04
Apr
2014
The requisite imagination present in Quad City Music Guild's production of Willy Wonka is provided in great part by Bill Marsoun's scenic design. He's come up with some clever visuals to tell the tale of Charlie Bucket - portrayed as female here by Laila Haley - finding a golden ticket and joining four lucky, and bratty, children on a tour of Wonka's Chocolate Factory.
It only takes the jurors of the District Theatre's 12 Angry Men an hour to deliberate and arrive at a verdict in the play's murder trial, but director Tristan Tapscott's production in no way feels rushed or stunted. Instead, Thursday's 60-minute trip through this classic piece of theatre did a fine job of showcasing the excellence of playwright Reginald Rose's script. Plus, purists be damned, Tapscott's decision to cast women in what's traditionally - even titularly - an all-male drama proves not at all problematic, and allows for the inclusion of Patti Flaherty, and her infusion of humorous personality traits, in the role of Juror Four.
