2008 Season Reviews
Bingo
You can’t lose!
By Amber Easton for the Brookings Register
B4 you let this constant rain in eastern South Dakota get you down, come join in Prairie Repertory Theatre’s, “Bingo, A Winning New Musical.”
The best remedy is comedy, so grab your bingo cards, your friends, and a handful of tissues because this show will make you laugh till you cry. In this zany, musical comedy the audience gets to play along winning cash and door prices. Even if you don't win anything, you can't lose with silly catch phrases, edge of your seat Bingo playing, and side splitting laughs.
There wasn’t a silent seat in the house of South Dakota State University's Doner auditorium last night. The women of “Bingo” put on a fun-filled show with memorable tunes, choreography that made me want to dance along, and lines that made me laugh out loud. Audience member, Wes Haskell said, “I laughed so hard I cried! Some of the wonderful performances like Meg Lee deserve a Tony Award nomination.”
Indeed Meg Lee who plays Patsy, the neurotic, superstitious Bingo player had the audience in a laughing frenzy with her good luck trolls, Mexican worry people, and rabbit’s feet. A little, “dauber, dust, wave,” and she proved to be a winner. Her energy along with her fellow cast members’ spunky humor, kept the show progressing with chuckles.
Meg Lee responded when asked her motivation, “I was fortunate to get an awesome character to play around with, have fun with, it was a good opportunity.”
Silliness aside, this play carried with it a message of friendship, forgiven grudges and a little Bingo hall romance. Jason Pratt, as Sam the gentlemen bingo caller, and Sonja Thorson as Honey, flirted and fluttered across the stage as they shared a love for each other and Bingo.
The love of Bingo and friendship didn’t keep these women from weathering the storm. With umbrellas in hand, and harmony in song, they sang and danced their way into our heats. My heart still laughed long after the show concluded. My favorite lines where, Patsy’s, “She’s just jealous of my superpowers,” and Vern’s rebuttal of, “Leap over my ass in a single bound, then we’ll talk.”
Vern, played by the ever talented Allison Weiland, shared witty lines, exceptional facial expressions, and good hearted, but aggressive Bingo fun. Don’t steal this women’s lucky seat, she “never forgets a face.” Audience member seated in Vern’s lucky seat said, “I was exhausted with laughter.”
The cast’s interaction with each other and the audience was pricelessly humorous, non-stop funny. The key to a great show other than its cast members, set designers, and technicians, is the audience. Sonja Thorson stated, “The response from the audience made all the difference.”
Together the entire cast put on an award winning production. No amount of text can credit the achievements of each actor. Director Andy Henrickson sums it up in saying, “I had a great cast, hard working, and talented. Everyone who helped with the show was great to work with.”
So, no matter what your age, regardless of the forecaster’s prediction, come and weather the storm with the cast of this summers PRT production, “Bingo.” Believe me when I tell say, you can’t lose.
Escanaba in Love
A One of a Kind Catch
By Amber Easton for the Brookings Register
Escanaba in Love took aim at the hunter in all of us last night. Prairie Repertory Theatre’s second summer performance is a play not just about four men on a hunting trip, but about the passion of the hunt. Not for a trophy trout fish or a monster buck, but of love.
The setting of this play is that of Escanaba, Michigan, November 1944. The prequel to playwright Jeff Daniels’, “Escanaba in Da Moonlight.” With some awkward accents and predictable lines, “Escanaba in Love” put a new perspective on playwriting.
Albert Soady Jr., played by Michael Heuer, has just signed up to join the army. His father, Albert Soady Sr. wants the “royal” Soady family to have a final big hunt before his son goes off to war.
J.D Ackman who played a strong part as Soady Sr. is in for a big surprise when he finds his son has made other plans.
Soady Deer camp where, “no women are allowed,” finds itself with just that, a woman. This women, Big Betty, is more like one of the guys with a strong will and butch attitude, she can hold her own.
Big Betty, played by Callie Hisek, is hilariously vulgar as she scratches her butt like one of the guys, and out burps them all. Her and young Soady meet in a bar, fall in love, and get married, but first she must prove her self a true Soady through a serious of tests. Mrs. Hisek’s acting was memorable, relatable and had some of the women in the audience snorting with laughter.
But when “Salty” Jim, played by Spencer Kaul reveals a one night stand he had with Big Betty which resulted in his characteristic head tilt and limp, a conflict arises in the Soady camp. One which causes Soady Sr. to search within his heart for the love he once had.
Despite Soady Sr.’s protests, and Big Betty history, she proves to be a one of a kind catch passing the final test, and bringing home a hand caught trout.
As Alphonse Soady (whose actor, Paul Gliarmis, seemed young for the part) made clear, “Dere will only be one Soady Ridge Buck and dat is dat.” The metaphor of the Soady Buck as being one of a kind parallels a one of a kind woman like Big Betty. For young Soady, she proves to be the only one for him.
But besides talented actors and plot we must not forget a scene. I must give credit to the craftspeople and technical production for their glorious set design. The backdrop and realistic forestry appearance gave the set a comfortable outdoorsy feel. Everything from the non-typical deer head mounted on the wall, to the old fashioned license plate, this set was detailed down to the last flickering oil lamp.
When Big Betty catches the trout of all trouts, I was amazed at how real, dripping wet and all, the fish appeared. My hat goes off to the spectacle of this play. If you can not follow along with the hunter mentality of the play, at least go to marvel at the scenery.
“Escanaba in Love” artistically weaved a classic man’s story of hunting, with an unforgettable, entertaining romance. This play is truly a one of a kind catch.
Move Over, Mrs. Markham
By Amber Easton for the Brookings Register
Prairie Repertory Theatre dazzled the crowd again last night with the side-splitting farce, "Move Over, Mrs. Markham," by Ray Cooney and John Chapman.
The setting of the play is that of a London flat in the year 1970. Mr. and Mrs. Markham have dinner plans for the evening, but others have plans of their own. In a twisted plot Mr. and Mrs. Markham find themselves amidst adulterous events.
Joanna Markham, played by Callie Hisek of "Escanaba in Love," does a 180-degree turn in this role, which has the audience in an uproar of laughter yet again. Audience member Donna Burns said about Hisek's character, "her laugh is so hokey and over the top."
Mrs. Markham gets talked into letting her friend, Linda Lodge (Allison Weiland) borrow the flat for a couple hours to spend with a gentleman, Walter Pangbourne, an odd fellow played by Anthony Schneider.
Unbeknownst to Mrs. Markham, her husband, Phillip, played by Nick Castillo, has agreed to let his senior partner, Henry Lodge, (Mark Swan) use the flat for one of his many affairs.
At the same time the Markham's interior decorator, Allistair Spenlow (Aaron F. Hopkins) and the maid, Sylvie (Christina Harty) have mischievous, playful ideas to use the flat as well.
In a series of events, the characters find themselves running amuck, losing clothes, and confusing each other in twists and turns that had several people, myself included, holding their stomachs from laughing so much.
To make the conflict more complex, the play introduces additional characters. Miss Wilkinson (Rachael Donelan), Henry's girl for the night, shows no embarrassment in her racy lingerie.
Olive Harriet Smythe, played by the adorable Sarah Keating, added snippy, witty lines, carried a purse with squeaky toys, shunned sex and added her love of "doggie woggies" to keep the audience in non-stop amusement. Her response to playing a cookey old woman was, "I was excited to play an old crazy person."
With Mrs. Smythe's addition in Act II the craziness gets impacted as the characters are caught in randy acts and failed cover-up attempts.
Among my favorite characters was Mr. Spenlow. His flamboyant attire, his abrupt entrances with facial expressions included, put tears in my eyes.
In a brief interview I asked how he managed such a silly character. He said, "When I got the script I read it, and for the auditions I just did the silliest, out-landish act I could, I had lots of fun."
It was obvious how much fun the cast had. Nick Castillo added, "the dialect, articulation , getting ready for the energetic performance , doing warm ups before the show, got me ready to perform, I just had fun with the part."
In a complicated, and difficult to explain plot, this play was only achieved due to its production staff and eight talented actors. An energetic bunch, a great script, superb acting and so much more make this play another PRT summer hit.
If you are looking for fun, all over entertainment and much more, go join in the confusion of "Move Over, Mrs. Markham." "If I may be so bold," you will laugh your butt off!
The zany farce will be staged in Brookings through June 28 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee June 29 at 2 p.m. in Doner Auditorium.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
'Brides' Fun Game of "Cat and Mouse"
By Vicki Schuster
Special to the Brookings Register
When it comes to relationships and life, famous country singer Kenny Rogers said, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, and know when to fold ’em.”
Such lessons are explained in Prairie Repertory Theatre’s final show of the 2008 season, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”
Wednesday night’s sold-out show opened with Adam, played by Paul Gliarmis, singing about his longing to find the perfect woman to call his wife. And within 15 minutes, he’s already popped the question to lucky waitress Milly, played by Christina Harty.
Seventeen minutes into the show, Milly realizes the honeymoon is over when she figures out she might as well be married to seven guys as she is “assigned” to all the cooking and cleaning for Adam and his six brothers.
The leading duo of Harty and Gliarmis worked well together as she was the glow to his grizzled demeanor. Gliarmis fared well as the iron-attitude, scoop-her-over-your-shoulder, Roman-gladiator-turned-farmer. Harty’s sweet, but steel-plated stubbornness shone through as she let Adam know he wasn’t always going to roost as head of household.
The remaining brides and brothers, all too many to mention, deserve a larger-than-life YEE-HAW for their supporting efforts.
One thing worth noting is that the groomsmen should consider whispering at the back of the house while beginning their run down toward the stage. For safety reasons, some audience members like to stretch out with their feet in the isles and it’d be nice to have a little more warning so we could move.
To their credit, the men did an exceptional job in the dance numbers, but only half of them were smiling during the Spring Dance number. By the opening curtain, the confidence should be in place and the steps should be down pat. Spring is supposed to be the happy time of the year when everything is fresh and new. Don’t forget to have fun and sell it to the audience.
Since pretty much every seat had been sold for this show, the crowd roared with laughter during the jokes, punch-lines and funny stunts. The cast needed to remember to wait for the laughs before continuing with the dialog.
They say the first year of married life is the toughest. And in Adam and Milly’s case, it became especially evident.
Enter baby girl, Hannah. Children don’t always fix problems in a marriage or relationship; they sometimes add to them. But this twist in the storyline taught Adam that he needed to grow up. When a kid enters the picture, life is no longer centered around the adults anymore.
"Brides" is a fun game of cat and mouse, hunt or be hunted. It will make you long for the days when guys properly courted women.
While Kenny Rodgers said that “You’ve got to know when to walk away and know when to run,” you’ll depart the final PRT show of the season with a big smile.
And speaking of running, if you haven’t gotten tickets, you’d better sprint to the box office while there are still a few seats left.
