Magical "Night Music" Fills the Air this Holiday Season!

To produce a musical in a tiny black box buried in downtown Wilmington is quite a feat – and to find so many excellent voices and musicians to execute it is a second feat. With no orchestra pit, no wings and very few props, City Theatre Company has a terrific hit with their show A little night music – Stephen Sondheim’s musical based on Ingmar Bergman’s farce movie, Smiles of a Summer Evening.

There must have been a reason to have the singers gather in front of the orchestra at the start of the show, but I couldn’t fathom it. With their backs to the audience, they got our attention and their abrupt turn to face us was like a curtain rising.

Michele Ferdinand dotted every I, t and quarter note in her musical direction and in spite of an occasional lack of clarity from the choral quintet, the attacks and endings of words and pieces was flawless. Michael Gray, who starred as the older husband and lover, codirected with Tom Shade. Gray’s singing, acting and comic sense was the backbone of the production. His young wife Anne, played by Dylan Geringer, was delightful. Her ability to reach the murderously high notes Sondheim wrote made her songs seem easy.

And where did all this talent come from? Casey Elizabeth Gill seemed to have walked off a Broadway stage. Her miming, playfulness and incredible voice were just plain knockout. When she sings her cynical yet vivacious Miller’s Son she runs the gamut of emotion and sound that emulates life’s ups and downs.

Karen Murdoch is, as the song says, perfect as the warm but conniving mistress who, in spite of it all, has warmth which will melt you after you are softened by the haunting clarinet introduction to Send in the clowns. Murdoch has that knack for a quiet coda that takes your breath away.

Dorien Belle’s bumbling Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm creates such a perfect foil for lawyer Fredrik. Their duet, It would have been wonderful had that magic timing that every musician hopes for – the courage to wait until that final microsecond with calm assurance.

Victoria Healy is a mistress of comedy – she, too, knows exactly how to time her punches.

The set was minimal, but with inventive staging, terrific choreography – fantastic opening scene of all the characters awakening, the transitions from house to theatre to backstage to country mansion worked with ease.

Production runs December 2 through December 17, with one Sunday matinee on Sunday, December 11, at 2:00pm. Closing Night is Saturday, December 17 with Closing Night Party at Extreme Pizza.

See city-theater.org.

Wilmo Rock Circus -- The Biggest Show in the Small Wonder

Deadbeatz, Inc. Photo: Brian Truono

Pop-ups -- one night events in a space that wasn't a venue before and won't be one after -- are all the rage, or so I'm told, and Wilmington is in on it. The concept isn't new to Delaware, not that that's a bad thing. Before there was a Queen or a Mojo 13, when venues allowing original live music were few, there wasn't much choice but to "pop-up" shows in barns or basements around here. And while, of course, it's awesome to have so many actual permanent venues that support original local music in Delaware, there's nothing like taking over a warehouse for one night.

The format for Gable Music Venture's Wilmo Rock Circus, held in an empty storefront in the Shipyard Shops, was literally taken from the big top. Instead of three rings, there were two stages, complete with ringmasters to introduce the acts. The purpose of this circus-like setup, aside from a carnival-like feel, was circus-like pacing: The performances alternated from stage to stage, leaving no breaks between bands, allowing ten 30-minute sets in five hours. A fast pace, yes. And that was part of the excitement.

The other part of the excitement was the mix of bands. This wasn't a funk show or a punk show, prog, alt. pop or rockabilly -- it was all of the above. So if the band on stage wasn't your thing, you could go grab a drink, maybe use the powder room generously offered by Timothy's or wander the room and socialize, and a new, likely completely different, band would be along in a few minutes. I have my taste preferences, but I didn't hear any band that didn't do what they do well. These bands -- The Bullets, The Hold-Up, The Keefs, Pete Lownote and the Truckstop Regulars, Modern Exile, Deadbeatz, Inc., Little Invisibles, Still Moon Servants, The Joe Trainor Trio, and Universal Funk Order (thank you WRC Facebook Invite for all the links) -- are some of Delaware's best, and the opportunity to see them all in one night was one not to be missed. If you did miss it, don't worry. Gable Music Ventures plans more pop-ups in the future, but where the next big show will take place is anyone's guess.

"Like" Gable Music Ventures on Facebook for upcoming shows, including regular performances in LOMA hotspots such as Extreme Pizza, Zaikka, and the Film Brothers Co-op.

Excellent "Noises" from University of Delaware’s REP!

By Delaware Arts Info blogger Charles "Ebbie" Alfree III

Photo from Resident Ensemble Players

How the hell do they do it??? I’m referring to the cast of Noises Off presented by the University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players. Guest Artistic Director, Gregory Boyd, directs the hardest working cast currently in Delaware! It takes a great director to guide a cast through the intricate blocking of this hysterical play, and Mr. Boyd accomplished his task.

Michael Frayn’s slapstick comedy tells the story of a third-rate acting troupe as they attempt to produce a British sex farce, Nothing On, while beginning and ending affairs, drinking, and competing for the director’s attention. What ensues is hilarity beyond belief.

It’s a thin story, but it’s the characters, witty lines and most of all, the comic timing that make this three-act play a must see! The timing is everything in the production; one mistake can throw off the entire play and cause a catastrophe. However, this cast of true professionals—Deena Burke, Michael Gotch, Elizabeth Heflin, Mic Matarrese, Carine Montbertrand, Stephen Pelinski, Kathleen Pirkl Tague, Steve Tague and John Tyson—never drops the ball. Watching Noises Off is like watching a master class in comedy-theater.  The cast seamlessly plays two characters in this play within a play, as well as uses multiple props and continuously enters and exits through numerous doors that make up the multipurpose set.

One side of Neil Patel’s set is an English country home – the setting for Nothing On -and the other side is the backstage of the fictitious play, allowing the audience to see the front and backstage antics all at once.  The set is as impeccable as the actors. It gives the audience a view that most don’t see or experience, seeing a play from backstage.

Anyone who loves theater should not miss Noises Off, even if slapstick is “not your cup of tea.” Any true theater lover will appreciate the work that goes into this play. 

Now, I’m ready for a plate of sardines; go see the play and you’ll understand why.

See www.rep.udel.edu.