14
Jul

Titanic, the Musical

Titanic, the Musical
Serenbe Playhouse
through August 19, 2018

Serenbe Playhouse has already created a history of totally enormous productions, so while this one may be expected, it is nothing like what you might imagine. Directed by founder Brian Clowdus, the Titanic is staged on a lake, and the ship is four decks high and seems to be almost as long as a real ocean liner.

The orchestra of 11 players under the baton of Chris Brent Davis, is in a facility built for them on the other side of the lake. They perfectly work through more than 30 numbers as the tale of Titanic portions takes place. This is a production where every actor is first class and the costumes and choreography never stop your enjoyment of a true tale of great remorse.

For it was in April 1912 that the largest passenger ship in the world was on its maiden voyage from the UK to New York. You know some of the story, as it ran into an ice berg which ripped the ship apart and caused it to sink within a couple of hours in the middle of the night. The majority of passengers could not be saved and 710 were saved, 1514 were lost. About 80% of all male passengers and crew were lost. A lot of public outrage erupted and many of our generations may not know the whole story, including exceeding normal at-sea speeds, moving the route further north to shorten the journey, receiving several warnings of danger on new route, failure of old radio signals and/or use of Morse code to reach recovery ships, some of the world famous multi-millionaires who had been on the ship.

The setting is unique and incredible. The set is built on the water, and you see it move about a bit. The lighting from onshore towers keeps your view quite clear and the sound system has every player-singer fully heard. While Act I deals with the pre-boarding and the different amenities of the first class as compared to those on lower decks; Act II deals with the final day of the trip and you can’t miss one second of it. I could say it is as good as any show in a major house; but that would not do it credit. It is a LOT more than almost any other show you’ve ever seen. It runs about 150 minutes with one intermission, and may not be for the very young; but will wow the rest of us.

More info at SerenbePlayhouse.com

13
Jul

The Bikinis

 

 

 

 

 

The Bikinis
Art Station
through July 29, 2018

Even if you’re too young to remember all those hits of the 60’s and the flower children, you have heard about those Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikinis. And this new musical is about the group of four young women who became The Bikinis.

They sang at weddings, bar mitzvahs, proms and even under the boardwalk. The show was written by Ray Roderick and James Hindman with more than 30 musical arrangements by Joe Baker. It is an evening of pure enjoyment where nobody is killed and no political orations are presented.

It is a story about four gals who live in or near Sandy Shores Trailer Park which is being yuppified and renamed the Sandy Shores Mobile Home Beach Resort. And just as in real life, a developer has made an offer buy up all the land rights and build some new condos. Sounds like everyday business in south Florida. The residents have to vote and a majority vote wins. But they are split like the Senate on this one. 183 on each side. These four a performing a show for the residents trying to save the park.

Meet Annie (Aretta Baumgartner), Karla (Wendy Bennett), Jodi (Adena Brumer) and Barbara (Janelle Lannan. Karen Beyer directed and also fashioned the choreography. The revue is presented with plenty of comedy and some terrific costume changes. I assure you that you’ve not seen these kinds of swimsuits before.

More info at ArtStation.com

12
Jul

Dog Sees God

 

 

 

 

 

Dog Sees God
OutFront Theatre
through July 15, 2018

Full title is Dog Sees God, Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, and while it may be somewhat of a parody of Charlie Brown and the peanuts characters, it certainly is NOT for the kiddies nor for Ms. Prim.

James O. Conner plays C.B. and you can guess from whence those initials came. His dog has died and he is totally in the deepest grief. His sister is played by Madison Smith. The story gets into homophobia when the piano player, Beethoven (Austin Lee Windolph) gets into some situations with Matt (Kalonjee Gallimore). Are either of them attracted or abhorent of the other?

The other cast members are Van and his siter, played by Alex Barrella and Eva Rubin; and Tricia (Madison Cook) and Marcy (Naiya McCalla) who are classmates. To say the story is loaded with expletives would be a modest suggestion. While everybody keeps their clothing on, the references to sexual practices among these teenagers, is quite stage front; as is the use of pot and other drugs. And bullying is a major issue as well as physical development of these youngsters.

Directed by Jacob Demlow, the cast does a good job of bringing this opus to life; but it runs only to July 15th. The play opened in NYC more than ten years ago, to mixed reviews in Variety and other publications. It can also offend many holding fixed religious beliefs on the afterlife. It runs about an hour and 20 minutes in one act. Then there’s time to have a drink and discuss the issues raised.

More info at OutFrontTheatre.com

7
Jul

Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh
Alliance Theatre
through July 15, 2018

Due to public demand the Alliance has extended the run of this classic work to July 15th. It is a musical based on the story by A. A. Milne, and is produced in collaboration with the High Museum, which is hosting an exhibition of Milne’s drawings for Pooh-Bear.

This production is being staged at the Rich Theatre at Woodruff Arts Center, which is a smaller theatre but with unobstructed views from every seat in the house. Leora Morris directs a cast of 7 players who seem to love their characters as much as kids loved the story. Grant Chapman is Pooh, who is living in the Hundred Acre Wood. His human friend, Christopher Robin is played by Caleb Baumann.

The story does feature Eeyore (Joe Sykes), who has lost his tail and is going crazy trying to find it. While that goes on, Kanga (Maria Rodriguez-Saber) is trying to get offspring, Roo (CJ Cooper) to behave. Sake Akanke doubles as Rabbit and the Owl in the tree; and Mabel Tyler exudes incredible energy as Piglet. This may be a show mainly for the youngsters, but the cast is fully professional and the set works quite well.

There are many children in the audience and some of them may have some problems during the production, which runs about an hour. But, they do have a “quiet room” adjacent to the theatre where parents and wee tots may do their thing, including being fed in private.

If you can get there early for a show and find a parking meter, it will save plenty of money, as the garage rates are now insane. Up to 59 minutes for $2 then any more and you’ll pay $12. Sort of like being in NYC. Whatever else you may decide to do, you may rest assured that the kids and grands you may bring will thoroughly enjoy the show. More info at AllianceTheatre.org