OCR Text |
Show Encore of The Fantasticks' has polish and enthusiasm , ! ! I u j i J L . 1 1 " ' ; ' V. by Leslie Miller The Intermountain Actors Ensemble's latest version of "The Fantasticks," which opened Friday night, is both entertaining and polished. Although it played to a small crowd in the Kimball Art Center's Main Gallery, it contained the enthusiasm and confidence of a show already well received. This is the second time that the Intermountain Actors Act-ors Ensemble has brought "The Fantasticks" to the Park City stage. The first production came in 1981 in the City Tent. Although several of the current actors are veterans of that earlier version, others are new to local audiences. The expanded line of talent in itself was refreshing. refresh-ing. Also reflecting IAE's development was the overall image of the players. Their wardrobe was not only creative, but also well thought out. I appreciated the artistic use of coordinating coordinat-ing colors, which lent a professional quality to the costuming, supervised by Ann and Stephanie Burnett. In this allegorical play, written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, the acts are rich in symbolism. In spite of the play's simplistic appearance a stage plainly plain-ly dressed with a platform, plat-form, a large trunk, several balloon bouquets and a "Fantasticks" banner serving serv-ing as a stage curtain the production is full of meaning. "The Fantasticks" mixes the illusions of innocence inno-cence with the realities of adulthood. The audience is permitted to share in the fan-. fan-. tasies of first love, the paux. of discovery, and the reconciliations recon-ciliations of experience. Interspersed with song and light dance, the action is upbeat and engaging. Act Two isn't as festive as Act One, but director Ron Burnett Bur-nett has done a fine job of casting and the production as a whole is very effective. tier piano are largely responsible re-sponsible for maintaining the consistent clip of the numerous musical numbers, which made the evening more fun and interesting. The debut performance by Roger Fuller was thoroughly thorough-ly entertaining. His role as Henery, the absent-minded actor, is a whimsical blend of Merlin the Magician and Hamlet. Fuller really is convincing in spite of Henery's poor recall of lines and cues. His Shakespearean Shakespear-ean rags are another example ex-ample of the good costuming in this play. His sidekick, Mortimer, is usually acted by an adult male. But in this instance Mortimer is portrayed by a young girl, Kelly Purdom. She is clever and attentive and acts out a schmaltzy dying scene, several times over, for the sake of the audience. Well, isn't that what good actresses are made of? Finally there is the Mute played by an inconspicuous Pamela Finegan. It is difficult diffi-cult to find fault with what she did, since she did very little, other than provide props from the large treasure trea-sure chest-like box placed center stage. Finegan was appropriately expressionless expression-less throughout the two acts. She was dressed as a mime artist but had only one opportunity to pantomime any action. I would have preferred to see more. The very first, and last, time I watched a performance perform-ance of the "Fantasticks" was as a sophomore in high school. I remember how relevant the theme seemed to me at that time in my life. Of &Ur3e I related to the Girl, her emotions, her predicaments. At this stage of the game I am reminded of a timeless theme, somehow misplaced during a decade, or more, of : maturing. Yes, I had forgotten, forgot-ten, already, and attending the IAE's Fantasticks was a nice way to remember. f 3.....: . 1 M M, . U. A wall (represented by the ladder, below) separates them, but that doesn't stop young lovers Barbara Bramble and Richard Russell in "The Fantasticks." Curt Graff as El Gallo opens Act One with the most familiar song from the play, "Try to Remember." His rendition is melodic and his range is impressive in this tune and others. However, Graff's interpretation of "Remember," though tenderly ten-derly sung, lacks conviction or emotion. I missed the sentimental qualities this song can evoke. Throughout his performance, Graff is rather casual and aloof, and sometimes this works, yet I expected, a more; dynamic portrayal. The Girl, Luisa, is played by Barbara Bramble. Her character is a high-spirited, naive young girl, enamored of herself. She is possessed by a belief that she is "special," and desperately pleads, "Please, God, don't let me be normal." Bramble moves effortlessly on stage. Her wide-eyed expressions and theatrical intonations are evidence of her stage experience. Bramble's soprano voice is the highlight in this production. She is a skilled songstress and a delight in her portrayal of Luisa. Luisa's counterpart, Matt, is played by Richard Russell. Rus-sell. Russell's talent would be an asset to any musical production and is a welcome addition to the "Fantast-ticks" "Fantast-ticks" in the male lead role. -His voice is strong and the enthusiasm he spreads is captivating. Matt is in love with Luisa and their first duet, "Metaphor," "Meta-phor," is beautiful. Their voices are not only compatible, compat-ible, but harmonious and complimentary. The success of this play relies greatly on the chemistry of these two actors. I especially enjoyed the performances given by the Fathers of the Boy and the Girl. Hucklebee and Bellamy, played by Blake Pierce and Dennis Sullivan, were the spice in this cast. Their tomfoolery is comical, and they, too, sing and dance well as a team. Their initial feud is revealed re-vealed early on to be a sham. In fact they are in cahoots in . staging one of the biggest -acts ever concocted by two meddlesome parents. Hint: "Children act on puppet stages supplied by parents' hard-earned wages." At this point I'd like to credit Roxanne Shapiro for her upbeat tempo at the keyboard and for her role as musical director. She and |