Teenage wow 'Wolves' star in Herndon

The cast from The Wolves get in their exercises at NextStop Theatre/Photo by Lock and Company


NextStop Theatre in Herndon has done what no other theatre has done, at least as far as the director Kathryn Chase Bryer knows.  It's put on a show with teenage talent only (and one brief mom).

A magnificent glimpse into the world of teenage girl talk and it's not all about boys.  Very little of it, which surprised me since that's all we talked about in another era, another time when girls were not quite on par with boys, but now... 

Who needs crutches when we can stand on our own legs?  We are The Wolves!

That's the name of the indoor soccer team of nine teen players who exercise, practice and banter about world events (!), Khmer Rouge (!), Cambodia (!), Harry Potter, each other (when the subject is out of earshot, natch), their drunken coach, abortion, society, the future, and what else? 

One has foot-in-mouth disease and makes laughter, but they all work seriously on their simultaneous floor exercises, and they practice kicking the ball (ensuring no member of the audience is tapped). 

Teammates look up in the stands for their coach and in the distance, #46 (Vivian Lemons, Oakton High School) spies a turfed titmouse.  She's the optimist in the pack, who's been isolated from the rest of 'em, home-schooled that she was, and unschooled in the negative, suspicious ways of some of her teammates.

The language is real which means adult, with F bombs and other bad words dropping every few seconds, but that's a warning ticket holders receive at the entrance to the theatre with the notice, too, that some of the content is loud, very loud.

Jordan Hundley, left, and Caroline Coleman go at it in The Wolves at NextStop Theatre/Photo by Lock and Company

The frequent ear-splitting screams by team captain, #25 (Caroline Coleman from Urbana HS) gives one pause to wonder how she has any voice left for the next show.

The acting is light years beyond expectations of high school students, many making their professional debuts, and Ms. Bryer is to be congratulated for exacting exceptional executions from the den. 

Each player is essential with commentary for the mix, including the quiet one, the goalie, #00 (Dominique Kalunga, South Lakes HS) who, after a dream, finds confidence and her voice in the second act.
  
At the beginning of the show, the girls do talk at the same time, and following one of those conversations is impossible until reality brightens understanding that this first burst is short-term and just an introduction to the fast-paced drama which lies ahead.

Costumers Kristina Martin and Marilyn Lopes dress the girls in matching royal blue uniforms with socks to match, and sound man Reid May plays the perfect hip tunes between scenes. 

Men don't play much of a role here.  Nor do mothers.  Girls just want to have fun and meaning.  They have their whole lives in front of them and can howl from any hilltop they choose.

YOLO!

The remaining team members (and schools they attend) are Jordan Hundley (Chantilly), Teryn Cuozzo (Tuscarora), Jordan James (Robinson), Makayla Collins (Annandale), Maya Tischler (Oakton), Rachel Lipetz (Marshall) and understudies:  Ella Stamerra (Woodson), Naomi Bertha (J.E.B. Stuart), and  Kylie Miller (Metropolitan School of the Arts).  One adult, a mom: Vanessa Lock Gelinas.

Other creative crew members are Jonathan Dahm Robertson, scenic designer and Madeline McGrath, painter;  Sarah Tundermann, lighting; Alex Wade, properties; Sarah Usary, stage manager; Laura Moody, assistant stage manager; Jonathan Abolins, electrician, Lisa Hamilton, soccer consultant, and Hilary Joel, movement coach. Evan Hoffman is NextStop's producing artistic director.

What: The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe (her first play which was a 2017 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)

When: Through February 24, 2019 on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and one Thursday show on February 21 at 8 p.m. 

Where: NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 in the back right corner of Sunset Business Park, near the intersection of Spring Street/Sunset Hills Road. Right off the Fairfax County Parkway. A wee big hard to find on a first visit, so allow an extra 15 minutes. The program notes that GPS map systems often give incorrect driving directions once inside the Sunset Business Park. From the "Taste of the World" restaurant, circle counter-clockwise around the building and look for maroon awning. Lots of great restaurants nearby.

Free parking: Available near the door.

Admission: General admission tickets start at $35 with "flexible pricing." (Demand increases prices.) Buy online or through the box office at 866-811-4111.

Duration: About 90 minutes without intermission

Rating: Adult language

For more information: 703-481-5930 or info@nextstoptheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com

Herndon's play within a play is '[title of show]'

From left: Bobby Libby, Jennifer Redford, John Loughney, and Katie McManus in NextStop Theatre Company's [title of show]/Photo by Lock and Company


What is the title of this musical?  That's just it: The writers never could find the right one so they settled on [title of show] which is, in a word, "quirky."

In Herndon last weekend,  NextStop Theatre Company's artistic director, Evan Hoffman, introduced the show to the almost sold-out crowd with "We've gone out and hired the best actors" and let'em rip!  As in, no director to tell them what and how to act, where to stand or jump, but the actors ("real-life friends,"  according to Mr. Hoffman's program note) got free rein to work it out themselves, and they did, being experienced and savvy in all things theatre.  They had freedom!

The story is based on true events when two gay guys (Bobby Libby and John Loughney as Jeff and Hunter) start discussion about writing a play for a festival competition. They are soon joined in the venture by two women friends (Katie McManus and Jennifer Redford as Heidi and Susan) but, wait!  They have only three weeks to submit, and as any writer can tell you, the hardest part is the beginning. 

Just get something on paper, will ya?

On a stark set with four mismatched chairs, the foursome set out to work.  They write, they compose, they fight, and refresh, argue, and make it to the finish line, all the while playing musical chairs which they move about to the critically important notes sounded by the electric keyboardist, Elisa Rosman.

The best songs in the non-stop musical presentation are, of course, the harmonies sung in duets and quartets.

On the darkened stage, lighting designer Lynn Joslin successfully aims the spotlight in rapid-fire motion on the speaker, precisely as actors talk in a telephone dialogue.

Mr. Hoffman succeeds as sound designer (in a triple role as producer) with cameras clicking for a photo shoot and phones ringing with many messages.  

It's theatre for theatre with appeal and recognition by performers, crews, writers, producers, directors, and artists.  

Since it's a contemporary show, the costumes and language are adult contemporary, too.


Other members of [title]'s creative team are John J.C. Cincioni, Jr. and Kristin Hessenauer, properties; Nicholas J. Goodman, stage manager; Vanessa Arvidson, assistant stage manager, and Jonathan Abolins, master electrician. 

What: [title of show] with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen. Book by Hunter Bell

When: Thursday (Jan. 17 and 24), Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., Sundays, at 7 p.m., Saturday (Jan. 12 and 26) and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through January 27, 2019 at 2 p.m.

Where: NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 in the back right corner of Sunset Business Park, near the intersection of Spring Street/Sunset Hills Road. Right off the Fairfax County Parkway. A wee big hard to find on a first visit, so allow an extra 15 minutes. The program notes that GPS map systems often give incorrect driving directions once inside the Sunset Business Park. From the "Taste of the World" restaurant, circle counter-clockwise around the building and look for maroon awning. Lots of great restaurants nearby.

Free parking: Available near the door.

Admission: General admission tickets start at $40. Box office: 866-811-4111

Duration: About 90 minutes without intermission

Rating: Adult themes

For more information: 703-481-5930 or info@nextstoptheatre.org
 
patricialesli@gmail.com
 
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You don't have to be Jewish to love Herndon's 'Bad Jews'

The cast in NextStop Theatre's, Bad Jews, from left, Noah Schaefer, Elizabeth Kate Vinarski, Sophie Schulman, and Vitaly Mayes/Photo, Lock and Company

I loved these Bad Jews, and at the end, the single word which popped into my mind as emotions swept me, was "powerful" which was the word a woman two seats away said out loud.

If two of us think so, it's got to be.

Three cousins meet in New York after their grandfather's death to try and sort things out.

In one corner of the boxing ring stands Daphna (Sophie Schulman), the wicked witch of the show whose mouth runs negative non-stop, and on the other side is Cousin Liam (Noah Schaefer), equally as domineering and loudmouthed, although kinder and gentler, qualities which Daphna has no knowledge nor possession. 

To convey some idea of the power of the script and director's Cristina Alicea's skill with Ms. Schulman, it takes just a short while for the audience to develop intense dislike of Daphna and increasing astonishment over her choice of words.

What happened to her?  Was she ever loved by anyone?  Has she ever loved? Liam wants to know.

Just like a dog (but not a Golden Retriever), Daphna constantly grooms her hair all over the place, spinning her web and taking ownership.  Liam complains.

Where is the vacuum? And the civility?

Liam's discourse is spellbinding, such that I hoped his head's protruding blood vessels did not explode when he did.

Adding balance and levity to the scenery are Liam's brother, Jonah (Vitaly Mayes), and Liam's girlfriend, Melody (Elizabeth Kate Vinarski) who is as pretty as her name implies, with all the freshness and innocence of a blooming yellow rose, in contrast to a suffocating insecticide.  (Kind of like the Good Witch and the Bad Witch in the Wizard of Oz, or Melanie and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, although Scarlett to Daphna is baking soda to cayenne pepper.)

Bad Jews takes place in a contemporary studio apartment right on Riverside Drive which overlooks the Hudson, with stylish kitchen, entryway, living area, and ceiling and hallway lighting to easily divide transitions and script. (Kudos to scenic designer Jack Golden and lighting designer Sarah Tundermann.)

Costume designer Kristina Martin dresses Daphna all in black, of course (at least, to start the fireworks which glow better in the night) which match Daphna's hair color.

Since many of the lines seem to be lifted from our national dialogue and chieftain, I imagined that playwright Joshua Harmon wrote it within the last year, however, it opened off-Broadway in 2012, and he wrote it the year before.     

The dark comedy is filled with messages which hit us in the gut and remind us what it's all about.
I imagine many of us have a Daphna in our midst, or a variation of her (why is it always the woman?) which made me happy at the end, knowing my family is not quite as bad as Liam and Daphna's. We mostly treat each other with respect because, like my mother used to say:  If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all.

This NextStop Theatre production continues to strengthen Herndon's growing reputation as a suburban center for professional theatre in Washington.

Other Bad Jews crew members are: Caitlin M. Caplinger, assistant director; Jonathan Powers, sound designer and composer; Laura M. Moody, stage manager;
Kristen Hunter Fitzgerald, assistant stage manager; Sarah Kamins, properties designer; Casey Kaleba, fight choreographer; and master electricians,
Jonathan Abolins and Maeve Nash 

What: Bad Jews

When: Thursday through Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through June 17, 2018. A Saturday  matinee will be presented at 2 p.m., June 9.

Where: NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 in the back right corner of Sunset Business Park, near the intersection of Spring Street/Sunset Hills Road. Right off the Fairfax County Parkway. A wee big hard to find on a first visit, so allow an extra 15 minutes. The program notes that GPS map systems often give incorrect driving directions once inside the Sunset Business Park. From the "Taste of the World" restaurant, circle counter-clockwise around the building and look for maroon awning.
 
Free parking: Available near the door.

Admission: Tickets are $35.

Duration: About 90 minutes without intermission
 
Language rating:  X, like Samantha Bee's and plenty of it

Sex and skin:   None

For more information: 703-481-5930 info@nextstoptheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com

Herndon's 'Godspell' is next stop for theater fans

Alan Naylor (center) is Jesus in Godspell at NextStop Theatre/Photo by Lock & Company


Godspell is so good that on his show last Thursday night, Stephen Colbert carried around a Barbie doll who was wearing a Godspell t-shirt!  

Talk about great press!  

The performance in Herndon at the NextStop Theatre Company is like watching a party of Jesus freak college kids dance and sing non-stop while they present his parables in high kickin' fashion.

The cast's chemistry and enthusiasm can't help but infuse audience members with a good dose of the power of the message and reminders to "let the one of you who is faultless cast the first stone" and "no man can serve two masters—God and money," and the most important:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind

and

Love your neighbor as yourself.

You don't have to be Christian. 

It all started in 1970 with a master's thesis by John-Michael Tebelak at Carnegie Mellon University who wrote the script, and Stephen Schwartz, another Carnegie Mellon alumnus, who was hired by producers the next year to compose music and lyrics when the show moved to off-Broadway.

Mr. Schwartz based many of the songs on selections from the Episcopal Hymnal, like "Save the People," "Bless the Lord," "All Good Gifts," "Turn Back, O Man," "We Beseech Thee," and the most popular, "Day by Day."  

Most of the parables are from the Gospel of Matthew.

Alan Naylor is "Jesus," and he authentically looks the part  and has no trouble convincing anyone on stage or in the audience that he's the man to follow. 

The production opens on the interior of a modern day, used furniture, locally owned coffee bar (you've been there), this one aptly named the "Holy Grounds Café," found in Everywhere, USA, and occupied by solo guests attached to their devices, all heads down, please.

(On the backdrops projectionist Sean Cox casts their words  to insure their non-privacy.)

Jack Golden has created a single effective set whose actors deftly move furniture pieces to side shows, their actions almost undetected until the lights (by Brittany Shemuga) shine on the next artists who let loose in melody.

With plenty to fill eyes and ears, the audience is never left yearning for more.

That the director, Lorraine Magee, is also the choreographer demands considerable acclaim since constant dancing and action pack the production, quite a role.

Jennifer Lambert is a member of the ensemble in Godspell at NextStop Theatre/Photo by Lock & Company

The delightful ensemble is essentially nameless but Jennifer Lambert as the sexy "come here, Sugar Boy" tease is memorable, and the baseball player (A.J. Whittenberger) wearing a Washington Senators uniform (he said at the play's end) makes him easy to pick out. 

Costumer Maria V. Bissex fits everyone in varied and typical millennial styles.

Willing audience participation is invited to play "Charades." 

Elisa Rosman on keys directs the hidden six-piece orchestra who add depth and enjoyment although the musicians occasionally eclipse some of the soloists.

Everyone has a good time, and the show's infectiousness quickly transmits to the audience who gradually realize that despite the mostly merry mood prevailing, the Last Supper and the crucifixion loom.

The scene in Godspell reminded me of Salvador Dali's The Sacrament of the Last Supper, 1955, on view in the West Building at the National Gallery of Art

At the closing a member of the audience was overheard to say: "This is great timing for Easter" which is the last day for the show (April 1).

Stadium seating means there is not a blocked view in the house.

The ensemble includes Angeleaza Anderson, Philip da Costa, Javier del Pilar, Tess Higgins, Bobby Libby, Jolene Vettese, and Chani Wereley.

Other creative team members are Neil McFadden, sound; Rebecca Talisman, stage manager; and Colleen O'Brien, assistant stage manager and properties.

What: Godspell

When: Thursday through Saturday nights at 8 p.m., Sundays, 7 p.m., and weekend matinees at 2 p.m., through Easter, April 1, 2018.

Where: NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 in the back right corner of Sunset Business Park, near the intersection of Spring Street/Sunset Hills Road. Right off the Fairfax County Parkway. A wee big hard to find on a first visit, so allow an extra 15 minutes.  The program notes that GPS map systems often give incorrect driving directions once inside the Sunset Business Park. From the "Taste of the World" restaurant, circle counter-clockwise around the building and look for maroon awning.

Free parking: Available near the door.

Admission: Tickets start at $35 with dynamic pricing which fluctuates with demand. Groups of eight or more get a 20% discount, and student rush seats, if available, sell for $5.  See FAQ or call 866-811-4111 to purchase, however, online ordering is recommended.

Duration: Under two hours with one intermission.

Rating: G without any adult language although the crucifixion ending may be too intense for young guests .

For more information: 703-481-5930 or info@nextstoptheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com