Jordan Wright
July 30, 2012
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Photographer Shane Canfield It’s Olympics Week and we’re in London. Well, not really Dearie, not the London of the Tower Bridge and the colored rings, but a smidge more local, at The Little Theatre of Alexandria far closer to the Potomac than the Thames. No, my friends, this is the London of Sweeney Todd, “who would blink and rats would scuttle” as he “served a dark and vengeful god.” Close enough, I’d say. Maybe too close.
From the opening salvos the 20-member cast of Stephen Sondheim’s spine-tingling Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will sweep you off your feet and smack dab into a Dickensian world filled with high dudgeon and deep depravity. The musical is a fierce story of love, loss and revenge merrily served up in all its carnivorous glory with a spot of tea and a stiff upper lip – body parts included. It’s a grisly horror story dripping with blood and British charm and some of Sondheim’s best songs.
 Photographer Shane Canfield We are introduced to Sweeney Todd alias Benjamin Barker upon his return to London to avenge the death of his wife by the evil and perverse Judge Turpin (Chris Gillespie) and his conspiratorial cohort, Beadle Bamford (Christopher David Harris), and to reunite with his daughter, the beautiful Johanna (Roxanne Scher), who is being held captive by the judge as his ward and future bride.
Todd falls in with Mrs. Lovett, an ambitious and wily widow with a failing meat pie shop. They strike up an unlikely and diabolical alliance and, in a stroke of business genius, Mrs. Lovett provides Todd with a tonsorial parlor above her store where they gleefully combine the two disparate businesses. “Think of it as thrift,” she chirps with a dash of gallows humor. “It seems an awful waste with the price of meat what it is.”
The Little Theatre knew Sweeney Todd was going to be a monster of a production and commandeered three producers to keep it on track. That it is one of their finest productions to date is due in no small part to Andrew JM Regiec, who appears to have his hand in most elements of the play. His superb directing, top-notch choreography and staging, including collaborating on set design with Dan Remmers, take this theater and its twelve-piece orchestra to dramatic new heights. Throw into the mix the award-winning team of Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley who have costumed the show in high Victorian poverty splendor all the way down to the beggar women’s bloomers. Another clever touch they employ are the scarlet red silk flourishes worn by the ensemble in the opening number, the “Ballad of Sweeney Todd”, that reveals shades of things to come.
Harv Lester tackles the dark vengeful Todd with masterful aplomb. From his opening number “No Place Like London” Lester puts the entire audience in his thrall with his tremendous baritone and powerful presence. His fresh portrayal made me feel as though I were seeing it for the first time.
As Mrs. Lovett, Jennifer Lyons Pagnard, is on par with original Broadway cast member Angela Lansbury (whom this critic remembers fondly). Pagnard is captivating with gestures so naturally balanced between her left side and right side so as to present a continuous self-portrait. It was a master class in acting effortlessly. In addition her fifteen years as a vocalist with the US Air Force Band’s “Singing Sergeants” has gifted her with a performance ability more often honed on a professional stage. Pagnard knows how to memorialize a character – in spades!
 Photographer Shane Canfield Christopher David Harris is terrific as the smarmy and foppish Beadle whose ghastly encounter with a blind nightingale led my seatmate to let out a shriek heard throughout the theater… and perhaps across the pond. Keep an eye out for Zachary Frank in the role of Pirelli whose portrayal of the Italian barber is a hilarious foil to the murder and mayhem.
Countless elements contribute to the realism of the show. Art Snow adds much in terms of special effects including designing blood-spurting razors synchronized to the slashing of Todd’s victims’ throats, a chair that sends victims sliding into an abyss, and a dungeon-worthy oven billowing smoke and flames. The technical complexities of the show are impressive – as in the two double-decker turntable stages that rotate an astonishing 64 times. Add to that the more than 80 sound cues and dozens of mood-shifting lighting cues designed by the WATCH Award-winning team of Ken and Patti Crowley and you have a tremendously dynamic stage set.
Highly recommended.
Through August 18th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com
Jordan Wright
June 11, 2012
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Sarah Holt, Ric Anderson, and Robin Parker Photos by Doug Olmsted Everybody loves Elvis. The man was larger than life. “The King of Rock and Roll”, who helped shape a mid-century pop culture and was a distinct influence on American music, is still with us today. Rent-an-Elvis impersonators in cheek-hugging sideburns make pilgrimages to Memphis, Tennessee to gawk at his stately colonial mansion. Graceland, the holiest of rock and roll shrines, where wife Priscilla, the envy of bobbysoxers everywhere, along with the King, raised their only child, Lisa Marie. So naturally a show about Elvis’s women would include them, right? Well no, not in this imaginary retelling.
All the King’s Women is an homage to Elvis Presley played out in vignettes by ordinary people Elvis came in contact with at different points in his life. And despite the title they are not the most important women in his life, as you might surmise. Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and mother, Gladys have no roles. So don’t expect a love story here. And in a bit of a misnomer there are four male characters in the play and no hip shakin’ goin’ on.
 Ric Andersen and Jennifer Finch – Photos by Doug Olmsted The play opens in Mississippi at the Tupelo Hardware Company. It’s 1946, Elvis’s 11th birthday, and a virtual Gladys has taken him shopping for a twelve dollar Kay guitar in place of the rifle he was promised. Sarah Holt plays the shop girl who drips with that peculiar combination of good manners and behind-your-back gossip called Southern charm. Holt has the inflections and mannerisms down pat. In fact every character she plays will endear you to her. Heads up for her hilarious three a.m. banana-and-peanut butter scene with Elvis in the supermarket.
Eight short vignettes are told though the eyes of the unknown women and men that drifted, if only temporarily, into his sacred sphere – the nameless secretaries, saleswomen, assistants and shoppers whose worlds were rocked by a chance encounter.
During scene changes photo slides from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s are splashed onto a screen mounted on the back of the stage – iconic photos of Elvis’s pink Cadillac along with movie stills and a photo collage by Andy Warhol – providing a visual scrapbook of the King’s celebrity life and images of the day. But it does seem strange not to have an actual Elvis in the play.
Instead four actors tackle seventeen roles including the auspicious hardware store purchase, a confab among Warhol’s effete staff and a well-publicized meeting in the White House with then president Richard Nixon in which Presley offered his service to the country as a federal agent while dressed in a purple velvet cape with matching slacks and a flashy 6-inch belt buckle.
 Jennifer Finch and Robin Parker – Photos by Doug Olmsted One scene describes an early appearance on the Steve Allen Show. Although Presley had yet to appear on television his scandalous hip gyrations were renowned and nearly got him banned from The Ed Sullivan Show, the most popular family variety show of the 1950’s. In a meeting between Elvis’s press secretary, the network censor’s assistant and Allen’s secretary, Presley is instructed to wear top hat and white gloves. He agreed to those conditions but insisted on wearing his blue suede shoes. Allen finally demurred telling the censor’s assistant, “As long as his shoes are nailed to the floor!”
The cast works well together and the jokes are lighthearted. A simply furnished set focuses the attention on the characters while familiar hits like Hound Dog and Amazing Grace are heard playing in the background.
See it if you want your funny bone all shook up.
Through June 30th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com
Jordan Wright
April 19, 2012
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Sam Sheinberg (Court Wader), Russell Silber (Leonard), Bruce Schmid (Barrister), Dan Beck (Clerk of the Court), Jeffrey Clarke (Justice Wainright), John Johnson (Barrister), and Mark Lee Adams (Sir Wilfred Robarts, QC) - photo credit to Doug Olmsted. In a whodunit filled with more red herrings than a kettle of fish, veteran Little Theatre director Eddie Page takes a cast of nineteen actors and packages them into a tidy piece of silken stagecraft. That the plot may be familiar to those who remember the 1957 Billy Wilder-directed film of the same name, and that starred Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich, should in no way deter an appreciation of this well-acted version. The play, unlike the film of the same name, adheres to the original as written by Agatha Christie in 1953.
The likeable but enigmatic Leonard Vole is accused of murdering of a wealthy older lady. Or to be politically correct, allow me to amend it to “ a well-to-do senior citizen”. Miss French’s senior status should be noted here since, when it is revealed that she is 56 years old, it makes for some snickering in the audience, sounding as it does by today’s standards a rather archaic notion. Leonard becomes the main suspect when it is revealed that he is the chief benefactor in the lady’s recently revised will.
 Robert Ford (Detective) and Russell Silber (Leonard) - photo credit to Doug Olmsted Miss French, who befriends the impoverished mechanic after he chivalrously rescues her from being run over on a London city street, is neither seen nor heard during the three acts which, being quite dead should be reason enough, but for we amateur sleuths there’s not much to chew on save a haze of supposition, conflicting testimony and inexplicable evidence leading helter-skelter down a blind alley.
Mark Lee Adams deftly plays Leonard’s counselor Sir Wilfrid Robarts, Q.C. Robarts, who had up till then sworn off murder trials, agrees to take the case after becoming convinced of the poor man’s innocence.
As the case unfolds in the courtroom of the Old Bailey, we meet Miss French’s feisty yet devoted housekeeper, Janet McKenzie, played rivetingly by Cheryl Sinsabaugh whose spot-on Scottish brogue is as crusty as week-old haggis. Janet has reason to point the finger at the ambitious Leonard Vole. He’s usurped her territory and stolen her mistress’s affections. But we like the charismatic chap anyway.
 Robin Zerbe (Romaine) and James McDaniel (Mr. Meyers, QC) - photo credit to Doug Olmsted.  Robin Zerbe (Romaine) and Mark Lee Adams (Sir Wilfred Robarts, QC) - photo credit to Doug Olmsted. Russell Silber does a fine job of portraying the likeable Leonard in counterpoint to his wife Romaine, the Teutonic ice princess tautly acted by Robin Zerbe. Though Leonard marries her to facilitate her escape from wartime Germany, in an ironic twist Romaine becomes witness for the prosecution and against her adoring husband. “One can get tired of gratitude,” she stoically declares.
At times you may feel that you are in the middle of a game of Clue. There’s no rope here but a blood stained jacket, mountains of motives, a bludgeoned body and a large kitchen knife loom largely. Did I mention all the circumstantial evidence? Nothing appears to be indisputable, not least of all the exact time of the murder.
In Christie’s stage version the bewigged barristers address the audience as jury and you may feel quite invested in divining the outcome of this charming slice of skullduggery. Though your efforts may prove meaningless as the ending trumps the most invigorated mystery hounds among us. And isn’t that exactly what we adore about Agatha Christie?
Through May 12th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com
Jordan Wright
February 28, 2012
Special to The Alexandria Times
 John Shackelford (Max Levene), Brandon DeGroat (Joe Pendleton) and Cal Whitehurst (Mr. Jordan) - photo credit Doug Olmsted The Little Theatre of Alexandria’s production of Harry Segall’s stageplay, Heaven Can Wait, got off to a rocky start last night when the play’s Co-Producer and Assistant Director, Mary Ayala-Bush, had to jump into the part of Messenger 7013. Unfortunately she had gotten the part at 2 PM that same afternoon and, truth be told, she was reading lines off a clipboard and adlibbing the rest. No matter, she’s a pro, and by the time you read this she’ll have it down pat, but it was touch and go on opening night.
But even a cast glitch could not have gotten in the way of this lively production, enhanced mightily by the superb portrayal of boxer Joe Pendleton, by Brandon DeGroat, who in real life is a pro wrestler, movie actor and professional stuntman. DeGroat proves that he can handle the topsy-turvy role with more than just swarthy matinee idol looks. Throughout his performance he wows the audience with his talent for boxing feints, jumping rope double time, sofa vaults and stage-shaking pratfalls.
Historically the play found film incarnation with Here Comes Mr. Jordan starring Robert Montgomery and Claude Rains. Later it emerged as Oscar-winning film, Heaven Can Wait, starring Warren Beatty as football hero, and more recently as Down to Earth with Chris Rock as a comedian. No stretch there.
 Colin Davies (Doctor), Brandon DeGroat (Joe Pendleton), Geoffrey Baskir (Passenger), Michael Gerwin (Williams), Geoffrey Brand (Lefty), and John Shackelford (Max Levene) - photo credit Doug Olmsted In this version Joe is a boxer and erstwhile fighter pilot taken for dead by an over-zealous angel. When the mix up is discovered at the Pearly Gates, the celestial doorman Mr. Jordan, elegantly played by Cal Whitehurst, promises Joe he has another 60 years to go before his number is up. “I could put you in the body of a gnat”, Jordan asserts, and the two go off in search of an appropriately athletic body for Joe to continue his blossoming career. But before he can locate the perfect athletic specimen Joe must first assume the body of murdered millionaire investor, Leo Farnsworth, and it is as Farnsworth that Joe meets the love of his life, Bette Logan (Melissa Berkowitz).
The play begins to breath fire when Joe, as Farnsworth, reunites with agent Max Levene (John Shackelford) to reschedule the pivotal fight that will place him in the pantheon of the world’s greatest boxers. But first he has to convince Max that he is indeed the same Joe…albeit in a millionaire’s body.
 John Shackelford (Max Levene), Brandon DeGroat (Joe Pendleton) - photo credit Doug Olmsted Shackelford and DeGroat are electrifying when they share the stage – which thankfully is the heart and soul of this production. I can’t say enough about Shackelford’s beguiling brilliance in the role of Max, the agent who has one eye fixed firmly on his client’s newly acquired wealth and the other on his old buddy’s success. He’s got a keen sense of timing coupled with a canny ability to seamlessly morph his character from naive to crafty. His performance is nothing less than riveting.
If you’re up for a comedy rolled into a drama and wrapped in a love story, catch this one soon.
Through March 17th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria 600 Wolfe Street. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com
Jordan Wright
January 17th, 2012
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Amy Conley (Rona Lisa Perretti) and Jeff Davis (Vice Principal Douglas Panch) - Photos by Shane Canfield For those of us whose middle school memories harken to a time of anxieties, crushing insecurities and the dread of not fitting in, have I got a musical for you! The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will remind you that you have plenty of avatars in the challenging world of teenage angst. Dorks, dweebs, do-gooders and overachievers will be your new BFFs in this uproarious production featuring the oddball world of spelling bee competitions. (Note to parents of aspiring qualifiers: The annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is held right here in Washington, DC.)
That the characters in this musical are decidedly unique doesn’t get in the way of composer William Finn and conceptualizer Rebecca Feldman tapping into universal neuroses. We really do feel their pain, squirming and agonizing over obscure words like capybara or hasenpfeffer. Can you use that in a sentence?
The twist is that four actual audience members are brought on stage to join the “bee”. Opening night had the beautiful blonde theatre reviewer, Jeanne Theismann, who when introduced by Vice Principal Panch, was skewered with an intro as, “the cheerleader who hopes to marry the quarterback,” a reference to her ex-husband former Washington Redskin, Joe Theismann. She played along good-heartedly till her elimination when Panch declared, “All the 7th Grade boys are in love with this brunette!” Gales of laughter from the in-on-the-joke audience.
 Carl Williams (Mitch Mahoney), Josh Goldman (Leaf Coneybear), Eric Hughes (Chip Tolentino), Matt Williams (William Barfee), Claire O’Brien (Marcy Park), Maureen Rohn (Olive Ostrovsky), Emily “EJ” Jonas (Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere), and Amy Conley (Rona Lisa Perretti) Photos by Shane Canfield Along with the six quirky students and their super-cool, jive-talking professional “Comfort Counselor”, Mitch Mahoney (Carl Williams), they share the stage with Vice Principal Douglas Paunch (Jeff Davis) and Secretary Rona Lisa Peretti (Amy Conley).
You’ll meet Chip (Eric Hughes) whose budding adolescent crush will dredge up all the awkwardness of early testosterone unpredictability and Logianne Schwartzandgrubenniere (Emily “E. J.” Jonas), a goofy pig-tailed Catholic School conformist who boasts a pair of bossy dads. Her fail-safe technique: To pre-spell words on her arm.
And then there’s the pretty and terminally insecure, Olive Ostrovsky (Maureen Rohn), whose abandonment by her ashram-trotting mother and distant father, bonds her with a dictionary. Olive talks into her hand to puzzle out the words, while the user-friendly, Leaf Coneybear (Josh Goldman) has successful eleventh-hour visions for memory aids. Leaf is home-schooled and makes his own capes. Are you reading a Charles Shultzian presence yet?
For the sestalingual Marcy Park (Claire O’Brien), rocking her cheerleader outfit, it’s all tediously beneath her. The hyper-accomplished, classical piano playing, baton-twirler informs us, “I’m sick and tired of being the best!”
And you’ll want to meet the adorably gawky William Barfee (Matt Williams), “It’s pronounced Bar-fey, ”he corrects, employing the Gallic accent aigu. He’s the personification of teenage bluff and bluster and a shoo-in representative for the Lollipop Guild. But his peanut allergies seem to get the best of him until he’s given the word “antihistamine”. “Luck of the draw,” he stammers before acing it.
 Maureen Rohn (Olive Ostrovsky) and Amy Conley (Rona Lisa Perretti) - Photos by Shane Canfield Crack cast members nail their character’s kooky persona to the letter, and the entire hyper-talented bunch sing their faces off through thirteen riotous numbers. Watch for ingénue Maureen Rohn who tears the roof off with the heart-breaking “The I Love You Song”.
Producer Mary Beth Smith-Toomey, Director Frank D. Shutts II, and Music Director Christopher Tomasino can add another notch to Little Theatre’s long-standing mega-repertoire of successes!
At The Little Theatre of Alexandria 600 Wolfe Street through February 4th. For tickets and information call 703 683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com.
Jordan Wright
December 11, 2011
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Brandon DeGroat (Ghost of Christmas Present) and Marcus Fisk (Scrooge) The Little Theatre of Alexandria celebrates the holiday season with a return of Charles Dickens’ heartwarming classic A Christmas Carol. An endearing portrait of mid-nineteenth century England, the age-old tale features Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly Victorian humbug, who travels with ghostly guides through Christmas past, present, and future to find the true meaning of the holidays. Replete with special effects, lavish Victorian costumes and the ever-precious Tiny Tim, this family-friendly seasonal reprise is drawn from the original text and perfectly adapted for the stage by Donna Ferragut. Under Robin Parker’s smooth direction this holiday special sparkles like freshly fallen snow.
A Christmas Carol runs through December 18th. For tickets and information call 703 683-0496 or visit www.TheLittleTheatre.com.
 Brandon DeGroat (Ghost of Christmas Present) and Marcus Fisk (Scrooge) |
 Full Cast |
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