EVITA, now showing at South of Broadway Theatre, well worth your time to check out

My favorite all-time musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber is hands-down, no question about it, The Phantom of the Opera. The first time I had any exposure to the story of Eva Duarte was in the 1996 film release, where Madonna played the real-life, opportunistic lady of Argentina, using the designation "lady" loosely. According to the upper-class Argentinians of the day and the British royals, she was anything but ladylike. They had a few chosen words of the unflattering kind when referring to her. However, the definition of a lady can be subjective when you consider the behavior of some royals.

Evita the musical undeniably bears the mark of English composer Andrew Lloyd Weber with lyrics by Tim Rice. The stage production opened on June 21, 1978 at the Prince Edward Theatre in London with Elaine Paige in the title role and Joss Ackland as her formidable Juan Peron and then at the Broadway Theatre on September 25, 1979, where it had 1,567 performances. Harold Price was the director. It won an impressive seven 1980 Tony Awards including Best Book, Best Score and Best Musical of the year. In 1981, the Evita cast recording was awarded a Grammy Award.

Set in Buenos Aires between 1934-1952, the musical follows Eva Duarte on her journey from a poor, fatherless home, to an ambitious actress, to becoming the most powerful woman in Latin America. She left a trail of tears along the way, from dumping singer-songwriter Magaldi to giving Colonel Juan Peron's mistress the boot. In the meantime, Juan Peron was leaving a trail of bodies on his rise to power as depicted in a game of musical chairs, ending in an opponent's demise. Eva organizes rallies for the impoverished and gives them hope for a better future while Peron and his allies plot to dispose of anyone who stands in their way. For a short time, Argentina was hers, and the rest is history.

Director David McLaughlin, assisted by Chrissy Eliason, thoroughly prepared his well-chosen group of local actors for the task of winning over the audience. The large cast's finely tuned choreographed movements flowed as one, and when they sang all together, their vocals were harmonious and powerful.

Carlos Nieto was a dominant presence on the set as the antagonist Che, who seems to be a spokesman of the people. The character's attire was reminiscent of a Latin American revolutionary, and Carlos sings his words with the passion of a non-conforming rebel. He addressed the audience like they were a part of the play. His direct eye contact was engaging.

Elissa Horrell elegantly filled the role of the musical's protagonist, Eva, and shined in the play's signature piece "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." Elissa was paired with Steve Tarnow as the ambitious Juan Peron. Steve had command of his crisp vocals and strutted Peron's military-like demeanor.

Joshua Broome demonstrated his vocal abilities as Magaldi in his rendition of "On This Night of a Thousand Stars." As Peron's mistress, Olivia Gainey once again showed acting and singing are second nature for her as she performed "Another Suitcase in Another Hall."

The main characters did double duty in minor roles with talented supporting cast Sophie Marie Stanley, Savannah Cash, Andrea Catangay, Rusty Cooler, Michael James Daly, Anna Lin, Kenneth Mueller, Latanya Mueller, Dylan Rowe, Joseph Spiotta, and Robert Venne. Lighting handled by Ernie Eliason and set art by Robert Venne.

South of Broadway Theatre is a small venue and seating is very intimate. If you sit in the front row, you can literally reach out and touch the actors. In addition, you may experience temporary whiplash following the action from left to right. There were a couple of glitches with the sound, and a few times the spotlight was slightly off target, likely due to the quickly changing positions of the actors. However, I am sure with these minor mishaps addressed, Evita will be near perfect.

David McLaughlin's Evita is entertaining and compelling. The opening scene is dark and spellbinding, elevating your expectations for what will follow, and it does not let you down. Follow the progression of the characters closely, especially Eva, there are a few symbolisms for you to catch. If you are a fan of live theater, Evita is well worth your time to check out.

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"Crimes Of The Heart" Now Showing At The James F. Dean Theatre--The Ups And Downs Of The MaGrath Sisters

Beth Henley's trio of the idiosyncratic MaGrath sisters guilty of Crimes of the Heart are now neurotically center stage at the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville.

The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. The 1986 film adaptation was directed by Bruce Beresford. It garnered three Academy Award nominations and Beth Henley was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 1986, the play was novelized and released as a book, written by Claudia Reilly. Originally a three act play, the Flowertown Players rendering is done in two acts.

The MaGrath family sisters have suffered tragedy in their young lives. Their father left them and their mother hung herself and their cat, leaving an unresolved question as to why.

Lenny is the oldest of the three. She is a responsible soul who has taken on the task of caring for their Old Granddaddy in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, who is presently in the hospital with "all those blood vessels popping in his brain." She has just turned 30 and believes she has gotten old and is unwanted by any man, "But I have this underdeveloped ovary and I can't have children and my hair is falling out in the comb. So what man can love me?" On top of this, her whimsical younger sister Babe has shot her husband because she didn't like his looks and her 20 year old horse, Billy Boy, was struck by lightning. Making matters even more worse, nobody has remembered it is her birthday. So, she sticks a candle on top of a cookie, lights it, and sings happy birthday to herself. Well, not everyone has forgotten. Her cousin, Chick Boyle, brings her a box of chocolates and a few unwelcome, distasteful tidbits of opinions.

Summoned by Lenny, the second oldest sister, Meg, arrives in Hazelhurst from Los Angeles where her singing career had stalled resulting in her suffering a nervous breakdown. Even though Lenny summoned her, Meg's presence is an annoyance. There are some unresolved, deep-seated hard feelings between them. Lenny ponders "why should Old Grandmama let her sew twelve golden jingle bells on her petticoats and us only three?" Meg has never had a problem attracting men. Chick Boyle describes her as a "low-class tramp." She went to Los Angeles after Hurricane Camille where she left her boyfriend, Doc, who got his leg crushed during the hurricane because she insisted on riding out the storm instead of seeking shelter. He now walks with a limp, is married, and has two kids. And so, the story and stage are set.

Director Allison Brower did an excellent job casting her three main characters. Taylor Fleming (Lenny MaGrath), Jana Weber (Meg MaGrath), and Maddie Latham (Babe Botrelle) are as different as the MaGrath sisters. Taylor looked the part, dressed the part, and portrayed the subdued and doleful personality of Lenny in fine detail, to the point where you were sympathetic to her undeserving lot in life. Quite the opposite, Meg's irresponsible, I don't care what you think swagger was smartly rendered by Jana as she strutted her stuff about the stage. Rounding out the trio, Maddie was captivating as the flighty and impulsive Babe who was one step behind reality. Her confectionery disposition was as compelling as Babe's sugar craving. Maddie craftily made sweet lemonade of some of the plays more humorous dialogue despite its dark overtones. The scene where Babe recounts the incident of her offering lemonade to her husband after shooting him is comedically priceless.

What would a good dark comedy be without an antagonist to make matters worse. Alex Shanko as the gossipy Chick Boyle fit the bill very nicely. And with an attempted murder as part of the story, a good lawyer is needed, especially when the person who was shot is a lawyer also. But there is a little more going on with Barnette Lloyd (Daniel Rich) other than just handling Babe's case. Finishing out the cast was Anthony Parenti as the jilted Doc Porter.

There is no change of scenery in Crimes of the Heart. The whole play takes place in the nicely rendered kitchen of Old Granddaddy's home in Hazelhurst. There are moments where the dialogue moves a little slow, but possibly it was intended that way.

The Flowertown Players presentation of Crimes of the Heart accomplishes what Beth Henley intended. It will leave you wondering whether you should shed a tear in the three sisters behalf or laugh at the sheer madness of it all, and that is due to the plays capable crew and talented cast.

Purchase tickets for Crimes of the Heart.
March 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16, 2019 at 8pm
March 10 and 17, 2019 at 3pm

An American Classic Comes To The Stage Of The James F. Dean Theatre--A Christmas Story

If you can say "an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass and this thing which tells time built right into the stock" three times fast without shooting your eye out, then you need to pay attention to the following. A Christmas Story opened December 1st at the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville and will be running three weekends to December 17th.

The play adaptation of A Christmas Story written in 2000 by Philip Grecian is not as well known as its movie counterpart of the same name, and the reason will shortly become obvious. Considered an American classic, the movie has been to Christmas day as to what Gone With The Wind has been to Thanksgiving day--tediously inseparable. Tedious in that for 24 hours it plays over and over and over continuously until you want to "wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan." Truth be told, I have never seen the movie all the way through. I have only caught bits and pieces of it while engaging in the remote control spectator sport known as channel surfing looking for something to capture my viewing interest or avoid being subjected to the endless barrage of commercials that run every five minutes on cable TV.

Since everyone with a TV knows the story, I'll skip the synopsis and share some facts about the movies author. Jean Parker Shepherd was born in Chicago in 1921 but raised in the Hessville area of Hammond, Indiana. He graduated from Hammond High School in 1939. He worked briefly as a mail carrier in a steel mill and earned his Amateur radio license at age 16. He attended IU Northwest and served in the Signal Corps during World War II. After service, he worked at WJOB radio in Hammond and later went on to broadcasting in Toledo, Cincinnati and New York.

Often compared to Mark Twain and James Thurber, Shepherd had a flair for spinning stories that tapped into the American psyche. The 1983 movie, "A Christmas Story," is based off a collection of stories from Shepherd's published writings, "In God We Trust; All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories." Shepherd mused, "Now here's an example of the kind of humor that's in your life, you see. It's always in your life all the time, all the time, all the time. It's here--it's absolutely inescapable. Every place you look. There's an old photographers' axiom that says, 'There's a prize winning photo within five feet of you.' This is true. There is all the humor in all of mankind, all the sadness, all the greatness, all the gladness, and all the idiocy--it's within five feet of you. Just look around." And that is what he did in creating the plot for A Christmas Story. Shepherd was the real Ralphie Parker and is the voice of the narrator in the movie.

The beautifully functional stage and props

Elissa Horrell, the plays director, is a fifteen year veteran of the theater. As a confident stage actor, her captivating vocals and broad, quirky smile served her well in her dynamic appearances in the Flowertown Player's productions of "The Little Shop of Horrors" and "Bye, Bye Birdie." Debuting as a director, she admitted to being somewhat nervous sitting out front in the audience as a concerned observer instead of onstage as an participant. Afterward, you could see the smile of relief and sense of accomplishment with the opening night under her belt. I am sure, like all good directors, the hard work and pursuit for excellence will continue for the next two weeks with the help of her capable crew.

The lighting for this production was a challenge. Initially, when the lights were flashing on and off, I thought there might have been a problem with the lights during some scene changes. In the story, Ralphie drifts back and forth between real life and numerous fantasies where his parents and teacher behave exactly to his liking, praising his heroism and reveling in his wisdom. Transporting the audience into Ralphie's fantasy sequences is more easily pulled-off in a movie through editing than live on stage, which is trickier. The lighting shifts were the technique used to denote those transitions into the fantasy sequences along with quick costume changes.

One of the most memorable scenes of the play incorporated this technique. After saying "The word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word" which culminated into the soap-in-the-mouth punishment, Ralphie fantasizes his repentant parents groveling at his feet begging for forgiveness as he demonstrates the dangers of soap poisoning, going blind. The scene was one of Sam Daniels finer moments as the dreamer and schemer, Ralphie. A fan of the movie, playing Ralphie was a dream come true for Sam.

Ralpie's Mother, a patient parent with firm convictions, such as, the conviction that her son should not own an air rifle, is adeptly handled by Sarah Daniels--the real life mother of Sam Daniels. The mother-son duo has been seen on stage together a total of five times. The grumpy, good-hearted father, referred to as The Old Man, is played by Glen Orange who is no stranger to comedic roles. As a five year performer at Black Fedora Comedy Mystery Theatre in Charleston, it was totally obvious Glen poured his expletive peppered soul into his character.

The predominantly young cast is packed with new to the stage performers. In his first appearance in a play, 8 year old Liam Hjerling fills the role as "I got to go pee" Randy, Ralphie's cute little brother. Scapegoat Schwartz and guinea pig Flick, Ralphie's two friends, are played by third-timer Brayden Harbert and Jonah Streff. First-timer Michaela Maenche plays Helen Weathers and second-timer Shannon Freeman plays Esther Jane Alberry. Caleb O'Neal stands in as the schoolyard tormentor of Ralphie and his friends, Scut Farcas.

Rounding out the cast with impressive acting achievements to her credit, Ralpie's teacher, Miss Shields, is played by Samantha Elkins--in my opinion, the embodiment of a teacher.

Last but not least, honors go to Chase Priest for his near perfect plot delivery as Ralph Parker, the older version of Ralphie and visible narrator offering a continuous stream of satirical commentary. "Oh, life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us," so said Ralph.

Do not miss Ralphie's three-pronged campaign for the Christmas gift of his dreams--the official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle. You will be amused at his attempts to persuade the adults around him that his cause is a righteous one despite their outcry he might shoot his eye out. The infamous frozen-flagpole-licking dare, the hideous fishnet leg lamp, the pink bunny suit, the visit to the department store Santa Claus, and "the most unthinkable" climatic ending are all there to give you the warm and fuzzies.

Purchase your tickets for A Christmas Story.

The Importance Of Being Earnest--It All Unravels Right Here In The Lowcountry

The Importance of Being Ernest is a play written by Oscar Wilde in 1895. A trivial comedy written for serious people, its zany story line is a handbag packed with social escapists, secret personas, closet engagements, and lover’s entanglements with a mythical suitor. The whole whacky affair is now unfolding at the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville with a bit of a twist--it all unravels right here in the Lowcountry--Charleston and Summerville to be specific.

The play opens in Charleston with Algernon Moncrieff (Erik Brower) receiving his best friend (Jacob Sunding) whom he knows as Ernest with last name Worthing. Ernest has come from Summerville to propose to Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax (Minna Schubert), daughter of the formidable Lady Bracknell (Susie Hallatt). Algernon, however, refuses his consent to the engagement until Ernest explains why his cigarette case bears the inscription referring to him as Uncle Jack.

Ernest is forced to admit to living a double life. In Summerville, he portrays a respectable lifestyle for the benefit of his young ward, Cecily Cardew (Megan Fife-Malasky), and goes by the name of John also nicknamed Jack, at the same time pretending to be concerned about a brother living in Charleston named Ernest who indulges in wicked ways. On his visits to Charleston, John assumes the identity of the made-up philandering Ernest. Algernon confesses a similar deception. He pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the country, whom he can visit whenever he wishes to avoid unwelcome social obligations.

John refuses to tell Algernon the location of his country estate, but after proposing to Gwendolen as Ernest and unsuccessfully acquiring consent from Lady Bracknell after revealing he was adopted by an old man who discovered him as a baby in a handbag at a train station, Algernon overhears him giving his country address to Gwendolen. Next, Algernon makes a surprise visit to John's Summerville estate pretending to be his brother, Ernest Worthing and meets Cecily. Long fascinated by Uncle Jack's until now never before seen black sheep brother, she can't help but to fall in love with Algernon, who is pretending to be Ernest. Pretty wild stuff so far, but the best is yet to come.

Gwendolen soon arrives to see her fiancé, so named Ernest, meets Cecily, and bordering on a potential catfight, the genteel blue gloves come off as the two of them spar over their one and only Ernest. Exquisitely portrayed by Megan and Minna, the encounter generates one of the more exceptional and endearing acting moments of the play.

As usual, Chrissy Eliason and Company crafted a brilliant, and I emphasize brilliant, set for Earnest. The predominantly white theme of the proscenium evoked a sense of purity and respectability, but as with Earnest, the obvious is the ambiguous. From the perspective of the audience, the props and costumes stood out like a hologram against the stage's white backdrop and subtle pastel lighting.

Director Joseph Demerly did an excellent job at casting the character of the actor with the character of the script. Without a doubt, if I were to look at a photograph of the cast in full dress, I would have been able to match the body to the name. Likewise, the chosen actors did an excellent job bringing their character to life.

Susie Hallatt as Lady Bracknell is snobbish, domineering, and as presumptuous as her brown patterned dress, Minna Schubert as Gwendolen graced the stage with an air of southern sophistication and pretentiousness, and Megan Fife-Malasky as Cecily was naive and unspoiled as a pink rose. Jacob Sunding as John a.k.a. Ernest was spot on with his character's gentleman-like southern swag with an accent to match and Erik Brower was as witty and confrontational as his character Algernon, who is given to making pronouncements that either make no sense at all or touch on something profound.

Robert Venne (Butler Merriman) and Jason Pallay (Butler Lane) serve up some goodies and Deb Abbey as the rigid Miss Prism carries some of her own baggage and has romantic feelings for Reverend Canon Chausable played by David Hallatt.

The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde’s social version of Bud Abbott's and Lou Costello's "Who's on first, what's on second, and I don't know is on third." You need to pay close attention to the dialogue throughout or you may miss a key piece of revelation that will later leave you scratching your head and trying to catch up. It is profoundly interesting, entertainingly trivial, and seriously humorous.

Now showing September 23rd to October 2nd.

Purchase your ticket for The Importance of Being Earnest.