Year End, 2007

Happy New Year everyone.  The big news in local entertainment came not from the Old Town Playhouse, but from the State Theater, although the Playhouse membership was very much a part of things.  First there was the Traverse City Film Festival at the end of July; Patty Herron of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW was volunteer coordinator.  Some familiar faces from Playhouse past returned for it, including Diane Hubert's son, Mark (now a resident of Chicago) and Katie Tibaldi, who was very active in performing and production at OTP during her high school years, later studying screenwriting in college in New York, and more recently a writer for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.  One of my favorites of the films screened this year was WAITRESS, written and directed by the late, great Adrienne Shelley, a frequent star of offbeat 1990's comedies, who resembled OTP veteran Terri Heffron in her younger days.  (Another pair of lookalikes:  Ellen Page of the current comedy hit, JUNO and our own Micah Thomas).  During the Festival it was announced that The State would be reopened on a yearround basis ( it originally saw life as the Lyric in 1916).  The Film Festival had acquired ownership from Rotary Charities, and now 3 months of extensive and costly renovation lay ahead.  A number of Playhouse people helped, financially and otherwise, including Al Thompson, who has been a fixture there ever since, along with Barb McConnaughey.  The black tie opening night on November 17 was a big success; paying attention to the theater's roots, they invited a lady who ushered there many years ago to attend.  There's also a reproduction of poster art from HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, which had Traverse City born David  Wayne  in the cast.  Lars Kelto made a spoofy video about the plight of the common usher (hominidae  popcornus), which has Rick Korndorfer, Jeff and Kelly Curtis, and several members of the cast of CABARET in it; it precedes every movie, before the previews of coming attractions.  The theater is, in both concept and design, a replica of Chicago's premiere art cinema, the Music Box, including the twinkling stars in the ceiling.  Shown on opening night was a history of the State which started well, but later bogged down with inaccuracies.  For the record, the State operated with a single screen (sometimes on weekends only) until 1978 when it was duplexed, and the nearby Michigan Theater (in its heyday a bigger, grander house than the State) closed its doors and was remodeled into Front Row Center.    The duplex lasted about 15 years, after which Michigan Ensemble Theater and later Stage Door Productions performed plays and musicals (one of the last shows was the third coming of GREASE by director, Kris Hains, with Sarah Hampton, T.J.Berden, Ashley Frost, and Miriam Pico in the cast, circa 2002).   Also for the record, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF was Mike Nichols's first film, a year before THE GRADUATE.  Yes, that's Jamie Kramer in the background behind the lady TV reporter in Central Park in that one scene of the Holiday attraction, ELF, which will probably be screened again next year.  ****************  Not to be outdone by the State, the Opera House has been screening movies on Wedenesday nights, generally on video, and sometimes wide screen movies aren't proportioned right.  They did a popular revival of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with many Playhouse cast members in costume.  Al Lien was in his Dr. Scott costume and wheelchair, pushed by a tuxedoed Al Thompson (who built our set).  I wasn't involved in the show, but I put on some Brad like duds.  ************  ANGEL STREET was the first show of the current Playhouse. As a first timer on the mainstage level, I directed, with Ed Mulcahy as assistant director and Kathy Ivany-Mort as producer.  The line heavy show, full of 2 character scenes, was a challenge for a tiny cast that had to face the loss for two precious rehearsal weeks, of their leading lady, Kathy Kocevar La Guire, when her mother unexpectedly passed away shortly after auditions.  (this was a period that saw the loss of Denni Don Hunting's mother, Joani Lackie-Callighan's father and Riverside Shakespeare veteran Rose Hollander's husband, Stuart; my condolences to them and to Ali Gribi of GYPSY, who later lost her grandfather.)  Kathy came back and gave smashing performances, with a cast that included Stuart Mitchell (his biggest role to date; he now will play Steve in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE), Joe Kilpatrick (STREETCAR's director), and Barbara Goodearl.  Britta Walker-Palmberg, who played Angela Lansbury's Oscar nominated role of Nancy, graduated from my Alma Mater, North Park University 40 years after I did.  Her big scene with Stuart, highly reminiscent of Matt Heffron and Jessica Cerruti's biggie in 1776, led to their engagement; they will wed in California in February, 3 days before my birthday.  Many of the crew members I assembled as producer of HAY FEVER came back for ANGEL STREET, including Al Thompson and Ginny Hamilton (sets), and Thomas Webb and Kristin Buchholz (props).  The mother-son Wallace duo (Sheri and Geoffrey) also returned, a very agreeable house manager - backstage worker team.  Phil Murphy brilliantly designed the lights, and Don Kuehlhorn put together the sound, including soundtrack music from an old Victorian era movie thriller about Jack the Ripper.  The production suffered all the usual manpower shortages of a typical first of season show, but I feel the end result was a very satisfying show.  Kathy La Guire and Joe Kilpatrick had previously acted together at Northwestern Michigan College, but this time both had leading roles.  ****************  Michelle Dungjen directed THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN for the children's theater, with husband Brian making a cameo appearance.  Geoffrey Wallace was a very convincing Ichabod Crane.   ***********  THE GUYS, about the aftermath of 9-11 was a very sober-faced but effectively done Studio effort, directed by Cinder Conlon, whose livelihood as family court judge keeps her more in the lighting booth than the director's chair; her occasional forays here have been solid.  ****************  CABARET  was first done at OTP in 1981.  Jan Campbell (now Jan Fisher) was Sally Bowles; Mark Williams was Cliff Bradshaw; Gary Garrison (in a brilliant, show stealing performance) was the Emcee; Mike Norton was the Nazi, Ernst Ludwig, and Bridget Kilpatrick (Joe's sister, and at that time, director Jeanette Mason's roommate) was the hooker, Fraulein Kost.  Bev Attwood played Fraulein Schneider, and Tim Koch was Herr Schultz. Jan's then husband, Dave Campbell  was one of the onstage band members.  It remains one of my all-time OTP favorites.  This season's production of the show, directed by Brian Dungjen, with Brett Nichols as A.D., was based on the 1987 Broadway revival, which made many changes, including the addition of Kit Kat Boys, one memorably portrayed by Drue Michael Wendt.  The CABARET movie's MONEY SONG and MEIN HERR were added, and MEESKITE was deleted; it wasn't a great number, but it figured in the plot (pointing out Herr Schultz's Jewishness to everyone at the party), and I missed it.   Of the performances, Laura La Duke will be remembered for her fine work as the first blind woman to appear in one of our shows. No one could top Garrison's Emcee, but Dr. Kevin Weber (my doc) did an excellent job, wearing very different clothes and makeup (no clown white), and he was actually sexier in the role.  Keith Firstenberg, who almost played Joe Kilpatrick's role in my play, but dropped out because of conflicts with  Jewish Holy Days (he's orthodox) was a very charming, likable Nazi Ernst.  If you're unfamiliar with the play, you don't realize he's a Nazi till you see the armband, and it's a shock.      Michael Kania and Kristina Nichols were fine as Cliff and Sally, as were Billie Thompson and Al Lien as Fraulein Schneider and Schultz.  Tamara DePonio had to drop out of the show after the first weeek of performances for health reasons.  An African American performer of great talent, she was cast in the gorilla song. She, of course, wore a gorilla outfit, but those in the know could appreciate the significance of the line, "She doesn't look Jewish at all."   Sarna Salzman basically was Magenta again. a great Kit Kat Girl, and Lindsay Stassen as another Kat, had wonderful stage presence; as Lars's State Theater video shows, she can do a lot with just a look.  ***********   Miriam Pico gave birth to a daughter, Luna Sofia in September.   She entered Kawai's national SEARCH FOR A STAR competition with the song, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME (recorded at Kurtz Music in Traverse City), and came out a co-winner.  We wish her the best in her music endeavors.   ****** Trattoria Stella Italian restaurant is becoming a popular place for Playhouse connected people to work.  Sarah Hampton Bielman is on the managerial staff, Elise Curtis is in the kitchen, and Abby Alexander is a hostess.  The film festival people also like this restaurant, which has played host to some of their dinners.  Congratulations to new brides and expectant moms Kristina Nichols and  Chandra Dongvillo.  ******  Stephanie Young, who successfully directed DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER in the Studio in '05 will directed a similar comedy. PERFECT TIMING for the Leelanau Players at the Old Arts Building in Leland this April.    Kristy Ver Snyder (AS IS) and I are co-producers.  One final thought:our City Opera House has never performed an opera.  And now their down the street competitor, the State Theater is showing New York Met operas with a live satellite feed.  Does something seem strange there?   

Hedges Macdonald

hedges@chartermi.net