ICCT - Iowa City Community Theatre invites its audiences and members of the community to celebrate the music of Broadway's Golden Age with a revue, Loverly: Love Songs of Lerner and Loewe and Lane. The benefit will be on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7pm, at the penthouse of the Plaza Towers (hotel Vetro) in downtown Iowa City.
Alan Jay Lerner, a giant of American musical theater, is the lyricist who, with composers Frederick Loewe, Burton Lane and several others, created a number of enduring classics of American popular song. ICCT have gathered a group of performers -- Mary Haaf-Wedemeyer, Howard Meadows and Megan Sands, along with Nelson and Maggie Gurll and Richard Bloesch on piano -- to celebrate the talents that have so enriched American musical theater. Songs will include selections from classic Lerner and Loewe musicals as My Fair Lady, Camelot and Gigi, as well as Lerner's collaborations with Burton Lane (On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, Royal Wedding).
Tickets can be reserved by calling the Iowa City Community Theatre at: 319-338-0443 for pick at the penthouse of the Plaza Towers (hotelVetro). Tickets should also be available at the door.
Friday, February 20, 2009
ICCT benefit tomorrow
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
“Lost in Yonkers” is well-done, quality theater
TCR - Walk into Theatre Cedar Rapids Lindale for Lost in Yonkers and be prepared to be transported back in time. The real achievement of this piece is the work of the designers and crew who made this stage space look and feel like an upstairs New York apartment in the 1940s.
Neil Simon’s play is a simple story about two young boys (Alex Schulte and Nathan Kent) left in the care of their stern Grandmother (Cheryl Moon Thomason) during WWII. Grandma happens to own and operate a first-floor candy store, and lives in an apartment above the store. Also living in the apartment with Grandma is her slow and childlike daughter Bella (Nicolette Coiner-Winn), who spends much of her time at the movies to escape life under Grandma’s rule.
Grandma’s other natural children (Bill Lammers and Carrie Fattig) wander in and out of the space throughout the play. And her sensitive son, Eddie (David Morton) shows up with the boys at the opening of the play to leave them in her care. Through the young boys’ eyes we get a good look at all of these characters, and how each individual character has their own difficult relationship with ice-cold Grandma.
The set designed by Bret Gothe is a beautiful piece of work. The dark woods, period furniture, high ceilings and strategically placed doilies add to the look and feel of a house dominated by a stern, elderly matriarch. This is an “everything-in-its-place” kind of home, which only adds fuel to the comedy fire when two young boys are thrown into the mix. Actors Alex Schulte and Nathan Kent are both very comfortable on stage, Schulte especially seems to have mastered very early the comic doubletake. He is a joy to watch react and discover tiny moments within a scene.
Director Jason Alberty does a fine job of moving the piece along. David Morton, as Eddie, the boys’ father, is adept at milking the comedy moments out of the play, as he spends the first scene darting in and out of Grandma’s intimidating bedroom, while the two boys cause much commotion in the living room. I so enjoyed watching him blow his top with the boys, run over to the Grandma’s bedroom, stop, think, and then totally readjust his entire being before he opens the door.
The Neil Simon comedy works best when it moves to drama. There are some beautiful moments as Grandma melts, the boys mature and Bella has a heartfelt moment in the second act. Although I’ve seen Bella’s breakdown done better on other stages, I certainly can recommend the work of these fine actors and designers.
Lost in Yonkers is a great way to spend an evening. See the play Thursday, Friday and Saturday, February 19, 20, 21, at 7:30 p.m.; or Sunday, February 22 at 2:30 p.m., at TCR Lindale, 4444 1st Ave. NE (across from Lindale Mall). Tickets are $20 or $25 ($15 for students) and can be purchased by phone at 319-366-8591 or online. Rush tickets are available at the door for $10 half an hour before the start of each show. A “Talkback Thursday” discussion will be held following the February 19 performance.
--Sammy Sanders
Sammy Sanders is a freelance writer living in Cedar Rapids. He is an avid theater fan and classic car enthusiast. His reviews and stories have appeared in several local publications including City Revealed.
Monday, February 16, 2009
SPT - a unique experience
SPT - How often have you heard the term "cultural corridor"? We're one big happy family, right? Those in the Iowa City area should support those in the Cedar Rapids area and vice versa. And we do... in our hearts. What we don't do very well is support each other with our feet. Let's be honest - how often do Cedar Rapidians come down to Iowa City to see a show? About as often as Iowa Citians head up to Cedar Rapids, which is to say, not nearly often enough. We talk a good game about being on big happy corridor, but have you ever noticed how often Cedar Rapids theatres and Iowa City area theatres produce the same show within the same year? Off the top of my head, City Circle and TCR both did Full Monty and Seussical within a year of each other. Dreamwell and Urban Theatre Project both did The Pillowman last fall. And ICCT and TCR both had productions of Fiddler on the Roof within a year or so of each other. Why can they get away with it? Because the truth is the audiences don't travel. The trek up or down 380 is just too long, too inconvenient, too ... just too everything. Iowa Citians may ask, "What does Cedar Rapids have that Iowa City doesn't?"
The answer is SPT Theatre, a completely unique theater experience. I've been part of the theatre scene for a long time and I can tell you, SPT's blend of music, comedy, pathos and audience interaction just isn't done around here. Their most recent show was Love and Hate, a collection of short scenes about the primary subject of Valentine's Day weekend that is interspersed with music, some original and some old favorites (and some that are no one's favorite... Muskrat Love? In the words of Seth Myers, "Really?!"). Some of the scenes were more effective than others, but it was the easy camaraderie the performers created with the audience that made everything work so well.
After an added musical opening to give the performers time to work out who would cover for Jason Grubbe, who was stranded in Iowa City due to the snowstorm, we watched Bingo by Mary Sullivan, a short and bittersweet scene that succinctly captured the motto "live for today". One skit had three parts that were interspersed throughout the evening. Writers David Martino and Mary Sullivan gave us a hilarious poetry slam between two lovers (Ashley Boots and Alex Williams) whose affair we follow as their erotic poems turn vicious and then desperate. The performers were all top notch, with special kudos to Adam Witte as the coffee shop manager (among other roles) who brought an exciting energy to the stage.
But it was the music that truly made this a unique evening. Janelle Lauer has an amazingly soulful voice and Doug Elliott provided an excellent contrast. The band was top notch as well, lead by founding SPT member Gerard Estrella. If you've never seen Estrella create a full blown song from audience suggestions in front of your eyes, you're missing something truly special.
What I kept coming back to, however, was the welcoming atmosphere of the experience. Oftentimes, when you go to a show, you sit, you watch, perhaps you laugh, perhaps you cry, but it's often a solitary experience, even if you're with someone else. SPT provides an atmosphere of collaboration, engaging the audience from the first moment of the show to the last note of Love Shack. Each of the performers knows how to engage the audience. Perhaps that's due to the fact that the founding members are musicians, used to performing and engaging an audience in ways that actors are not often allowed to do.
While you cannot see Love and Hate as it only ran for one weekend, there is another excellent opportunity to check out SPT. Their next installment of Tales from the Writers' Room is Tales of Two Cities, which is focused on the relationship between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. It will run two weekends - April 10th and 11th as well April 24th and 25th. The first weekend of shows will be performed at Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and the second weekend will be at Riverside Theatre in Iowa City. Which means, of course, that you don't have to travel to Cedar Rapids to see this show. However, I am going to suggest something radical. Are you ready? All Cedar Rapidians should go to the Iowa City show and all Iowa Citians need to make the trek to the Cedar Rapids show. Let's show that we're willing to support each other not just in our hearts, but with our feet as well.
--Matthew Falduto
Matthew has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa. He has directed, acted in, and produced theater in the Iowa City area for over ten years. He has worked with the Iowa City Community Theatre, City Circle and Dreamwell, of which he is a founder. Two of his plays have been produced in the Iowa City area. In another brief life, he also worked as a technical writer.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Summer rep auditions
UI - Iowa Summer Rep is holding auditions February 21-22. All acting positions are paid. This year, they are feauturing the plays of Sarah Ruhl, specifically Clean House and Dead Man's Cell Phone. More information can be found here.
Diamonds or Denim
Riverside - Riverside Theatre will host its annual fundrasier, Diamonds or Denim, on February 27, 6:00 pm, at the hotelVetro suites and conference center. All proceeds from the fundraiser go directly toward supporting high-quality programming at Riverside Theatre. Event tickets are $45, $35 of which is tax deductible, and can be purchased through the Riverside Theatre box office at (319) 338-7672.
Diamonds or Denim, hosted by the Riverside Theatre Board of Directors, will feature hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants and caterers, and a silent and live auction. The 24 item live auction, conducted by Duane Lewis and Mark Sharpless of Sharpless Auctions, includes trips, furniture, dinners, and more. The silent auction features over 100 items donated by local businesses. The evening will also feature a special performance by Dan Knight and Betsy Hickok, who are partnering to offer a concert for bidding on the live auction.
This year’s live auction features a variety of exciting items, including a trip to Maine and a lobster welcome dinner courtesy of Tom and Beth Walsh, a week on a North Carolina beach courtesy of Julie and Carl Schweser, and a flight for two courtesy of Minnetta Gardinier.
The event will close with a raffle drawing for prizes including a 14 karat two-toned white and yellow gold diamond bracelet valued at approximately $2,800, and a week of fun in the sun at Ann Feldmann's vacation home near Phoenix, Arizona. Roundtrip airfare for two and $200 in golf and dining certificates complete this package, which has an approximate value of $1,150. Winners need not be present to win. Raffle tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25 and can be purchased at the Riverside Theatre box office at (319) 338-7672.
Friday, February 13, 2009
City Circle needs actors!
We recently received this email from City Circle:
Calling all actors "of a certain age"!
We are continuing to cast for the one-act show, All the King's Horses, a new play by Steven Hunt, to go up as part of our Circle's Edge festival in April. While several great actors auditioned for the show last weekend, the unique needs require us to continue to scour the land for just the right people!
All the King's Horses has roles for three men and two women (one of whom is specifically African-American), who can play both older (in their 70's) and younger people (in their late 30's) as the script has the characters playing themselves at two different ages.
If you are potentially interested and have not yet auditioned, please contact the director, Greg Redlawsk or call 319-621-4682 as soon as possible.
The show goes up April 3-5, with rehearsals beginning March 2.
So if you know an actor that fits that criteria, have them contact Greg as soon as possible!
Weekend roundup
There are many great theatre choices tonight and tomorrow. We'll be checking out TCR's Lost in Younkers and SPT's Tales of Love and Hate.
Lost in Yonkers is a coming-of-age story set in Yonkers, N.Y. Two boys named Arty (Nathan Kent) and Jay (Alex Schulte) are dropped off at their grandmother’s apartment, where they will be forced to live for the next year while their father Eddie (David Morton) travels on business. 
Comedy and drama both ensue as the boys attempt to survive the antics of their relatives, including the ultra-strict Grandma Kurnitz (Cherryl Moon Thomason); their goofy but likeable aunts, Gertie (Carrie Fattig) and Bella (Nicolette Coiner-Winn ); and the gruff "gangster" Uncle Louie (Bill Lammers).
Expect reviews of both shows next week. But don't wait for the review of Love and Hate - it's only showing this weekend. I got a sneak peek of a portion of that show and I can tell you, the world wrestling federation love poetry slam will be worth the price of admission.
Only two more weekends to catch Guys on Ice at Riverside. Follow that link and you'll find a video clip of the show. Corridor Buzz wrote an article about the show here. Update: Aside from the Thursday, February 19 performance - tickets for Guys on Ice are SOLD OUT! To be added to a waiting list, please call the box office at 319-338-7672 and leave your name and phone number.
ICCT's Bus Stop continues this weekend. We have not one, but two reviews of that show.
And if you're looking for a romantic evening with your sweetie, you might want to check out Love Letters at Old Creamery. That is a unique show as it's told entirely through letters which the actors read. While there's not a lot of action to keep the audience excited, A.R. Gurney's words are so captivating that in the hands of two talented performers, the show comes alive. The love story is perfect for Valentine's Day weekend.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A website for Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre
MVLCT - The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre now has a website. Their next show is The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 which opens March 12th at Gwen's Restaurant in Lisbon.
A review of Bus Stop
ICCT - Full Disclosure: I’m a big fan of this play having done scene work for years and performed in a production many years ago. I say this because it’s important to know that I have a particular sensitivity to the obstacles to mounting a successful production of this play. Let’s face it… for everyone who has seen more than one production of this play the track record probably ain’t so great. For no obvious reason, it seems to be a play that amateur theaters and schools think would be easy to mount. It is actually very hard to do well. I know this because the production I was in was one of the bad ones. Thankfully, over the years since that production, I was able to learn what we had done wrong.
Onto the important point ... ICCT’s production of Bus Stop directed by Luis Sierra is one of the good ones, and in many places one of the great ones.
Bus Stop is easily misread as a play about throwing some two dimensional stereotypes together over night in a rural diner. The language and situations present a razor thin line between character and caricature which has only become more perilous as the years go on and it becomes more and more of a “period” piece. That’s not to say it’s dated in a way that makes it difficult to enjoy (quite the contrary), but simply that it exists in a very particular time and place in America and some of our mores and ethics have changed. This created some individual mine fields some actors had to navigate with varying degrees of success.
Rachel Korach Howell who plays Cherie (a chanteuse with a somewhat questionable past) was one of the most successful at this job of keeping the character human, interesting and fully three dimensional. Not only does she fill the stage with excitement the moment she enters, but she continues to infuse and inform the space with a great energy. She also brings in costume, make-up, physical carriage and voice that are slightly updated and modernized. She creates a version of Cherie that isn’t jarring or anachronistic, but allows her to avoid any comparison or confusion with the image of Cherie left by anyone who’s happened to see the film version.
Also closer to the end of the play I noticed something that may improve your enjoyment of her performance. During a moment when Bo the cowboy, who has a rather aggressive crush on Cherie, explains that he thought she was singing and winking just at him, it occurred to me that I felt the same. Ms. Howell has created a character with the skill (or herself has this skill) to create so many small moments, looks, expressions and reactions that are uncontrived and charming. They were subtle enough to not be distracting but almost felt like a reward for any audience member paying attention to the whole tableau on stage.
Speaking of Bo, Kehry Anson Lane brings an appropriate and delightful energy to this role. The role of Bo, a headstrong and wild cowboy who hasn’t spent enough time away from his ranch to learn some of the finer points of dealing with women, can easily become a boorish figure we never learn to understand or accept let alone feel for. Mr. Lane used his considerable skills to create a Bo we understood, sympathized with and came to feel affection for.
Next I want to mention the role of Virgil played by Jeremy Ping. Virgil is not surprisingly one of my favorite characters as he is most peoples’ favorite. A quiet friend and fellow cowboy, he is frequently the only voice of reason (albeit a very quiet and non verbose voice of reason) on the stage. I have had the pleasure of working with Mr. Ping in two shows (Wait until Dark and More Fun than Bowling) and once again he succeeds in bringing something unique yet appropriate and interesting to the role. Virgil is typically an all around nice guy, sweet and endearing and while this is also the trap of making him a two dimensional character, normally audiences don’t mind because of how likable he is. Mr. Ping found a way to add in layers of surliness and at times even a faint sense of menace (perhaps too strong a word) to his performance. This suddenly made the references to his role of surrogate parent to Bo make sense and seem more real than any other portrayal I have seen. He honestly seems to take Bo’s growth as a human being personally, and it made Virgil all the more touching a character.
Newcomer to ICCT and apparently to the stage itself Jana K. Stedman plays Elma Duckworth. She had the confidence and savvy to pull off some of the more awkward language in the play and fit in comfortably with a very experienced ensemble.
OK. The role of Dr. Lyman played by friend and colleague Chuck Dufano is the most difficult role to pull off and the closest to me personally. To some degree the role is the most maliciously contrived trap for an actor: a flamboyant and well-educated ham with a drinking problem and some other issues I’ll not spoil for the newcomers to the story. Finding a way to not play the character exclusively for laughs early in the play is almost essential for the drama and heartbreaking events of later acts to have the power and effect they require. Mr. Dufano is a wonderfully talented comic actor (a gift I envy) and there were a few moments in the first act I’m afraid he gave in to the temptations. None of this prevented me from enjoying the amazing moments later in the play as things come crashing down. However, I am not sure all of the opening night audience was able to make that transition themselves.
Another reason this role is so difficult for both actor and director is the subject matter and threat Dr Lyman brings to bear. When the play was written some of the verbal and physical clues were required to reveal Dr. Lymans’ “other issue”. With today’s sensitivity to the subject, I wonder if we would have found the progression more interesting and dreadful had it sneaked up on us rather than been so clearly indicated early on through line delivery and physical choices.
The more supporting roles of Grace and Carl (played by Kathy Maxey and Rip Russell) almost serve as bookends to the story. Personally I prefer to see these two actors in more dynamic and challenging roles, but the interaction between the two of them seemed to get stronger and more interesting in the second half of the play.
Also in a great supporting role is Jeff Emrich (yet another friend and colleague) as Sheriff Will Masters. The character provides the moral and legal compass for the play in many of the same ways Virgil provides the moral and philosophical compass. I always enjoy watching Jeff occupy a role and this was a very interesting role to which Jeff could bring his unique talents and skills to create a very different version of Will than I have seen before. There was no need for affected swagger or stereotypical machismo. You just knew that he was a man who knows right from wrong and won't let the line to be crossed.
As for the production as a whole I was impressed with the acting, lighting and blocking all which were used effectively to allow the story to tell itself. The set was nice, but I found myself questioning the distance between the main bank of audience seats and the stage. Understanding this is caused somewhat by the very nature of the space at ICCT, I still found the unused gulf of space to be an obstacle the actors had to overcome to engage me in the action and in some cases to be heard clearly. It’s rare I would suggest audience members choose to sit in one of sections of seats off to the extreme right or left of the playing space, but I wonder if this would have allowed me to be engaged sooner than I was.
All in all, Luis Sierra and his inordinately talented cast did a great job with a very difficult play. They created a rewarding experience by avoiding the obvious (and some not so obvious) pitfalls, finding fresh ways to present the characters, and quite frankly at times staying out of the way of a great story and letting it tell itself. Sometimes when producing a show that’s been done so many times there is a temptation to “spruce it up” and add too many distinct choices. I have the utmost respect for those who can resist their egos and present the story simply, wonderfully and effectively.
--Matthew Brewbaker
Matthew Brewbaker spent many years as artistic Director of Dreamwell Theatre and has directed and appeared in many Dreamwell Theatre and Iowa City Community Theatre productions. He studied experimental theater at New York University.
Another review of Bus Stop
ICCT - Bus Stop is a classic play that I have never been all that fond of. Many years ago, I saw a production in Missouri that was just terrible. I knew someone in the cast and while she was good, I left the theatre thinking Bus Stop was one of the most cliche-ridden, boring plays I had ever had the misfortune of witnessing. So I walked into the Iowa City Community Theatre with much trepidation.
ICCT restored my faith in this classic play. The cardboard characters I endured in Missouri production were transformed into fully realized people I cared about. The actors and director Luis Sierra deserve kudos for bringing to life a piece of Americana, one that takes us back to a simpler time while still providing timeless insight into the human condition.
The story is pretty straightforward. A bus carrying a singer with a questionable past, a brash cowboy who smitten with the singer, the cowboy's sidekick, and an overly dramatic college professor is forced to stop at a diner overnight while the roads are cleared from the effects of a terrible storm. At the diner is an experienced waitress and a naive waitress. The main plot revolves around Bo, the cowboy who has "kidnapped" Cherie, the singer, after a one night stand and is taking her back to his ranch in Montana to be his wife. The danger in portraying Bo is that he can easily become a one dimensional character that modern audience believes is a chauvinistic boor. Kehry Anson Lane imbues his Bo with all of the bravado we expect, but also offers us glimpses of insecurity which make it clear just how naive he really is. Lane is helped immensely in his portrayal of Bo by Jeremy Ping, who portrays Virgil, Bo's surrogate father and sidekick. Ping captures our attention the moment he steps on stage without saying a word. Often the hardest skill for an actor to learn is to react accurately to what other actors are doing. It's easy to overplay and just as deadly to underplay the reaction. Ping, who doesn't have a lot of lines in this show, is a master of reaction acting. His reactions and words to Bo allow us to see Bo as Virgil sees him, which is far more sympathetic than we might otherwise feel.
Rachel Korach Howell deserves special praise for her multi-layered portrayal of Cherie. It's easy to portray Cherie as not too bright, but instead Howell chooses to give us a Cherie who's been through the ringer and learned a thing or two. She bursts on to stage with an energy that wakes up the audience (which is needed as the play starts a little slow) and keeps us hanging onto every word.
Kathey Maxey, as Grace the experienced waitress, and Jeff Emrich, as the sheriff, ably handle their characters as well. Emrich, in particular, provides a unique take on the sheriff role. He doesn't come across as the tough leathery sheriff one often sees in this play, but rather has a quiet confidence that just as effectively makes it clear this man lives for law and order. If there is a false note in the play, it's Rip Russell's portrayal of Carl, the bus driver. Russell is an excellent actor. His performances in ICCT's productions of To Kill a Mockingbird and Shadow Box proved that. Unfortunately, in this small role, he overplays much of the humor and comes across as less real than the other characters. Fortunately, his onstage chemistry with Maxey saves the day, and what might have been a jarring performance is still enjoyable to watch.
I have enjoyed Chuck Dufano's work with City Circle, Dreamwell and ICCT over the years. It's always a treat watch Dufano unfold a complex character before our eyes. He certainly has hands full with Dr. Lyman. It isn't until the second act that his portrayal of Lyman really takes off. Dufano has a wonderful moment in the second act when Lyman realizes exactly who he is and he uses every acting tool to show us the character's personal defeat. From the slumped shoulders to the expression of dawning self loathing, Dufano does not disappoint. Crucial to his success is Jana K. Stedman, who portrays the innocent Emma Duckworth. Emma is one of the most difficult roles in this play because it requires the actress to be almost unbelievably naive, particularly to modern audiences. To Stedman's credit, she delivers each woefully naive line with sincerity, honesty and just the slightest hint of a greater understanding. She gives us little peeks into Emma's future when she is not so naive and so we accept her more easily. This is important for Dufano's successful portrayal of Professor Lyman. For his character to be fully realized, we have to like and accept Emma.
Overall, what I was struck with most was how well the cast worked together. If any piece of the puzzle does not fit, the picture will be incomplete. Each actor successfully fit their piece into the puzzle, which provided an evening of excellent theatre for Iowa City.
--Matthew Falduto
Matthew has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa. He has directed, acted in, and produced theater in the Iowa City area for over ten years. He has worked with the Iowa City Community Theatre, City Circle and Dreamwell, of which he is a founder. Two of his plays have been produced in the Iowa City area. In another brief life, he also worked as a technical writer.
