#show count

There Goes the Bride takes a common stressful day and turns it upside down. The audience catches up with the Westerby family on the day of Judy's wedding. Judy's mother Ursula is doing the normal mom things while Timothy Westerby (Judy's father) is anxious to find the best ad campaign for a new bra agency. When genius finally strikes Timothy, thanks to family friend Bill Shorter, Timothy races to find a way to make sure the idea gets to the big boss at once. However, an unfortunate knock on the head causes his idea to, literally, come to life. From a cardboard cut out of a 1920's flapper girl, we are formerly introduced to Polly Perkins, the flapper come to life. The catch though, only Timothy (and the audience) can actually see her. The antics continue throughout the night until a few more accidents have to occur before Timothy is "normal" again. All this makes for a deliciously comedic piece, and the right people have taken on the challenge. 

(L to R: Jaxon Duff Gwillim (Timothy Westerby), Chelsea Nenni (Polly Perkins), Katie Rose Krueger (Judy Westerby), Sandra McCord (Ursula Westerby); Photo Credit: Rich Miller)

As mentioned before, director Dennis Jones has hand-picked a great group of comically intelligent actors who don't go for the cheap gags, but rather have taken the time to really build and work for the big laughs that are sprinkled throughout the production. The cast is led by a comically strong Jaxon Duff Gwillim (Timothy) whose physicality and great chemistry opposite his several leading ladies make for an infallible Timothy. Opposite him is a strong Sandra McCord (Ursula). McCord has some of the best scene work amongst the rest of the cast as she shows her versatility between loving mother, to frantic wife, all while trying to keep everybody as sane as possible. 

However, the two women that stole the show for me are Chelsea Nenni (Polly) and Susan Michael (Daphne). From the moment we meet Polly, we have an endearingly bubbly performance from Nenni. Not once does she ever lose the commitment that she is literally birthed from a cardboard cut out. Her infectious smile and moments she has with Timothy are great to watch and helps the audience forget the fact that she is only a figment of Timothy's imagination. Not to be outdone; however, is a delectable performance from Susan Michael as Timothy's disapproving mother-in-law.  The rivalry I saw between Michael and Gwillim was pinpoint comedy at its best. These two go beyond the lines and incorporate nuance and glares partnered with so many great details that made the distaste for one another immediately apparent, and long lastingly humorous to watch. Michael is an absolute stand out with her performance.

(Chelsea Nenni (Polly Perkins); Photo Credit: Rich Miller)

I have to give my applause to Ty Smith (playing family friend Bill Shorter). Like most, if not all comedies, there is always the one character with the one-liners. Smith is that character, and rightfully so. His acting, facial reactions and impeccable timing match well with his co-stars and make for a constant swiveling of the head to see what he is going to say/do next.  

Dennis Jones has definitely risen to the challenge of making this comedy work so well for the Sonora audience. He doubles as the set designer, which is a beautiful London home set in the 1960's. It is well furnished with a great looking bar and enough space for all of the crazy antics to occur without feeling smooshed. A staging highlight is when Timothy and Polly are auditioning for Mr. Babcock, and engage in a dance routine that lasts the greater length of about 5 minutes. It is a credit to Nenni and Gwillim that they are not just good actors, but can commit to the physical demands of these roles while still being funny. Costuming (Rebecca Meredith) is a creative highlight as well. Everything from the gorgeous flapper dresses Polly wears, to the hilarious different color socks Dr. Drimmond put on added great detail and humor. All in all, a solid piece of comedy has graced the East Sonora stage, and you will want to see this one before the bride goes away forever.

There Goes The Bride plays at the East Sonora Theatre (13891 Mono Way, Sonora, CA 95370) thru September 2nd. Tickets can be purchased in person at the theatre, calling the box office at 209-532-3120, online by going to www.sierrarep.com, or simply by clicking the link below. It's a grand old time at the Westerby's home, and you won't to pass up your chance to share the happy/crazy wedding day experience. Go see this show!

For those who have no idea what this show is all about; The Sound of Music follows Maria (played strongly by a perfectly cast Hanna Nielsen), Captain Von Trapp (played with great dominance, but also a caring warmth in Eric Estep) and his 7 singing children. They are based in Austria, just as the Nazi Regime is invading. Along with the Von Trapps we have two great comic characters in Elsa and Max (played with memorable pizzazz from Heather Price and Gordon Moore) who attempt at converting Captain Von Trapp to seeing things "their" way. Overall, you're left with a heartwarming family tale that shows how sticking together and having family camaraderie is very important for one's survival.

The heart and soul of The Sound of Music, in addition to our two adult leads, generally come from two other sources; the Von Trapp children; led by an endearing side love story between the eldest Von Trapp children, Liezl (an endearing Kara Linkowski) and delivery boy turned nazi solider Rolf (an always sweet sounding Tyler Branco, highlighted well in the duet of "16 Going on 17") and the nuns. The nun ensemble are led by the Mother Abbess (a well acted Cythina Rhodus) and were overall in pretty good voice with all of their hymn singing throughout the evening.

However, none can be more adorable than hearing the 6 younger Von Trapp singing and having their little moments with Maria. Chelsea Newton (Brigitta) and Samuel Linkowski (Kurt) bring some very comedic moments to an all around strong group of Von Trapp children. It is always so refreshing to see a well directed group of kids enjoying themselves on stage and adding a nice spark to what is already a wonderful show.

Shows/Dates: 9 To 5: The Musical (August 31 - September 16); A Few Good Men (September 28 - October 7); The Rocky Horror Show (October 12 - 31); Annie (November 23 - December 16); Dearly Departed (January 11 - 20, 2013); The Hobbit (February 1 - 12); Jesus Christ Superstar (March 8 - 24); Urinetown (April 12 - 28); Merced: Born and Raised (May 3 - 12); West Side Story (May 31 - June 16)

Venue/Address: Playhouse Merced & The BlackBox Theatre *both* at 452 W. Main Street, Merced, CA 95340

Website: www.playhousemerced.com

Facebook: "like" their page at Playhouse Merced

Twitter: @PlayhouseMerced

Grace and Glorie follows an elderly Grace Stiles (played by Good Company Players veteran Mary Piona; one of the most natural actresses I have ever seen) who is practically bed ridden with her last stages of cancer. We also meet hospice volunteer Gloria Whitmore (played by a strong and emtoinally versatile Laurie Pessano). Yes, her name really is Gloria, not Glorie. However, one of the ongoing bits is how Grace continually calls Gloria, Glorie. As the show continues, Grace and Gloria cotninually share past stories including deaths of their children, how to properly boil an egg country-style, and how to conquer the evil mice under the sink. The play wraps up with a beautiful speech from Grace directed towards a family member she's never met, displaying the very warmth and tenderness this entire piece is oozing with. 

What I appreciated the most about this show is director Robert Sanchez's staging of the 2 actresses, and how he utlilizes the house set to consistently stir interest in the scenes. At one point we find Gloria trying to make up an entire breakfast while Grace is instructing her while knitting a sweater in her bed. The pinnacle quote comes from Grace saying, "Maybe it would be better if you (Gloria) were in the bed and I (Grace) was making the breakfast." This quote carries a great theme throughout the rest of the show. The interchangeable teaching moments each woman provides for the other is what is most appreciated about this glowing relationship. This is brought to fruition in a scene (shown below) where they actually switch places and Gloria rests in Grace's bed.

Assassins follows the stories of some of America's most notable presidential assassins. We are continually flowed through the show with the strong presence of the Propiertor (executed quite effectively by Jacob Dean Sharar) and the vocal narrations of the Balladeer (played with the pleasing vocals of Matthew Freitas). During the show we meet John Wilkes Booth (a powerful leading performance by Darren Tharp), Samuel Byck (Miguel A. Gastelum, who delivers his "Have It Your Way" monologue with precision and poignant pacing), and Leon Czolgosz (a memorable Shawn Richard Pereira) among others. Each assassin has their turn to show their side of the story and why they killed some of America's most beloved, and at times, most hated presidents.

Highlights come from Daniel Rodriguez's (John Hinckley) commitment to Hinckley's complicated internal struggle as he attempts to win the heart of Jodie Foster's love. Brian Pucheu (Charles Guiteau) steals every scene he is in, and earns a well-deserved round of applause after his turn in "The Ballad of Guiteau." Caitlin Stevenson (Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme) and Leslie Martin (Sara Jane Moore) share some great comedic moments with their scenes, including tripping President Ford over the very bullets they are about to shoot him with. Not to be outdone by the leading assassins, the ensemble has a very tender moment to shine in "Something Just Broke" and shine they do! 

(Shown L to R: Darren Tharp, Brian Pucheu, Shawn Richard Pereira)

The show continues with a powerhouse performance by the cast's other Broadway performer, Brian Cali (playing Tony Cadolino). Cali's beautiful tenor voice is only part of the reason why his performance was memorable. His likeability, although counterprodctive in Callas's eyes, was everything the audience wanted. Callas is so demanding, that it's fantastic to see a character like Cadolino who has confidence in himself and voice. The pinnacle part of the scene is when Caldolino leaves Callas speechless after singing his piece. Believe me, the audience was left speechless as well.

And then the final student, Sharon Graham (played by a powerhouse voiced and well acted Alicia O'Neil). When O'Neil sings her piece, with amazing vocal power, you literally the audiences's breath being take out from them. Don't believe me, well you weren't there to hear it. 

The script itself has its issues. I don't care for the mix of Biblical characters with notable figures of history. Mixed in with the aforementioned Biblical names are Dr. Freud and Mother Theresa. Adding these characters brings an unbalance to the otherwise well written scenes involving the Biblical characters. They just don't fit in with the established Biblical framework of the play. Overall, these historical figures don't do much to drive the story because Judas is on trial a Biblical crime. Also, at times the scenes tend to simply drone on, at no fault to the performers. I have to give credit to the well-acted Aaron Few with his turn as Pilate in Act 2. The scene just does not stop. I don't believe the writers could have given that character any more to say, yet Few does his best to keep the pacing up and made the scene a memorable one in lieu of it being several pages too long.

Script highlights meet brilliant acting in a back to back punch starting with Kevin Poulson's breath taking scene as Caiaphas (playing opposite a well motivated Ashley Hyatt as lawyer Cunningham). Poulson's take on Caiaphas was perfect in every nuance, line delivery and gesture. His voice rang the script to a height that was well framed by Hyatt's actions and reactions. I had to hold my applause in the intimate Voice Shop venue for fear of stopping the momentum Hyatt and Poulson built to a beyond entrancing level. Then, Albert Bonilla coming down from his Bailiff role to give us a tender monologue as the famously known Doubting Thomas. In this monologue, Bonilla gives not only a life lesson, but does it without "preaching". This is an overall compliment I have to award the cast and team of Iscariot; they executed a script that is all about arguably history's greatest sinner without preaching to us. Bonilla exemplified this through his Thomas monologue, and even better at the end when we see the heart-wrenching finale scene between Bonilla and Cota as Jesus and Judas, respectively. 

Spring Awakening is a musical that follows a group of girls and a group of guys through a troubling point in their teenage lives. Melchior (played by an unimpressive but vocally pleasing Chris Hull) and Wendla (played by a perfectly cast Rachelle Rose Clark) lead these groups as their own love for each other intertwines, and results in Wendla's literal "awakening" to what the world is really all about. We have the troubled Moritz (a brilliant Jeffrey Fargo) who deals with having to study, interpret his "troubling" dreams with the help of Melchior, and still have time to impress his father. Amongst these three main characters we have Hanschen (Jake Saenz) and Ernst (Frankie Rodriguez) who deal with the feelings they have for each other. They share a wonderfully staged scene (tenderly and beautifully acted by Saenz and Rodriguez) that brings them together in a very unsuspecting way for Ernst. On the girls side we have the parentally-beaten Martha (played effectively, yet vocally timid Stephanie Inglese) and the overall troubled Ilse (played solidly by a very talented LeAnn DeLano). All their stories create a somber mood that brings almost every emotion imaginable out through its music and dialogue. It is a show that leaves you to think and examine your own choices and really question what it is you believe about yourself.

What I enjoyed most as far as production values was the direction of it (David Carnevale). The space Theatre Out uses is a very intimate house; not holding more than 60-70 people. Carnevale uses it well. The performers only left the stage when a costume change was needed. Otherwise, when their song/scene ended, they proceeded to one of the 4 benches placed on either side of the platform set, still in plain view. The acting continued throughout the entire show for these actors. Even when they weren't in the scene, they were still very much involved. That element wrapped me into the action even more than I expected. In addition, the choreography (Darcy Hogan) was most enjoyable because the show wasn't over-choreographed. This is in no way a dance show; the choreography should simply continue to tell the story in a more physical way, and Hogan did a top-notch job relating that. Highlights of Hoagn's work come in "Mama, Who Bore Me-Reprise," and Totally Fu****". The actors performed the moves as a unit, and continued the story in a seamless fashion.

As far as the performing went there wasn't much to be dissapointed about. Every voice (whether solo and/or group) was fabulous. I did want a bit more vocal strength from Inglese during her rendition of "The Dark I Know Well", and Hull's acting of Melchior seemed very dull and mostly uninteresting. However, every time Fargo came on to the stage, whether it was to sing, act or both, he stole the show. The character of Moritz is the most troublesome to play in that it seems to be very easy to either copy the Broadway way, or to overplay him. What Fargo did was start at one point of internal struggle, and instead of trying to top himself scene after he scene with more crazy, he simply let the struggle unravel outwards. So every time we see him next, he's simply allowing us to see more and more of what was already inside from the very beginning. His performance impacted me deeply, and I hope to see him in future productions.