"Alter Boyz"

July 28, 2010 — After a delicious baked haddock dinner at Gordi's Fish and Steak House in Lincoln, New Hampshire, I headed for the Governor Adams Base Lodge at Loon Mountain Ski Area where the Papermill Theatre is temporarily staging its plays. The Papermill's previous theatre (pictured) was torn down along with other old mill buildings. I'm sorry it's gone. I saw my first New Hampshire summer theatre play there more than a decade ago. It was old and rustic with no air conditioning and it gave you an authentic summer theatre experience. But renewal is inevitable and the old theatre became a victim of "progress."

"Altar Boyz" is a song and dance revue by five male performers, gently spoofing religious hypocrisy in a way that should offend no one regardless of faith. It's a lively and fast-paced show with songs such as "Jesus Called Me on My Cell Phone." Overall, I enjoyed the show, although some of the song and dance numbers fell a little flat, at least for my taste. It had its hilarious moments. It ran less than two hours including intermission, and that was enough for me. Any longer would have required a larger cast and more variety to hold my attention.

The Governor's Lodge in cooperation with the New Hampshire Association for the Arts (NCAA) has set aside an area inside the lodge and set up a fairly comfortable theatre with individual chairs and an attractive but rather plain stage for Papermill performances this summer.

A bar was serving cocktails and soft drinks at intermission. The audience could buy drinks and go out on the large patio and admire the surrounding mountains, still visible in the waning light, on a beautiful warm New Hampshire summer evening.

A Day in Lincoln, New Hampshire

July 28, 2010 — I had no plans for the day when I got up, but staying home on a hot, humid day wasn't appealing. So I called the Papermill Theatre in Lincoln, New Hampshire, to see if I could still get a seat at that evening's performance of "Altar Boyz." Upon learning seating was still available, I ordered a ticket and left immediately at 10 a.m., planning to spend the afternoon at Clark's Trading Post. I had been to Clark's, a popular New Hamsphire attraction, for the first time last summer and the kid in me has been longing to return ever since.

My first stop was at the North Country Association for the Arts (NCAA) office in Lincoln where I picked up my ticket. I then made the short drive to Clark's Trading Post. I parked at Clark's and walked to the nearby Sunny Day Diner for lunch, then walked back to Clark's.

I spent the hot afternoon strolling around Clark's. I didn't bother to repeat the train ride and Segway Safari I had taken last summer. I watched part of a trained bear show for the first time. I normally don't enjoy animal acts, and this one was no exception, but since the trained bears are Clark's main attraction, I decided I might as well see what it's all about. I took some pictures, not as many or as good as last summer, but I did get a few videos, something I wasn't equipped to do last year.

I had supper at my favorite restaurant in the area, Gordi's Fish and Steak House on Route 112 east of Lincoln which is the beginning of New Hampshire's famous Kancamagus Highway. After supper I headed for the Governor Adams Lodge at Loon Mountain, temporary home of the Papermill Theatre since their former location in the old millyard was torn down for a renewal project.

I'll report on "Alter Boyz" in my next post. You can see my photos and videos of Clark's at:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/clarks2010/

"The Foreigner"

July 27, 2010 — The entire cast was excellent, but tour de force performances by Kraig Swartz and Carmen Decker stood out. Swartz played the role of "The Foreigner" in this production by the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Hilariously funny, but also poignant and occasionally threatening, this play teaches lessons about intolerance and fear of those who are different without getting preachy about it.

The "foreigner" of the title, assumed not to speak or understand English, is present while deeply personal matters, prejudices, and even criminal plots are freely discussed by a diverse assortment of characters. Even the Ku Klux Klan makes an appearance, armed with rifles and shotguns, in the smashing climax.

"Bye Bye Birdie"

July 22, 2010 — The Weathervane Theatre in Whitefield, New Hampshire, at 110 miles is the longest drive of any of the summer theatres I attend. Often when I go up there I add a few more miles by shooting up to Lancaster to dine at the Lancaster Motor Inn, but on this trip I found they were temporarily closed while their kitchen was being renovated. So I drove back to Whitefield and stopped at Grandma's Kitchen, an unpretentious but popular local spot serving basic but very good food.

"Bye Bye Birdie" was being performed on this night at the Weathervane. It was a real audience-pleaser, with a stellar cast and great singing voices. The dance numbers were good but not as high-spirited as sometimes seen at the Weathervane. There were several great comic roles, well-played and hilarious. Well-performed as they were, the songs in "Bye Bye Birdie" are not among my favorites, and for that reason I wouldn't put this musical high on my list of favorites. But the performances, as I said, where first-rate. If you like the music, you'll cheer this show.

"Wait Until Dark"

July 15, 2010 — The Barnstormers in Tamworth, New Hampshire, is observing its 80th season this summer. They're the oldest professional summer stock theatre in America, and the only ones still producing in the classic tradition — one new full-length production every week for eight weeks in July and August. In spite of this hectic schedule, which seemingly would leave little time for rehearsals, stage and costume design and the rest of the details that go into production of every play, The Barnstormers maintain a high level of talent and production values.

"Wait Until Dark," a play made into a movie in 1967 starring Audrey Hepburn, was The Barnstormers' offering this week. I think I saw the movie many years ago, but I had forgotten the plot details, so I found it as suspenseful as if I were seeing it for the first time. It concerns two blundering, incompetent, but nonetheless dangerous ex-cons and their "boss" who hatch an elaborate ruse to search a blind woman's home for a doll stuffed with narcotics they believe is hidden in the house.

Dee Nelson appears as the blind woman. She's one of my favorite actors in New Hampshire summer theatre. She has also appeared at the Peterborough Players where she won a New Hampshire Theatre Award for best supporting actress in "Heartbreak House" last summer. Her portrayal of a blind person in this play is realistic and convincing.

This production of "Wait Until Dark" is generally excellent, although the pacing is a little uneven. The action slows down annoyingly at intervals. Those are nitpicking complaints though. Overall, I loved the play. It comes to a smashing climax with the stage and entire theatre intermittently plunged into blackness as the blind heroine fights for her life against her last remaining tormentor. Lights go on and off, crashing and screaming are heard, in an amazing feat of timing and stagecraft.

"Scotland Road"

July 13, 2010 — A Norwegian ship comes upon a woman floating on an iceberg. She utters one word: "Titanic!" Is she a survivor? The Titanic sank in 1912. The woman appears to be in her 20s. The problem is, this is 1992!

This is the background for a strange little play where nothing is as it seems. A bare white room with a door at each end and a deck chair are all that four actors have to work with at The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire. A man and a woman doctor who we later learn is not really a doctor, try to learn if the young woman, mute for most of the first act, is actually a Titanic survivor or a hoax. In the second act, the last known living Titanic survivor, an old woman in a wheelchair, is found and brought in to question the young woman. Her questioning is inconclusive, and this "survivor" has her own dark secret.

This is the type of play the Winnipesaukee Playhouse excels at — mysterious, baffling, with a small, talented cast. You won't like it if you prefer a neat ending with everything explained. This play ends with many questions, few answers. But if you appreciate good acting, smart, sometimes witty, sometimes absurd dialog, it's your cup of tea, as it is mine.

By the way, the play never explains the title, but I researched it, and Scotland Road was the name given the central passageway that ran the length of the Titanic allowing crew members to pass from first class to steerage.

Theatre Under the Stars

Friday, July 9, 2010 — Shakespeare can be fun. If you don't believe it, catch a show by Theatre Under the Stars, based in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. I usually see at least a couple of their shows every summer. All their performances are held outdoors, weather permitting. In case of rain, they always have a nearby indoor stage to move to. This season, all their main stage shows are free, although donations are accepted, in honor of Spc. Marc Paul Decoteau who lost his life in service to his country in Afghanistan. Marc was Theatre Under the Stars' first "kid camper" and appeared in several plays.

I drove up to Waterville Valley, expecting to find the theatre where it's been for the past four years, next to the Waterville Valley Elementary School, where they had spacious grounds for their stage and audience, and the use of the school auditorium in case of rain. But I discovered upon arrival they had moved to the nearby Town Square because remodeling at the school forced them to vacate.

I saw a production entitled "No Holds Bard, Sonnet Sonata," an expansion of George Bernard Shaw's "Dark Lady of the Sonnets," written by founding/producing artistic director Donna Devlin-Young. It was brilliant, thanks to superb acting and singing and Donna's wit and artistic vision.

The venue in the Town Square is not as comfortable as their former location at the school. They positioned the actors on three widely-spaced stages that made it a bit difficult to follow the action, and the sun is directly in the audience's eyes when looking stage-right until it finally sinks beneath the tree-tops, currently at about 7:30 p.m. They also take their plays to Plymouth and Manchester, neither of which I've been to so far.

Check Theatre Under the Stars' humorous and entertaining website for the season schedule and locations:

http://www.shakespeareinthevalley.com/

"Freud's Last Session"

Thursday, July 8, 2010 — Under the capable direction of the Peterborough Players' Gus Kaikkonen, featuring George Morfogen as Sigmund Freud and Ian Merrill Peakes as C. S. Lewis, this one-act play is a fictional account of a meeting between Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, and Lewis, professor, writer and author of the Narnia series, on the eve of World War II. There is no evidence the two ever actually met, but an imagined meeting between two men with such divergent views sets the stage for compelling dialog. Freud was an unapologetic and outspoken atheist. Lewis, raised Christian, abandoned his faith at an early age and became an atheist, but later returned to his Christian roots. He was a practicing Christian at the time of this fictional meeting.

This sounds like it could be very cerebral and intellectual, but there are many flashes of humor throughout the play. As the two men, resolute in their opposing positions, debate the existence of God, the conversation is at times calm and studied, sometimes acrimonious, often witty, and occasionally loud, especially on Freud's part. At the time of the fictional meeting, Freud is 83 years old, frail, and gravely ill with cancer. His condition evokes compassion and sympathy from Lewis in spite of their philosophical differences. Morfogen and Peakes are masterful in their roles. Both American, their Austrian and British accents, respectively, are convincing.

The play reaches no conclusion on whether or not God exists, and it's unlikely to change your views on the matter. That's not the play's intention. It's simply a debate between two men with irreconcilable views, and little in common except their humanity.

Souza's Palooza

Sunday, July 4, 2010 — The annual invitation-only Independence Day celebration in Somerset, Massachusetts known as "Souza's Palooza" was a smashing success. Great games, great music by several local bands, and an inexhaustible supply of food and drink made the day a memorable experience for all those in attendance, estimated between 200 and 300. Those who stayed late were treated to a fireworks show across the Taunton River. Photos and videos of the event can be seen at this link:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/palooza/

"The Music Man"

Thursday, July 1 — Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" is my all-time favorite musical, but I've now been disappointed by two New Hampshire productions of the show. The first was at the Papermill Theatre in Lincoln in 2001. It lacked energy and the talent was mediocre. This evening, I went to North Conway to see the Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company's production of the award-winning musical at the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse, and once again I wasn't inspired. Maybe my problem is I tend to compare it to the 1962 movie version starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. All other productions pale by comparison to that superb presentation.

This evening's performance, like the 2001 Papermill version, lacked energy. There was some good talent, most notably Megan Buzzard, a very good soprano, as Marion the librarian, Shirley Jones' role in the movie. Kevin O'Neil was hilarious as Mayor Shinn. The rest of the cast was unremarkable. I've seen some excellent shows at the Eastern Slope Inn Plsyhouse in the past, so I know they can attract good talent and have good production values and stagecraft, but "The Music Man" didn't measure up to their best work.