18 Aug 2014

You Know You Make Me Want to ... : "Shout! The Mod Musical," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through August 24

By Thom White

Caroline Murrah, Melissa Weyn, Daryn Harrell, Lexie Plath, and Allison Hunt in Shout! The Mod MusicalShout! The Mod Musical is not only the most tolerable musical revue I've seen to date, but also the most enjoyable. With more substance than The Taffetas and less forced plot than The Marvelous Wonderettes, this girl-group celebration of 1960s songs is both cohesive and a whole lot of fun, especially given the Timber Lake Playhouse's current staging of it.

21 Jul 2014

Guess Who's Not Coming to Dinner: "Rumors," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through July 26

By Thom White
Rumors ensemble members

The cast of the Timber Lake Playhouse's Rumors does its best to squeeze out every bit of humor from playwright Neil Simon's clichéd farce. Some of the actors are wildly successful, eliciting laughter beyond what Simon's script deserves. Others at least have their moments in this play about eight anniversary-party guests trying to figure out why their host (who is never seen) shot himself in the earlobe, and why his wife isn't home for the gathering.

07 Jul 2014

Bolts and Nuts: "Young Frankenstein," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through July 13

By Thom White

Matthew Webb, Lexie Plath, Analisha Santini, Blake W. Price, and Cody Jolly in Young FrankensteinThe Timber Lake Playhouse's Young Frankenstein is a polished, professional production featuring stellar performances by the lead actors and impressive energy from the ensemble. Playwright/composer Mel Brooks' material - with its book by Thomas Meehan - is well-served by this group of talented performers, dynamic lighting effects by designer James Kolditz, inventive choreography by Cameron Turner, and adeptly paced humor by director Brad Lyons. After seeing my first production at this much-lauded theatre in Mt. Carroll, I left impressed.

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