You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Wimberley Players, November 15 - December 8, 2013

by Michael Meigs


As fresh as the ink of the morning paper on a bright fall day, the Wimberley Players' staging of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is big, bold and beautiful. And so is the cast; director Jim Lindsay has handpicked some of the most attractive talent from the region.

Did you know that this musical by Clark Gesner is approaching its 50th birthday? You'd never know it from this production. The original version was done in 1967, and in 1998 performers using the revised script presented in this Wimberley production took two Tony awards. And Charlie Brown himself, if he weren't ageless, would be almost ready to qualify for Social Security, for Charles Schultz's first four-panel strip featuring him was published on October 2, 1950.

Ryley Wilson (photo: Leanne Brawner Photography)

A musical for six players, presented as a series of lively songs and skits featuring some of the most memorable tropes and plights of the Peanuts gang, the work is a favorite of high schools and amateur groups. Director Lindsay chose to expand the cast by two women to to calibrate the choreography, so Wimberley's augmented edition includes both that little red-headed girl (the fetching Lindsay Katherine Powell) and Kate Clark (Frieda, a fine singer and captain of the dance ensemble).

Schultz drew the comic strip for fifty years, so that tiny community of primary schoolers has a rich and diverse history of incident. The situations onstage are instantly recognizable and bring smiles to faces in the audience. 

 Ryley Wilson in the title role has Charlie's yellow shirt with the zig-zag, a fugitive kite, and that mild, yearning and baffled presence. Kristi Brawner as Lucy van Pelt is adorably heedless, loud and self-certain -- comically capturing childish speech and emphasis with her frequent prolongation of initial consonants ("You're a Buh-LOCKHEAD!")

Part of the pleasure of seeing mature but young actors in these roles is the irony of age difference: grown men are returned to the tentative innocents they once were, while the actresses giving Schultz's girls their endearing brashness are at the same time very attractive young women.

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre. . . .

NATIONAL PASTIME, a musical by Tony Sportiello and Al Tapper, Austin Theatre Project at Center Stage, September 19 - October 6, 2013

[






Austin Theatre Project, performing at Center Stage Texas, 2826 Real Street, south of Manor Rd. - CLICK FOR MAP]
 
presents

National Pastime

book by Tony Sportiello, music and lyrics by Al Tapper

directed by Barbara Schuler with music direction by David Blackburn

September 19 - October 6, 2013

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m.

Center Stage Texas, 2826 Real Street, south of Manor Rd. - click for map 

NATIONAL PASTIME takes place in Baker City, Iowa in 1933. As the country is coming out of the Great Depression, about the only business in Baker City that seems to be holding on (barely) is the radio station WZBQ. The last time they had made any kind of profit was before the Depression... when the team was home to the minor league baseball team, the Baker City Cougars. In order to save the station, the owners decide to broadcast Cougar baseball again... only there's no team to broadcast!

What do you do when decide to broadcast baseball without a team? Broadcast fake games of course! Incredibly, the entire scheme works and the station is rolling in the profits once again. All is well until a reporter from Life Magazine arrives to do a story on the incredible Iowa baseball team.
 
NATIONAL PASTIME features some of the best and brightest talent Austin has to offer. In the role of Barry, the station owner is Jim Lindsay ("Baby," "Blood Brothers," "Singin' in the Rain"). Haley Smith ("Baby," "I Love You Because") plays Karen, the Chicago attorney who arrives in Baker City to sell the station, but ends up fully immersed in the zany plot. Cast in the roles of station employees are Brandon Myers ("Blood Brothers," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"), Derek Smootz ("The Fantasticks", "Princess Ida"), Rachel Hoovler ("Avenue Q," "Rocky Horror Picture Show"), and Suzanne Orzech ("Baby," "Thoroughly Modern Millie"). In the roles of the bumbling mobster misfits are Erik Freisinger ("South Pacific", "A Few Good Men") and Matt Gauk ("Baby," "A Few Good Men"). Rounding out the exceptional cast is the jingle singing trio consisting of Kate Clark ("Princess Ida"), Wendy Jo Cox ("Baby", "South Pacific"), and Heather Anne Howes (making her Austin theatrical debut).
 
NATIONAL PASTIME features a book by Tony Sportiello and music & lyrics by Al Tapper. Back in March, Austin Theatre Project had a very special guest in the audience of the musical Edges. New York playwright Tony Sportiello had just spent the day with ATP founders Barbara Schuler and David Blackburn and was taking in the critically acclaimed show. As soon as the show finished, Sportiello pulled Schuler and Blackburn aside and raved about the talent on the stage and caliber of the production. He then offered ATP the first preview production of his musical NATIONAL PASTIME which is expected to open on Broadway in 2014.

The musical is being directed by Barbara Schuler with music direction by David Blackburn. Choreography is by Meg Steiner. The set is designed by David Blackburn with Sound and Lighting design by Joel Mercado-See and Dustin Downing. Technical director for the production is Jim Schuler.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Video: Meet the Cast of 'The National Pastime,' Austin Theatre Project at Center Stage on Real, September 19 - October 6, 2013

 

National Pastime, a one-act play by Tony Sportiello, was first produced in 2010 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and then reworked with music by Al Tapper. It played Off-Broadway in 2012 and is scheduled to open on Broadway. The AustinTheatre Project will stage it at Center Stage on Real Street, September 19 - October 6, 2013. 

 Here's a video introduction of the cast:

Auditions in Austin and Wimberley for You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, September 7 and 8, 2013

The Wimberley Players announce open auditions for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 revised version) September 7 at the Austin Waldorf School , 8702 S View Rd (click for map; click 'Read more' below for additional driving directions) and September 8 at the Wimberley Players' theatre , 450 Old Kyle Rd, Wimberley(click for map). 

Based on the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz with book, music, and lyrics by Clark Gessner, the show will be directed and choreographed by Jim Lindsay with music directed and conducted by Peter Stopschinski.

We seek to cast 4 men and 2 women for various leading roles, plus 2 ensemble female roles. All will be 18 or older. All roles are open and ethnic diversity is encouraged. All performers will need to act and sing well, have strong harmonizing skills, and dance in musical theatre style with some beginning tap/soft shoe skills. No pay or honoraria is offered. Named roles are those of Charlie Brown, Sally Brown, Linus Van Pelt, Lucy Van Pelt, Snoopy and Shroeder (click 'Read more' for character descriptions and vocal requirements). Candidates can access any number of scenes from the show on www.youtube.com, some from the most recent Broadway production and many meritable university and local revivals.

For preliminary auditions all actors should prepare one up-tempo song and one ballad to showcase range, vocal strength and, preferably, the joy, fun, and childlike spirit that the show exhibits. You may be asked to sing both songs in their entirety or a cut. Please prepare for both scenarios. An accompanist will be provided. Bring a recent headshot and resume or be prepared to have a photo taken upon your arrival if you do not have a headshot. Actors may choose to sing a song from the show but this is not a requirement.
Auditions will also consist of a 1-2 minute monologue from a play or musical of the actor's choosing. Monologues in the style of the show encouraged --i.e., humor, childlike sentiment, and simple joy may be themes illustrated in the actor's monologue. You may access various pieces from the show as audition material. You may perform your audition segments in any order you desire. Please come to auditions prepared to provide your most transparent understanding of your rehearsal conflicts for the following dates: September 22 (initial reading); October 6-November 13 (rehearsals); November 14-December 8 (Friday, Saturday performances at 7:30; Sundays at 2:30)
Call backs All actors who are called back will complete the following (in this order):
- one dance combination, which will be taught at the time of call backs, in groups
- one harmonizing exercise which will be taught at the time of call backs
- one monologue or scene, and/ or song, indicated below. Actors can prepare if they so choose, though it is recommended.

Call backs (vocal cuts available at auditions)
- All actors for Charlie Brown will prepare "The Kite" if called back.
- All actors for Sally will be asked to sing "My Philosophy" cut if called back for this role.
-All actors for Snoopy will be asked to sing "Suppertime" cut if called back.
- If auditioning for Schroeder, please prepare vocal cut from "Beethoven Day."
- If called back for Linus, please prepare vocal cut from "My Blanket and Me."
- Actors called back for Lucy will prepare vocal cut from "Schroeder."

- All actors auditioning for roles may also be asked to prepare a cold reading of a selection from the script, TBD.

- Actresses auditioning for the 2 female ensemble roles will not need to prepare a separate cut. Your call back will determine your eligibility and will be based on harmonizing, dance, general acting, conflicts, and look.
All performers will be expected to dance in musical theatre style including some soft shoe as "My Blanket and Me" will include an all cast dance break. If you have tap experience, you will be asked to indicate that on your audition form.

Audition and Callback Dates: venue for the September 7 auditions has changed: these will take place at the performing arts center of the Austin Waldorf School, 8700 South View Rd., 78737 (click for map) from 10 AM- 1 PM. September 8 auditions will take place at Wimberley Playhouse Theatre, 450 Old Kyle Road, Wimberley, TX from 7-9 PM. Call backs will take place together at the theatre on September 8 from 9-10:30 PM. We will do our best to complete the entire call back by this time. That said, we may extend, but this is not expected.
After a first read- and sing-through, actors will have 3 weeks off to learn parts, music, and harmonies, which will be accessible via drop box. The production team has a goal of conducting 50% of rehearsals in an Austin location (TBD), 50% at Wimberley playhouse, depending upon how we cast, manage conflicts, etc.
To schedule an audition appointment, please call the theatre at 512.632.7638 or email your request at adam@adamwitko.com. Do not send head shots and resumes via email. This contact information is for audition requests only. All scheduled appointments will be accommodated as closely to their scheduled time as possible. Walk-ins will be accommodated as we are able.

Click to view driving directions for Waldorf School and list of characters and requirements, at AustinLiveTheatre.com 

12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, City Theatre, May 24 - June 9, 2013

by Jessica M. Helmke and Michael Meigs


A View Inside Deciding

Decisions. We make them everyday. City Theatre's production of 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose gravely invited audience members to search for truth, as if they were jurors in the murder case.

Vividly depicted characters organized around a long wooden table wore their back stories on their sleeves, and actors balanced their portrayals against one another with the guarded cordiality of an intense game of poker.

This closed and sequestered group of twelve jurors touched on the diversity of all humanity, cornered into making a decision that could end a life. The cast answers an audience silently searching for reasons to establish reason for belief. 'Tell me why,' we star gazers ask when we fill the house. Watching events develop, we get our response, and the conclusion is satisfying and a job well done.

(photo: www.citytheatreaustin.org)

Presented simply, humbly and truthfully, this production is a celebration of Rose's script. Something powerful happens as this ensemble explores its relationship with the text, opening a door for the audience. This is lean, stripped-down acting, theatrical work that's basically artistic commentary about a script and a world that still merits performance today. Nearly 60 years after its first presentations as a 1954 teleplay, a 1955 play and a 1957 feature film, the dialogue is still creating an impact with the artists and the audience.

Rose's characters are so sharply differentiated that the exposition of these twelve personalities seemed like presentations by actors working in chosen styles or disciplines.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

Video: Austin Live Theatre Talks with Half of the Jury, 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, City Theatre, May 16 - June 11

for

City Theatre's



Twelve Angry Men
by Reginald Rose

directed by Karen Sneed
May 16 - June 9, 2013
Thursdays - Sunday

City Theatre, 3823 Airport Rd. (behind the Shell station) -- (click for map).

Click for additional show info and tickets, via www.citytheatreaustin.org

Austin Live Theatre interviews half the jury - Rick Felkins and Jim Lindsay, Michael Raines and Johnny Stewart, Brian Miller and Freddy Carnes - and asks them to describe the characters portrayed by the other actors. With some May 7 rehearsal scenes from Act 1. (8 min.)

TWELVE ANGRY MEN by Reginald Rose, City Theatre, May 16 - June 9, 2013

(3823 Airport Rd. at 38 1/2 St., behind the Shell station)



presents

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Video for Upcoming: Baby, the musical, Austin Theatre Project at Dougherty Arts Center, October 12 - 28

Baby, the musical

October 12 through 28, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m.

Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd (click for map)

Tickets $15 to $25, group tickets $10, plus service fees at Brown Paper Tickets

Click for tickets via www.AustinTheatreProject.com

Is there anything more exciting, frightening and utterly transformational than impending parenthood? BABY is a wonderful and touching musical from the team of Maltby and Shire and tells the story of three couples on a university campus as they deal with the painful, rewarding and agonizingly funny consequences of this universal experience. There are the college students, barely at the beginning of their adult lives; the thirty-somethings, having trouble conceiving but determined to try; and the middle aged parents, looking forward to seeing their last child graduate from college when a night of unexpected passion lands them back where they started.

Video: Blood Brothers by Willy Russell, Trinity Street Players, June 1 - 24

Austin Live Theatre's backstage visit with director Bob Beare and the cast:

Blood Brothers

by Willy Russell

directed by Bob Beare

Jun 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 22-24

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Black Box Theatre, 4th floor, First Baptist Church, 901 Trinity Street (click for map)

free admission; reservations at (512) 402-3086; donations gratefully accepted

Written by award-winning author Willy Russell, the plot of Blood Brothers revolves around the story of two twin brothers separated at birth. One brother, Eddie, was adopted by wealthy parents and lives an affluent life with endless opportunities. The other brother, Mickey, not blessed with similar circumstances, is raised in poverty by his birth mother. The tale spans more than 20 years of the boys’ lives and finds Eddie going to prestigious University of Oxford, while Mickey turns to a life of crime and ultimately prison. While trying to overcome the social divide, the boys both fall in love with the same girl. This proves to be too much, splits their relationship, and leads to tragedy.

Singing in the Rain, Georgetown Palace Theatre, February 24 - March 25

by Michael Meigs

Gotta sing! Gotta dance!

Those could be the rallying cries for the Georgetown Palace Theatre. Under the years of Mary Ellen Butler's artistic direction, this community institution in the elegantly refurbished movie house off the courthouse square sees very little down time, given its eight-show season and its classes for adults and for young people. The staff and the unpaid actors and tech folk send familiar musicals and plays, down the chutes one after another to their loyal and enthusiastic weekend audiences.

Singing in the Rain, the 1952 musical film from MGM, has been an enduring success, a work that was one of the last and finest examples of the the American film studio tradition of musical cinema. That art form originated with Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer, the very first nationally distributed "talkie," flourished through the 1930's and 1940's with Arthur Freed, Vincente Minelli and others, and then died away in the mid-1950's. Just as the talkies had put an end to vaudeville, the new medium of television drained away much of the audience for studio musicals. The standardization of network broadcasting in full color was a factor in families' decisions to stay home in the living room almost every weekend rather than to attend movie houses such as the Georgetown Palace. Hollywood continued to produce musical films but they were expensive spectaculars such as West Side Story or adaptations of Broadway shows such as The Sound of Music. Almost none had the assembly line directness and simplicity of the Gene Kelly - Debbie Reynolds - Donald O'Connor vehicle.

In 1974 Tinseltown put together the nostalgic anthology film That's Entertainment, a low-cost assemblage from the MGM library directed by Jack Haley, Jr., featuring narration by recognizable ageing stars including Astaire, Kelly and Bing Crosby. It was such a success that the studio got Kelly to direct and narrate That's Entertainment II just two years later. By that time a more truthful title might have been That Was Entertainment.

So it's a special pleasure to see this accomplished live theatre production of Singing in the Rain take place at the re-glorified palace where it surely must have played 60 years ago. And to be entertained within it by Rich Simms' full-screen video re-creation of a 1920's swashbuckling black-and-white silent film in the best wild old style.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Backstage at Singing in the Rain Rehearsals, Georgetown Palace

Austin Live Theatre speaks with Sara Burke, Jim Lindsay and Kevin Oliver, leads for Singing in the Rain, opening February 24 at the Georgetown Palace:

[Apple users: can't see the video? Click to go to YouTube]

She Loves Me, Wimberley Players, November 18 - December 11

by Michael Meigs

The Wimberley Players' production of She Loves Me directed by Dawn Youngs delivers a serene and intricately musical vision of a 1930s fairy tale. Preserved as if in one of those snow globes awaiting a gentle shake to send the flakes whirling, a perfume shop in Budapest is a holiday setting where affairs of the heart predominate. The elegant ladies of the city come seeking their creams, perfumes and philtres; the clerks of the shop, good earnest working folk, do their best to please. Love will not be lured by artifice, of course, but it does thrive on mystery.

This gentle musical comedy uses one of the oldest comic plot devices in the book: the anonymous love letter. The audience's fun is doubled as it watches as both participants in this courtship by mail just happen to become employees of the shop and quickly become annoyed rivals.

Ann Pittman is new arrival Amalia Balash who won't take 'no' for an answer, brashly outdoing shop manager Georg Nowack (Jim Lindsay), gaining a job and causing Nowack to lose a wager with the boss. Pittman and Lindsay have paired before, as Juan and Evita Perón in the Georgetown Palace's Evita last February, where each demonstrated stature and dignity along with fine singing voices.

In She Loves Me you can enjoy a different take: they're lively, self-assured and assertive in their in-store rivalry but vulnerable and sentimental in the imaginings of their correspondence, each writing letters to the anonymous 'Dear Friend.'

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Evita, Georgetown Palace, February 18 - March 20

Evita offers not only the Georgetown Palace's usual high standards of performance, but also something more: a deglamorization of the Lloyd Webber/Rice tragic fairy tale.

Eva Duarte de Perón came from almost literally nowhere -- from a provincial Argentine town where she was one of several illegitimate children of a wealthy rancher. She became leading lady, first lady and "Spiritual Leader of the Nation."

Lloyd Webber's score and Tim Rice's libretto have furnished us with memorable if only partly understood standards of the English language musical theatre. Don't Cry for Me, Argentina, for example, is a stirring anthem that lurks somewhere in the popular mind in the region of Frank Sinatra's I Did It My Way.

Few of us in American audiences are aware of the complicated history between the United Kingdom and Argentina, ranging from the quaint polo match and familiarities of the wealthy upper classes caricatured in the play to the bloodily decisive conflict in 1982 over the Faulklands/Malvinas islands, just four years after Evita was first produced. Mid-century Argentina evoked for the British mind aspects of European fascism. At the very time that Evita was first staged, the tactics of Argentine military rulers against their own people gave us a new locution in English -- the verb "to disappear" not only acquired a transitive mode but even became a passive transitive. As in, "After their arrests, the radical student leaders were promptly disappeared."

In the eyes of civilized Brits, the middle of the twentieth century was a sad disappointment all across Latin America, and nowhere more so for them than in Argentina.

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .