Lofte Community Theatre Announces 2023 Season

Doublewide, Texas

By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, & Jamie Wooten

March 24, 25, 26, 30, 31 & April 1, 2

Auditions: Feb. 13 & 14 @ 7 PM

The inhabitants of one of the smallest trailer parks in Texas—four doublewides and a shed—are thrown for a loop when they realize the nearby town of Tugaloo is determined to annex them. These friends, enemies, and neighbors will need to work together to overcome the oncoming annexation and preserve their way of life. This hilarious, fast-paced comedy, comes with plenty of “down home” humor to go around!

Wit

By Margaret Edson

May 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14

Auditions: Feb. 16 & 17 @ 7 PM

*We suggest PG-13 for adult themes- This show discusses cancer and death*

Vivian Bearing, Ph.D., a renowned professor of English who has spent years studying and teaching the brilliant and difficult metaphysical sonnets of John Donne, has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. During the course of her illness—and her stint as a prize patient in an experimental chemotherapy program at a major teaching hospital—Vivian comes to reassess her life and her work with deep insight and humor that are transformative both for her and the audience. Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

9 to 5: The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton; Book by Patricia Resnick

July 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30

Auditions: May 15 & 16 @ 7 PM

Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to take the power away from the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. Based on the 1980 hit movie, 9 to 5 The Musical is a hilarious, outrageous, and thought-provoking story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. Come see these women take control of their office and discover there is nothing they can’t do, even in a man’s world.

The Mousetrap

By Agatha Christie

September 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10

Auditions: July 24 & 25 @ 7 PM

*This show discusses death, murder, and child abuse*

After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded during a snowstorm. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, as the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. A police detective arrives on skis to interrogate the suspects but when a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate. This murder mystery features a brilliant surprise finish from Dame Agatha Christie, the foremost mystery writer of her time. The world’s longest-running play comes to the Lofte stage!

The Nerd

By Larry Shue

October 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29

Auditions: Aug. 13 @ 2 PM & Aug. 14 @ 7 PM

Aspiring architect Willum Cubbert owes his life to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved his life when he was wounded in battle. Willum has told Rick that as long as he is alive, “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you.” To Willum’s delight, Rick unexpectedly appears on the night of his thirty-fourth birthday party. However, delight soon turns to dismay as he discovers that Rick is a hopeless “nerd,” —a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. This outrageous comedy will leave you laughing all the way home!

A Doublewide, Texas Christmas

By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, & Jamie Wooten

December 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17

Auditions: Oct. 16 & 17 @ 7 PM

Back in one of the smallest trailer parks in Texas, it’s beginning to look a lot like trouble! Not only are the trailer park residents dealing with the stress of the holiday season, but they’ve just discovered that Doublewide is being double-crossed by the County. New problems come up and familiar problems come back as this band of eccentric Texans must band together once more to keep their lifestyle and their holiday spirit! Oh, there’s no place like a good ol’ Texas-sized mobile home for the holidays!

A Comedy of Calamitous Proportions

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.

Legal Dose of Love

After being dumped by her boyfriend due to not being perceived as serious enough for the political career he has planned for himself, Elle Woods hatches a plan to win back his love.  She decides to follow him to Harvard Law School.  Initially disdained by her classmates, Elle eventually shows them she’s got what it takes to be Legally Blonde which is currently playing at Lofte Community Theatre.

I had neither seen the movie nor read the original novel, but after seeing this show, I might now do so.  The character of Elle Woods is a fictionalized version of the novel’s author, Amanda Brown, who was inspired to write the book based off her own experiences as a blonde law student at Harvard.

It’s actually a really great tale that reverses the traditional “fish out of water” story.  In this case, the fish is already a highly popular student, but that popularity doesn’t follow her to Harvard due to the highly competitive, ultra-serious nature of her fellow law students.  The show also touches on themes of self-respect and not to judge a book by its cover.  A lot of Elle’s early troubles at Harvard are the result of her bubbly personality and obsession with fashion leading her peers to think she’s an idiot, conveniently ignoring the fact that she was admitted to Harvard which means she is smart (she had a 4.0 grade average as an undergrad).  But when she finally applies herself, her peers’ eyes finally open to that reality.

Kevin Colbert’s direction is truly marvelous in this production.  Energy starts at a fever pitch and manages to be maintained throughout the show.  Pacing was right on the mark and Colbert knew how to merge the serious with the funny, expertly following those beats as those two elements were often in the same scene and, sometimes, the same moment.  Colbert has molded a wonderful set of performances from his actors that were utterly believable and just a load of fun to watch.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, an invested ensemble adds so much to a large scale production and I was extremely impressed as to how much the ensemble was into this show.  In bigger scenes, I kept my eyes on them just to see what little reactions and touches they would add and it really helped this world to blossom. 

Some great performances in the supporting/featured cast include Wade Mumford who nearly got a standing ovation mid-show for the way he simply walked into a salon to make a delivery and let the women ogle him.  Peyton Banks is shallow as the status chasing Warner Huntington III and has a nice falsetto with “Serious”.  Zoe Tien exudes a great superior than thou attitude with her take on Vivienne Kensington, a rival of Elle’s who has a rod up her backside which had a rod up its backside that I strongly suspect had a rod up its backside.  Max Antoine is very convincing as Professor Callahan, a popular law professor who is predatory inside and outside of the courtroom and classroom.

It was great seeing Anna Rebecca Felber grace a stage again as the theatre community has sorely missed her talents.  Felber shines as Paulette Buonofuonte, the hairdresser with hutzpah who befriends Elle.  Felber has comedic timing which can’t be taught and does more with a look or expression than some can with multipage monologues.  Felber has the loyalty and “take no guff” attitude needed for the hard as nails New Englander.  Felber can also belt out a tune like few can with a stirring rendition of “Ireland”.

Alex Rownd makes for a fine everyman as Emmett Forrest.  Normally, he would be the traditional “fish out of water” as he came from the poor side of town and had to make it to Harvard based on grit and grades.  But it’s his “fish out of water” nature that allows him to support Elle as he recognizes that same out of placeness in her and helps her to find that “chip on her shoulder” needed to succeed and quiet the naysayers.  Rownd brings real decency and an honorable nature to the dedicated student and he has a pristine tenor which he can use to humorous effectiveness in “Chip On My Shoulder” to a sweet sadness in “Legally Blonde”.

I rather hope Lofte qualifies for OEA nominations because Olivia Sis’ portrayal of Elle Woods not only deserves a nomination for Leading Actor in a Musical, it was also, for my money, one of the best performances of the season.

Sis just exploded onto the stage and had energy that would light up New York.  She perfectly captures Elle’s essence with that supreme self-confidence, enthusiastic personality, and devotion to fashion.  Most importantly, she doesn’t play her dumb.  Elle is smart, but not always a dedicated student unless the subject matter interests her.  Sis laid out a beautiful arc for Elle as she actually starts this show with a lack of self-respect, though she may not be aware of it as she follows (almost stalks) her ex-boyfriend to Harvard to win him back.  But when she realizes how vapid he is and the joy of using the law to help the underdog, she really begins to peak personally.

Sis also has an incredible singing voice as she consistently knocked balls out of the park with “What You Want, “So Much Better”, “Bend & Snap”, and “Legally Blonde”.

Benjamin Pettiford and his band nailed the peppy score to the floor and I give them bonus points for an item I’ll discuss shortly.  Becca Schmucker has crafted the new best piece of choreography I’ve seen on a metro stage.  It’s fun.  It’s exciting.  It’s inventive.  And the dancing in “Whipped Into Shape” is easily the best dance number ever performed locally.  Mark C. Koski at Sceneographics designed a very ambitious three tiered set with columns painted by Linda Dabbs whose rotations and incoming and outgoing properties of Shila Hansen & The Cast changed locales.  Kevin Colbert’s lights help add some ambiance with the almost pinkish light in Elle’s room to the use of focused spotlights on more serious moments.

For all the great things this show offered, it had one powerful thing working against it and that was microphone volume.  I had a very difficult time hearing the cast during Act I and they would sometimes be drowned out by the music of the band.  And here’s where the bonus points come in as the band picked up on that and lowered the volume in Act II so the actors could be heard more easily and the issues finally cleared by the climax of the show. 

That being said, this is still a virtually perfect night of theatre.  It’s a fun story with some surprising depth fueled by a high powered cast more than up to the challenge.  Take advantage of its last weekend and see a fantastic production.

Legally Blonde performs at Lofte Community Theatre through July 31.  Showtimes are Fri-Sat at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets cost $24 and can be purchased at www.lofte.org, visiting the Box Office, or by calling 402-234-2553. Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Road in Manley, NE.

An Accidental Friendship

A young businessman is forced to assist an elderly Jewish man once a week for six months after nearly hitting him with his car.  What begins as an unwelcome punishment soon evolves into a warm friendship as each helps the other to escape from a prison of his own making.  This is Visiting Mr. Green and it is currently playing at the Lofte Community Theatre.

Jeff Baron’s script is a feast for character actors.  There are a lot of rich, chewy scenes for actors to gnaw on as well as oodles of character development and all wrapped in a slice of life package.  The construction of the script is remarkable.  Initial scenes are short due to the two men wishing to spend as little time together as possible.  As their friendship develops and grows, the scenes lengthen.  When their relationship hits the skids, the scenes begin to shrink again.  It’s also a touching tale of two people trying to come to grips with a world in which they don’t seem to fit.

Kevin Colbert provides an effective piece of direction.  He gives the scenes plenty of time to breathe and utilizes the energies of his two thespians well.  The more keyed up Ross Gardiner constantly moves around and performs little actions to burn off his excess energy while the more laconic and elderly Mr. Green is a bit more economical with his movements.  This utilization of energy leads to some good staging as the two actors use the entire apartment which keeps this purely dialogue driven from drifting into static.  Colbert has also guided his actors to a pair of very stellar, human performances.

Ross Mumford is very charming and likable as Ross Gardiner.  That likability is key to his performance as Mumford wisely skips the obvious choice of being a jerk at the top of the show.  He’s basically a good guy, who is wound a little tight and unhappy about his community service.  This makes his opening up to Mr. Green believable when their relationship blossoms into a true friendship.  Gardiner hides a heavy secret and that secret might lead a lot of actors to the lazy choice of playing him angry, but Mumford constantly picks better alternatives.  He gets frustrated.  He gets indignant.  He gets sad.  When anger is used, it’s brief and appropriate.  Mumford does need to be aware of his body as he upstaged himself on a few occasions and needs to cheat out on some of his conversations with Mr. Green.

Bill Bossman gives an exceptional performance as Mr. Green.  I loved his use of body language.  At the start of the show, Mr. Green is sickly and malnourished and his movements reflect that as his steps are plodding and weak.  As he begins to eat more regularly, thanks to Ross, he gets some pep in his step and starts moving a bit more easily, but still in the style of an octogenarian.  Bossman puts some great crust on the grieving widower who simply wants to be left alone until he learns that Ross is Jewish and then you can see and hear his interest piquing which gets the ball rolling on their friendship.  Bossman well essays Green’s unyielding beliefs and attitudes and is very convincing when he starts to let those walls crumble as those beliefs and attitudes have caused the fractures in his life instead of healing them.

Kevin Colbert’s apartment is well suited to Mr. Green’s life.  It’s simple, but comfortable.  It’s even homey after Ross cleans it up and you can definitely see the touch of Green’s late wife after the place has been tidied.  The set is boosted by the properties of Melinda Mead and Sheila Hansen with books, dishes, knickknacks, and a very convincing mess with newspapers strewn about the place at the top of the show.  Nick Haussler further adds to the feeling of a low rent apartment with the squawking erupting from the kitchen faucet.  Janet Sorensen’s costumes suit the characters’ characters with the simple dress shirt, tan pants, and sweater of Mr. Green and Gardiner’s business attire.

It’s a sweet show with a lot of heart and Visiting Mr. Green has proved to be another feather in the cap of the Lofte.

Visiting Mr. Green plays at Lofte Community Theatre through May 16. 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.

‘Visiting Mr. Green’ Opening at Lofte Community Theatre

Manley, NE—Visiting Mr. Green will run at Lofte Community Theatre from May 6, 2022 to May 15, 2022. 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.

Synopsis

Mr. Green, an elderly, retired dry cleaner, wanders into New York traffic and is almost hit by a car driven by Ross Gardiner, a 29-year-old corporate executive. The young man is given a community service of helping the recent widower once a week for six months. This is a moving and often funny story about two men who do not want to be in the same room together. As they get to know each other and come to care about each other they open old wounds they’ve been hiding and nursing for years.

Cast

Bill Bossman as Mr. Green
Ross Mumford as Ross Gardiner

A ‘Hare’y Case

Elwood P. Dowd is a heck of a guy.  His manners are impeccable.  He always has a smile and a kind word for you.  He’ll meet you as a stranger and leave you as a friend.  Speaking of friends, his best friend is an invisible six-foot, one and a half inch tall white rabbit which deals fits to his family. Find out why in Harvey which is currently playing at the Lofte Community Theatre.

In Dowd, Mary Chase has created a true disciple to Cervantes’ beloved madman, Don Quixote de La Mancha.  Not only does Dowd see life as it should be instead of as it is, but he takes it one step further by making life as it should be the reality of his little corner of the world.  It’s quite a powerful theme and it’s truly a joy to watch the magical effect that Dowd’s philosophy of just “being pleasant” has on the world.  Had Chase focused solely on the idea of Dowd’s philosophy and madness, she’d have had a nearly perfect story.  But her use of several subplots that never really get fully developed or settled waters her work down a bit and turns a nearly perfect story into a pretty good story.

Kevin Colbert’s direction is fairly effective.  I loved his staging and use of space in the mammoth set.  His actors are precisely placed so you not only always see their faces, but it makes the cavernous library and sanitarium feel full.  Colbert also has a firm grip on the show’s primary theme and gives it the proper focus throughout the production.  He’s also guided his actors to some sweet and charming performances.  As the show does have elements of a farce, I thought the pacing could have been picked up at points and the cue pickups needed to be tighter, but I’ll qualify that by saying I did catch this show on its penultimate night and I may have just been seeing the performance fatigue that sometimes hits at the end of a run.

In this solid ensemble, you’ll see some entertaining performances from Matt Jarvis and Natalie Christina McGovern.  Jarvis makes the most of his brief time on stage by being the physical embodiment of Dowd’s philosophy.  He’s very irritable when he enters, but is transformed into a friendly, garrulous man after meeting Dowd.  Jarvis also gets one of the night’s best monologues as he tells the story of taking patients to and from the sanitarium which paints the difference between happiness and reality.  McGovern provides some laughs as a slightly snobby and man hungry high society elitist.

Neal Herring was sublime as Elwood P. Dowd.  When he first entered, I was struck by his physical similarity to Dan Duryea and his Dowd has a personality to match (Duryea was known as the nicest guy in Hollywood in massive contrast to the vicious villains he brought to life on screen).  Herring underplays the role beautifully.  He is just charming and likable and one cannot help, but be a better person just by being in his presence.  This guy isn’t crazy, he’s simply “conquered reality” which makes him saner than most.

Scott Clark is very clinical as sanitarium head, William Chumley.  This man is practically a robot, staying in his office and never interacting with patients which explains how he’s lost touch with his humanity.  Clark is truly amusing as he starts to disintegrate when dealing with the curious case of Dowd and Harvey and has a truly shining moment when he throws off his shell and you realize Chumley is a man who has merely forgotten the simple pleasures of life.

Rosalie Duffy has all the right elements in place as Dowd’s sister, Veta Louise Simmons.  Duffy’s Veta has got a good heart, but also is a little more concerned with her ranking in high society and how she’s perceived by others instead of just being happy.  Duffy also does a fine job of slowly peeling the onion of her relationship with Harvey and you learn there may be more than madness at play.  This is a truly fun role and I think Duffy has the space to go a bit bigger with some of her interpretations and reactions with some of the show’s more farcical moments.

Colbert has designed the best set I’ve seen this season.  It breaks apart and rotates like a jigsaw puzzle with one side being the library in the Dowd home with its fine stained wood, gorgeous window, bookshelves, and looming fireplace and the other being the front office of the sanitarium with powder blue walls, office doors, phones, and desk.  The sanitarium actually has a homey feeling which would put patients at ease.  Janet Sorensen’s costumes are on the mark with elegant suits for the men, splendid dresses for the wealthy women, the sterile uniform of the sanitarium orderly, and the practical nurse uniform of Ruth Kelly.  I also want to take a moment to praise the wonderful portraits Cindy Mumford has painted of Marcella Dowd plus the one of Elwood and Harvey.

And what of Harvey?  Is he delusion?  Reality?  Or that little spark of happiness that many of us tend to lose?  I have my thoughts, but I’d rather you watch it and come up with your own theories.

Harvey has one final performance at Lofte Community Theatre on April 10 at 2pm.  Tickets cost $24 and can be purchased at the box office, by calling 402-234-2553, or visiting www.lofte.org.  Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Road in Manley, NE.

Lofte Community Theatre Announces 2022 Season

Harvey by Mary Chase

Performances: April 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10
Auditions: February 15 & 16 @ 7 PM

This Pulitzer Prize winning play has been adapted many times for film
and television, most notably a 1950 film starring James Stewart.

The Story: Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary six-and a-half-foot-tall rabbit. To avoid future embarrassment for her family, Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. The search is on for Elwood, who eventually arrives at the sanitarium of his own volition, and it seems that Elwood and his invisible companion have had a strange influence on many people…and you will be one of them. Don’t miss this theatrical classic!

Visiting Mr. Green by Jeff Baron

Performances: May 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15
Auditions: February 22 & 23 @ 7 PM

Mr. Green, an elderly, retired dry cleaner, wanders into New York traffic and is almost hit by a car driven by Ross Gardiner, a 29-year-old corporate executive. The young man is given a community service of helping the recent widower once a week for six months. This is a moving and often funny story about two men who do not want to be in the same room together. As they get to know each other and come to care about each other they open old wounds they’ve been hiding and nursing for years. We suggest PG-13.

Legally Blonde by Heather Hach with Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin

Performances: July 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31
Auditions: May 24, 25 @ 7 PM

This fabulously fun award-winning musical is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn Mayer motion picture. Elle Woods appears to have it all. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school. While there she struggles, but with the support of some new friends she quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world. Exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dances – this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal!

The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman

September 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11
Auditions: July 25 & 26 @ 7PM

In this transcendently powerful adaptation Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination. An impassioned drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic, The Diary of Anne Frank captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence—their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief.

Noises Off! by Michael Frayn

October 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30
Auditions: September 4 & 5 @ 7PM

Called “the funniest farce ever written,” Noises Off presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing’s On. Doors slamming, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald, and John K. Alvarez

December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18
Auditions: October 24 & 25 @ 7PM

Instead of performing Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told — plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. A madcap romp through the holiday season!

Motherly Wisdom

“The secret to my writing is that I’m ordinary.”—Erma Bombeck

But she made the ordinary extraordinary as America’s most celebrated housewife.  Beloved for her wit and wisdom, Erma Bombeck entertained the public for years with her observations on the home front with her syndicated column.  Now you can learn a bit about the world’s most famous mother in Erma Bombeck:  At Wit’s End which is currently playing at Lofte Community Theatre.

The best thing about this show is that you don’t even need to know anything about Erma Bombeck in order to enjoy it.  Allison and Margaret Engel do an amazing job summarizing the life of Bombeck through the use of her own voice as she shares the story of her life, her accomplishments, her family, and support of the ERA with plenty of her one of a kind witticisms enhancing the monologue of this one woman show.

Kevin Colbert’s direction is quite exceptional.  Static this show is not as his Erma constantly bounds around the stage doing housework and writing articles as she shares her life’s story.  Colbert also has a firm grip on the numerous beats of the stories as his thespian hits them all squarely and truly.  He has also guided his lone actress to a most marvelous performance.

Melinda Mead beautifully underplays the role of Erma Bombeck.  Her naturalism is off the charts and she always had a quiet animation about her that fueled her actions and words.  Mead is a gifted comic performer who tosses off bon mots as easily as some skip stones and has some of the most precise diction I’ve ever heard delivered by a performer.  Her mastery of Bombeck’s wordplay borders on genius, though I did note a moment or two where the spaces between her words could have been tightened a bit.

Kevin Colbert pulled double duty with lighting and set design.  The set has the feel of a typical suburban home with the addition of Bombeck’s home office and his use of lights is novel as the spotlight followed Bombeck around her home.  A scene with Bombeck playing her husband turning off the house lights is a particularly well executed moment.  Janet Sorensen picked out the perfect purple housedress for Mead’s Erma.  Ken Snyder’s sounds added quite a bit to the production with his ringing phones, doorbells, and kids pounding on the doors.

It’s a night of mirth combined with a bit of education and Mead’s solo performance is guaranteed to have you laughing and thinking the night away.

Erma Bombeck:  At Wit’s End plays at Lofte Community Theatre through June 6. Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets cost $24 and can be obtained at www.lofte.org, calling 402-234-2553 or e-mailing LofteTickets@gmail.com.  Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Rd in Manley, NE.

They Are Family

Dysfunction, thy name is Magrath.  After ten years, the three Magrath sisters reunite in the wake of their grandfather being hospitalized by a stroke.  One is an unhappy old maid bound to the hometown to take care of their grandfather.  One is a selfish diva with delusions of stardom.  One has a charge of attempted murder hanging over her head.  Will the sisters overcome their personal trials and long buried animosities to be a true family?  Find out by watching Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley and currently playing at Lofte Community Theatre.

Henley’s script has its pluses and minuses.  I personally felt that the script was somewhat overlong and could have been edited into a two act play as the first act is a bit of a slog.  Once past the slow moving first act, the play really picks up the pace and the second and third acts are much more compelling and riveting as a result.  Another weakness is that the play sets up several storylines, but doesn’t really resolve any of them.  What the script lacks in story development, it more than makes up for in character development as the Magrath sisters are fully realized and gripping characters especially in the hands of the production’s three leading ladies.

Kevin Colbert’s direction is steady and sure.  I appreciated the high quality of his staging as he kept his actors moving about the stage to keep the talky play from becoming static.  He also understood the play’s numerous emotional moments and had his actors play them with unerring accuracy as they always felt genuine and realistic.  He also coached his actors to high caliber performances.

Melissa Holder is absolutely spot on as Lenny Magrath.  She brought a wonderful world-weariness to the eldest sister and the constant sag in her shoulders well communicated the terrible burden weighing upon her.  Holder’s Lenny is actually the play’s unsung hero.  Lenny is the glue that holds her family together.  She has remained at home to care for their grandfather who is implied to be an uncaring sort and had to be a mother to her two younger sisters after their real mother committed suicide.  My heart went out to her as she constantly sacrificed her own chances at happiness to help someone else and I silently cheered when she began taking the small steps to regain control of her own life.

Meg Magrath is a self-centered, conniving brat.  It’s a rich character for a performer and Natalie McGovern plays her for everything she’s worth.  If all the world is a stage, then Meg certainly believes herself to be the star.  McGovern brilliantly displays Meg’s egoism with a smug body language that says, “I always get my way” as she prepares for a night out with a married ex that clearly suggests she’s expecting romance.  She guzzles bourbon like a pro to soothe her deep unhappiness and lies like a rug to look good to her grandfather.

For all of her unsavory qualities, Meg also has some redeeming features.  She does love her sisters and is straight with them.  She’s capable of kindness such as surprising her older sister with a birthday cake.  McGovern does wonderful work in making these small decent seeds blossom as Meg does mature a bit throughout the run of the show.

CeCe Hastreiter is sweet and naïve as the youngest Magrath sister, Babe.  Hastreiter’s Babe may seem a bit dumb, but she’s actually an innocent unwise in the ways of the world.  She married at a young age and has been dominated by her thuggish husband.  Hastreiter gives Babe a lovely heart of gold as she is willing to go to prison rather than explain her motivations for shooting her husband and she also lends Babe a tender fragility as she can still be broken by her hospitalized husband and practically swoons over her lawyer who shows her a kindness and respect long denied by her brutish spouse.

Aside from direction, Kevin Colbert also designed the set which was a lovely little two story home where the screen door and gas stove invoked memories of my grandparents’ house.  The properties provided by Sheila Hansen and the cast helped make the home feel old and lived in.  Janet Sorensen’s costumes helped solidify the characters with clothing that suited their personalities such as Lenny’s simple housedress or Meg’s more vibrant and flashy dresses.

There were some minor issues in today’s performance.  Projection could have been better on the parts of some actors.  Energy was down and cue pickups were a bit lax in the story’s slow first act, but picked up remarkably in the more energetic second and third acts.  Performers also upstaged themselves on a few occasions.

Ultimately this is a story about family and before the story ends the Magrath sisters will prove that they are a family through thick and thin.

Crimes of the Heart plays at Lofte Community Theatre through April 25.  Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm.  Tickets cost $24 and can be obtained at www.lofte.org, calling 402-234-2553 or e-mailing LofteTickets@gmail.com.  Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Rd in Manley, NE.

Lofte Community Theatre Holding Auditions for ‘Life With Father’

The Lofte Community Theatre presents:

Life With Father Auditions

Auditions: March 23 & 24 at 7:00 PM

Performances: May 29-31 & June 4-7
Thursday – Saturday 7:00 pm
Sunday 2:00 pm

Whether you’re new to the stage or an experienced performer, the Lofte Community Theatre welcomes everyone to audition for our productions! Please come a few minutes early to auditions with possible rehearsal and performance conflicts and be prepared to read lines.

Life With Father is the tale of an epic struggle to have Father baptized. The story involves Father and wife, Vinnie, along with their young sons, relatives and friends. The 1939 product on Broadway ran for over seven years and still holds the record of longest-running non-musical play. (The play contains mild adult themes. We suggest PG 13.)

Written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse

For questions regarding auditions contact the Lofte Community Theatre at 402-234-2553, email the Artistic Director Kevin Colbert at loftedirector@lofte.com or visit The Lofte Community Theatre’s website at www.Lofte.org and click on “Get Involved”.

Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Rd in Manley, NE.