You Can't Stop the Beat at WDL's Hairspray

By Jeff Gudzune
Jeff writes book reviews for a variety of publishers and is active in community theater. Since 2013, Jeff has owned and operated Matrix Notary Service.

A hallmark of good theater is the ability to entertain and inform. This is certainly the case with Hairspray, which opened to a sold-out audience at Wilmington Drama League (WDL) on Friday, May 30. This upbeat, toe-tapping explosion of hair gel and taffeta is the perfect cap for a wonderful season. Hairspray was an informed choice, as its themes parallel the world today.

The social issues confronted by the ensemble are the very same social issues facing young people today. Race relations, generational divides, body image, and socio-economic disparities are ever-present reminders of harsh reality. It is altogether fitting that WDL elected to cap its season with a show that encapsulates these concerns.

Hairspray at Wilmington Drama League. Photo by KRL Photography/Rich Lee.

Before the first note of the Introit, the audience is treated with a set that manages to be busy but in no way obnoxious. Grainy black and white monitors take us to a time when local television programs knitted the community together. In an opening number that stuns in its execution, the ensemble sets the scene. It is 1962. JFK is President. Rock and Roll is the zeitgeist of America’s youth. Hair is teased up and held together with aerosol spray and God’s work. Tracy Turnblad, rotund but stunning, wakes to another beautiful day in Baltimore. As she goes through her morning routine, the pressing social specters of communism and racial injustice are unimportant. She is America’s innocence personified.

With joy in her heart, Tracy sees the world as it should be. Jane Haracz shines as Tracy, bringing an energy to the role that had me entranced from the first scene. Tracy manages to captivate the heart of local all-American boy Link Larkin, who is first seen as self-absorbed but later revealed to be a young man at war with himself. Cole Miller’s vocal acuity is amazing and his visible transition from the veneer of stereotypical self-obsessed youth to a real kid with his own personal struggles provides wonderful context. Ashley Grantham is amazing as Edna Turnblad.

Supporting Tracy in her journey to stardom is Penny Lou Pingleton, played with such zest by Haley Hughes that it was difficult to hear her lines due to the audience laughing so vigorously. Shana Roberts performance as “Motormouth” Mabel ran through such a range of emotions that there was an audible pause after her rendition of “Big, Blonde and Beautiful” immediately followed by a standing ovation from the audience.

Hairspray is a timeless classic, wildly entertaining and spiritually uplifting. It makes a social commentary that is needed in the world of today. Through acrobatic choreography and musical performances that resonated so profoundly that the house itself vibrated, the show strikes all the right emotional chords. This performance is not to be missed.

Hairspray runs at Wilmington Drama League May 31 (SOLD OUT) and June 1 (2:00pm); June 6 & 7 (8:00pm) and June 8 (2:00pm); June 13 & 14 (8:00pm) and June 15 (2:00pm). Tickets are available at wilmingtondramaleague.org. 

Reedy Point Players Bring "Angels" to Delaware

By guest blogger, R. Scott Frelick
R. Scott Frelick is Designer/ Artist who is a major supporter of our local arts community and a Board member of City Theater Company. 

In Reedy Point Players' World Premiere of Angels in Gangland: A Supernatural Tale, the audience is first introduced to Lou Tasca, the recently “whacked" protagonist. Lou (Craig Stump) explains that he can’t get into Heaven until he convinces the man who murdered him to leave the mob and join the Witness Protection Program. Assisting Lou is the ghost of Rabbi Solomon Levitsky, whose own son Sam is an “associate” of the Giordano crime family.  

A screenshot of Angels in Gangland performance. 
Courtesy of Jeff Gudzune.

Rabbi Sol (Hank Conklin) explains that Carlo Parisi (Jeff Gudzune) was ordered to kill Lou based on false information from Boss Tony Rizzo (Michael Brook).  At Carlo’s 30th birthday party, Lou’s ghost reveals Tony’s deception to a visibly shaken Carlo. Convinced that Carlo is on the edge of a nervous breakdown, Tony orders Sam (Fran Lazartic) to watch him. With an equal mix of dark comedy and supernatural intrigue,
Angels in Gangland proves to be a unique experience.   

Written by Robert Russel Smith, Angels in Gangland is an original work directed by Rachel Diane Barton and brought to life by a talented group of performers who stand out in their roles.  

While the action centers around Lou, everyone has a moment to stretch their creative muscles. Tya Pope is Carlo’s concerned and strong-willed fiancé, Sherri Falco. Corinth Ford is a riot as Cocktail Waitress and part-time Psychic Medium, Zoe Plato. Jeff Gudzune runs through a range of emotions as he brings Carlo’s conflict to life, providing emotional resonance in what must have been a thrilling and exhausting creative experience.  Fran Lazartic brings depth to the character of Sam as he confronts his own struggle with the supernatural.  Tina Walls stands out as the strong-willed wife of Boss Tony Rizzo, and Craig Stump plays Lou so well it’s like he was born for the part. 

A special treat was the Playwright himself, shining as Oleg Oransky. Even with what is going on in the world, it was great to see people from differing religious backgrounds working to bring peace to others souls. Angels in Gangland was performed May 16, 17, and 18 at Reedy Point Players space in Delaware City.  

This show may have closed, but Reedy Point is already working on ways to expand its audience and perhaps find a new venue for this amazing production. Reedy Point Players is a non-profit theater group founded in 2001 and located at 250 5th Street in Delaware City. 

Learn more at https://reedypoint.org/.

King Lear Gets the Royal Treatment by The REP

By Mike Logothetis

The timeless tragedy King Lear takes center stage at the Resident Ensemble Players (REP) for the month of April, bringing William Shakespeare’s powerful work to life in an unforgettable performance. Directed by Jackson Gay, the show captivated the audience with its gripping exploration of power, family, and the fragile line between sanity and madness.

Set in a world of political intrigue, King Lear tells the story of an aging monarch who divides his kingdom among his three daughters, only to be betrayed by those he trusts most. As Lear navigates the betrayal, the consequences of his decisions lead to a heart-wrenching unraveling of his family and his sanity. 

“The hubris of our leaders, and ourselves, is a major theme in King Lear,” shares Gay. “And, more importantly, what good men and women do or not do when confronted with the need to speak truth, often at great personal cost. Our inclination to believe and listen to flatterers, instead of heeding the sometimes hard to swallow truth, is something we can all be guilty of at times.”

When powerful Kings cave into flatterers, do you think loyal men will be afraid to speak out against it? – Earl of Kent (Act 1, Scene 1)

Standout performances by Joseph Castillo-Midyett (Fool), Michael Gotch (Edmund), and Stephen Pelinski (King Lear) were only parts of the wholly satisfying, almost-immersive theater experience. Castillo-Midyett’s Fool pranced and flopped while spewing pearls of wisdom wrapped in silly words. Gotch showed the conniving nature of Edmund through his dastardly actions and effective soliloquies. 

Pelinski’s Lear began with powerful decisiveness before the poor king can no longer do anything for himself. Watching the once-respected/feared leader fall into irreparable madness through heartbreaking scenes was truly affecting. Pelinski had the audience in the palm of his hand as his character’s mental faculties disappeared over successive scenes – his once imposing figure reduced to a shell of a man. While he once aggressively tore down palace curtains, he later slept humbly on a hovel floor.

To call attention to these three actors is not to diminish the performances of the rest of the cast. The ensemble was locked in and moved in concert with one another and the dynamic set. Kudos to Scenic Designer Riw Rakkulchon for creating an impressive stage with large moving pieces which set the tone for each scene. The mammoth sizes of the industrial-style blocks ultimately make every character appear small…almost petty. The bold angular lines of the blocks are reminiscent of those erected by fascist leaders a century ago in Europe – they are stark and foreboding. The storm scenes were incredible with the crashes of lightning; the claps of thunder; the rolling mist; and the downpour from above.

This production is one not to miss. King Lear’s themes of loyalty, justice, and the corrupting nature of power are particularly resonant in today’s world, making this play an essential theatrical experience for audiences of all ages.

‘Tis the times’ plague, when madmen lead the blind. – Earl of Gloucester (Act 4, Scene 1)

The cast includes REP company members Pelinksi*; Gotch*; Elizabeth Heflin* (Regan); Hassan El-Amin* (Earl of Gloucester); Kathleen Pirkl Tague* (Goneril); Lee E. Ernst* (Earl of Kent); Mic Matarrese* (Edgar); and Steve Tague* (Duke of Albany). Guest actors include Castillo-Midyett*; Erin Partin* (Cordelia); Alan Ross* (Duke of Burgundy); Jeorge Bennett Watson* (Duke of Cornwall); Tamil Periasamy* (King of France); and Dan Domingues* (Oswald). *Member of Actors’ Equity Association.

The creative team includes Gay; Rakkulchon; Kim Krumm Sorenson (Costume Designer); Paul Whitaker (Light Designer); Megumi Katayama (Sound Designer); Denise O’Brien (Wig Designer); and Lee E. Ernst (Fight Choreographer).

Performances of King Lear run through Sunday, April 27. Informal talkbacks with the cast take place following the evening performances on Thursday, April 17, and Friday, April 25. Two “Prologues” occur on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 27. Tickets prices range from $20-39 with discounts available for students, seniors, plus University of Delaware faculty and staff. 

Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu; by contacting The REP box office at 302.831.2204; or visiting in person at 110 Orchard Road, Tuesdays through Fridays from 12:00 to 5:00pm. The show runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with one 15-minute intermission between acts. Warning: This production includes violence, theatrical fog, and strobe lights.

The Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts is located on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus and is ADA-compliant. It is equipped with a hearing loop system, which works with hearing aid t-coils, cochlear implants, and in-house hearing devices. Wheelchair and other seating requests can be made prior to the performance by calling 302.831.2204 or emailing cfa-boxoffice@udel.edu.