Amy Tarver - Page 3

Now playing at Way Off Broadway Community Players Theatre, SEND ME NO FLOWERS is the third show in this community theatre's platinum season. Twenty years ago, with the spark of a Library fundraiser in mind, a cast of community players came together in Leander Texas to perform for the betterment of their community. Now celebrating their 20th season, their longevity is an artistic feat their passionate contributors take pride in. SEND ME NO FLOWERS, mostly known for its cinematic success starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson, was first performed on stage in 1960. Writers Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore received modest reviews along with this shows initial 40 performances. Their hilarious story of the Kimball's did not see major success until the cinematic rendition by Julius J Epstein, brought this American comedy to the big screen. George Kimball (locally played by Bill Craig) is the picture of health to anyone you ask, except him. Living day to day as a functioning hypochondriac, George lives happily with his wife Judy Kimball (played by Tracy Cathey) in their quant 1950's neighborhood in Westchester New York. In a scene of happenstance, George overhears his physician speaking about a fatally ill patient, and in this misunderstanding, believes the sick party to be himself. The story of the Kimball's navigating this hilarious premiss continues over three acts, with the choices and stakes trading between Mr. and Mrs. Kimball scene to scene. 

Currently playing at The Austin Playhouse, BLOOMSDAY is story of love oddly intertwined with the James Joyce's novel, Ulysses. Written by the University of Texas Faculty member Steven Dietz, the play's experimental style and arc is reminiscent of Tony Kushner's fabulously entertaining Angels in America. Taking place over the course of 35 years, Robert and Caithleen meet as fleeting youngsters looking for purpose. The purpose of their meeting is that of the title, BLOOMSDAY. For audience members ignorant to the reference, BLOOMSDAY takes place on June 16th as a day of celebration for acclaimed Irish author, James Joyce. It is observed annually in Dublin, where fans and drunkards alike, traditionally dressed in early 1900s garb, march through Dublin following the events and more specifically the scenes of the famous book, Ulysses. The play BLOOMSDAY however, tells the story of young Robbie (played by Aaron Johnson) and Caithleen (played by Claire Grasso) meeting on a tour during the march of Bloomsday. With time itself being the 5th character of the show, Robert (played by Huck Huckaby) scolds his younger self, while Cait (played by Cindy Williams) wrestles with her slipping mind and preparing her younger self for what is to come. The subtle quips and honest reflections from the future selves make for hilarious interactions on stage. Taking place over 35 years, but set within actual two scenes, the arc of the characters and exquisite writing by Steven Dietz, displays a realistic love story forcing introspection.

Back by popular demand, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE sparkles in the quaint performance space of Old Settler's Hall. Festively located next to Round Rock's "Christmas Towne", IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE provides more of an experience than a traditional retelling of everyone's favorite classic Christmas Story. Adapted from the beloved radio play / broadcast, the Penfold Theatre Company has brought this adaptation back to life, with magical elements the whole family will enjoy. Setting the stage in a quiet and whimsical hall, the audience is transported to 1946 as members of KPNF radio station. Back then family members gathered around the hearth to listen to the classic Christmas cast. For those unfamiliar with this sweet story, see George Bailey (played by Penfold Artistic Director Ryan Crowder), a man who, through fateful circumstances, gave up his dreams of traveling the world for the good of the people in his hometown Bedford Falls. A slew of events catapults Bailey onto a bridge contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve. What happens between his birth and George's contemplation of death, are the subject of the plot. This shines a light on the many struggles of humanity and brings into focus the humility the holiday season harkens from an individual.

Presented during The Austin's Opera's 30th anniversary season, THE FLYING DUTCHMAN commands the historic Long Center's stage with a diverse, collective cast and belting operatic sequences. The origins of the story of The Flying Dutchman are rather skewed between timelines. The story first appeared in Travels in various parts Europe, Asia, and Africa in 1790 by John MacDonald, and again when Richard Wagner's operatic rendition came to life in 1843, after being adapted from an episode of Heinrich Heine's satirical novel The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski. More modernly, the story of The Flying Dutchman is told through the highly loved film series, The Pirates of The Carribean. Regardless of the interpretations by creative minds, one fact remains true - The Flying Dutchman refers to a ghostly ship destined to sail the seas for all eternity. Richard Wagner's rendition, sure to please both critics and audiences alike, is bringing this haunted tale to life with the reputation of precision that precedes The Austin Opera.

Currently playing in Lakeway, Texas, Aaron Sorkin's original work A FEW GOOD MEN has been brought to life, as part of at TexARTS Academy's Professional Series. The average person recognizes this title based on its Oscar acclaim as a Best Picture nominee, and infamous line referencing ones inability to handle the truth. But in fact, A FEW GOOD MEN has a more subtle beginning based on a conversation Sorkin had with his sister regarding her time in Cuba, at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Premiering in 1989, and then adapted for screen a few years later, this play highlights an unlikely scenario between young men defending their honor and country while taking a hazing ritual too far. This courtroom drama introduces the audience to the military mindset, through chants and marches, and the responsibility involved with following orders without question. While investigating what seems like a 'cut and dry' case, a high level conspiracy is uncovered with regards to two young marines being charged with murder. As the story unravels, the audience can piece together the timeline and key facts the lawyers are desperately searching for within the case. TexARTs presents this play with high brow sophistication, without alienating members who have not served in the military but might have caught an episode of Law & Order.

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, is a classic staple for modern Theatre enthusiasts. Taking into account the context of the political humor and dark comedy, it is hard to believe this show was first brought to the stage in 1941. A New York Times review of it's opening night stated the play was, 'so funny that none of us will ever forget it.' Best known for it's film of the same decade, this adaptation stars Cary Grant and is directed by the celebrated Frank Capra. After hitting the big screen, this dark comedic farce has been brought to a much wider audience and became a local theatre favorite.

Sky Candy presents AGENT ANDROMEDA: THE ORION CRUSADE, this show is a fantastic out of this world experience currently blasting off at Sky Candy aerial and circus studio in East Austin. Written by Reina Hardy, this vaudevillian style show delights while adding cheeky commentary reminiscent of The Rocky Horror Picture Show set in space. Setting the premise with three young girls enjoying a girl power comic, Agent Andromeda, the show rises into space with a sex positive, racy adventure to find 'The Overflowing Chalice'. Heightening this sexy adventure, director Rudy Ramirez appropriately uses the actors bodies as props in aerial segments that are pure amazement. This aspect of the show takes off with the entry of The Dark Queen (played by Shannon Grounds), who through her folly of racing Agent Andromeda (played by Caroline Poe)  to the overflowing chalice, thoroughly and hysterically abuses her comrades. Love triangles are introduced, sexualities defined and simultaneously questioned.

Now playing in Austin's oldest playhouse, The Scottish Rite Theater, THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR delights theatre goers with its gender-bending cast and lively performance. Austin's Scottish Rite Theater is a most appropriate venue for such a play to be presented, giving the audience a passage through time within the Masonic grand hall adorned with decorative antiques around the house. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, written by none other than William Shakespeare, commands any space with a high level of detail, and Scottish Rite Theater fits the bill.  Given the historic nature of the theater itself, first opening in 1871 as a German Opera house, the play THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR was interestingly first published 269 years prior. The historic location introduces the audience immediately into another age and lends to the other worldly tone of the play's presentation. The experience within this show begins before the lights are up on the stage - a group of 'merry' players entertain the excited audience as they file in to find their seats. A bar, The Garter Inn, has an innkeeper polishing glassware as would any restauranteur on a Sunday afternoon. The mood is set well by The Weird Sisters Women's Theater Collective and when the curtain rises, the audience can disconnect and journey back into 15th century England.

Currently running at the Trinity Street Baptist Church, Last Act Theatre Company, in partnership with Austin Jewish Repertory Theatre, present POSTVILLE, a project sponsored by Austin Creative Alliance. POSTVILLE is a fictional work, based on actual events in the town of Postville, IA written by playwright, Don Fried. The script was adapted from the original book Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America, written by Stephen G. Bloom. Although the events in the story are based in reality, the people, places, and things in the play are indeed fictitious.

The community driven, Vive Les Arts Theatre located in Killeen Texas, brings to life MARY POPPINS, in Vive Les Arts self-proclaimed "huge summer musical". We all know the traditional Mary Poppins story of family, discipline, and chimney sweeps, yet, however familiar this tale is, it's always refreshening to revisit the Banks on Cherry Tree Lane. Beginning with Bert (played by John Asbach), everyone's favorite chimney sweep, setting the scene for Jane (played by Joy Adams) and Michael (played by Jonathan Dominguez), as they adventure with Mary Poppins (played by Heidi Lewis) through the streets of turn of the century England. As two very misbehaved children, their distracted mother Winifred Banks (played by Carlie Jo Hill) can't seem to keep a nanny for longer than a few weeks. Adding insult to injury, George Banks (played by Jeremy Stallings) is a classic distracted father aloof and unconcerned with his family. George places value on his money more than anything, showing the audience that adults have lessons to learn as well. As the winds change, Marry Poppins storms in without notice, and begins teaching the children that, "anything is possible if you let it". The journey continues with moving statues and larger than life set pieces that add a new and different spin to this timeless classic directed by Hayley Dugger. Presented in front of a buzzing community audience, the cast of MARY POPPINS entertained the locals with their adaptation of this joyful musical.

Standing in line at The Vortex to see PRIVACY SETTINGS: A PROMETHEAN TALE was like watching a one-act play in and of itself. Each patron crammed into the hot box office to retrieve tickets, hand over their phone number, and sign an agreement before viewing Heather Garfield's latest conceived work. I watched in surprise as the well-rehearsed box office workers recited, 'Leave your phone on,' and 'If someone calls or texts you, answer it during the show'. Definitely, this was the first time I have ever been told to turn my ringer up during a performance. Challenging the status-quo seemed like the mission, the further I got in line. To my surprise, a woman and her husband actually refused to sign the document and provide their information. Consequently, they left in a huff and I admired the level of commitment this theater has to it's theatrical vision - regardless if it is disagreeable to some patrons. I happily signed, knowing well my status as a Broadway World reviewer would most likely mean my phone number would be selected. Needless to say, within 15 minutes of the show starting, I received a text to stand and read aloud to the audience. It was definitely exciting, and I could see others in the audience checking their phones to see if they also had received covert instructions. This element shows the level of avant-garde theater being produced at The Vortex, even before entering the house.

Trinity Street Players invites audiences to slow down and admire the old west in their latest production, LONE RIDERS, within the quaint blackbox at the First Austin Baptist Church. This original work, written by Carol Wright Krause and directed by Manuel Zarate, hopefully will survive its first workshop unscathed. Traditionally, during workshop productions, the writing and direction are experimental  - meaning quite possibly audiences can only see this original work in its current form once. During this preliminary malleable phase of any show, daring production companies like Trinity Street Players introduce something that literally has never been seen before. This sense of adventure is linked to the spirit and theme of LONE RIDERS. The intimate cast of players and the wonderful guitar stylings of Walker Lyle, take you on their adventure forcing self-reflection of individuals' motives and point of view.

Making it's regional debut in Austin TX, Paradox Players delights Austinites with ONE SLIGHT HITCH. Performed at the quaint and appropriate location of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin at Howson Hall Theater, Bethke Stage, director Matthew Burnett executes this patronizing patriarchy prancing about the stage. Begging the audience to remember what their living room looked like in the 80's -this farce, written by the funny man himself Lewis Black, delivers on comic diversity as it toggles between with laugh out loud jokes and sophisticatedly written puns about the culture and atmosphere surrounding the era of mall-rats. It's the summer of 1981 - and the conservative Colemans, who are naturally from Cincinnati, are preparing for their daughter Courtney's wedding. Conveniently located in their backyard, Delia (played by Mary Kennelly) runs around madly with a clipboard making sure all details have been accounted for and that nothing ruins this very special day! Alas, the doorbell rings and all hell breaks loose. In the Reagan era of a picture-perfect family, when the internet had not yet given us knowledge of just about everything, we watch as the day unravels into the unexpected comedy Lewis Black intended.

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts Department of Theatre presents DEAD MAN WALKING at the creative theatre in the round stage known as Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones Theater. Located in the heart of Georgetown, Texas and more specifically, Southwestern University, director Kathleen Juhl gathers students to tell a tale of a very unlikable young man watching the clock of his life run out. Set in 1970's Louisiana, the audience is transported through the stories of intolerance rather than scenery. Opening with a bare stage, some chairs, and a simple platform, the play begins with Sister Helen Prejean (played my Ally Oliphint) curious and nonjudgemental about her questionable surroundings in "the projects". Soon, she is asked by a local priest to visit a man on death row, and with some hesitation, she goes against the advice of her peers and ventures to the prison. With the bars and jail represented through creative cross lighting and distance, Matthew Poncelet (played by Dillon Betros) awaits, like a lion waiting for prey. The young man facing the last week of his life comes alive in his berating and tempting of Sister Prejean to abandon him through his brutish and ignorant dialogue. This stands in contrast with Sister Prejean's attempts to  humanize a convicted murderer and rapist, as she is on a mission of religious guidance and tolerance, and not wanting to pass judgement.

DURANG DURANG, written by the historical theatre writer/director/actor Christopher Durang, is a farce presented by Oh Dragon Theatre Company. Directed by Dillon Yruegas, presents a creatively staged and lively cast of players to a curious group of onlookers trying to piece together what the collection of stories and scenes mean. True to the theatre company's message of "creating authentic performance in both new and classic works…", DURANG DURANG does not disappoint. The writing style of Christopher Durang is a key element in bringing his plays to life, specifically within the genre of comedy. In the unconventional type of story telling that theater-goers expect from Mr. Durang, this show uses a collection of explosive parody and entertaining scenes, which are presented through farce and energetic execution by the cast. The scenes consist of 6 short one-acts presented with the solid 7 players. They represent unapologetic theatrical references that theatre fans will enjoy - understanding the punchline to the inside jokes. The endearing and exasperating scenes help some members shine and leave others trying to stay afloat. This cheerfully profane and crass comedy will confuse and excite the audience members trying to make sense of the farce.

LIVING ON THE HYPHEN, the creative brain-child of Leng Wong and Anu Naimpally, danced, sang and acted it's way into the prestigious Rollins Theater at The Long Center of the Performing Arts last weekend. This piece of experimental theatre presented hard-hitting questions about our cultural differences and the mysterious 'no man's land' of "Hyphen". Hyphen quite literally means: a punctuation mark - one used especially to divide or to compound words, word elements, or numbers. Director Leng Wong said it best, "Using the vehicle of humor and various performance art forms, I want to illuminate our commonality of being different". This difference more specifically are the words divided by a single hyphen.The opposite of "hyphen-less" or being without hyphen is slightly touched upon, but the biggest element in Wong's and Naimpally's work is the interpretation of how culturally a "hyphen" separates us, divides us and defines us. Following Leng Wong's toothbrush lady through hyphen land, we meet other characters, with or without hyphens telling their story of the experiences their hyphen has bestowed upon them. Faces change, locations change but the overall theme of the characters straddling cultural identities and the weight of their hyphen, leaves the audience wondering how to cope with these realities. Having been written and performed by the ensemble, the storyline presented many questions for the audience regarding each character. While many questions are raised, only a few were actually answered regarding the players and the biggest being left to the audience: "What is my hyphen?".

The Palace's full time technical director, Ron Watson, directs the musical TARZAN, which can easily be described as technical theatre at its best. The multi-leveled stage, with its large moving set pieces and high platforms brings the audience into the jungle with the gorillas and their unexpected friends. The attention to detail is exemplified by the set design not only on the stage, but through its extension into the theater itself. The rafters are lined with vines and a creative zip-line allows actors to amaze and shock the audience while swinging the length of the theater above viewers.

Traveling back to 1942, with the world at war and every man and woman yearning to get into the fray, INGA BINGA highlights the J Edgar Hoover era of espionage. Frank Benge reliably directs this devious comedy in its regional debut, showcasing the original play by Julian Wiles. Taking place in an art-deco hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, we find Ensign Jack Kennedy (played by Justin West), planning a romantic and secretive weekend with the rumored Nazi supporter, Inga Arvad (played by Courtney Abud). In true Hoover fashion, the file on this affair is opened with Special Agent-in-Charge (played by Gene Storie) and Skip (played by Michael Rodriguez) an overzealous 'virgin agent' trying to make a name for himself at the Bureau. After bugging the entire room, and then hiding behind a swinging wall, complete with one-way mirror, the G Men set the historical stage for romance, intrigue, and full-frontal farce.

Given the politically correct societal norms of the current day, it is refreshing to see Tom Griffin's THE BOYS NEXT DOOR come to life. Making their directorial debut during The City Theatre's 10th anniversary season, co-directors Lacey Cannon Gonzales and husband Carl Gonzales capture the highs and lows experienced by a collection of lively characters with intellectual disabilities. The love between this group of misfits is unseen by most audiences. With the honesty presented regarding the character's disabilities, one could potentially feel uncomfortable. No such feeling is present during this rendition. The care and love the company took in presenting this piece in a raw and honest way was highly impressive. By allowing us to peek into the lives of Arnold (Heath Thompson), Norman (R. Michael Clinkscales), Lucien (McArthur Moore) and Barry (Tony Salinas), the characters impediments bring a roller coaster of heart-warming laughter and heart-breaking sighs, letting you laugh without guilt, and cry without pity.