Kristen Morale - Page 8

Never having seen this on stage but having read the novella some time ago, at the time acknowledging it as one of the most memorable stories I have ever read, seeing Steinbeck's words and emotions transposed on stage by the Monomoy Theatre, bringing to the life this simultaneously sad and touchingly hopeful plot by such talented individuals, really made the impact of Of Mice and Men that much stronger. In my opinion, it enhances this plot to the extent of it being particularly memorable for some time to come for all who are fortunate enough to see this production.

Meredith Willson's six-time, Tony Award-winning musical The Music Man has arrived at the Cape Playhouse, a wonderful professional theater one can visit to see Broadway-quality productions right in the heart of Dennis, and has invited each and every one of us to join this miraculous parade that is considered "America's favorite family musical."

The best of Broadway will be performing FREE on six consecutive Thursdays this summer with '106.7 LITE FM's Broadway in Bryant Park 2016' - a lunchtime series that just kicked off today, July 7 on the Bryant Park Stage. Hosted by LITE FM's on-air personalities, the 16th annual presentation of open-air, On- and Off- Broadway lunch hour performances will run through Thursday, August 11.

Theatre by the Sea recently opened its production of West Side Story. Celebrating the multi cultural spirit of this show, Roberto Araujo (Pepe u/s Bernardo and Chino) directs and choreographs this music video to Gloria Estefan's 'Oye!'. Below, check out a music video of 'Oye!' featuring the whole cast and crew.

Illumination has captivated audiences all over the world with the beloved hits Despicable Me, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, now the second-highest-grossing animated movie in history. Following the release of The Secret Life of Pets in summer 2016, Illumination presents Sing at the holidays. Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly star in a musical comedy about finding the shining star that lives inside all of us.

The Chatham Drama Guild, Chatham's own community theater group which brings a variety of entertaining performances to its audiences each year, presents Gilbert and Sullivan in Chatham: a musical revue dedicated to bringing forth an appreciation (or perhaps an even greater one depending on how familiar you are with the pair's works) of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals well and lesser-known alike. Actors at the Guild, many of whose familiar faces appear once again this time around, have brought many such past revues to life, giving audiences the chance to enjoy a pleasant, entertaining night out while giving the chance to become privy to different music and composers that may have otherwise gone unacknowledged.

Written by British playwright Mike Bartlett and directed by Jeffry George, Cock comes to WHAT's stage and continues in the tradition of bringing very heartfelt, existentially direct productions to a Cape Cod audience. With such a blunt title as this play is given, the audience risks coming to an immediate conclusion as to what they are to expect in the coming hours; yet, WHAT's repertoire has thrown quite a few surprises everyone's way thus far by making the title's become primary themes of what is about to ensue - that which envelops the play/musical and its characters, whether or not it is tangibly on stage for the duration of the show. So saying, Cock is more about externalizing what is typically an internal battle: one with ourselves.

The Cape Cod Theatre Company (CCTC), home of the Harwich Junior Theatre, is now celebrating its 65th season with a beautiful rendition of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Based on Anderson's story and the original Disney film produced by Howard Ashman and John Musker, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright and hereby directed/choreographed by the incredibly gifted Ethan Paulini, CCTC's production of The Little Mermaid is really quite a wonderful collection of profound moments of storytelling.

The Cape Cod Theatre Company, home of the Harwich Junior Theatre, has decided to step away traditional staged storytelling and try something different with its newest "jukebox" production of Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash. Created by Richard Maltby, Jr and hereby directed and choreographed by Pamela C. Wills, with Nina K. Schuessler serving as Producing Artistic Director, Ring of Fire is a story within and through a performance, and this production has the unique ability to depict the lives of Johnny Cash and June Carter, complete with interchangeable characters and interspersed moments of chronological storytelling, in a way I could image they would have approved of themselves: simple, straightforward and even stark (how fitting that word is) in its presentation but so oddly appropriate for the unadorned but deeply affecting way Cash's music hits you. Those on stage are not "acting" to portray these music legends, but instead almost seem to hand themselves over to the audience's belief that this is not a presentation or something that is purely meant to entertain; they are there to tell a story, and with a wonderfully eclectic mix of songs played in the background, there is something so beautiful in the rawness of this entire production.

With a book by Todd Almond, with music and lyrics by Matthew Sweet (from the latter's album of the same name plus songs derived from Altered Beats and 100% Fun) and originally produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, CA, Girlfriend is now directed by Christopher Ostrom as it comes to WHAT on the Julie Harris Stage. Girlfriend: A Rock Musical tells the story of two young men living in Nebraska, fresh out of high school and each with different plans as to what his future will look like after the summer ends. Michael is ready to move out of his tyrannical father's house but not so adamant about following in his footsteps and becoming a doctor; with a full ride to college, his life is not necessarily the fairy-tale a person could look at him and see unfolding. On the other hand, Will hasn't an idea in the world what to do with himself beyond his high school years. As summer vacation is about to begin, Michael asks Will if he'd like to hang out sometime and from that moment onward, the summer is spent trying to understand the feelings that were already blooming between them from the start; it just took two young men and the chance they gave themselves to see something that needed to be made clear for each of them.

Everyone is familiar with the works of Stephen Sondheim, quite the musical genius himself: his contributions to everything from 'West Side Story' to 'Sweeney Todd' have really set him apart from others in the musical theater realm; his style is so eclectic, his music so beautiful, that any show which bears his name is most likely going to be something great. Not necessarily a fan of comedy but having great admiration for and desire to see any type of musical I have the opportunity of seeing, Sondheim's 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' is a musical I have not had the pleasure of seeing before the Eventide Theatre Company showed me just how wonderful a show it truly it. The number of laughs and clever moments planned (and disasters diverted or avoided) are as plentiful as the amount of words in the title of this musical. The show is a farce, so anything and everything can happen, so long as one character's involvement in the continuous hoax is constantly given complete attention to and, ironically, prone to the greatest bout of almost far-fetched confusion that can be had. Yes, 'Forum' not only provides perpetual laughs had by both the sheer unknowingness of all the characters of what, exactly, is going on (not to mention each individual is quite the character on his/her own), but the music is wonderful and upbeat, the plot is lighthearted and there just really is not a reason to be mentioned why this musical is anything but pure, adulterated fun (which doesn't mean what you think!) Eventide should be extremely proud of this production now brought to their stage, and as this was my first time seeing it, I can now confidently share with others the enthusiasm felt that night as I watched magic unfold.

Loosely based on the 1915 novel written by John Buchan, later made into the 1935 movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock and gradually turned into a staged comical farce in 2005 by Patrick Barlow, The 39 Steps is something quite wonderful to see when brought about by a gifted director and a very talented cast of four that could bring about such a myriad of wacky characters. Director Scott Hamilton, as he states in his curtain speech, was certain that he wanted to lead this show towards its absolute comedic potential, and now writing in hindsight, it is clear that he manages to do just that give quite an optimistic start to what will be a rather epic new season at the Chatham Drama Guild. In relation to that and just to mention, the Guild has been offering wonderful performances since the time Hitchcock's movie was made, so this show is sure not to disappoint anybody who enjoys an innocent and rather traditional form of visual, laugh-loud-comedy.

There are quite a few advantages of getting old, despite what many people may believe: the well-worn worries of youth are whisked away in the leveled way more mature people live their lives, self-dictated rules and personal boundaries are set as people come into their own and emotions are at bay as people gradually accept and even embrace the monotone way in which their lives are lived. Youth can still be kept alive and may even be sought after, but that shouldn't be too strenuous a task, right? Ha, no. After seeing the workings of the Academy of Performing Art's newest production of Social Security, where insecurities run rampant, youth is a perpetual theme in hilarious unforeseen ways and basically nothing is secure, the irony of this show's title alone is bound to excite and surprise anyone one believes that youth cannot be rekindled in the old at heart.

Cape Cod Theatre Company's production of Little Women: The Broadway Musical is really something special. As I couldn't give you a visceral explanation of what it made me feel, this is a story who's truest depth and exquisiteness - its true emotion - is to be found once the journey is complete, and even then does a new beginning have the means of springing forth. Both the story and the way it was performed on stage, with music to bring out what is nothing less than extraordinary about four average girls and what their lives amount to, has such a spark to it as only CCTC can make happen - not only with this but with every show the group chooses to do.

The Eventide Theatre Company has made a bold choice in sharing Frank's story with a Cape Cod audience through means of a score depicting her feelings while fearfully secluded in the "Secret Annex," with certain lyrics molded from actual quotes made by the young prisoner. It is safe to say that Eventide has done a spectacular job bringing both the joy and pain of Frank's life to living color for those who would not otherwise have understood the trials she and her family faced in such a gruesome time in history.

There is so much about the heartwarming nature complete with a simple lesson learned and the sheer magic involved in making that happen that have brought many to profess their love of The Wizard of Oz, which is, in essence, a wonderful story that tugs at the heartstrings ever so slightly. From an adult who grew up watching the well-known 1939 movie starring Judy Garland to a child who may have read L. Frank Baum's book about the strange adventures of one Dorothy Gale and her "little dog" Toto in their quest to find their way back to Kansas, the pure innocence of this tale creates a world that generations have found (and continue to find) fascinating.

The Cape Cod Theatre Company, home of the Harwich Junior Theatre, brings a stunning production of Shrek: The Musical to a Cape Cod stage and does an absolutely fine job of making sure audiences will see all the wonder to be found in this show. I am like a broken record when it comes to my praise of this group, but even at the risk of being redundant and sounding like a lovesick theater child will I once again say that CCTC has impressed me from the very beginning and continues to do so.

Directed by Rich McKey, who brings his creative vision of what kind of world Levin's five characters should inhabit as they simultaneously create and avoid their own demise, Deathtrap is a joyride into the minds of maniacal people who think that their plans and intentions will be brought about not only because of the sheer brilliance they believe themselves to have, but also because everyone else is not thinking along the same lines. From playwrights to psychics, to the innocent wife who sits on a couch and merely wants a part in the unfolding plot she knows nothing about, everyone in this show wants to be included in some way, shape or form; although this is human nature to some extent, what people will do to see their vision become a reality is nothing short of something out of a book…and that is exactly what makes this play so damn fascinating.

The Academy Playhouse, a theater that has brought Cape Cod audiences an eclectic mix of productions that are always of the upmost professional quality, is taking a slight tangent from its recently closed holiday presentation of Sounds of the Season and delving into a play of a more murderous nature, also chock full of just enough laughs to make audiences question whether or not they should, in fact, notice the play's comedic side in the circumstances presented. Written by Ira Levin, Deathtrap makes its way to the Academy stage and from the start captures audiences with the extreme witticism of its characters and the brooding sense of mystery and danger which the title of the play alone implies.

Formerly the Harwich Junior Theater, CCTC may have changed its name but it has hardly lost its niche for bringing the Cape Cod community productions of the utmost quality, and its most recent production of Oliver! has done much more than provide a wonderfully entertaining time for children and adults alike: it has proven that the magnificence and professionalism with which CCTC instills its shows will remain an unchanged beauty in all the group's productions for years and years to come. If you were among the many fortunate enough to see Oliver! this past month, than you have witnessed only a smidgen of why CCTC is a wonderful place in which to behold what magic a memorable performance can bring.