Opening our "Christmas Gifts"

Tonight at the Palestine Community Theatre was the premier for "Christmas Gifts", an original Christmas musical by Jamie Waldon King.  And with apologies to Ms. King, I was prepared for a rather maudlin rehashing of the same old themes of every holiday play ever performed by local theater.  I say apologies because I was wrong.  (I know...when you've recovered from your faint read on.)

There were several strong elements in the script which lifted it above the norm.  It dealt with teen pregnancy, adoption, divorce, gossip, disaffection, even blossoming romance, and all within a context of Christmas and Christian faith that didn't bang you over the head with a club.  Okay, there were brief moments, but hey, it's a Christmas play in East Texas.  Give 'em a break.

The story moves well between overlapping vignettes set in a small community.  Each story line is connected in more than one strand to the others.  For example, the story of the "unwed teen-aged mother" played by Sarah Ellison was not preachy, but touching, real, and compassionate.  Sarah, one of the several standout performers, played to part boldly but with pathos.  She wonderfully showed a young woman making hard choices as a result of a bad choice.  She wasn't perfect, nor were her choices, but they were real.  She also sang beautifully.  The acting of her mother (Terri Warren) was also very good, showing acceptance without condoning.  Terri, coming off some illness, struggled with some of her songs, but her strong voice carries through.

A young couple in the play and in life were Matthew Raybin and Shannon Smith.  I have nothing but praise for their performances.  I have watched each of them grow from children to adults in that theater and their talents grow with every performance.  They shone with confidence, maturity, and complexity of character not often seen in actors of their age.  Sure of their performances even when their characters were unsure.  Wonderful.  Their singing was spot on.  Again, improving every time I see them perform.  I can't wait for their next appearance.

Always a pleasure to watch and hear was O
livia Santone.  She has a range of characters that is remarkable for one so young.  And in that, her age is hard to pin down.  She can play a teenage or an adult with equal aplomb.  Her singing is always strong and full of passion.

There were many other actors that did fine jobs, although most were simply good to okay.  There's no shame in that, of course.  There were times where songs were sung in different keys- at the same time; or out of sync.  And especially complex number at the beginning seemed to get away from them.  Once that happens it's really hard to rein it back in.  The singing of some of the actors was the biggest problem and the greatest strengths.  Of course the gum chewing teenaged chorus member was a real distraction to me.  That's a balance hard for any director.  The dancers were a very nice addition to the numbers where they participated.

Two things more I must mention.  First, I was disappointed in that canned music was used.  I fully understand.  This time of year especially, live musicians are in hot demand for churches, schools, parties, dance recitals, this, that, and the other.  In this case, pre-recorded music was probably the only good alternative, but it is still one of the very few times it has been used at PCT.

Second and lastly, a beautiful surprise by the name of Zaylee King.  Her part was not large, but it was important.  She sang with the voice of an angel and the face to match.  Placed near the end of the "Nativity Sequence", she was a sweet blessing to the ear and eye and brought a nice closure to the piece.

Strong story, well designed and constructed sets, well done costumes and staging.  I would recommend this for anyone looking for solid family oriented holiday entertainment.  But hurry-- there are only two more performances.

RENT this space

This past Saturday night, Kathy and I braved the chilly East Texas version of winter to travel to Tyler, Texas to see a performance of RENT at the Liberty Hall theater.  (This despite the fact that I had just rolled in from a four-day conference in Houston minutes before.)  Neither of us had seen anything in the Liberty, so we were looking forward eagerly to this new space.  We found a good parking spot, took the de rigueuer selfie from the opposite side of the street, and found our way inside.

We were greeted with convivial smiles (and wine) and a couple of familiar faces.  Good start.  We already had our tickets in hand and so walked on in.  Goodness continues.  Sat next to some lovely people.  Things look good.  Lights dim... magic begins.

[In review like this, it is customary to be universally positive in order to remain on good terms with people you might be working with sometime soon.  There is much good to talk about.  There are also problems about which I will write in order that we may grow as performers, and so that you can believe what I write is true and not whitewash.  Enough disclaimer-- on with the review.]

Let's start with the positives...  The acting was really good.  At times it was great.  Of special note were JC Schimdt (Angel), Kristen Bedevian (Joanne), and Joshua Carpenter (Tom).  Their acting was spot on with emotional highs and lows that carried the audience with them.  There was a lot of honesty in their work.  Even though the character of Angel is an "over-the-top" personality, the portrayal was very honest.  I've known people like Angel and that's how they are (or were).  Joanne's frustration with an inconstant and mercurial partner were apparent, yet completely believable.  She showed power and vulnerability with poise and pain.  The best part of Joshua's performance as Tom was at the beginning and the end.  It was the painful contrast of the high of rapturous joy in love found and the crushing pain of a loved one lost.  The love itself is never lost.

The music was both a strength and a weakness.  The band sounded great!  But they frequently overpowered the vocals. [suggestion: let the electric instruments have a volume control on the sound board as well as with the musician.  On stage the balance is hard to hear.]  Also in that same vein, there were microphone problems galore.  It is hard for an actor to deliver a balanced performance with they must shift from talking to shouting with no notice.  Sometimes it can't be helped...sometimes it can.  Another strength and weakness in the music came from the vocals.  Wonderful strong voices, full of passion and joy and angst.  But tuning became an issue.  I'm picky- understand that- more than almost anyone in the audience has a right to be.  But there were wonderful emotional moments ruined for me by flat notes from the primary vocal.  It may have been the inability to hear themselves over the stage band, I don't know.  For most around me, there was no problem.  Maybe it was just me.  I'll stop there about that.

For me, one of the highlights of this show was the "second intermission".  Right after the second act began, just as "Seasons of Love" is coming to a conclusion... the smoke alarms went off due to an overzealous smoke machine.  We cleared the theater into the cold.  On the sidewalks the cast and audience together began a rousing chorus of "La Vie Boheme" to the defiance of the demon enemies of Thespis.  Once cleared, we went back inside and rebooted Act II.  That last burst of comraderie only cemented the wonderful feelings and bonds of caring for what was happening on stage.

With all my carping and bitching and moaning, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.  The emotion was real.  The passion showed through.  The pure delight in performance pervaded the night.  I can't wait to see what's next.

Canadian Godspell in Crockett, Texas

Last Friday night, November 29th, Kathy and I went to the Piney Woods Fine Arts Association presentation of "Godspell" from Moonglow Productions out of Toronto.  This is an updated version based on the Canadian version of Godspell.  As such it was very different from the Godspell of my youth, but quite enjoyable.  The David Rogers set design was also very impressive.

The ensemble cast performed the classic songs but with a modern rhythm and tone.  Lyrics have been updated, too, to reflect today's cultural reality.  There is even audience on-stage participation!  But that's not what I enjoyed the most.  Of all the things on stage, I was most impressed my the energy and elan of the performers.  Their voices reflected that energy with clarity and humor and pathos.  I found myself smiling and singing along (softly, I promise).  In Act II, of course, I found my eyes leaking a little, both from their touching performances and my memories of my past productions.

After the show, we had been invited to join the cast, crew, and PYFAA patrons for a reception.  It was lovely.  The performers all came and were delightful in person as well...genuine, appreciative, and wonderfully (and undeservedly) humble.

They are coming back to Texas in February to the Windmere in Dallas.  I may have to get a road trip together. Yeah... it was THAT good.