Come to Narnia at the Kitsap Forest Theater!
Here is Michael Moore's review from the Kitsap Sun:
Solid storytelling and tremendous singing trump the rain at Forest Theater
BREMERTON — I was a little worried, as it became evident that the drenching rain wasn’t going away any time during the Mountaineers Players’ Memorial Day performance of “Narnia,” that I’d have to make some allowances for the miserable conditions, in compensation for the cold and wet and mud that director Jenny Estill’s cast was obliged to work through.
I needn’t have worried at all. Conditions were indeed dreadful, but you wouldn’t have known it to watch and listen to what turned out to be a spirited, sprightly and altogether enjoyable show.
Well, enjoyable as anything can be viewed from a relentless, sopping downpour that kept the May 27 attendance down to about 100 hearty, umbrella-brandishing souls.
Despite the wet, though, the Mountaineers didn’t miss a beat. The show was sung and acted just about as well as you might have hoped for had it had been sunny and 70.
The show follows the major plot points of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” — the first of his “Chronicles of Narnia.” The story — siblings find fantastical kingdom by climbing through the back of a piece of bedroom furniture and are embroiled in a power struggle between the rightful king, a lion, and a cold-hearted witch — is prodded along pretty nicely by the songs by Thomas Tierney (music) and Ted Drachman (lyrics), ranging from finger-popping swing to big, anthemic productions.
Estill’s production is paced tremendously; there’s nary a dull moment, even though the book (by Jules Tasca) can seem a mite episodic. Multiple-keyboard accompaniment by Greg Smith is orchestrally rich and dramatic, the choreography by Lynda Sue Welch keeps everyone — even the cast’s passel of adorable youngsters — in constant and appropriate motion, and the reliably delightful costumes by Barbara Klingberg cover all the show’s bases, from bunny-and-puppy cuteness to White Witch wicked. Fight scenes choreographed by Ken Michels were a bit deliberate, but still a lot of clanky fun, right down to Peter Pevensie’s (Jake Friang) full-on roll across the muddy stage during one set-to with Fenris Ulf (David Cravens-O’Farrell).
But the standout aspect of the show to me is its vocal richness — especially impressive given the soggy conditions. Everyone in the cast, it seems, can sing, and the individual and corporate work they do merits a tip-o’-the-hat to music director Amy Beth Nolte.
The biggest voices belong to Dave Holden as Aslan, the lion who helps the four Pevensie children find their destiny, and Jenny Dreessen as the White Witch, who would gladly skewer them all to keep Narnia in a perpetual state of “always winter, never Christmas.”
But there’s plenty of depth, even among the youngsters. All four Pevensies — Friang, Katie Dreessen as Susan, a particularly impressive Daniel Geiszler as Edmund and Jasmine Harrick as Lucy — all are in fine voice, and many impress in smaller roles. (Kudos also to Kelsie Engen, who sang tremendously and clowned ably in her role as the the witch’s dwarf minion.) When the whole ensemble cranks up for moments like the inspiring “To Make the World Right Again,” it’s pretty lovely stuff.
The sound in the old amphitheater was surprisingly good, considering the rain spattering against the umbrellas throughout. There were some lines of dialog that were difficult to hear, but not that many.
I’m tempted now to go back and see “Narnia” again before the end of its June 16 run. After all, if it could be as charming, vocally impressive and just plain fun as it was, played out in ankle-deep mud, it might be even more of a hoot on a warm, sunny afternoon.
But not much.
Kitsap Sun Review by Michael C. Moore, July 27, 2014 BREMERTON — Little Orphan Annie is a city girl at heart, and her story — at least that part of it related in the musical “Annie” — is set at Christmas time. So I didn’t know how she’d fare in the tree-framed confines of the Kitsap Forest Theatre, in mid-summer.
Turns out I needn’t have worried. “Annie” is such a sturdy, dependable crowd-pleaser, and the Mountaineers Players (helmed by Craig Schieber) are giving it such an affectionate and thoughtful treatment that I can’t imagine anyone climbing out afterward being any less than satisfied.
It’s obvious that Schieber knows his way around the venue, the seeming ease with which he’s able to tell what is an interior-dominated story in such an exterior setting. He makes canny blocking choices throughout and pretty much bans the scene change altogether, keeping the episodic story churning along at a breakneck pace that doesn’t allow the attentions of even the youngest patrons (and there were many little ones in the July 26 opening-day performance I attended) to stray. The cast double as stage hands, and all the scene changes are done on the fly, a scene beginning even as the previous one is cleared off.
I had noticed that some of the musical numbers were performed at a more deliberate pace than what I was used to (and this is about the umpteenth time I’ve seen “Annie”). But the continuity allowed by the spare set (including the most versatile wood crates known to man, doubling as everything from orphans’ bunks and the meeting table for FDR’s cabinet to skyscrapers) and Schieber’s quick-change strategy allowed the Mountaineers to bring the performance — the opening-day performance, remember — in at a relatively crisp two and a half hours, including intermission.
Another big plus for the production is the keyboard accompaniment of Greg Smith, whose voices run the gamut from honky-tonk piano to synthesizer, and give the folks onstage orchestral-sounding backing throughout.
The acting isn’t uniformly good, but the leads all are solid, starting with 10-year-old Sophie Walters, who makes a spunky, full-throated Annie, acing both of her big ballads, “Maybe” and “Tomorrow,” and getting some good mileage out of the plentiful comedy in her line load. (Jasmine Harrick, also 10, alternates in the role, and I’ve seen her enough in KFT shows to feel certain that she’ll be every bit as effective.)
Chris Shea makes an impressive Kitsap debut as Warbucks. The character doesn’t appear until well into the first act, but is probably the busiest in both line and lyric from that point on, and he handles it all ably. Another KFT first-timer, Marine Madesclaire, is an appropriately authoritative Grace, and she and Shea provide possibly the show’s two best voices.
I thought early on that Cheryl Phillips was going to opt for scary over silly as Miss Hannigan, but she settled nicely into a combination of the two — a must for the show’s ersatz “villain” — and was particularly effective at finding the comedy in her big musical number, “Little Girls.” I also liked Bob Stahley, a fine, deadpan Drake; Tiffany Rousseau, who made the most of her brief solo as the Star to Be in the “N.Y.C.” production number; Schieber’s entire raft of orphans (14 in all, ranging from pint-sized to prep school); Jason Gingold (Rooster) who was a constant source of eye-catching movement; and the well-trained, fully engaged Panda, who played Annie’s pooch pal, Sandy.
Without much in the way of set pieces, and no lighting bells and whistles, Schieber could fall back on his own effective blocking, the stage-filling choreography of Guy Caridi and the (as usual) spectacular costumes by Barbara Klingberg. You just have to appreciate the kind of attention to detail that had the orphans’ dresses color-coded to their gift packages for the joyous “New Deal for Christmas” finale.
It’s true that “Annie” is set on the days leading up to Christmas, 1933. And the most recent productions I’ve seen of it have been seasonal.
But as it turns out, there’s really no bad time to see “Annie.” So sunny is its disposition, so welcome its songs and one-liners, so universal and relevant are its messages, that it truly is a show for all seasons, Christmas tree or no.
The Mountaineers’ show is further proof of that. Pack some sunscreen and bug spray, make a picnic and hike down to see it.
REVIEW
‘ANNIE’
Who: Mountaineers Players
What: Musical by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comics
Where: Kitsap Forest Theatre, 3000 Seabeck Highway, Bremerton
When: Through August 17; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Tickets: $16-$14 advance, $18-$16 gate
Information: 206-542-7815, foresttheater.com
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Honk! opened to rave reviews from audiences members this weekend. A long time audience member said that this was her second favorite show she has seen at KFT (after Sound of Music), and she has seen a lot of shows. She absolutely loved the show, and is planning to bring friends back to see it.
Here is an excerpt from Michael C. Moore's review in the Kitsap Sun, May 25, 2014:
"Much like its main character, the musical “Honk!” is sort of a strange duck . . . and yet . . . there, at the end, was a swan. Director Adam Othman, at the KFT helm for the first time, plays to the show’s strengths (it’s awfully, awfully cute, with some effective songs from Anthony Drewe and George Stiles) . . . much of its humor is quite clever . . . [You will enjoy] listening to Othman’s and musical director Amy Beth Nolte’s collection of splendid singers and immaculate accompaniment by Greg Smith and Victoria Casteel, watching the lovely bits of business and physical comedy contrived by Othman and choreographer Heather Dawson, and enjoying Barbara Klingberg’s simple but colorful and evocative costumes.
. . . there are plenty of genuine laughs to go with the emotion of Andersen’s original messages; you know, “beauty is only skin deep,” and “it’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
The cast is stocked with great voices — Beaven Walters [as Ida, Ugly’s mom], Meagan Castillo (as Ida’s intolerant friend Maureen), Kelly Goode (as the goose squadron’s aide de camp), Jenny Dreessen and Molly Hall (as a pair of overly domesticated house pets) and 13-year-old Katie Dreessen (as a swan) chief among them. Jason Gingold also sings well and carries a lot of the show’s comic responsibility as a cat who’s planning to have young Ugly over for dinner, hold the “over.”
The show also features a whole barnyard full of cute kids — many of them the progeny of older cast members, playing various chicks and ducklings and even fish.
But man-of-the-match honors have to go to Nick McCarthy, who plays Ugly with the perfect combination of pluck and pathos, getting laughs one minute and setting lower lips a’quiver the next. He bolsters his strong, unaffected acting with a good singing voice and some impressive dance moves."
Three more weekends to come see it – don't miss out on this funny and touching story.