The Sound on Stage - Week of 9/18/23
Reviews of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (5th Ave Theatre), The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later (Changing Scene Theatre NW), The Play That Goes Wrong (Tacoma Little Theatre)
The 2023-24 theatre season around the Sound has begun in earnest. September’s schedule of opening productions continues to roll on, most theaters kicking their schedules off with big productions or ones that deal with a subject that deserves some attention. There is a little of both in this week’s inaugural edition of The Sound on Stage. This is a new forum in which you’ll find stage reviews, as well as a quick look at what’s coming up in the weeks ahead, as we look to capture the momentum of our recent Heilman & Haver Theatre Awards and continue to adapt our coverage of theatre in the Puget Sound Region.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid - through October 8, 2023
Presented By: The 5th Avenue Theatre (Reviewed: Friday, September 15, 2023)
The 5th Avenue Theatre kicked off its season, its first with incoming Managing Director Katie Maltais, with the national tour of 1776 a few weeks back, but for its first local production this year, the theatre is going with the classic fairy tale of self-discovery, acceptance, and forgiveness, Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The Hans Christian Andersen story was given new life by Disney in 1989 as the film that kicked off the company’s animation resurgence, and through multiple incarnations, including animated sequels, a live action film released earlier this year, and the musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2008 and is currently onstage at the 5th Avenue, it’s a story that most of us are familiar with. The story has adapted over the years, and certain details have changed (for example, in the 5th Avenue version, Prince Eric asks King Triton for Ariel’s hand and Triton rejects the request, telling Eric that “Ariel can make up her own mind”), but all and all the original story and its themes remain intact. Ariel’s search for herself and where she belongs could have easily been an allegory for lyricist Howard Ashman’s search for belonging as a gay man in a world full of discrimination, but in today’s world, where so many are trying to find their place in a body, or in a social set, or in a society, that just doesn’t seem right, The Little Mermaid’s lessons may be even more relevant than when the animated film was first released.
This production at The 5th Avenue Theatre of The Little Mermaid is not just a well made telling of this familiar story, it is a sensory delight. Directed by Glenn Casale, it is a brilliant show. This starts with Kenneth Foy’s scenic design, transforming the 5th Avenue stage into a number of scapes, from Triton’s underwater world, including Ariel’s secret hideaway, to Prince Eric’s castle, and to the shore where Ariel and Eric first come face to face. Paul Rubin’s aerial choreography has a number of the show’s characters flying or swimming, adding a dimension that uses so much more than just the stage to tell the story. Charlie Morrison’s lighting along with Ed Chapman’s sound design provide another layer to the spectacle, excellently recreating the storm that hits Eric’s ship, sending him hurtling fathoms below, and accentuating Ursula’s spookiness, especially through the lighting, which drives a lot of the mood changes in the show. Creatively, the show is a true work of art, perhaps the best example being through costume design, handled here by Amy Clark and Mark Koss. I especially appreciate the creative way that the two have handled the “fin issue”, meaning that none of the mermaids are wearing fins, rather swaths of cloth covering the actors’ legs, more implying the existence of fins. Quite a nice touch. Other costume highlights are Ariel’s sisters, each dressed in a unique color and each brighter than the next. In ensemble numbers, like “Under the Sea”, each of the aquatic creatures have costumes that not only depict their species, but do so in a joyful way, just cartoon-like enough to make it fun, but not too much as to make it corny. The coup de gras, though, in the costume arena is in Ursula’s lair, and I’m not just referring to the sea witch, though her costume is excellent. It’s her sidekicks, Flotsam and Jetsam that I specifically want to call out. Moving, or slinking, around on wheels, their costumes are electric, given that they’re eels, of course that makes sense, and it’s just one more area of excellence from this creative team that has produced a family friendly and overly fun musical.
And of course, yes, it is a musical. It has all of the familiar songs (and then some), each performed skillfully by this excellent cast. Diana Huey is Ariel, and is she good in this role. Diana doesn’t just handle the character of Ariel through her vocal chops, heard throughout but stellar in “Part of Your World”, but she also captures the innocence of the character, the wide-eyed wonder that Ariel brings, her fear in the company of Ursula, and the joy in her love for Eric. Ariel is a character who doesn’t feel comfortable in her own world and is searching for her place, while at the same time working through a host of new emotions. It’s a more complex role than people give it credit for and it is in good hands with Diana Huey. True that this is Ariel’s story, but she’s not the only iconic character that we’ve all come to know over the years. And just as Ariel needs her supporting cast to shine, Diana is lifted by this extraordinary cast of actors. Kevin Smith Kirkwood is Sebastian. Kevin brings the same sass that we’ve come to expect from Triton’s right hand, and a little more soul to boot. His lead in “Under the Sea” just about brought the Friday opening night audience to its feet. Coleman Cummings is a very good Prince Eric, his turn in “One Step Closer” just lovely. I would have liked to see Terence Kelley’s King Triton be a little more commanding. His singing was very nice but he lacks a bit of the power you’d hope in a character of this magnitude. Jason Weitkamp’s Chef Louie is very good, as are all of the supporting cast members, including John David Scott as Scuttle. John brings a lot of humor to his Scuttle, but his tap dancing in “Positoovity” is a true differentiator. And then there is Ursula, evil bitter Ursula. Shaunyce Omar nails this role, commanding the stage and truly embodying the evil sea witch. She is excellent, as are her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam. Ethan Carpenter plays Jetsam very well, but Cassi Q. Kohl as Flotsam is a standout, so expressive and entertaining on her own to watch.
The music pulls you into The Little Mermaid. As soon as R.J. Tancioco’s orchestra starts the familiar flowing seascape of a melody that begins The Little Mermaid, it’s clear the audience is in for a treat. Every familiar song is performed impeccably, and every one that is new for the musical just adds to the tradition of excellence from Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater. With Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The 5th Avenue Theatre has taken a timeless family classic, a tale of searching for one’s place, and ultimately one of love, family, and acceptance and raised it to a new level, one that is the perfect way to open its production season.
The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later - through September 23, 2023
Presented By: The Changing Scene Theatre Northwest (Reviewed: Saturday, September 16, 2023)
Meanwhile, south of Seattle, along the I-5 corridor, smack in the middle of Tacoma’s Theatre District is the Dukesbay Theatre. The theatre, planning its own season opener in October, is playing host to The Changing Scene Theatre Northwest’s production of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. If you’re not familiar with The Laramie Project, take a few minutes and look it up. It’s a solid piece of theatre on its own and deals with first hand accounts of a tragic hate crime perpetrated against Matthew Shepard, beaten to death ostensibly just for being gay. The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later revisits many of the folks interviewed for the original work, plus the convicted, currently serving time for Matthew’s murder. Like the original, it’s a hard piece that tackles so much more than just the crime itself. While there’s no real requirement to have seen the original, it might help to familiarize yourself with the details of the case around Matthew’s murder. “Ten Years Later” is a very well written piece that paints a picture of Laramie the town and does delve into the events surrounding the case, but it’s about so much more than that. This play deals with the struggles of passing state and national hate crime legislation and domestic partner benefits, but it mainly focuses on the aftermath of a heinous crime by looking at Laramie over the ten year period since the murder occurred. How have the townsfolk dealt with (or not dealt with) the crime that defined their town for so long and the attention it brought? What about the impact media has on opinions and how people form them based on more than just facts, but through rumor and hearsay? There’s a lot about this show that resonates, and reminds me of today’s political climate, as the media seems to have more influence over our day to day opinions than ever before.
Dukesbay is a black box space, which plays perfectly into Director Nick Fitzgerald’s hands. He, along with his creative team, which includes Michael O’Hara (set design), Pavlina Morris (lighting), and Darren Hembd (sound), has crafted a presentation that appears simple enough, but is well choreographed, using the small stage, a few props, and the cast of eight to their fullest. He’s thrown a nice bit of symbolism in, too, a creative way to bookend the telling of the story, but he’s largely left it to the actors handle the heavy burden of the tale, and they do not disappoint, each playing a series of characters representing the theatre group revisiting Laramie for this follow-up to their original play, college professors, legislators, Laramie townsfolk, Matthew Shepard’s parents, and even the two inmates convicted of the crime. The cast consists of Stephanie Carlson, Cody Clark, Jill Heinecke, Mckenna Johnson, Nicole Lockett, Scott Mattsen, Sharry O’Hare, and Craig Rock. They are all excellent in delivering these roles and bring the interviews to life. There are too many callouts to capture here, but Craig Rock’s turn as the catholic priest, Cody Clark as convicted murderer and still scarily bigoted Aaron McKinney, and Mckenna Johnson as accomplice Russell Henderson, are all extremely noteworthy.
With The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, Nick Fitzgerald, his creative team, and cast have brought an important work to the stage in Tacoma, a very well done play that acts as both an eye-opening follow-up to the original, and a production that seems extremely relevant in today’s world. It’s a study on the duality of the progress and lack thereof in the opinions of and actions surrounding gay rights in America and something that demands a look around at our own neighborhoods and towns.
The Play that Goes Wrong (aka The Murder at Haversham Manor) - through October 1, 2023
Presented By: Tacoma Little Theatre (Reviewed: Sunday, September 17, 2023)
Just a few blocks from Dukesbay Theatre, something completely different is happening at Tacoma Little Theatre, with its season opening production of The Play That Goes Wrong, directed by Jennifer York. While Disney’s The Little Mermaid has its important message to deliver, and The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later speaks to some pretty heavy stuff, there is none of that here, just a fun, lighthearted, amazingly designed and presented comedy. It’s the typical whodunit, but one that’s completely turned on its head. The hapless Cornley Drama Society is putting up its season opener, The Murder at Haversham Manor, on stage at Tacoma Little Theatre. Hapless, though, might be an understatement. As the audience watches the drama unfold, anything and everything imaginable goes wrong with this production. Anyone who has done theatre is sure to recognize at least one of the blunders, from props not working as expected, to actors entering the stage at the wrong time or forgetting their lines, to misplaced sound effects. A comedy of this magnitude is not an easy thing to put together, it requires a creative team that is top notch, and a cast that can deliver. This production at TLT has it all, and the result is the the most fun I’ve had at a theatre in at least the past two years. I surely have not laughed as much during a show as I did during Sunday’s performance.
It starts with the set, and it’s a gem. Blake R. York (Technical Director/Scenic Designer) has outdone himself with this set that resembles the Mouse Trap board game. It is an excellent piece of stage craft. But it only begins there. Lighting (Michelle Weingarden-Bandes) and sound (Dylan Twiner) come together to complement the work on the stage, and a special callout goes to J. Wheeler’s stage management to make sure it all runs like a well oiled machine. Jennifer York has taken a good deal of care in putting all of this together to make sure it works, and it does. It’s serious business to present a top flight comedy.
The production design can only bring a show so far, it’s the cast that takes that baton and brings it home, and the comedic chops of this cast are second to none. Each individual is playing a member of the Cornley Drama Society, in turn playing one of the characters in the whodunit. It’s quite tricky and it’s a masterful performance all around. The cast consists of Kyle Sinclair (Cornley cast member Jonathan playing Charles Haversham), Blake R. York (Robert as Thomas Colleymore), Jacob Tice (Dennis as butler Perkins), Paul Richter (Max playing Cecil Haversham), and Gretchan Boyt (Sandra playing Florence Colleymore). They’re all led by lighting and sound engineer Trevor (Mark Peterson). The play actually starts before the curtain rises, though. If you get to TLT early, or stay around during intermission, you’ll be sure to see Marissa-Clare Hissey, Robert Baltazor, Sage Stevens, and Derek Mesford putting final touches on the set before the murder mystery begins or cleaning the stage during intermission, each part of the Cornley Drama Crew, with Marissa-Clare playing Stage Manager Annie. The whole production, from start to finish, is just a whole lot of fun, with nary a serious moment, which, given the state of the world right now, is kind of refreshing.
Tacoma Little Theatre is starting out its season with The Play That Goes Wrong, a smart and supremely fun and hilarious romp, exquisitely designed and expertly performed. It’s a needed escape and an unforgettable day (or night) out at the theatre.
For more information on all of these shows, please visit the theatre websites listed below:
The 5th Avenue Theatre - https://www.5thavenue.org/
The Changing Scene Theatre Northwest - https://www.facebook.com/changingscenenw/
Tacoma Little Theatre - https://www.tacomalittletheatre.com/
Also on Stage:
Freaky Friday - WWCA (Port Orchard)
Sleuth - Bremerton Community Theatre (Bremerton)
Savannah Sipping Society - Jewel Box (Poulsbo)
Cabaret - Tacoma Musical Playhouse (Tacoma)
Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood - Village Theatre (Issaquah)
Coming Soon:
Last Drive to Dodge - Taproot Theatre (opens 9/20)
Passengers - Seattle Rep (opens 9/22)
Cambodian Rock Band - ACT (w/ 5th Avenue) (opens 9/29)
The Turn of the Screw - BCT (opens 10/06)
Murder on the Nile - Port Gamble Theatre (opens 10/06)
Cry It Out - As If Theatre (opens 10/12)
The Prom - Bainbridge Performing Arts (opens 10/13)
Baskerville - WWCA (opens 10/13)
