Theatre Cedar Rapids Announces 2023-2024 Season

TCR is pleased to present our 2023-2024 Season! A simply amazing lineup of Tony Award™-winning and critically-acclaimed shows awaits you. See them all from your favorite seats, at the best price! 7-show subscriptions (full season) and 4-show subscriptions (auditorium only) are on sale now! Read the show descriptions below and book today.

BOOK YOUR 7-SHOW PACKAGE NOW HERE.
BOOK YOUR 4-SHOW PACKAGE NOW HERE.

DRACULA: A FEMINIST REVENGE FANTASY
October 12 – 29, 2023 in the Grandon Studio
By Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Bram Stoker
Kate Hamill boldly reimagines Bram Stoker’s classic tale of vampires and finds new monsters just beneath the skin. The gothic tropes of villains who wear evil on their sleeve and damsels in distress are replaced by all-too-human monsters and fierce women.

THE WIZARD OF OZ
Nov 17 – Dec 17, 2023 in the Auditorium
The Wizard of Oz is the classic movie come to life on stage. Follow The Scarecrow, The Tinman, The Cowardly Lion, Dorothy… and Toto too, as they meet the Wicked Witch, the Wizard and find their true hearts’ desires. All of the beloved Oscar-winning songs from the movie are here including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “We’re Off To See The Wizard.” Enjoy your favorite movie moments, plus a few surprises along the way. Journey over the rainbow with your entire family and discover the wonderful world of Oz again…or for the very first time!

SOMETHING ROTTEN!
Feb 9 – Mar 3, 2024 in the Auditorium
Welcome to the Renaissance! From the co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Avenue Q comes something original…something hilarious…Something Rotten! Brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing, and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical!

FAIRVIEW
Mar 28 – April 7, 2024 in the Grandon Studio
By Jackie Sibblies Drury
Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Fairview is a bold and disarmingly funny play that serves as “a glorious reminder of the unmatched power of live theater to rattle, roil, and shake us wide awake.” (The New York Times). When the play opens, we meet the Frasiers, a middle class Black American family trying desperately to make everything perfect for Grandma’s birthday celebration. But not too far into the festivities, we see the Frasiers’ story through a whole new lens, leading to one of the most outrageous and jaw-dropping endings in theatre history.

SCHOOL OF ROCK
May 3 – May 26, 2024 in the Auditorium
Rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme…You better get me to school on time! School of Rock, based on the hit Jack Black movie, follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight–A pupils into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. But can he get them to the Battle of the Bands without their parents and the school’s headmistress finding out?

IN THE NEXT ROOM (Or the Vibrator Play)May 16 – June 2, 2024 in the Grandon Studio
By Sarah Ruhl
In a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating ‘hysteria’ in women (and occasionally men): the vibrator. His young and energetic wife tries to tend to their newborn daughter—and wonders exactly what is going on in the next room. When a new ‘hysterical’ patient and her husband bring their complicated relationship into the doctor’s home, Dr. and Mrs. Givings must examine the nature of their own marriage, and what it truly means to love someone.

TO BE ANNOUNCED
(A HUGE SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER SURPRISE!)
June 21 – July 28, 2024 in the Auditorium
Announcement coming this fall! 

Fear the Absurdity

Anna Perilo and Ben Beck star in “The Mystery of Irma Vep”

It was a dark and stormy night. . .ah, to hell with it.  It’s The Mystery of Irma Vep and it’s currently playing at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

This show is truly a spectacle that you have to experience so I won’t blow things with any kind of a plot description.  Charles Ludlam’s script is very meta as the show is aware that it’s a show with the twist that all but two cast members are unable to perform forcing the two available thespians to play every role.  And play them they do.  Way beyond the hilt as they tell the story of the tragic Hillcrest family plagued by memories of a dead spouse, werewolves, mummies, and more.  This is truly a howler of a comedy fit for the Halloween season.

Jim McKain understood that the way to tackle this show was not to take it seriously at all.  Nothing is off limits and the actors are given the leeway to ham things up to the extreme.  Still, you can see McKain’s disciplined hand with the tightly controlled pace and the nuances that make the multiple characters played by the two actors seem like different people.  McKain also takes full advantage of the beats of this farce, milking every drop of comedy from the tropes of huge dramatic pauses, cheesy “duh DUH duh” organ chords, and sound effects that make one feel like you’re watching an old radio show from the 1940s.  He’s also guided his actors to gutbusting performances guaranteed to give audience members a great ab workout as they guffaw through the night.

Ben Beck’s star shines brightly in this show as he’s able to use the full breadth of his character acting prowess.  Whether he’s the wooden legged servant, Nicodemus, making lewd double entendres towards the maid; the buxom Lady Enid Hillcrest trying to keep her husband from pining over his late wife; or the scheming Egyptian guide, Alcazar, looking to snare a few bucks from Lord Edgar Hillcrest, Beck clomps, howls, and frets his way into your funny bone.  Some of his best moments are his improv moments where he seems to break character to make a witty aside or reaction before snapping back to whatever character he is playing.

Anna Perilo will have you gasping for air before the night is through.  Her sense of timing is deadly accurate and she is an acting chameleon.  Her amazing characters include the very Cockney maid, Jane, who has an attitude well above her station and enjoys a good draught of booze and the mysterious lrma Vep.  But her best character is her rendition of Lord Edgar Hillcrest, the very British Egyptologist who’s quick to hunt down the wolf plaguing his sheep with guns a blazing and gamely exploring unopened tombs.  But her histrionics with Hillcrest’s temper tantrums and fear of “the horrors” will leave you wheezing for breath.

I absolutely loved Matthew Hamel’s set which included its own stage with clam footlights and a very British manor with its fireplace with smoldering embers, massive French doors, and fine oak woodwork.  Combined with Andrew Morgan’s properties of books, bric a brac, and portraits, I felt like I was watching something straight off the BBC.  Timothy Vallier has a very fitting horror score for the show that sometimes gives you a wink and a nudge when it segues towards 80s hits.  Chris Wood’s lights embellish the story’s absurdities with dropdowns to blues and reds for scary moments, a cacophony of colors when a mechanism is activated to reveal a sarcophagus, and flashes of lightning.  John Gibilisco’s sounds keep things humming with gunshots, thunder claps, and smashing glass.  Lindsay Pape’s costumes suit the period and the over the top feel with Lord Hillcrest’s tweeds, Lady Enid’s billowing, poofy, pink dress, Alcazar’s fez and robe, and the Grim Reaper outfit adopted by a grim intruder.

It’s the perfect treat for the Halloween season with its spooky theme and hammy antics and you’ll have a ripping good time during a night of humorous horror.

The Mystery of Irma Vep runs at the Omaha Community Playhouse through Nov 7. Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets start at $36 with prices varying by performance. Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, by phone at (402) 553-0800, or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com. The Omaha Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass St in Omaha, NE.

Photo provided by Colin Conces

Horror Comedy, ‘The Mystery of Irma Vep’, Hits OCP in October

Anna Perilo & Ben Beck star in The Mystery of Irma Vep

Omaha, NE.– The Omaha Community Playhouse (OCP) production of The Mystery of Irma Vep will open on Friday, October 8th, 2021. The show will run in the Howard Drew Theatre through November 7 with performances Thursdays through Sundays. Tickets are on sale now starting at $36 with prices varying by performance. Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, 6915 Cass St., Omaha, NE 68132, by phone at (402) 553-0800 or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com.

SYNOPSIS

Vampires, werewolves, mummies and an ancient family curse: Two actors take on all of this and more—via dozens of warp-speed quick changes—in this wildly absurd comedy. A feverish spectacle from beginning to end, delightfully campy and dripping with satire, The Mystery of Irma Vep is a farce to be reckoned with!

Directed by: Jim McKain

Cast: Ben Beck & Anna Perilo

Photo provided by Colin Conces

“Dracula” is Stalking the Circle Theatre

Count Dracula (Justin Eller) recruits Renfield (David Sindelar) in his quest for victims

An ancient evil from Transylvania concocts a scheme to travel to London, England in search of victims to satisfy his endless hunger for blood.  His pursuit of a young woman leads to an unlikely banding together of five ordinary people led by a wise, if eccentric, professor.  Their goal?  To erase this evil nobleman from the face of the earth before he can claim further victims.

Bram Stoker’s classic gothic tale, Dracula, comes to vivid life at the Circle Theatre in an original adaptation written by Ryle Smith from Oct 19-Nov 3.  Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm with a special Halloween performance on Oct 31 at 9pm.  Tickets cost $20 ($15 for Seniors/College Students/Military/TAG Members & $12 for high school students).  Tickets can be purchased online at circleom.booktix.com or at the door on performance nights.  The Circle Theatre is located at 4444 Frances St in the Hanscom Park United Methodist Church.

Production:  Dracula

Written By:  Ryle Smith in an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel

Location:  The Circle Theatre (4444 Frances St in Hanscom Park United Methodist Church)

Ticket Prices:  $20 for adults ($15 for Seniors/College Students/Military/TAG Members & $12 for High School Students).  Purchases can be made at circleom.booktix.com or at the door on performance nights.

Directed by:  Angela Dashner

Cast

Isaac Reilly as Jonathan Harker

Stephanie Olson as Mina Murray/Harker

Chris Elston as Dr. Jack Seward

Nate Slater as Lord Godalming, Arthur Holmwood

Hunter Ponce as Quincy Morris

Ron Boschult as Professor Abraham Van Helsing

David Sindelar as R.M. Renfield

Kirsty Eden as Lucy Westenra

Kristine Dunbar as Mrs. Westenra

and

Justin Eller as Count Dracula

Also featuring:  Mylan Coffman, Corie Jacobsen, Emelia Rau, Mary Oliver, Stan Tracey, Patrick Brusnahan, and Brian Bencker

 

Circle Theatre Holding Auditions for ‘Dracula’

Auditions for Dracula will be June 11-12, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. The auditions will be held at Hanscom Park United Methodist Church, 4444 Frances Street, Omaha, NE. People who audition will be asked to read from the script. Rehearsals will start in August.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Oct 19- Nov 3, 2018
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and a special performance October 31 at 9:00 p.m.

We are excited to bring this classic novel to the stage. This adaptation, by local playwright Ryle Smith, includes all the principal characters from Stoker’s original story. This play tells the story of Dracula through the eyes of Jonathan Harker as in the novel. Much of our current mythology about vampires comes from this great classic novel.

For more information contact the Circle Theatre at 402-553-4715 or www.circletheatreomaha.org

It’s Alive!!!!!!

Shelterbelt Theatre is pleased to present Resurrection:  The Best of ShelterSkelter at 3225 California Street, October 6-29, 2017.  The show is directed by Kaitlyn McClincy, Jayma Smay, and Elizabeth Thompson.  Performances are Thurs-Sat at 9pm and Sunday at 6pm (except for Oct 29 at 2pm).  Tickets are $12 for Thursday shows and $20 Fri-Sun ($15 for students, seniors (65+), and TAG members).  Tickets are on sale at www.shelterbelt.org (click box office) or boxoffice@shelterbelt.org or 402-341-2757.

Our audience asked for it and Shelterbelt brought ShelterSkelter back to life–the eerie, the funny, the dark and spooky!  We opened the Skelter crypt and dug up some of our favorite blasts from the past, featuring some of your favorite playwrights.  Come in costume!  We’ll post pix on our Facebook page and each week’s winner (most likes) will advance to the finals.  Top finalist wins 2 Shelterbelt season tickets!  Whatever you do, don’t miss this limited edition Skelter in honor of our 25th Anniversary season.  We don’t know when it’ll appear again in this dimension!

ShelterSkelter, Shelterbelt’s celebration of all things Halloween, began in 1996 and continued for 18 seasons before going on hiatus.  Each year, scripts were sent from near and far, and a lengthy process began.  “In 2014, we took a break from Shelterskelter to focus more on our local playwrights and full-length plays,” said Executive Director, Roxanne Wach.  “As a part of our 25th anniversary season, we’ve resurrected ShelterSkelter.”

This incarnation of ShelterSkelter includes some of the best plays from past seasons, featuring work by Rob Baker, Joe Basque, Ben Beck, Molly Campbell, Julia Hinson, Jeremy Johnson, Daena Schweiger, Scott Working, and Aaron Zavitz.

The cast features Craig Bond, Katy Boone, Kevin Goshorn, Eric Grant-Leanna, Whitney Hansen, Meganne Horrocks Storm, Matt Karasek, Debbie Krambeck, and Sarah Smeltzer.  Stage Manager is Taylor Vann.  Assistant Stage Manager/Board Operator is Lisa Marie Hathaway.  Lighting design is by Joshua Mullady, with sound design by Shannon Smay, and costumes by Bridget Mueting.

Jeffrey Ballard, collage prints, and Jonathan Wilhoft, skeletal photography, are the featured artists in the gallery.

Shelterbelt Theatre is Omaha’s home for new plays.  This frightful evening opens Shelterbelt’s 25th Season, Original Lives Here, featuring scripts celebrating our local playwrights past and present.  Shelterbelt Theatre is a 2015 and 2016 recipient of the international 50/50 Applause Award by the International Centre for Women Playwrights, which honors theatres that produce a season with an equal or greater number of plays written by female playwrights. (www.womenplaywrights.org)

This Shop is Worthy of a Visit

Seymour Krelborn has one dream:  to get out of Skid Row.  One day fate seems to offer him a shot at that dream when he buys a strange, exotic plant which he exhibits in the window of the florist shop where he works.  Suddenly Seymour has fame, money, and the girl.  And all it took was a little blood.  Find out the rest of Seymour’s story in Little Shop of Horrors  by Howard Ashman with music and lyrics by Alan Menken. It is currently playing at Bellevue Little Theatre.

Ashman’s script is a bit of genius.  He took a cult horror film and managed to turn it into a hit musical due largely to his tongue in cheek approach to the material and the snappy score of Alan Menken.  The tongue in cheek approach was certainly the way to go as it helps disguise the fact that this is a pretty bleak tale.  Nearly all of the characters are unlikable and it does not have a happy arc.  In spite of that, you can’t help but have a great time due to the comedy and memorable songs.

D Laureen Pickle’s direction is a strong bit of work as she has led her cast to some fine characterizations and knows how to balance the serious moments with the over the top moments.

The cast was quite clearly enjoying themselves which really adds to the fun of the show.  Some notable supporting performances were supplied by Carrie Beth Stickrod, Samantha Shatley, and Brenda Smrdel as a trio of chiseling Skid Row do woppers who also serve as the play’s musical narrators; James Verderamo as a sadistic dentist; and Christopher Scott as Mr. Mushnik, the greedy and abrasive owner of the florist shop.

When I envision Seymour Krelborn, Kyle Avery is the image that springs to mind.  Avery was a pitch perfect Seymour as his lean and lanky physique were well suited to the nebbish Seymour.  Rest assured that Avery’s acting and singing chops were also more than up to the challenge of the role.  Adopting an adenoidal, Brooklyn tinged voice, Avery well presented Seymour as a shy, nerdy man who merely wants a few nice things out of life, but whose innocence leave him susceptible to manipulation by others.  Avery gives Seymour an inherent decency that makes his struggles with his conscience quite believable when he starts to go down a darker path due to the machinations of his plant, Audrey II.

Avery possesses a strong and sweet tenor voice that he modulates well emotionally with heartbreaking numbers such as “Skid Row” and “Suddenly, Seymour”.

Jen Dillon is delightful as Audrey.  Ms Dillon utilizes a breathy, Brooklyn voice to communicate the uneducated nature of Audrey, but, boy, does she have a heart of gold.  She is a really nice girl who just happened to be born on the wrong side of the tracks and you really pity her as she seems resigned to being poor and being involved with rotten men.  She also has a lovely soprano with which she can either belt out a tune such as her sequences in “Skid Row” or melt your heart like butter in “Somewhere That’s Green”.

Andrew Miner gives an incredibly animated performance as Audrey II.  What makes it even more amazing is that it’s all done by the power of his voice as Audrey II is nothing more than a series of puppets (kudos to the puppet designer by the way).  Miner gives Audrey II a delicious aura of evil and a malicious mean streak.  His powerful upper baritone singing voice also aid in communicating Audrey II’s nastiness with tunes such as “Feed Me (Git It)” and “Suppertime”.

D Laureen Pickle’s set design really looks like a skid row with its dilapidated, abandoned buildings and garbage strewn streets.  Lindsey Pape has designed a series of pluperfect costumes from Seymour’s nerdy outfit of baseball cap, sweater, and glasses to the disheveled clothes of the Skid Row inhabitants to the do wop outfits of the Skid Row trio.  Chris Ebke and his band provided a wonderful afternoon’s entertainment performing the catchy tunes.  I also want to note the puppetry of Brian Henning which made Audrey II seem like a living entity.

Energy seemed to lag a bit in today’s production and projection was all over the map.  I also thought there was room to go a bit bigger in some of the show’s more over the top moments.  But these are easily remedied items which will make a hot show scalding.

It may not be a happy tale, but, by golly, it’s a fun time.  Take a visit to this shop.  Just remember, don’t feed the plants.

Little Shop of Horrors plays at Bellevue Little Theatre through Oct 1.  Showtimes are Fri-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students.  For tickets contact the theatre at 402-291-1554 Mon-Sat from 10am to 3pm.  Bellevue Little Theatre is located at 203 W Mission Ave in Bellevue, NE.

A Telekinetic, Teenage Tragedy

Carrie White is a special girl.  Sure she’s bullied and ostracized by her classmates, but she is a special girl.  And maybe her mother abuses her psychologically and emotionally, but she really is a special girl.  Do you want to know how special?  Just make her angry.  But I wouldn’t advise it.  For, if you do, you won’t live long enough to regret it.  Find out how special Carrie White is in Carrie:  The Musical adapted by Lawrence D. Cohen from a novel by Stephen King with music composed by Michael Gore and lyrics written by Dean Pitchford and currently playing at SNAP! Productions.

I admit to not being much of a fan of Stephen King’s horror works.  I’ve only read one of his books and have seen roughly six of his macabre tales. Now I have watched the film version of Carrie and I consider it to be the deepest of his horror novels.  Let me correct that.  It isn’t a horror novel.  Carrie is a tragedy with some undertones of horror.  It is actually an eye opening look at the evil of bullying.  I also admit that I was glad to review this show because I found it to be one of the top productions of the theatre season.

I congratulate Todd Brooks for a truly impressive piece of stage and music direction.  He treated the subject matter with respect and did fine work leading the score.  I also thought he told the story exceptionally well as he and his troupe of actors led us through the pain of Carrie’s existence, yet managed to drop little nuggets of hope for her before epically yanking the rug out from under her feet.  Brooks also drew very good performances out of his thespians who provided a well acted, well sung tale.

I always appreciate choruses who understand the vital part they play in shows.  Each and every member of this chorus stay involved with every moment of the show, providing fresh and strong characterizations that really livened things up.  This particular chorus also had the best harmonization I have ever heard, best exemplified in “A Night We’ll Never Forget”.

Notable performances were supplied by Josh Polack as Billy Nolan, the dimwitted and mean-spirited boyfriend of Carrie’s nemesis and Mike Burns’ portrayal of Tommy Ross, one of the few decent students at Carrie’s school.  Burns had one of the night’s best numbers as his pleasant tenor touched hearts with “Tommy’s Poem (Dreamer in Disguise)”.

Gigi Hausman really shines in the title role of Carrie White in her SNAP! debut.  Ms Hausman has incredible body language as the put upon Carrie as she closes herself off from the rest of her classmates with her clasped hands, slumped shoulders, and downward gaze.  My heart truly ached from the loneliness and sadness she communicated and she nicely evolves Carrie from mousey to somewhat confident and hopeful when Tommy asks her to the prom and she learns how to control her telekinesis to her final snapping after a cruel prank causes her to unleash the full fury of her power on the school.

Ms Hausman was equally moving on the singing side as her soprano pleaded for God’s help in “Evening Prayers” and was quietly optimistic in “Why Not Me?”

Sara Planck is scary in her role of Margaret White.  And what really sells it is how real and normal she appears.  Ms Planck’s Margaret seems like a regular mom, if a little overprotective, until she starts spouting the drivel that Carrie’s first period was a sign of sin.  Then you realize that she’s a neurotic with a religious mania who crooks scripture to satisfy her warped view of God and locks Carrie in an underground cell to pray for forgiveness due to her own guilt of having conceived of a child outside of wedlock.

Ms Planck’s alto nearly stole the night as she tells Carrie “And Eve Was Weak”, confesses about the night she succumbed to temptation in “I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance”, and goes soprano when she laments “When There’s No One” after she calmly decides to sacrifice Carrie, mistaking her telekinesis for demonic power.

Paloma Power also makes a fine debut with SNAP! as Sue Snell, the play’s narrator.  Ms Power’s Sue bullies Carrie at the start of the show, but genuinely regrets her actions and tries to makes amends through apology and then by getting her boyfriend, Tommy, to take Carrie to the prom.  Ms Power brings a real goodness and decency to the role and she also understands Carrie better than anyone, sharing how she sees the burning cauldron of pain beneath the quiet shell when she beautifully sings “Once You See”.

I was thoroughly repulsed by Chris Hargensen as played by Laurel Rothamel.  And, yes, that is a very high compliment.  I cannot recall a character that I detested as much as I did Chris.  Ms Rothamel’s interpretation is astonishing.  She is so cruel, so nasty, so slutty, so spoiled, and so vindictive that I found myself wishing someone would slap the taste out of her mouth and I’m a pretty peaceful, easy-going guy.  Even more amazing, she actually made me feel a tiny bit of sympathy for her when she implied that her bullying nature is the by-product of being beaten by her father, a ruthless attorney, in the night’s most fun number, “The World According to Chris”.

Jason DeLong deserves extremely high praise for his choreography which was not only fun and creative, but managed to be flowing and big despite the confines of the small theatre.  Megan Bollanger’s set invoked memories of high school dances from yesteryear.  Leah Skorupa’s costumes were pitch perfect from Carrie’s frumpy outfit to Chris’ vampy clothes to the elegant prom gear.  Joshua Mullady proves that he may be the city’s best lighting designer as his lights once more become extra characters in the show as they enhanced scenes with evil reds, hopeful glows, and soft romance.  Daena Schweiger’s sound and visuals really added that something extra to the show.

There were a few missed notes during some of the songs and some of the cast needed to speak up and project more, but this is a quality production.  The numbers are catchy, the story is surprisingly profound, and the acting is quite powerful.  Get yourself a ticket to see this as, as the cast sings, it’ll be a night you’ll never forget.

Carrie:  The Musical continues at SNAP! Productions through June 25.  Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 8pm and Sundays at 6pm.  The June 25 show and an additional matinee on June 17 will be at 2pm.  Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, TAG members, Military, and seniors (55+) and all Thursday shows).  For tickets, call 402-341-2757 or visit www.snapproductions.com.  Due to strong language and mature themes, Carrie:  The Musical is not recommended for children.  SNAP! Productions is located at 3225 California Street in Omaha, NE.

SNAP! Productions Holding Auditions for Horror Musical

Carrie the Musical
directed by Todd Brooks

SNAP! Productions
3225 California Street
Omaha, NE 68108

Auditions begin at 6:30pm

 

SNAP! Productions’ Summer show, CARRIE The Musical, will have auditions on March 13^th and 14 ^th. The run of the show will be from June 1 – 25 (Thursday – Sunday only). The rehearsals will start on April 19^th. Todd Brooks will Direct and Music Direct with Joshua Mullady (Producing) and Jason DeLong (Choreographer).

Please have a memorized piece of music to sing. An accompanist will be provided, so have sheet music. NO acapella singing. Remember this is a rock score and most females need to be able to belt. Men need to sing something that shows off high notes. There will be dancing for the high school roles, so wear appropriate shoes and clothes. There will also be cold readings from the script.

 

SYNOPSIS

Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she’s an outcast who’s bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she’s at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie’s just discovered she’s got a special power, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use it…

 

CAST BREAKDOWN
CARRIE WHITE:  (Female – able to look like a senior in high school)

A painfully shy outsider who, in spite of her best efforts to belong, has been the victim of her classmates’ cruel jokes since childhood, as well as her mother’s strict, biblically-ordained control at home. She transforms from ugly duckling into graceful-and then vengeful- swan. Vocally, she must be capable of lyrical sweetness as well as fierce power.

 

MARGARET WHITE:  (Female – Carrie’s Mom – 40’s to 50’s)

A woman of visceral extremes, she balances her fervent religious convictions with equally sincere true-believer spirituality and tender, maternal love for Carrie. Like Carrie, with whom she shares several duets, her voice must range from expressive and melodic to ferocious and frightening.

 

SUE SNELL:  (Female – able to look like a senior in high school)

A straight-A student who’s been popular her entire life, she’s remarkably level headed for her age. Her unthinking participation in a cruel act of bullying causes a crisis of conscience that leads her on a journey to try to right things. Vocally, she has a pop ballad voice that delivers sweet sincerity and strength.

 

TOMMY ROSS:  (Male – able to look like a senior in high school)

Popular star athlete, valedictorian, and all around stand-out, he’s the boy that all the girls want to be with, and all the boy want to be. Yet he also has unexpected, quirky sensitivity and is just starting to mine his personal life and feelings – a budding poet. His voice should have an effortless pop quality.

 

CHRIS HARGENSEN:  (Female – able to look like a senior in high school)

Rich, spoiled-rotten, and wickedly funny, Chris is a popular beauty whose arrogant self-assurance makes her believe that the rules don’t apply to her. Loaded with sexual dynamite, she has serious daddy and anger-management issues. Her voice is pop-rock percussive and powerful.

 

BILLY NOLAN:  (Male – able to look like a senior in high school)

Now in his sixth year in high school, Billy’s a sexy, stupid·like-a-fox bad boy whose wise mouth troublemaking has led him to spend more time in detention than in class. All these qualities make it easy for his girlfriend Chris to manipulate him to do her bidding. His voice is that of a wailing rocker.

 

MISS LYNN GARDNER:  (Female – able to play mid 30’s)

Mid-30s, this girls’ P.E. teacher can be a strict disciplinarian if necessary, but when Carrie arouses her maternal instinct, she surprises herself by also revealing a protective “fairy godmother” side. Her voice is warm and strong, just like the woman.

 

MR. STEPHENS: (Male – able to play mid 30’s)

Late-30s, this well-intentioned English teacher and guidance counselor struggles to help his students realize their potential. A dedicated educator, he’s stretched thin in his duties, woefully underpaid, and a bit overwhelmed as to how to handle the Billy Nolans of the classroom combat zone.

 

NORMA:  (Female – able to look like a senior in high school)

Bitchy, gossipy and a shameless suck-up to authority, Norma is second-in-command to Chris’ queen bee.

 

FRIEDA:  (Female – able to look like a senior in high school)

Sue’s brainy pal, she’s an easy-going, get-along follower and a tireless extracurricular committee volunteer.

 

HELEN:  (Female – able to look like a senior in high school)

Giggly and easily shocked, her immaturity and need to belong make her the perfect example of the herd mentality.

 

GEORGE:  (Male – able to look like a senior in high school)

Tommy’s jock wingman since childhood, George idolizes him. Perhaps a little too much …

 

STOKES:  (Male – able to look like a senior in high school)

A bit of a nerd, he’s happy to be included as one of Tommy’s posse.

 

FREDDY:  (Male – able to look like a senior in high school)

The wisecracking class clown and official yearbook photographer, be can’t believe any girl would ever give him the time of day.

Any questions, please contact Todd Brooks @ Brooks1965@aol.com. Please put “Carrie The Musical” in the subject line.

Tepid, Tiresome Tale Dooms Dracula

When Dr. Seward’s daughter, Lucy, begins exhibiting the same symptoms that preceded the death of her friend, Mina, Dr. Seward calls in his old friend, Professor Van Helsing for help.  Van Helsing suspects the work of a vampire and it is up to the two doctors and Lucy’s fiancée, Jonathan Harker, to discover the vampire and save Lucy from certain doom.  This is the plot of Dracula by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, adapted from the novel by Bram Stoker and currently playing at the Chanticleer Theater.

This is, quite possibly, the dullest script I have ever seen produced on a metro area stage.  Even by the standards of the year this play was written, 1924, it isn’t scary.  It’s a sitting room melodrama and that is not suited to a gothic tale like Dracula.  Aside from the lack of scares, Deane and Balderston have done the cast and audience no favors by leaping straight into the action with no sense of build and eliminating 3 crucial characters from the story though the presence of one, Mina Murray, is felt throughout the play.  The tension is nearly non-existent and the resolution is anti-climactic.

I tip my hat to Daena Schweiger and her group of actors for a valiant effort in trying to do something with this script, but it hates them with a passion and practically defies them to do anything with it.  It truly is a pity as Ms Schweiger’s direction is of very good quality.  The show is well staged, well paced, and Ms Schweiger has guided her actors to mostly very good to excellent performances.

Andy Niess shone in the role of Renfield, Dracula’s insane servant.  Arguably the most well developed character in the play, the script still tries to hamstring the actor by making Renfield the clichéd slavering lackey.  Niess turns the tables on the script with a deep, multilayered performance.  He demonstrates great understanding of Renfield’s nature by leaping from sane to insane and back again at a moment’s notice.  Sometimes even within the same sentence.  When he laughs it is with purpose and it is sinister and scary.  When he begs to be restrained and sent away to protect Lucy, he is strangely sympathetic.  The only flaw in Niess’ performance is that he needs to commit more fully when Renfield physically attacks  others.  He was obviously holding back during those moments of violence.

Amanda Vyhnalek does remarkable work with the relatively one note character of Lucy Seward.  Ostensibly, she is the stereotypical damsel in distress and Dracula has already begun attacking her as the play opens.  Ms Vyhnalek communicates Lucy’s fear and sickliness well with a weary, fearful delivery and stooped body posture.  She truly gets her moment to shine when her vampiric nature begins to dominate her.  She is sultry and coy as she tries to pry the group’s plans for Dracula out of Jonathan.  Ms Vyhnalek’s diction is some of the best I’ve heard out of a local performer and she is also capable of a bloodcurdling scream guaranteed to send chills down one’s spine.

Mark Reid is pretty effective in the role of Professor Van Helsing.   I thought his soft spoken approach to Van Helsing worked especially well as it made the character’s intelligence and strength of will more pronounced.  This Van Helsing is clearly a step ahead of everyone else intellectually and it is that crucial step that makes one believe that he will defeat the evil Count.  Reid does need to be careful with his accent as it seemed to come and go and sometimes sounded more British than Dutch.

Adam Haverman does good work with his interpretation of Jonathan Harker.  Haverman has a nice, natural delivery style well suited to the earnest Harker.  He is brave and he is determined.  Haverman also reacts well to others.  A sterling example of this talent is his determination not to reveal the heroes’ pursuit of Count Dracula to Lucy despite his body language clearly indicating he wants nothing more than to do just that.

Alfred Salanitro is fairly solid in the role of Dr. Seward.  I liked the clinical air he brought to the psychiatrist as it made it very believable that this man would be very logical and not open to the idea of a supernatural beast hunting his daughter.  However, I did think he overused it a bit as, even after he accepted the reality of a vampire, he still seemed very clinical towards Lucy’s plight and I did not sense a great deal of concern for his daughter’s well-being.  Salanitro also needs to step up his volume.

Matthew Kelehan seems a bit out of his element in the title role.  He lacked the regal presence needed for the Count and he had difficulty with Dracula’s Romanian accent.  Kelehan’s interpretation also needs to be nuanced as it came off a bit stiff and wooden.

The technical pieces of the show were some of its strongest assets.  Particularly impressive was Michael Taylor Stewart’s set, the imposing stone edifice of Purley Sanitorium and Dave Podendorf’s sound design with its intense bass beats, creepy music, and haunting cries being the perfect support for a gothic story.

I’ve long said that bad writing will sink good acting each and every time and this particular story seems to support that belief.  The cast deserves much better than what this play gives them, but they certainly do give their all to the tale.

Dracula plays at the Chanticleer Theater through November 1.  Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  An additional 10:30pm performance will be given on October 30.  Tickets cost $20 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $10 for students.  For reservations, contact the Chanticleer at 712-323-9955.  The Chanticleer is located at 830 Franklin Ave in Council Bluffs, IA.  Dracula is a horror show and parental discretion is advised.