BWW Reviews: The Denver Center Company Presents a Hilarious Insight into Art Appreciation with THE MOST DESERVING

The Denver Center Theater Company presents the World Premiere of Most Deserving By Catherine Trieschmann's THE MOST DESERVING on the Ricketson Stage playing now through November 17th. A small town Arts Council has $20,000 to award to a local artist with an "under-represented American voice." Should they choose the teacher/painter of modest talent or the self-taught artist who creates religious figures out of trash? This comedy explores how gossip, politics and opinions of art can decide who is the most deserving.

I have to hand a golden quill to playwright Catherine Trieschmann for this remarkable script. The show is an absolute gem filled with comedy and heart and completely throws PC out the window (the 1/16th gay is so inappropriately funny). This play was so well written that it had the audience in stitches throughout and I feel that this will be a hit. I won't be surprised to see this on stages nationwide within the next year. This show is a total art appreciation piece and brings up the age old question - What is Art? Each character had its own appeal, which had audiences trying to decide who to root for. There are so many awesome moments in this production, but one of my favorites (besides the side splitting bedroom seduction and the drunken spiral) was the final scene that was the definition of chaos. I appreciated that this scene was so layered, with each character trying to get their view across that led to a shocking and hilarious climax. But the most touching part of the entire show was what happened after with Everett picking up trash and being inspired that brought the show back to the true meaning. No matter how life brings you down or what hurtles are thrown at you, it is your love and passion for your craft that keeps you going. Remember - it's not personal, it's just ART!!!

Judith Hawking was simply stunning as Jolene Atkinson and commanded the stage. Her dynamic performance easily guided the plot from beginning to end and her expressions were fascinating and enjoyable to watch (I personally deemed her the woman of 1000 expressions). Sam Gregory, as her husband Ted, was an absolute cut-up and put a smile on my face every time he was onstage. From his slacker attitude to that rather interesting accent, he kept the audience laughing. While San offered several comedic moments, the true scene-stealer was Jeanne Paulsen as the wealthy patron, Edie Kelch. She had some killer lines and then had the audience doubled over in laughter with her drunKen Downward spiral in Act Two. Even with her entertaining character, she pulled a 180 at the end to bring everything back into focus which showed great range. Rebecca Miyako Hirota was excellent as Liz Chang, but her performance was a little one dimensional. This was apparent in her scenes with Judith and Jeanne where she seemed to fade into the background against these two dynamos instead of holding her own. I was also a bit disappointed at the end when she was trying to apologize to Everett and it seemed almost like an afterthought instead of a final intense and heartbreaking conclusion to their relationship. While Craig Bockhorn had a smaller role as the blue collar wannabe artist Dwayne Dean, he played up the simple, working man persona and had a nice character arch with a hilarious ending (believe me, no one ever saw that coming!). I thoroughly enjoyed Jonathan Earl Peck as the temperamental artist, Everett Whiteside. From his passion for his art, to his outspoken viewpoints on everything, Jonathan showed great range and made this character his own and memorable to everyone in the audience.

At first glance, this set appeared to reflect any multi-purpose room in any community hall, but designer David M. Barber had several tricks up his sleeve. This set changes seemed to come out of thin air and a fun pop-up effect and I adored his attention to detail, especially with Everett's barn. The lighting by designer Jane Spencer was also excellent and enhanced every scene. Director Shelley Butler took the time with this script to hit every comedic note to bring out the humor in this amazing show. As a result of this, the true heart shone through and the audience absolutely loved it. Her casting was spot on and each actor brought so much to their characters to make this a cohesive ensemble. I also loved the effortless scene transitions and the bedroom scene and the chaos in the final scene were staged perfectly.

With its thoroughly humorous and entertaining script to the surprising set and stellar performances this is one show you do not want to miss! THE MOST DESERVING is bringing smiles to audiences faces from now until November 17th. Performance dates are Tuesdays through Thursdays at 6:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30pm on the Ricketson Stage at the Denver Center. For tickets or more information, contact the Denver Center box office at 303-893-4100 or online at www. denvercenter.org.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer M Koskinen

Sam Gregory, Judith Hawking and Rebecca Hirota

Judith Hawking and Jeanne Paulsen

Jonathan Earl Peck, Rebecca Hirota and Sam Gregory

(L-R) Rebecca Hirota, Jonathan Earl Peck, Sam Gregory, Craig Bockhorn, Judith Hawking and Jeanne Paulsen

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