I saw Lionel Bart's musical, "Oliver," directed by Bryan Bergeron on opening night at Surfside Players. There were some opening night jitters, but I think this will become a great show. For those who don't know the story, it is based on Dickens' story, "Oliver Twist." Oliver is an orphan in a workhouse and when he asks for more food, he is sold to a funeral parlor. He runs away from the funeral parlor and ends up mixed in with a group of pickpockets and meets some other members of the criminal element. After an attempted pocket picking, Oliver is taken in by a wealthy man.
There were some stand-out performances in this show: Terry Girard as Fagin (head of the pickpockets), Malinda Myers as Nancy, Donna Furfaro (Widow Corney), and Rob Dickman as Mr. Bumble. Mr. Girard truly became Fagin and his song, "Reviewing the Situation" was well-done. Ms Myers was strong in her role and sang "As Long As He Needs Me" with great feeling. Ms Furfaro and Mr. Dickman were hilarious together, especially when they sang "I Shall Scream."
Brevard County has an exciting new school of choice for high school students serious about the arts. Satellite HS Academy of Fine Arts (SAFA) is hosting open house for potential students and their parents at the high school on Jan. 27, 2009, 7-9 PM. Applications for the SAFA program are available at the Satellite High School's website and are due on February 13, 2009 for the 2009-2010 school year. Students can apply for a concentration in the areas of theatre, visual arts, vocal music or instrumental music. Call Satellite High School at 779-2000 or visit http://scorpnet.brevard.k12.fl.us/ for more information.
The Theatre Company has another gem--"Don't Dress for Dinner." Peg Girard has assembled a terrific cast for Marc Camoletti's farce. Bernard's wife, Jacqueline, is going to visit her mother for the weekend. While she's gone, Bernard plans to have his mistress, Suzanne, over for a visit to their country retreat. Bernard's friend, Robert, is also planning to visit, but when Jacqueline hears that Robert will visit, she changes her plans (because she is having an affair with Robert). Bernard has asked a cook, Suzette, to prepare a special meal. The mistaken identities and attempts to hide the true shenanigans lead to a very funny show.
Adrian Cahill (Bernard) was in good form. Marie Dodds portrayed Jacqueline very well. She did a great job of using facial expressions to get a point across. Bob Campbell (Robert) is one of my favorite local actors and it was so good to see him on stage again. Bob also used facial expression to his advantage; his frustration at Bernard's antics was palpable. The audience roared and applauded at one point when Bob was attempting to explain what had taken place (hard to believe he said it all without taking a breath). Tauhida Parveen played Suzanne, the mistress, and this was her first performance. She fooled me; she seemed quite at ease on stage. Tori Smith (Suzette, the cook) was hysterical. She acted street-wise and later attempted a snobby air, but it was all funny. Bill Ronat (George) rounded out the cast with his tough-guy husband bit.
Happy New Year! I am looking for some theatrical supplies, and hope that there is someone locally who can help me out, either by lending me the items, or renting them to me.
Bayside High School is need of a technical director for our first auditorium. This person will be (so far as I know) paid at a rate of 12.03. For further inquiries please contact me, Keenan Carver, at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
(I have no affiliation with with the school). I will answer any questions that you need and thI can lead in the right direction for an interview.
Please help us we are in dire need of your assistance. Our spring musical is in jeopardy and the students are really looking forward to it, seeing as its their first school musical ever!
Side by Side by Sondheim - Reviewed by Lisa Farrall
I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to see "Side by Side by Sondheim" at the Titusville Playhouse. I knew it would be a musical revue and I knew that the music would be difficult because it was written by Stephen Sondheim. In addition, I had never attended a show at the Titusville Playhouse. My curiosities and uncertainties disappeared with the first song and I found the Titusville Playhouse a delightful venue.
"Side by Side by Sondheim" consists of two acts chock full of Sondheim's compositions, though not all familiar. The cast, directed by Sandy Chamberlain and Pamela Boye, consisted of: Gail Doscher, Greg Galbreath, April Goodner, Wendy Hoffman, John Kurowski, Jason Reichman, Christie Tipton-Poirier, and Joe Podwojski as the Narrator. The singing cast was absolutely terrific. They were energetic, fun, and sang with great ease.
Blue is having her birthday party and she wants everyone to attend. Come out and join Blue in this World Premiere musical celebration for the entire family.
Once upon a Mattress the musical after Hans Christian Anderson’s the Princess and the Pea was produced for this week’s performance by Covenant Christian School. This play is a rendition of the old story with a musical twist. Opening in the search for a princess to wed Prince Dauntless, who is over lorded by his mother in an attempt to prevent his marriage. A princess is found in a slightly brash Princess Winnifred who to the angst of Queen Aggravain “swam the moat” to enter the castle. However unassuming or unpolished our heroin may be Prince Dauntless falls fast in love with his newly found Fred.
I'm going to try something that is certainly untraditional in the world of writing reviews. I'm going to give this delightful show a well deserved review from...a...well...cast members perspective. Sweet Charity is rolling into it's second of a three weekend run, and I do hope that after reading this review, our great arts community will consider adding this event to their "things-to-do" list! From the momentthe orchestra hits the first note, and your eyes settle into the wonderful colors of the set design, you know you are in for a treat.
Sweet Charity, the story of a girl who wanted to be loved, was based on an old Fellini movie called Nights of Cabiria. It was conceived, staged and choreographed by Bob Fosse. Fosse, then married to Gwen Verdon, wanted to do a project together that starred Gwen...and so Sweet Charity was born! With a book by Neil Simon, music by, Cy Coleman, lyrics by, Dorothy Fields, how could they go wrong. Sweet Charity opened on January 29, 1966, at the Palace Theatre in New York City, and ran for 608 performances! Several years later a movie would be made, starring Shirley MacLain, Sammy Davis Jr., Ricardo Montalban, Rita Moreno, and many more. Fast forward to the mid-90's and there would be many stage revivals, starring actresses such as Christina Applegate, Debbie Allen, Bebe Neuwirth, and many more.
Surfside's Sweet Charity production features the talents of Director/ Heather McFarland, Music Director/George Kobosko, Stage Manager/Robin Pena, Audio-Lighting/Sam Malesky, Costumer/Sharon Clark, Master Carpenter/David Young, Hair-Makeup Consultant/Jennifer Sottile-Jones (from Sharp Shears in Satellite Beach), Set Design/Jacob McAlister...who I must say...also brilliantly portrays Oscar. Wait 'till you hear that voice!
A strong cast of dedicated performers round out this terrific show. Anthony DeTrano, is simply delicious with his portrayal of Vittorio Vidal. Carolyn Barone, sizzles as girlfriend Ursula. Anthony Grayson, is the epitome of funky and cool as Daddy Brubeck. Anthony Mowad, is simply perfect as Herman, the bar owner. Charity's best friends are wonderfully portrayed by Terry Lynch, as Nickie and Holly McFarland, as Helene. Adding spice to the show are the talented Dance Hall Hostesses, Rachel Cooke, Amy Goforth, Meridith Scholtens, Gina Wilson, Jennifer Lopez, Carolyn Barone, and featured dancer Cara Kincaid. A stellar ensemble puts the final touch to this production, Ashley Arnold, Bob Barone, Terry Wayne Cravens Jr., Randall Deane, David Forman, Jonathan Goforth, Kyle Gray, Kim Larsen, Mary Moore, Rebecca Meyers, Molly Nystrom Reddington, Rich Reifsnyder, James Salmon, and the one and only Tommy Barone!
Last weekends audiences were simply buzzing with excitement and encouragement...a strong indication of how special this production is. So, come on down and have some fun with us. For performance and ticket information, please call Surfside Playhouse at 783-3127, or go to the website at www.surfsideplayers.com.
District XI International Thespains needs your assistance in judging the Individual Events at our District Competition. The festival will be Saturday January 17, 2009 at Liberty High School in Kissimmee. There is a small stipend for your assitance. We are looking for judges in the following categories: monolgoues, Duet Acting, Ensemble Acting, solo musical, duet Musical, Small Group musical, pantomine, playwriting, set design, costume design and contruction, publicity and student directing. If you would like to help us out, please e-mail me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
