Theater: Town and Country Players
Show: Proof
Opened: May 9, 2008
Seen: May 9, 2008
Submitted: May 10, 2008
Reviewer: Patrick Albanesius

Proof is the kind of show that asks the audience to experience a sad and painful scene of human existence; to watch someone you love slip away from normal capacities. While the audience is spared the details throughout most of the play, it makes it all the more powerful when such emotions are brought to their zenith. Despite the underlying sadness, however, Proof is far from a depressing show. Humor and quiet understanding seep throughout the performance and into the hearts of the audience members. It takes special concentration and focus from a dedicated group of actors to pull off a show like Proof. I was lucky enough to see such a cast.

Catherine (played by Danielle Malat) has just turned 25 and is trying to find what her place in the world might be now that she no longer has to take care of her mathematical genius, but mentally unstable father. In addition, she’s forced to consider that she may have inherited some, if not all of these traits. Malat exudes the bitter loneliness of Catherine’s confusion, giving the audience a sympathetic, if somewhat gruff leading character. Catherine deserves the audience’s pity, but would hate to have it.

Malat not only carries Catherine successfully through her emotional gauntlet, she also carries the play with tempo and energy. She claims a spot on the porch as if her life has been spent there, but doesn’t reserve herself to it. Malat moves about the stage very cleanly while tossing us back and forth between her sarcastic wit and her angry rampages. (The tree-stump speech was a personal favorite.) The audience often has to question whether Catherine’s eccentric sanity is transitioning into mental instability, a difficult feat, deftly maneuvered by Malat and the incredible script playwright Auburn provides her with.

The scenes between Catherine and her older sister Claire (played by Allie DeKorte) are very gripping. The obvious tension between two sisters is magnified when Claire comes back home to hopefully take care of her little sister. The past is dug up and the chemistry between the two erupts in scenes of tremendous humor and rapid anger. DeKorte provides great comedic timing and raw passion of her own and is the most consistent performance on stage, giving the audience a character to understand and sometimes side with in a quickly maddening world.

Hal (played by Chris Weiler) adds fuel to the fire by bringing Catherine’s father’s mathematical work into play, causing a stir in the story. With some humorous moments of his own, and emotional range that helps catapult Catherine’s swings, Weiler provides the show with depth and sincerity.

Robert (played by Keith Soester) is the absent-minded former genius. Robert is the father of Catherine and Claire and is seen very little during the first act, but does provide a key plot point early on. In the second act we rediscover Robert as a man who has fallen from the pedestal many had placed him on due to his genius mind. This mind comes to betray him and we see Robert’s character not through his genius, but his flaws. We hear no mathematical equations from Robert. Instead we get uncertain rambling, forgotten dates and a sense of disillusion. The finest scene in the play takes place between Robert and Catherine as they discuss the “math of cold”, a touching display of innocent confusion and utter helplessness that will break anyone’s heart. Soester portrays Robert with great honesty, never playing up the crazy cliché, but rather giving us a human being struggling with what fate has rout.

C. Jameson Bradley’s direction was fluid and quick. There was no wasted time or pregnant pauses allowing the audience to lose focus. In fact the timing seems slightly too quick in the first scene, as some of the dialogue wasn’t allowed to breath. That could simply be attributed to opening night jitters by a cast in a quick tempo play. This small complaint is far outshined by the fine acting for the rest of the performance. The use of spot lights during the “math of cold” scene was particularly moving but the lights were never obtrusive during the performance.

The space itself was extremely lovely. The intimate 155 seat area is a unique theater-in-the-round in that the stage splits the audience in two. The old barn’s stone and wood interior walls give off a comforting castle-room feel and the lounge area downstairs has its own rustic charm.

The show has a good amount of foul language for those who are bothered by it. There is also some kissing but nothing inappropriate for general audiences.

Theater: Act II Playhouse
Show: Songs for a New World
Opens: May 6, 2008
Seen: May 6, 2008
Submitted: May 8, 2008
Reviewer: Amy Lewis

It seems so fitting that Songs for a New World would be the show playing at Act II Playhouse just as the seasons are beginning to change. As the Philadelphia area emerges from the chill of winter and prepares to embrace the warmth and beauty of spring and summer, Songs for a New World reminds the viewer that, like the seasons, life is about renewal and rebirth. Act II Playhouse, as always, is a breath of lovely spring air.

Songs is a collection of music by Jason Robert Brown, the talented composer of Parade, that takes a journey through the highs and lows life presents its travelers along the way. The tale is told by four singers, named simply Man 1, Man 2, Woman 1 and Woman 2, yet somehow one is able to relate to all of them. This is partially a result of Brown’s touching lyrics and gorgeous melodies, but there is a large onus placed upon the performers who assume the aforementioned roles to bring Brown’s work to life.

Act II’s talented cast not only succeeds at handling this challenge, they seem blissfully unaware that there was ever a challenge to begin with. The stellar ensemble excels on number after number, lacing every note with laughter and tears in turns. It comes as no surprise, then, that each actor boasts an impressive resume of international, national and regional credits which prove that the Ambler theatre seeks la crème de la crème when casting its productions.

In case the ensemble’s outstanding collaborative effort on Songs’ opening number, “The New World” isn’t enough to convince the audience they are about to see some amazing talent, Arthur W Marks’ first solo will put their minds at ease. So will his second, third fourth and so on, because Marks sings like someone’s life depends on it. Every note he sings is infused with passion and energy, tapping right through to the emotional core of his numbers.

Jennie Eisenhower, as Woman 2, displays outrageous comic talent and heart wrenching pathos in spades on a wide range of songs. Her renditions of “Just One Step” and “Surabaya-Santa” are laugh-out-loud funny, yet she takes on the challenge of perhaps the most famous number in the show, “Stars and the Moon,” with heart. Coating the sensitivity of the piece with her gorgeous and versatile voice, Eisenhower manages to not only emerge from the shadows of famous Broadway divas like Audra MacDonald who have covered the song before her, she makes the piece well and truly her own.

Proving herself to be a performer of immense likeability, strength and vulnerability, Joanne Javien exudes electricity every minute she is on stage. Challenging the world with her powerful belt on “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” one minute and inspiring with quiet hope on “Christmas Lullaby” the next, Javien displays remarkable versatility and depth. She is truly a delight to watch on stage and her numbers are amongst the highlights of the show.

Rounding out the stellar cast is Jonathan Hack, who demonstrates both the commanding presence of a leading man and the relatable appeal of a comic foil in equal measures. His powerhouse baritone resonates throughout the house, lending gravitas and conviction to his numbers. On “She Cries,” he elicits humor from his every movement, phrase and nuance, yet, on the same token, he is able to inject a moving beauty to “The World Was Dancing” that is nothing short of haunting.

The cast is ably directed by Peter Reynolds, who keeps the pace and energy of the show high at all times; there may be nineteen songs in this musical, but not one of them seems tedious or heavy handed. In fact, so well-paced is Act II’s production that it is difficult to believe that so much ground has been covered in so little time – the audience has been taken through the highs and lows of life before the thought has even occurred to them to look at their watches.

Songs for a New World at Act II Playhouse is as exciting and invigorating as the lovely spring weather that has accompanied its opening. One leaves feeling refreshed and renewed, excited by what they have just seen and hopeful about what lies before them. As always, Act II Playhouse has given theatergoers something to sing about.

Theater: The Wilma Theater
Show Title: Eurydice
Opened: May 7, 2008
Seen: May 7, 2008
Reviewer: Arnie Finkel
Submitted: May 8, 2008

All of the retelling of the Orpheus story that I researched are told from Orpheus’s viewpoint. What a refreshing and interesting switch to see the tale through Eurydice’s eyes. That is exactly what the Playwright Sarah Ruhl and Director Blanka Ziska have given us in their new production—EURYDICE.

We first see Orpheus and Eurydice at the beach in a charming scene in which we learn that they are very much in love. On their wedding day, Eurydice is tempted by a letter from her dead father held by a Nasty Interesting Man and by accident falls to her death. In the underworld she is met by a trio of stones who act as a Greek chorus. She is then reunited with her father who brings back her memories of her time on Earth.

In a very theatrical and touching moment, her father builds a room for Eurydice out of string. Orpheus, meanwhile, is miserable without his wife and vows to find her. This sweet singer of songs can only create sad music until he is reunited with Eurydice.

He enters the underworld and sings so sad a song that even the stones cry. It gains him a meeting with the Lord of the Underworld, who says he can have his wife if he leads her out of Hades but never looks back to see her. Eurydice is then faced with the dilemma of leaving her father again after bonding with him, or going with her husband.

I won’t tell you what happens—you’ll just have to either read the story or better yet go see this marvelous production.

In a spare 90 minutes with no intermission Sara Ruhl has given us a lot to ponder. The love of a father for a daughter versus the love of a husband for his wife. And, more importantly, Eurydice’s feelings.

The cast is uniformly excellent. Merritt Janson is a wonder as Eurydice. She is vulnerable, sweet, confused, and altogether delightful. Stephen Novelli is every bit as good as her Father—a very warm and insightful portrayal. Benjamin Huber is a worthy Orpheus. He embodied the love and the anguish and the determination of his character very well.

Triney Sandoval was equally effective as the Nasty Interesting Man and the Lord of the Underworld. He provides much of the humor of the piece. Each of the Stones- Greg D’Alessandro (Big Stone), Erin Reilly (Little Stone) and Cathy Simpson (Loud Stone) were just about perfect.

I can’t say enough about how much the original music by Toby Twining added to the overall effectiveness of the production. Tenor Steven Bradshaw, Soprano Eric Brenner(yes he’s a man),Mezzo/alto Elizabeth Filios, Bass (and Conductor) Mark Johnson and cellist Floreta Shapiro underscored, commented, and provided sound effects which illuminated the script.

Blanka Ziska has much to be proud of. Her direction is sure and on the mark and exactly in tune with the values in the script. All the touches and subtleties were as right and fitting as her decision to add the music.

Mimi Lien designed a set that was wondrous. It was as if it was a character in the play. The lighting and sound designs by Tyler Micoleau and Jorge Cousineau were in tune with the rest of the production.

Eurydice is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. If you are adventurous and want an evening of pure theater make your way down to the Wilma where Eurydice will play until June first.

Theater: The Road Company
Show Title: The Secret Garden
Opened: May 2, 2008
Seen: May 2, 2008
Reviewer: Ryan Bunch
Submitted: May 5, 2008

The Road Company Theatre in New Jersey is currently presenting Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s musical The Secret Garden, and it is a beautiful production.

The Secret Garden is adapted from the classic children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett about a girl, Mary Lennox, who is sent to live with her reclusive uncle at his mysterious old estate in England after her parents die in an epidemic of cholera in India. The uncle’s old house is full of secrets, including the neglected garden once tended by his deceased wife and a little boy named Colin who has been hidden away in a dark room, bedridden from an immobilizing illness. Mary herself is sickly and surly when she first comes to the house, but through her interactions with Colin and the servants, she learns to give and receive compassion. Her interest in finding the secret garden and bringing it back to life leads her to heal the wounds of a family racked by tragedy.

The story itself contains deeply romantic imagery and the suggestion of magic surrounding the dark, imposing mansion and its garden—first dead and gloomy, then alive and lush. This imagery is a major part of the show’s appeal, and director Jo McMahon and her creative team have succeeded masterfully in creating just the right atmosphere.

The beautiful set and costume designs combine with music and technical aspects of the production to create an interplay of light and dark impressions of the picturesque setting. The music is full of rich, romantic choral passages and colorful instrumentation. The orchestra plays this music nearly flawlessly, and along with the actors and the chorus, it is amplified through the sound system to effect a complete saturation of the theater with sound and mood. The singing, from both soloists and chorus, is sonorous, expressive and technically proficient.

The cast is strong. Liesel Groninger is terrific in the role of Mary, with all her changes of mood, and Fernando Gonzalez brings out the humanity in her austere and emotionally distant Uncle Archibald. Other notable performances include David Mooney as Dr. Craven, the stern, psychologically complex brother of Archibald and physician to Colin; Jamie Lynne McMahon as Martha the chambermaid who coaxes Mary out of her grief; Michael Kelley as Dickon, the boy who has his finger on the pulse of nature; and Jeremy Shriver as Colin. The ghosts of Mary’s parents (Faith Charlton and Jeff Beiter), Archibald’s wife Lily (Nicole Gross), and others appear periodically throughout the show, and provide some of the most beautiful singing. In particular, Gross’s sound is as pure as the white dress of her costume and the ethereal light projected around her at key moments, another example of the successful integration of mood in this production.

Of course, singling out these performances is not to suggest that others are not just as strong. The entire show is uniformly good, and both singing and acting are consistently professional. On top of all that, it’s a show with a great deal of sentiment, and a great deal to say about the beauty of life.

The Secret Garden runs through May 17 at the Grand Theatre in Williamstown, NJ. For tickets and information call 856-728-2120 or visit www.roadcompany.com.

Ryan Bunch is a vocal instructor, writer and composer specializing in musical theater and theater for young audiences. He has provided voice training, musical direction, songwriting, script development and educational services for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Mainstage Center for the Arts, Center Stage Productions, Chichester School District, West Chester Summer Stage, Renaissance Artist Puppet Company, and the Players Board of Chestnut Hill Academy and Springside School. For additional information visit www.ryanbunch.com.

Theater: Cheltenham High School
Show: A Chorus Line
Seen: May 2, 2008
Submitted: May 5, 2008
Reviewer: Priyanka Chugh

What happens when you take seventeen dancers auditioning for a show and ask
them to tell you a little bit more about themselves? You end up with "A
Chorus Line", the heart wrenching story of passionate dancers who bare their
souls at an unconventional audition for the opportunity to achieve their
dreams, presented by Cheltenham High School.

"A Chorus Line," by Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, James Kirkwood, and
Nicholas Dante, won nine Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1976. The
show begins with a large group of dancers who are desperate for work. That
group is then cut down to seventeen unique and talented people. The
director, Zach, asks all of the remaining performers to tell him a little
bit about themselves. Zach wants to see each of them as more than just
resumes and headshots. The dancers reluctantly reveal their pasts, secrets,
and shortcomings because they all desperately need this job. However, in the
end only eight of the seventeen are selected and given a shot at their
dreams.

Cheltenham High School's production included an energetic and talented cast
who had amazing chemistry from start to finish. Overall, the production was
exceptionally moving and captivating and elicited many laughs as well as
tears.

The leads as a whole were riveting. They embodied their characters fully and
presented a seamless ensemble. Each actor brought something different and
powerful to their performance. Nick Dellamonica, as Mike, performed with
enthusiasm along with great dancing skills and powerful vocals. Chelsea
Kreines, as Sheila, had excellent vocals and stage presence as well as the
ability to portray every emotion through body language and facial
expressions. D.J. Fortine, as Paul, delivered his emotional monologue with
power, bringing many audience members to tears.

The supporting cast helped create a tense atmosphere and portray specific
moments in the lives of the final seventeen dancers. The singing and dancing
of the supporting cast was outstanding, with standout dancers including Sam
Ko, Tiffanie McCall, and Kendra Wolpe.

Overall the stage, sound, and light crews were fantastic and gave a seamless
performance. Although the set seems to be a blank stage, it has many hidden
and complicated elements. Also, the lighting added a lot to the overall
production and assisted in highlighting each actor's individual performance.

"A Chorus Line" is an extremely difficult show to tackle, but Cheltenham
High School's performance was definitely "one singular sensation".

by Priyanka Chugh of Eastern Camden County Regional School District

Theater: Marple Newtown Players
Show Title: Exit the Body
Opened: May 2, 2008
Seen: May 3, 2008
Reviewer: Gary Labowitz
Submitted: May 4, 2008

The Marple Newtown Players presents “Exit the Body”, May 2, 3, 9, 10, and 16, 17, 2008 at 8:00 PM with a matinee at 3:00 PM on May 4. Written by Fred Carmichael and directed by Maureen M. Carmen.

The plot: a mystery writer, Crane Hammond (Ethel Guy), rents a New England house to spend a relaxing four weeks working and resting. She is accompanied by her secretary, the flip New Yorker Kate Bixley (Lisa Panzer). They are quickly told by the rental agent, Helen O'Toole (Meg kirkpatrick), about the previous resident, a jewel fence, who was recently killed in an automobile accident. He had been holding (and hiding) a stash of diamonds that no one has been able to find. Being a mystery writer, Crane is unfazed at the news. It’s not going to bother her and her relaxing vacation!

The ditzy maid, Jenny (Jennifer Youngblood), and her boyfriend Randolph (Chris Courson), are privately intending to find those diamonds, presumably hidden somewhere around the house. Randolph is a beginner gang member, and somewhat of a dolt, but he has gotten his assignment to find the jewels from “the boss.” Criminal textbook in hand, he is game to follow instructions.

One of Crane’s friends, the fashion designer Lillian Seymour (Jeanne Buchser), occupies a house nearby, and welcomes her mystery-writer friend in a most unusual way, even presenting her with a “husband” (Michael J. Casassa) for a day.

Into this mix is injected Vernon Cookley (Joe Fortunato), who as taxi driver, gardener, sheriff, and who knows what else, actually brings a little stability to the crowd.

The focal point of the play is the center closet, which connects to the library as well as the living room, and in which bodies appear and disappear with startling rapidity. Poor Crane faints dead away every time she finds a new body in it.

That night at 2:00 AM all these diverse groups sneak into the house to search for the diamonds. They enter, exit, criss cross in the dark (literally and figuratively) until they begin to bump into one another (literally and figuratively). Eventually all the hidden identities become exposed, the situation is made crystal clear, and even the diamonds are found.

The cast is somewhat uneven, with old hands establishing a base and new hands wading in. Joe Fortunato affects a decent New England accent, and Lisa Panzer tosses in the cynical one-liners (which could use a little more acid in the delivery). Newcomer Chris Courson must learn to speak up and out to the audience. Everyone else has been around long enough to know what to do.

“Exit the Body” is a typical farce. It has the usual elements of a confusing clash of characters, mistaken identities, and Keystone Cops pandemonium. The sometimes found risqué element (usually scantily clad females or men dropping their trousers) is missing, thank goodness.

Hedgerow Theatre
Kafka in the Hedgerows
Opened May 1
Seen May 1
Reviewer Nicholas Martorelli
Submitted May 3

Hedgerow Theatre is celebrating its 85th birthday this year with the world premiere of “Kafka in the Hedgerows,” a new play by Nagle Jackson. To celebrate this anniversary, Jackson’s new play is a fictionalized re-imagining of Jasper Deeter’s founding of Hedgerow Theatre. Charming and absorbing, the play is essentially Hedgerow’s love letter to itself, the country’s oldest repertory theatre. Along the way, the script reflects on what it takes to “make art” and what the true purpose of the theatre is, but all reflections or challenges to that particular art form are ultimately resolved under a banner of delightful sentimentality.

The play begins when Manfred Wolf (Paul Kuhn) and Rusty Hargrove (Zoran Kovcic) enter from the back of the house, making their way onto the dimly-lit stage. Wolf, a watered-down version of Jasper Deeter, declares his intention to turn the building into a professional repertory theatre, and he then begins to meet the citizens of the town. In the middle of his auditions for the upcoming shows, a mysterious stranger “of indeterminate origin” (Jared Reed) arrives and introduces himself as K. A not-so-thinly disguised version of Franz Kafka, K’s opinions and beliefs on theatre and art intrigue Wolf, and they start to collaborate on a show. The second act of “Kafka in the Hedgerows” revolves around a rehearsal for the proposed play, in which ideas of theatre, art, and life are revealed and hotly debated.

From the first image of the two men walking down the dark stairs into the theatre, the show is charming. Natural performances and very honest witticisms pepper the first act, in which both the audience and Wolf meet the local Gilbert and Sullivan-loving prima donna, Tatty Christian (Susan Wefel), and the Greek drama-loving, aspiring actress/playwright Andromache Hobbs (Penelope Reed.) Political maneuvering and artistic negotiations between Wolf and his growing ensemble of artists are rendered with both wit and clarity, and the genuine warmth and personality of the performers is allowed to shine. Particular Act I highlights are Jared Reed’s funny and very warm entrance as the mysterious K, and Kovcic’s bumbling and loveable handyman.

The second act, however, is not quite as strong as the first. During a rehearsal for the “play within a play” being performed by the new company, the characters all confront each other with their own particular ideas of what theatre should be and what it should do. But amidst all these high ideals, the second act verges on the edge of farce. The believably honest characters of the first half are forced into behaving more as archetypes in the second. When K’s desire to “make art” conflicts with the others’ desires to merely “do art,” the show strains to say something that is unfortunately outside of its own range. The lightly tuned play cannot deal with its own weight in the second act, and the high ideals about art never resolve into a clear point of view. The most effective moments of the second act are the subtle and quiet ones. One such scene features K leading the two young lovers (Lena Mucchetti and Kevin Meehan) in rehearsal, in which he challenges them to explore the truth behind their art. The two lovers, products of Hedgerow’s Theatre Fellow training program, shine in the moment of awkward exploration of an honest theatrical experience. The moment exists as the proverbial onstage soap bubble, where the audience holds their collective breath lest the illusion be broken, as it ultimately must be.

The performers, most of them pillars of the Hedgerow stage, deliver consistent and fully realized performances. Effective moments are carefully created in the first act where we see each character coming into conflict with others and then finding honest ways to resolve those conflicts. A scene between Jared Reed and Susan Wefel artfully illustrates this resolution, as K uses Tatty’s obvious ego to sway her over to his point of view. Penelope Reed’s Andromache taps into grand traditions of theatre past, while in the first act revealing a sense of the vulnerability of the artist. Jared Reed creates a shy and child-like K, a man who is constantly amazed by the world around him. The actors work well together and the onstage chemistry is contagious; it feels as if we are actually watching a rehearsal for such an ensemble-based company as Hedgerow itself is.

Kovcic also designed the minimalist set, which heavily features the basic Hedgerow construction – brick back wall, benches, chairs, and tables. The costumes by Cathie Miglionico evoke both the time period and the individual characters very well. David O’Connor’s lights and Bill Whipple’s sounds interweave through the show, always present and effective without calling attention to themselves.

“Kafka in the Hedgerows” is essentially Hedgerow Theatre’s love letter to itself, romanticizing its origin with witty banter and theatre jokes. And for a theatre that has lasted for so long and trained so many theatre artists, a little self-congratulation, especially in so pleasant a form, is surely in order.

Nicholas Martorelli

“Kafka in the Hedgerows,” written and directed by Nagle Jackson. Stars Paul Kuhn, Zoran Kovcic, Susan Wefel, Lena Mucchetti, Kevin Meehan, Penelope Reed, Jared Reed, and Michelle Eugene. Runs until May 18 at various times, with tickets $10-$30. For show and ticket information, call the box office at (610) 565-4211, or visit the theatre online at www.hedgerowtheatre.org.

Theater: Walnut Street Theatre
Show Title: The Irish…and How They Got That Way
Opened: April 29, 2008
Seen: May 1, 2008
Reviewer: Gary Labowitz
Submitted: May 2, 2008
The Walnut Street Theatre presents “The Irish…and How They Got That Way” by Frank McCourt, directed by Megan Nicole O’Brien. April 29 to June 29, 2008
Independence Studio on 3
825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

“The Irish…and How They Got That Way” is a high speed, high-energy, musical review of the history of the Irish. It spans the legendary past to the present day, in songs, readings, jokes, dance, quotations, and historical facts. Indeed, it fits the typical mode of topical reviews. The strength of a review is in its performers and the flow of the material they present. For “The Irish…” both the company and the book are strong and well done.

The members of the company (we have a typical five) do all the work; they play instruments (violin, piano, guitars, flute, drums), they sing, they dance, and they recite. When one member’s weakness appears, other members’ strengths fill the gaps so that the overall result is strong and full. The cast seemed a little strained at the opening (May 1), but then at times they seemed to be having fun with the material. All five members are “troopers” in the classic sense and deliver a dynamic performance to a friendly audience. Members of the audience are brought into the scene on two occasions, and a few lucky front row attendees even got drinks. What could be better than that!

The book gives a nod to the legendary origins of the Irish, but moves into its main segments dealing with the Irish and their bad treatment by absentee landlords and the English indifference. One segment covers the potato famine, but cannot do full justice to the monstrous horror of that Irish experience. The Irish participation in a variety of wars is put forward, mostly in song, but also in letters of soldiers to loved ones. The immigrant experience in America is nicely covered. The fight by the Irish for better conditions and equal recognition takes us through to WWI and ends with a tribute to George M. Cohan. (Dan Kazemi, the musical director and pianist, does a passable dance in the stiff-legged Cohan style.) These main segments are topped off with a brief mention of the JFK assassination and finished with U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

This review is one of those deceptively simple looking presentations. The members enter, sing, play, dance, tell the story, and leave. Each step of this progression requires a different talent, each requiring a devoted training background. To put it into its true light, the members enter in character with energy, feeling, and meaning in their movement. They sing well and dramatically, now softly, now belting it out as appropriate. They play instruments with talent – good substantial music. They dance forcefully, in ones, twos, threes, and elaborately in five. They tell the story emotionally and meaningfully. They leave us wanting more. But the story is told.

Reviews can be fun and they can be enlightening. This one is both. Even if you are Irish and “know it all already” it’s worth seeing this historical review. Have a laugh. Shed a tear. Take a friend. To the cast we say, “Maith thú.”

Theater: Rose Valley Chorus and Orchestra
Show Title: The Merry Widow
Opened: April 25, 2008
Seen: April 25, 2008
Reviewer: Ryan Bunch
Submitted: May 1, 2008

Following an entertaining production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado last fall, Rose Valley Chorus and Orchestra is rounding out its 100th anniversary season with another of the most popular operettas in the repertoire, Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow. Under the direction of Katherine P. Nealley and music director Susan T. Bullock, RVC&O has put together a production of The Merry Widow with some terrific singing and beautiful design elements.

Anna Glawari, a wealthy widow, attends the birthday party of the Grand Duke of Pontevedro at the Pontevedrian embassy in Paris. Naturally every eligible man in Paris is eager to get close to her “twenty millions,” and the Duke becomes anxious to see her married to a Pontevedrian and keep her fortune within the financially struggling motherland. The man who can do this is Count Danilo, with whom Anna has a romantic history. The two are still in love, but since she has become a widow, Danilo is too proud to express his love for Anna, and she will not have him unless he says “I love you.”

Meanwhile, the Duke’s wife Valencienne is pursued by Camille, the French attaché to the embassy. A misplaced fan inscribed with a love note from Camille to Valencienne puts them in danger of being found out as the Duke himself uses the fan in his investigation of an affair in which he has no idea his wife is a party.

The RVC&O uses the English translation from the German by Christopher Hassel. It has some slight changes in content from the original, but the spirit of the thing is still right. It remains light, charming, and humorously entertaining.

Above all, though, The Merry Widow is highly singable, and this is a singer’s production of the piece. Standing head and shoulders above the rest of the cast in this regard is Jennifer Graf in the role of Anna. She sounds effortless in the beautiful “Vilia” song in Act Two. The other principle singers are more or less uniformly solid as well, with Josiah Donnell (Baron Zeta), Nathalie Dalziel (Valencienne), Ryan Goulden (Danilo), and Daniel Williams (Camille). The chorus sounds terrific, too. If the acting is sometimes on the stiff and self-conscious side, the vocal talents more than make up for it.

The frothy and danceable musical numbers are served well by the choreography, which has an appropriately sprightly touch in songs like “Jogging in a One-Horse Gig,” and “You’re Back Where You First Began.” The costumes (Janice Manley), set design (Julie May) and lighting (Kathy Michael) are attractive, together producing a color scheme that takes us from the elegant black and white formality of the embassy in Act One to the splashy traditional dress and festive decoration of Anna’s garden party in Act Two and the decadent red overtones of Maxime’s nightclub in Act Three.

All of this is icing on the cake, though, for the music and lighthearted intrigue rightfully are the center of attention. Leave your cares and woes at home and go enjoy this classic piece of light comic opera.

The Merry Widow runs through May 3 at Garnet Valley Middle School in Glen Mills, PA. For tickets and information call 610-565-5010 or visit www.rvco.org.

Ryan Bunch is a vocal instructor, writer and composer specializing in musical theater and theater for young audiences. He has provided voice training, musical direction, songwriting, script development and educational services for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Mainstage Center for the Arts, Center Stage Productions, Chichester School District, West Chester Summer Stage, Renaissance Artist Puppet Company, and the Players Board of Chestnut Hill Academy and Springside School. For additional information visit www.ryanbunch.com.

Theater: Vagabond Acting Troupe, Second Stage at the Adrienne
Show: The Third Annual Festive One Act Play Festival
Opened: April 30,2008
Seen: April 30, 2008
Submitted: May 1, 2008
Reviewer: Florence Mickens

The Third Annual Festive One Act Play Festival is a chance to see an old medium from an unusual point of view. Aileen McCulloch, Executive Artistic Director for the Vagabond Acting Troupe, introduced the festival as a valentine to the many playwrights who regularly collaborate with the V.A.T. Offered at the smaller Second Stage at the Adrienne Theater, the festival presents five one act plays.

If your idea of theater is elaborate sets, velvet covered seating, and a swooshing curtain, this is not the place for you. The intimate setting of the 60-seat theater and the pace of the show give the audience an unusual glimpse at the inner workings of a stage show. The 5 pieces are stand alone and unrelated to one another calling for quick set changes with every new play. There’s no curtain, swooshing or otherwise, so the changes simply become another part of the theater experience. It’s interesting to watch the actors pitch in and transform the stage. The entire event has a sort of Do-It-Yourself feel to it which seemed in keeping with the grassroots, edgy personality of the Vagabond Acting Troupe.

Each work is a complete play, each story has its own tone and tenor ranging from Marcia Hepps’ quirky, almost inaccessible festival winner “Glossolalia” to the tongue-in-cheek send up of British stage comedies, “Setting the Scene” by Megan Mazaika. Over the course of the 5 plays we are treated to a large number of performers who are called to get into the moment NOW.

There’s not a lot of room to slowly reveal the depths of a character and his or her private motivations. It’s interesting to see them work in the limited timeframe to establish the characters and their relationships. While the quality varies, most of the actors are immediately believable in their roles and the performances work to introduce us to the playwright’s snapshot of the world.

The plays look at several different aspects of life including the nature of war, our shared social reality, the line, if any, between who we are and what we do for a living. While moving quickly from one “life” to another may sound a bit jarring or confusing, the festival producers have ordered the pieces in a way which flows easily.

There is almost a feeling of improvisation about the festival. It’s probably a combination of the scene jumping and the minimal staging that create this notion. It largely adds to a sense of watching truly fresh, original works being performed live. If you’re in the mood for something “completely different” or if you are a chronic channel surfer, the Third Annual Festive One Act Festival is for you.