Displaying items by tag: Heidi Kettenring

For most of us—those reviewing theater or those thinking about attending or just about anyone, I guess—Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is omnipresent. Just a part of our existence. The original soundtrack in everyone’s grandmother’s vinyl collection, with all of those songs. The 1960s film version that once played on television annually, a family event (at least for mine). And all of the attached memories. It’s like The Wizard of Oz or The Bible or The Beatles. It just is and always has been, and we all have some kind of connection to it.

So, with that in mind, I was both excited to see the Marriott Theater’s new production of The Sound of Music, but also wondered how anyone might put on a production that can compete with memory, with perfection, with Julie Andrews. But, like so many other wonderful Marriott shows, Nick Bowling’s The Sound of Music delights.

The level of talent on the stage becomes clear right from the start. Nuns from an Austrian abbey parade down the theater-in-the-round’s four aisles with candles, then launch into the show’s opening “Preludium.” With all the beloved classic songs to come, this is still the moment of the show that stuck with me most—the cast throws down the gauntlet, announcing they can sing, and do they ever. I got chills from the acapella chorus. I’ve got chills remembering it as I type.

And then we meet Maria. While no Julie Andrews, Marriott newcomer Addie Morales doesn’t need to be. She’s herself, and she charms as soon as the spotlight first hits her. A lovely singer who shows off her range, it’s her overall being that shines from the stage just as much as her voice. Again, while all her own woman, Morales shares Andrews’ ability to draw the eye and ear whenever she’s onstage.

But the rest of the cast, those not in the nunnery, are every bit as good. The children, who I worried might be hamming or annoying, were all very genuine. Campbell Krausen, who plays 16-year-old Leisl, not only shows awkward teenage chemistry with Emmet Smith’s Rolf, she really seems to encourage and mother-hen her onstage siblings. Brody Tyner as Friedrich has not just astonishing vocal chops, but accompanies on guitar on a couple numbers. Erik Hellman plays Captain Georg Von Trapp, family patriarch with a rough edge that eventually softens.

Marriott’s ensemble, as always, is consummate. Heidi Kettenring and Rob Lindley really work as the two on-the-fence Nazis who provide a bit of drama and plot to this story that’s really about all those songs. And those songs... Again, the entire cast can sing. And they’re made all the better by conductor Patti Garwood’s orchestra. And, if you want to realize just what songs they are, what a show this is, and what a wonderful production that The Marriott Theatre is presenting of The Sound of Music, find out for yourself, now through June 5 in Lincolnshire.

In a departure to their oft musical-driven productions, Theater at the Center kicks of the 2018 season with the comedy-drama Steel Magnolias, Robert Harling’s 1987 play that became a blockbuster film directed by Herbert Ross just two years later.

Set in the deep South, in a northwestern Louisiana town, the play revolves around the bond between a handful of small-town women that frequent a local beauty salon, Truvy’s, whose owner is of the same name. Based on the premature death of Harling’s own sister caused by diabetes, the play’s character’s strength is tested as they struggle with the imminent and eventual loss of one of their own.

Run by Truvy Jones, Truvy’s Salon is seemingly the gossip hub of the town. Regulars such as the gleeful widow of the town’s former mayor, Clairee Belcherand, and Louisa "Ouiser" Boudreaux, the irritable and sardonic neighbor, often pop by whether getting their hair serviced or not – just to hear, or pass on, the latest. M’Lynn Eatenton and her daughter Shelby are also staples in the shop, Shelby now getting ready for her wedding day. At first it seems we are thrust into light-hearted beauty salon talk. Truvy loves to listen as much as she loves to dish out advice. Even though it mainly consists of neighborhood small talk, the dialogue is so rich and humorous, we can’t help but get pulled in. Quickly the characters become charming in their own ways; each personality so well-crafted in just the first scene. Minutes into the play, we feel we know them.

It’s Annelle Dupuy’s first day and she’s got a lot to take in.

Lighthearted soon goes to serious at the drop of a hat when Shelby falls into a hypoglycemic state while sitting in a salon chair. M’Lynn rushes to her aid with a juice box forcing her to drink the sugary liquid. From there theatre goers are on notice to proceed with caution – tear jerker coming.

As the story progresses, Truvy begins to look at Annelle as the daughter she never had, something they each so desperately seem to need. We watch Annelle grow from timid employee to becoming a confident woman. At the same time, an impending doom looms over the story concerning Shelby’s condition, especially when she announces she is pregnant – something doctors warned her against due to the strain it would cause on her body. Though greeted with a series of “congratulations” by each of the women, M’Lynn does not share the enthusiasm, knowing the risks that would be involved.

Linda Fortunato directs this production as smoothly as a gentle southern breeze that brushes against a Weeping Willow. The exceptionally well-acted play is really cut into four scenes, each one as engaging as its colorful characters. Theater at the Center favorite Cory Goodrich returns as M’Lynn Eatenton and powers her way through the complicated role displaying a much-needed warmth, concern and love for her daughter. Shelby is wonderfully played by actress Landree Flemming. We immediately connect with her, which makes us relate to her mother even more so. Heidi Kettenring successfully turns on the southern charm as Truvy and is extremely likeable in the role as the salon’s queen bee.

The cast is superb – all players adding just the right amount of personality to each character. Myesha-Tiara is finely-cast as Annelle, while veteran performers Joslyn Yvonne Jones as “Ouiser” and Jeannie Affelder as Clairee add the final touches that makes this such a powerhouse cast.

The three-quarters theatre-in-the-round staging give us an up close and personal peek into the well-constructed set that consists of Truvy’s in-home beauty salon complete with all the works, mists of hairspray and all.

Women as strong as steel yet as fragile as the magnolia flower, the title suggests we can all be broken yet each one of us has the inner strength to prevail no matter how bleak a situation might seem, even if some of that strength is on loan to us by a friend.

Highly recommended.

Steel Magnolias is being performed at Theater at the Center in Munster, Indiana through March 25th. For tickets and/or more show information visit www.TheaterAtTheCenter.com.

*Tissues are offered by ushers upon exit.

Whenever things get hot in America, Arthur Miller comes back in vogue. It's hard to fathom what he would think of today's world though. Court Theatre features Miller's first hit play 'All My Sons' . Directed by Charles Newell, this provocative new production is vibrant and exceedingly well acted.

'All My Sons' first appeared on Broadway in 1947, establishing Arthur Miller as a major playwright. Though considered among his best, there's an amount of melodrama here that later Miller works would shed. In this dark play, he examines the moral and psychological effects of WWII on ordinary Americans.

John Judd plays Joe Keller, the good-guy neighbor type who has just arrived home from prison. He's been acquitted of manufacturing faulty airplane parts that caused plane crashes in WWII. His partner remains in jail having accepted all responsibility. His adult son Chris, played by Timothy Edward Kane survived the war while his brother Larry did not. On an ordinary summer day Chris invites Larry's former fiance and daughter of Joe's business partner, Annie (Heidi Kettenring) for a visit. Chris' mother Kate (Kate Collins) cannot reconcile that Larry is dead and is slowly unraveling.

Newell takes this script in an interesting direction. The central conflict is Joe, a normal guy with a huge moral dilemma. "I know you're no worse than most men, but I thought you were better." Miller writes. It's through Kate Collins that Newell puts the emphasizes on the women's narrative of this play though. Kate's dialogue swings from reality and delusion so rapidly. Collins' interpretation has an eerie Blanche DuBois quality to it. This is also a story about a woman losing her grip in a time when life was supposed to be cheerful.

Heidi Kettenring brings Annie to the foreground in this version. With 'All My Sons' Miller wanted to show how aspects of the war effected all parts of America. Many women were left widows. Social constructs made finding love more challenging for women. Kettenring captures every scene she's in. Her portrayal of a lonely woman with few options is haunting.

Newell's production is artful. The staging is vivid and unique. When every theater company is offering Arthur Miller, it's cool to see how these works are being reinterprated to appeal to a new generation. For some, two and a half hours of classic American theater sounds like a school field trip. Newell's production proves that there's always a new way to see a play.

Through February 11th at Court Theatre. 5535 S Ellis Ave. 773-753-4472

The Diary of Anne Frank - Writers Theatre

According to legend, when Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich's Pulitzer Prize winning stage adaptation made its German premiere, audiences sat in a state of silent shock after the play ended. Nearly sixty years, countless productions, several films and hundreds of books about Anne Frank and the secret annex have made this story one of the most accessible pieces of Holocaust literature. In 1997, Wendy Kesselman adapted the original script for a Broadway revival that heightens intensity and includes more reference to the family's Jewish faith and to Anne's burgeoning sexuality.

Under the suburb direction of Kimberly Senior, Writers Theatre's production of Kesselman's "The Diary of Anne Frank" is as intimate as a story of this nature must be. Inventive staging immediately places the audience within the confines of the attic, fantastically designed by Jack Magaw. The Writers Theatre book store space is already intimate enough, but what Magaw has done to replicate the secret annex is nothing short of theatre magic. The tight quarters of this set paired with the vibrancy of the cast create an atmosphere in which emotional reaction is impossible to avoid.

What Senior extracts from her actors is a perfect storm of the best and the worst of humanity backed into a corner, in which the stakes really are life and death. Heidi Kettenring has the challenge of turning a mostly unlikeable character, Mrs. van Daan, into one of the show's strongest assets.  Kettenring balances warmth and tension in moments so electrifying that its current is contagious.

The title role is played by fourteen-year-old Sophie Thatcher who is the actual age of Anne Frank at the time of her internment. Thatcher plays the role with such surprising honesty and eloquence for an actress of her age. All her choices seem based on genuine instinct rather than what other historical documents tell us about the person Anne Frank was.

Despite the fact that everyone going into this play knows the tragic ending, and the unfortunate irony that Europe was liberated just a few months after their betrayal, it's easy to catch the show's infectious message of hope. The reason why this story lingers in our minds throughout the generations is its optimism. That no matter how dire the circumstances, faith in the good of people is what keeps the world in balance even when all seems lost.

The Diary of Anne Frank at Writers Theatre. 664 Vernon Ave, Glencoe. 847-242-6000. Through June 28th. 

Every time I think the talented cast of players and directors performing at Marriott Theatre’s intimate theatre in the round have done the very best they can, they top themselves again.

This production of the deliciously classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about a spunky, intelligent teacher who is recruited from England to teach the children of an arrogant but struggling King of Siam directed with precision and compassion by Nick Bowles was hands down the finest, most soaring yet intimate production of “The King and I” that I have seen in years.

Heidi Kettenring as the show’s star in Anna has more than a fine singing voice for the piece. Kettenring infuses the character with humor, strength, compassion and a feminist fury which reaches its peak of expression in the hilarious and still modern song, “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?”

“All 
to remind you of your royalty,
I find a most disgusting exhibition.
I wouldn't ask a Siamese cat
to demonstrate his loyalty
by taking this ridiculous position
how would you like it if you were a man
playing the part of a toad.
Crawling around on your elbows and knees.
Eating the dust of the road!...”

New York actor Andrew Ramcharan Guilarte, does a wonderful, sexy and layered performance as the King, never falling into predictable caricature.  Guillarte is a little bit younger than the King is normally played and it makes perfect sense that his character is both falling in love with the educated and mature teacher Anna and also confused by his growing sense of bewilderment at her grasp of political situations that improve the destiny of his own family and finally, his entire Kingdom.

The romantic and sexual chemistry between Kettenring and Guillarte is absolutely dynamite and had the entire audience breathlessly watching each explosive scene between this talented pair.

There is a very funny, yet revealing scene where the King is insisting that Anna’s head never be higher than his own. The King asks Anna to take dictation for an important letter to a visiting dignitary and sits down on the floor. When Anna finally sits down on the floor, the King moves to recline on one elbow and so forth till they are both completely reclining on the floor. Although, it is really a nonsensical demonstration of his manly power, Kettenring and Guillarte manage to make it a funny and sexy “shades of gray” type dance between two people who are each unaware they are falling in love with the other.

I am happy to see that almost all of the roles for the children and wives and concubines of Siam were filled by actors with a variety of different ethnicities. The children in this production are completely delightful to watch from beginning to end. Matthew Uzarraga, who plays the boy who would be King, does a fantastic job bringing his little tyrannical boy to life and when at the end of the show he pronounces that “excessive bowing to the King like a toad” is now forbidden, you really believe this child has learned something major from his now beloved teacher and friend Anna.

Kristen Choi as Lady Thiang knocks it out of the park with her stunning rendition of “Something Wonderful” and Joseph Anthony Foranda is a wise, organic presence. Shirtless like the King, he pulls off the role with quiet sensuality and power as the aging prime minister to the King Kralahome.

Nancy Missimi went all out with the costumes in this piece and I most enjoyed her costumes on the wives, children and concubines of the King. Their dance numbers were wonderfully choreographed by Tommy Rapley and together with Ms. Missimi’s costumes and Tom Ryan's royally glowing set design, the dance numbers reminded me of barefoot dancing flowers, like multicolored orchids and floating water lilies come to life onstage.

I get totally spoiled when seeing a well performed Rodgers and Hammerstein musical because the lyrics for every song are so unique and memorable. “We Kiss in a Shadow” was beautifully sung by Megan Masako Haley as the King’s unwilling young captive, Tuptim, who is in love with another.

“To kiss in the sunlight
and say to the sky:
"Behold and believe what you see!
Behold how my lover loves me!"

And Devin Law as Lun Tha , Tuptim’s secret lover, also performed the classic “I Have Dreamed” to perfection.

“I have dreamed that your arms are lovely
I have dreamed what a joy you'll be
I have dreamed every word you whisper

When you're close, close to me
how you look in the glow of evening
I have dreamed and enjoyed the view

In these dreams, I've loved you so
That by now I think, I know
what it's like to be loved by you
I will love being loved by you”

I can’t speak highly enough about how all of the elements in this production came together to create such an educational, yet romantic,  touching and funny evening of pure  theatrical delight, including the  fantastic, organic choreography by Tommy Rapley and Ryan T. Nelson’s exquisitely detailed musical direction.

Take your children and your grandparents, or even your first date to ‘The King and I” at The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire with confidence that you will all equally enjoy a magical night of classic entertainment performed at peak quality for modern times.

For more show information, visit www.marriotttheatre.com.