The Flowertown Players Open Their Grounbreaking Performance Of Rent-A Portrayal Of Love And Loss

The Flowertown Players sailed into unfamiliar waters Friday night with the opening of their
presentation of the rock musical Rent and navigated their ship successfully into the Port of Phenomenal.

Whether you agree or disagree with the moral implications of the play, it dives into the harsh and heartbreaking realities a group of struggling-to-find their-way-in-life young musicians and artists are forced to deal with while living in New York City's Lower East Side during the thriving days of Alphabet City and the Bohemian lifestyle. The harsh reality of struggling with the lack of money just to pay rent and the heartbreaking reality of finding love in the face of the AIDS virus. It was a world Johnathan Larson, writer of music and lyrics, was familiar with and that is what it is all about.

Congratulations to the director(Mark Gorman) who, for this ground breaking step by the Flowertown Players, pulled together from the available pool of talented local actors and actresses a cast that realistically mirrored the raw passion of the original play's characters and presented a vocally powerful performance.

The complicated choreography of the play, from my point of view, was executed flawlessly, especially during the scene of the party at the Life Café - my favorite. I liked the bare bones look of the background and the different colors from the lighting accentuated the atmosphere on stage.

The live musical ensemble, which I believe to be the foundation of a musical like this, was burdened with a heavy responsibility. If they make a mistake, the whole flow of the play could be in jeopardy. But they did not miss a beat and greatly attributed in a large way to the play's successful opening night.

I first met Cody Smith back when he played the vicious villain in Wait Until Dark and his acting impressed me. Then I saw him play Danny in Grease where I experienced his vocal skills for the first time and I thought he was great. But as the struggling musician trying to find that one inspirational song, Cody(Roger) blew the roof off the house with his explosive vocals. Andrew Turnball as Mark was equally strong and harmonized well with Cody. Equal to the task was Giulia Marie Dalbec(Mimi), Michelle Smith(Maureen), Jason Marion(hauntingly believable as Angel), Kevin J. Thorn(Collins), Alexandria Rashanko(Joanne), and Tyler Reed(Benny).

There were many highlights to speak of and in the end drew a resounding standing ovation. Here are a few of my picks. The tender but hesitant exchange between Roger and Mimi in Light My Candle was beautifully portrayed by Guilia Marie and Cody. You could feel the intensity of the emotions build as the scene progressed toward the climatic reluctant rejection. Guilia Marie additionally executed a superb dance routine when the beautiful Mimi attempted to seduce Roger in Out Tonight. Michelle drew a huge applause from the audience with her humorous and provocative performance of Over the Moon. The entire cast was riotously outstanding when all the friends gathered at the tables to celebrate their Bohemian lifestyle.

Commendations to JC Conway, Heather Pallay and staff for boldly going where you hadn't gone before. You have set the bar high with this one. It will be a tough act to follow, but I have confidence you will meet the challenge.

Purchase tickets for the next performances.

Flowertown Players Present "Much Ado About Nothing"- A Humorous Shakespeare Play Done With Pirates

The first day of the Flowertown Festival had ended, which I had attended earlier. The Smoke at the Lodge was underway and I could hear the music of the bands playing across the street. I was now back in town to attend a play at the James F. Dean Theatre called Much Ado About Nothing. I planned on enjoying a glass wine before the show at Accent on Wine. I was surprised to see there were numerous parking spaces available on Hutchinson Square. I made the short walk from where I parked to Accent on Wine. It was packed with patrons. I engaged in some brief small talk and savored a glass of Pinot Noir. I was now primed and ready for the evening.

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedic play by Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers with two different approaches to their relationships and the part their associates play in their success in love. Benedick's and Beatrice's relationship is somewhat antagonistic because of their outspoken disdain for love and marriage. Claudio and Hero are two young people who are rendered near speechless in their love for one another, but there is villainy a foot. This is pretty much the premise of the play. Now, present all of this with pirate's as the characters. But these are sophisticated pirates and you will hear no "arghs" or "shiver me timbers".

Shakespeare's plays can be very daunting with its voluminous dialogue and biblical dialect. It takes a little time to acclimate your ears to the vocabulary and to navigate through the interchange to understand what is unfolding and if you pay attention, in time it makes complete sense. The last time I heard this much Shakespeare, I was watching Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

The cast of Much Ado About Nothing handled the Shakespearean lingo eloquently. There were no noticeable hiccups or bumps in their elaborately interconnected conversations and with all the action and movement on stage throughout the play, it all came off without a glitch. If there were any glitches, the cast and crew covered them very nicely. Chrissy Eliason, stage manager, did an excellent job in managing its coordination.

The play has a very large cast and its successful presentation was due to all involved. Cast members, Ernie Eliason(Don Pedro), Brent Dorwart(Claudio), Shannon Marie Johnson(Innogen), David Hatch(Benedict), Emma Scot(Beatrice) and Tiffany Eliason(Hero), portrayal of their characters was engaging. The sparring scene where David Hatch and Emma Scott crossed blades was entertaining and well choreographed.

I particularly enjoyed Adrianne Dukes's(Dogberry) and Dody Jean Gaston's(Verges) collaboration on the constable and the constable's partner. They reminded me of Laurel and Hardy at times. Adrianne's dialogue was particularly tricky since it consisted of malapropisms, which is defined as the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance, also known as a Dogberryism, so named for this character. She was also amusing both in her acting and costume.

Not to leave unmentioned, Ernie Eliason and Robert Venne did a top notch job on the elaborate scenery with its crow's nest. The portrait was a nice touch. I raise a mug of grog in a toast to the whole cast, crew and director, Alex Smith, for their hard work and a pleasant evening.

Spend a night at the James F. Dean Theatre in the coming week. There isn't much you can do about nothing, but Much Ado About Nothing is worth the effort to come on down to the theater for an evening, especially if you like pirates and Shakespeare. For a unique night of fun, the Flowertown Players are offering a Dress-Like-A-Pirate Night on Thursday April 11th. Dress up like a pirate and receive $10 off at the door. Purchase tickets here.