David Clarke - Page 40

Campy horror always has a comfortable home during the Halloween season; therefore, programming the ultimate camp feature EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL is a natural choice. Country Playhouse is currently presenting the raucous, irreverent musical as part of their Halloween Creature Double Feature.

Halloween time is upon us, and Country Playhouse is offering audiences a spine-chilling dramatic version of Mary Shelley's classic horror tale FRANKENSTEIN. The play, penned by Victor Gialanella, met a tragic end in New York City when it flopped in 1981 after 29 previews and 1 performance. Under the direction of Philip L. Nichols, Jr. the script is brought to fascinating life, engaging the audience and entertaining them with one of the closest adaptations of the novel that I have ever seen.

With stunning emotional clarity, The Alley Theatre is presenting Arthur Miller's quintessentially American and classic family drama DEATH OF A SALESMAN as part of their 2012-2013 season. The play premiered in 1949 and has become a show of legendary status in the development of American dramatic theatre. It most recently enjoyed a successful Broadway revival that closed on June 2, 2012 and starred Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman.

Frank Wildhorn's JEKYLL & HYDE has been reinvented and completely reworked. The new production is not a revival of the show, but a revisal-a reimagining of the material for a contemporary audience. Over the course of a whirlwind 25 weeks, this production is touring the nation before it opens in April 2013 on Broadway. The transformed production stars Constantine Maroulis of American Idol and ROCK OF AGES fame, multi-platnium R&B/pop singer Debroah Cox, and seasoned Broadway actress Teal Wicks.

Founded in 1993, Houston's Encore Theatre is returning to its midtown roots by opening a performance space at the corner of Main Street and Wentworth Street. It has been Encore Theatre's goal to provide quality theatre to Houstonians, especially to those who are economically disenfranchised and wish to enjoy the beauty of live theatrical performance.

Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) rigorously trains their theatre students in a way that prepares them to work in the professional theatrical world. It nurtures both individual and ensemble creativity and exploration, while allowing the students to dedicate themselves to the mastery of their craft. With that philosophy in mind, the school is programming Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, George Abbot, and Richard Bissell's 1954 hit musical THE PAJAMA GAME for their 2012 All School Musical. Maintaining the integrity of the original work, HSPVA is producing the full two-act show, including the Act II ballet, with minimal minor cuts.

On a beautiful Tuesday evening, I visited with the cast and crew of SRO Production's [TITLE OF SHOW], written by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen. They were hard at work in their intimate rehearsal space, and I was luckily enough to see them rehearse the rousing "Nine People's Favorite Thing" and "Die Vampire! Die!" If the small preview I saw, the camaraderie shown in the interview, and sheer amount of fun the cast and crew are having are any indication of what Houston audiences are in for, this is sure to be a stellar production.

On the final Sunday in September, I visited The Country Playhouse and got a backstage glimpse into the undertakings on their main stage for FRANKENSTEIN. The set are incomplete, but coming along nicely. The cast has been rehearsing hard, and everything is being put through the paces to ensure that the show is nothing short of a success. I got the chance to speak with Phil Nichols, who is directing the show in addition to designing the FX make-up, Louis Crespo, starring as Victor Frankenstein, and Melissa Nichols who is designing the sets and choreographing the massive and complex set changes.

As Autumn begins to stake its claim on Houston's weather and the 2012-2013 theatre season is coming into full swing, I was invited backstage to chat with Cameron Bautsch, playing Skip Henderson, and Adrian Coco Anderson, playing Lois Franklin, in Stages Repertory Theatre's lauded and loved production of Roger Bean's crooning jukebox musical, LIFE COULD BE A DREAM. With just under an hour until curtain, backstage was buzzing with crewmembers making sure everything was in place and ready to go for that evening's performance. Underscoring our conversation was beautiful classical pieces being perfectly played on the pianos on the Yeager stage, where the cast and crew of 2 PIANOS 4 HANDS were also preparing for that evening's performance.

Originally set to close September 2 Stages Repertory Theatre extended the Roger Bean crooning jukebox musical LIFE COULD BE A DREAM until October 14, 2012. The bubbly, fun, and popular musical is still going strong and delighting Houston audiences with its light story and amazing vocals.

Main Street Theater's Theater for Youth 2012-2013 Season is starting with a resounding QUACK! To help young audiences understand the electoral process in the United States, they are producing the effervescent and spritely comedy DUCK FOR PRESIDENT. The show is based on Doreen Cronin's National Best-Seller by the same title, and features a script by James E. Grote and music and lyrics by George Howe.

In Houston, The Ensemble Theatre is proudly opening its 36th season with Pearl Cleage's THE NACIREMA SOCIETY REQUESTS THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE AT A CELEBRATION OF THEIR FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, often shorted to THE NACIREMA SOCIETY. The play premiered to fantastic audience reception on October 20, 2010 at Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff in Atlanta, Georgia, and The Ensemble Theatre's production makes it very easy to see why it was so well received.

Classical Theatre Company (CTC) is opening its 5th season with August Strindberg's seminal drama, MISS JULIE. Comfortably at home in their new performance space, Studio 101 at Spring Street Studios, CTC's production of this taught and intense drama is a fantastic miasma of contemporary social issues, showing that while we've made progress in some aspects, some things are remain relatively unchanged since 1888.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) celebrated the 40th anniversary of the founding of its Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) with the kickoff of the recently formed HSMT Alumni Association. Graduates and supporters of the HSMT program from the past four decades joined for an evening of celebration and reunion as they mixed and mingled amidst the backdrop of the HSMT rehearsal rooms, complete with wine and hors d'oeuvres from City Kitchen.

As Houstonians gear up for Theater LaB's special event and Regional Premiere of MISSIONARY POSITION, the second part of Steven Fales' Mormon Boy Trilogy, Steven Fales is busy in Salt Lake City. He tells me he is thrilled to be returning to Houston, especially since CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY sold out before he arrived in town when he premiered the show in the region. He noted that Houston audiences loved it, and really hopes that Houston audiences will eat up MISSIONARY POSTION as well. He feels that the time in right with Romney running for president because audiences will get to see "Mormon Temple ceremonies from an insider and not someone making fun of the church from the outside."

The main purpose and goal of Houston Ballet's WOMEN@ART is to celebrate the ability of women to choreograph interesting, thought-provoking, and fully realized ballets. In 2004, Stanton Welch was met with fantastic success the first time he programmed three one-act ballets choreographed by women in his inaugural WOMEN@ART performance. The 2012 offering, complete with a World Premiere by Aszure Barton, will hopefully motivate and empower young girls and women interested in dance and choreography to follow their dreams while opening a dialogue about the value of female voices in the dance world.

In 1975, Main Street Theater began with a dream of bringing quality theatre to Houston audiences. Whether we are actually existing or living in our imaginings, one thing is certain: Main Street Theatre has fulfilled its reverie for 37 years, and is continuing to do so with the opening of the first production of their 38th season-the Regional Premiere of Nilo Cruz's adaptation and translation of Pedro Calderon de la Barca's LIFE IS A DREAM.

Anticipation for the revived and revised version Frank Wildhorn's acclaimed musical JEKYLL & HYDE is building in Houston, TX. The tour opened in La Mirada, California on September 7, 2012 and will be make a whirlwind stop in San Diego, California before coming home to Houston in October. To give me the inside scoop on this new Broadway-bound production, Constantine Maroulis, starring in the titular dual roles, chatted with me from La Mirada.

Houston's Theatre Community offers something for everyone-ranging from the very modern and experimental to the classics. Next week, on September 26, 2012 Classical Theatre Company will be opening MISS JULIE at their new home, Studio 101 in the Spring Street Studios. Director of MISS JULIE, Julia Traber and I recently chatted about the show, Studio 101, August Strindberg's legacy, and the impact of arts on politics.