items tagged with Harrison Hilltop Theatre

Sitting down for Thursday’s performance of Frost/Nixon, the set for the Harrison Hilltop Theatre’s production heightened my concerns that I would likely be bored during the show. Even before arriving at the theatre, I anticipated struggling to concentrate, knowing I’m not much interested in history. But adding the minimalist approach to the set, with three platforms embellished by a strip of black rising up their centers, my hopes that the visuals, at least, would offer some interest dwindled. (While the look of the set is creative, I’m just not into minimalism.) It didn’t take long, though, for director Tristan Layne Tapscott’s efforts to prove my worries unwarranted, and by the end of the play, I was actually thankful for the simple set, as it didn’t at all distract from the players’ performances.

I fall for Adam Overberg’s onstage charm with every new performance. He has a demeanor, a presence, that captivates me, and he proves his diversity as an actor over and over again. With the Harrison Hilltop Theatre’s I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, though, he adds singing to the long list of talents he possesses, and while his voice may lack polish, Overberg’s vocals remain enthralling through his interpretations and comedic delivery.

As we’ve come to annually expect, there was practically no end to the highlights from this past year in area theatre.

With its themes of loneliness, reality, death, the meaning (and absurdity) of life, and the search for self, playwright Samuel Beckett’s tragicomedy Waiting for Godot is considered, by some, to be the most significant English-language play of the 20th Century. Frankly, though, I didn’t search for meaning in the script during Thursday night’s Godot performance at the Harrison Hilltop Theatre, as I was too busy being entertained, to the point of loud laughter, by the captivating oddity of the dialogue and performances.

I’ve never seen a production of Forever Plaid, but that didn’t seem to affect my enjoyment of the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse’s production of the musical’s sequel, Plaid Tidings. Thanks to a quick recap of the events from its predecessor, it was immediately clear that this show would concern a 1950s vocal quartet that had died, but was sent back to Earth to perform a Christmas show in order to prove their Plaid-itude. Or something like that.