Hillbarn's 'Anastasia' a holiday gift

 

Anya (Jillian Smith) and Dmitry (Brad Satterwhite) wonder if she's Anastasia. (Hillbarn photo)

“Anastasia” isn’t billed as a holiday show per se, but the production by Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory is truly a gift to its audiences.

This musical shifts from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Paris in the days and years following the Russian Revolution in 1917.

Its central character is Anya (Jillian Smith), a young Russian woman who’s not sure who she is, but she wants to find out.

She teams up with Dmitry (Brad Satterwhite) and Vlad (Alex Hsu) after rumors that one of Tsar Nicholas II’s daughters might have evaded the firing squad that killed him and his family in 1918.

They want to pass her off as that daughter, Anastasia, and possibly collect a reward. Therefore, they travel to Paris where the Tsar’s mother, the Dowager Empress (Judith Miller) has taken refuge.

Anya comes to suspect that she really is Anastasia. Is she Anastasia with repressed memories of trauma, or is she living out a fantasy? We never know, but it’s fun to speculate.

Astute direction by Catherine Weidner, along with a talented cast and production team, brings out the best of the music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and book by Terrence McNally.

Smith as Anya embodies the character’s grit and determination as well as her vulnerability. She’s well paired with Satterwhite as Dmitry and Hsu as Vlad, especially as the attraction between her and Dmitry grows.

Miller has a dignified, regal presence to the Dowager Empress, and she’s one of the best singers in the cast.

She’s attended by her lady-in-waiting, Countess Lily (Jacqueline De Muro), who shows her versatility in singing and dancing scenes.

Dancing, ranging from waltzes to the Charleston and ballet, is another of the show’s strong points, thanks to choreographer Karen Law.

The set by Paulino Deleal (lighting by Pamila Gray) is relatively simple. It’s dominated by two large staircases, one at each side of the stage to start, but they’re  moved as scenes shift. Otherwise, only a few set pieces are used.

Instead, projections by Steve Muterspaugh, the company’s artistic director, help to evoke settings. Sound is by Jeff Mockus.

More kudos go to Nolan Miranda, who designed the character-specific costumes. The Dowager Empress’s dresses are quite elegant, as befits her character.

Most actors in the 18-member cast change character and costumes frequently. One can only imagine how busy things are backstage.

Musical direction is by Diana Lee, who plays the keyboard and conducts the other seven members of the orchestra, which is seated above the right side of the audience.

Running about two hours and 40 minutes, “Anastasia” will continue through Dec. 29 at Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.

For tickets and information, call (650) 349-6411 or visit www.hillbarntheatre.org.  

 

 

 

 

 

PA Players treats audiences to 'Fiddler on the Roof'

 

Joey McDaniel (center) as Tevye leads the cast in "Tradition." (Christian Pizzirani)

“Fiddler on the Roof” won Tony Awards after its premiere in 1964 and has become a perennial favorite for good reason.

Palo Alto Players shows why it’s so popular with its memorable music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein.

It opens with a solo violinist as the central character, Tevye (Joey McDaniel) the dairyman, comes on stage to say what holds everything together in Anatevka, a small Jewish village in Russia in 1905 -- it’s tradition.

With that, the 33-member cast enters for the rousing opening number, “Tradition,” which explains how things are done and how everyone fits in.

However, tradition begins to fray for Tevye, a poor man with five daughters, three of them old enough to marry. By tradition, the village matchmaker, Yente (Marsha Ann Broek), finds a husband for a woman and the father gives her to him.

However, Tzeitel (Gabrielle Goodman), the eldest daughter, doesn’t want to marry the chosen man, Lazar Wolf (Doug Brook), a butcher who’s much older but wealthy.

She has fallen in love with Motel (Joe Steely), a poor tailor.

When Tevye realizes that she’ll be happy with Motel rather than Lazar Wolf, he engages in subterfuge to convince his wife, Golde (Brittney Mignano), to allow their marriage.

Love rather than tradition also influences the pairing of his next daughter, Hodel (Madelyn Davis-Haddad), with a firebrand student, Perchik (Sam Kruger).

However, Tevye absolutely draws the line when his middle daughter, Chava (Teagan Murphy) secretly marries a non-Jewish man, Fyedka (Kamran Flemish).

Other traditions go by the wayside, but the worst blow of all comes when Russian officials order everyone in this village and other villages to leave immediately in a purge of Jews.

Thus the show foreshadows the antisemitism that fueled Hitler’s persecution and execution of Jews and other “undesirables” before and during World War II. It’s also an ominous reminder of the antisemitism, along with anti-immigration, that’s surfaced in this country.

Despite these undercurrents, the show is filled with humor and great songs such as “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life” along with “Tradition” and others.

Director Jennifer Copaken, who also choreographed the show so well, has chosen a large cast of good actors.

She and vocal and music director Amanda Ku weren’t quite a lucky with the actors’ singing, which is adequate in most cases and off-key in a few. However, the choral singing is quite good.

The best all-around performer is McDaniel as Tevye. He embodies the conflicting emotions Tevye experiences as his world begins to change. His performance is in keeping with Zero Mostel, who originated the role on Broadway, and Topol, who starred in the film and appeared on tour in San Francisco.

Kevin Davies’ set design places the 10-member orchestra upstage as cast members move set pieces for scene changes. The effective lighting is by Noah Price with sound by Gregorio Perez. Giselle Lebedenko designed the character-appropriate costumes.

Running about two hours and 40 minutes with an intermission, this fine production of “Fiddler on the Roof” will continue through Nov. 24 at the Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.

For tickets and information, call (650) 329-0891 or visit www.paplayers.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to be scared? See 'Wait Until Dark'

Mike (Ryan Tasker) tells Susan (Sarah Jiang) that he's a friend of her husband. (Tracy Martin photos)

 

Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory is presenting a gripping production of Frederick Knott’s thriller, “Wait Until Dark.”

Set in a Greenwich Village basement apartment in 1944, this adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher focuses on a drug-stuffed doll sought by three crooks.

The doll inadvertently wound up in the apartment after someone secretly hid it in the luggage of commercial photographer Sam (Sahil Singh). The crooks think it’s in his apartment.

While Sam is away on business, they use subterfuge against Sam’s blind young wife, Susan (Sarah Jiang), who knows nothing about it.

One of the crooks, Carlino (Stefan Fisher), pretends to be a cop looking for information about a murdered woman whose body was found near the apartment.

Another, Mike (Ryan Tasker), says he’s an Army buddy whom Sam saved. At first he’s convincing to both Susan and the audience. He seems helpful, but suspicions start to emerge.

Finally, there’s the ruthless, villainous Roat (Scott Coopwood). In the final scenes, he and Susan engage in a dangerous life-and-death battle with one terrifying move after another.

Although Susan is blind, her other senses have sharpened. For example, her hearing is so keen that she knows that two of her visitors, despite pretending to be two different men, have the same shoes and way of walking.

Her blindness also gives her an advantage against Roat in her darkened apartment.

Completing the cast is Mia Rapoport as Gloria, a neighbor girl who has been helping Susan. At first she seems like a brat, but she proves to be a valuable ally.

Director Vickie Rozell carefully ramps up the tension as the action takes place one evening and the following afternoon. She has selected a top-notch cast with each actor fully inhabiting his or her character.

Jiang’s convincing performance as the blind Susan was aided by consultant Walter T. Raineri from the Bay Area’s Vista Center, which serves the blind and visually impaired.

Sarah Phykitt designed the set. One of its key elements is a refrigerator, called an ice box in those days.

Lighting is by Ed Hunter with sound by Jeff Mockus and costumes by Courtney Middleditch-Morgan.

Running about two hours and 10 minutes with an intermission, “Wait Until Dark” will continue through Nov. 3 at Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.

For tickets and information, call (650) 349-6411or visit www.hillbarntheatre.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love of team underlies friendship

Shawn (Kenny Scott) shares a drink with Matt (Jordan Lane Shappell). Kevin Berne photo

Rajiv Joseph’s “King James,” presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, refers not to royalty per se but to basketball superstar LeBron James.

In this play, two men forge a friendship based on being avid fans of James’ team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Over a span of 12 years, their circumstances change. Sometimes one is doing well while the other isn’t and vice-versa.

They meet in 2004, James’ rookie season, in a Cleveland wine bar overseen by Matt (Jordan Lane Shappell). Matt is selling a set of two Cavs season tickets after his father’s death. He and his dad attended games together for years, but now he needs money.

After much haggling, Shawn (Kenny Scott) buys them and apparently asks Matt to join him at the games.

Six years later, they’re both devastated when James leaves the Cavs and goes to the Miami Heat. In the meantime, Shawn is headed for grad school in New York City.

In 2014 James has returned to Cleveland.  By then, Matt is running his parents’ cluttered knickknack shop. This time it’s Shawn who’s short of cash, so Matt has been helping him. Shawn also has developed a close relationship with Matt’s mother, leading to some jealousy.

Finally, two years later, the two men are estranged. Matt is selling the shop, and Shawn works as a screen writer in Los Angeles. He returns to Cleveland to watch the Cavs’ victory parade after their winning the NBA championship (by defeating the Warriors).

He wants Matt to join him at the parade, but Matt is no longer a fan.

Skillfully directed by TheatreWorks artistic director Giovanna Sardelli, each man fully inhabits his character and the circumstances.

The sets and costumes were designed by Christopher Fitzer with lighting by Steven B. Mannshardt and sound design by Gregory Robinson.

Because there are so many subtleties in their relationship, one must listen carefully to discern what’s going on under the surface.

And because the play focuses on the characters, one doesn’t have to know anything about basketball to enjoy it.

Running about two hours with an intermission, “King James” will continue through Nov. 3 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View.

For tickets and information, call (877) 662-8978 or visit www.theatreworks.org.

 

 

PA Players stages delightful 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'

The Oompa Loompas dance in the chocolate factory. (Scott Lasky)

 

Palo Alto Players is staging a deliciously imaginative “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Although it’s different from the 1971 film with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, this version is still based on the Roald Dahl novel. It has a book by David Greig with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

It features an energetic, likable cast of some 30 people of all ages. Among the youngest is fifth-grader Falcon Franco (alternating with Russell Nakagawa) as the title character, Charlie Bucket, who lives in a town next to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory. No one has been inside to see what happens there.

Charlie also is a regular visitor to the candy store that sells Wonka’s chocolate products and is run by the candy man, who’s really Willy Wonka (Brandon Savage).

The candy man announces that he will close the store, but five chocolate bars have a golden ticket that entitles the lucky winner to visit the factory.

Charlie would love to strike gold, but he doesn’t have any money. His single mother, Mrs. Bucket (Sarah Jebian), barely makes a living at a laundry and must support both herself and Charlie as well as his four bedridden grandparents.

As luck would have it, though, Charlie finds a dollar and buys the very last bar, which has the fifth ticket. He and his Grandpa Joe (Steven Guire Knight), along with the other four winning kids and their parents, enter the factory.

There they see fantastical sights and creatures like the Oompa Loompas and learn that much of what happens requires imagination.

Although everyone in the cast sings, acts and dances well, the standouts are Franco as Charlie, Savage as Willy, Jebian as Mrs. Bucket and Knight as Grandpa Joe.

This production is well directed by artistic director Patrick Klein, who also designed the set, projections and additional video content. The energetic choreography is by Stacy Reed with musical direction by Richard Hall and vocal direction by D. Asa Stern.

Greet Jaspaert deserves credit for the costumes, while the hair, wigs and makeup were designed by Karen Althoff. Lighting is by Pamila Gray with sound by Chris Beer.

Suitable for all ages and running just over two and a half hours with an intermission, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” will continue through Sept. 22 at the Lucie Stern Theater (which has comfy new seats), 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.

For tickets and information, call (650) 329-0891 or visit www.paplayers.org.

 

 

 

Hillbarn stages 'Always ... Patsy Cline'

 

Patsy Cline (Melissa WolfKlain, left) visits Louise Seger (Kimberly Donovan). (Tracy Martin photo)

Country-western singer Patsy Cline was only 30 years old when she died in a plane crash in 1963, but many of the songs she sang remain popular today.

“Always … Patsy Cline,” presented by Hillbarn Theatre and Conservatory, tells the true story of a friendship between her and an ardent fan, Louise Seger, in Houston.

A divorced mom, Seger (Kimberly Donovan) first heard Cline (Melissa WolfKlain) singing when her two kids were watching Arthur Godfrey’s show in the late ’50s. She was immediately enchanted and hounded the local DJ to play her records.

When she learned that Cline was slated to sing in Houston, she arrived long before the show was to start. By chance, they briefly chatted as Cline was checking out the space.

Afterward, Cline came to her table, where they talked for a long time. When she told Seger she had taken a cab from her hotel, Seger offered to give her a ride because it was too late to catch a cab.

They first went to Seger’s house, where they talked so long that Cline accepted Seger’s invitation to spend the night there before returning to her hotel to pack and go to the airport.

Afterward, they corresponded regularly. Cline signed her letters, “Love always, Patsy Cline.”

Created and originally directed by Ted Swindley, this show is basically a juke box musical with some two dozen songs by various composers. Some of those songs include “Crazy,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” WolfKlain sings well and easily adapts to the various styles.

She changes costumes between each scene, appearing in about 10 different outfits, all attractive. Kudos to costume designer Stephanie Dittbern, who also fashioned the wigs and hair styles.

Other design elements are noteworthy with lighting by Pamila Gray, sound by Jeff Mockus and set by Paulino Deleal.

As part of the excellent six-person upstage band, musical director Rick Reynolds conducts from the piano.

The show is directed and well-choreographed by Dyan McBride. However, she allows Donovan to overact. At first Donovan’s Seger seem energetic, but there’s not a lot of variation in her performance.

Otherwise, though, this production is highly entertaining, especially WolfKlain’s singing.

Running about two hours with a 15-minute intermission, “Always … Patsy Cline” continues through Sept. 15 at Hillbarn Theatre. 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.

For tickets and information, call (650) 349-6411 or visit www.hillbarntheatre.org.

 

 

Suspense reigns in 'Murder on the Orient Express'

 

 

Countess Andrenyi (April Culver) meets Detective Hercule Poirot (Michael Champlin) on the platform of the Orient Express. (Photo by Christian Pizzirani)

 

When a passenger is found stabbed to death in his bed on the legendary Orient Express train from Istanbul to Western Europe in 1934, Hercule Poirot must use his keen detective skills to find the guilty person.

Because no one had entered or exited the train since it left Istanbul, the list of suspects is confined to its passengers and staff in Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”

And because the train is stuck in the snow with no connection to the outside world, it’s up to Poirot to find the murderer.

In Palo Alto Players’ production, astutely directed by Katie O’Bryon Champlin, her husband, Michael Champlin, plays Poirot with sharp timing.

The rest of the cast also is noteworthy, especially Zachary Vaughn-Munck as Monsieur Bouc, the train company’s owner. Bay Area favorite Linda Piccone as Princess Dragomiroff brings her understated comedic skills to the character.

As Poirot finds one clue after another, each seeming to implicate another suspect, the suspense grows.

Multi-tasking Kevin Davies, who designed movable sets to facilitate quick scene changes, also served as prop designer, technical director and master carpenter. Effective lighting is by Edward Hunter.

Because Palo Alto Players’ usual home, the Lucie Stern Theater in Palo Alto, is being outfitted with new seats and other improvements, this show is being presented in Woodside High’s Performing Arts Center.

Its acoustics are less than ideal, distorting the dialogue, making it hard to understand even though it can be heard in Jeff Grafton’s sound design.

The characters’ accents also interfere with catching all of the dialogue. Nevertheless, the staging and acting clarify most of the plot so that the surprise ending comes through.

Running about two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission, “Murder on the Orient Express” will continue through June 30 at the Woodside High venue, 199 Churchill Ave., Woodside, where there’s ample parking just west of the Woodside Road-Alameda de las Pulgas intersection.

For tickets and information, call (650) 329-0891 or visit www.paplayers.org.