Summer, 2001

This summer, like last year, finds many OTP veterans performing on other stages. While Tony and Tina won't be repeating their vows again, Riverside Shakespeare productions  has a new show, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" featuring such familiar faces as Robert (the Wizard) Roush, Margaret Anne Slawson, Cara McDonald, Scott Bufe',  Brett Nichols, Steve Morse, Jan Dalton,  Denni Donn Hunting,  myself, Nicole Girard, Kathy Kocevar, Jessica Cerutti, Margaret Parsons,  TJ Berden,  Brian Dungjen, and Jill Beauchamp, with Dungjen and Beauchamp producing and Jeanette Mason directing, assisted by Leana Schlueter.  Those who enjoyed Ty Curtis's performances in "Schoolhouse Rock, Live" will be happy to know he is be a vocalist in this show.  Meanwhile, Stage Door Productions will present "Nunsense II", with Denise Olmstead and Diana Dimarco Morgan repeating their roles from the first "Nunsense", joined by Nan Worthington, Psaira Baty( who spelled her name "Sara" when she did "A chorus Line"), and Monica Servant.  And Turner Sato ("A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Jesus Christ, Superstar") is joining Princess Laura's new music and improv show Monday nights at Holiday Inn. 

The season which just ended began with "Anne of Green Gables", a show I house managed.  Not universally popular with play doers, it was a big box office hit with playgoers, outselling the musical, "City of Angels".  For me it provided a reunion with  cast members of every mainstage show from my first year at the playhouse (Anne Levine and Kasey Kilpatrick from "The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild", Kathy Kocevar from "Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon",  and Delphine Welch from "She Loves Me").  Richard Farnsworth, who played Matthew Cuthbert in the TV miniseries based on the book, committed suicide the week after the show closed.  At least there was no scandal involved, as when Mary Miles Minter (the big screen's first Anne) was implicated but not charged in the unsolved murder of her director, William Desmond Taylor, whose playboy lifestyle finally caught up with him. "Dead Air", a Terry Lawrence  Studio piece, had its technical problems which forced opening night to be postponed, but it had some wickedly funny characters and gave Michelle Jozsa  her best role as  a mean spirited local TV anchorwoman.  I always thought the character might have been designed as a satire of Chicago TV anchorwoman, Carol Marin.  The week after we closed. Marin was relieved of her anchor duties at the station. Our other Michelle, Ms. Perez, also had a great role as Lizzie in "The Rainmaker", which also welcomed back another OTP veteran, Matt Heffron in the title Role.  During the rehearsal period, N. Richard Nash, the play's author, and Thomas Yohe, co-creator of "Schoolhouse Rock Live", which Perez later directed, both passed away.  Michelle herself was ailing during part of this time, but the show went on and was successful, especially for a hilarious Robert Lombardo. "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" offered a solid directing debut by Al Lien and gave Rachel Levine her best role as a mixed-up girl.  The cast, which included 2 young newcomers, was very good, and the night I was there, I didn't nod off once.  On the strength of this show, Al will be directing "The Curious Savage" on the mainstage next season. The week before auditions for our  film  noir spoof, "City of Angels", famed noir actress Marie Windsor passed away. This was followed  during the production of the show by a number of  familiar faces from OTP, including Pat Easterday and Marta Hallett. The show itself was great, bringing us Cara and Monica, and giving audiences a brief but dazzling look at Kathy Kocevar in a beautiful dress, playing, of all things, a hooker. 

I have one musing to offer about Pat.  He came to us in "Anything Goes", the first musical done at OTP after the first "West Side Story" and left us during "City of Angels", which followed the second production.  That second show gave me my best mainstage part as Doc, and allowed some Cinderella boys and girls and a few newcomers to be real cool.  Tamara Hunter was memorable as Anita, and  our leads came from Cadillac and Petoskey. "Chapter Two" gave Sarah Hampton her first non-singing OTP  part  and Matt McCormick his first role since "A Chorus Line".  Fred Szczepanski was hilarious and Belinda Sidebottom had a great debut as Fred's love interest. Our final show, "Schoolhouse Rock Live", made the most of Brett Nichols and Ty Curtis's talents  and introduced me to one of the few TV shows that I totally missed. Michelle and her prop lady, Wendy Roberts created a show that easily looked like it could have cost more than its $100 budget.  I hope everyone had a good breakfast. 

I'll close with a very belated nod to our most recent Cinderella, Chelsea Oakes, who last year won a talent contest and was the opening act  for Bee Country Jam at the Kalkaska County Fairgrounds.  And she didn't lose her slipper. There is a lot to be said about "City of Angels".  It had been scheduled and postponed several times, but it was worth the wait.  Phil Murphy called upon his customary skill for handling complicated scenes to direct one of the most challenging productions he - and OTP - had ever undertaken.  Joe Rice and his hand picked orchestra brilliantly handled a difficult score, aided in no small measure by the cast, particularly the quartet, which found "West Side Story's" Maria (Shakyra Eady-Jones) stepping into  an ensemble that included Diana Dimarco Morgan, David Curtis, and newcomer Kevin Weber.  Mike Nunn's Hispanic cop recalled his Puerto Rican janitor in "6 Rms, Rv Vu" back in 1984.  This was another Dungjen family outing, and Bill, Brian, and Susan had lots to be proud of. 

Congratulations go to,Murphy, who was just elected to the artistic board - a body he had served on  before - along with first time members Tamara Hunter, Brett Nichols, and Mollie Thompson.  It has Been too long an interval, Phil, my man.
 hedges@traverse.net