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. . . .

Vampire Lesbians of Sodom by Charles Busch, City Theatre, late nights October 26 - November 17

by Steve Meigs

All politics is local, they say. Is all theater local, too? And can theater be politics? Find out. Go see Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. Even better, phone your right-wing conservative religious uncle and invite him to go with you to see it at the City Theater where it's now playing. Don't tell Uncle the name of the show, don't give the game away. Just say “Gee, Uncle, it's a comedy and the first scene is set in a famous Biblical city!” 


First scene, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom: A sweet, innocent 14-year-old flaxen-haired Vestal Virgin is chosen as a sacrifice for a blood sucking lesbian demon, the Succubus. The virgin played by Joe Hartman in a long blonde Rapunzel wig, red lipstick and mascara struggles to escape, gets grabbed by the palace guards, and with flailing arms and legs screams "Break my hymen! Break my hymen!" Too late, virgin babe. The Succubus, Kirk Kelso with an evil sneer and a hellish red page boy wig, bites her on the neck and she swoons.


Is she dead? Not exactly.


All theater is local politics. Your uncle may bolt out of the theater and your life forever.


Or maybe he'll rip his Romney button off and try to stab you with the pin?


Or surprise, surprise. He could giggle and change in ways your aunt will never understand.

Most people see Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and laugh their asses off. It's just so damn ridiculous. It's got action faster than a speeding improv. It's weirder than an op-ed page in a free weekly. It cold cocks you with its purse and then makes you beg for it again.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical, Tex-Arts, Lakeway, February 10 - 26

By Catherine Dribb

Mid-Life!, the Crisis Musical, presented by TexArts for only one more weekend, is a funny, witty piece about colorful characters and the crises they face. Brothers Bob and Jim Walton wrote book, music, and lyrics for this musical review with no plot other than scenes of the characters as they progress (and digress) through their mid-lives. Mid-Life! features six outstanding cast members directed by Lenny Daniel, bringing talent to Lakeway from Dripping Springs, Austin and Georgetown! If you’re able to make the scenic drive west, it’s a performance worth the trip.

Mid-Life! covers the range of emotions and crises associated with the often dreaded mid-life years -- a 37-year-old ticking time bomb looking for the perfect sperm; a 40-year-old man exhibiting Tourette’s syndrome outbursts of his father’s idioms; and a man and woman who decide turning the big five-oh isn’t so oh, oh, all that bad.

The creatively designed set is filled with stuff we’ve acquired in our lives. Mid-Life! is smoothly staged as characters come in and out of scenes carrying small props or rearranging the set items already there.

The six performers play different characters in different marriages, divorces, jobs and homes. Most of the show is comic: three women at their 30-year high school reunion discussing their divorces, for example, or the three men exaggerating their skilz on the bball court [sic] only to cut their recreation time short because wives are telephoning. From softly spoken I love yous to blatant I’ve-traded-you-for-a-younger-model announcements, Mid-Life! pokes fun at those who stay married, those who abandon marriage, and those whose marriage spawned that damn kid who just won’t leave home.

It isn’t all just fun and games. Coming out of the closet and mammogram tests aren’t all sparkles and flashing lights (though they are in this show!). In the finale a trio gently addresses the distressing responsibilities of parenting their own parents. After scenes that elicit laughs, gasps and did-they-really-just-go-there?, it’s a tender moment for the audience and actors.

That tenderness didn’t come any too soon, either. While it’s clever and funny, Mid-Life! can be hard to stomach at times, let alone watch. But at least both genders get what’s coming to them. Women in the audience had to watch the characters mock menopause and mammograms while men got to suffer through a song about that dreaded trip to the doctor that’s complete only after the rubber-gloved prostate exam.

Songs about such sensitive subjects were bearable, thanks to a strong cast. Special accolades go to Jarret Mallon and Amy Nichols. When all six performers sang together onstage, the overall blend wasn’t remarkable, but their individual performances in solos, trios and small ensembles were superb.

You will, indeed, laugh out loud at TexArts’ production in Lakeway of Mid-Life!, the Crisis musical featuring Kirk Kelso, Jarret Mallon, Melita McAtee, Amy Nichols, Rudy Roberson and Cathie Sheridan. It runs through February 26. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Upcoming: Hair, City Theatre, August 18 - September 11

Found on-line:

City Theatre

presents the musical

Hair

Directed by Jeff Hinkle
Music Direction by David Blackburn
Stage Managed by Kati Pike

August 18 - September 11

Thursdays- Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 p.m.

City Theatre, 3823 Airport Rd (behind the Shell station)

The year is 1968. It's the age of psychotropic drugs, the age of free love, the age of rock and roll.

It is the age of the Vietnam War.

See our tribe endure the good, the bad, and the worst this tumultuous decade had to offer in City Theatre's production of the immortal rock musical extravaganza Hair. It's an Austin version of Hair, what more could you ask for?

The show runs August 18th-September 11th on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays (8:30 PM) and Sundays (5:30 PM)

Tickets are available at the door. Reservations may be made by e-mailing Info@citytheatreaustin.org​ or by calling 512-524-2870. Cash and credit cards are both accepted. Non reserved seating is limited and first come first served

IMPORTANT: This show is NOT family friendly. It contains mature content not limited to: Strong language, violence, implied drug use, explicit drug use, strong sexual imagery, thinly veiled sexual imagery, and Richard Nixon. DON'T BRING YOUR CHILDREN

See cast list at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: The Imaginary Invalid, City Theatre, July 21 - August 14

Found on-line:

presents

The Imaginary Invalid

by Molière

directed by Karen Sneed

July 21 - August 14
Thursday – Saturday 8:00 p.m. Sunday 5:30 p.m.
The City Theatre. 3823 Airport Blvd, behind the Shell station (click for map)
Tickets $15 - $20. Guaranteed Front/2nd Row Reserved $25.
Students $12. Thursday all seats $10. Group discounts are available.
Reservations 512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org

Quick-tongued, lively, fast-paced Moliere at his best. A merry-go-round of misplaced desires and hidden agendas in this fresh new take on skewering of the health care crisis. In this hilarious satire on the world of medicine the the wealthy, yet housebound hypochondriac Argan has every disease in the book and will go to any length to marry his daughter off to a doctor, Of course, she has other ideas. Lurking around are quacks only too happy to (mis)treat him, a money-grubbing wife and servants longing to carry on his miseries. A narcotic cocktail of romantic triangles, double entendres and mistaken identities ensues, promising to leave you gasping, giggling and possibly…in stitches.

Directed by Karen Sneed and featuring Richard Craig,Suzanne Balling, Alexandra Russo, Mick D’Arcy, Laura Cannon, Scot Friedman, Kirk Kelso, Cason Longley, Mario Silva, Kate Clark, Robert Frazier, Brian Brown, Ariel Atlas, Danielle Ruth, Elena Weinberg and Jessica Smith

Upcoming: The Fantasticks, Silver Spur Theatre, Salado, May 13 - 14

Received directly:

presents

The Fantasticks

7:30 p.m., May 13 & 14

Silver Spur Theater, 108 Royal St., Salado (click for map)

Admissions are $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, military personnel and students with ID; and $8 for children aged 12. No matinee. Group rates are available. For reservations, call the box office at 254-947-3456.

This romantic musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, has deep Texas roots and a UT-Austin connection before becoming the longest running musical in New York at more than 50 years. It's a moving tale of young lovers schemingly pushed together by parents. The couple becomes disillusioned, only to discover a more mature and meaningful relationship. The show is punctuated by a bountiful series of catchy, memorable songs, like "Try To Remember." For directions or more play info, visit www.saladosilverspurtheater.com.

Barbara Schuler Productions (BSP) of Cedar Park, TX, will reprise its 2010 anniversary production of the popular musical with two performances only at 7:30 p.m. on May 13 and 14 at the Silver Spur Theater, (108 Royal St.) in historic Downtown Salado. Video clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK8Q4lZEqVs.

“BSP brought the revival of this romantic-but-bittersweet charmer to the Spur in mid-January and we’re glad to have them back,” said Grainger Esch, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Silver Spur Theater, a seven-year-old professional theater.

Theatre-goers who’ve seen this show before will enjoy it again, and those patrons who’ve never seen it will discover the magic that has made it a worldwide success,” Esch said. “At the heart of ‘The Fantasticks’ are breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication, a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers.”

Admissions are $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, military personnel and students with ID; and $8 for children aged 12. There will be no Saturday matinee. Group rates are available. For reservations, call the box office at 254-947-3456. For directions or more play info, visit www.saladosilverspurtheater.com.

The Silver Spur Theater serves wine, beer, cider and expanded food choices at evening shows (only) at The Spuradical Social Club in its lobby. http://www.spuradicalsocialclub.net/ Membership is achieved by swiping your driver’s license before purchasing.

“We’ve got a great cast and a brilliant music director” (David Blackburn),” said Barbara Schuler, a professional actress and director of the show. “We are all thrilled to have a chance to work together again in this revival of our March production.”