Omaha, NE. — Great Plains Theatre Commons (GPTC) will premiere GOOSE Friday, November 18th at 7:30pm; Saturday, November 19th at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 20th at 6:00pm at the new Yates Illuminates community center, 3260 Davenport St. The long anticipated grand opening of the building is set for December 2022 – Goose will allow audience to preview the newly completed auditorium.
Tickets are available for free here. This play will run approximately 80 minutes and is recommended for ages 10+. GPTC is pleased to welcome playwright Michael Yichao back Omaha to share his heartwarming coming-of-age story that includes a magical, interstellar Goose.
“We fell in love with GOOSE when it was a PlayLab at the GPTC New Play Conference back in 2014, and we are excited to have TammyRa’, and the talented cast and crew, bring the play to life at our new home for community programming, the Yates Illuminates community center. This will be the inaugural event at Yates Illuminates, and we are honored to be a part of that.” said GPTC Director, Kevin Lawler.
Goose follows the story of Dallin, a 13-year-old on his birthday where nothing is quite as he expected, and no one shows up to his birthday party. In act two, he returns home as an adult, after a long time away, now with his own 13-year-old daughter. As he confronts challenges and his ever-evolving relationships with his family and himself, an unexpected old friend appears to take him on a journey through time and space.
The cast features Darryl Brown, Jr., Artie Shaw and Aniyah Skanes (bios can be found below). Scenic/Lighting/Sound Design by Kevin Lawler. Costume Design by Jill Anderson. Props Design by Savannah Savick. Audio Engineer is Craig Marsh/Pink Giraffe. Stage Manager is Nicholas A. Jansen. Poster design by @qmetalc. Goose mask design by Lola Fox, Hunting Faeries. Goose wing design by Macwings, made in and shipped from Uzhhorod, Ukraine.
All Great Plains Theatre Commons events are free and open to the public. Visit www.gptcplays.com to learn more or email commons@gptcplays.com. A handful of tickets are held back for walkups at each performance. All performance venues are ADA compliant for accessibility. For any accessibility questions or needs please contact Quinn at q.corbin@gptcplays.com
Not exactly a theatre tale, but the link below will take you to the Musing show I performed in on Oct 26. I’m number three, but every story is a great one.
Well, I’ll be dipped, I actually have another theatre tale for you.
As you may remember, I finally got my theatre mojo back after it being in abeyance for quite a while. Of course, in true comedic fashion, the universe decided to answer my renewed mojo by either not having plays with suitable roles for me or the double whammy of having the rear end of my car redesigned by a truck and the conflict of my annual Christmas B & B review interfering with shows that did.
Then fate finally tossed me a bone.
Last year, BlueBarn Theatre began a new series called Musing which is a storytelling series where people (not necessarily actors) tell a true story based on the theme of the night. The series has been wildly successful with routine full houses. Now I’ve lived a story or two, but I knew this one would be dynamite for the show once the proper theme night was available.
In August, Musing announced that two sessions would be held during the 2022-2023 season and the theme for both would be Storyteller’s Choice.
Bingo!
I contacted Seth Fox, Musing’s curator, and sent him the link to Devastation for a pitch. In less than an hour, I had a reply from him saying that he loved the story and that he had a spot open in the October session and offered it to me. I accepted without batting an eye.
While not a role, it was my first performance in a very long time and I was glad that I’d be sharing the tale of my audition for The Elephant Man. For starters, we had just passed the 20th anniversary of that audition so it seemed a bit of poetic justice to commemorate it in some way. But more importantly, it was the most honest and dramatic work I could present.
I’ve had a pretty good body of work, but, in my regular acting days, I got typed/perceived/what have you as a light-hearted actor. Don’t get me wrong. I love doing comedy and bits and I enjoy watching them. But my first love in theatre has always been dramas and my dramatic moments on the stage have been few and far between.
So if Musing was going to begin a regular return to the stage, it was important to me to be able to present myself in a new light so that those who knew me would see me differently and to introduce myself to those who only know me as the writer in the boldest way possible.
So I went about cutting my story down to the 10-12 minutes I would need for Musing and began to polish it up. I started performing it simply so I could get a feel for the words. Then I started preparing it the way I knew best: as an actor. I added the emotion and interpretation and began shaping it into a performance piece.
Now the preparation for Musing was closer to reader’s theatre. Seth and I met twice virtually to work on my story and then we had 2 full group rehearsals before the performance.
Our first group meeting was at Sozo’s Coffeehouse where Seth had rented a study room and we presented our stories publicly (more or less) for the first time.
Other storytellers were Ralph Kellogg who had a moving and brutally honest story of how he dealt with a most unwelcome houseguest; Teresa Conway had the funniest story of the group with how she took an advanced ballet class with a group of kids; local beat poet, Fernando Antonio Montejano, kept eyes pinned to him with his well spokentale about returning to his hometown for the funeral of his sister, Bianca; and Sara Strattan closed things with the sweet, but sad, tale about her relationship with her husband who had died from cancer.
All of them did a wonderful job with only minor changes needed. I just loved their honesty and their sincerity and it just reached out and grabbed you.
Then there was me.
No, no, I’m not about to beat myself up. But I presented the story through the lens of an actor. And, as a performance piece, it wasn’t too shabby. But it was the wrong take.
I remember my late friend, Kay McGuigan, once saying my acting style reminded her of Val Kilmer due to its intensity. I never really understood that until after I did this piece, but I finally got it. I do put serious oomph into my performances which makes for good acting. But acting was not what was needed here.
Seth told me to take Kevin’s advice of not being so earnest and to tell the story as if I were telling it to friends over coffee. With those words and the vision of the works of the others flashing through my mind, my path lit up clear as day.
There was no need to enhance the emotion of the story. It was there, naturally. I didn’t need to perform the story, I just simply needed to tell it.
I literally got into my car and did the story again, but removed the theatre from it. And I knew I had something magical. I chuckled at the way life seemed to be repeating itself. Back in 2002, Kay had helped me get Merrick on the correct course. Now with Seth’s mentoring, a story about Merrick was now set on the proper course.
Each time I practiced my piece from thenceforth, I could feel the momentum building and I was ready for the dress rehearsal on Monday.
On Monday, it was a completely different ballgame. I felt the power of the simple delivery and when I wrapped up, I knew I had struck pay dirt with the entranced looks and thumbs up coming from my fellow readers. Seth’s compliment of, “That was some great fine tuning” left me with a profound feeling of satisfaction.
Then came the real deal.
The one downside to the whole process was how little bonding time I had with these people. Still we did have a sense of camaraderie as we all shared the same vision of blowing the socks off the audience with our tales. We did enjoy a little fun time as Sara and Teresa battled Ralph and myself in the game, I Should Have Known That. (We lost).
Then it was time to go to work. Seth had changed the lineup. Originally, I was to be the fourth reader, but ended up swapping places with Fernando to become the third reader and the flow made perfect sense. Most of our stories were heart tuggers, but there was definitely a different energy and feel to each. Ralph’s tale was a hard hitting intro that segued into Teresa’s lighthearted fare. I became the bridge from Teresa to Fernando as my piece was certainly sad, but ends on a positive note. From there Fernando broke the hearts of the audience while Sara certainly had the audience sobbing, but its sweetness helped to buoy them.
For my own work, I was extremely pleased. I don’t normally take much stock in my own voice, but this time it was like a part of me disengaged and I heard myself telling the story as I was telling the story and I thought, “Dang, this is gripping.” It was the storytelling equivalent of forgetting I was acting which is the peak that an actor can hit. I had forgotten I was telling the story. I was that lost in it.
All too soon, it seemed like the show had come to an end. We took our final bows in front of a standing ovation, mingled with the audience, took a group photo, and went our separate ways.
My only regret of the night is that we couldn’t do it a few more times, but I was glad for the brief time and truly enjoyed my return to the stage.
The good news for those you reading this who now wish they could have seen it, you will get your wish. The show was recorded and I shall be posting the link to the Corner once the show is posted.
About the Play: Fifteen year old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. Hailed as the best play of the year in 2019 by the New York Times and earning two Tony Award nominations, this boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans.
Audition Dates: Nov 5 from 10am-12:30pm and Nov 7 from 5pm-7:30pm at BlueBarn Theatre (1106 S 10th St, Omaha, NE)
Director: Susan Clement
Rehearsal Dates: January 1 – February 1 Production Dates: February 2 – February 26
***All artists working at the BLUEBARN are required to have been vaccinated for COVID-19***
Roles
Heidi Schreck: Woman, age 35-50 (possible double cast role). A former teen debate champion who travelled the country giving speeches about the Constitution who is now reflecting upon those speeches and her present views. Engaging, dynamic, smart, and witty.
American Legionnaire: Man, age 35-50. An American Legionnaire monitoring the speech and debate who is also a friend of Heidi and a positive male energy. Commanding, in-charge, yet reflective and genuine.
Debater: Young Woman, age 14-17 (this role will be double cast).
Auditions will consist of prepared sides, and cold readings from the script. Prepared monologues under 2 minutes are welcome, though not required. Tell us a joke! For more information on auditions or to request a copy of the script and sides, contact Amy Reiner at areiner@bluebarn.org
Directed By: Todd Uhrmacher Musical Direction By: D Laureen Pickle
Audition Dates & Time: Dec 13 and 14, 2022 at 7pm Location: Bellevue Dance Academy (2264 Franklin St, Bellevue, NE)
Production runs March 10-26, 2023; Fridays-Sundays Rehearsals will begin in January Masks are strongly recommended
Production is in need of young adult & adult actors of any gender or ethnicity. BIPOC are especially encouraged to audition. Please prepare 16-32 bars of any song, and bring PRINTED music for the accompanist. Please, NO acappella. Please wear comfortable clothing for light movement and waltzing and bring/wear appropriate shoes. (Ages 16+)
About the Musical Set in 1900 Sweden, A Little Night Music explores the tangled web of affairs centered around actress Desirée Armfeldt, and the men who love her: a lawyer by the name of Fredrik Egerman and the Count Carl-Magnus Malcom. When the traveling actress performs in Fredrik’s town, the estranged lovers’ passion rekindles. This strikes a flurry of jealousy and suspicion between Desirée; Fredrik; Fredrick’s wife, Anne; Desirée’s current lover, the Count; and the Count’s wife, Charlotte. Both men – as well as their jealous wives – agree to join Desirée and her family for a weekend in the country at Desirée’s mother’s estate. With everyone in one place, infinite possibilities of new romances and second chances bring endless surprises.
Character Overview -Fredrik Egerman: Successful middle-aged lawyer. Baritone A2–E4[1] -Anne Egerman: Fredrik’s new, naive wife. Soprano G♯3–A5 -Henrik Egerman: Fredrik’s son, 20 years old. Tenor G2–B4 -Petra: Anne’s maid and closest confidante. Mezzo-soprano F♯3–F5 -Desiree Armfeldt: Self-absorbed actress. Mezzo-soprano F♯3–E5[2] -Fredrika Armfeldt: Desiree’s 13 year old daughter. Soprano C4–E5 -Madame Armfeldt: Desiree’s mother. Contralto C3–F♯4 -Count Malcolm: Desiree’s lover. Operatic Baritone G2–F♯4 -Countess Malcolm: Carl-Magnus’ wife. Mezzo-soprano G3–F5 -Frid: Madame Armfeldt’s manservant. Has a tryst with Petra. -The Quintet: Mr. Lindquist, Mrs. Nordstrom, Mrs. Anderssen, Mr. Erlanson and Mrs. Segstrom. Act as a Greek chorus. -Malla: Desiree’s maid. -Osa: Maid at Madame Armfeldt’s manse. -Bertrand: Page at Madame Armfeldt’s manse.
Omaha, NE.– This year will be Jerry Longe’s final year as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Omaha Community Playhouse’s mainstage production of A Christmas Carol. Longe has played the role of Scrooge for 17 years. He first moved to Omaha in 1980 and toured with the Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s production of AChristmas Carol playing Marley, Ghost of Christmas Present and Jake.
For Longe, his role in A Christmas Carol has been life changing. He says, “I’ve made lifelong friends through this production, and that has been a tremendous gift to me every single Christmas.”
Over the 47 years that OCP has produced A Christmas Carol, only two people have played the role of Scrooge – Jerry Longe for 17 years and the late Dick Boyd for 30 years. When Boyd stepped away, former artistic director Carl Beck asked Longe to play Scrooge.
“I said sure I’d love to do it, and it’s turned out to be the best Christmas present anybody ever gave me,” says Longe.
Longe started the role in 2006 and said one of the best aspects of playing Scrooge is the ability to hone and refine the character year after year. While it’s a difficult decision to step away, he feels that the role demands more energy than he is able to give it anymore. Longe is also expecting his first granddaughter in the spring of 2023, with whom he’s excited to spend the holidays.
“A Christmas Carol isn’t about me. It’s about the show and what it means to the community…I felt it was time to go out on a high note,” says Longe.
Over the years, the holiday show has become so popular, it’s an annual tradition for many area families. OCP representatives say how Longe’s involvement has impacted the organization and community.
“Jerry has brought and continues to bring an enormous amount of invention, humor, pathos, and love to the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. His humility and professionalism set a high bar for all of us on both sides of the stage. An extremely talented actor and a wonderful friend, Jerry leaves an indelible mark on our treasured production,” -Susie Baer Collins, former OCP Associate Artistic Director and Director of A Christmas Carol.
“Jerry has poured his heart into this role over the past 17 years, and he will be so greatly missed. He graced the show with immense humor and unmatched energy. He will probably never know how many lives he has impacted with this story of hope and redemption,” -Katie Broman, OCP Executive Director.
“Watching Jerry perform Scrooge is truly a masterclass in artistic excellence and love for theatre and storytelling. It’s an honor and a privilege to work with Jerry during his final year and he will forever leave a brilliant stamp on our production,” -Stephen Santa, OCP Artistic Director and Director of A Christmas Carol.
Longe will be honored on the final performance of A Christmas Carol on Friday, Dec. 23. The directors of A Christmas Carol will cast a new Scrooge in 2023.
Six people are invited to the retreat of Col. Rancour with a request for the Colonel to visit each of them individually. However, when a storm washes out the bridge to freedom and guests start dropping dead, it becomes clear that among the guests, help, and trapped college student lies a murderer. This is Something’s Afoot and it is currently playing at Maples Repertory Theatre.
It is really difficult to engage in an analysis of the script without revealing a salient plot point of this mystery, so I’m just going to leave things lie with my opening paragraph and you’ll just have to come watch. What I can say is that James McDonald, David Vos, and Robert Gerlach definitely did a deep dive into detective fiction in general and Agathe Christie mysteries in particular to come up with the plot of this story. In fact, it’s a good combination of the plotting of Agatha Christie and the presentation of Rex Stout (in the sense that the solution to the mystery is secondary to the colorful characters). Wrapped in the stylings of an old-time British music hall performance, this show provides a unique twist to the musical genre and a fun night of theatre.
Colton Pometta gets this show. This show is a very satirical poke at mysteries and Pometta rides that wave for all it’s worth. He lets his characters go over the top just enough so that they’re larger than life and amusing, but keeps them away from the point where it would become farcical and gauche. Pometta’s timing is spot on as his performers picked up cues like lightning and kept driving this show along. His staging is strong with full use of the space and ratcheting up the tension once it’s clear the murderer is somewhere in the house. Pometta has also led his actors to well-defined characters and tight performances.
There isn’t a weak link in the cast and each is a vital part of the machine. Roger Williams has a very stiff upper lip as the very proper butler, Clive. Justin Barron is a solid caretaker and a bit of a lech with his pinching of ladies’ glutes. Deanna Mazdra is humorous as the very Cockney maid whose sense of self-preservation is exceeded only by her greed. Bob Wearing invokes the spirit of Terry Thomas with his take on the slimy, money-grubbing nephew of Col Rancour. Todd Davison is clinical as the family doctor. Mike Ott is a scream as the blustering Col. Gillweather with some of the best extemporaneous asides I’ve ever heard and the funniest death scene I’ve ever seen. Kim Braun is appropriately snooty as the grand dame, Lady Grace Manley-Prowe.
Licia Watson tickles the funny bone as Miss Tweed, the artist/amateur sleuth. Clearly she is meant to be a combination of Agatha Christie and her creation, Miss Marple. Most of her humor comes from the fact that she lacks the deductive prowess of Christie’s famed sleuth, though the dimes do eventually drop. Watson’s Tweed definitely isn’t lacking in courage as she confidently stumbles her way through the investigation. Watson also has a potent singing voice as she invokes British fortitude in “Carry On” and explains the secret to her deductive “brilliance” in “I Owe It All”.
Jacob Sefcak’s take on Geoffrey reminded me of a young Michael Crawford as Geoffrey definitely has that charming idiot vibe. Sefcak nails the puppy dog loyalty and looks of young love and is clearly not the brightest of bulbs. Sefcak also has a dandy tenor that captures every ounce of sap needed for “I Don’t Know Why I Trust You (But I Do)” and “New Day”.
Abigail Becker is darling as Hope Langdon. Becker’s Langdon operates on the same intellectual plane as Geoffrey, but is such a ray of sunshine. She is exactly what she appears to be (or is she?) and has a crystal clear soprano that joyously welcomes the guests in “A Marvelous Weekend” or moons over Geoffrey in “You Fell Out of the Sky”.
I was particularly impressed with the sound work of this production as Madison Phillips’ thunderclaps, creaks, and sounds of death traps add the proper atmosphere to the story. Todd Davison has designed an elegant retreat for the wealthy Rancour with its purple walls and use of outlines and light to depict a large window. Jenna Alley’s props help to flesh out the world, especially with the large portrait of Rancour. Kelby King’s costumes suit the class statuses of the characters as well as the time period with accurate dresses and suits. I also tip my hat to the lights which were suitably eerie when power was knocked out or the chandeliers were lit. The band also effortlessly handled the music hall score.
Trust me, you don’t need to be a fan of murder mysteries to enjoy this show. If you like comedy and some old-fashioned tunes, then you’ll like this show, too. But accept the challenge of trying to solve the mystery and you’ll find yourself most thoroughly engaged.
Something’s Afoot runs at Maples Repertory Theatre through Nov 6. Showtimes are 2pm on Oct 22-23, 25-26, 29-30 and Nov 1-2 and 4-6 and at 7:30pm Oct 23, 28, 30, and Nov 2. Tickets cost $33 for the Main Floor and $26 for the balcony and can be obtained at the Box Office or by visiting www.maplesrep.com or calling 660-385-2924. Maples Repertory Theatre is located at 102 N Rubey St in Macon, MO.
Macon, MO–Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Something’s Afoot is a musical murder mystery suitable for the spookiness of the season.
Ten people are stranded in an isolated English country house during a raging thunderstorm. Suddenly, one by one they’re picked off by cleverly fiendish devices. As the bodies pile up in the library, the survivors frantically race to uncover the identity and motivation of the cunning culprit. Something’s Afoot is a zany, entertaining musical comedy that takes a satirical poke at Agatha Christie mysteries and musical styles of the English music hall of the ’30s.
Something’s Afoot runs at Maples Repertory Theatre from Oct 21-Nov 6. Showtimes are:
Fri. Oct. 21 – 2:00
Fri. Oct. 21 – 7:30 – Afterglow
Sat. Oct. 22 – 2:00
Sat. Oct. 22 – 7:30
Sun. Oct. 23 – 2:00
Tues. Oct. 25 – 2:00
Wed. Oct. 26 – 2:00
Fri. Oct. 28 – 7:30
Sat. Oct. 29 – 2:00
Sun. Oct. 30 – 2:00
Sun. Oct. 30 – 7:30
Tues. Nov. 1 – 2:00
Wed. Nov. 2 – 2:00
Wed. Nov. 2 – 7:30
Fri. Nov. 4 – 2:00
Sat. Nov. 5 – 2:00
Sun. Nov. 6 – 2:00
Tickets cost $33 for the Main Floor and $26 for the Balcony. Tickets may be purchased at the Box Office, by calling 660-385-2924, or by visiting www.maplesrep.com. Maples Repertory Theatre is located at 102 N Rubey St in Macon, MO.
Something’s Afoot features the talents of:
Kim Braun Todd Davison Bob Wearing Mike Ott Jacob Sefcak Deanna Marzda Abigail Becker Justin Barron Roger Williams Licia Watson
It’s the actor’s nightmare come to life and put on full display. Join a sub-sub-subpar acting troupe as they flail and flop their way through a rehearsal and a couple of performances of the farce, Nothing On, in Noises Off! currently playing at Lofte Community Theatre.
Michael Frayn’s farce within a farce has often been called the funniest play ever written. I find it hard to disagree with that statement as it has all the elements which make for great hilarity: slamming doors, breakneck pace, mistaken situations, and over the top characters. This play is also one of the most technically difficult plays ever written as most of the script’s pages are split in two (half dialogue/half stage directions) and its second act is mostly a silent film brought to life as it is sight gag placed upon sight gag with nary a bit of dialogue outside of the show in the show. In fact, the play’s lone weakness is that it fails to complete the story arcs of the “real” people that get set up during the story.
Kevin Colbert has a real flair for comedy. He truly understands bits and beats and his direction especially shines in the nearly silent second act when countless sight gags and moments battle for your attention. The jokes are executed with military precision and are so funny, even Buster Keaton would crack a smile. Colbert’s staging is right on the money as Act I feels like an exhausting late night tech rehearsal that we actors know so well while Act II gives a farcical, yet surprisingly truthful look at what actors do while waiting for their cues and Act III is the legendary actor’s nightmare where everything that can go wrong does. Colbert also has some nice meta moments such as showing a supposedly botched scene change when Act II segues into Act III and malfunctions such as actors being on the wrong side of the curtain when it closes. Colbert has also crafted sterling performances from his actors, creating well defined and unique characters.
This play is an ensemble in the truest sense of the word. There is no leading role. The weight of this show is evenly distributed on the shoulders of each cast member who all get moments in the spotlight as their personal relationships shift and fray resulting in the riotous dismantling of their performances.
This review would form a novella if I waxed poetic on every cast member, but golden performances are given by one and all. Nathan Wilson is a riot as the put upon set designer/understudy/gofer who is always either a half step behind or ahead of the others depending on the crisis. Adam Kovar is a master of physical comedy as the hot-tempered Garry Lejeune with falls so believable I actually thought he had hurt himself on a few occasions. Anne Pope is a steady hand as the troupe’s most level headed performer, Belinda Blair, who is overly optimistic and a bit of a gossip. Alyssa Rosecrans is hysterical as the stupider than a brick, Brooke Ashton, who constantly loses her contact lenses, meditates and practices yoga when stressed out, and obliviously continues with her role despite it not making sense as things fall apart around her. Deanna Walz is hilarious as the actor/producer who can never remember her stage actions and lights the fire that is Act II with her relationship troubles with Garry. Natalie McGovern is wonderful as the stage manager/understudy, Poppy, whose sweetness is matched only by her poor acting.
I was particularly taken in by Jon Kruse’s interpretation of Selsdon Mowbray. Kruse underplays the role beautifully and I envision his Selsdon as a once capable actor who has been betrayed by age and his addiction to the bottle. Kruse is very convincing as the nearly deaf thespian who can’t remember his lines and can’t recite them properly when prompted and never met a bottle of booze he didn’t like.
Mick Kovar spins some theatrical gossamer with his take on Frederick Fellowes. Kovar’s Fellowes is a likable guy, but, man, he can also get on your nerves in a hurry as his obtuseness about motivations and plot prevent him from simply acting. Kovar is a hoot as the hapless sad sack who spontaneously bleeds from the nose when violence occurs or at the sight of blood. He is an impressive physical comic in his own right as he gets tangled in sheets and waddles around with his pants around his ankles.
Somewhere I imagine Kermit the Frog is pointing at Lloyd Dallas and laughing his head off as he handles his Muppets far better than Dallas manages his. Neal Herring gives his Dallas a certain air of superiority because he seems more concerned with directing Richard III than he does about getting Nothing On off the ground. He’s also a bit of a cad as he sleeps with a couple members of the cast and crew. However, he’s also a shrewd master of diplomacy as he knows how to navigate the relationships and shortcomings of his actors even if the massive stress of doing so causes him to force a grin so tense I thought his teeth would shatter.
Kevin Colbert and Don Larew at Scenographics team up to design the massive great room of a mansion with a circular couch at the center and 8 doors and a set of windows suitable for slamming and frenetic entrances and exits. Tim Sorenson’s sounds enhance the comedy especially with the delayed window breaking cues of the third act when too many actors try to play the same part. Janet Sorenson’s costumes are realistic and natural.
Act I could have used a snappier pace, but I believe it was slowed by a quieter audience not giving the cast the needed fuel. But once the pantomime started in Act II. . .whoa Nellie!!! The cast just poured gasoline on the fire and their energy and animation would have lit Las Vegas and it didn’t wane until the final curtain fell.
There’s no depth to this show. It’s just an unbridled, free for all of fun. A viewing of this show will take care of your ab exercises for a week, so get a ticket and ready yourself to howl yourself hoarse.
Noises Off! runs at Lofte Community Theatre through October 30. Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets cost $24 and can be purchased at www.lofte.org or by calling the box office at 402-234-2553. Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Road in Manley, NE.
Omaha, NE. —Great Plains Theatre Commons (GPTC) will present two staged readings from its Commoners playwright cohort. MONEY CHANGERS by Kim Louise will be October 16 at 4pm at Union for Contemporary Art and BURIED PHOENIX by Laura Leininger-Campbell will be October 24 at 7:30pm at Omaha Community Playhouse. Tickets are available for free here for Money Changers and Buried Phoenix.
“These playwrights are treasures in our community. Their work is full of vibrancy and story,” said Community Connector Ellen Struve. “We are so fortunate to have artists of their caliber making new works for the stage, creating character and engaging audiences in Omaha. It is always exciting to be part of the very first audience a play has and see it come to life.”
Money Changers is a big-cast comedy set in 1976 in an Omaha gambling club.
Synopsis: Shine up your platform shoes, put on your hip-hugger bell-bottom jeans, pick out your Afro and come on down to Octavia’s Social Club where games and gambling are uptight and outta sight. Octavia, known as “Ms. Tay,” is the most-respected numbers banker in 1976 Omaha. She wants nothing more than to put away enough money to pay cash for every year of her daughter’s ivy-league college tuition. But her daughter wants nothing to do with college and everything to do with the numbers-running business. When Octavia forbids her daughter from following in her footsteps, her daughter rebels and runs away to a neighborhood criminal who has promised her the world—but soon finds out that hell hath no fury like a mother/numbers banker and her ass-kicking crew.
“Octavia” – Denise Chapman
“Big Lu” – TammyRa’
“Spooky” – Doriette Jordan
“Loddy” – Dara Hogan
“Aunt Sister” – Camille Metoyer Moten
“Daughter” – Ashari Johnson
“Xenia” – Rusheaa Malimbe
“Hobby” – Anthony Holmes
“King Tomorrow” – D Kevin Williams
“Mail Man/Sunny Buns – Eric Jordan
“Princess Becky” – Laura Campbell
“White Cop” – Michael Taylor Stewart
Buried Phoenix is a beautiful ensemble piece about a Midwest girl finding herself in a community of milliners in New York City.
Synopsis: In 1994, the lives of three generations of artists intersect within New York’s enchanting and chaotic Millinery District when Lark, an aspiring actress, takes a job with eccentric hat designer Beatrice Price. Lark’s odyssey within the dark canyons of gritty Manhattan will introduce her to a group of fierce and dynamic women that will challenge her estimations of herself, and inspire her the rest of her life.
What makes a successful artist? Is it genius, or is it encouragement? How will traumatic misfortunes, the disparaging voices in our past, manifest within what we create? A 2022 runner-up for the Henley Rose Playwriting Competition, Buried Phoenix illuminates a poignant and nostalgic journey through the eyes of five defiant, spellbinding women; all struggling to make their own voices heard.
Lark: AJ Adhiambo Beatrice: Kathy Tyree Anne: Mary Kelly Mary: Kim Jubenville Mei: Cecilia Poon Voices: Eric Salonis St. Direction: Eric Grant-Leanna
Chris' Corner 