Reviews
Guys On Ice
Don't Drink The Water
Kalamazoo
Gazette Review
Click on Article
you would like
to read
Theater review: Barn Theatre's 'Guys on Ice' Leaves You Shivering With Laughter
by Mark Wedel | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette
AUGUSTA -- "Guys On Ice," which opened the Barn Theatre's 64th season Tuesday night, is the most entertainment one can get next to $2 Leinees night at the Bait 'n' Bowl.
Fred Alley and James Kaplan's 1998 musical is a lot like those Jeff Daniels comedies of a Yooper bent based in Escanaba, except this is based in a northern Wisconsin ice-fishing shanty instead of an Upper Peninsula deer camp. If ya liked dem, you'd like dis. Especially if ya like a lot a funny songs 'bout snow suits and fish and da like.
After viewing, restraint might be needed to keep from speaking the dialect, which is parts Yooper, Minnesotan and Chicagoan (think of the old "Saturday Night Live" "Da Bears" sketch).
We got a windchill on the lake of -36 degrees, but Marvin's (Eric Parker) shanty is the perfect refuge for him and friend Lloyd (Eric Petersen). They got plenty of Leinees (Leinenkugel beer) and all the time in the world to stare at holes in the ice and obsess a bit about fish, life, death and their troubles. Lloyd's marriage is on the rocks, and lonely Marvin is sweet on the checkout girl at the Pick 'n' Save.
"The one with the Packers helmet tattooed on her pup-pup?" Lloyd asks. Dats da one.
A TV fishing show host is due to visit the shanty, but he's late. So they pass the time with a lot of incredibly corny jokes that are impossible not to laugh at, and sing.
As a musical, "Guys" is pretty minimal. Songs were backed by musical director John Jay Espino on piano, and three uncredited Barn ladies added the feminine touch (seemingly out of the guys' fantasy visions).
One might wonder how much comedy can be wrenched from songs like "Ode to a Snowmobile Suit" and "Fish Is Da Miracle Food." But Parker and Petersen wrenched with all their might, with dance moves that had the audience roaring. Director Dusty Reeds obviously knows how to get these two to reach that special spot of goofiness.
Steven Lee Burright did his part as the mooching Ernie, who roams the shanties for venison jerky and beer. He also gave a little Wisconsin quiz for the audience at intermission. Surely the winners wanted that jar of pickled eggs, but the mooch kept them for himself.
By the end, "Guys On Ice" hit some philosophical musings, but heavy it is not. It's pure comedic entertainment that filled the Barn with laughs. The audience gave a rousing standing ovation at the end.
back to reviews
"Guys on Ice" musical makes for a great catch
CHRISTOPHER TOWER • FOR THE ENQUIRER • JUNE 8, 2009
If you loved "Escanaba in Da Moonlight," you will love "Guys On Ice: The Ice Fishing Musical," the first show of the Barn Theatre's 64th season.
"Escanaba in Da Moonlight" was one of the most popular shows the Barn has ever produced, earning repeat performances in back to back to back years (2003-2004) and a third show in 2006. "Guys On Ice: The Ice Fishing Musical" is a lot like Jeff Daniel's "Yooper" comedy, though set in Door County, Wisc., rather than Michigan. Featuring the same kind of folksy northwoods characters as "Escanaba," the three-man play takes place in a fishing shanty where two buddies await a visit from the local cable fishing show.
Though "Guys On Ice" is more of a play with piano accompaniment rather than a large chorus and full orchestra musical production, the two main characters - Lloyd (Eric Peterson) and Marvin (Eric Parker) - break into song to express their dreams and love of ice fishing, beer, and "doze Packers."
The subject matter generates memorable and endearing tunes, such as "Da Wishin' Hole," "Ode to a Snowmobile Suit," "Fish is da Miracle Food" and more.
Since 1998, "Guys on Ice" has played to sold out houses in both Wisconsin and Michigan as well as other select theaters around the country. The show was written by the late Fred Alley, known for the popular musical "The Spitfire Grill," with music by James Kaplan. The Barn's production is a revised version of the original one-act piece. Shortly before Alley's death in 2001, the collaborators expanded it to the current two-act format.
The brief show (under 90 minutes) is fattened up by a "halftime show" led by the third character, Ernie the Moocher (Steven Lee Burright), who runs a Wisconsin trivia quiz show for the audience with actual prizes. The galvanic and comic Burright keeps the audience in stitches and lengthens the entire evening to closer to the Barn's usual two hour mark.
"Guys On Ice" features very little plot. Marvin dreams of securing a date with Bonnie, the checkout girl at the Pick 'N Save who has a Packers tattoo over her left breast. Marvin hopes his TV appearance on the fishing show will make him enough of a celebrity that Bonnie will go out with him, and he will never again have to pay for beer. He invites Lloyd to help him entertain the cable show host. As they wait for the TV guy and suffer multiple visits by Ernie the Moocher - from whom they must "hide the bait and the beer!" - Marvin finds out that Lloyd is estranged from his wife, who has accused him of loving the Packers more than he loves her.
The comedy doesn't need a more elaborate plot to dole out healthy helpings of jokes, which the guys tell in full Wisconsin dialect as they wait for the fish to tug on their lines. "Ode to the Snowsuit" is probably the standout tune, as the two fishermen get up and show off their zippers and reflective safety stripes with special choreography by Kevin Field. Songs like this one and the consistent stream of folksy jokes keep the audience roaring with delight from start to finish.
Dusty Reeds provides detailed and inventive direction for the actors who at times seem more than a little reminiscent of Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot. The fish shanty is well appointed, and the musical direction by John Jay Espino is just right.
But for all the production aspects, it's the acting performances that really put the shine on the surface of this show. Eric Parker turns in another outstanding performance in a role similar to his work as Remnar in "Escanaba," and yet Parker finds a way to create a completely distinctive folksy, factory worker in the insecure and unassuming Marvin. His solo about being the "King of Ice Fishing" is one of the show's best features.
Eric Petersen is one of the funniest actors to ever take the Barn stage, and he shows his talents here. Peterson is capable of hamming up any role, so here he shows great restraint, never overplaying a joke and remaining consistent with his character.
Steven Lee Burright is as well-known for his technical talents (set design on this show) as for his acting, but like last year in shows like "Lend Me a Tenor," he displays a great propensity for comedy. His much-improvised "halftime show" is as hilarious as his work throughout as Ernie the Moocher.
"Guys On Ice" begins the Barn's 2009 season on a very high note. If this is a sign of the things to come, the Barn's season will be one of its best ever.
'Joseph' Shines at Barn
CHRIS TOWER • JUNE 18, 2009
Three Cs sum up the Barn Theatre's revival of the ever-popular "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat": colorful, campy and concise.
"Joseph," the second show for the mega-hit team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, blends campy kitsch with a comic adaptation of an Old Testament story in a quick, compact format.
This production of "Joseph" continues the Barn Theatre's illustrious history of success with the 1970s musical. The Barn produced the musical in 1997 and enjoyed a successful three-week run attended by more than 10,000 patrons. The summer troupe produced the show again in 1999 and 2002. Once again, the Barn revives this much-loved show with a cast and crew that rival the previous productions for zest and joie de vivre.
"Joseph" recounts the Bible story of Jacob (played by Gregg Rehrig) and his dozen sons. Jacob's unbridled favoritism for his son Joseph (Kevin White) and Joseph's own seeming arrogance kindles hateful jealousy among his brothers, who sell the boy into slavery. Joseph, however, overcomes adversity to become a high-ranking official under the Egyptian Pharaoh (Eric Peterson), in large part thanks to his ability to interpret dreams. After many years, he is finally reunited with his family.
Mention needs to be made of the excellent stagecraft of Potiphar (Steven Lee Burright) and his wife (Katrina Chizek). While three brothers stand out in their respective solos -- Eric Morris as Levi, Alex Kipp as Reuben and Patrick Hunter as Simeon -- the rest of the brethren burst with energy and unique character traits.
Despite the great cast, the show's strength is clearly dependent on both Joseph and the Narrator to provide it with a central core of support.
Obviously, Kevin White is one of the most talented Equity apprentices the Barn has ever hosted, and Joseph is his best role -- outdoing some excellent work last season in "Lend Me a Tenor" and "West Side Story."
In her fifth season with the Barn, Brooke Evans lends her bluesy contralto to the role of the Narrator as well as impressive comedy and stage presence. Based on her past work, Lisa Marie Morabito will provide equal excellence when she takes over the role next week.
No review of this show could be complete without a few sentences of praise for Eric Peterson's turn as the "Elvis-esque" Pharaoh. Showing off his comic talents, Peterson's take on this role may well outshine Joe Aiello's previous performances. Peterson understands comedy well and his stroll into the audience shows his natural rapport with people and ability to improvise.
But possibly the most important person in the whole show is the only one in the company not on the stage: Eric Parker. In his second show as director (after last season's excellent "West Side Story"), Parker's hand is evident throughout the production, bringing, out the best in this talented cast and managing the 40 bodies on stage.
Parker's work wouldn't be nearly as successful, however, without the ingenious and hilarious choreography of Kevin Field. Featuring a frenetic disco sequence and many other campy bits, Field creates an appropriate pastiche of crazy movement that's worth the price of admission alone.
Seven years was far too long to wait to have the Barn restage this fun and entertaining show. This production is so good that if you go see it once, you may be compelled to see it again.
Chris Tower is a freelance writer and theatre reviewer.
Elvis-like Pharaohs and More Make Barn Theatre's 'Dreamcoat' Big Fun
Wednesday June 17, 2009, 10:26 AM
AUGUSTA -- If you think what the Old Testament needs is a few more calypso numbers, cowboy hoedowns and Elvis-imitating pharaohs, you should know that Tuesday night your show arrived at the Barn Theatre again.
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is definitely a musical of many colors. This is its fourth run at the Barn since 1997. I saw it in 2002, and am convinced that somehow -- though probably impossible -- they have added more color to the show, a shower of candy sprinkles on an extra layer of comedic fudge.
The original Bible story had its own flair, though a somewhat grim one. Joseph gets a colorful coat from Dad. So his brothers get jealous, beat him up and sell him to slave-traders. He gets his revenge by becoming the Pharaoh's advisor as his brothers starve.
THEATER REVIEW
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" -- Musical retelling of the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, 8:30 p.m. June 18-19, 23-26; 6 and 9 p.m. June 20, 27; 5 p.m. June 21, 28, Barn Theatre, 13351 W. Highway M-96, Augusta. $29. (269) 731-4121. www.barntheatre.com.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice version adds the rock, disco, country, French balladry and '70s excess that the original sorely lacked. The Barn's production (directed by Eric Parker) tosses in amusing props and a thrift-store's worth of vintage costumes, biblical robes to early-'70s variety show bellbottoms (costume design by Michael Wilson Morgan). The huge cast is put through many styles of frenetic dance (choreography Kevin Field), keeping the colors, styles and genres in dizzying motion.
Third-year apprentice Kevin White proved he had the pipes, especially for the musical's most-serious number, "Close Every Door." Brooke Evans as the narrator also showed vocal talent. But a few veteran scene-stealers made their imprint on the audience's psyches.
Steven Lee Burright and Katrina Chizek played the part of naughty rich Egyptians, the Potphars, with Chizek and White having risque fun with their seduce-the-slaveboy scene.
But that might be wiped from the memory when the Pharaoh arrived. Eric Petersen went into full Vegas Elvis mode, including a trip into the audience to teach seniors the secret of his hip-bumps.
Though the material seems a jumble of anachronistic genres and a bit dated, the Barn knows how to approach it, with a lot of energy and a sense of fun. The audience gave opening night a standing ovation.
'Full Monty' Bares Watching
Barn Theatre's Alex marks 100th production
CHRISTOPHER TOWER • FOR THE ENQUIRER • JULY 3, 2009
It was a night for unveilings. Six steel workers-turned-strippers bare it all in the finale of the Barn Theatre's third show of its 2009 season, "The Full Monty," but "privates" were not the only things unveiled Tuesday evening in Augusta.
The performance marked Penelope Alex's 100th production at the Barn, a remarkable achievement held by fewer than 10 others. Five days before opening night, second-year Equity apprentice Patrick Hunter assumed his biggest role yet at the Barn, taking over for company member Eric Peterson, who landed a role in "Shrek" on Broadway. And if those weren't enough milestones for one night, Lisa Marie Morabito made her directorial debut.
With all of these exciting things going on, would six guys shedding their clothes really cause much of a stir? You bet.
By the time the finale rolls around, the audience is hyped to the max on the show's ribald humor, jazzy score and the knockout performances by a stellar cast. By the end, the unclasping of G-strings is somewhat anti-climactic.
The show couldn't be timelier. It's the story of how six, laid-off, Buffalo, N.Y., steel workers concoct a scheme to earn fast money and it hits the same target during our current recession as the 1997 movie about unemployed millworkers in England.
"The Full Monty" was Americanized as a musical for Broadway in 2000. Though the show lost something in the translation, it remains a hilarious and fast-paced examination of the struggle of male pride, insecurity, and inhibition. The show features some strong language as well as men dancing about in their underwear, but an average hour of HBO drama features more vulgarities and more nudity than seen here in three hours.
Morabito clearly deserves high praise for orchestrating the many facets of this show. Despite its length, she keeps the show moving at breakneck pace, infuses the production with many instances of comic business and draws out some of the best performances yet by this exceptional cast. Her work blends seamlessly with Kevin Field's ingenious choreography; Field created dance steps designed for men who know more about basketball than dancing.
But Morabito and Field have an easier job because of the excellence of this cast. If one actor needed to carry the show, it would be Eric Parker in the role of Jerry Lukowski. His portrayal of Lukowski, an ex-foreman who comes up with the stripping idea to pay child support to keep from losing joint custody of his son, is warm and heart-wrenching, as well as continually funny and robust.
But the cast is solid from top to bottom and Parker is just one element in a sky full of stars. You would not know that Patrick Hunter had only five days to rehearse without being informed. Hunter seems naturally suited for the role of Dave Bukatinsky and turns in a remarkable performance.
The other four men in the strip show include Aaron Fried, who is comically inventive as the timid Malcolm who cares for his ailing mother (played by Dusty Reeds). Alex Kip is as impressive with the acting of the role of Ethan as he is physically. Greg Rehrig may have turned in the best performance of his Barn career as Harold and Stanley White proves to be a crowd favorite as Horse, especially in his solo "Big Black Man."
The men are nearly upstaged by some of the women. Iris Lieberman nearly steals the show as Jeanette Burmeister, the chain-smoking, wise-cracking pianist. Penelope Alex shows she's still "got the goods" with a show-stopping "It's a Woman's World." Brooke Evans also wows the audience in the role of Harold's wife, Vicki. And Jerry's ex-wife Pam (Jenna Petardi) received affectionate applause at the end, as did her son, Nathan (Jacob Ragotzy).
As usual, music direction by John Jay Espino proved superb and masterfully rendered the eclectic pop, rock, jazz score by David Yazbek. Sets designed by Doug Bickle were utilitarian. All technical aspects of the show served the unfolding story flawlessly.
For all the show's excellence, some people chose to stay home and skip a show that may offend their sense of decorum. It's too bad that misplaced priorities would keep anyone from seeing this hilarious and lively musical.
However, if you're squeamish about full, frontal male nudity, don't be. The six millworkers turned strippers, face upstage to undo their G strings, and as they turn, powerful lights shine into the audience completely obscuring seeing much of anything. And it's a shame really. In a culture so obsessed with and inundated by female nudity, why is male nudity so taboo? For all its excellence, "The Full Monty" never really answers that question.
Christopher Tower is a freelance writer and theater reviewer.
Barn Theatre offers first-rate Full Monty, with genuine issues
BY C.J. GIANAKARIS
Special to the Gazette
AUGUSTA - On Tuesday night, the Barn Theatre became the second of three local companies within the last two months to stage the acclaimed (nine Tony Award nominations) Broadway musical The Full Monty.
Is the show worth such attention? Yes, in the Barn production.
Without exceptional singer-dancers throughout the cast, the musical could come off as amateur hour. Under the flawless direction Lisa Marie Morabito, the Barn production is first-rate.
The original work a nonmusical 1997 British film features six laid-off factory workers who turn to male stripping, ostensibly for money but equally for self-esteem. They will remove not just some clothes, but everything the full monty.
One caveat: The language is raw and raunchy.
Do the gents actually strip completely? Go see the Barn production for the answer.
But beyond any pleasures derived from voyeurism, The Full Monty offers genuine issues of marital friction and self-searching. The lyrics successfully voice the shows themes, while the music provides a broad path into each characters being through each protagonists solo.
Happily, the Barn fields ideal performers to fill the roles. The six out-of-shape workers are wonderfully cast: Jerry Lukowski (Eric Parker), Dave Bukatinsky (Patrick Hunter), Malcolm MacGregor (Aaron Fried), Ethan Girard (Alex Kip), Horse Simmons (guest artist Stanley White) and Harold Nichols (Gregg Rehrig).
As ringleader of the wannabe strippers, Parkers Jerry is outstanding or emphasizing the ache and frustration of being without work. Parker makes clear the stakes in his plan to strip to avoid losing his young Nate, marvelously played by Jacob Ragotzy.
Nor has Parkers singing voice declined, as in Breeze Off the River. In fact, the singing of all the men is very good, highlighted by their joint Scrip number.
The ladies in the show are equally exceptional. Penelope Alexs Georgie Bukatinsky is right on target, featuring great singing and empathy with the character. Other standouts include Brooke Evans, as Vicki Nichols; Jenna Petardi, as Jerrys divorced wife, Pam; and guest artist Iris Lieberman as Jeanette the unflappable pianist.
Theater review: Barn's 'Don't Drink the Water' has great comedic timing
by Gordon Bolar | Special to the Gazette
AUGUSTA -- The Barn Theatre's current production is ample proof that Woody Allen's mid-'60s comedy "Don't Drink the Water" can still generate laughs.
The play's central story features a family of tourists from Newark, N.J., the Hollanders, trapped in an American embassy behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.
Allen's zany script features over-the-top characters, a plot drawn from a James Bond film crossed with a Marx Brothers movie and, of course, the swarm of self-indulgent neurotic one-liners that Allen fans expect: "My life is the Old Testament, except for the locusts."
Well, maybe there are a few locusts later on, but the elements all cling together somehow in this Barn production, despite a few verbal misfires early in the evening.
One reason this show is able to hold the stage is the attention director Eric Parkers pays to the outlandish physical business, such as the unspeakably funny wrestling scene in a straight jacket between a priest (John Dreher) and the otherwise matronly mild-mannered Marion Hollander (Lisa Marie Marabito).
Marabito's unassuming portrayal of a housewife from New Jersey thrust into the world of international intrigue is emotionally believable and consistently on target from the standpoint of comic timing. That's not an easy feat and it's one that escaped some of the other key performers on opening night.
Kevin White provides a strong focal point as Axel Magee, the inept son left in charge of the embassy in dad's absence. He seriously attempts to preside over the madness that unfolds before him, establishes a love interest with Olivia Ercolano and generates a character that learns and grows from his mistakes.
Brooke Evans is a standout in her supporting role as Krojack, a state police commando, who throws down a strong dose of a Natahsa-like cartoon commie (think "Moose and Squirrel" here) as she gives a blind wink to Moshe Dayan's eye patch. You might have to reach back in time for all the references, but they're appropriate and they deepen the enjoyment of this character for those who remember.
A final note for some of the other supporting performers in the cast. They might take a cue from Evans and manage more meaningful exits if they left the stage without yelling the last three words of each final line.
Rock musical supercharged
Christopher Tower • July 30, 2009
We do rock musicals well here, said Brandon Ragotzy at the opening of The Barn Theatre's production of "The Who's Tommy" Tuesday night.
And hes right.
The Barn rocks out the five-time Tony Award-winning Tommy, which runs through Aug. 9.
The only real improvement the Barn could make on this production would be to emulate The Whos legendary volume by investing in a sound system that would blow the ear drums. Such tactics may be a bit much for the Barns core audience, though satisfying for fans of The Whos most famous rock opera. Signature tunes such as Pinball Wizard, Acid Queen, Im Free and Were Not Gonna Take It deserve to be played at the loudest possible volume. Though the Barn does not roll out a wall of crushing sound as The Who does in concert, the company comes together with powerful intensity, especially for the shows finale, a classic anthem of rock and roll.
The story of "Tommy" is as much of an emotional experience for those who have never seen it before as it is for those who have been fans of The Who since the 1970s. Capt. Walker, Tommys father (Eric Parker), who is supposedly lost in the war, returns and kills the lover (Alex Kip) of his wife (Penelope Alex), who presumed he was dead. Tommy watches it all through the reflection in a mirror and his parents inform Tommy that he "didnt see it, didnt hear it, you wont say nothing to no one ever in your life." As a result, Tommy retreats into himself and turns off his senses, becoming effectively deaf, mute and blind. He suffers abuses as a child, especially from the creepy Uncle Ernie (Gregg Rehrig). Despite his internal sufferings, he becomes a "Pinball Wizard," and once he leaves his shell, he becomes a Messianic figure, a "sensation" with a message to deliver to his followers.
As if this were not emotional enough subject matter, the cast supercharged the material with an emotional intensity and impact which The Whos opera demands. Eric Morris is perfect as Tommy. He looks and acts like the innocent and pure figure that Tommy epitomizes, and when he sings the first refrain of "See Me, Hear Me, Feel Me," his anguish and yearning comes through clearly enough to send chills through the bodies of everyone in the audience. But he really opens up the pipes to their fullest, showing off his strong vocal talents and acting skills with Im Free and the power-packed Finale. Reece Chapman and Jacob Ragotzy are superb as younger versions of Tommy. Every member of the supporting cast rendered a flawless and impeccable performance, especially the Acid Queen (Brooke Evans) and Cousin Kevin (Aaron Velthouse). Velthouses sock em rock em rendition of Pinball Wizard provides an uplifting end to the first act.
In addition to the excellent company, the show would not be successful without the professional production values for which the Barn is known. Producer/director Brendan Ragotzy is best at rock musicals, which are surely his passion. He makes inventive choices which match the frenetic, hard-driving pace of the music. Best among these are the moving partitions in the hospital sequence that show the many tests performed on Tommy to bring him out of his shell as well as the marching patterns he imposes on the casts blocking. Kevin Field once again proves that he is one of the most talented choreographers to ever work at the Barn. His movement compositions complement the music seamlessly, especially for Sparks and Pinball Wizard. Sets by C.J. Ellis and Fred Gillette create the right ambience, with graffiti covered walls, sliding doors, movable set pieces, and industrial girders, which join the other technical aspects in creating the appropriate aesthetic for the rock opera.
But all of these elements would be for naught if not for the glue that holds the show together: the rock band. The only way to make this band better is to give them the mammoth amps common at a Who concert and let them fill the theater (and several miles around the place) with their divine sound. John Jay Espino leads a fabulous array of talented musicians: Courtney Phelps, Troy Benton, Greg Rokicak, Jeff Breisach, Jon Moody, and Ashley Ickes.
Surely, Daltry, Townsend, Entwistle, and Moon would approve of how the Barn Theatre can rock it. What the Barn needs is the kind of audiences the Who has always drawn. Local civic, university, or small theaters cannot stage a lavish production of rock intensity like "The Whos Tommy" with a professional cast and high production values. Its been 12 years since the Barn last staged this show. Dont wait another 12 years to see it.
Continuing the tradition: Jacob Ragotzy performs in Augusta Barn Theatre's 'Tommy'
by Sue Merrell | Sunday July 26, 2009
AUGUSTA -- Nine-year-old Jacob Ragotzy is more of a Guitar Hero aficionado than a pinball wizard, but for the next two weeks he'll be a pinball prodigy in "The Who's Tommy" at The Barn Theatre.
"I'm a deaf, dumb and blind kid so it's not that hard," Jacob said, adding he can play pinball a little bit and was familiar with the song "Pinball Wizard."
This is Jacob's first year to take the stage at the theater his grandfather founded in 1946, but this will be his third show of the season having also appeared in "The Full Monty" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
His mother, Penelope Alex, portrays Tommy's mother and his father, Brendan Ragotzy directs, roles they played 12 years ago when The Barn first produced "The Who's Tommy."
"It's great music that holds up well," Ragotzy said. Written by Peter Townshend, the score includes such popular songs as "See Me, Feel Me," "Acid Queen" and "I'm Free."
Ragotzy said he tried to get the rights to stage "Tommy" based on the 1969 album and 1975 movie, even before the musical was written in 1992.
"Pinball was the arcade game of choice in that era, but it's not necessarily about pinball," Ragotzy said. " It's about a young man who's been traumatized and pinball is his one escape."
Eric Morris, a second-year intern at The Barn, fills the title role, portraying the alter ego of the four-year-old and 10-year-old Tommys and then becoming the game's icon in Act II.
"It's going to stretch me because there's a lot of singing," Morris said. "I've been training for a while so I know how to sing high notes without hurting myself."
Singing the edgy rock style isn't difficult, he said.
"You sing the notes right and then dirty it up. You have to learn how to sing healthy before you make it not healthy."
Morris said the show is an acting challenge too.
"I get to play so many different angles from this abstract alter ego in the beginning to the comatose Tommy that can't move to the pinball king. And then in the end he wants to lose that superiority and just fit in."
He said his favorite number is "Amazing Journey" because of its abstract qualities.
Morris has been busy this year with roles in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "The Fully Monty" and "Don't Drink the Water." He'll earn his membership in Equity, the professional actors' union, by the end of the summer and then return to Ithaca College in upstate New York to complete his musical theater degree.
'Big River' brings Huck, Jim to life at the Barn Theatre in Augusta
by Gordon Bolar | Thursday August 13, 2009
AUGUSTA -- A banner hangs before the audience prior to the beginning of the Barn Theatre's "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
In period poster style it provides a warning against trying to identify a plot among the convoluted episodes that will soon take the stage.
Although this admonition is unnecessary to anyone familiar with Mark Twain's novel, it does point out the difficulties of mounting a musical with a large cast, a sweeping narrative, an epic journey on a raft and dozens of quick set and costume changes which reveal rural life and crude manners along the Mississippi in nineteenth-century America.
On opening night the Barn Theatre's talented cast and crews were up to all of the challenges above. Kevin White, as Huck, and Todd M. Kryger, as Jim, lead a huge ensemble of performers that brings a panorama of backwoods preachers, hayseeds and carpet-bagging hucksters to life in rousing song. Guitars, banjos and harmonicas can be heard in a refreshing score by William Hauptman and Roger Miller. The music of "Big River" reflects country and traditional influences, rather than those found on Broadway.
White presides over "Big Rivers'" rollicking action and punctuates it with well-timed narrative takes to the audience. Twain's wicked social satire shines through as White's Huck battles with his conscience over his role in Jim's escape from slavery to freedom. Theatergoers will notice their own present day mores conflicted while following Huck's misguided attempts to do the right thing in a world that values money above humanity.
Supporting standouts include Eric Morris's imaginative and energetic Tom Sawyer, Eric Parker's bellicose butcher of Shakespeare and Jessica Malashevich's winsome Mary Jane Wilkes, as Huck's first brush with romance.
Several numbers seem to rise above the rest, including "Muddy Water," which White and Kryger use to achieve spiritual lift off for the show.
Huck's "Waitin' for the Light to Shine" has similar appeal and gospel overtones. Other songs such as "River in the Rain" and "You Oughta Be Here With Me" also tug at the heartstrings in an evening that is both rich in comic texture and surprising in its social commentary.
Despite poor audio at times, "The Who's Tommy" at Barn Theatre appeals to wide audience
by Elizabeth Clark | Wednesday July 29, 2009
AUGUSTA -- Guests at the Barn Theatre on Tuesday certainly sympathized with the delightfully portrayed title character in "The Who's Tommy."
Unfortunately, part of that sympathy likely arose from feeling like the "deaf" part of the "deaf, dumb and blind kid" renowned for his mean pinball. Microphones for many leads on opening night didn't seem sufficient to project voices over the orchestral pit, and the positions of the actors led many vocals to be sung to the side or even rear of the stage so many voices didn't sufficiently carry to the audience.
Since a focal point of the show is a mirror at the rear of the stage -- in whose reflection a young Tommy witnesses the traumatic event that numbs his senses -- all too often vocals are probably heard more clearly backstage than in the audience.
Blessedly, Ithaca College senior Eric Morris as the show's memorable lead is as far as they come from "dumb" and projected as if his life depended on it.
Morris, who portrays the inner/older voice of the troubled child and pinball prodigy, consistently wowed the crowd, particularly in the show's anthemic "Finale" and the beautifully harmonized "Listening To You," sung by all three incarnations of Tommy including the 4-year-old Battle Creek kindergartener-to-be Reece Chapman and 10-year-old talent Jacob Ragotzy.
Ragotzy is the son of Barn producer Brendan Ragotzy and of Penelope Alex, who likeably portrays his mother in the show as well.
Reviewers typically tiptoe around young cast members in accordance with the "if you can't say anything nice" mantra. In this case, however, the youths truly stole the performance with their stoic renderings of the young, tortured Tommy and with their beautifully sung harmonies.
The physical demands of the role are many and were executed with a grace far beyond their years. I leaped to my feet in ovation as quickly as their own parents must have. Kudos also go to the scenic, properties and lighting design teams (led by Jerry McAllister, James B. Knox and Aaron Siegmann, respectively) for the otherworldly imagery of the two Tommys superimposed on either side of the mirror.
The rest of the leads were well-executed, although in the stage musical as well as the trippy film also based on The Who's 1969 double album "Tommy," the rest of the roles are a less likable lot. The Acid Queen was a bit wasted on the big talent of Brooke Evans, while Gregg Rehrig offered a chillingly lecherous Uncle Ernie and Aaron Velthouse generally wielded the bully baton well as Cousin Kevin, although his "Pinball Wizard" was no Roger Daltrey, whom classic rock buffs have heard belt the track hundreds to thousands of times on the radio.
Penelope Alex and Eric Parker quite capably conveyed the fussing parents and their duets were stellar, although at times their voices were not very audible.
My husband, who so emphatically loathes musical theater, was impressed with how well the stage presentation was able to convey the hallucinogenic quality of the film and how choreographer Kevin Field captured its frenetic movement and jungle-gym-like physicality.
He was still more shocked when I told him how quickly the Barn turns its shows around after a two-week rehearsal time, acknowledging that being a Barn apprentice is even harder work that the grueling pace of "band camp."
It's one of those rare bits of musical theater that can appeal to rock 'n' roll buffs who generally eschew Broadway and even appeals to my computer-programmer husband, who noted Tommy may have been the first celebrated "nerd."
It was refreshing to see that that broader appeal drew in more twenty-and-thirty-somethings than typically make it out to Barn Theatre opening nights.
"Big River" is a roaring success
Christopher Tower • August 13, 2009
At intermission Tuesday night, a patron sitting behind me said, "This is the best one so far" she said of the Barn Theatre's 2009 season. Though there was some disagreement by audience members around her, most everyone agreed that the Augusta theater's "Big River" was a BIG hit.
The Barn staged "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in 1998 and enjoyed a great success. This production may be even better than the previous one, however, showcasing one of the strongest companies the Barn has ever assembled in its long and storied history.
Adapting Mark Twain to the stage without losing his authenticity can be a challenge. But with "Big River," Roger Miller's music and lyrics accompanied by William Hauptman's dialogue evoke Twain's much-heralded universality and the dear Americana in which his work is steeped.
Huckleberry Finn (played by Kevin White) narrates about his adventures floating on a raft down the Mississippi with his traveling companion, an escaped slave named Jim (Todd M. Kryger).
Possibly, the greatest performer is the one not on the stage: the orchestra. John Jay Espino leads tremendously compelling riffs on guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandolin, and several other instruments that demonstrate how the folk music is an emanation of the nation's spirit rather than just its literature.
The emphasis on music complements the script by softening Twain's sarcasm and irony. It creates a pastiche of charming characters, whimsy, and youthful exuberance, best embodied by Tom Sawyer (Eric Morris), who is turned up to 11 throughout the show on a dial that tops out at 10.
The show loses its way somewhat with the Duke and King plot that at times is more diversion than an integral element, so we forget that Jim and Huck are still on the run. But director Brendan Ragotzy employs his most wily misdirection to make us see only the rolling river of good times and freedom that Huck and Jim enjoy as they are surrounded with foot-stomping choreography by Kevin Field, realistic duds designed by Michael Wilson Morgan and a set that evokes the grandeur of the Mississippi (by Tom Burch, Dusty Reeds, and Steven Lee Burright). White delivers his best performance of the summer as he captures the innate decency of Huck Finn with wide-eyed goodwill. White also blends in perfect tandem with Kryger's Jim, especially in the show's signature song "Muddy Water," which had the audience standing and cheering during an encore. Kryger is an excellent actor and an even better singer, bringing down the house with his stentorian vocals.
There's plenty of fine work in the secondary cast as well. Eric Parker and Gregg Rehrig, playing The Duke and The King, respectively, deserve special mention as these two fine actors deliver top-notch performances. Burright also earns special kudos for his work as Huck's father. His bluesy version of "Guv'ment" is a show highlight. The rest of the cast - far too many to mention - feature many standouts in small roles, revealing the strength of this year's company.
"Big River" is the real deal: a true portrait of the American spirit with some heart-aching spirituals and toe-tapping tunes. The personal favorite of many, you will not want to miss "Big River."
Theater review: 'Civil War' gets standing ovation with its strong singing, acting and humor
by Mark Wedel | Special to the Gazette
AUGUSTA -- The Barn Theatre is ending its season with an ambitious account of "The Civil War."
A musical version of America's most bloody and divisive period, as written by Frank Wildhorn (the creator behind Broadway's "Jekyll and Hyde") might have one bracing for something insanely bombastic and full of anachronistic genres.
But there was no Abe Lincoln doing a power pop ballad version of the Gettysburg Address at the Tuesday night opening. Sure, Frederick Douglass (guest artist Byron Glenn Willis) does sing a song, but it's fairly tasteful.
The music ranges from strong rustic-but-contemporary takes on country, spirituals and folk, to generic country pop. But "The Civil War" rises on the talents of a cast of 30, with voices ranging from the somewhat bombastic belting of Eric Parker as a Confederate officer, and the knock-out soul vocals of guest artist Alexis J. Rogers as a slave.
This isn't a character-driven work. We get archetypes of Union and Confederate soldiers and the women they left behind. One side sings of saving the Union "By the Sword," the other sings of protecting their states from invading Yankees.
A third voice enters, that of enslaved people hoping the war might bring freedom. The show's strongest music comes out here through the talented guest artists, including Rogers, Stanley White, Todd M. Kryger and Lindsey Aeriel Grimble.
These archetypes and surrounding themes of glory, honor, death and more death become the dominant players. Horrific casualty figures and old photos of the piles of corpses flash on the rear of the stage as both sides sing of the meat grinder the war became.
Guest artist Fee Waybill (lead singer of The Tubes, and frequent Frank N. Furter for the Barn's "Rocky Horror Show") brings in some humor relief, singing like a Confederate coot in "This Old Gray Coat," followed by a ribald song of drunken Union men, "Oh, Be Joyful." But otherwise this musical is as heavy as a serious treatment of this war needs to be.
Jenna Petardi sings as the mother of five dead sons, Brooke Evans is haunting as a nurse in bloody white, Parker hits hard a note of Southern anger and doomed cause, Penelope Alex loses her Union officer husband, and on and on. It's a long musical, but so was the war.
In all, it's a cathartic treatment of a war that's left lasting scars. With "The Civil War," the Barn got a standing ovation from the crowd.
Barn takes 'Civil War' to new heights
Christopher Tower • For the Enquirer • August 28, 2009
People moan that live theater is dead or dying. But over in Augusta, the craft is alive and thriving. The Barn Theatre proves this point with the staging of one of its best, and the area's best, shows of all time, "The Civil War."
With Frank Wildhorn's "The Civil War," the Barn Theatre proves its mettle. This show is a mind-blowing tour de force of some of the best music that has been written for the modern theatre -- not just in the last decade or two but ever, all time. After seeing Wildhorn's epic saga of the war between the states, there will be a new king atop your list of favorite musicals.
Andrew Lloyd who? Stephen sounds like what? Rodgers and hammer on my brain? Wildhorn's musical extravaganza sets a bar to a new height, over which few will be able to leap.
Lacking in any kind of story, which would only diminish the pathos, tragedy, scope and breadth of the greatest war fought on American soil, "The Civil War" employs vignettes structured around common themes, such as slavery, brother against brother, wives and children losing husbands and fathers, and the nationalistic pride that swelled between 1861 and 1865 and contributed to deaths of more than 600,000 Americans.
Wildhorn structures these vignettes around 30 musical numbers that are absolutely outstanding. With additional book and lyrics by Gregory Boyd and Jack Murphy, each musical piece is so powerful -- so exhilarating and moving -- that the audience bursts into spontaneous applause often in the middle of the song and nearly jumps to its feet in a thundering ovation after each concludes.
In lesser hands, "The Civil War" would fail miserably. The Barn can carry off a show of this kind because of its professional company of top-notch talent. Todd M. Kryger, who played Jim in "Big River," has remained for this show along with five other strong African-American talents, such as Byron Glenn Willis, Stanley White, Alexis J. Rogers, Lindsey Ariel Grimble, and Vanjah Boikai, who sings a rousing version of the "River Jordan" in Act Two.
These fine performers join Barnie regulars Eric Parker, Lisa Marie Morabito, Brooke Evans, Aaron Velthouse, Penelope Alex, Tyson Brett, Eric Morris, Alex Kip and many more in what continues to prove to be one of the best companies ever to grace the Barn stage (which may be why the Ragotzys know they can tackle a show like this one).
Fee Waybill of the Tubes appears as a guest star and beautifully performs one of the show's two humorous numbers meant to lighten the mood, "This Old Gray Coat." Steven Lee Burright performs with gusto the other comical number, "Oh Be Joyful," about the joys of drinking.
Technically, the show is a wonder to behold. A spartan set is outfitted with flags along the stage borders and a projection screen for Civil War era pictures and statistics. The only negative that can be cast against the show is the placement of the projected text that is often obscured by the cast.
Brandon Ragotzy directs, and his enthusiasm for this show is evident in every moment, especially those he spends on the stage as the slave wrangler.
"This is exciting theater," he said. "I don't know why people don't do it more often." And Ragotzy is right. This is very exciting theater that will convert even the most reluctant patron into a theater-adoring thespian.
The live theater is not dead or dying. And if it was, this show revives it with a two-hour lightening strike. It's a shame that the show only plays for a week because a show of this caliber should enjoy an extended three-week run of packed houses. After a timber-shaking standing ovation following the final number, several patrons voiced their intention to go see the show again. It's that good. Don't miss it.
Don't Drink the
Water Press Release
Battle Creek
Enquirer Review
Tommy
Press Release
Joseph...
Grand Rapids
Press Article
Tommy Press
Release
Big River
The Civil War
The Full Monty
