Congratulations to Crowded Kitchen Players on presenting us with a terrific theatrical experience, "Noelle", at The Charles A. Brown Ice House.
"Noelle" is set at a Christmas Eve party in the home of an elderly grandmother, Noelle Whitlock, who is in mental and physical free-fall.
After she displays a series of potentially serious lapses, Noelle's concerned, but generally dysfunctional family insists that she can no longer remain in her home.
I loved everything about this little production. I loved the staging, and it worked beautifully as a reading.
The layout of the audience area as a coffee house-type setting was brilliant. And from the audience's perspective, it was just plain cool. It was something inviting and made you want to be a part of it. I think it made the play feel more accessible and intimate.
The actors really delivered. As an ensemble cast, you could feel the collaboration unfold as the play progressed and moved the story along. Their timing in delivering their lines and reacting off of one another was entertainingly spot-on.
I was especially impressed with Pamela Wallace's portrayal of the beseiged Noelle. Wow! Very connected, natural, understated, and believable. Dan Ferry, as her raging, socially impotent son Rudy, provided the kind of performance that drove the play forward. Great work! Tom Epstein, the play's Foley artist, narrator, sound technician, and cast member, didn't allow his many hats to get in the way of the action. Many other characters were hilarious, and had me laughing out loud. I thought the humor throughout the play (and there were tons of it) worked well and the actors came through with flying colors. I really did laugh a lot. When an audience laughs it makes them feel good as if they are part of the show, which they are. They provide that fourth-wall energy that actors love to feed off of. Brian Wendt always seems to have great comic timing in everything he does, and he makes the most of it. Jerry Brucker's dry one-liners as Rabbi Cherry added another layer of comedy that was truly special and had me laughing. God, I love to laugh. I got a kick out of Phuong Tran's Officer Fiddler character. What was that... a Southern accent' It worked for me. Dawn Daignault, Bruce Brown, Carla Hadley, Denise Shelton, and Shelly-Ann White (and her lovely accent) all did beautiful work. I really liked Paula Klein's performance as Holly... kinda grumpy and loud. She doesn't fool around when she belts it out. Scott VanNortwick's high-energy Kenny Nordstrum was fun to watch. Trish Cipoletti as the Uninvited Guest added some wonderfully complex layers to her character... funny, witty, empathetic, insightful, and strangely enthusiastic about fulfilling her one and only purpose in life... and maybe somewhat at a loss as to... what comes next' Happy Holidays to the Crowded Kitchen Players. You're the best on the block.