"Curtains"

August 27, 2009 — It was back to the Weathervane Theatre in Whitefield, New Hampshire this evening for a performance of Kander and Ebb's "Curtains," a musical murder mystery. In sharp contrast to the stiflingly hot theatre last week, this evening it was uncomfortably cold. This was a somewhat uneven show, with varying singing talents. The three female leads were excellent, but some of the male singers weren't quite ready for prime time. Several actors who I have admired in previous shows stumbled over their non-singing dialogue so frequently it became annoying. Maybe it's partly due to the fact the Weathervane is a repertory theatre where several different plays alternate. For instance, "Curtains" might be followed tomorrow night by "Sweeney Todd" followed by "Ain't Misbehavin'," then back to "Curtains," all with the same cast. Switching gears like this has to be difficult for actors and directors alike. The nearly three-hour "Curtains" seemed to drag at times, unlike the equally long "Heartbreak House" which seemed to move quickly.

When I left the theatre a little after 10 p.m., it was 47 degrees. I headed up to Lancaster where I had reserved a motel room where I was spending the night prior to driving up to Colebrook for the annual moose festival in the morning.