THEATER REVIEW
The STINKY CHEESE MAN & Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Sparkling cast, witty script offer new take
on beloved book
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Margaret Quamme
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

       A title such as The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales wouldn’t necessarily lead one to expect sophisticated and witty entertainment. But with the help of a clever script, smart casting and deft direction, that’s just what the Columbus Children’s Theatre production offers.

Katie Serbu (left) as "Cinderella" and Kyle Moore as "Rumpelstiltskin"

       Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s fractured-fairy-tale picture book has been a hit on the bookshelves since it first appeared in 2002. John Glore’s witty adaptation offers a new take on the material, adding references to theater conventions to the book’s subversion of literary ones. Its pleasures are those of familiarity — with stories readers will recognize from the book — and surprise.
       The children’s theater version throws in local flavor: a reference to the Ohio-Michigan rivalry tickled the crowd on Thursday’s sold-out opening night.
       Like the book, the play is an exemplar of controlled chaos as bossy and put-upon narrator Jack (Matthew Barr) tries to tell stories such as “Cinderumpelstiltskin” and “The Really Ugly Duckling” while being interrupted by a determined hen, a hungry giant and a concerned surgeon general.
       The large cast is uniformly good, but several deserve special mention. Fifth-grader Barr keeps the plot moving vigorously forward with his energy and determination.
George Bailey adds a wry touch of Monty Python comic restraint to the roles of several officious adults, and Denae Rail makes a droll chicken.
       John Feather shines as the dim but self-confident Giant: His rendition of the “Giant’s Tale,” which consists of a nonsensical mishmash of phrases from various fairy tales, starting with “the end” and finishing up with “once upon a time,” is the highlight of the show.
Full-scale musical numbers, including one dedicated to cow patties and another that wrings out all possible variations on “boo hoo hoo,” both advance the plot and satirize the conventions of musical theater.
       The set is simple, a backdrop illustrated with scenes from the book, but Angela Barch’s elaborate and colorful animal costumes give the production visual appeal.
       With its pratfalls and familiar fairy-tale material, and at a length of a little more than an hour, The Stinky Cheese Man is suitable for anyone preschool and older.
       Much of the credit should go to William Salmons, who has been managing and directing the troupe’s professional touring company for the past 10 years.
       Salmons has corralled a 25-member cast dominated by children into a disciplined and professional ensemble. He has been able to find the strengths of each of his actors and knit them together into a sparkling whole.

John Feather (left) as "The Giant"  and Matthew Barr as "Jack" the narrator

THEATER REVIEW - FREEDOM IS MY MIDDLE NAME
February 22, 2007
Chris Bournea

       “All of the performers in the show (FREEDOM IS MY MIDDLE NAME) are exceptionally talented, including the young actors, who exhibit acting and singing abilities beyond their years. The period costumes are authentic-looking and the stage is a colorful set with a backdrop depicting hands of different colors very appropriate for the dramatic subject matter. Music plays a central role in the show, from raps that Stagecoach Mary uses to engage the young students to Negro spirituals such as “Steal Away” that stir the soul… Although “Freedom” was written in 1993, the production feels totally contemporary and relevant to the 21st century, with realistic dialogue and themes that still resonate today.” 
                      - Chris Bournea, The Call and Post, February 22, 2007

THEATER REVIEW - A CHRISTMAS STORY
Charm of popular film translates well to stage
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Margaret Quamme
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

       Columbus Children’s Theatre might have started a new holiday tradition with its production of A Christmas Story.
       Fans of the 1983 film will be satisfied to find that the play reproduces its scenes almost exactly, while those who have never seen the movie should enjoy its blend of nostalgia and wry comedy.
       The two-act play, adapted by Phillip Grecian from the movie and Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the 1940s in northern Indiana, follows young Ralphie (Logan Keseg) in his quest to convince his skeptical parents that he deserves to receive a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.

"It's a Leg!" Scene from "A Christmas Story"

       Like the movie, the play is narrated by an older Ralph (Ted Amore) looking back on his childhood with both appreciation and a sense of its absurdity. Amore throws himself into the role with such childlike abandon that he could almost carry off the story as a one-man show.
       The rest of the cast is equally well-chosen: Keseg’s single-minded Ralphie is convincingly earnest and likable. Michael Louis Wilson endows Ralphie’s dad with a serenely grumpy take on life, and Susan Bunsold leavens his mother’s sweetness with wry intelligence. Evan Hively nicely underplays the role of Ralphie’s eccentric younger brother.
       Director Pamela Hill seamlessly weaves the narrative and play, giving due weight to each, and keeps what could be an episodic piece moving steadily toward its Christmas Day climax.
       Carla Chaffin’s detailed, realistic set and Patty Bennett’s apt costumes re-create the era with loving precision. Ryan Osborn’s warm, deft lighting makes the frequent scene changes flow smoothly and separates the fantasy sequences from realistic ones.
       Although period details might not be familiar to children, the family dynamics certainly will be. Parents might be forewarned: When Ralph hints broadly at his usage of a certain four-letter word that results in Mom washing the boy’s mouth out with soap, the audience at Friday’s opening night rang out with variations on "Mom, what did he say? "
       In a season often drenched with sentimentality, A Christmas Story has a welcome modesty. Although it’s a long play — almost 2 1 /2 hours — it never indulges in spectacle, choosing instead to focus on the small, believable adventures of a fallible but intact family.

THEATER REVIEW - SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES
Family's story has makings of a classic
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Margaret Quamme
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

       The theatrical adaptation of Stephanie Tolan's popular and award-winning middle-school novel Surviving the Applewhites, which had its world premiere Thursday night at Columbus Children’s Theatre, is so fresh that the paint is barely dry on it.

Kristi Serbu (left) as "E.D. Applewhite" and Aaron Capretta as "Jake Semple."

       A few smudges need to be cleared up, but it's exciting to see the first production of a work that clearly has the energy, intelligence and comic crispness to become a staple of children's theater.
       Applewhites has been adapted by Tolan and fellow children's author Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia), who have preserved the main story line while jettisoning a few minor characters. At almost 2 1/2 hours, the play could be trimmed, but it flows well.
       The one who must survive the Applewhites is Jake Semple (Aaron Capretta), a 13-year-old punk whose parents are in jail and who has been thrown out of every public school in Rhode Island. His desperate grandfather pleads with the homeschooling Applewhites of rural North Carolina to take him. When Jake joins their creative clan, he clashes immediately with the one self-disciplined member of the family, 12-year old E.D. (Kristi Serbu).
       Capretta's acting is natural and relaxed, and he finds both the humor in Jake's reactions to this unusual family and the potential sweetness beneath his forbidding exterior. Serbu is less sympathetic than she might be, partly because her character seems to be in a perpetual and overly dramatic snit.
       Under William Goldsmith's accomplished direction, the rest of the cast merges smoothly into an ensemble. Goldsmith allows the action to unfold at an unhurried pace, and he knows how to balance the efforts of a diverse group of actors, young and old. Even the potential scene-stealer, an adorable little boy (Nick Patrick) with a mouth in constant motion, never overwhelms the story or plays for cheap laughs.
       Angela Barch finds much sly humor in the role of E.D.'s good-hearted but flaky Aunt Lucille, and John Feather quietly grounds the family in common sense as grandfather Zedediah. Tory Patten gives the small role of high-strung novelist and mother Sybil a comic twist, and Len Williams has fun with the role of self-absorbed father Randolph, who has taken on the task of directing a community-theater musical.
       Carla Chaffin's set nicely combines homeyness and creative chaos, and excerpts from The Sound of Music - the musical that the whole family eventually gets involved in producing - slyly comment on the action during scene changes.
       The script has a few problems. The play occasionally stops dead for unnecessary soliloquies, and the device of having the actors say "blanketyblank" instead of using profanities, though cute at first, gets old. The character of Jeremy Bernstein (Don Frye), a young would-be magazine writer and TV producer who stops by for an interview and ends up staying for months, is so underdeveloped that it's hard to know why he's there.
       But these are minor glitches in a satisfying production. The combination of Tolan's freewheeling wit and Goldsmith's warm recognition of the joys of even an imperfect family makes for a rewarding piece of theater.

The Applegate family featuring the company

ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS
Entertaining tale centers on tantrum-prone boy
October 4, 2006
By DENNIS THOMPSON
Suburban News Theatre Critic

"Alexander and his Family" Jenny Boyd, George Bailey, Jack Shaeffer, Tom Sheppard and Will Westwater

       Columbus Children’s Theatre opens its season with a charming musical adaptation of one of the Judith Viorst ‘Alexander’ hooks.
       The best known of these books is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Here, Alexander has more issues in Alexander Who’s Not, Not, Not, Not, Not, Not Going to Move.
       The good thing about these titles is it covers half of my review space just to list them.
       Move traces Alexander and his tantrums through the crisis of not wanting to leave his friends and all that is familiar to him.  It’s shown through cartoonish humor, eccentric characters and ultimately, touching togetherness.
       This is a small musical, with short numbers that accent the story. The singing is accompanied by a band consisting of Jeff Hamm, Ernie Sparks and Stephanie Stephens.
       Director and choreographer Lisa Andres creates a whirlwind of movement and pulls vivid characters from her actors, many of whom play several roles.
       Complete with a tuft of unruly red hair, just as in the books, Jack Shaeffer is a fireball as Alexander. In a short play with no context, he immediately comes off as unreasonably whiny, but we accept that with Alexander and watch him work through it.
       The stage is filled with a bevy of youngsters playing Alexander’s friends and acquaintances with energy and verve.
       They include Tom Sheppard and Will Westwater as his brothers, Anthony and Nick, who annoy him at first but eventually rally around him as family. Also lively are his friends, played by Sean Anderson, Audrey McMahon, Logan Solana and Arid Dandridge.
       Leah Shaeffer is entertaining as Swoozie, the dog, while Caitlin Bumbledare, Regan Goins, Katie Shaffer, Brogan Burnside, Abbey Bumbledare and Meredith Post are effectively annoying as a neighborhood family of red-headed girls.
       George Bailey and Jenny Boyd do a great job, with great variety, in a series of adult roles.
       Bailey is fun as Alexander’s father, who mumbles to himself after people walk away, and as various other neighborhood fathers, as well as Seymour the dry cleaner.
       Boyd is equally fun as Alexander’s sing-song mom and the overzealous Mrs. Oberdorfer, among others. She has the production’s best singing voice, which she displays in And We Call It Home.  Both Bailey and Boyd steal moments as the dim Baldwins, Swoozie’s owners.
       This is a sweet play, aimed at ages 4 and up, and entertaining for all in that age group.

Columbus Children’s Theatre ‘s Alexander, Who’s Not, Not, Not, Not, Not, Not Going to Move continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 1, 3 and 5p.m. Saturday and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday at 512 Park St. For reservations call 614-224-6672.  

Jack Shaeffer as "Alexander" and Leah Shaeffer as "Swoozie the Dog"

THEATER REVIEW | JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Strong young cast rocks in powerful show
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Margaret Quamme
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

     Columbus Children’s Theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera based on the last week in the life of Jesus, forgos spectacle for human drama of dreamlike intensity.
     Performed by the theater's company of actors ages 16 to 21, the production features a cast that skews toward the older end of that range. Most of the actors are either entering or have been in college for a year or two.
     The 25 cast members, many of whom play several roles, have range and experience: This isn't a show in which only the leads shine.
     Daniel Ellson makes a "haunting, haunted" Jesus: His sardonic despair might not make it clear why so many followed him, but he effectively portrays an intelligent, sensitive, stubborn man caught in a world of unbounded selfishness.
     At Thursday's opening-night performance, Ellson might have strained his voice in the early scenes of the two-act musical: After intermission, he seemed to have some trouble with the vocally challenging Gethsemane.

Ellson and Chris Greiner as "Judas"

     Chris Greiner is superb as a conflicted Judas: His voice holds hidden reserves at even the most dramatic moments, and he seems to be thinking out loud in each of his numbers, making Judas the most complicated and fascinating character.
     Other standouts include Grant O'Brien's mesmerizingly evil Caiaphas; Rachel Hering's feisty, sweet-voiced Mary Magdalene; and Sam Vestey's surprisingly nasty Herod.
     William Goldsmith's thoughtful direction gives equal attention to small, meaningful vignettes and intricate crowd scenes, while Stephanie Stephens' musical direction makes elegant use of the small theater's sound system, nicely balancing individual voices with the background chorus.
     Compelling choreography by Ryan Scarlata and Amy Marie Lang evokes the hellish visions of Hieronymus Bosch.
     Special credit should go to the small band, which provides rich musical accompaniment, and particularly to Spencer Elliott's supple lead guitar. 

Ellson and Rachel Hering as "Mary"

    Ryan Osborn's dramatic lighting, which makes frequent use of red tones and spotlights, makes the simple set come alive, and Rosemary Cullison's costumes, featuring tie-dyed T-shirts and jeans for the apostles, nicely bridge the gap between the musical's origins 35 years ago and its contemporary presentation.
     Although it's performed by young actors in the Columbus Children's Theatre's usual space, Jesus Christ Superstar isn't traditional children's fare.
     The theater recommends the production for 8 and older, but its bleak take on the Gospels, sometimes erotically charged scenes and frequent sadistic violence would be more appropriate for those 13 and older.
     For teens and adults, it offers a chance to see a powerful production of Lloyd Webber's first rock opera and to take a look at some fine young actors who probably won't be in Columbus much longer.

Jesus Christ Superstar is playing:
Evenings: Thurs. - Sat. at 7:30 pm
Matinees: Sat. - Sun. at 3:00 pm