Nursery Crimes by Greg Klein, Last Act Theatre Company at Dougherty Arts Center, November 8 - 24, 2013

by Michael Meigs

Sara Cormier, David Boss (photo: Will Hollis Snider)

David Boss with his resonant baritone and weary dead-pan styling makes a fine Philip Marlowe, or, in acknowledgment of the film noir inspiration for playwright Greg Klein and the company, a good Bogey. 

Klein's play is an homage to that very distinctive style, so much so that the first half of the Kickstarter promo video was a 1940s-style dramatization with first-person narration, video-recorded in stark black and white by director Will Hollis Snider.

You could write a straight film noir play script and make it work; you could even do a parody version that could amuse both film buffs and the casual public. 

Klein's choice is different. He's soberly respectful of the genre as he mines his Mother Goose for characters. The protagonist sleuth is Jack Horner, and he's certainly sitting in his corner while his good-natured seen-it-all secretary Donna (presumably Mother) Hubbard (Peggy Schott) laboriously types his reports and answers his phone.


Sara Cormier is the attractive bad news that comes his way, asking for help. She's Bo Peep, and her sheep have disappeared. Her father's the farmer Old MacDonald (Travs Bedard). We run across some baddies, Jack (D. Heath Thompson) and Jill (Elena Weinberg), who use the cheerful dolt Humphrey aka Humpty (Bobby DiPasquale) for some of their bad business. Peggy Schott checks in also as Marjorie Daw; Bedard as the gruff avuncular cop Guy Blue; DiPasquale as Peter Piper; and Mary quite contrary (Weinberg) is hopelessly dependent upon her drug dealer boyfriend King Cole (Thompson). While the sleuth's nosing around through the underworld he runs across the three blind mice (DiPasquale, Thompson and Bedard). Double crosses, bad temper, murder, the big shadowy metropolis. You know. The city that never sleeps and kept hick middle-class America on the edge of its cinema seats.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

NURSERY CRIMES by Greg Klein, Last Act Theatre Company at the Dougherty Arts Center, November 8 - 24, 2013

presents

Nursery Crimes

Sara Cormier, David Boss (poster photo: Will Hollis Snider)

Written by Greg Klein

Directed by Will Hollis Snider

November 8 - 24

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8:00 p.m, Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

*Saturday, Nov. 9 and Friday, Nov. 15 are artist benefit nights. All ticket and concession sales go to the cast, crew and other artists who made this show possible.
*Thursday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 17 are “pay what you can” shows.

Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78704

Tickets are $15. Student tickets are $12 with valid student ID. Tickets can be purchased online at https://secure.buyplaytix.com/lastacttheatre/reserve/nursery_crimes.html and at the door. Attendees can also reserve seats online and still pay at the door. Last Act Theatre Company accepts all major credit cards, cash and 

 checks.

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and she doesn’t know where to find them. So, she turns to private eye Jack Horner to crack the case. But will it turn out to be more than he bargained for?

Quick dialogue moves this story full of childhood characters from what seems to be a humble beginning through a series of twists and turns, in a grown-up tale of murder, deceit and mystery.

Cast
David Boss - Jack Horner
Sara Cormier - Bo Peep
Peggy Schott - Donna Hubbard and Marjorie Daw
Elena Weinberg - Jill and Mary Contrary
Travis Bedard - Thomas McDonald, Guy Blue and Blind Mouse
Heath Thompson – Jack, Cole Kingsley and Blind Mouse
Bobby DiPasquale - Humpty Dumpty, Peter Piper and Blind Mouse

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

MOON OVER BUFFALO by Ken Ludwig, City Theatre, March 21 - April 14, 2013

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

presents

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Upcoming: He-Man, Live!, City Theatre, November 13-14 (only!)

Discovered at the City Theatre:



A Special Late-Night Production:

He-Man, Live!
November 5-6 and 13-14, 10:45
(separate admission after City Theatre's Hamlet)

The idea for HE-MAN Live! came from the minds of Dario Konjicija and D. Heath Thompson as the two were sitting and reminiscing on their favorite Saturday morning cartoons.

Both fondly remembered eating cereal and sitting in their pajamas watching “The Most Powerful Man in the Universe” defeat his nemesis, Skeletor, a purple man with a skeleton head, all while defending the secrets of the powers of Castle Grayskull.

He-Man Live! takes…and takes liberties with…two of the ten best episodes from the classic Filmation cartoon He-Man and the Masters of The Universe as voted on by He-Man fans.

The original cartoon ran from 1983-1985 and then in syndicated reruns until 1990. It was based on The Masters of the Universe toy collection line introduced by Mattel. The cartoon spawned a spinoff She-Ra: Princess of Power and was also re-packaged in a failed run as The New Adventures of He-Man in 1990.

Many thanks to all who help put He-Man Live! together and we hope your our audience will enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed putting it on.

Cast:

He-Man (Prince Adam)…………...Judd Farris
Skeletor……………………………Dario Konjicija
Man-At-Arms……………………..D. Heath Thompson
Beast Man…………………………Michael Ferestenfeld
Teela………………………………Kylie Baker
Tri-Klops………………………….Derek Vandi
The Sorceress……………………..Laura Ray
Evil-Lyn…………………………..Bridget Farris
Battle Cat (Cringer)………………David Baugh
Mer-Man………………………….Matt Sigers
King Randor………………………Daniel Sawtelle
Trap-Jaw…………………………..Aaron Alexander
General Tataran…………………...Michael Ferstenfeld
Queen Marlena……………………Daniel Sawtelle
Villagers/Goblins…………………Laura Ray, Derek Vandi,
Matt Sigers, David Baugh,
Bridget Farris
And…(groan)
Orko………………………………Bobby DiPasquale


*The show runs roughly 1 hour with a short 5-10 minute intermission.

About the He-Man Characters:

Defenders of Castle Grayskull and the planet Eternia:

King Randor: Ruler of Eternia and father of Prince Adam.

Queen Marlena: Queen of Eternia and mother of Prince Adam. She is originally from Earth, and was one of the first female astronauts. She came to Eternia when she her spaceship malfunctioned and crashed. She was rescued by, and later married King Randor.

Prince Adam: Prince of Eternia, son of King Randor and Queen Marlena who rule the planet of Eternia. In order to hide his identity of He-Man, Adam acts lazy and incapable of doing even menial tasks.

He-Man: The most powerful man in the universe. He is the alter ego of Prince Adam and also the twin brother of She-Ra. He-Man and his friends defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull.

Cringer: Overly frightened tiger pet of Prince Adam. Transforms into Battle Cat in the same manner that Prince Adam becomes He-Man

Battle Cat: Alter ego of Cringer. He-Man's faithful feline companion, a fighting armored tiger, who carries him into battle.

Man-At-Arms: Designer and builder of weapons and other technology for the royal family including ray guns that he wears on his arms.Real name: Duncan who received the nickname Man-At-Arms because he is Duncan knows Prince Adam's secret identity, and acts as mentor and teacher to the young prince. He is the adopted father of Teela.

Teela: Captain of the Royal Guard. Often assists He-Man in battle. She is the daughter of the Sorceress, though she doesn’t know it; Man-At-Arms has raised her from infancy at the Sorceress' behest. One of her duties is to teach combat skills to Prince Adam. She frequently berates him for his careless and worry-free attitude, but is fond of him nonetheless.

The Sorceress: Mystic guardian of Castle Grayskull who granted Prince Adam the power to become He-Man. The Sorceress cannot leave the castle for very long, or she will revert to her falcon form, Zoar. She is also the mother of Teela. She has the ability to communicate telepathically.

Orko: A magician from the parallel dimensional world of Trolla. His spells often backfire with humorous results. Normally travels by floating instead of walking. His face is concealed by a floppy hat and heavy scarf. According to legend, members of his people only show their visage to their one true love.

The Evil Forces of Skeletor:

Skeletor: An evil demon with a skeleton face. He was formally known as Keldor, half brother of King Randor. He-Man’s main nemesis bent on ruling Eternia.

Beast Man: A ferocious man-beast humanoid and right-hand man of Skeletor who can summon wild creatures of Eternia to aid Skeletor's schemes.

Tri-Klops: A 3-eyed hunter and swordsman who can see in any direction. His eyes, which are on a band around his head, have different abilities; such as the power to see through solid objects or shoot laser beams.

Evil-Lyn: A powerful witch. Considered to be more cunning than Skeletor, and merely in his ranks while it suits her own ends.

Mer-Man: A fish-man who controls sea life.

Trap-Jaw: A weapons expert and cyborg with a metal jaw, which can bite through anything. His right arm is actually interchangeable with different weapons of his choosing.

General Tataran: Leader of the Goblin Warriors who wish to assist Skeletor it conquering Eternia. Aside from being creative and strong, Tataran, like all Goblins has no heart…literally.

Special Thanks and Shout Outs:

Andy Berkovsky, Kate Crowley, Walter Pohlmeyer and The City Theatre,

Albert Im, and Last Gas Comedy (lastgascomedy.com)
And most importantly:

Each and every one who comes out to support us

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, City Theatre, August 20 - September 13

Director Bridget Farias and her cast have put together a jolly version of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, with loving attention to the eccentricities of Narnia creatures.

Audiences will enjoy the glim from the 2005 film version produced by Disney, which was the best selling DVD in 2006, but both that film and this script follow closely the novel for children written by C.S. Lewis in 1949.

When this production was announced through ALT, one parent, Tim, was plainly disappointed. " Wish they had kid friendly show times. After my kid's bed time is a bit late to see a play. Was looking forward to this one. Oh well...."

Another reader, Anonymous, noted that the City Theatre runs a 5:30 p.m. show on Sundays. That could solve Tim's problem, but it does raise another point: what's the target audience for this production?

Narnies, maybe, in analogy to "Trekkies"?

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, City Theatre, August 20 - September 13

Received directly:

The City Theatre
closes the 2009 summer theatre season with

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

based on C.S. Lewis’ favorite classic adventure

August 20 – September 13 Thursday – Saturday 8:00 p.m. Sunday 5:30 p.m.

NARNIA…a land frozen in eternal winter…a country waiting to be set free.

This wonderful adaptation based on the children’s novel by C. S. Lewis is the story of four children, Susan, Lucy, Edmond and Peter who escape the London blitz of World War II, when they are sent to live with their uncle in the countryside. Lucy’s discovery of a magic wardrobe in her uncle’s home, leads her and her siblings into a world where “it is always winter, but never Christmas”, the land known as Narnia.

Here the children discover strange wonders: centaurs, talking beavers, fairies, and a fawn-like creature known as Tumnus, who befriends the children.

But Narnia is a land of contrasts as well. There is evil, in the person of the ambitious and calculating White Witch who battles to rule all of Narnia, and goodness and nobility, embodied in the powerful Lion King Aslan, who opposes her and her diabolic schemes. This story of love, faith, courage and giving, with its triumph of good over evil, is a profound celebration of life and inspiration, captivating young and old for decades.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the first in a seven-book series by C. S. Lewis called The Chronicles of Narnia. Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis was born in 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. He was a professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at Oxford. He wrote books on religion and philosophy, but is most famous for this remarkable series, that has captured the imagination of children and adults worldwide. Many will be familiar with the series through the recently released Walt Disney Productions and Walden Media films, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian.

The production is directed by Bridget Farias with additional staging by Andy Berkovsky and set design by Daniel LeFave and costumes by Jessi Brill. It features the company of Derek Vandi (Aslan), Samantha Brewer (White Witch), Chad Duda (Peter), Laura Ray (Susan), Raphael Jaquette (Edmund), Shannyn Rose Cowart (Lucy), Bobby DiPasquale (Mr. Beaver), Fiona Rene (Mrs. Beaver), Austin Rausch (Mr. Tunmus), Dario Konjicija (Fenris Ulf), Marques Deleeon (Dwarf), Justin McKnight (Elf), D.H. Thompson (Father Christmas/Professor), and Molly McKee, Monique Borses, Nikki Maldonado, Annabel Stephan, Matthew Haynes, and Cameron McKnight (Wood Creatures/Ensemble).

This production is recommended for all ages and fun live theatre entertainment for the entire family.

TICKETS AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Reservations 512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org
General Seating $15 - $20. Guaranteed Reserve Seats$25. Kids under ten $10. Thursdays all seats $10. Group and senior discounts are available.


The City Theatre. 3823 Airport Blvd. – east corner of Airport Blvd. and 38 ½ Street.
Visit our website www.citytheatreaustin.org