This Beauty Of A Play Is No Sleeper

Sleeping Beauty is opening at the James F. Dean Theatre on Saturday, April 18th for a two day run. A "not so classic of a tale" adaptation of the famous Disney classic, this beauty of a play is no sleeper. You don't want to miss it.

In this children's musical version of the classic fairy tale by Bob Hammond, Queen Bea and King Bumble the Seventy Second give birth to Princess Beauty. In desperate need of money, the royal couple make plans to marry their daughter to a rich prince when she becomes of age at eighteen, but the rhyming evil witch, Carabosse, has other plans for the princess when that time arrives and plans to put a curse on Beauty. The evil witch's Zsa Zsa Gabor-like counterpart, the Good Fairy, is asked by the royal couple to counter Carabosse's evil intentions, but says, "Nothing I can do, sweetie. I mean, if I knew what spell she is going to use, well...possibly. But otherwise...look, why don't you give me a little tinkle in eighteen years?" And so, the drama begins. Among the contenders for the princess's hand are the constantly quarreling Prince Eric and Prince Henry and the not-so-rich Prince Braveheart. A spell, a spinning wheel, and lots of singing and dancing follow.

Heather Pallay steps out from behind the front box office to collaborate with "Sound of Music" standout Sarah Farra as the plays directors. Working with Bob Hammonds open script, together they masterfully personalized it with their own blend of frivolity utilizing knock-knock jokes, popular songs of the past such as "I'm a Believer" by the Monkeys and bringing it home by inserting local names like Lincolnville, Knightsville and yours truly. Thank you for the mention Flowertown Players.

Patti Kelly once again did an artful job on the colorful array of costumes and the simple set worked well with the scene changes.

The hard working cast of local young actors pooled from the Youth Theater for this production of the Flowertown Players work their magic on you with their enchanting enthusiasm and energy. Each cast member projected the personalities of their characters skillfully. Their execution of the dance choreography was near flawless and delivery of the punch lines timeless. The climatic song and dance routine is well worth a standing ovation in itself and a $10 ticket.


Honorable mentions include King Bumble the Seventy Second(Trevor Bierdz), Queen Bea(Riley Hatch), Princess Beauty(Julia Maguire), Prince Braveheart(Jackson Barnard), The Lord High Chamberlain(Bailey Dorman), Chip(Grey Hohn), Kate(Caelan Barlow), Prince Henry(Andrew Hebert), Prince Eric(Logan Farless), Carabosse(Kyra Wood), the Good Fairy(Drew Janine), and Hobgoblins 1 and 2(Alanna Campbell and Caitlyn Campbell). Fairy Dance Troupe(Elizabeth Aylward-Jahn, Eloira Carls, Mia Helm, Tanner Spencer, and Alexa Tringali).

If you are looking for some quality family entertainment this weekend, the James F. Dean Theatre is where you want to be. This fairy funny version of Sleeping Beauty will lift your spirits. It will knock your silk bloomers off and royally enrich your hearts.

Ensemble Cast Members: Audrey Campbell, Julie Cox, Chandler Schaffer, Savannah Davis, Jada Gilbert, Tyler Hanson, John Moore IV, and Sydney Reich. Backstage Crew: Gia Darconte, Emma Maguire, and Reese Addison.

$10 Adults, $7 Children under 12
Sat, Apr 18th at 1PM and 5PM
Sun, Apr 19th at 1PM
Call Box Office for tickets (843) 875-9251

Sassy "Chicago" At The James F. Dean Theatre In Summerville Razzle Dazzles

Chicago blew into Summerville this week with obscenely riotous results-A packed James F. Dean Theatre and a standing ovation once the two leading ladies of the show, Kelly McDavid(Velma Kelly) and Lindsay Marie(Roxie Hart), made their final appearance. After seeing Chicago advertisements plastered on billboards throughout the area, I went into this with high expectations. I wasn't disappointed.

Many may not know that the two main characters of this musical were based on the true life 1924 trials of murderesses Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner. A reporter by the name of Maurine Dallas Watkins was assigned to cover these trials for the Chicago Tribune. Her resulting sensational columns documenting these trials proved so popular she decided to write a play based on them. "Roxie Hart" was patterned after Beula Annan and "Velma Kelly" after Belva Gaertner. Lawyers William Scott Stewart and W. W. O'Brien were models for the character "Billy Flynn". Both ladies were acquitted of their murders just weeks apart and Chicago was born.

The Flowertown Players presentation of this highly acclaimed and sizzling Broadway hit with its Academy award-winning film version was nothing less than spectacular for Summerville's intimate theater venue. I was thoroughly captivated by Kelly McDavid's rendition of Velma. Her body language was convincingly brash and facial expressions definitively sassy, exactly what you would expect from a cabaret singer accused of murder. Her portrayal was unshakably confident and her dance routines were executed with audacious swag.

On the other hand, Lindsey Marie exuded the appearance of innocence, a dead-ringer for Roxie, and that's no play on words. Lindsey's scene with Brendan Kelly as Billy Flynn portraying Roxie's press conference turned into a ventriloquist act with Billy dictating a new version of the truth to the press while Roxie mouthed the words was executed impeccably and one of the more engaging highlights of the play, in my humble opinion.

John Black played timid Amos Hart, Roxie's husband, a.k.a. 'Mister Cellophane should have been my name. Mister cellophane cause you can look right through me, walk right by me, and never know I'm there'. The scene where John sang this song was another highlight of the night as was Kristen May's(Mama Morton) execution of "When You're Good to Mama".

From "All That Jazz" to the "Finale" the whole cast put on a highly energized performance with know let up. The punch lines were delivered successfully. The stage was simple, but appropriate. The live orchestra with trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and percussion added to the realism and jazziness. Victoria Malone and Linda Wills accompaniment on the keyboard was superb(It's not easy to play simultaneously on the same keyboard and stay in sync.) Congratulations to JC Conway and the production team for a successful, razzle dazzle evening.

Thank you to the Flowertown Players for my front row seats, I was up close and personal-close enough to smell the perfume and see the sweat. Go see it-purchase tickets. "What can I say, it's Chicago."

"The 39 Steps" Will Tickle Your Funny Bone-Now Playing At The James F. Dean Theater In Summerville

Scene changes are very challenging for any stage play and even more so when the characters are very mobile. It is a challenge not only for the set designer leading up to opening night but also the stage crew once the show begins. Through the progression of the play, it is vitally important to ensure a non-stop enjoyable viewing experience for the audience. Alfred Hitchcock's film, "The 39 Steps", takes you on an adventure where the main character, Richard Hannay, starts at a theater, ends up being chased by the police, jumping off a train, jumping through windows, riding in a vehicle, fleeing to a house, staying at an inn, and ending up at a theater after all is said and done. Now, adapt all of  that changing of geography to a stage production and a need for creativity is essential.

The Flowertown Players were successful at meeting this challenge in their comedic adaptation of "The 39 Steps" employing only two scene changes, a furnished room and a theater back stage. In addition, stage props, such as giant wooden letter blocks, were incorporated to address Richard Hannay's ability to get from one place to the other. Since the main actors would be playing multiple roles, different hats were utilized. Also, to maintain a non-stop comedic experience, the stage crew was integrated into play in various ways. An added musical feature I enjoyed was the use of a piano throughout the play reminiscent of the silent era of films. Victoria Malone, on the piano, did a superb job in keeping up the tempo of action and creating anticipation. At one point, she thew some Andy Griffith into the mix.

Mr. Memory played by Chad Estel

"The 39 Steps" was a major British film. In keeping with the integrity of the original production, the actors had to employ varying accents, mainly British. I was satisfied with their application, but if you were to ask a truly British native, they probably would have a problem trying to place the accent to a region and most likely would find it to be "just a bit muddled". Deacon Gerard gets a "thumbs up" for his multiple renditions of the varying tongues of Great Britain.

One of the more notable scenes of the play was where Richard(Patrick Hawkins) and Pamela(Joanna Cretella) are being taken away by two policemen in a car, played by Deacon Gerard and Chad Estel. They had the audience laughing with their sound effects and hijinks. Other comedic scenes of note involved the murder of Annabella Smith(Joanna Cretella), the train scene, some sheep, and the scene where Deacon and Chad change characters and hats in rapid fire.

Joanna Cretella, Deacon Gerard, Patrick Hawkins, and Chad Estel

Joseph Ruta, in his youth liked playing with wooden letter blocks, is the director of this comedic parody. Jason Olsen is the assistant director. The two of them did a fine job in putting it all together and creating a fun time not only for the cast and crew, but more importantly the audience. Last but not least, he stage crew played a vital part in the plays success. So, hats off to Alex Baily, Chris Berry, Olivia Bolt, Kayla Callahan, Liz Gouge, Darcy Herilihy, and Andriana Melendez. Olivia Bolt played other various parts as well as Darcy Herilihy, who also played Margaret.

Stage crew

The audience laughed throughout the play. There was a young man sitting next to me laughing and when you succeed at getting the younger generation to laugh at an older Hitchcock production, you have done well. It is absolutely worth taking an evening out of your busy schedule and drive to the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville to find out the meaning of the 39 Steps. You will laugh too.
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