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Gregory Maheu, the "guy" and the ensemble of Once at Olney Theatre Center/Photo: Stan Barouh You can hear the music from the pictures.
It's a wonderful night (or day) at the theatre. They sing! They dance! They act! They play!
You like music? You're gonna love Once at the Olney Theatre Center and its common language which speaks throughout the world.
Malinda Kathleen Reese is "Girl" and Gregory Maheu is "Guy" in Once at Olney Theatre Center/Photo: Stan Barouh
The
music starts before you enter the theatre when the troupe's music rings out in the entrance hall to welcome you and tease with the promise of a good time ahead.
How can things go wrong with such a dandy beginning? What's a play, a novel, life, without a bit of contrast, some problems? It's all about ups and downs and taking advantage of every single day.
And isn't that what entertainment is all about?
John Sygar (Andrej), Carlos Castillo (Svec), Daven Ralston (Reza), Malinda Kathleen Reese (Girl), Somaya Litmon (Ivanka), and Emily Mikesell (Baruska) in Once at Olney Theatre Center/Photo: Stan Barouh
A "Guy" (Gregory Maheu) is down in the dumps in Dublin (or any city) suffering ill effects of unrequited love when suddenly (you never know what the day is going to bring), a "Girl" (Malina Kathleen Reese) appears. She tries to drag him out of his slump from the dump in Dublin, and there they go!
A woman rescues the man! (That they have no names means they are everybody.)
Mr. Maheu plays the guitar and Ms. Reese, the piano, and, like the rest of the cast, they sing and dance practically non-stop.
They've got talent!
Billy (Dave Stishan), one of my favorites who plays four instruments, is the virile shop owner, the "he-man" who takes guff from no one, including Guy who is a competitor for Girl, but she has no time for aggressors like Billy.
In
a post-show exchange with members of the audience, Baruška (Emily Mikesell) said one of the hardest demands on the actors is to sing while making music (she plays violin, ukulele, and accordion, but not at
the same time), but the cast succeeds in making it look so easy.
An actor's
skill, no?
At the audience session, actors credited voice and dialect coach Lynn Watson for their convincing Irish speech.
First a movie, then a play, Once's "Falling Shortly" received the 2007 Oscar for Best Original Song, and five years later, the production won eight Tonys.
This band of strolling musicians play banjos, accordion, piano, guitars, mandolins, electric bass, violins, cello, papoose (?), bodhran (?), ukulele, tambourine, melodica (?), castanets (?), and cajón (the instrument from Peru which looks like a box, acts like a box and sounds like a box when hit by fingers, hands and sticks).
Except for the children, every actor plays at least one instrument in the show, and "Svec" (Carlos Castillo) plays six, and "Andrej" (John Sygar, the dance captain), five. (My notes say: "Buy the soundtrack" which is rarely found among my pages.)
As it should be, the set by Michael Schweikardt is simple and uncomplicated with colorful pieces of lumber hanging at angles for backdrop.
The musicians sit in the shadows in a semi-circle while actors talk. Scenes change quickly with movements of the piano, a chair or two, a cajón.
Costumer Frank Labovitz looks like he pulled every outfit straight from heaps of dirty clothes lying in millennials' bedrooms. It's the times!
Some of the memorable lines from the show: "This day has such promise. Every day has promise!" "Life is good." "Wasting life because you are frightened of it is terrible!" "Those who live in fear die miserably in their graves." (Yogi Berra's name is missing from the credits.)
Congrats to Olney's music director, Christopher Youstra (four instruments) who acts as emcee in the show.
Other members of the cast are Katie Chambers, Nick DePinto, Craig MacDonald, and Brian Reisman. Daven Ralston is Reza, a "hot mama."
At alternate performances, Kyleigh Fuller and Somaya Litmon share the daughter role. Swings are Linda Bard and Ian Geers.
It is astonishing that one person, Marcia Milgrom Dodge, directed and choreographed the show.
No wonder Once been extended. A great way to celebrate St. Paddy's Day!
Other members of the creative team are Colin K. Bills, lighting; Matt Rowe, sound; Karen Currie, production stage manager; and Josiane Jones, director of production.
Music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglova. Based on the movie by John Carney.
What: Once by Enda Walsh
Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832.
When: Extended through St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2019, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and a sign interpreted performance Thursday, February 28 at 8 p.m.
Tickets: Begin at $42 with discounts for groups, seniors, military, and students
Ages: Olney rates Once as "R," appropriate for those age 16 and above. Adult language.
"Afterwords": After the matinees on March 2 and March 9
Duration: About two hours with one 15 minute intermission
Refreshments: Available and may be taken to seats
Parking: Free and plentiful on-site
For more information: 301-924-3400 for the box office or 301-924-4485.
patricialesli@gmail.com
The cast of Godspell, now on stage at the Olney Theatre Center/Photo by Stan Barouh
It's witty, provoking, packed with action and contemporary culture, and you don't even have to be Christian.
Or religious.
All that's required is that you "be."
Who can't benefit from a lively musical which reminds us all to be kind to one another, to treat others as you like to be treated, to withhold those rocks, we are all sinners, all Jesus' teachings in song and dance?
It's Godspell now on stage at the Olney Theatre Center where it's possible to have a good time with the Bible.
Huh?
Is anyone surprised that the run has been extended through March 8? (This just in: And extended again! Thru March 15.)
Nope.
Godspell first opened on Broadway in May 1971, following Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, all three sharing some of the same characteristics.
At the Olney, the acting, set, costuming, and music all come together notably, but it's the script which stars.
Nova Y. Payton and the cast of Godspell, now on stage at the Olney Theatre Center/Photo by Stan Barouh
A slow start of a few short minutes and Nova Y. Payton's striking voice opens entrances for the ensemble whose members gradually drift onto stage while speaking in different tongues a la the Tower of Babel. From there the production launches, and there's no holding back, as Jesus' life and teachings soon take center stage with Jordan Coughtry as "the man" with his ageless messages.
Ivania Stack dresses him from head to toe in neutral beige, a great contrast with the pop apparel of the other performers in colorful 60s hippies garb. ("Beige" as a standout color? With lights and Stack's design, it works.)
That there are only ten members of the healthy ensemble is surprising, for visually and audibly, the effect seems to be many more.
The singing is best in groups or duets, but the voices of Payton and Rachel Zampelli (who plays both Judas and John) are the finest.
The cast of Godspell, now on stage at the Olney Theatre Center/Photo by Stan Barouh
Except for casual variations, Paige Hathaway's set doesn't change much from its opening scene, but it's not necessary since the action is so fast-paced and leaves little time to study what's on stage anyway. (The side of a deserted western highway, complete with electrical poles (good for climbing and singing), old tires (good for making walls), and a red truck which ambles out and becomes useful in many scenes.)
Will Pickens does a nice job with sound design with unseen rumbling trucks and vehicles speeding by on the highway to get things rolling, and an invisible helicopter with murmuring blades, whose purpose I am still uncertain, unless it was law enforcement on the prowl.
Audience participation is always fun, and the older vested man in the front row (surely a mathematician) who was pulled up to join the cast, handled his new role with flair, without hesitation or doubt, moving in time with the music and his partner up close and personal, to the delight of the audience.
It was great to see members of the electric orchestra, usually hidden in the pit. Under the superb direction of Christopher Youstra, the musicians remained on stage for the entire performance, elevated to an unobtrusive platform on high which served as a perch for the actors in various scenes. The orchestra's costuming (Hawaiian shirts, hats) was right in keeping with the actors'.
"Who am I?" and "Where am I going?" At the Olney, Jesus can show you the way.
Helen Hayes nominations are in order:
Lighting: Sonya Dowhaluk
Choreography: Bryan Knowlton
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical: Jordan Coughtry
Outstanding Director of a Musical: Jason King Jones
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Other ensemble actors: Kurt Boehm, Maggie Donnelly, Michael J. Mainwaring, Calvin McCullough, Christopher Mueller, Allie Parris, and Emily Zickler.
Other key crew members: Trevor A. Riley and Dennis A. Blackledge
Orchestra and additional vocalists: Danny Espy, Kim Spath, Rob Mueller, Yussef Chisholm, and Alex Aucain
What: Godspell conceived and originally directed by John-Michael Tebelak with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (from Wicked, Pippin, and Enchanted) and based on the Gospel according to Matthew.
When: Now through March 15, 2015 with evening shows at 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. weekend matinees.
Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832
How much: Tickets start at $38, with discounts for military, groups, seniors, and students. Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Duration: 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.
Refreshments: Available for purchase and may be taken to seats.
Parking: Abundant, free, and on-site
For more information: 301-924-3400
For more reviews of Godspell and other plays on stage in the Washington, D.C. area, go to DC Metro Theater Arts.
patricialesli@gmail.com
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