Review: Are you afraid of Gilbert and Sullivan? College LIght show can help
Interested in seeing a live show? Read reviews of plays showing on Cape Cod during this week.
Most of us remember "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" as a wonderful children's book that taught us the value of love and how to open your heart to love again. This incredible play, more adult-themed than children's, takes us all on a journey to help us realize the pitfalls of taking things and people for granted, what it means to love and to never give up hope that love is always around you.
Name of the show: "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane"
What it is about: Originally a children’s book by Kate DiCamillo, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” tells the 20-year journey of a porcelain rabbit, Edward, initially arrogant and selfish in mostly ignoring the love of his first keeper, Abilene, and the journey he takes through the pitfalls and heartbreak of life that help turn the rabbit into a loving, compassionate being through the lessons of love gained and love lost.
See it or not? See it for sure. This is not a kid’s play at all, mostly adult focused though kids 10 and over should grasp the adult-themed concepts and situations. It’s a wonderfully scripted and acted play with incredible staging and original music. And it continues to have a very timely lesson about what happens when you take life and people for granted, learning to love and to lose that love and to have the courage to love again.
Highlight of the show: The five actors in the 80-minute, no-intermission show play multiple roles, some humorous, some downright mean, others touching and loving: the quick shift change and emotional 360s they endure through each character are just incredible to watch. Macklin Devine (playing the lone singular role of the cast as Edward Tulane), Ian and Nell Hamilton (a brother-and-sister acting team), Baylie Hartford and Alex Murray are just a perfect match for the show and it’s dozens of characters.
Fun fact: The porcelain rabbits, five total, come from the Chicago Children’s Theatre.
Worth noting: Cape Rep initially did this play in 2021 (four of this year’s actors are alumni) for a limited run and the only actor not present for the 2023 version is actress Mia Lima, who is in Los Angeles performing K-Pop (Korean Pop Music) dancing.
One more thing: The acoustic music played throughout by Devine was all original, composed by Devine and music consultant Nick Nudler. It helped to set the mood and compliment the scenes throughout, a magical touch.
If you go: 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 12, $25 each, in the Cape Rep’s Outdoor Theater, 3299 Main St., Brewster, Tickets and information : caperep.org.
Jay Pateakos
Are you afraid of Gilbert and Sullivan? College Light Opera Company can help.
Halle Rosemond, who plays the Captain’s daughter Josephine in College Light Opera Company’s production of “H.M.S. Pinafore” this week, is mesmerizing.
Her designation as a lyric-coloratura soprano describes perfectly her warm, inviting voice which leaps effortlessly into Josephine’s agile vocal runs and trills. The character may be struggling with whether someone of her station can love a common sailor but her battle is a musical delight.
Rosemond, studying for a Master of Opera Performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, is one to watch.
The soprano was in good company Tuesday as CLOC staged the one-act “Trial by Jury” and two-act “H.M.S. Pinafore.” Another standout was Orlando Montalvo Avalo playing the defendant Edwin in "Trial by Jury." He has a master's degree in opera from Louisiana State University.
Written by: W.S. Gilbert, composed by Arthur Sullivan, “Trial by Jury” music director Andy Chen; “H.M.S. Pinafore” music direction Elizabeth Hastings.
What they are about: Like most Gilbert and Sullivan productions from 1875-1877, the plots are ludicrous. In “Trial by Jury,” a man is betrothed to two women and proposes he marry them on separate days; the “good judge” offers to take one of the plaintiffs off his hands and marry her himself. In “H.M.S. Pinafore,” the pair poke fun at British society and the monarchy. The Right Hon. Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty, is anything but as he descends on her royal majesty’s ship and crew. Romantic involvements and mistaken identities ensue. Caroline Hawthorne was terrific as Hebe, Sir Joseph’s first cousin (whom he marries!) The comic operettas have commonly been paired since the 1870s when they were first staged.
Highlights of the show: Let’s start with the orchestra, which, especially in “H.M.S. Pinafore,” was so crisp it felt like a sharp pleat ironed into a pair of pants. The “Trial by Jury” cast struggled with annunciation, especially in group numbers. But the whole thing was still ridiculously funny and I found myself wondering if Gilbert and Sullivan’s “All Hail, Great Judge!” might have inspired Rowan and Martin's “Here Come the Judge” 85 years later on “Laugh-In.”
See it or not: Definitely. If you are a newcomer to Gilbert and Sullivan, this program and this production make a good one on which to cut your teeth.
One more thing: Alvaro Medina plays a sailor, just one of a dozen, but he sets his character off when, in a moment of shy modesty, he dips his knees and lowers his lashes. It's hard to describe, but it's one of many microseconds of acting that elevate this "H.M.S. Pinafore."
And the theater ghosts will be proud. The 1876 horse barn that was converted into a theater and used by the Oberlin Gilbert & Sullivan Players from 1958 to 1969 was rocking Gilbert and Sullivan on June 27.
If you go: College Light Opera Company, 58 Highfield Drive, stages a different show every week: Shows are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tickets, at $40, can be purchased online at collegelightoperacompany.com or by calling the box office, 508-548-0668, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Gwenn Friss
Children's tale of porcelain rabbit holds lessons for adults
Most of us remember "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" as a wonderful children's book that taught us the value of love and how to open your heart to love again. This incredible play, more adult-themed than children's, takes us all on a journey to help us realize the pitfalls of taking things and people for granted, what it means to love and to never give up hope that love is always around you.
Name of the show: "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane"
What it is about: Originally a children’s book by Kate DiCamillo, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” tells the 20-year journey of a porcelain rabbit, Edward, initially arrogant and selfish in mostly ignoring the love of his first keeper, Abilene, and the journey he takes through the pitfalls and heartbreak of life that help turn the rabbit into a loving, compassionate being through the lessons of love gained and love lost.
See it or not? See it for sure. This is not a kid’s play at all, mostly adult focused though kids 10 and over should grasp the adult-themed concepts and situations. It’s a wonderfully scripted and acted play with incredible staging and original music. And it continues to have a very timely lesson about what happens when you take life and people for granted, learning to love and to lose that love and to have the courage to love again.
Highlight of the show: The five actors in the 80-minute, no-intermission show play multiple roles, some humorous, some downright mean, others touching and loving: the quick shift change and emotional 360s they endure through each character are just incredible to watch. Macklin Devine (playing the lone singular role of the cast as Edward Tulane), Ian and Nell Hamilton (a brother-and-sister acting team), Baylie Hartford and Alex Murray are just a perfect match for the show and it’s dozens of characters.
Fun fact: The porcelain rabbits, five total, come from the Chicago Children’s Theatre.
Worth noting: Cape Rep initially did this play in 2021 (four of this year’s actors are alumni) for a limited run and the only actor not present for the 2023 version is actress Mia Lima, who is in Los Angeles performing K-Pop (Korean Pop Music) dancing.
One more thing: The acoustic music played throughout by Devine was all original, composed by Devine and music consultant Nick Nudler. It helped to set the mood and compliment the scenes throughout, a magical touch.
If you go: 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 12, $25 each, in the Cape Rep’s Outdoor Theater, 3299 Main St., Brewster, Tickets and information : caperep.org.
Jay Pateakos
'Sense and Sensibility' still relevant in today's world
It’s not just marrying, but marrying well that’s the subject of detailed and scrupulous planning in this fresh adaptation of Jane Austen’s witty, fast-moving comedy “Sense and Sensibility,” onstage at The Cape Playhouse through July 1. Don’t mistake this for an orderly drama – Austen’s clever plot does a mix-and-match of marital outcomes and plot entanglements, adding well-placed deceits and missteps. “The course of true love” may not run smooth, but it sure can be greased by a little money and means.
Name of show: “Sense and Sensibility.”
Adapted by Kate Hamill from the novel by Jane Austen, directed by Jessica Holt, performed at Cape Playhouse.
What it’s about: Austen’s classic plot weaves a nimble comedy of manners, where the dictates of society often fall in conflict with wishes of the heart. The activities center on the lives of the Dashwood sisters who, with their mother, become penniless after their father dies, leaving his entire estate to his son by an earlier marriage.
Steady Elinor and dramatic, tempestuous Marianne must navigate the treacherous waters of English social norms and land on their feet – that is, achieve marriage to respectable men of means. This high-spirited look at the preoccupations of the time presents a talented cast acting a variety of roles - from clueless heirs, unscrupulous lovers and more honorable male suitors, to a wild variety of women characters, from calm and controlled to scheming or naïve, to drama queens and unstoppable gossips. The playwright captures the mores of this earlier, more confined era, while assuring us that its underlying emotions and vulnerabilities are timeless and belong to all of us.
See it or not: This creative, funny adaptation of Austen’s classic is not to be missed, beginning with the amazing set (scenic designer Alexander Woodward) offering a bare-bones look at the Playhouse stage, open to its backstage innards, beams and rafters, like a work in progress, with occasional add-ons of gauzy draperies or a glittery chandelier. A jack-of-all-trades cast takes on numerous roles, both human and, yes, animal. Wigs or dresses may be added on stage, and scenes change as a chair is rolled around or a spotlight switches direction. Applause is due to fine direction by Jessica Holt.
Highlights: The cast gleefully takes on occasional roles as dogs, sheep or an impatient horse, offering some priceless moments of humor. Jenn Gambatese (Elinor Dashwood) and Manna Nichols (her sister Marianne) play off each other perfectly, supplying some of Austen’s famous observations on the human condition. A noisy Greek chorus fills us in on all the gossip that’s shaping the outcome of the story. Be on the lookout for a few rock-out dance numbers that surpass your grandmother’s minuet.
Interesting fact: Playwright/actor Kate Hamill was named the Wall Street Journal’s Playwright of the Year in 2017, and one of the top five most-produced playwrights nationwide in the 2018-19 season. She premiered the role of Marianne off-Broadway at New York’s Bedlam Theater in 2014.
Worth noting: There’s a showstopper Heathcliff moment between Marianne and Willoughby (Erik Kochenberger), as music swells and the cast switches to slo-mo to capture the instant when romance blooms on the moors or, actually, in the Playhouse aisle.
One more thing: This is a good time to take note of the skillful way each season comes together at the Playhouse. A show closes Saturday night, the set is “struck,” and on Sunday a new set begins to bloom. The next production opens the following Wednesday, as cast and crew mount the new production in little more than two days. It’s amazing, really.
If you go: “Sense and Sensibility” is at Cape Playhouse, Route 6A, Dennis Village, through July 1. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees on June 24, 28 and 29. Tickets: $54.50 to $104.50 including fees. Call the box office: 508-385-3911, or visit www.capeplayhouse.com
Barbara Clark
Review: CLOC's charming 'Hello Dolly!' is worth a stroll on 14th Street
FALMOUTH ― Admit it: Most of us see "Hello Dolly!" for the highly hummable title song that has endured more than any other in the 60 years since the musical debuted Nov. 18, 1963 in Detroit. A cast has to nail that emotional scene where the grieving widow Dolly Gallagher Levi decides to "put some life back into my life" with an appearance at her regular table at the opulent Harmonia Gardens.
The College Light Opera Company opened its 55th season at the Highfield theatre with the 10-Tony award-winning show on Tuesday. With dancing, leaping, joyous abandon, the two dozen waiters and chefs welcomed Dolly as she assured them "Dolly ain't never going away again!"
It was a relief to feel that swell of emotion when the titular number came early in Act II, as Act 1 of CLOC's production felt a little flat and didn't seem to gel. But Mrs. Levi's earnest conversations with her dearly departed husband, Ephraim, helped define the play's humanity, cueing the audience up to care about meddling Dolly and the other characters out in search of love.
Name of play: "Hello, Dolly!"
Written and performed by: Book by Michael Steward, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, performed by College Light Opera Company (CLOC), directed by Kasey RT Graham, music direction by Beth Burrier.
What it's about: Based on Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker," "Hello Dolly!" is the story of widowed socialite Dolly Gallagher Levi, a renowned matchmaker from Yonkers, who makes everyone's business her own as she provides services from social introductions to tap dance lessons for "33-year-old fired chief clerks" like Cornelius Hackl who is afraid to dance with milliner Irene Molloy. Mrs. Levi, meanwhile, has her eye of marrying grumpy old Horace Vandergelder for his money and place in society. She is also fixing up Vandergelder's niece, squeaky little Ermengarde, with Ambrose Kemper, who has the disreputable occupation of artist.
Highlights of the show: So many things to admire. Here's a quick punch-list: Diction was perfect. Every word, spoken or sung, could be clearly heard. Bella Constantino's costumes were stunning, mixing gowns of rich tones, including black-and-gold and a deep dusty rose. Choreography was crisp and dancers were light on their feet, especially restaurant workers in the "Hello, Dolly!" number which showed off the varying skills of performers, some of whom leapt into the air.
All of the voices were pleasant but Antonio Esposito as Cornelius was especially strong, warm-toned with a wonderful vibrato. Bella Bosco as Dolly Levi was warm and likeable; and was especially cute in "So Long, Dearie," in which she wrote Horace off with a wiggle of her hips ― not easy to do while wearing a bustle in the 1890s. Alvaro Medina as Horace was especially good when he allowed peeks of his good-guy core to slip through his character's befuddled buffoonery.
See it or no? Yes, see it for its lushness and for the songs we rarely remember: "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "It Only Takes A Moment" "Elegance" and "Before the Parade Passes By."
Worth noting: Carol Channing played Dolly Levi when "Hello, Dolly!" opened on Broadway in 1964, earning 10 Tony Awards and creating a record that would stand for 37 years. Only Channing and Pearl Bailey filled the role on Broadway. Barbra Streisand played the matchmaker in the 1969 movie.
If you go: College Light Opera Company, 58 Highfield Drive, stages a different show every week: Shows are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tickets, at $40, can be purchased online at collegelightoperacompany.com or by calling the box office, 508-548-0668, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Gwenn Friss
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Review: Jane Austen and Dolly Levi still have staying power
