Teresa Rodrick - Page 2

I was invited recently to review ALICE IN WONDERLAND by DreamWeaver Musical Theatre. DreamWeaver Musical Theatre is based in Nampa but this production was at the Jewett Auditiorium at the College of Idaho. Rumor has it that they might be doing this production somewhere in Boise sometime soon, so keep your ears open!

If you want a light hearted, fast hitting night of entertainment, sprinkled with songs - then you need to come and see NUNSENSE.

Centennial and Eagle High Schools in Meridian have decided to co-produce BIG FISH and the Treasure Valley should rejoice. This show is all about imagination and taking chances on love. It is a wonderful show and an enjoyable evening.

The Rocky Horror Show has been a tradition for forty years. It started as a stage production in London, playing to packed houses. It moved on to the big screen and became The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The movie did poorly but was revived at college campuses and midnight showings. It developed a cult following with its own traditions: costumes, callbacks, props and a life of its own. Confession- I'm a Frankie fan. I love Rocky Horror in all its forms. I've seen every local production, from its inception at Spontaneous Productions, the resurrection at SCT, the show at Alley Rep and now back to SCT. I was the assistant director in the 2012 production. I was fortunate enough to catch a professional production in Dallas this past fall. So, while I may not be an uber fan, I'm a pretty big fan.

I arrived at Boise State University's production of SEMINAR to notice that the Danny Peterson Theatre was set up in a thrust presentation. I always love walking into black box theatres (theatres that can be staged in any style, just a large open room to start) to see how the directors have chosen to use the space, partly because I want to see if I can figure out the why.

Treasure Valley Children's Theater is showing the Treasure Valley how shows for children should be done. Autumn Kersey has chosen the best of the best from Boise and the surrounding areas to present plays for our youth.

I was invited to review a haunted warehouse. Now, it's kinda unusual, but it is theatrical- so I agreed. I will preface this by letting you know that I hadn't ventured out for anything haunted since around 1999. When I was a teen, I would have run to the nearest haunted anything, but I am older and not so quick to put myself in a position for a heart attack.

Idaho Shakespeare Festival's (ISF) final show of the season is STEEL MAGNOLIAS by Robert Harling and directed by Sari Ketter. This is a great show to go into the fall with when life becomes busy with school starting and work getting down to business with the end of the fiscal year, that time of year where you start to not pay attention around you. STEEL MAGNOLIAS makes you realize you have to take time to appreciate the people around you and the friendships you make.

I had the pleasure of reviewing THE NERD produced by Stage Coach Theatre (SCT), directed by Curtis Ransom. It is a zany, madcap show.

As always the opening night of a show is very exciting. Seeing the folks you know in the audience, saying hello to your seat neighbors, and getting a sneak peek see the portions of the set that Idaho Shakespeare Festival allows you to see before the show begins. I try to not do any research on a play I am going to see before I see it. Especially if I do not know anything about it yet. I like to give the theatre a chance to explain to me what will happen on their own terms.

Chaotic Acts of Theatre (CAT) has done it again. They are becoming quite deft at putting together a parody of an geek genre with countless nods to other fandoms in a short period of time. This show was WHOLLY BRIEF! BATMAN: THIS IS THE PARODY THIS CITY DESERVES and was presented in partnership with the Ada Community Library in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Batman.

This year is special because an alum of the program is also, the current director. Whitney Ulman has directed a fun show. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL Jr. is a very upbeat show and you can tell the youths in the show were having fun.

From what I have been able to gather, Encore Theatre Etc puts on their own version of 'Shakespeare In the Park' over at the Brandt Center at NNU in Nampa. This year their Shakespeare of choice was MACBETH.

An anthology is a collection of stories with a connecting theme-subject, period, style, etc. They usually allow the reader to sample a wide variety of writing styles without committing to a novel. In that vein, Edgar Lee Masters' SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY, allows the audience to sample a variety of stories about the residents of Spoon River. These stories twist and tell the story of the town in a sort of diary form without committing to a central plot about a few characters like you would in a normal play. Add to that the addition of musicians on-stage who play guitar and banjo providing musical interludes for the actors, audiences are treated to a unique experience in a traditional theater setting.

LES MIS(ERABLE) is a musical that starts with a powerful song by the prisoners. The way that the director, Victoria Bussert began the production gave the impression that the story that you were about to hear was a remembrance of Jean Valjean's life. I think when that happens, sometimes you pay more attention so you won't miss something important.

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS is one of my all time favorite movie musicals. It was the reason why I insisted on getting married in June. Needless to say, I was excited when I heard that Starlight Mountain Theatre was putting on a production of SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS.

I have seen a few different versions of AS YOU LIKE IT over the years. I think when watching Shakespeare it's gets easier and more enjoyable each time you see it, since you understand what is happening. However, I think this production does such a good job of telling the story through the actions they chose to go along with the dialogue, that someone who knew nothing about the story could tell you what it was about.

Daisy's Madhouse is producing THE LAST 5 YEARS, the musical about a relationship over a period of 5 years. The timeline is from beginning to end or from the end to the beginning. In this story, you hear about the relationship from each character's perspective. However, you hear the wife's story backwards (from breakup to their meeting) and the husband's forwards (from meeting to breakup).

Boise Little Theatre is at it again. The last show of their 66th season is another Ken Ludwig show (they opened the season with Ken Ludwig's Shakespeare in Hollywood), FOX ON THE FAIRWAY. This fun farce uses play on words more than physical comedy and so it is advertised as a "mature" comedy.