Craig Richardson - Page 2

Wichita has a brand-new theatre called Madcap Comedy and Improv Troupe! Now well into what appears to be the first season for the company, they have presented their second full-fledge production after Neil Simon's The Odd Couple under the direction of Cameron Carlson. And it's a good one! Filled with hilarity and sharp comedic acting by only a cast of seven, Ken Ludwig's Baskerville did not disappoint. Catch it this weekend before it closes.

Opening Night. There's nothing like it in the world. Jitters can occur. Mistakes could happen. One hopes everything comes together and the rehearsal time and hard work has paid off. Luckily, for Music Theatre Wichita's producing artistic director Wayne Bryan, opening night was nothing short of absolute shear success for his season opener “The Sound of Music.” Music Theatre Wichita is in its 48th year.

Picture it: Wichita, 2019. No, I'm not referencing the Golden Girls. I'm simply talking about Roxy's current production of Love! Valour! Compassion! and the fact it took nearly twenty-one years for the show to be revived on a Wichita Stage. The last time the show was seen was in 1998 when Wichita Community Theatre presented the production, three years after the initial Broadway debut in 1995. Twenty-one years later and Wichita is finally ready, again! And the show is well worth the wait because now we have east coast style of theatre right here in the city of Wichita.

On a rainy night, The Diviners was presented by Wichita Community Theatre, a play written by Jim Leonard, Jr. and set during the depression era of a small town named Zion, Indiana. The play has a rich production history having been performed on the upper east coast during the year 1980 when it was first written for the American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C. Many theatres and high schools subsequently followed and produced The Diviners until of course Wichita Community Theatre decided to wisely include it into their current 2018-2019 season. The show has similar themes seen earlier in the season and centers mainly around the relationship of C.C. Showers, a former preacher, and Buddy Layman, a mentally challenged young boy whose mission is to divine or search for running water yet at the same time has fears of water himself.

Wichita, Kansas. Population of 390, 591 and home to the top 40th outdoor celebrations in the world, The Wichita River Festival, now in its 46th year. If you've never been to River Fest, then you have missed out on hearing the Wichita Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert, or having breakfast with the Admiral, or a stellar firework show under a Kansas sky, or even the axe throwing Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show. That's right. Nothing says 'good old Midwest' like pronto pups and lumberjacks. And if you don't want to have anything to do with the crowds, then visit Mosley Street Melodrama for their current production of Gone with the Windwagon, a spoof on both the Wichita River Festival and the second most favorited novel next to the Bible, Gone with the Wind. Written by Carol Hughes and Directed by Cindy Summers, this melodrama plays every weekend from now until July 13th.

Playing for its final weekend, Bloomsday at Wichita Community Theatre examines the trivial but serious nature of both young and refined love and romance. Now, for those unfamiliar with the holiday, Bloomsday is actually a true festival of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and even in the United States on the sixteenth of June each year. The celebration focuses on Joyce's first date with his soon to be wife and also the main character of his novel Leopold Bloom. In this production, Wichita Community Theatre not only captures the essence of Dublin during the time period but also shines through with the true meaning of the show-we only get one chance at life.

Set in a fun and funky hair salon, Shear Madness concludes The Forum Theatre Company's 2019 production season in a big and bold way. The plot, almost from Clue the movie, has action that centers around figuring out exactly who murdered Isabel Churney with none other than hair cutting shears. If you go, which I do highly recommend, pay close attention to the action at the beginning of the show. It will be useful later to help solve the murder mystery. Filled with Wichita current events and references plus greatly polished improv from the cast, you can't keep from laughing but also appreciate the hard work and dedication which went into crafting out a carefully selected play thanks to producing artistic director, Kathy Page Hauptman.

Running until May 5th, Avenue Q at Roxy's is a must-see show. Why? I will tell you why. Wichita, you now have progressive theatre! So long are the days where shows were filled with only politically correct topics and material or the shows that would only lend itself to be considered a safe choice. No, Avenue Q holds nothing back from this modern day take on Sesame Street. This show, however, is more than just puppet sex on stage or blatantly stating the obvious that the internet is for porn. This show has true grit and heart and you got to catch it because it's only playing for now.

Centered around Carole King's life and biography, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is an appropriate cap to The American Theatre Guild's 2018-2019 season. This first national tour is filled with well-rounded, talented performers from all over the United States, including members who have been a part of the company for three years or more. Though the script itself for this pseudo jukebox musical may be a bit lacking compared to favored classics such as Cinderella, seen earlier in the season, the individual vocal and acting abilities are worth paying full ticket price.

Under exciting new ownership of Monte Wheeler and Brandon Hathaway, Mosley Street Melodrama enters its 2019 season with a brand new and innovative farce, The Gold Miner's Daughter or Who Got the Shaft? Though the standard audience participation of "Oos and Ahs" haven't stirred from the original concept, it's quite apparent that fresh blood has been shed into the theatre with appropriately painted Kansas murals, an updated proscenium, twists of different comedy and script material, but overall with that same, downright homey entertainment.

On a cold, snowy night in Wichita, Jersey Boys played to a packed house at Century II on Tuesday February 19, 2019. The jukebox musical tells the biographical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, one of the most best-selling groups of all time. Presented through NetWorks Presentations, the cast was spearheaded by Jonathan Cable, Eric Chambliss, Corey Greenan and Jonny Wexler as the fabulous core of that famous quartet.

A little after the clock struck on the half hour, the national touring production of Cinderella began. At the top of show, puppetry ensues with a massive praying mantis taking center stage that is eventually defeated by Prince Topher, played by Lukas James Miller. Then the audience quickly understands that we are in for one magical night of folderol and fiddle dee that somehow becomes entirely possible live on stage. From start to finish, the fairytale is richly presented with wonderfully well-cast performers, delightful performances, and gorgeous classic music and lyrics by the famed writing team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

At the Jabara Flexible Theatre on the Newman University Campus, The Odd Couplewas presented by a new Wichita Theatre company called MADCAP Comedy and Improv Troupe. Spear-headed and founded by local actor Cameron Carlson, this was the first production for the troupe specially arranged by Samuel French, Incorporated.

Located at 258 N. Fountain in College Hill, you'll discover the city's oldest running theatre, Wichita Community Theatre. For nearly seventy years, this jewel of a space has seen many local actors. From Wichita State Alums, to broadcast journalists, most actors in town have graced the stage here. If walls could truly talk, we would all be blessed with the history from this former, charming, and neighborly church turned theatre venue.

'Just listen. That's what I want,' thoughtfully states actor Max Wilson playing CB inDog Sees God, a progressive, contemporary play taking major forward-thinking steps at Roxy's Downtown in the Wichita theatre dramaturgy. This simple request for the audience is a difficult one to adhere to in spite of the heavy topics that are presented in the production. Themes of bullying, drugs, partying, sexuality, gun violence in schools, teen pregnancy and overall teenage carnage are some of the harsh realities these famed Charlie Brown characters face and must figure out how to endure.

Roxy's Downtown is set to open their upcoming production Dog Sees God this weekend. For those unfamiliar with the title, simply imagine what it would be like if Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang grew up from sweet, innocent childhood adolescence to fully-fledged, juvenile teenagers. Not to be confused with the hit Broadway musical, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, this play definitely sparks a more mature conversation worth having. In an exclusive interview for BroadwayWorld.com, I sat down with the cast of Dog Sees Godat Roxy's Downtown to find out why this show is important to attend.

In life, there are things that simply go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese. Ginger and Fred. Kyle and Monte.

    Wichita's most unique theatre is located at 234 N. Mosely Street. Like the street's name, Mosley Street Melodrama is home to some of the best talent Wichita has to offer and presented in true melodramatic style. Now, if you have never been to a Mosley Street production, there are a few things you ought to know. Every time the heroine enters, you sigh. For the hero, you cheer. But if the villain is cunningly conniving, you boo and hiss. The first act is a melodramatic featured presentation while the second half is a musical revue. Filled with inside jokes only a true Wichitan would understand, Will Santa Drink Canada Dry? Or Go Tell it to the Mountie caps off the theatre company's year in true Christmas-comedic fashion.

  Located at The Wilke Center inside First United Methodist Church at 330 N. Broadway is the Forum Theatre Company. I had the pleasure of attending The Winter Wonderettes during their final week of shows. Kathy Page Hauptman directed four leading ladies to direct the audience, dubbed pseudo employees of Harper's Hardware Store, in an evening of crowd-pleasing participation at Harper's 'Annual Holiday Happening.'

There's one thing that Wichita knows and that's theatre. There's no better way to celebrate this celebrated art form than with a classy live radio play version of It's A Wonderful Life - A Live Radio Play, presented by the Wichita Scottish Rite Signature Theatre at the Wichita Center for Performing Arts at 9112 E. Central Avenue. Under the direction of Deb Campbell, the theatre company is now in its 15th season and made up mainly of community-based performers.