Director Tommy Iafrate beautifully bookends the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's Evita with scenes in which the actors acknowledge, or the staging makes clear, that the cast is performing specifically for an audience.
The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's Annie feels like a show I've never seen before, even though I'd seen it many times prior to Thursday night's performance. While the musical's characters are portrayed in familiar ways, director Patrick Stinson's work seems new, mostly because of designer Kenneth Verdugo's sets. As odd as that sounds - the idea that a set could change the feel of an entire show - it's true, because the design not only affects the look of the production, but also how the stage space is used, and what elements are highlighted as a result.
The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre kicks off its summer season with two similarly themed shows running in repertory, and I caught a double-feature of Nunsense and Altar Boyz on Saturday - a marathon day of Catholic humor. The pairing is a good choice, with each offering a self-aware musical featuring jokes related to Catholicism. And while the scripts push the boundaries of Christian decency, neither crosses over into completely irreverent territory, each maintaining a respect for religious roots and having fun with the shows' core faith, rather than at its expense.
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