Tag Archives: Holiday

December 12, 2011 · 3:15 PM

Theater Review: Panto Draws Laughs

Panto at Circle Theater Draws Laughs From Young, Adult Audience

by Peter Simek
December 12th, 2011 9:18am

Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks have built reputations of late by wowing the youngins with candy-colored spectacle while tickling adults with inside jokes and pop culture references. A much, much older iteration of this kind of humor is British Panto, which includes singing, horseplay, slapstick, dancing, and audience participation that draw on well-known folktales. Theaters typically perform these plays around Christmas for families, so it is entirely appropriate that Circle Theater offers Randy Sharp and Axis Company’s Seven in One Blow or The Brave Little Kid during the holidays, even though the subject matter does not directly relate.

Robin Armstrong (Becky’s New Car and Boeing-Boeing) directs her third show in Circle Theatre’s 30th Anniversary Season with a delicious sense for the form’s madcap spirit. The off-kilter fairytale story (an updated version of the German folktale The Valiant Little Tailor, collected by the Brothers Grimm) begins with Frankie and Mack (Eric Dobbins and Shane Strawbridge), a pair of Flatbush-sounding street folk who weave a fanciful tale to stave off their hunger and cold. A city child, The Kid (Mikaela Krantz), kills seven flies in one swat and celebrates the auspicious event with a wrestler-style belt that reads, “Seven in One Blow.” The fact that The Kid does not specify “flies” on the belt leads to hilarious assumptions by others.

The Kid journeys about Clare Floyd DeVries’ clever set of back alley bricks and graffiti meeting a variety of interesting characters. There is The Ogre (a towering Jim Johnson), The Witch (a striking Sherry Hopkins), December (a funky Michael James), a princess (Hannah McKinney), and a pea (Amy Elizabeth Jones) to name a few. Krantz (Talking Pictures and Jeeves in the Morning both at Stage West) as The Kid pulls plenty of big-eyed faces with a slightly curious, sing-songy stoner dialect, but she has an incredibly sweet singing voice and a lovable personality that are perfect for this show.

Kevin Scott Keating as The QK, a king with a hand puppet, provides some colorful wackiness. Jones’ A Pea is delightful and cute with her PSA type song about how we should all love peas. Brad Stephens (Much Ado About Nothing at Stolen Shakespeare Guild) as The Scarlet Pimpernel is “more than just an 18th century story.” McKinney as the “irritating” Princess Fartina plays a spoiled brat with wonderful, over-the-top skill.

Strawbridge is the real star of the show here, though. There is seemingly nothing this man cannot do, from ushering the audience into the theater in character, singing, performing sound effects, dancing, telling stories, connecting with the kids in the audience, to writing additional music and lyrics for the play. Bravo, sir!

Dance choreography by Sherry Hopkins is a hit, especially the Ogre’s “dance break” and the company finale. Armstrong’s campy costumes of tights, Chuck Taylors, and white Nehru jackets are awesome. Lighting and sound by John Leach and David H.M. Lambert add to the fairytale nature and ingenious effects of the show.

SEVEN IN ONE BLOW or The BRAVE LITTLE KID runs through December 17, 2011 at Circle Theatre, 230 West Fourth St., Fort Worth, TX 76102 in Sundance Square.  Call the box office at 817-877-3040 to reserve tickets or visit www.circletheatre.com.

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December 6, 2011 · 5:30 PM

The Column Reviews SEVEN IN ONE BLOW

SEVEN IN ONE BLOW or THE BRAVE LITTLE KID
by Randy Sharp & Axis Company

Reviewed Performance 11/19/2011

by Danny Macchietto, Associate Critic for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

I took my almost 12 year old nephew, Douglas, to the official opening night of Seven in One Blow or The Brave Little Kid. Douglas is one of my back-up critics that I rely on for children’s plays in the event that I discover that I’m out of touch with the “common kid”. Despite the fact that Douglas is at the age where he is capable of acting like he doesn’t care about anything or much at all, he loved the show. It was easy to see why as this show did not touch my inner-child; it touched my outer and existing adult, instead.

Circle Theatre’s production of Seven in One Blow is an enchanting, rollicking, and joyously hip alternative to DFW’s holiday themed theatre-going season already underway. The nimble actors of a well-rounded ensemble are impeccably cast by director Robin Armstrong, creating an experience that all members of the family will enjoy.

The story follows a “Kid” who is adorned with a gold belt buckle that marks the Kid’s accomplishment of swatting seven flies “? in one blow”. The Kid travels freely amongst the discovery of characters that have popped out of Brothers Grimm fairytales, both faithful and irreverent, as an Ogre, a Princess, and other literary characters such as the Scarlett Pimpernel. Each character The Kid encounters interprets the buckle as something heroic, so gallant challenges are dared upon to the young kid.

This voyage is told through the storytelling device of the theatrical art form called the “panto”, Great Britain’s version of the pantomime, only it is the exact opposite of silence and performed with a heavy flourish of Commedia del’ Arte. In a panto the audience is relied upon frequently to be a willing participant in the story.

The high audience participation factor can be disastrous for any theatre company as there is an easy temptation for actors of a children’s play to overcompensate with their energy level. That is simply not the case here as each of the performers uses a deft hand when transitioning from scene work to audience interaction within seconds. There’s no stitching to be seen as it all feels very organic, and through it all the material never plays down or condescends to its core audience. Much of the credit for this belongs to Shane Strawbridge and Eric Dobbins who play Frankie and Mack, two bumbling, homeless guys who open the show and immediately put the audience to work as Mack tells Frankie of this wonderful adventure.

The production is not a musical, yet there are musical numbers in it; in fact, only three numbers are written for the show, but two original tunes are added by cast member Shane Strawbridge, which are very welcome as every song is a delight. I tip my hat off to Jim Johnson who gives a credible rap performance as the Ogre. Mikaela Krantz as The Kid is also very effective in her one solo number that is presented as an ode of longing for the child’s mom and dad. It was not until this moment that I fully appreciated the full range of Ms. Krantz’s skill, as well as her demanding, physical commitment to the role.

All the design elements cohesively meld together to create a visual and aural experience that is pleasing both to the eyes and ears. The set design by Clare Floyd DeVries is refreshingly open, taking place in an alleyway behind a loading dock. The lighting design by John Leach and the costume design by Robin Armstrong are complementary of each other.

Ms. Armstrong’s choice of colors is rich in palette but never too bright. Many of the costumes, thankfully, are creative in simple and suggestive ways. The perfect example is her design concept behind A Pea, played by Amy Elizabeth. Having the actress sport a pregnancy pouch in green layers is an inspired choice.

Properties Designer John Harvey, Sound Designer David H.M. Lambert, and Dance Choreographer Sherry Hopkins deserve a special round of applause for their collaboration in pulling off the nifty centerpiece of The Kid’s plight with a swarm of flies, set to the music of Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee. The effect of this effort is nothing short of magical and so is this production.

Given the reactions that I saw from kids ages 4-12 in the theatre, opting to see Seven in One Blow versus a 3-D animated family entertainment, such as Happy Feet 2, would be a wise investment in your child’s imagination. You don’t even need special glasses to be a part of the action.

Director – Robin Armstrong
Stage Manager – Sarahi Salazar
Set Design – Clare Floyd DeVries
Lighting Design – John Leach
Costume Design – Robin Armstrong
Properties Design – John Harvey
Dance Choreography – Sherry Hopkins

CAST

Frankie – Eric Dobbins
The Witch – Sherry Hopkins
December – Michael James
The Ogre – Jim Johnson
A Pea – Amy Elizabeth Jones
The QK – Kevin Scott Keating
The Kid – Mikaela Krantz
Princess Fartina – Hannah McKinney
The Scarlet Pimpernel – Brad Stephens
Mack – Shane Strawbridge

SEVEN IN ONE BLOW or THE BRAVE LITTLE KID
Circle Theatre, 230 West 4th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Runs through December 17th

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, $12.50 for children. All tickets purchased online have a $3 service fee.
For information and tickets, go to http://www.circletheatre.com or call 817-877-3040

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November 25, 2011 · 5:00 PM

Review: SEVEN at Circle

Circle Theatre’s current production is a holiday farce high on absurdity.

by Jimmy Fowler for Fort Worth Weekly

One of my favorite theatergoing experiences in recent years was Circle Theatre’s 2008 holiday production of A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant. If you missed that nontraditional and rather biting musical, it featured a cast of children reenacting the story of L. Ron Hubbard’s founding the Church of Scientology as if it were a warm-hearted Christmas show. I’m still not sure how Circle executive director Rose Pearson got approval from the board for that one, which left some audience members cheering and others clapping politely but suspiciously, perhaps fearing they’d been duped. But that show remains my gold standard for artistic bravery during a holiday season when many theaters rely on familiar, comforting cash cows to help fund the rest of their seasons. Audiences are assaulted by so many nutcrackers, Scrooges, and workshop elves during this time of year that any fare that’s significantly different feels like a thrilling daredevil display.

The cast of Circle’s Seven in One Blow is more than game for some adventuresome, nontraditional holiday fare.

Circle’s newest holiday high-wire act is the regional premiere of Seven in One Blow, or The Brave Little Kid. This contemporary urban retelling of a Brothers Grimm story was adapted by New York playwright Randy Sharp and first staged in 2002 by the Off-Broadway troupe the Axis Company. It has since become Axis’ own warped little Christmas tradition, revived each December. Circle handed this interactive show to its unofficial resident director of farce, Robin Armstrong, and the results are just as glorious as I’d hoped. While Seven in One Blow is sweeter and more commercial than Children’s Scientology Pageant, Armstrong –– a self-professed Monty Python fan –– has brought out compelling hues of Terry Gilliam-esque grotesquerie and absurdity that give this show a nice edge. Circle’s staging achieves the impressive feat of appealing to “children of all ages” as well as tired, leather-hearted critics looking for a new reason to cheer holiday theater.

The protagonist of the original Brothers Grimm tale was a mild-mannered tailor who undergoes a series of challenges with monsters and tyrants to become a king. In Sharp’s stage adaptation, the lead character is The Kid (played in the Circle show by Mikaela Krantz), who wanders away from neglectful parents and must overcome various obstacles on the city streets. The title Seven in One Blow refers to The Kid’s recurrent boast that he killed seven bothersome flies with one swat –– he even gets the phrase emblazoned on a huge belt buckle. Full of foolish bravery, he tangles with the eyepatch-wearing Ogre (Jim Johnson, a towering and goofy presence); a king named QK (Kevin Scott Keating), whose queen is a screechy blonde puppet in a black sequined dress; and QK’s greedy, superficial daughter, Princess Fartina (a delightfully vulgar Hannah McKinney). The Kid also encounters the green Pea with self-esteem issues (Amy Elizabeth Jones, who brings surprising tenderness to a despised dinner staple) and the Witch (an icy and disdainful Sherry Hopkins), who has kidnapped the month of December (the aristocratic Michael James) –– she holds him on a glittery leash to keep the land forever cold. The Kid’s sidekick is the dandy-ish, French phrase-dropping Scarlet Pimpernel (Brad Stephens). Through all of this, the audience is encouraged to sing, boo, and cheer by two wisecracking homeless men (Shane Strawbridge and Eric Dobbins, both boisterous and inventive) who serve as the show’s masters of ceremonies.

Set designer Clare Floyd DeVries and costume designer Armstrong have apparently borrowed ideas from sources as diverse as Sesame Street and The Who’s Tommy. The look of Circle’s show veers from utilitarian ghetto chic to Bob Mackie fabulous. Similarly, the performances are comically gritty and elegantly subversive, achieving a lunatic pitch that allows each actor to carve a memorable character from what could have been a hallucinatory mishmash of random Alice in Wonderland-style types. Saturday’s opening-night performance (which was attended by playwright Sharp and several members of the Axis Company) had a couple of problems with pacing as the show alternated between songs and comic vignettes, but those will likely be worked out as the run goes along. All of the performers had inspired command of their roles, but a special nod should go to Keating for making his shrewish queen puppet an authentic and bizarre cast member.

Krantz tied Seven in One Blow together with a marvelous turn as The Kid. Though she’s in her mid-20s, she could easily pass for 14, and she infused her character with the unsentimental tomboy charm of child actors like Tatum O’Neal and Jodie Foster. The gender-bending twist at the end of the show wasn’t much of a surprise, but by that point Krantz had successfully created a universal child hero who drew a bit from both genders. Circle’s Seven in One Blow pulls from a crazy menagerie of inspirations but, beyond all odds, finally comes together as a bold and sophisticated holiday adventure.

SEVEN IN ONE BLOW or The BRAVE LITTLE KID runs through December 17, 2011 at Circle Theatre, 230 West Fourth St., Fort Worth, TX 76102 in Sundance Square.  Call the box office at 817-877-3040 to reserve tickets or visit www.circletheatre.com.

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November 26, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Thanksgiving Proclamation

To everyone with whom I have been blessed to cross paths this year, Arlette and I wish you the happiest of Thanksgiving holidays.

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

 

 

Abraham Lincoln

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January 1, 2009 · 12:00 AM

Happy New Year, 2009

In Memoriam A.H.H.

by Lord Alfred Tennyson

 

 Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
     The flying cloud, the frosty light:
     The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
     Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
     The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
     For those that here we see no more;
     Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
     And ancient forms of party strife;
     Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
     The faithless coldness of the times;
     Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
     The civic slander and the spite;
     Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
     Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
     Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
     The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
     Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

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December 31, 2008 · 12:00 AM

Goodbye and Farewell, 2008

A Song for New Year’s Eve

 by William Cullen Bryant

 

Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay-
     Stay till the good old year,
So long companion of our way,
     Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
          Oh stay, oh stay,
One little hour, and then away.

The year, whose hopes were high and strong,
     Has now no hopes to wake;
Yet one hour more of jest and song
     For his familiar sake.
          Oh stay, oh stay,
One mirthful hour, and then away.

The kindly year, his liberal hands 
     Have lavished all his store.
And shall we turn from where he stands, 
     Because he gives no more? 
          Oh stay, oh stay,
One grateful hour, and then away.

Days brightly came and calmly went, 
     While yet he was our guest;
How cheerfully the week was spent! 
     How sweet the seventh day’s rest! 
          Oh stay, oh stay,
One golden hour, and then away.

Dear friends were with us, some who sleep 
     Beneath the coffin-lid:
What pleasant memories we keep 
     Of all they said and did! 
          Oh stay, oh stay,
One tender hour, and then away.

Even while we sing, he smiles his last, 
     And leaves our sphere behind.
The good old year is with the past; 
     Oh be the new as kind! 
          Oh stay, oh stay,
One parting strain, and then away.

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December 25, 2008 · 12:00 AM

‘The Christmas You Get You Deserve’

For those of you who care enough to follow this blog, here are a few gifts I would like to share with you on this most extraordinary of holidays.

First, if you haven’t yet read my previous post, The Music of the Light, I invite you to do so.  What began as a rant against ugly Christmas decorations morphed into heartfelt joy for this season.  As I am exhausted after a long Ebenezer Scrooge run, I don’t think I can put words to my feelings as effectively as I did there.

Recently I heard a song called I Believe In Father Christmas.  I don’t know why I had never heard this song by Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer until a couple of weeks ago on XM’s Classic Vinyl channel, but it instantly struck a chord with me the moment I became aware of it. 

Here is a version by U2 for your enjoyment:

Here are the lyrics:

They said there’ll be snow at Christmas
They said there’ll be peace on Earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the Virgin’s birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winters light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas Tree smell
And their eyes full of tinsel and fire
They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a Silent Night
And they told me a fairy story
‘Till I believed in the Israelite
And I believed in Father Christmas
And I looked at the sky with excited eyes
‘Till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave New Year
All anguish pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there’ll be snow at Christmas
They said there’ll be peace on Earth
Hallelujah Noel be it Heaven or Hell
The Christmas you get you deserve.

— I Believe In Father Christmas by Greg Lake

I understood the message decrying the over-commercialization of this sacred holiday, how its meaning is lost on those of us who focus on what we want over what we wish to give, and our culture’s slipping grasp of the true power of this season.  A little research turned up some interesting interpretations but here’s what Lake has to say about his song:

I find it appalling when people say it’s politically incorrect to talk about Christmas, you’ve got to talk about ‘The Holiday Season.’ Christmas was a time of family warmth and love. There was a feeling of forgiveness, acceptance. And I do believe in Father Christmas.

I thank you, Mr. Lake, for using your gifts to bring us such a wonderful song as only you could have produced.

Lastly, here is a little bit of my childhood I carry with me in adulthood especially at this time of year:

May the true Spirit of peace on Earth and goodwill toward Man be present in your heart today.  And may we all be blessed with a Christmas better than we deserve!

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December 24, 2008 · 1:33 AM

‘Ebenezer Scrooge’ Takes Final Bow

The Pocket Sandwich Theatre has closed the doors on Ebenezer Scrooge for the 2008 season completing a very successful run of 23 performances to sold-out crowds.  I had a great time with the entire cast and I can easily say it was one of the highlights of my career.  Hopefully, I can compose a better farewell at a later time but I am very sleepy now.

To the cast, crew, director, waiters, cooks and staff at Pocket Sandwich, I send you many thanks and wish you all a Merry Christmas.  God bless us, every one!

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December 15, 2008 · 11:00 AM

Few ‘Scrooge’ Seats Remain

David H.M. Lambert as ScroogeWith only one more week of shows left, reservations for Ebenezer Scrooge have just about been filled.  As of this moment, there are seats left for the Tuesday, November 15 and Wednesday, November 16 evening performances.  I have a report that a few seats remain for Monday, November 22 show but those will go fast.

The Christmas classic ends its 27th season on December 23, 2008.  Call and make your reservations now!

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December 9, 2008 · 12:00 AM

I’m Sleeping with Satan

Arlette MorganAlthough Arlette Morgan is part of a cast of fourteen undoubtably gifted performers, I simply cannot help but single her out as exceptional.  She is remarkably talented, preternaturally beautiful and the warmest of souls.  And the most amazing and joy-inducing fact about Arlette for me is this — she is my wife.

So I look forward with great delight to seeing her perform this weekend in Stolen Shakespeare Guild’s From the Beginning to the Nativity running at the Fort Worth Arts Center.  Despite the organization’s name, this will not be a production of one of the Bard’s works; rather, it is a medieval mystery play.  What is a medieval mystery play?  Glad you asked!

Medieval mystery plays began in the 10th century as serious church performances and developed into colorful and theatrical spectacles involving the whole community. Our concept for this show borrows from both the ancient and the modern. We have chosen to perform these plays as Shakespeare might have seen them as a boy, with Elizabethan costumes and settings, but with a contemporary holiday twist. We hope that these plays will be as silly and as moving as they were hundreds of years ago.

Plays being presented are The Creation, Noahʼs Flood, The Procession of Prophets, Josephʼs Trouble About Mary, The Salutation of Elizabeth, The Offering of the Magi, The Flight into Egypt, The Slaughter of the Innocents, and The Purification of Mary.

— from a Stolen Shakespeare Guild press release

Arlette will be portraying a number of personas in this production, the most notable being that of Lucifer — that highest of created beings who grew prideful, rebelled against God and became Satan.  Hence the title of this post.  I have to make this clarification lest she go medieval on my ass.Stolen Shakespeare Guild

If you enjoy the opportunity to see a true professional actress practice her craft, then I highly reccommend you come out and see Arlette’s show.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.stolenshakespeareguild.com, by calling Theater Mania at 1-866-811-4111, or you can buy your tickets at the box office starting one hour before show time.

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