FAVORITE SHOWS SO FAR THIS YEAR (Brian McDermott)
My favorite show, so far, was Allentown Public Theater's "True West" - truly a gem of a production with a stellar cast and crew.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Civic's two-night only "Follies: In Concert" which was, sadly, only two nights. I think more theaters should do these brief evenings where they pour everything into a few performances and if you miss it - well - shame on you.
I also enjoy the fact that Lehigh Valley theater is so accessible - from both an audience perspective and for people who want to be involved in theater. You can audition for a role, assist with the production, volunteer to usher ... there are so many ways in which "theater" is right at the fingertips of the people in this area but only a few people realize it and go after it.
Favorite shows "so far": 'True West', 'Love Sex and the IRS', 'Title Of Show', and 'A Shropshire Lad'.
CAPSULE REVIEWS OF JUST A FEW OF THE BETTER PRODUCTIONS
THE RABBIT HOLE at Global impACTORS (Sarah Thomas)
Go see ‘The Rabbit Hole.’ Go see theatre that makes you think. Walk out after this show is over and you’ll have endless conversation topics to tackle based on the relationships and situations in this show. This cast does a lovely job of telling a touching story that will stir you up and make you feel. Great set, clear direction, haunting soundtrack… you can’t lose.
LOVE SEX AND THE IRS at PA Playhouse (Brian McDermott)
If you want to laugh you will not be disappointed with “Love, Sex and the IRS” currently playing at the Pennsylvania Playhouse.
SPRING DANCES at Cedar Crest College (Sarah Thomas)
Tonight, I watched 12 girls dance, act, sing, and put on a truly moving production.
CACTUS FLOWERS at Dutch Country Players (Ara Barlieb)
if you have a tendency to retreat in the face of the preposterous, I have a word of advice for you: Don't! ou'll be denying yourself a good two hours and twenty minutes of mindless humor and spontaneous laughs if you do.
THE FOREIGNER at PA Playhouse (Brian McDermott)
The ensemble cast has an enjoyable time with the material and plays each scene with a fine comedic pacing which never becomes exaggerated or unrealistic. They enjoyed sustained laughter from the audience on the night of our performance.
THE DEAD INDIAN MUSEUM at Shawnee Playhouse (Brian McDermott)
The play was an interesting and dark comedy-drama about a pair of brothers trying to make their dreams come true despite the failures and setbacks they have encountered as owners of a failing roadside “Indian Museum” somewhere in the mid-western United States.
[title of show] at Civic Theatre (Brian McDermott)
Even if you don't know anything about musical theater you will enjoy [title of show]. It is a little show with a ton of energy and heart that may just encourage you to go home and pull out that unfinished novel you hid away in an old sock drawer and take another chance at writing.
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE at The Pale Moon Players (Ara Barlieb)
A tiny but precious jewel resides nearly undetected deep in the interior of Lehighton, PA--- The Pale Moon Players and their humbly magical performance platform in the auditorium of Grace Lutheran Church.
ORIGINAL WORKS (Ara Barlieb)
The most encouraging sign that Lehigh Valley theater can free itself from Broadway musicals' lengthy and unyielding chains and offer fresher produce than Shakespeare's often wormy fruit has been the determined effort of several venues, smaller companies, and audacious writers to create and stage original works in our region.
We need to give a deeply respectful nod to Touchstone Theatre for its relentless efforts in this direction, exemplified by their JOURNEY FROM THE EAST, an original production regarding the growing Chinese population in the Lehigh Valley.
Perhaps most visible among individual artists has been Lawrence B. Fox, a playwright, producer, and now performer who has rented several theaters in the past few years and hired local talent to stage his shows.
In 2015, Mr. Fox inhaled deeply and then gamely forked over what was reportedly New York-serious money to produce his 'But I'm Still Slightly Confused' in the Blast Furnace Room of the somewhat inhospitable ArtsQuest Center in South Bethlehem.
Mr. Fox must be applauded sincerely and lustily not so much for this play itself---which, while ambitious and interesting, was not particularly well-presented--- but for his refusal to be rejected, put-off, and otherwise denied an opportunity to have his conception of a live, narrative play be realized.
He made a statement; it is our job at Lehigh Valley Stage to help it be heard.
And It is Mr. Fox's artistic persistance and personal integrity that must be recognized as one of the most significant contributions to regional theater thus far this year. We trust and hope he will continue to be a presence in our non-musical theatrical landscape, providing opportunity for performers, crew, and audiences alike to experience locally produced, original works.
Review of 'But I'm Still Slightly Confused' can be read here: http://lvstage.org/reviews/429-what-s-not-to-like-about-but-i-m-still-slightly-confused-at-steelstacks.html
VALLEY OFFERINGS (Sydney Davis)
I like the same things I’ve liked in 2014 and 2013 and all the years since I moved here from New Jersey in 1996, which is to say the great range of offerings from huge to minimal, in terms of production size, spectacle and actors, and let me be clear that quality is not attached to any of these statistics.
Probably the biggest shows in the Valley, especially for their one musical each season, are those put on by the professional level Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and “Les Miz” this year was said to have broken all the attendance records in the Festival’s history.
Next in size are theatres like Civic and Pennsylvania Playhouse which do not offer equity actors but usually produce shows in the standard professional repertoire and tend to be crowd pleasers.
A step beyond is a company such as the Crowded Kitchen Players, which has committed to the high-wire act of offering plays written mostly by local playwrights and also does not have its own home like the larger theatres.
Testament is to be paid that this company has continued to perform regularly for 62 productions.
Beyond CKP lie smaller companies like Selkie Theatre, now a salon company (at least mostly in the United States but for those with long memories once the legendary Theatre Outlet of Allentown) and the Allentown Public Theatre, offering shows on an irregular basis but with some equity actors.
Other professional theatres exist such as the Muhlenberg Summer Theatre and the Pines Dinner Theatre, both in mid-town Allentown.
Across the river in Bethlehem is Touchstone Theatre, a non-profit group with resident artists currently engaged in epic community productions, this year’s being “Journey from the East.”
College theatres flourish as well, at Lehigh University, Muhlenberg, Lafayette and DeSales, and occasionally I have heard of a play being performed in Lehighton by a company called The Pale Moon Players. I wish I could have captured them in a bottle, but, alas, they escaped me.
It's all there in a vast array – from major spectacle to the smallest salon offerings. Let’s not talk about what’s the most marvelous thing we’ve seen. Let’s marvel at the things we’ve yet to see.
DIVERSITY OF OPTIONS (Alexandra Racines)
The best part of theatre in the Lehigh Valley so far has been the diversity of options presented.
There was Global Impact Group's production of Motherhood Out Loud, a both hilarious and heartwarming expose' on the many joys and trials of being a parent. Also by Global Impact Group: Rabbit Hole, a heart-wrenching account of a family dealing with the sudden death of their four-year-old son, nephew and grandson, plus the guilt of the seventeen-year-old driver who caused the accident.
A shout-out must be made as well to Sing for America's production of Seussical: The Musical! The play was done circus-style and featured all ages: from children as young as 3 or 4 to adults. I could tell that everyone put their heart and soul into their performances, and that the children took their roles as seriously as the adults.
THE EXPERIENCE (Sarah Thomas)
Theatre isn't fun. There's a constant struggle to find a show that both the audience will find enriching and the actors will enjoy performing. You also hope for originality and to challenge yourself to be a better actor/director with every selection. It's tough. It's work. It's trying. And it's so totally worth it. A Shropshire Lad was one of the hardest shows I've ever worked on. Sure, it had poetry, singing, and dancing, like any other typical show, but it also revolved around one major difference; the play focused heavily on topics you don't always expect to see when you go to a show. Death, (and lots of it,) life, in-between, war, loss, comradery, triumph, pride... this show had everything. Each rehearsal was a tough one. Trying to interpret each poem, researching the meaning behind the more obscure ones, putting yourself in a place each night where you did nothing but try to feel the loss described in each monologue... it was exhausting. Every time we'd meet we'd leave at the end of the night completely worn out and more than a little mentally drained. We worked endlessly on dance steps and songs, running them for hours until they had shape. More than anything, the cast melded into one team of actors that became a force to be reckoned with. Everyone had each other's backs, and routinely had to live up to that promise. One actor misses a line' Another actor picks it up. An actress accidentally misses her mark in a dance' Someone else gently pulls her back into place without making a big deal about it. Getting to work with such a tight-knit, talented group of people was the best experience I could have asked for so far this year. It wasn't easy. NO, it wasn't easy. There was anger, hurt feelings, more than one snowstorm, and plenty of frustration. It was a very hard rehearsal process, but getting to see a show progress every week is a huge privilege. A Shropshire Lad has been the most rewarding show I've worked on this year. I've never been quite as proud of the work we did on that show. Every performance was unique. Every show was moving. I never wanted it to end.
If you don't walk out of the theatre each night feeling completely exhausted, a little bit angry, and swearing you'll never do this again, you're missing out. Theatre isn't fun.
But it is some of the best 'not-fun' you will ever have.