She Loves Me at OPPA

Last night I went to see She Loves Me at On Pitch Performing Arts and it was a delightful production of one of my favorite shows! The action takes place at Maraczek's Perfumery in Budapest during the 1930s and follows a group of eccentric clerks, including Georg Nowack (Cormac Romine), Ilona Ritter (Amanda Murray), Steven Kodaly (Dylan Marriott), Ladislav Sipos (Gavin Turner), and Arpad Laszlo (Emily Butcher). When Mr. Maraczek (Jeff Duncan) hires Amalia Balash (Caitlin Olsen) as a new clerk, Georg takes an immediate dislike to her and soon they are both bickering constantly. However, both Georg and Amalia have unknown correspondents and it turns out that they are actually writing to each other! Chaos ensues until they eventually realize they love each other. Most of the songs in this show consist of simple every day conversations between co-workers (the clerks even break out into song whenever a customer leaves the shop) and they are all really charming. My favorites are "Tonight at Eight" and "Will He Like Me?" because they give the male and female perspectives on going out on a first date. I also enjoy the big production numbers, including "Good Morning, Good Day," "Days Gone By," "Ilona," "A Romantic Atmosphere," and "Twelve Days to Christmas," and the choreography in this production is simple but a lot of fun. The performances are all wonderful. Olsen has a beautiful voice and her rendition of "Dear Friend" is incredibly poignant. Romine is very appealing (he reminded me a lot of Zachary Levi in the Broadway revival production) and I loved his playful performance of "She Loves Me." Murray steals the show because she is so much fun to watch. Her facial expressions are completely over the top and her version of "A Trip to the Library" made me laugh out loud! The simple period costumes and wigs are very effective in conveying the time and place and, as always, I was very impressed with how well the small space is used. There is a pastel colored set piece which shows the outside of the perfume shop and then opens up to reveal the interior with a large window showing a view of a street in Budapest on a screen behind. Glass display cases filled with lots of bottles and baubles are moved on and off stage and are cleverly configured to become various areas in the store (I loved how they are used in "Twelve Days to Christmas"). I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this show and I highly recommend it as the perfect night out with your valentine this month.  It runs Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, through March 1 (go here for tickets).

Note:  Last night was opening night so there were a lot of different activities going on before the show and during intermission. I tried to slink into the theatre without attracting too much attention but I may or may not have won the romance trivia contest...

The Mousetrap at OPPA

Last night I went to On Pitch Performing Arts to see Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap and I can't think of a better play to see in October! Mollie Ralston (Rachel Pullan) and her husband Giles (Tyler Probasco) have converted their large estate, Monkswell Manor, into a guesthouse and are nervously awaiting their first paying customers during a severe snowstorm. News of a grisly murder with ties to a neighboring village reaches the manor just as the guests, including Christopher Wren (Peter Davis), Mrs. Boyle (Wendy Ottmanns), Major Metcalf (Ken Hadlock), and Miss Casewell (Megan Chase), arrive one by one. An unexpected guest, Mr. Paravacini (Joey Engh), arrives rather suspiciously a few hours later after his car is overturned in a snowdrift and Detective Sergeant Trotter (Donovan Crane) skis his way to the snowbound manor to investigate a clue about the aforementioned murder. When one of the guests, who has a mysterious connection to the murder victim, is found dead it seems that everyone has a secret and it is up to Sergeant Trotter to solve the crime before another murder occurs. Information about each character's backstory is revealed very slowly and strict attention must be paid in order to discover the solution. I loved watching a young boy sitting across the stage from me because his eyes would light up whenever he made an important connection (I think he even figured out the big twist before it happened). Some of the acting is a little bit stilted but I really enjoyed Davis as the eccentric Wren because he has a nervous energy that is palpable and Engh as Paravacini because he is so flamboyant (I loved his ruffled shirt, cravat, and fur coat) and his facial expressions are hilarious (I found myself watching him even when the attention was on someone else because he is always in character and his reactions and bits of business are so over the top). The elaborate set, along with the one for Next to Normal, is one of my favorites at OPPA and I particularly loved the large picture window through which you can see falling snow (and through which Sergeant Trotter makes his entrance), the wood paneling and wallpaper, the Victorian-era furniture, the many doors, and the staircase. I also liked the attention to detail with all of the props, especially the old-fashioned radio and telephone. The pacing was sometimes sluggish but it was opening night so it will probably tighten up. My only other criticism is that the cast didn't give the traditional admonition to keep the ending a secret from future audiences at the end of the show! Nevertheless, I did thoroughly enjoy this murder mystery and I recommend it for a fun night out this spooky season. It runs Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through November 16 (go here for tickets).

Next to Normal at OPPA

When I walked into the theater to see PTC's production of Next to Normal several years ago I had no idea what to expect because I didn't know anything about the show and was only there because I was a season subscriber. I walked out of the theater a huge fan because I loved both the music (I have listened to the Original Broadway Cast Recording more times than I can count) and the powerful depiction of mental illness. I haven't had the opportunity to see this show since then so I was thrilled to learn that it was being produced by On Pitch Performing Arts this season! I saw it on opening night and it is outstanding in every way! The Goodmans seem like the perfect suburban family but, in reality, Diana (Mindi Hansen) suffers from a worsening bipolar depressive disorder, her husband Dan (Nathan Sachs) struggles with how best to help her while trying to keep the family together, her sixteen-year-old daughter Natalie (Heather Jackson) tries to be perfect in order to compensate, and her eighteen-year-old son Gabe (Jacob Ericksen) is not really there because he died as a baby.  She, along with Dr. Fine and then Dr. Madden (both played by Jake Oaklyn), attempts to treat her delusional episodes with medication, psychotherapy, hypnosis, and, eventually, electroconvulsive therapy with varying results.  Ultimately, Diana must find a way to let Gabe go, Dan must finally acknowledge him, and Natalie must make peace with the fact that her family will never be normal with the help of her boyfriend Henry (Logan Kelly). I find the story to be incredibly moving because it is a very realistic portrayal of how mental illness affects both the individual and the people who love them and the rock opera score is brilliant because, even though it might seem incongruous with the subject matter, I think it really heightens the multitude of emotions felt by the characters. The entire cast give incredible vocal performances but I especially loved all of the nuances in their portrayals. I was particularly impressed by Ericksen's passionate renditions of "I'm Alive," because you can really feel his despair at the possibility of being forgotten by his mother, and "There's a World" because his interaction with Diana is so visibly manipulative. I also loved Jackson's performance of "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" (my favorite song in the show), because it is extremely raw and perfectly expresses how she feels about being neglected by her mother, and Hansen's performance of "You Don't Know," because her frustration is palpable. One of the things that really struck me when I saw PTC's production was the elaborate set featuring the metal outline of a multi-story house that appears to be made of glass. The set for this production is obviously more minimal, with open areas representing the house, metal outlines of doors, and an LED screen that mimics glass windows (I loved how the images through the windows change in response to Diana's inner turmoil), but I think it is even more effective because it provides a greater intimacy with the characters. The staging is also very clever with set pieces that perform multiple functions. I love this show so much and this production did not disappoint! It runs at OPPA on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 5 (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it!

Into the Woods at OPPA

The musical Into the Woods is one of my very favorites because the story is incredibly clever, the music is beautiful, and the messages are both thought-provoking and poignant. I always try to see any production that I can find and last night I found one at On Pitch Performing Arts (I have recently become a fan of this theatre company). It was so much fun to see a different take on a familiar favorite! Several fairy tale characters must go into the woods to make their wishes come true: a Witch (Caitlin Olsen) wishes to reverse a curse, a Baker (John Wright) and his Wife (Heather Ann Jackson) wish to have a child, Cinderella (Cassie Hurt-McLarty) wishes to attend the festival and meet a prince, Jack (KJ Weidner) wishes to save his cow Milky White (Madison Tate) from being sold at market, and Red Riding Hood (Harriett Bauer) wishes to visit her Grandmother (Rachel Glad). However, having a wish come true does not always result in a happily ever after and actions can sometimes have unintended consequences. This production is unique in that the setting has been changed to an urban area (depicted with images on a large screen and minimal props) during the 1950s (including fun costumes such as the poodle skirts worn by the Stepsisters and the motorcycle jacket worn by Cinderella's Prince). In the many different productions of this show that I have seen I don't remember a change to the setting like this before but I think it is a really effective way to make the themes of team work, resilience, and acceptance more accessible to the audience through this modern sensibility. I especially liked the characterization of Rapunzel (Lauralye Anderson) as a young woman who is judged by her appearance and feels the need to be perfect (with 1950s era ads shown on the screen during her scenes). The entire cast is really fun to watch and I especially loved Olsen's dramatic facial expressions, Wright's nervous energy, Tate's physicality in manipulating the puppet for Milky White, and Bauer's sass. However, Preston Fullmer, as the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince (characters who are very similar if you think about it), absolutely steals the show with all of his over-the-top preening. I think I laughed at every single thing he did on stage (my favorite bit of business is when he winks at the Baker's Wife before continuing to chase Cinderella) and his version of "Agony" with Gage Andersen as Rapunzel's Prince is a highlight! I have always loved the songs "It Takes Two," because it is such a turning point in the relationship between the Baker and his Wife, and "No One Is Alone," because it is a very emotional moment of understanding between the Baker, Jack, Cinderella, and Red, and the performances by this cast gave me goosebumps. The choreography is very well suited to the small and intimate space and I was particularly impressed with "Into the Woods," "So Happy," "Ever After," and "Children Will Listen" because of the large number of people on stage and the intricate patterns they are able to create. I thoroughly enjoyed this interpretation of Into the Woods and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through July 13.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at OPPA

I really love the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame so I decided to see a production at On Pitch Performing Arts last night. This was my first show at OPPA and I was very impressed! Quasimodo (Jared Daley) has been hidden by his master Frollo (Chris Morgan) in the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral all of his life because of his deformity. He wonders what it would be like to leave the cathedral and decides that he will be safe on the streets of Paris during the Feast of Fools. He is eventually crowned the King of the Fools but when the crowd turns on him the gypsy Esmeralda (Megan Mariano) rescues him. She catches the eye of the captain of the cathedral guard, Phoebus de Martin (Nate Kemp), who falls in love with her but she also bewitches Frollo who becomes obsessed with possessing her. When Esmeralda rejects Frollo, he orders Phoebus to arrest her. Phoebus refuses and they both become fugitives who are aided by Quasimodo until the final confrontation in the bell tower. This is a complicated show and most productions that I have seen have had large and elaborate sets but, because OPPA's space is small and intimate, the set is very minimal. It features a runway that extends into the space from a narrow stage with a manually operated turntable at the end of it. A large LED screen is located behind the stage, with projections depicting the inside of the cathedral and the town square, and curtained doors with stairs are located on either side. The stairs are moved to either side of the runway to depict the bell tower. At first I wondered if this would detract from the storytelling, especially since the set did not include any bells, but the innovative staging and clever lighting kept me completely engaged. I was especially impressed by the staging of "God Help the Outcasts" (my favorite song from the show), because the end of the runway becomes an altar when several storytellers place candles on the edge and kneel in front of it, "Hellfire," because Frollo stands on the turntable while the storytellers manually turn him and shine handheld red spotlights on him, and "Kyrie Eleison," because Esmeralda stands on the turntable with the handheld red spotlights as Quasimodo weaves in and out of the storytellers to mimic swinging down from the tower to save her. The choreography in "Topsy Turvy," "Rhythm of the Tambourine," "Tavern Song," and "The Court of Miracles" is straightforward but fun and energetic and the ensemble, which features dancers of various abilities, does a great job executing it. The storytellers, who narrate the show, are costumed as townspeople but they are transformed, often right on stage, into gypsies, soldiers, clergy members, and gargoyles with the addition of simple pieces and props and this is incredibly effective. The stripped-down set, choreography, and costumes allow the performances, which are outstanding, to shine! All four leads have beautiful voices and their renditions of "God Help the Outcasts," "Hellfire," "Heaven's Light," and "Someday" gave me goosebumps! I especially enjoyed Daley's performance because he imbues Quasimodo with a childlike wonder in "Out There" and "Top of the World" but you can also feel his torment during "Made of Stone." I am so happy to have found OPPA (I will definitely be back) because I loved this show and I highly recommend it.  It runs through March 2 with performances on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (go here for tickets).