Displaying items by tag: Playhouse Theatre

“The Diary of Anne Frank” is a familiar story to many people. While two Jewish families are hiding out from the Nazis in Holland during World War II, the story centers around the diary of a young girl, Anne Frank, belonging to one of one of those families. Such circumstances sound like a setting for a story one might find difficult to watch. That being said, it is a play well worth seeing.

Despite the fact this is a student production, the performances rival that of many established theatre actors. Director Connie Canaday Howard directed, and the play was adapted by Wendy Kesselman. All the actors are students at College of DuPage and they were very good overall. The quality of theatre at this level should really not be this good, thus a pleasant surprise. Though not professional actors, bright stage futures are certainly in store a handful of its cast members.

The set design is well crafted. I really liked the cutaway walls that allowed an open view of rooms other than the main room in the upstairs location where the families hid for nearly two years. Imagine that if you will. Hiding in a relatively small space for almost TWO YEARS. No sunlight. Having to remain silent for a good portion of the day because the space you are occupying is over a business that operates during the day. And in spite of all this, the people did still function. The ending is unfortunate, and I am sure not too uncommon during World War II.

There are some feel good moments even though the overall mood could be rather dark in a situation like this - one being the concept of people risking their own lives attempting to save someone from death. That alone gives someone a sense of the fight for survival spirit that humans must have at times. This play needs to be seen. The world sometimes needs to be reminded of how a madman came very close to taking control of Europe and the atrocities that occurred during his attempt. I was personally close to a few survivors of the holocaust, so this play hit close to home. Another thing worth noting is that this occurred less than a century ago.

I do not wish to discourage anyone to avoid watching the play because of the horrors in this heartbreaking story to which we are firmly reminded. Instead, seeing the playwright’s point of view may shine some light on the human element of war. There is so much that has happened that the history books do not tell you. The battles are all documented, but the story of how people were – and are - affected often never gets heard. The fight for survival never goes away.

“The Diary of Anne Frank”, A Tony Award winning play, is being performed at Playhouse Theatre at the College of DuPage through April 15th. For more show information visit http://www.atthemac.org/events/diary-anne-frank/.

The Buffalo Theatre Ensemble brings a very thought provoking play to the stage. David Lindsay-Abaire penned this two-act performance and the small theatre was perfect for the story.

Finely directed by Connie Canaday Howard, Good People highlights a strong ensemble that exhibits a magical chemistry onstage. The story line was very well thought out and while I don’t want to give too much away about the plot, the theme, as one might guess from the title, was really about people. We are reminded in this story set mostly in the south end of Boston, that some are not as good as they appear and some are good without the appearance. 

The lead character Margaret is played by Amelia Barrett. She is a working class single mother with a child who lives in a cheap apartment, living paycheck to paycheck. Margaret and her friends love to play Bingo. They help each other out. That’s what friends are for. Her friends include her landlady Dottie, played by Annie Slavinski. Benedict L. Slabik II plays her former boss, who is also a friend. Jean played by Kelli Walker rounds out the Bingo crew.

They call themselves “Southies”, referring to the south end of Boston. Their accents are much different than the stereotypical Boston accent you might think of when thinking of that area. It is almost like comparing different English accents. They also call the upper-class people “Lace Curtains”, which I thought was funny.

Margaret runs into an old flame, Mike, played by Bryan Burke. He has done rather well for himself. Now an endocrinologist, he lives in a nicer area. He has joined the “Lace Curtains”, but he, like most people, never escapes his roots. His wife Kate is played by Raina Lynn. There is some controversy over the color of her skin. The play isn’t about racial tension but the topic exists in a sub-plot. In some ways, this underlying theme drives the story as much as its main plot.

The first act is light-hearted and funny. It is served more as an introduction to the characters, all of which appear in the first few minutes apart from Mike’s wife Kate. You see the world they live in and how they think.

Act II is another story, mostly set in the house of Mike and Kate. Good People shows us that things are not always as they appear and that class to which one is associated has nothing to do with that of being a good person. That’s the moral of the story and the message is there without looking too hard. 

The play is well-acted and thought out. The audience is never bored waiting for the plot to grow. It takes off from the start. Each acting performance is highly enjoyable as is the story and the message meaningful. I know a few “Good People” who could benefit from watching this performance. Art is a great teaching tool, even if the audience doesn’t always realize when it is happening. If you feel like you need a well-conceived night’s entertainment, this could be just the ticket. There are a few foul words in there, but clearly not meant to be offensive. This is a production that might just open your eyes a bit, while at the same time providing a few good laughs.

Good People is being performed at Playhouse Theatre in the McIninch Art Center in Glen Ellyn, IL through March 5th. For more show information click here.