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Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Fairfield Footlighters gets technical with ‘Moon Over Buffalo’
Fairfield Footlighters present “Moon Over Buffalo” by Ken Ludwig, 8 p.m. May 22-23 and May 28-30, 2 p.m. May 24 and 31, Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Dr., Fairfield. $12 adults; $10 students/seniors. (513) 867-5348; www.fairfield-footlighters.org.
When director Heidi Schiller got involved with the Fairfield Footlighters, she gave them a list of plays she thought would be good for the group. “Moon Over Buffalo,” which opens Friday, May 22, was near the top of that list.
“It’s extremely funny,” she said. “It’s a backstage comedy, which is fun for the actors, and the audiences love to see what goes on backstage with all the crazy people.”
The crazy people in this case are led by George and Charlotte Hay, an acting couple who have had their shot at greatness but now find themselves touring the country in 1953 with two shows in repertory: the classic “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Noel Coward’s “Private Lives.”
“Charlotte’s biggest goal is to be a movie star and have everyone admire her,” said Peggy Allen, who plays Charlotte, a role originated by Carol Burnette. “So she really loves herself more than anybody else.”
“George Hay is an upper middle-aged man who has been acting his entire life,” said Michael Watson, the actor performing the role. “He’s not yet willing to admit that he’s past the age of the characters he wants to play.
“At the beginning of the play, he’s even more discouraged, because one of his rivals — actor Ronald Coleman — has been given a role that he wanted.”
That role is starring in “The Twilight of the Scarlet Pimpernel,” which would also feature Greer Garson and is being directed by the great Frank Capra. Word gets to the Hays that Coleman broke his leg and Garson dropped out, so Capra is coming to Buffalo to check out the couple to see if they would be right for the film.
But due to a perfect storm of comedic set ups, George spends the morning drinking and gets the matinee performance mixed up with the evening show and enters as Cyrano when the rest of the cast is doing “Private Lives.”
One of the challenges of doing this show for a community theater group is the rapid scene changes. Most use minimal sets and lighting tricks to make the transitions, but the Footlighters have been able to make use of a turntable rented from the University of Cincinnati, even though it meant building a second stage on top of the Fairfield Community Art Center’s existing stage.
“It’s been a massive amount of work,” Schiller said. “We’ve spent the last three weekends building up the deck 11 inches. But it will open a lot of doors for the Footlighters with the knowledge that we can do this.”
Also in the cast are Amy Sullivan as Ethel, Jana Emmons as Rosalind, Kevin Noll as Howard, Angie Dodge as Eileen, Ronnie Mason as Paul and Tom Redman as Richard.
PHOTOS: Top to bottom: Peggy Allen as Charlotte Hay, Michael Watson as George Hay; Ronnie Mason as Paul (hiding), Kevin Noll as Howard, and Michael Watson as George Hay; Ronnie Mason as Paul and Angie Dodge as Eileen; Amy Sullivan as Ethel, Michael Watson as George Hay. Photos by Richard O Jones.
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Mad Anthony continues the ‘Nunsense’ franchise with ‘Meshuggah-Nuns’, May 27
Mad Anthony Theatre Company presents “Meshuggah-Nuns” by Dan Goggin, 8 p.m. May 27-30; 2 p.m. May 31, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton. $15 members, $17 non-members. (513) 867-7988; www.fitton center.org
The nuns are at it again.
Director Pat Ganz has assembled the Little Sisters of Hoboken for the fourth installment of the popular “Nunsense” series of musicals. This is the second Mad Anthony Theatre production; the first two were produced by the Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre.
The premise this time is that four of the nuns have won an all-expense paid trip on the “Faiths of All Nations” Cruise. At sea, the ship runs into a terrible storm that lasts nearly a week.
“Everyone on the ship gets sick, except for the nuns and the actor playing Tevye in the ship’s production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’” Ganz said. “The reason the nuns don’t get sick is that (the convent’s chef) Siser Julia Child of God has put Dramamine in brownies they take on board with them.”
The ship’s captain, aware of the Sisters’ show-business savvy, asks that they and Tevye put on an original revue. The result is “Meshuggah-Nuns.”
Two of the actresses are making their Mad Anthony return in the series: Michelle Lewis as Sister Amnesia and Meggan Peters as Sister Robert Anne.
For Peters, this is her fifth experience with the Nunsense franchise, three of them in Hamilton.
“Sister Robert Anne is the Convent’s ‘street-smart gym teacher with a heart of gold,’” Peters said. “She grew up in Brooklyn, was in a gang, found Jesus, but still has dreams of being a big band singer. She is a practical joker, and is usually in trouble with the Reverend Mother.’”
“Sister Amnesia — aka Sister Mary Paul — lost her memory when she was hit over the head with a crucifix,” Lewis said. “She’s a lovable, sweet, obliviously content character who is a country singer and always plans something special for the audience.” This time, the “something special” is a magic show.
“She is also the voice of Sister Mary Annette, the naughty puppet that always seems to make her way into the show somehow,” Lewis said, “much to the chagrin of Reverend Mother.”
The role of the Reverend Mother, Sister Mary Regina, is being taken over this time by Cheryl Salzman.
“She tries to be strict and maintain order, but things often get out of her control,” Salzman said.
This is Salzman’s second recent community theater production after having taken nearly 20 years off to raise her family. She warmed up with the Fairfield Footlighter’s production of “Steel Magnolias” last year, in which she played Truvey. She is also a former student of Ganz, who spent 30 years as the drama director at Ross High School.
“Pat Ganz’s first year of teaching was my senior year in high school ,where she directed me in her original musical version of ‘Hansel and Gretel,’” she said.
Also new to the series is Kim Newcomer, peforming the role of Sister Hubert, who is supposed to be the most “grounded” of the nuns and number two in command, behind Mother Superior.
“She feels she could bring more dignity to the Rev. Mother position but respects authority and doesn’t question her,” Newcomer said. “Under Hubert’s reserved facade, though, is a person who likes to laugh and have fun - which is not unleashed until the closing number.”
“Meshuggah-Nuns” also includes two non-nun characters: Melody Joy Leopoedis, the cruise director, played by Denise Cox, and Howard Liszt, the man who would’ve been Tevye, played by Bill Balfour.
“Raised in a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, Howard has made a career playing any Jewish role he can find,” Balfour said. “When he plays a non-Jewish character his mother has a fit. Most of the time he ends up playing Tevye in ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’
“I hope that the audience walks away from the show laughing and talking about character types that make the show so fun to do,” Balfour said. “I also hope I play the part so well they say ‘That guy would make a good Jew.’”
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Steve Earle performs solo acoustic at Cincinnati Memorial Hall, June 27
Steve Earle with Joe Pug, 8 p.m. Saturday, June 22, Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Cincinnati. $25-$40. (513) 235-8105 or on-line at jbmpromotions.com.
Steve Earle’s new album “Townes,” a collection of cover tunes written by Earle’s mentor Townes Van Zandt, is his highly anticipated follow up to the Grammy Award winning album “Washington Square Serenade.” The songs selected for “Townes” were the ones that meant the most to Earle and the ones he personally connected to. Some of the selections chosen were songs that Earle has played his entire career (“Pancho and Lefty,” “Lungs,” “White Freightliner Blues”). He learned the song “(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria” directly from Van Zandt. Earle taught himself “Marie” and “Rake” specifically for making this record. Earle recorded the New York sessions solo and then added the other instruments later on in order to preserve the spirit of Van Zandt’s original solo performances to the best of his recollection.
Opening the show will be Chicago-based singer-songwriter Joe Pug.
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May Festival Cathedral Basilica Concert, May 24 in Covington
May Festival concert, 8 p.m. Sunday May 24, Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, 1140 Madison Ave., Covington, Ky. $32. (513) 381-3300.
The May Festival Youth Chorus, under the direction of James Bagwell, begins the concert performing a cappella works by Thompson, Morley, Hindemith and Dawson.
The May Festival Chorus, directed by Robert Porco, will then perform one of the greatest works of the English choral repertory, Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Mass in G Minor.
Completing the evening is Brahms’ colorful Gypsy Songs, colorful poems with Hungarian and Gypsy-inspired melodies and lush harmonic textures.
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Hookahville sets up camp at Frontier Ranch for Memorial Day weekend
Looking for a last-minute get-away for the long weekend?
The biannual spring music festival Hookahville will be held this year at Frontier Ranch, 8836 York Rd., Pataskala, Ohio.
Two-day passes are $80 at the gate, cash only. Each Hookahville ticket includes music, camping and parking from 8 a.m. Saturday, May 23, through noon Monday, May 25. Children 12 and under are admitted to the festival free with a paid adult. Single day tickets will be available after 8 a.m. on Sunday for $60 at the gate.
The acts on the bill include the host band ekoostik hookah, above, playing two sets both days, plus Les Claypool, The Wailers, Steve Kimock Crazy Engine, Toubab Krewe, Great American Taxi, The Ark Band, Oakhurst, Freekbass, Mifune, Sweet Water Meltdown, Higgins & Madwell Band, My Dear Disco, The Ragbirds and Skeleton Crew
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