Thin Air Theatre Co Performs THE LOST SOUL OF CRIPPLE CREEK, Opened 10/2

Cripple Creek's Lost Soul Gets Standing Ovation- Melodrama is back in Cripple Creek in a very big way. And so is Olio.

A packed house the Butte Theater in Cripple Creek Oct. 2 enjoyed a super performance by Thin Air Theatre Company (TATC) cast and crew Oct. 2.

The traditional classic melodrama, a long-time Cripple Creek tradition, and speciAl Halloween themed Olio, opened its doors for the fall season Oct. 2. The new fall melodrama was a smash hit.

The Lost Soul of Cripple Creek, followed by a 45-minute Halloween Olio, filled the theater with the tell-tale boos and yeas, cheers and laughter that classic melodrama begs from its audiences.

Staged in 1890's Cripple Creek, the show is a masterfully adapted script by TATC member Mickey Burdick based on the 1867 Victorian melodrama Lost in London by Watts Phillips. Besides the script being artful, the stellar directing by long-time melodrama veteran Mel Moser brings the show and the stage and the audience to life.

A hard rock miner named Job Armroyd (Matt Payne) and his wife Nell (Laurie Sutton) find themselves entangled in a dastardly plot by cruel mine owner Gilbert Featherstone (Nick Madson) - Featherstone has seduced Nell to protect her husband and she must pay the consequences. Forced to leave Cripple Creek and her good friend Tilly Dragglethorpe (Shannon McMillan), Nell finds herself with child, a prisoner in Featherstone's plush Denver home. A maid named Flounce (Morgan Gengo) has her own sights on Featherstone, who of course turns out to be ruthless to all who set eyes on him.

Burdick, as a well-mannered and well-dressed Irish servant named Benjamin Blinker, steals the comedy part of the show. He has eyes for Tilly - namely for her biceps (which he lacks) and proclaims that his late uncle would admire.
The cast members deliver the story and the vocals delightfully; the story is simple but intriguing, the sets well designed and the costume staff outdid themselves on this one. True to its form, this melodrama brings the audience along on a ride of love, comedy, dastardly deeds and acts as well revenge and happy endings.

Oh and did I mention the piano player is back too? The return of live piano accompanying the show (by Katie Holmes) was a welcome treat. I missed the days when the piano was as big a part of the show as the actors.

The show is shorter than the normal Cripple Creek melodrama and so the intermission is between the show and the Halloween Olio, which is fine because with the show's plot complete, you can now grab a drink and snack and prepare for one of the best Olios the Butte has seen.

If the actors have not shown their talents during the show, they certainly bring the spirits of the stage to life during the Olio, which is about 45 minutes along. Ghouls, ghosts, Frankenstein and Dracula, Wolfman and the Mummy haunt a little girl who is supposed to be sleeping but has so much fun dancing with the monsters that sleep is not in the cards. The Olio was a delight to the children who attended opening night as it was intended to make light of the monsters and goblins rather than scare.
Monsters, including Casiena Raether, who is stage manager for the melodrama, come from under the bed, the toy chest and of course they come knocking at the windows. Burdick also slips in a little (50% as much as usual) of his comedic Mickey's Magic Explosion - a favorite part of the fall shows for several years.

The music is phenomenal, the costumes superb, the talent generating an energy in the theater that was reminiscent of the old Imperial melodrama days. This upbeat, high-energy Halloween-themed Olio was a perfect way to end a night of wonderful Cripple Creek theater.

The melodrama and Olio will show Thursdays through Sundays at 1 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. Tickets are: Adult $15.75; Senior $13.75; Children $9.75; Groups of 20+ $12.75 each.

Season and individual show tickets can be purchased through the secure online box office at ButteOperaHouse.com or 719-689-3247.