27 Jul 2009

Army Brats: "Biloxi Blues," at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through August 2

By Mike Schulz

Drew Simendinger, Dale Hawes, Alex Fenzel, Nick Divarco, Joshua Sohn, Kris Doss, and Rob Engelson in Biloxi BluesAs the second in a three-part series of autobiographical works, Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues is, I think, something truly rare: a play that not only succeeds independently of its precursor (Brighton Beach Memoirs) and follow-up (Broadway Bound), but that's a smarter, funnier, stronger piece than either of its trilogy partners. Even those of us who are casually dismissive of the playwright's style generally agree that this military-themed outing showcases Simon at his absolute finest; the drama is lightly poignant and unforced, and the jokes - and there are dozens of great ones - seem to spring naturally from personality and situation. (In a wonderful break from his punchline-driven norm, Simon's characters here don't all sound interchangeable.)

21 Jul 2009

Musical Heirs: "Henry the Sixth: Richard, Duke of York," at Lincoln Park on July 26

By Mike Schulz

Phillip Tunnicliff and Jacob Lyon in Henry the Sixth: Richard, Duke of YorkMichael King has appeared in so many Genesius Guild productions, and has delivered such consistently outstanding performances, that it's easy to take the actor/director's copious talents for granted. Yet the experience of watching him as the scheming Richard III in the Guild's Henry the Sixth: Richard, Duke of York - the concluding half of director Don Wooten's two-part presentation of Henry plays - is so startling, exhilarating, and fresh that it's almost as though you're seeing the actor for the very first time. Stage work as profoundly inspired as King's is a night of unforgettable theatre unto itself. Then again, very little about this production isn't a thrill.

20 Jul 2009

Oakley Dokely: "Annie Get Your Gun," at North Scott High School through July 25

By Mike Schulz

Wayne and Sheri Hess in Annie Get Your GunCountryside Community Theatre's current, charming presentation of Annie Get Your Gun is directed by married couple Christina and William Myatt, and stars married couple Sheri and Wayne Hess as Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. (You'll also find the wedded Cheryl and John Wagner among the show's 38 cast members, plus several parent/child and sibling/sibling combinations.) Yet the production's most endearing, unexpectedly inspired couple turns out to be two performers who don't share 40 years between them, and whose characters you're probably unfamiliar with if your only exposure to this Irving Berlin classic comes via Ethel Merman's glorious blare.

20 Jul 2009

See No Evil: "Wait Until Dark," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through July 25

By Mike Schulz

Kyle Szen, Amanda Hendricks, and Justin Verstraete in Wait Until DarkOver the last five summers, I've attended more than a dozen productions directed by the Timber Lake Playhouse's artistic director, Brad Lyons, and the majority of them have been utterly sensational. But I can't recall ever being more knocked out by the man's skills and obvious love for his craft than I was during Friday night's Wait Until Dark, Timber Lake's current - and top-to-bottom stunning - presentation of playwright Frederick Knott's 1966 thriller.

20 Jul 2009

Turning-30 Rock: "tick... tick... BOOM!", at the Harrison Hilltop Theatre through July 26

By Mike Schulz

Tracy-Pelzer Timm, Adam Michael Lewis, and Michael Crowe in tick... tick... BOOM!This past Thursday, the Harrison Hilltop Theatre celebrated not only the debut of its latest stage offering - the Jonathan Larson musical tick ... tick ... BOOM! - but the first anniversary of the venue's opening. And both were celebrated in style, with pre-performance hors d'oeuvres, beer samples from the Great River Brewery, an unveiling of the new Harrison Hilltop logo, and the announcement of the company's 2009-10 season.

14 Jul 2009

Henry Gale: "Henry the Sixth: The Contention," at Lincoln Park on July 25

By Mike Schulz

Grace Pheiffer and Andy Curtiss in Henry the Sixth: The ContentionEven if you didn't know that Genesius Guild's Henry the Sixth: The Contention was an amalgamation of Shakespeare's Henry VI: Parts I and II - with Part III opening on July 17 - and didn't know that the production was directed and adapted by Guild founder Don Wooten, it's likely that your first glimpse at the program would be enough to intimidate you.

14 Jul 2009

Murder, She Thought: "Busybody," at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through July 19

By Mike Schulz

Cory Holbrook, Jackie Skiles, and Suzanne Rakestraw in BusybodyTo my recollection, I haven't yet been formally introduced to frequent Richmond Hill Barn Theatre performer Jackie Skiles, who plays the lead in the venue's current mystery/comedy Busybody. But it's nice to know that we have something in common. In Skiles' program biography, she lists Lavinia Hubbard in 2005's Another Part of the Forest as her favorite Richmond Hill role to date. That was my favorite Skiles role, too. Until now.

13 Jul 2009

Thankyouverymuch: "All Shook Up," at the Prospect Park Auditorium through July 19

By Mike Schulz

Melissa Anderson Clark and Bryan Tank in All Shook UpThe Shakespeare-inspired Elvis Presley pastiche All Shook Up is too inconsequential and ridiculous - gloriously so - to feature anything resembling a moral. But if pressed, you could probably fashion one from the words of its motorcycle-riding hero, Chad: "It's like my daddy used to say: 'In the right light, with the right liquor, anyone can fall for anyone.'"

13 Jul 2009

Dream Weavers: "A Raisin in the Sun," at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre through July 19

By Mike Schulz

Alysha McElroy-Hodges, Shellie Moore Guy, Curtis Lewis, Paul-Richard Pierre, and Shanna Nicole Cramer in A Raisin in the SunArea performer and radio-show host Shellie Moore Guy is slender in frame, and not particularly tall. Yet in the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's presentation of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, the actress -- in her role as matriarch Lena Younger -- projects such expansive love, pride, and strength of character that she appears larger than life. Lena's adult children, Walter Lee (Curtis Lewis) and Beneatha (Alysha McElroy-Hodges), may tower over her, but there's never any doubt that Guy's selfless, resolutely devout mother is the one in charge; she guides both her family and Hansberry's drama with an impassioned righteousness that would be mythic if it weren't so complexly structured, and so wonderfully human.

13 Jul 2009

Sink or Swim: "Singin' in the Rain," at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through July 19

By Mike Schulz

Claire Barnhart and Patrick Stinson in Singin' in the RainLet's cut right to it: Yes. During the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's presentation of Singin' in the Rain, it rained on-stage. And it rained well.

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