BWW Reviews: MELISSA ARCTIC Just Might Leave You Cold

Melissa Arctic/by Craig Wright/directed by Scott Alan Smith/Road Theatre on Magnolia/thru November 15, 2014

Melissa Arctic, Craig Wright's re-imagining of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, doesn't quite jell, despite many good elements in this two-hour production. Maybe it's the abrupt variance in tones. Shakespeare's works have mixed in a court jester for comic relief between the deadly seriousness of killings and betrayals. A recent Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles production of Romeo & Juliet successfully navigated the lighthearted with its tragic deaths in its modernization retelling.

Attending Melissa Arctic, the audience enters the theatre to view the bare white birch trees of Desma Murphy's stunning winter set enhanced by Kaitlyn Pietras' projections of falling snowflakes with various wintry backdrops (which later effectively changes into the lush garden of lavender herbs.) The use of Alexa Hodzic (alternating with Samantha Salamoff) dressed as a little snow princess introducing the show, then pretty much watching from the sidelines, seems an inexplicable touch. The program lists Hodzic's character as "Time." Time, an obvious homage to "Time," a character in The Winter's Tale, remains unseen by everyone on stage, sometimes narrates, occasionally sings, sporadically acts as a visible puppeteer.

We first meet Leonard and Paul in a relatively casual bonding scene watching a TV football game before Leonard's wife Mina (Laurie Okin) and baby Melissa enter the room. The apparent magnetic rapport between Mina and Paul revs up Leonard's suspicious jealousy into overdrive. Tom Musgrave and Coronado Romero easily exhibit a nice believable friendship as Leonard and Paul in their initial scene. Then lots of screaming, ranting and deaths follow.

Kudos to Okin for her commitment and intensity in her brief role as Leonard's loving and devoted wife. Cheers go to everyone having to hold the blanket-covered doll representing baby Melissa making the doll seem like a real baby.

Crazy seems to be the go-to motivation for Leonard shooting himself in his hands, both his hands, as he transitions from insanely jealous to just insane in barely moments. Must be his insanity that numbs the pain Leonard has to be feeling in his bandaged, bullets-just-removed fists while plummeting an attending pastor in this hospital room.

Sign language gets utilized in all communications with the hearing-impaired Carl (Brian M. Cole), acting as the connecting thread to the feuding Leonard and Paul.

Joe Hart essays Alec as the wacky, herb-growing single father raising the abandoned Melissa.

The most sane grown-ups in this Minnesota town, husband and wife Lindy and Cindy, ably receive full three-dimensional portrayals by Michael Dempsey and Elizabeth Sampson.

Danny Webber triples as the pianist, pastor and fisherman.

The most effective scene in Melissa Arctic has the grown up Melissa (Hannah Mae Sturges) and the grown-up Ferris (Lockne O'Brien) attempting to hypnotize each other. The cast's stand-out, Sturges has a lovely singing voice, a sweet naivety and good acting chops. O'Brien's vocals meld divinely well with Sturges in the show's only stirring duet.

Wright's other songs seem to be written for a singer with Whitney Houston's range as no one else can quite master the other songs. Maybe changing the keys for each individual's solos would help. Hart does hit his stride singing in the upper register of his solo.

The cleverly staged fishermen boat scene played for laughs by Dempsey, Hodzic, and Webber; though informative of the aftermath of Leonard and Paul's 18-year-old reunion; belongs to another show. Dempsey's commanding presence as Lindy, combined with the comic bear chase/mauling of him (lethal or not?) makes one pause to realize Dempsey's not Lindy in the boat, but some other townsfolk fisherman.

Gotta love everyone for trying their best!

www.RoadTheatre.org

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