Review: Becoming Dr. Ruth, Gallery Players

   Gallery Players opens its 68^th season with “Becoming Dr. Ruth”, by Mark St. Germain, featuring Josie Merkle in the title role.  The single-character play is set in the posh Washington Heights, New York apartment that Dr. Ruth Westheimer shared with her third husband, David. 

    The time is 1997 -- about two months following David’s death.  Dr. Ruth is packing up her possessions and preparing to move.  She looks out, sees the audience, and invites us in.  

    She reminisces about her life and relationships as represented by various photos and nick-knacks that have accumulated in her cluttered apartment. 

     Born Karola Ruth Siegel, the only child of an orthodox Jewish family, at five years old she escapes Nazi-controlled Frankfurt, Germany when her parents send her to Switzerland via the Kinder Transport program. After the war she moved to Palestine, changed her name and joined the Jewish underground, becoming a sniper. She traveled to Europe in 1950 and eventually settled in France, where she attended school and taught psychology at the University of Paris. In 1956 she emigrated to the U.S., lived in New York and spent a decade pursuing graduate degrees in sociology and psychology.  After her third marriage and upon achieving a doctorate, she became Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the famed sex therapist whose radio broadcasts and television appearances won her millions of fans.

      The set design from Nightingale Resources is effective.  Jarod Wilson’s sound and screen projections enhance the story-telling.  

     The script follows the pattern of single-character pieces like “I’ll Eat You Last”, the chat with famed Hollywood Talent Agent Sue Mengers that became a well-known vehicle for Bette Midler. 

    While Dr. Ruth’s story is interesting, Germain’s writing is rambling, ordinary and uninspired.

   What makes this good theater is Merkle’s skill as the story teller.  Her clear, consistent delivery, timing, gestures, levels, pacing, and energy are strong enough to hold the audience’s interest for 90 minutes, making the best of what could easily become boring and tedious in the hands of a lesser actor. 

   Brava to Merkle, for her stamina, commitment and courage. 

Review: "Addams Family Musical" Otterbein

   “The Addams Family Musical with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa, opens the Otterbein main stage season.

     The action centers around Gomez Addams (Jack Lebrecque), who adores his wife Morticia (Morgan Wood) and deeply cares for his children Wednesday (Leah Windahl) and Pugsley (Dana Cullinane).  Wednesday has fallen in love with Lucas (Jordan Wood), who is an outsider.  But he shares many Addams family interests and hobbies, thus becoming an attractive suitor. Wednesday invites Lucas and his conservative parents Mal (David Buergler) and Alice (Lottie Prenevost) to dinner and confesses her intention to marry Lucas, forcing Gomez into the precarious position of keeping their secret from Morticia.

     Uncle Fester (Christopher Marth), appoints himself the conductor of all things romantic, and compels the ancestors, who have come out from their graves for annual family revels, to stay and support the prospect of love and marriage. 

  Morgan Wood is stunning as Morticia.  Lebrecque manages to be charming, smooth and pathetic simultaneously in his delightful portrayal of devotion to his wife and children.

   Jacob Sundlie has strong commitment to the eccentric zombiness of Butler Lurch.

   I always enjoy seeing Aubree Tally on stage and appreciate her outpouring of devotion to her potions and her special grandmotherly attention to the care and discipline of the out-of-control Pugsley.

  Fester’s dancing and singing with the moon is one of my favorite moments in the show.

    Often, in a piece of this nature, characters such as the ancestors are little more than set dressing. Under Director Christine Kirk’s deft guidance, everybody finds many opportunities to dance, sing, frolic and have impact without stealing focus from the main theme – thin though it may be.

   Stella Hiatt Kane’s attractive choreography adds interest and activity. 

   Rob Johnson’s scenic design features three distinct locales. The backdrop depicting the front of the Addams’ home is big, bold, attractive and serves to divide the stage so that action can take place at the front of the stage, while the set is shifting behind the drop to reveal the cemetery or the huge, ornate staircase in the center of the living room and dining area.

   Musical accompaniment and underscoring with Musical Director Lori Kay Harvey and a capable 12-person orchestra adds appropriate tones and keeps the action moving.

   Dana White emerges from retirement to help highlight the action with subtle shading, strobe lightening and other effective lighting touches.

   Doc Davis’s sound design provides good balance, though there was some kind of interference in the sound system during Friday’s performance and discussions between operators bled through during the dialog and singing in the second act. It seemed to take several minutes before it was under control.

    Rebecca White’s costumes enhance the character descriptions, especially in the shades of white among the ancestors.

       “Addams Family Musical” is not destined to become an enduring classic.  It won’t make the list of my top 25 musical theater favorites.  Based on the cartoon characters created by Charles Addams, the Broadway production ran for a year and a half.  It’s only major recognition was a Drama Desk award for outstanding set design. The story line is thin, the characters are cartoonish caricatures, the songs are campy. But the creativity, energy and enthusiasm that Otterbein brings to the show makes it a fun-filled romp.

The Otterbein students are obviously having a good time, which translates to a good time for the audience.

  

Review: "Good Night Moon", Columbus Children's Theater

   “Good Night Moon” at Columbus Children’s Theater is a cute kids’ show featuring a clever adaptation of a popular children’s book.  The singing and acting is pretty good for the most part.   

   I especially enjoyed seeing my friend Nancy Skaggs on stage and hearing her sing, as the Old Woman.  Stewart Bender has some cute moments at the tooth fairy.

   Nikki Montana’s choreography hits the appropriate level for the cast and creates some interesting, attractive movement and stage pictures, especially in the musical chairs sequence with the three bears.

  Makeup and hair design is another triumph for Suzanne Camilli, whose artistry has shined in a number of CCT productions.

   Michael Brewer’s set is rather clever, including projection screens and video depicting the moon and stars.  There are some nice lighting effects from Brendan Michna.  Props and costumes from Tonya Marie help create the story nicely. 

   This show succeeds in carrying forth CCT’s mission to make theater accessible and fun for kids on and off the stage.

   Audience behavior is often interesting at children’s shows.  The grandmother who was there with a very bratty three- or four-year old, ended up taking the kid out and leaving before the show started.  Wise choice, Grandma.  Good for you.  Most parents or grandparents would have just sat there and tried to endure as best they could with the little brat, as was the case for the grandmother who let her three charges cavort around the stage playing with the props and the furniture before the show began. 

Review: The Importance Of Being Earnest, Curtain Players

   Neophyte Director Jeb Bigelow has assembled a brilliant and beautiful cast for Curtain Players current production of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy, “The Importance Of Being Earnest”.

    The gender-bending casting of Sue Wismar in the dual roles of the butlers Lane and Merriman, is a stroke of genius.  Wismar has such brilliant comic physicality and line delivery. She is consistently funny.  

   Curtain newcomer Christopher Chene brings a pleasant savoir faire air to the role of Algernon Montcrieff.  Brian Henry is making his third consecutive Curtain Players production appearance in the role of Jack Worthing.  Henry’s steady, confident consistency provides a strong anchor for the show.

   Jill Taylor has such great expression, characterization, enunciation and timing in the role of Lady Bracknell. She delivers some of Wilde’s outrageously comical declarations about status and societal situations with wonderful deadpan sincerity. 

   Young Mackenzie Leland is pretty, energetic and delightful in the role of the day-dreaming, fantasy-filled Cecily Cardew.  Laura Crone has an effective and attractive, aloof air as Gwendolyn.

    Central Ohio Arts Legend Bronwyn Hopton makes her Curtain Players debut as the governess, Miss Prism.  Her expression and attitude enrich the role.  She and Phillip Wells (Rev Chasuable) have a great look and excellent chemistry together. 

     The line delivery and consistency of accent and dialect among the entire cast is especially noteworthy. There are generous amounts of outstanding ensemble work on display here.

    With set designer Joseph Wolfe Jr., Bigelow’s vision fits what is traditionally a large-scale, opulent set with two different locales – a living room and a garden patio-- onto a smallish Curtain Players stage, using bright-colored curtains, sash accents and modest, attractive furnishings. 

    The main curtain is basically a scrim with a clever lighting design from Derryck Menard that accents tableau poses of characters who eavesdrop and provide silent judgmental listening in the background while main conversations take place center stage.

  David Bahgat’s costumes are lavish and period appropriate with great attention to detail in things like gloves, hats and purses.  I am told that some of the costumes were borrowed from Otterbein University Theater department, which did “Earnest” a few years ago.

   This is a very satisfying, funny, thoroughly entertaining production of a wonderful and much-beloved classic as Curtain Players opens its 54^th season at its Harlem Road location.   It is well worth the time and the price of admission to take a road trip to see this wonderful show.