Come to the Blue Hills…
“The Morningtime of Now” is based on the diary of Opal Whitely, an American nature writer whose childhood journals were first published in 1920. The journals were a huge sensation, using Opal’s deep connection to nature to bring her stories to life.
Doug Roysdon’s “The Morningtime of Now” is a vibrant and inventive display of modern American poetry. Using only two musicians and four puppeteers, Royston brings to life the stories told by Opal Whitely through songs and vignettes.
The show opens with a haunting violin, played by Jay Ansill. For just a few moments, violin music fills the venue, preparing the audience for the experience to come.
A minute later, Anne Hills’s guitar and voice add to the violin, creating the most perfect, folksy setting for our story.
Beautiful figures draped in white, flowing costumes adorned the stage as the music continues. They take on the roles of each of the unique puppets.
From horses to young girls, each puppet immediately springs to life.
And so begin the stories of Opal Whitely. Each is told with her exact words as the puppets make the stories come alive. She tells of her horse, William Shakespeare, and her blind childhood friend. The audience watches as the puppets hang from trees, read from books, and comfort a dying friend.
Between (and sometimes during) each story, Anne Hills’s singing and guitar playing accompany the puppets. She creates a wonderful story of her own, adding to Opal’s while giving it a personal, real-life touch.
Hills’s singing and Ansill’s playing are the thread that held each story together, offering a beautifully cohesive storyline for the audience to follow. Each song uses Opal’s original words, but offers a feeling and tone that draw the audience into each scene.
Michael Smith’s beautifully written music gives true life to Opal’s original words. The tunes are each perfectly suited to the stories they accompany, moving throughout the show seamlessly.
Kayla Prestel’s mastery over the wooden puppet of our main character, Opal Whitely, helps bring every story to the 21st Century.
Mallory deForest, Jordan Orth, and Catherine Restivo fill the roles of the other puppets, scenery, and props throughout the show. Their singing, acting, and mastery of the different puppets add a warmth to each scene.
Each participant in the show is equally invested in the performance, clearly giving to the show as much of themselves as they can.
The set is created by the actors as they hold up various pieces of scenery. Each character has unique nuances to set it apart from its predecessors.
This story is warm, inviting, fascinating, and perfect for all ages. The music is haunting and almost mesmerizing, allowing the audience to travel far from their seats into the diary of Opal Whitely.
I’d highly recommend this show for both young and old. Running at just about an hour, the length is perfect for young minds.
It’s easy to see that each participant is doing their best to create a world for the audience to step into, and once inside it’s easy to lose oneself in the magic.
Come and watch the Cloud Ships with the rest of the characters; you don’t want to miss it!
'The Morningtime of Now' runs through May 26, 2014 at The Charles Brown Ice House on Sand Island, Bethlehem, PA.
For more information, please call 610.867.8208, or visit at www.mockturtle.org.