18 Jul 2011

Commie Dearest: "Red Herring," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through July 24

By Mike Schulz

Katie Wesler and Andrew Harth in Red HerringWhen attending a detective spoof with the title Red Herring, you probably shouldn't expect its storyline(s) to hold together in a way that makes much sense, and Michael Hollinger's farcical noir seems particularly all-over-the-map; somehow, in 130 minutes, the play's author squeezes in adultery, bigamy, murder, treason, neutron-bomb testing, the McCarthy hearings, a show-tune-loving Soviet, and a top-secret microfilm stashed in a block of Velveeta.

11 Jul 2011

Feeding Frenzies: "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through July 30

By Thom White

Jennifer Weingarten and Daniel Rairdin-Hale in If You Give a Mouse a CookieWhat happens if you give a mouse a cookie? Nothing good, if you're the cookie giver. If, however, you're watching what unfolds by way of the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's current youth-theatre offering, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, it's a delightful experience.

11 Jul 2011

Bible Belting: "Jesus Christ Superstar," at the District Theatre through July 31

By Thom White

Sara Elizabeth Speight, Jenny Winn, and Tristan Layne Tapscott in Jesus Christ SuperstarJudas is angry. Jesus is angry. Everyone's really angry in the Harrison Hilltop Theatre's Jesus Christ Superstar.

11 Jul 2011

In His Own Little Corner, in His Own Little Chair: "The Drowsy Chaperone," at the Prospect Park Auditorium through July 17

By Mike Schulz

(clockwise from left) Mike Millar, Valeree Pieper, Erin Lounsberry, James Turilli, and Mark McGinn in The Drowsy ChaperoneI had an utterly fantastic time at Quad City Music Guild's preview performance of The Drowsy Chaperone, director Bob Williams' high-spirited and hysterical presentation of the long-running Broadway hit. Yet I'm embarrassed to say that I may have inadvertently missed 10 of its most entertaining minutes, because I made what was, in retrospect, a terrible mistake: I left the auditorium during intermission.

11 Jul 2011

A Rogue by Any Other Name... : "The Importance of Being Earnest," at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through July 17

By Thom White

Ray Rogers, Terri Nelson, and Jackie Patterson in The Importance of Being EarnestAbout two minutes into Thursday night's performance of The Importance of Being Earnest, I panicked, knowing there were still two more hours of what had so far been - and seemed likely to continue to be - a flat, humorless presentation of playwright Oscar Wilde's work. Fortunately, though, my fears were mostly unfounded, as the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's production improved as it progressed, and greatly improved with the arrival of the play's female characters.

07 Jul 2011

How Beautiful English Can Be: Pat Flaherty Seizes the Throne in Genesius Guild's "King Lear," July 16 Through 24 at Lincoln Park

By Mike Schulz

Pat Flaherty in King Lear"I think it came from going to church," says area actor Pat Flaherty of his childhood interest in theatre. "Because I'd go to church, and I'd see this guy who was holding everybody's interest through the whole service. It was very dramatic - they'd light the candles and ring the bells and everything - and for a while I thought I wanted to be a priest because of that.

"It turned out I just wanted to be on stage."

06 Jul 2011

Bursting at the Seams: The Harrison Hilltop's Tristan Tapscott Discusses Big Musicals in Small Spaces

By Mike Schulz

Jesus Christ Superstar in rehearsalOdd as it may seem now, there actually was a period in the Harrison Hilltop Theatre's history - a run of 12 shows, to be precise - in which the company didn't produce any musicals whatsoever. Yet after staging a dozen plays between June 2008 and May 2009, co-founders Tristan Tapscott and Chris Walljasper chose to open the theatre's second season with a production of Jonathan Larson's rock musical tick ... tick ... BOOM!

05 Jul 2011

Honor Role: "Ajax," at Lincoln Park through July 10

By Thom White

Bob Hanske and Patti Flaherty in AjaxI make a conscious effort to suppress expectations prior to seeing a production, for fear they'll rise to the unattainable. With Genesius Guild's Ajax, however, I couldn't help it. I was so taken with last year's Andromache, performed in traditional period masks, that I was giddy with anticipation to see this summer's Greek-tragedy offering. And despite a few apparent stumbles over lines and one glaringly missed cue, director Don Wooten's effort did not disappoint. Saturday night's performance of Sophocles' piece captivated me with its creative execution.

05 Jul 2011

If My Friends Could See It Now: "Sweet Charity," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through July 10

By Mike Schulz

Sydney Hoyle, Sophie Brown, Daryn Harrell, Julia Mitchell, Kelsey Andres, Katie Wesler, and Erica Vlahinos in Sweet CharityThe Timber Lake Playhouse's current production of Sweet Charity features the single most electrifying, exhilarating dance number I've ever seen on a stage. I'm well aware of what a sweeping and potentially exaggerated generalization that statement is, and almost hesitate in making it, because it's the type of effusive praise that can easily make theatre-goers (to say nothing of theatre participants) roll their eyes and say, "Oh, come on." But I'll say it again: Sweet Charity features the single most electrifying, exhilarating dance number I've ever seen on a stage. And I'm betting that fellow patrons at Thursday's performance might easily feel the same way.

20 Jun 2011

Aerosoul: "Hairspray," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through August 13

By Thom White

Tom Walljasper, Kristin Gilbert, and John Payonk in HairsprayThe Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's Hairspray lacks polish from what seems to be, in the chorus roles, a fairly green cast. Yet even though that softens the strength of the production, it doesn't seem to diminish any of the fun. I had an incredibly good time watching Saturday night's performance, and while the entire show isn't quite worth the standing ovation it received, the final song, "You Can't Stop the Beat," does deserve that special accolade intended for exceptional performances.

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