Luminous "Romeo and Juliet" Lights Up ISF

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival at Ewing Manor (pictured above) always has the potential to create magic. There's just something about the evening sky settling around the stage as an evening of Shakespeare wears on, with the performers and the magical words they speak lighting up the darkening night.

"Romeo and Juliet" may be a tough one to keep finding magic in, however, mostly because we all know the story and it's hard to give it a new spin.

Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins certainly spun it differently in "West Side Story," which gets brought up here in a Jersey Shore pre-show take-off that manages to be funny and diverting green show entertainment even if, like me, you're not all that familiar with "The Jersey Shore." Plus it gives a couple of extra actors something to do. I'm pretty sure I recognized ISU students Colleen Longo and Eliza Morris working hard as those two Joisey girls.

However much I maintain that it's not my favorite, still, "Romeo and Juliet" seems to get picked again and again to represent Shakespeare. Long before "West Side Story," it was the play Charles Dickens chose for Nicholas and Smike to get sucked into in "Nicholas Nickleby." That led to a memorable (and hilarious) version, complete with happy ending, in the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby." Yet another generation jumped on board when Baz Luhrmann put Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in his revolvers-and-swimming-pools 20th century take called "Romeo + Juliet." And then there's Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow playing Will Shakespeare and a fictional lover rehearsing and performing the play at the Globe in front of Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love."

This time out, director Doug Finlayson and his costume designer, Linda Pisano, mix modern elements -- black jeans and hoodies here, Chuck Taylors and a backpack there -- with leather jerkins and swords, and, of course, Shakespeare's language, to mingle the old and the new, the then and the now, to mostly good effect. The musical elements are also a mix, and except for using Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" one too many times, that works for me, too.

Finlayson's staging creates some lovely visuals on Michael Franklin-White's set, which manages to look cozy and imposing, all at the same time. R. Lee Kennedy's lighting design adds mood and depth, as does the darkness that descends around our star-crossed lovers as the night wears on.

As Romeo and Juliet, actors Dylan Paul and Laura Rook (shown below) look very good and speak with clarity and purpose.

Paul is especially good at communicating Romeo's tempestuous youth and overwhelming passion, and I found him both moving and appealing throughout. Rook has the right look for young Juliet, but she has a maturity and thoughtfulness in delivery that tends to undercut her credibility as a reckless teen. Still, she looks lovely when her Juliet shows up at the party in bright pink hightops and wings (a nod to the Luhrmann movie?) and you can certainly understand why Romeo would abandon his previous crush for this girl.

Their performances, as well as the stagecraft supporting them, mean that the balcony scene and the final tomb section are especially vibrant in this production.

In supporting roles, I enjoyed Jan Rogge's straightforward Nurse, Andy Talen's regular-guy take on Benvolio, John Taylor Phillips and Jessie Dean as the hot-headed, mercurial Capulet parents, and Zach Powell, who makes Paris, the wrong suitor, a bit more memorable than usual.

All in all, this is a lush, luminous "Romeo and Juliet," brimming full of young love and crashing swordplay. And some truly wonderful stage pictures.

ROMEO AND JULIET
By William Shakespeare

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival at Ewing Manor

Director: Doug Finlayson
Costume Designer: Linda Pisano
Scenic Designer: Michael Franklin-White
Lighting Designer: R. Lee Kennedy
Sound Designer: Aaron Paolucci
Stage Manager: Claire E. Diedrich
Vocal Coach: Robert Ramirez
Fight Director/Choreographer: DC Wright

Cast: Jessie Dean, Michael Gamache, Melissa Graves, Nicholas Harazin, Nile Hawver, Josh Innerst, Mollie Rose Lewis, Kate McDermott, Dylan Paul, Melisa Peyera, John Taylor Phillips, Zach Powell, Jan Rogge, Laura Rook, Santiago Sosa, Stephen Spencer, Andy Talen, Shaun Taxali.

Running time: 2:50, including one 15-minute intermission.

Performed in repertory through August 6.

For tickets and other information, visit the Illinois Shakespeare Festival website here.

June Busts Out All Over This Weekend

So you already know about the Young at Heartland Summer Showcase on Friday at 1. And, of course, Heartland's 10-Minute Play Festival, including "Back Porch" pieces from Bloomington-Normal's own Joe Strupek and Bruce Boeck, continues its run this weekend, including a panel discussion with the playwriting contest's judges after Sunday's matinee.

I am guessing you probably know that the Illinois Shakespeare Festival opens its summer season TONIGHT, with a new take on the Reduced Shakespeare Company's hilarious "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," wherein three crazy guys play out a whole lot of Shakespeare in a very short time, including a 30-second "Hamlet" and then another 30-second "Hamlet" backwards.

"Complete Works," directed by Bill Jensen and starring Festival favorites David Kortemeier and Tom Quinn, opens tonight, with "Romeo and Juliet," directed by Doug Finlayson, taking the stage at Ewing Manor tomorrow. Both shows, along with "The Winter's Tale," opening in July, will continue in repertory through early August. This year, the ISF is also offering all kinds of backstage tours, a "Twelfth Night" for kids, and a bunch of different pre-show options in the lovely courtyard space. And it all starts tonight!

Also in town, there is a band concert and ice cream social scheduled for Franklin Park tonight at 6; "Seussical," the 2011 High School Summer Theatre musical under the auspices of Normal Parks & Rec, continues at the Connie J. Link Ampitheatre, with performances tonight through Sunday; the Normal Theater offers a mini-Elizabeth Taylor film fest, with "National Velvet" tonight and tomorrow and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" Saturday and Sunday; and the Children's Discovery Museum in Normal launches a "Potterpalooza" on Friday to celebrate everything Harry Potter.

Over in Champaign-Urbana, a fun and fizzy production of "Hairspray," the Broadway musical that reminds us all that we can't stop the beat, continues at the Station Theatre*; the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company finishes up its run of "West Side Story" on the Parkland College stage; and the University of Illinois Summer Studio Theatre offers one "QED" and three performances of "[title of show]" over the weekend at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

All of that means you have plenty of options for entertainment tonight through Sunday. And I may even see you out there if you happen to choose the same ones I do!

*I noticed on the Station's Facebook page for "Hairspray" that this show is sold out for most of its run, with tickets still available only for their July 2 and 8 performances. So if you want to see that one, you'd better act fast and be open for July 2 or 8!

Did You Know About ISU's 2011-12 Season?

I haven't seen any formal announcement, but I did notice that ISU's Department of Theatre sneaked the upcoming 2011-12 season into the back of the program for Sam Shepard's "The Tooth of Crime." Maybe they want us all concentrating on the Shakespeare Festival, which opens this week, and not thinking about fall or winter shows till it's their turn?

At any rate, this is what ISU's upcoming season looks like, according to that "Tooth of Crime" program:

THE WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE by Deborah Brevoort, opening September 29 in the CPA

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE by William Shakespeare, opening September 30 in Westhoff Theatre

ELECTRA by Sophocles, opening October 13 in Centennial West 207

A FLEA IN HER EAR by Georges Feydeau, opening November 3 in the CPA

THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO by Christopher Durang, opening November 4 in Westhoff Theatre

PASSION PLAY by Sarah Ruhl, opening February 23 in the CPA

CLOUD 9 by Caryl Churchill, opening February 24 in Westhoff Theatre

PICNIC by William Inge, opening March 23 in Centennial West 207

LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini, opening April 5 in the CPA

JULIUS CAESAR by William Shakespeare, opening April 6 in Westhoff Theatre

That's the CPA, above, in a photo by Pete Guither.

Looking over this season, I'd say they're going for a nice balance of big shows and small shows, classics and newer pieces, with an emphasis on heavier work and just the Feydeau farce on the lighter side.

Personally, I'm most excited about Sarah Ruhl's "Passion Play" -- I've read it and I think it's a fabulous script with a ton of potential in the right hands. This sprawling story of three eras of Passion Plays, performed in England during Elizabethan times, in Oberammergau, Germany under Hitler, and in North Dakota with Ronald Regan as president, is magical, mystical, strange, creative and clever, and I found it an amazing read. I can't wait to see what ISU does with it.

I'm not sure I understand why the Department of Theatre schedules shows in the Center for the Performing Arts and Westhoff on back-to-night nights, but I'm sure they have their reasons. It makes it tough on theater-goers, though.

Young at Heartland Shows Off Its Summer Showcase Friday

Young at Heartland, the area's one and only acting troupe especially for seniors, brings its annual Summer Showcase to Heartland Theatre this Friday, June 24, with the show scheduled to begin at 1 pm. It's a popular show and begins promptly, plus no reservations are taken, so you'll want to get there plenty early to snag a good seat. There's no admission fee, but your donation, whatever it is, will help keep Young at Heartland going.

A typical YAH show offers short scenes performed by the actors in the troupe (pictured above). For this showcase, several of the scenes were written by participants as part of a special writing workshop offered by fellow troupe members Terri Ryburn and Bruce Boeck. Press materials indicate seven of this year's scenes came from Young at Heartland participants. As luck would have it, an eighth piece came from me. I wrote a short scene called "The Everything Bagel," which will be performed by Vicki Hill and Diane Boeck as part of the Summer Showcase. I am very excited to see what they've done with my "Bagel."

This year's collection of scenes is grouped around the theme "Decisions," with the various pieces all reflecting on the idea that "Life is filled with decisions, from the trivial to the momentous. No one knows this better than seniors!"

YOUNG AT HEARTLAND
SUMMER SHOWCASE
at Heartland Theatre
Friday, June 24th
1 pm

For more information, visit www.heartlandtheatre.org or call 309-452-5647.

Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere!

If you watch TV and pay any attention whatsoever to the ads, you already know that "Mr. Popper's Penguins," the Jim Carrey movie with hot and cold running penguins, is opening in movie theaters this week. If you need more penguins, or a different kind of penguin project than the one Jim Carrey is running, you'll want to head over to the Astroth Community Center at Heartland College in Normal to catch the McLean County Penguin Project® production of "High School Musical, Jr."

Performances are scheduled for Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18th, at 7 pm, and Sunday, June 19, at 2 pm.

Seedling Theatre's Donna Anhalt, who is the producer of this event, says by way of invitation: "Come one! Come all! Watch 79 talented young people sing and dance for you in this delightful musical!"

The Penguin Project's home page explains the process that makes the Penguin Project unique: "All of the roles are filled by children with developmental disabilities including Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and other neurological disorders. They are joined on stage by their 'peer mentors,' a group of children the same age without disabilities, who have volunteered to work with them side-by-side and guide them through 4 months of rehearsals and the final production. By creating unrestricted access to the performing arts, The Penguin Project® demonstrates that the special challenges of a disability need not handicap a child’s ability to participate in life’s experiences."

In fact, Penguin Project organizers conclude, “Our penguins may not be able to fly, but that does not prevent their spirits from soaring.”

"High School Musical, Jr" is the McLean County Penguin Project's third production, after "Annie, Jr" in 2009 and "Music Man, Jr" in 2010.

And if you would like to listen to WJBC's interview with cast members Haley Dees, Ethan Edwards and Joshua Kothe, as well as producer Donna Anhalt, including ticket-buying information, you can click here.

The Back Porch Plays at Heartland Theatre

THE BACK PORCH

Everybody pretty much knows already that I love the ten-minute play form, right?

Playwrights who are good at ten-minute plays can say a lot in a short amount of time, they can define character and draw a plot, they can pull you in with their cleverness or their poetry or their humanity, sell you on what they have to say, and pay it all off… Within ten minutes.

Pretty amazing when it all works.

Heartland Theatre has been putting on an evening of ten-minute plays every year for the last ten years, and I have been a part of that, chairing the committee that selects the plays and sticking my fingers all over the process wherever anybody gives me a chance. With that caveat out of the way, I still go to the performances every year with some trepidation. After all, what we read on the page is not at all what shows up on stage. The directors and actors and designers bring their own talents and vision to the script, and suddenly, it’s something quite different than the script we saw back in December.

This year, in honor of the very first year, when the theme for Heartland’s play festival was the front porch, the theme was the back porch. That means all eight plays chosen from among the 226 entered are set on a back porch, and the judges considered how well they explored that theme when choosing them.

I will tell you that a whole lot of playwrights apparently think “back porch” and immediately conjure up ideas about funerals and dead people. No clue why that is. I, personally, think of Andy and Aunt Bea. (Not dead.) But nobody else went with Mayberry. Instead, as I said, we saw lots of dead people and funerals, and that is at least partially reflected in what’s on stage right now.

In performance, both local playwrights’ work stood out in a very good way. Joe Strupek and Bruce Boeck, both from Bloomington-Normal, contributed “Don’t Forget to Play My Numbers” and “Crickets,” and both plays came off very well, with sharp performances from Todd Wineburner, Kevin Paul Wickart, Dave Lemmon and Gayle Hess, and excellent direction from Marty Lynch and Kenneth Kendall, both first-time directors at Heartland.

Another first-timer, Jennifer Lumsdon, did very nice work directing Teesue H. Fields’ “Colored Entrance Around Back,” casting a harsh light on the 1950s in a negotiation between a young white housewife and the African-American maid she’s thinking of hiring. Sarah Stone Innert and Claron E. Sharrieff managed the subtle twists and turns in Fields’s script with quiet intensity.

Misti Sommers, who has acted and directed in Heartland’s 10-Minute Play Festival twice before, also came in strong, taking the reins on Andrew Bailes’ “When She Danced,” featuring another terrific performance from Todd Wineburner, who showed good chemistry and warmth with newcomer Aaron Thomas as his son.

“Eleanor’s Passing,” by John Patrick Bray, directed by Chris Gray, and “How to Weed Your Garden,” by Jerry McGee, directed by Heartland Managing Artistic Director Mike Dobbins, showed two different views of friendship among the elder set, balancing humor with real emotions along the way. “Eleanor” showed three men, nicely played by Larry Eggan, Dave Lemmon and Kevin Woodard, trying to figure out where life is leading them in their later years, while “Garden” went with three women, played by Lynda Straw, Rosemary Luitjens and Ann Bastian White, humorously handling jealousy, recipes and late-in-life crisis.

“Bedtime Story,” by Christopher Lockheardt, directed by John W. Kirk, opened the show on a more poetic turn, as actors Nick McBurney and Cristan Embree circled around a story of past lovers who had never quite managed to hit happily-ever-after, and “Too Many Air Conditioners,” by Thomas Mollica, directed by Chris Gray, closed it with a murky memory piece about a grandmother, played by Ann Bastian White, who is at a place where nothing in her life is all that clear. Misti Sommers and Lisa Ankenbrand rounded out “Air Conditioners” as a granddaughter who isn’t all that good at dealing with Grandma and a helpful nurse doing her best. By the time Grandma turned to go inside, ending this year’s 10-Minute Play Festival, the audience was right with her in a poignant moment, feeling her confusion and sadness.

As a reader, I felt this year’s crop of scripts was one of the strongest we’ve fielded, and I love the fact that two of the best were from local authors. But then again, I love a good ten-minute play!

Heartland Theatre Company’s
10th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival
THE BACK PORCH

PLAYS (listed in performance order):
Bedtime Story
By Christopher Lockheardt

When She Danced
By Andrew Bailes

Eleanor’s Passing
By John Patrick Bray

How to Weed Your Garden
By Jerry McGee

Crickets
By Bruce Boeck

Don’t Forget to Play My Numbers
By Joe Strupek

Colored Entrance Around Back
By Teesue H. Fields

Too Many Air Conditioners
By Thomas Mollica

Cast: Lisa Ankenbrand, Larry Eggan, Cristan Embree, Gayle Hess, Dave Lemmon, Rosemary Luitjens, Nick McBurney, Claron E. Sharrieff, Sarah Stone Innerst, Misti Sommers, Lynda Straw, Aaron J. Thomas, Ann Bastian White, Kevin Paul Wickart, Todd Wineburner and Kevin Woodard.

Directors: Mike Dobbins, Chris Gray, Kenneth Kendall, John W. Kirk, Jennifer M. Lumsdon, Marty Lynch and Misti Sommers.

Scenic Designer: Michael Pullin
Costume Designer: Gail Dobbins
Lighting Designer: Tommy Nolan

Heartland Theatre, 452-8709, or click Box Office

Performance dates: June 16-18 and 23-25 and July 1-2 at 7:30 pm; June 26 at 2 pm
Running time: 1:50, including one 15-minute intermission

The Morning After the Tonys

What a great show! I will be honest -- I am completely and totally biased in favor of performers I like, which means I can root for them with all my heart and be very disappointed if they don't win their categories, even if I have seen none of the nominated performances. So, no, my three favorites (Laura Benanti, Joel Grey and Joe Mantello) went away empty-handed. And that did not interfere with my enjoyment of the evening all that much. Go figure.

Highlights for me were the Neil Patrick Harris/Hugh Jackman "Anything You Can Do" battle (they were both awesome in a number that included bits of various songs, arranged by Michael John LaChiusa and Patrick Vaccariello*); the tap-tastic number from "Anything Goes" featuring wonderful Sutton Foster, who won her second Tony last night for that role, dancing Kathleen Marshall's effervescent choreography, another Tony winner; "Side by Side" from the New York Philharmonic concert version of "Company," with the entire cast showing up and showing off; and the Lin-Manuel Miranda closing number, performed by Neil Patrick Harris, which recapped the evening, including key moments from acceptance speeches, in rap.

Most Enticing: "Anything Goes." The Tony broadcast has turned into a big advertisement, more about promoting shows to possible ticket-buyers than celebrating the best performers from the previous year. In that respect, "Anything Goes" was a clear winner for me, making me want to buy a ticket on an airplane and get to NY to see that show. In contrast, "How to Succeed in Business" and "Sister Act" looked frenetic and strained, "War Horse" and "Jerusalem" didn't really pull me in, and "The Book of Mormon," the night's big winner, seemed pretty darn ordinary, judging by the number we saw. Others that seemed more appealing include "The Scottsboro Boys," which has closed, so I'll have to catch it when it tours, and Larry Kramer's devastating "The Normal Heart" in its new production.

Best winner: Sutton Foster. She's just so darn talented. She really didn't need another Tony, since now I know she has Bobby Cannavale at home, but hey, she still deserves it for taking on an iconic character like Reno Sweeney and creating a whole new, workable, wonderful persona. Honorable mentions: John Benjamin Hickey, always so good in understated roles, getting his due for "The Normal Heart," and the lovely bumblebee from "The Book of Mormon," Nikki M. James, bubbling over with excitement about winning a Tony.

Worst winner for me: It's not about the role (I'm sure she's very good) but about the way she looked. Come on, Frances McDormand. You didn't just roll out of your high school history class 2nd period in 1972. Comb the hair, ditch the jean jacket, and act like you are honored to be honored. Runners-up: Mark Rylance, another brilliant actor who seems to get weird and icky when somebody threatens to give him an award.

Biggest disappointment: Well, the fact that they hide the Creative Arts awards will never not be a HUGE disappointment, especially when they had a live stream of the red carpet an hour before the show, and then closed it down and left us hanging for a half hour while they were handing out awards inside. There's just no excuse for that. Take the camera inside and give us a shaky, off-balance, hard-to-hear, iPhone video if you have to. If you can stream the red carpet, you can stream the Creative Arts awards and give Athol Fugard and Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre their prizes on TV, too.

I also wasn't crazy about either of Brooke Shields' appearances. In short, she was a mess both times they gave her an opportunity for face time. So let's retire Brooke Shields as a Tony presenter/performer/anything, okay?

Aside from those issues, I thought it was a very fun, breezy show that made Broadway look like a place we should all be camping out. I'm ready. I need to get there before Joel Grey leaves "Anything Goes," after all.

*Thanks to my friend Jon Alan Conrad for tracking down who was responsible for what. We guessed Marc Shaiman for the opening number. We were wrong. We guessed Lin-Manuel Miranda for the finale. We were right. We had no guess for the middle, but Jon found the answer by rewinding, apparently, and watching the credits instead of Neil Patrick Harris performing under them.