items tagged with Jessica Sheridan

Those familiar with Davenport Junior Theatre might find its forthcoming production of Mia the Melodramatic a bit ... well ... familiar. After all, the show concerns a children’s theatre company that finds kids starring in and producing plays for other kids, and even comes complete with its own mascot in the form of an energetic, floppy-shoed clown.

Rest assured: Any similarities between the fictional children’s theatre of Mia the Melodramatic and Davenport Junior Theatre itself are completely intentional.

There are so many smart line deliveries in the Prenzie Players’ Tartuffe that I could gush over each one here and still not have space for half of them. From Stephanie Moeller’s forceful proclamation “I’m timid!” to Jessica Sheridan’s delightfully wicked warning about being stuck with the unbearable title character “each day ... and night ... for life,” Friday’s performance had me cackling over and over again. I won’t, however, point to any more specific line interpretations, for fear of ruining the element of surprise. A large part of the production’s humor lies in hearing its words delivered in unexpected ways.

Before November 26, I didn’t know much about Junie B. Jones beyond her being the main character in a popular children’s book series by Barbara Park. With that in mind, I felt I needed to enlist the help of my family’s resident Junie B. expert, eight-year-old Madison, to adequately review the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse’s production of Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells. (Madison is, after all, the show’s target audience, as opposed to this 37-year-old, balding male.) I suspected that if she was pleased with the play, I would be, too.

[Author's note: The following was written for TheCurtainbox.com, the Web site for our area's Curtainbox Theatre Company, of which I've been a proud member for nearly a year.]

Recently, Curtainbox Theatre Company founder Kim Furness and I sat down over a glass of wine – all right, maybe a couple of glasses – to celebrate her company's 10-year anniversary. She had recently taken over the directing position for the Curtainbox's latest production, Speed-the-Plow (in the wake of original helmer Philip W. McKinley’s recruitment as new director of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), and during our conversation, was happy to share her thoughts on the company’s history. (The David Mamet comedy Speed-the-Plow – featuring Erin Churchill, Dan Hernandez, and myself – runs at the Village of East Davenport’s Village Theatre from April 10 through 23, with preview performances April 8 & 9.)

It is with great apprehension that I write this review of the Curtainbox Theatre Company's production of Wit, fearing I will not do it justice. The script's themes are so distressing and touching, the show's direction so meticulously wrought, and the lead actress' portrayal so rivetingly intense that I don't have the words to convey the depth to which Friday's production pierced the theatre space... and my heart. I left humbled, and will likely re-evaluate my priorities in life for days to come, certain that the production will result in a permanent change in my perspectives. That's how profoundly moving Wit is.
Read More About Dancing With Death: "Wit," At The Village Theatre Through August 29...