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Theater

The O’Conner Girls at Playcrafters Barn Theatre

If there’s one word I’d use to best describe Playcrafters Barn Theatre’s current production, it would be “nice.” And while that can be taken as an unflattering adjective, for The O’Conner Girls I mean it as a positive one; I left the opening-night performance with a smile on my face, one awash with the sweet nostalgia and dash of humor that put it there.

The O’Conner Girls takes place over the course of two days, during which twin sisters Martha (Lisa Kahn) and Liz (Pamela Crouch) - having just buried their father - are now helping their mother, Sara (Jan Golz), clean out the house. Martha spent the last year taking care of her father, losing sleep along with any semblance of a personal life. Liz did her part by sending money home, even after losing her husband and her job. Now, however, Sara is ready to sell the family home and head off to Europe, and The O’Conner Girls finds the three women sharing these and other secrets with one another, secrets which end up changing their lives.

Written by Katie Forgette, the script does not offer new ideas or creative plotlines. Instead, its strength is in its realistic dialogue. Rather than delivering the pretentious, overly dramatic lines you often find in weaker scripts, or the exquisitely poetic but lofty monologues of stronger plays, these characters speak as real people do. The effect created is like a slice of life, where it’s easier to believe we’re actually looking in on a real family in a real situation, rather than something staged.

In her directorial debut at Playcrafters, Susan Zelnio crafts a production that embraces that sense of realism, as do her leads. Golz has a way of taking lines that may not have been written with humor and delivering them with an inflection that creates a bit of off-the-cuff bit, slightly sarcastic fun. Kahn offers a sweetly sincere performance, adding just enough hints at Martha’s being overburdened and tired; her facial expressions are a bit overdone when simply reacting to others, but this is arguably the most unaffected performance I’ve yet seen from Kahn. The same could be said of Crouch (although her performance in the Harrison Hilltop Theatre’s Steel Magnolias, also featuring Kahn, was quite enjoyable). In past shows, I’ve seen Crouch overdo her performances, but here it was refreshing to see her let the lines simply flow, rather than using them to force a character.

Don Faust portrays Dr. David Stevens, a longtime family friend and secret love interest of Martha, and seems to be overly aware of the audience, often delivering his gestures toward those watching the play rather than those performing in it. As in previous productions in which I’ve seen him (most notably Harrison Hilltop’s The Graduate), it’s apparent that Faust likes to perform and enjoys pleasing an audience. Here, however, his tendency to play to the audience is a distraction, although - as it’s confined to his body language -at least it’s a minor one; Faust’s line deliveries project a more honest nature, and make his Dr. Stevens a simple, likable man.

It’s Judy Luster as Aunt Martha, however, who almost steals the show. Luster doesn’t seem to be afraid to play things big - from dramatic highs and lows in inflection to uninhibited physical movement - yet also has the talent to not allow her performance to move into caricature, keeping it believable. And she’s just so darn cute! She had me wishing her Martha was my aunt, too.

Scenically, The O’Conner Girls marks the first play I’ve seen at Playcrafters where the performers are not forced to pantomime opening a downstage door. (I loathe seeing actors pretend to turn a doorknob or slide open a window that is not actually there, especially when it’s the only set piece they and the audience are forced to imagine.) For this production, Zelnio, who also serves as set designer, chose to include a hinged decorative board (and actual knob) to represent a full door without blocking anyone’s view. It’s such a clever piece that I actually took a moment to marvel at it… only to be disappointed when, during its first usage, Golz closed the door and reached up to flip on a pretend light switch. Sigh.

As it concerns an Irish Catholic family, The O’Conner Girls would seem an appropriate production for the days surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. Yet while, for me, it’s preferable to a mug of green beer, it doesn’t matter that Playcrafters chose to stage this play during the holiday - this production would be just as nice any time of the year.

For more information and tickets, call (309) 762-0330 or visit Playcrafters.com.

Fool for Love at The Curtainbox Theatre Company

The more performances I see as a reviewer, the more I ponder and study stagecraft. With many productions, I take away a concept or idea as to what makes a performance good, whether at the individual level or for an entire production.  With The Curtainbox Theatre’s Fool for Love, it’s a word: abandon.

Directed here by David Bonde, Fool for Love takes place in a desert motel.  A cowboy named Eddie (Eddie Staver III) returns to the motel to resume his romance with May (Kimberly Furness), a waitress.  The play takes us through the course of one night — a night filled with talking, arguing and the revelation of a tragedy at the heart of Eddie and May’s relationship.

Sam Shepard’s script is the weakest I’ve yet seen produced at The Curtainbox.  That’s not to say that it’s bad, but it is not as strong nor as compelling as Danny and the Deep Blue Sea or Glengarry Glen Ross.  It kind of plods along for a while, not really advancing the story to a strong enough degree to grasp my full interest.  Shepard takes twenty minutes or so to let us know little more than that Eddie wants to rekindle things with May, who is adverse to it. When it does pick up, when Eddie’s latest sex partner shows up with a vengeance, it really picks up and I understand why it was chosen by the theatre company.  There are surprising themes and situations that are memorable, even jarring.

Fortunately, the journey to the meat of the play is lead by competent, seasoned actors.  It is they who embody this evening’s definitive concept: abandon — mainly physical abandon.  Staver and Furness exert extreme energy on stage, holding nothing back as if their physical interactions are organic rather than planned.  That, too, describes Staver’s performance.  His lines flow as if he’s thinking and then speaking them for the first time, rather than reciting lines from a script.  Furness’s lines and the emotion behind them at times seems forced, but never when it really counted.  When she delivers the second half of Eddie’s story about their relationship, it is riveting, emotional and sincere.

It is Michael Kennedy as the Old Man, however, who I found to be the most, as my companion for the opening night performance put it, unrehearsed of the cast.  His physical choices, his laughter and his verbal delivery never seemed artificial nor pre-meditated.  This is an actor who knows how to create a character, abandoning his own personality’s limitations to become another person.

The Curtainbox’s production marks a return to the stage for Mike Schulz after almost five years away from acting, much of it spent reviewing others’ performances as the Reader’s Arts Editor.  His re-entry onto the local stage with some of the area’s strongest actors is a risky choice for Schulz, as he’s diving into the deep end, rather than wading back into the theatre waters.  Schulz portrays Martin, a simpleton with an interest in May.  Physically, Schulz has the simple man down.  The pacing of some of his lines, however, raises his character a bit above that of a man of lesser intelligence.  That makes him no less interesting to watch.  In fact, I found it best to watch him closely, observing his physical choices, which were sometimes stunning.

Also stunning is the set, designed by Joe Goodall.  He’s created a realistic scenic design mixed with elements of fantasy to match those written into the script (the character of the Old Man).   The motel room at the center of the action is meshed with desert stone columns (or tall trees.  I’m actually uncertain.) which partially fall at specific points during the play.  The rear of the stage is an almost surreal desert setting, with burlap and white, twisted limbs creating the illusion of a dry desolated landscape.

While Fool for Love may not be The Curtainbox’s strongest show, that’s only relative to its other performances and stronger scripts.  Still, once you get past the rather weak exposition to the point where the script finally gets going, you’re already enamored with the actors’ portrayals despite the slow pace.

For more information, call (563) 322-8504 or visit TheCurtainbox.com

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse

 If ever there is a show that’s commonly staged, it is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  I’ve been part of two productions myself and can’t recall how many I’ve sat through others while in the audience.  Every time I hear of yet another production, I cringe.  And yet, much like my experience seeing Circa 21’s production, I sit through the entire show with a smile on my face and leave singing the songs.  That’s the sign of a good show.

Thankfully, director/choreographer Ann Nieman chose to change things up a bit for Circa’s production.  There’s the usual children’s choir, Pharoah as Elvis and the other commonly included elements of Joseph.  Circa’s show doesn’t feel like all of the other productions, though, which is refreshing.  It’s nice to see an all too familiar show in a different way, keeping it interesting and enjoyable.  This doesn’t feel like seeing Joseph yet again.  It feels like renewing a liking for a show that only gets tired because it’s so often produced.

One of those changes includes the way in which the children’s choir is used.  Circa’s is the first production I’ve seen in which the children don’t simply sit and sing their parts.  These kids are incorporated into scenes, becoming waving wheat in one scene (or was it stalks of corn?) and surrounding the jailed Joseph in another.  It’s not merely the inclusion of children to have them, but makes good use of their presence on stage.  This children’s choir makes sense!

There are a few minor sight gag choices of which I absolutely did not like.  For instance, there’s a sight gag on the line “threw him in a pit.”  The female ensemble enters at that point dressed as a Nascar pit crew and pretend to change Joseph’s tires.  It’s quite a stretch and a lot of effort put into well made costumes for such a lame joke.

Other than the pit crew gag, there’s not much else to dislike about Circa 21’s Joseph.  The actors playing the brothers are so individually talented, I’m certain I missed some hilarious physical movement choices watching one while not seeing another.  While Tom Walljasper plays Pharaoh too subdued for my taste (I mean, he’s Elvis!  He should be the grandest character of the show and Walljasper, at least on the Saturday performance I attended, chooses to play it at a more realistic level than at a showstopping one.), the cast seems to be having fun with the show, infecting the audience with a similar feeling.  This is a production that isn’t as much about the biblical story as it is about the smile-inducing, toe-tapping, humor of the songs and performance.

That said, Gregory Hiatt’s costume, particularly for the brothers, are too good for the material.  He’s outfitted the brothers in very colorful, Middle Eastern with a touch of Asian styled garments.  While Joseph’s coat may be technicolor, the brother’s clothes are psychedelic.  They’re gorgeous and fun to see, but they take away from the point of the technicolor dreamcoat.  Joseph’s coat represents Jacob’s favoritism of him over his brothers.  With the brothers equally colorfully dressed, the coat’s significance is diminished.  In fact, there were a few of the brothers’ costumes I would’ve chosen over Joseph’s coat, even though Joseph’s coat is an impressive styling of colors and patterns.  I can’t quite call this a fault, though.  It may be wrong for the material, but it’s oh so good aesthetically.  (Hiatt’s ensembles for Potiphar and his wife are also perhaps the most stunning I’ve seen in a production of Joseph.)

It’s really hard to go wrong with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  I think you could have the cast stand still and simply sing the songs and the audience would still be delighted.  Circa’s cast, however, does not stand still.  They’re colorfully dressed and seemingly having a blast playing up the fun of the show, which makes for a night of theater that’ll have you singing all the way home.

For more information, go to Circa21.com

Moon Over Buffalo at Playcrafters Barn Theatre

Attending the theatre is typically a form of escapism, a chance to get lost in the magic of the staging and performances. And then there’s Moon Over Buffalo, one of those shows that doesn’t just let you escape into it, but lets you in on the antics of what’s going on off stage.  It’s a show about actors and their messed up, dramatic lives.

Central to Moon Over Buffalo are George and Charlotte Hay, two actors who have yet to enjoy the fame which they believe they so richly deserve.  Relegated to repertory theater in Buffalo, New York, they’re left performing either Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac or Noel Coward’s Private Lives.  While many an actor would consider it an honor to be part of either play, the problem here is that the productions are in Buffalo.  As one character puts it, if it didn’t have an animal for a name it would have nothing going for it.  It is not, however, these plays which we are privy to enjoying.  Instead, the focus is on the actors’ off stage lives, which are filled with slapstick, mistaken identity and a chance to star in Frank Capra’s The Twilight of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the ultimate goal of the Hays.

With it’s so-so script populated by writer Ken Ludwig’s obvious punchlines and barely chuckle-worthy gags, Moon Over Buffalo could easily be a mediocre production, garnering more groans than laughs.  In this case, however, director Jeff Shields pulled together a cast capable of strengthening the humor with a mixture of overly grand and nicely subtle performances.  James Bleecker and Cari Downing (Harrison Hilltop Theatre’s Brad and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show) combine sincere portrayals with moments of over the top physical humor that remains within the realm of believability.  Pat Flaherty and Maggie Woolley, though cast in the smallest roles, are arguably the strongest actors in this production; Flaherty brings a subdued, awkwardness in his creation of a simple, intentionally boring character.  Woolley holds nothing back as she wails and screams across the stage.  Diane Greenwood and Patti Flaherty play it appropriately big, setting off waves of laughter through the audience. On opening night, Flaherty drew laughs so loud, I missed several lines of dialogue.

And then there’s Paul Workman.  Every role I’ve seen him bring to life offers a peek at his acting strengths, but leaves me anxious to see him in a meatier, more substantial part, knowing he is a big actor in all too often small roles.  The same can be said of Workman’s Howard in Moon Over Buffalo.  It’s a part he handles quite well, but there’s something seemingly greater underneath his performance that I can’t wait to see unleashed in a much more interesting character.

It’s Stephen Baldridge, however, who pushes Playcrafters’ production into must see territory.  With a solid cast of actors behind him, Baldridge is still able to stand out with his perfectly overscaled performance.  (He is, after all, playing a mediocre actor who over estimates his own talent.)  From his loud voice, to his enunciation, to his physical demeanor and movement, Baldridge’s performance is perfectly suited to the role of George Hay and a true crowd pleaser.

Playcrafters’ set, designed by Rich Riggelman, is simpler than the bombastic performances of the actors, but no less interesting.  The thrust stage is split in two, with upstage being back stage and downstage being the stage of the theater in which the characters perform.  Add lighting by Donna Weeks and sound by the director and Moon Over Buffalo has its full complement of elements contributing nicely to the overall production.

Moon Over Buffalo could’ve been a passable production.  Fortunately, it’s so well cast, this is a Playcrafters’ production that’s not to miss, specially for Stephen Baldridge’s performance.  That’s not to say he’s the only the only actor worth watching.  This is a solid cast, capable of rising about the weaknesses of the script to deliver a night filled with laughter.

For more information, call (309)762-0330 or visit Playcrafters.com.

Papa’s Angels: A Christmas Story at Playcrafters Barn Theatre

This year, Playcrafters Barn Theatre hopes to get you into the holiday spirit with “Papa’s Angels: A Christmas Story”.  Originally a made for TV movie based on the book of the same name, the play follows a year in the life of the Jenkins family.  Early on, Mrs. Jenkins dies, leaving Mr. Jenkins stripped of all music and joy and five children to parent alone.  Wallowing in his sadness, he proves an unfit father, unwilling to invest much time in the lives of his children and making poor parenting choices that strip them of the joys of growing up, including Christmas.  But, being a Christmas story, the spirit of the season is a lesson learned by the closing curtain.

The script is a very dark one, hardly an uplifting holiday ride.  It possess an emotional depth somewhat lost on those behind Playcrafters’ production of the material and, therefore, lost on the audience.  At one point, Mr. Jenkins once and for all shoots down the hope his children still hold for the possibility of a Jenkins family Christmas.  It’s an emotionally abusive act that would very well negatively impact any child, but the audience laughed.  I don’t think it was out of cruelty, however.  Instead, I think the response was born out of the audience’s expectation of a happy Christmas story.  And that’s why a performance that floats emotionally above the dark depths of the script could be considered a blessing.

Part of the reason the production is not as dark as the script calls for is that the children cast are having so much fun on stage.  Their vibrant, often adorable performances are all too smile inducing to allow the weight of the material to fully fall upon the audience.  From Sydney Crumbleholme’s exhuberant portrayal of the mute eldest child, to Alyssa Castro’s happily bossy tomboy to Laila Haley’s attention grabbing, adorably dramatic youngest child, it is a delight to watch these young actors perform, interact and pretty much just play on stage.  It is these young actors, which also includes Andrew Hall and Katie Moore in equally vibrant performances, that instill a joy that’s not quite so prevalent in the script, but is a welcome lift to solidify the holiday spirit of the piece.

As for the script, I often wondered if it played better in a video format.  There are events that are too abrupt, from the mother’s death to the son’s development of a stutter, to allow for an emotional connection to their implications.  I was pulled out of the performance several times by the sudden revelation of something that wasn’t conveyed on stage, but instead was suddenly a part of the play.  I tend to think a video production of the script would allow for observation of these transitions that are not directly in the script, but could be conveyed through visual performances.

Still, there are some truly beautiful moments in Playcrafters’ production, starting right after the proverbial opening curtain when Morgan Williams performs a song on violin.  It’s a truly impressive performance from a young woman who has such excellent pitch at such a young age.

John Weigandt adds several beautiful moments while playing guitar and singing the songs his character wrote for his wife.  His ability is of little surprise to anyone who’s enjoyed his work with Quad City Musical Guild, most recently as Horton in Seussical.

Paul Workman and Dustin Oliver also offer solid, impressive performances, proving their worth as actors, even in small roles.

While there are beautiful moments, there are also a few cringe-worthy ones, mostly due to technical mistakes on the night which I attended the show.  From a music track seemingly played too early, and allowed to continue to play while Weigandt was singing, to a sudden, awkward and not too quickly corrected dip to black in the middle of dialogue, the technical aspects of the production could use some clean-up.  As could some of the actors, whom it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on their lines.  Some stumbled a bit on opening night, sometimes to distraction.

This weekend is your final chance to catch “Papa’s Angels: A Christmas Story” at Playcrafters Barn Theatre in Moline.  Performances are November 13th and 14th at 7:30 p.m. and November 15th at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are $10, available by reservation at (309) 762-0330 or through the theater’s website, playcrafters.com.

On Stage — Glengarry Glen Ross at The Curtainbox Theatre Co.

It took just one performance, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, for me to fall in love with The Curtainbox Theatre Company.  It could be the company’s lack of fear of exceptional writing laced with mature themes.  It could be the quality of the production.  Or, it could because I adore co-founding member Kim Furness so much.  Or, it could be a combination of all of these and then some.

The Curtainbox is currently running Glengarry Glen Ross, David Mamet’s most honored play.  And, it deserves it.  By that I mean the play deserves the accolades.  And, The Curtainbox deserves to take on such an intense, well-written, funny, exceptional piece of theater.

Glengarry Glen Ross centers around a real estate agency with new orders to increase sales or people are getting pink slips.  In order to avoid the unemployment line, the salesmen must sell something.  In order to sell something, they need leads.  But, they can only get the good leads if they sell something.  With such a daunting task, a couple of them plot to break in to the office and steal the leads to sell them to a rival company.

The strongest piece of The Curtainbox Theatre’s production is unarguably its pacing.  This ensemble cast, under the obviously capable direction of David Bonde, has the pacing down to a “T”, which adds even more punch to Mamet’s clever script.  The words could hold up to a lesser performance as notable.  But, this is not a lesser performance, adding punch to the way Mamet plays with words and creating an altogether exciting, riveting and laugh-inducing experience.

The cast’s pacing is the star of this production, but only because it has a capable supporting cast.

And I have to mention to opening scene of each act, each of which include no dialogue, but an appropriate song to add a bit of silliness to the scene on stage to giddily amusing affect.  These scenes alone are worth the price of admission.

A warning, though.  Don’t let the girl in the pigtails taking tickets at the front door fool you.  Her youthfulness is not representative of the mature themes of this show.  Mamet is known for his sometimes vulgar language.  And, there’s plenty of it in this play.  That’s not to dissuade you from going.  I absolutely think you should go to experience such exceptional theater.  Just leave any children with a single digit to their age with a babysitter.

Glengarry Glen Ross runs September 18-19, 22 and 24-26 at 7:30 p.m. and September 20 and 27 at 3:00 p.m. at the Village Theatre in the Village of East Davenport.  Tickets are $15 and can be reserved by calling The Curtainbox Ticket Line at (563) 650-8121 or by emailing your reservation request to reservations@thecurtainbox.com.  Or, if you’re lucky and there are any left, they can be purchased at the door.

On Stage — Long Days Journey Into Night at Harrison Hilltop Theatre

Harrison Hilltop Theatre’s current undertaking is Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize winning masterwork “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”  The show takes place during the course of one day — from morning to midnight.   It centers around a family of four living in Connecticut in 1912.  And, it doesn’t take long to realize this family enjoys a drop or two of whiskey.  In fact, substance abuse seems to be at the center of their dysfunction.For Harrison Hilltop’s production, Ray Gabica takes on the role of James Tyrone, Senior — classically trained actor and father to the family, who’s also often accused of being a penny pincher.

Jackie Madunic brings an airy with bursts of harsh anger approach to his wife, Mary.  Madunic, in my opinion, is the most impressive, as her level of seeming craziness builds, leaving you increasingly wondering what is going on with this woman.

Jason Platt is the eldest son, James.  Platt consistently offers a unique style of acting to his roles, which seems as though he’s coming up with the words as he goes, offering an organic nature to his roles.

And, Harrison Hilltop regular James Bleecker is the youngest son, Edmund, who impressed me most by suppressing that boyish charm of his to present a melancholy, sickly character.

Maggie Woolley also offers a headstrong young woman as hired help, who doesn’t mind a sip of whiskey or too, herself.

While individual performances are good, there’s something lacking as an ensemble.  There was individual energy, but not an energy between characters, creating somewhat of a disconnect.  It may be due to the weight of remembering so much material and only slightly diminishes the experience.

I have to admit, this script is not of a style to my personal liking.  But, I think it a disservice to base my entire opinion upon that.  This is considered O’Neill’s masterwork for reasons I cannot understand.  There is too much rambling and repetition, with a fourth act that’s ungodly long.  With a bit of embarrassment, I admit I often lost focus and was often lost due to so much off set action being described rather than shown.  Even more stories of something that happened in the past were told, leaving too much to this theatergoer’s imagination.

Still, there is a reason this is O’Neill’s masterwork.  And, I’m a big proponent of seeing pieces held in such regard regardless of liking them.  Harrison Hillop’s production is good, with a cast that gives its all.  I have no reservation recommending “Long Days Journey Into Night” to those with a love of theater and who are willing to invest more than three hours of their time to take in the classic.

“Long Days Journey Into Night” runs August 20-22 and 27-29 at 7:30 p.m. and August 23 and 30 at 2:30 p.m.  Tickets are available by calling (309) 235-1654 or through the theater’s website - harrisonhilltop.com

On Stage — Seussical at Quad City Music Guild

The show is one big story, made up of several Seuss favorites   They’re all tied together by the Cat in the Hat, who serves as sort of our emcee for the evening.He’s causing mischief for JoJo, by way of Whoville, Horton and the Circus McGurkus, to name a few.

It’s a cute show with its main misgivings, in my opinion, being the songs that do not draw their lyrics from the works of Dr. Seuss.  They seem out of place and, lacking the Seussian language and with loftier lyrical ideas, are a bit hard to follow.  But, they don’t pull down the entire show.

Once again, Music Guild shines through its costumes — particularly of those protraying animals, but not directly dressed as animals themselves.  For example, Horton has no trunk, but is dressed in layers of gray with a pink necktie and pink shoelaces.

The actor in that ensemble, John Weigandt, is also well cast, with his gentile - humpty-hum approach — as are many of the main characters.  Emily Baker is fantastic as JoJo — pitch perfect and with such a range of acting skill for such a young person.  Eric Reyes is delightfully sly as the Cat in the Hat.

But it’s Jenny Winn’s Gertrude McFuzz who really impressed me. It helps that she has my favorite Seuss story.  But, also that she’s perfectly cartoonish and full of comical energy in the role.

And, I have to mention the set, particularly Who-ville, which pops out of the side of the stage unexpectedly in such a fun, dramatic way.Seussical runs August 7-9 and 13-16, with performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Prospect Park Auditorium in Moline.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $9 for children, available by reservation by calling (309) 762-6610.  For more information, check out Quad City Music Guild.

On Stage — Bash at The Phoenix Theatre Company

 If you’re a local theater fan, you most likely know about the demise of what was once my favorite local theater, The Green Room Theatre.  This weekend, The Green Room is sort of re-incarnated thanks to one of its owners, Tysan Danner.  He now runs The Phoenix Theatre Company, setting up shop with a host of other local companies in the Village Theatre in the Village of East Davenport.

For the company’s first production, Danner chose Dash,  a play made up of three one-act plays, more monologues, really.  All three feature fairly normal people who just happen to have killed someone.

The first is a man who lost his infant child, who suffocated under a blanket.  Chris White plays the man with a subdued, everyday approach that works.  It’s not a dynamic performance.  White chooses to play it simply, without grand inflection or characterization.  While it’s not dynamic, it’s very natural, as if you’re really listening to a man tell you his story, face-to-face, rather than listening to an actor protraying a character through monologue.  That’s a good thing.  Without giving anything away, I will say White’s story also has a couple of twists to it, with an ending that literally made me gasp.

Second up are Abby VanGerpen and Ben Simkins as a college age, church going couple telling the story of a special church event in Manhattan.  During a stroll through Central Park, Simkins character ends up overly moved by two men kissing in the park.  And by moved, I don’t mean in a positive direction.  Simkins is believable, with just a hint of a held back uncertainty about his actions.  While I think he may have missed the homo-eroticism of an encounter with his girlfriend’s ex on a running track, Simkins successfully brings an understanding of his characters conviction, yet uncertainty about himself.

VanGerpen is absolutely sweet.  She uses these little nuances in her delivery, like inflection and dropping the end of a line in ways that are spot on, truly admirable.  A couple of times, I think she used her acting skills to add emotional meaning to a line that probably wasn’t originally written into that line.  It was so impressive, it actually pulled me from the story, wondering at her performance.

Jessica Sheridan brings us the final story, as a girl who, at the age of 13, had an inappropriate relationship with one of her teachers.  She ended up pregnant and in love with the teacher who continued to foster a relationship beyond something sexual and really should’ve known better.  At least, he fosters the relationship until he learns she pregnant.

Sheridan, arguably, offers the strongest, most dynamic performance.  She brings a feigned hard edge to a broken character trying to deny her love for someone.  Her character is uncomfortable, trying to come across as confident.  Her performance speaks highly of Sheridan’s skills as an actress.

A warning, though, you will not be entertained.  Bash is not Peter Pan.  It’s thought-provoking theater with dark contexts and unpleasant themes.  And, there’s not much action on stage.  The monologues are pretty much presented with the actors staying in place on stage.  All of the action is in the delivery, leaving me struggling to focus, with little to do but listen.  That’s not to say the performances are not good enough.  It’s just to say, if you share my short attention span when there’s little visual stimulation, you may have a hard time focusing, too.

Performances are July 31 through August 1 and August 6-8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Theatre in the Village of East Davenport.  Tickets are $15.  For more information, check out the theaters website – thephoenixtheatrecompany.com

tick, tick… BOOM!!! at Harrison Hilltop Theatre

I like Harrison Hilltop Theatre.  I like the location (parking issues aside).  I like the space.  And, I’ve been impressed with almost all of their productions.  And so, as Harrison expressed excitement about its first anniversary production, I wanted to like “tick, tick… BOOM!!!”, too.  Perhaps my raised expectations were part of the problem.

“tick, tick… BOOM!!!” follows Rent composer Jonathon Larson as he prepares for the workshop of his musical “Superbia” –  a futuristic take on Orwell’s “1984″ and Larson hopes it’ll reshape Broadway with its rock inspired score.  The auto-biographical show (tick, tick… BOOM!!!, not Superbia) was written by Larson as a one-man show, but reworked for a cast of three after Larson’s death.  Unfortunately, it feels like it’s a musical for musical’s sake.

In my opinion, Jonathon Larson was not a great composer.  Sure, Rent enjoys tremendous success and popularity.  But, I don’t think that’s due to the strength of composition of the songs themselves.  I think as a whole, the feeling of the shows lifts the songs beyond their mediocrity. They’re just not all that well composed. But, the ones in “tick, tick… BOOM!!!” are even worse!  There are some clever turns of phrase, but the melodies and harmonies are too simplistic and weak.  It makes “tick, tick… BOOM!!!” seem pieced together as a show about Jonathon Larson, so we have to pepper it with his songs.  There’s seemingly little regard for whether or not the songs are any good and even less for whether or not they actually advance the story, which they do not.  While I enjoyed the book, finding the dialogue truly interesting, with the storyline holding my attention, I felt like I was enduring the songs simply to get back to the story.

But, that’s the show.  As for Harrison’s production, I think Adam Lewis well cast.  His usual quirkiness is toned down, but not absent, making for a likeable Larson.  He’s simply endearing, which makes it easy to overlook some pitch problems throughout the course of the show. Tracy Pelzer-Timm and Michael Crowe are also amusing, but mainly in their secondary characters.  That’s not to say their performances as their main characters are bad.  They’re adequate, at least.  But, they each make use of fun accents and quirks for some of the more minor characters they portray, making them stand out.  Unfortunately, they too suffer pitch problems throughout the show, which didn’t help with the fact I already didn’t like the songs.  (And I find this odd, because I know Pelzer-Timm can sing, so I’m unsure of the reason for her pitch problems.)

If anything truly deserves praise in this production, it’s the set.  Set Designers Jeff Stone and Chris Walljasper created a fantastic two level set with two sets of stairs, allowing for the actors to move about and make it matter, make it interesting.  And, as is all too rare at Harrison Hilltop, they’re allowed to make use of the windows at the top of the room.  It may seem odd to note, but if you’ve seen other productions at Harrison Hilltop, you’ll understand the significant interest added by the “tick, tick… BOOM!!!” set.

Straightforward, I didn’t care for this production.  But, I’ve heard from others who did enjoy it, even liking the songs.  With that, I remind you that this is simply my opinion and I would want nothing less than for you to form your own by seeing the show.  If you’re on the fence, don’t let my review dissuade you from attending a performance.  Take it as food for thought, sure.  But, see the show and make up your own mind.

“tick, tick… BOOM!!!” runs this weekend at Harrison Hilltop Theatre, 1601 Harrison Street in Davenport.  Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.  Ticket information is available at the theater’s website — harrisonhilltop.com.