presented Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Richard Nelson as their summer musical - and the sweat and effort that went into it were very clear. And I thank them for inviting me to see their production.

It's hard not to get excited when performances from Thomas Lamphere, Shanna Longo, and Paul Recupero rock the building - these three could appear on any stage in the area. And the tightly-rehearsed orchestra, under the baton on Konnie Stark, delivers the difficult score with such power and precision.

And Steve DiNenno's direction not only kept the performers moving but choreographed the set movements so never a moment was lost as the tention of the story was building.

The Dramateurs is one of the few groups to present a season from May through October, and Charley's Aunt will finish this season, opening September 5.

And next season includes Cole Porter's Anything Goes, W. Somerset Maugham's The Constant Wife, Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse's Jekyll & Hyde, and William Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. And they've even scheduled the School Edition of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's Les Miserables!

The auditorium here is intimate, the stage equipment is simple, and the cost to see a production is very low. Groups like The Dramateurs deserve our support for the 73 seasons of good work. You can find out more about them on StageMagazineOnline.com.

The Dramateurs at the Barn are working hard to get your attention… and you should give it to them!

Charlie Seymour Jr
Founder / Chief Marketing Director
StageMagazineOnline.com