The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
MANSFIELD — Terrific. Can you use that word in a sentence? “The show on stage now at the Black Box Theatre is terrific.”
Get your dictionaries out. It’s time for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Actually, no dictionaries are necessary, just the willingness to laugh and enjoy an entertaining production that showcases the county’s best spellers and the neuroses that propel them onto the stage with a shot at a trip to Washington, D.C.
With four contestants chosen from the audience, which lends a different flavor to each show, and six who are part of the cast, “Spelling Bee” is a hysterical look into the lives of the very bright, if socially inept, students vying for the spelling bee trophy. Just consider the characters — Logainne, a nerdy girl with a lisp from her retainers; Leaf, a home-schooled free spirit who wears a cape and often talks through finger puppets; Olive, a chunky outcast who befriended the dictionary as a youngster; William, a know-it-all geek; Marcy, the overly driven girl who knows six foreign languages, karate and a solid resume of other skills; and Chip, who tries to overcome his academic prowess by dressing and acting cooler than the rest.
And, remember, that this is just the surface of their wonderful personalities. Logainne struggles with identity with her two gay fathers, who argue about pushing her to succeed. Leaf is told by his siblings that he’s not smart, so he is dazzled each time he spells a word correctly. Olive waits for parents who never show up. William spells by tracing letters on the floor with his “magic foot” but wonders if he can do it without his unique power. Marcy is ready to snap mentally under the burden of her own perfection. And, Chip is struggling with the adolescent reactions of his body to a pretty girl.
“The Spelling Bee” chronicles the complex layers of the kids, as well as the two judges, Vice Principal Douglas Panch, who bristles at his station in life, and Rona Peretti, an aging bee winner. A final character, Mitch, is an ex-con doing community service as the bee bouncer. It is his job to offer a hug and a juice box when spellers flub a word, before ushering them out the door.
Black Box has pulled together a splendid production. The cast is strong and the skills of the players complement each other beautifully. Director Ken Butler taps into each player’s talent and energy to offer scenes brimming with personality and activity. For one number, “Life is Pandemonium,” the stage bursts into life, with the players dancing, singing, swinging from steel beams on the ceiling. If it’s choreographed, they execute it precisely. If it’s free-form, it’s even more wonderfully done.
While some of the voices in the cast are not as strong as others, each member makes a wonderful mark on this production of “The Spelling Bee.” Of particular note is Brendon Auld, who is absolutely precious as the gentle Leaf. He skates around the stage to the beat of his own drummer and his elation when Leaf realizes that he, too, is smart, is genuine and touching. Michaela Murphy gives a wonderful affectation to Logainne with her speech impediment and juvenile behavior. And, Atia DeRosa is an almost chilling Marcy. In one scene, she talks to Jesus to be sure he’ll still love her if she misspells on purpose to get out of the Bee. Her pain and anxiety are so real that it casts a hush on the audience. She is able to channel positive energy and negative emotions with ease.
This production is an absolute delight. Go i-m-m-e-d-i-a-t-e-l-y.
MMAS’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” runs through Nov. 6 at the Black Box Theater, 377 North Main St., downtown Mansfield.
MANSFIELD — Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” casts a long shadow in American theater.
Not only did Marlon Brando set in stone the role of Stanley Kowalski with his indelible performances on stage and screen, Jessica Tandy and Vivian Leigh created a character for the ages in Blanche DuBois.
“Streetcar” will likely be rolled out across the globe this year — the centennial of Williams’s birth — and all who dare to take it on must face the daunting legacy of this American masterpiece.
The New England Repertory Company’s current production of Williams’s 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play finds a nice niche, between giving audiences the story and characters they know well but without resorting to mere mimesis.
Tucked into the small space of the Mansfield Music and Art Society’s Black Box Theater, director Mike Kiernan and the cast of local performers capture the tension and the misery of the Kowalski household, creating the powder keg at the heart of the story.Meanwhile, Foxboro native Dawn Crocker Tucker gives us a Blanche full of mystery, who keeps us wondering if psychosis has truly set in, or if her whole act is just another round in her lifelong game of failed fantasy and dependency.
The story involves Stanley and Stella Kowalski, living in squalor in a grimy section of New Orleans. She’s pregnant, and he’s a coarse brute of a man who may love her but seems more interested in cards and booze. Into this walks Blanche, looking to stay the summer and dragging behind her a lifetime of baggage and a head full of fallacy. “I don’t want realism… I want magic,” she says. This reliance on make believe meets the hard edge of Stanley’s reality, and the sparks fly.
The play is not easy to watch, with its violence against women and the realistic depiction of their place in post World War II society. However, these are important elements of the story. In the tight confines of the Black Box set — made wonderfully decrepit by Ted Talanian — it helps to ratchet up the pressure that simmers throughout.
Of course, it’s the characters that drive things forward. Curtis Bellafiore as Stanley delivers the necessary explosiveness that keeps “Streetcar” on track toward its inevitable conclusion as he stalks about the stage pursuing both the women he now finds in his life.
Maggie Nichols as Stella conveys the doomed yet ever-hopeful outlook that sees her through, allowing her to deal with both her husband and sister. Nichols has an easy stage manner and earns our sympathy as the abused wife, while at the same time emerging as the only real hope of the play. She is forever seeking the middle ground between the extremes that her life has become tossed between.
Also of note is Joe LaGreca’s performance as Mitch, Blanche’s love interest and a pal of Stanley’s. He enters as another ruffian at the card game, but soon reveals a lonely heart and a life of unbidden desperation. LaGreca lets us feel these many turns along the way, until he finally must reject Blanche for her hidden past. Even when he becomes brutish at the end, he breaks your heart.None of this works without a stellar Blanche. Luckily, this production has Tucker at its center. Her facial expressions alone could tell the story of her character’s awful life and precarious future. Tucker is by turns funny and pathetic, and her nonstop honeyed babbling provides a portrait of a mind reeling out of control. This is her show to carry and she does so, grandly.
“A Streetcar Named Desire” also features in major roles: Rachael Morandi as the wonderfully blowsy neighbor Eunice, and Peter Fitzgerald and Benjamin Medeiros as Stanley’s rakish poker buddies. Jeanette Lake-Jackson, Tyler Lawson, Sarah Barlow (May 19 – 22 performances), Alan Conway and Arlene Coccia (May 6 – 15 performances) are also featured.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of our greatest playwrights, New England Repertory Company and Mansfield Music and Arts Society deliver a “Streetcar” well worth catching.
“A Streetcar Named Desire” runs through Sunday, May 22, at the MMAS Black Box Theatre, 377 North Main St., Mansfield. Reservations are recommended, and tickets can be purchased by calling 508 – 339-2822, or by logging on to http://www.mmas.org.
er transforms from quiet poet to Don Quixote
MANSFIELD — “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes may be considered the most influential work to emerge from Spanish literature, telling the story of a character who embodies the idealistic, romantic and optimistic dreamer.
Dan Wasserman, Mitch Leigh and Joe Darren captured the spirit of “Don Quixote” when they brought it to the stage as “Man of La Mancha,” a musical that has been presented worldwide in more than 30 languages.
Now, MMAS has brought to its stage this story of hope and perseverance in difficult times, and a talented ensemble of actors and musicians carry on the quest with aplomb.
Directed by Dawn Crocker Tucker and featuring an authentic set design by North Attleboro’s Gary Poholek, “La Mancha” transports the audience to a Spanish prison during the Inquisition and invites them to experience the telling of the Don Quixote’s story along with the group of prisoners.
The cast interacts with audience right from the pre-show introduction and on and off throughout the storytelling.As the play opens, Miguel Cervantes has been arrested by the Spanish Inquisition along with his servant. When the other prisoners put him “on trial,” he asks to be allowed to defend himself by telling a story of country gentleman Alonso Quijana, who in a delusional state becomes Don Quixote, a chivalrous knight fighting for honor and nobility.
In the role of Cervantes/Quijana/Quixote, Ken Butler transforms before our eyes from the quiet poet to his alter ego Don Quixote with a change of makeup, voice and mannerism. As he sings “Man of La Mancha,” Butler easily embodies the character while also giving us glimpses of Cervantes. Butler’s vocal talents shine later in Act I as he envisions the very un-ladylike Aldonza as his virginal woman and sings “Dulcinea.“
To counter Quixote’s delusional adventures with monsters (windmills), castles (an inn) and a band of friendly moors (thieving gypsies), his very loyal sidekick Sancho is right by his side. Andrew Rhodes is innocently humorous, a little fearful and compassionate in the role. The song “I Really Like Him” explains why Sancho follows Quijana into his delusional world of knights and chivalry. Rhodes’ performance lets us see Sancho as the balance between the idealism of Quixote’s world and the realism of their dismal circumstances.
As Aldonza, Kristen Huberdeau is sensual and rough, yet you sense her yearning to perhaps be more like the Dulcinea that Quixote envisions. Her vocal talents reflect that yearning particularly when she sings “What Does He Want,” a beautifully poignant song, and in her reprise of “Dulcinea” in Act II.
If Quixote is the idealist in the story, than his opposite is found in the Duke, portrayed by Brendon Auld. Auld is dark as the pessimistic Duke who chides Cervantes for being a poet and is the most reluctant of all the prisoners to participate in the storytelling.
The family (niece Antonia, the family housekeeper and the local padre) form a lovely trio of characters. With very fine performances by Ashley Wallace as Antonia, Stephen Lee as the padre, and Shannon Manley as the housekeeper, particularly as they sing “I’m Only Thinking of Him.” Lee stands out as the padre as he, like Sancho, tries to come to terms with Quijana’s delusions.Amid all this are the characters Quixote encounters at the Inn. In addition to Aldonza, the kitchen wench, there are the innkeeper/prison governor, the muleteers, the barber, and the innkeeper’s shrewish wife. They shine as an ensemble in songs like “Golden Helmet of Mambrino” and bring good harmonies to “Little Bird, Little Bird” in Act I and “Knight of the Woeful Countenance.“
Unfortunately, all members of the large can’t be singled out, but Bill Roberts as governor/innkeeper stands out as the steady arbiter between Cervantes and the other prisoners. Andrea Segal is aptly shrewish as the innkeeper’s wife, Michael Gebrayel is handsome and crude as the toughest muleteer Pedro, and Doug McDougal is comical as the barber.
Act II opens with what could be considered the signature song of hope, perseverance and inspiration, “The Impossible Dream.” Butler is inspirational in singing it, conveying the need for every knight to follow his quest.
However, it is not until we come to the end of both stories that the power of “Impossible Dream” is fully realized as Cervantes is brought to the Inquisition and the cast of prisoners reprises the song. It will bring goosebumps and perhaps a few tears.
With such a powerful and inspirational production, it is not surprising that all 13 performances of “Man of La Mancha” are sold out.
The Odd Couple
Review by Tony Annicone
Little Rhody Entertainment Writer
The second show of MMAS’s season is Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple.” It is a timeless classic that focuses on the relationship between two friends trying to restart their lives after they both go through messy breakups of their marriages. It also a serious story of friendship and how bonds can be tested and even broken if not handled with care. It is the well known story of sloppy Oscar Madison taking in cleaning fanatic Felix Ungar after his wife Frances throws him out of the house.The story focuses on its two main characters but the audience rapidly comes to appreciate the cameo roles of the other characters. It also includes their poker playing buddies, Murray, the cop, Speed, the cigar smoker, Roy, Oscar’s accountant and Vinnie, the sandwich eater. Throw in the scene stealing British Pigeon sisters and you have the necessary ingredients for the comic romp that follows.
Director Neil Colvin chooses the best performers for these 8 roles. He gives them wonderful characterizations and shtick to do bringing out the full potential of his performers.Neil blocks the show very well especially when they chase Felix all over the place and Oscar throws a glass of water in his face.The beautiful set is by Gary Poholek with Ken Butler and Glenn Fournier doing the art work with a background of New York being very impressive. Stage manager Maggie Nichols keeps things running smoothly all night long. (She recently played the role of Bella in their “Lost in Yonkers”.)The costumes are by Ann-Marie Lambert. Kevin Mischley handles the difficult role of the neurotic, Felix. He clears his throat, hurts his arm throwing an empty glass, he sulks,has a big fake grin when the girls enter and has wonderful hang dog expressions. Kevin’s Felix tells off Oscar in a very funny scene but his funniest scenes are when he yells at Oscar for being late for dinner while waving his ladle around at him, when he catches Gwen’s cigarette in his lighter and when he cries with the two sisters about Frances and his two children,endearing himself to them. Kevin does a dynamite job in this role and earns many laughs with his comic portrayal.(I last reviewed Kevin as Julian Marsh in “42nd Street” in June.) Bill Roberts plays the loudmouth Oscar beautifully. His slow burn and exasperation at Felix’s anal behavior is topnotch. Bill’s throwing of the potato chips and the cards, telling off Felix in the last scene and his throwing of the linguini on the kitchen wall are hilarious. Oscar is always broke, blustery, bossy, and in the end good hearted under his veneer. (I last reviewed Bill as Caiphas in “Jesus Christ Superstar” last summer.) He and Kevin make a very good odd couple indeed.
Their card playing cronies bring their characters to life, making it easy for the audience to figure out who is who doing a wonderful job while doing so. Richard Stiles does a beautiful job as Murray, the blustery policeman. He commands the stage as this funny authority figure in his scenes. Billy Castro does an excellent job as Vinnie, the cheapskate who goes to Florida in July to save money. His nervous behavior and commenting on the BLT on toasted pumpernickel that Felix made him without the crust is hysterical. His line delivery is topnotch. I directed Billy in this show as Roy. Steve Valdez plays Roy, who worries about how Oscar will pay his alimony to Blanche by being a spendthrift and losing his money at the poker games. Roy complains in the second act when he can’t breathe in the too clean apartment that Felix has created. David Butler(Ken’s brother) who recently returned to the Mansfield area after spending six years in Ireland,plays cigar chomping Speed who also loves sports and yells back at Oscar’s outbursts. He is bossy and yells at Murray and Vinnie to stop discussing food during the poker game.The two actresses who play the Pigeon sisters, Michelle Monti as Gwendolyn and Colleen Johnson as Cecily, are a hoot with their perfect British accents and they steal the scene with their humorous antics. Their crying scene with Felix, their giggling on the couch while talking to Oscar and their final scene where they tell Oscar off are standout moments in this show. I have fond memories of this show when I directed it back in 2005 for Academy Players in East Greenwich, RI. So for an excellent evening of comedy at its best, be sure to catch this well known show before time runs out.
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