"The 39 Steps"

August 24, 2011 — For the final play of their 81st season, The Barnstormers in Tamworth, New Hampshire is presenting "The 39 Steps," their 600th production at the Tamworth theater. Adapted from a novel by John Buchan and the 1935 movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written for the stage by Patrick Barlow, this production turns Hitchcock's dark, suspenseful tale into a madcap, free-wheeling comedy, which I didn't expect, but having seen it I'm convinced that was exactly the right thing to do.

Blair Hundertmark is superb as the suave, handsome hero, Richard Hannay, on the lam as a falsely suspected murderer and caught up in a web of intrigue and espionage. Madeleine Maby deftly handles three diverse roles. a femme fatale, a shy inn-keeper's wife, and a strong-willed but innocent bystander caught up in Hannay's predicament. Scott H. Severance and Doug Shapiro, two of the funniest men in New Hampshire summer theater, play a dizzying number of characters, all hilarious. The portly Severance is especially gifted at character-switching, playing both male and frumpy female parts, as he has done in other Barnstormers plays. Scenery and costume changes come fast and furious as the actors play multiple characters from London to Scotland and other locations in the British Isles. The entire chaotic production is a brilliant achievement in direction, acting and stagecraft.

At the end of the play, when the four actors come out for their curtain call, you're tempted to ask, "Where are the rest of them?" It's hard to believe what you just witnessed was performed by only four people. This was a terrific ending to The Barnstormers' season, and I'll remember it as the funniest play I saw this summer.

"Dr. Knock"

August 23, 2011 — "Dr. Knock," a 1923 French play by Jules Romains, was translated and directed by Gus Kaikkonen, artistic director of the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Kraig Swartz, one of the Players' best comic actors, had the lead role. He is taking over the practice of a small town's departing doctor, and has his own ideas for making medicine hugely profitable. With his smooth manner and cherubic smile, he convinces healthy townspeople they have life-threatening diseases and need regular visits, sometimes spread over years, to ensure their survival. In collusion with the local pharmacist, he makes sure his patients have a steady supply of expensive drugs to sustain them. Sound familiar? Would this 1923 play's premise be too far-fetched today?

Several actors deftly juggled multiple roles. Dale Hodges deserves special mention for her three portrayals, the best a flustered, pretentious upper-class lady which, although brief, almost stole the show. Michael Dell'Orto was excellent as always as the poor departing doctor whose life's work is discredited by Kraig Swartz's unscrupulous young doctor. Ryan Farley, Tom Frey and Bridget Beirne also play multiple roles. Casey Jordan rounds out the cast.

There were some flat spots in the play, some uncomfortable pauses at times, but overall this was an entertaining evening well-spent. For me, one of the stars of the show was the ancient automobile in Act One. There should be a special award for whoever conceived and built this sputtering, smoking jalopy.

"Bedroom Farce"

August 18, 2011 — A bit slow-paced for the first half of Act 1, but the pace quickened and the hilarity increased as the play progressed. For its seventh and next-to-last production of this season, The Barnstormers in Tamworth, New Hampshire presented Alan Aykbourn's "Bedroom Farce."

This was a very funny play once it got rolling. With three partitionless bedrooms and most of the actors on stage at the same time, separation was achieved by focusing lighting on one bedroom at a time as each couple played their parts. Very English, some of the dialog and action was reminiscent of Monty Python. For the most part, the actors' British accents were convincing, with Tom Patterson doing the best one. Shelly Bolman sometimes allowed his normal American accent to come through, but his portrayel of the injured, bedridden Nick was one of the show's funniest. Dale Place, a Barnstormers regular, was superb as always as a fussy, uptight older Brit, and Penny Purcell was perfectly cast as his very proper British wife. Angela Smith was great as the neurotic, unstable Susannah. Amy Prothro, Paul Melendy and Kelly Rypkema filled out the cast. All were excellent.

"Murder on the Nile"

August 11, 2011 — The Agatha Christie mysteries are ingenious, well-written and unpredictable. Most have totally unexpected endings. They're also so popular and well-known that in any given audience, many will have seen the play or movie or read the story before. This doesn't necessarily spoil the fun. Seeing Christie's well-developed characters portrayed by good actors is always fascinating, even if you already know "who dunnit." However, if like me you're seeing a production such as "Murder on the Nile" for the first time, it can be an exciting, suspenseful, often funny treat.

This is the type of play The Barnstormers in Tamworth, New Hampshire usually does extremely well. However, "Murder on the Nile" fills up most of the first two acts of the three-act play introducing characters, explaining relationships and providing background essential to understanding the plot. This became a bit tedious because the Barnstormers cast just wasn't passionate enough to bring out the characters' personalities and liven up the action. An exception was the very talented Scott Severance who stole the show, as he does most plays he's in, as a bombastic clergyman.

This wasn't a bad production. I'd just like to have seen a little more energy in the first two-thirds. The final act, as the circle tightens around the murderer (or murderers), was a tour de force, and the ending left most of the audience gasping.

"Hamlet"

August 10, 2011 — I hadn't been in the upper Connecticut Valley in many years and had forgotten much about it. When I decided to attend a play at Alumni Hall in Haverhill, New Hampshire, a two-hour drive, I figured I'd arrive in time to have a leisurely meal in a nice restaurant before going to the play. Restaurant? In Haverhill? Unknown! This is rolling farm country, pastoral but with few amenities. I couldn't even find a store where I could at least buy a loaf of bread and some sliced ham. I'm a skinny guy and I don't carry much in reserve, so I need to eat regularly. I finally found a restaurant across the river in Bradford, Vermont. Fortified, I returned to Haverhill.

Theatre Under the Stars, whose excellent productions I've been enjoying for years, staged their moveable show at Alumni Hall this evening, a spare, spacious but pleasant town hall-style theater, possibly one of the better indoor venues Under the Stars has had in recent years. They prefer to hold their performances outdoors, weather permitting. On this night, threatening clouds and a forecast for thunderstorms made indoors seem a more prudent decision. They were right. Just as the show started, there was a roar of thunder and rain began, somehow appropriate for Hamlet.

Played on a large, bare stage with a small wooden bench the only furnishing, this play tested the skills of director and actors who had to work with virtually no props, and they were more than up to the challenge. Fiery, impassioned, with beautifully choreographed sword fights, the play was a real audience-pleaser.

I'm not a professional critic — some may say I have no business criticizing at all — but I know what I like, and I liked every aspect of this production. I wish someone would tell me in what way was the great Laurence Olivier's studied Hamlet in the 1948 movie better than Under the Stars' Adam Hadas's intense, passionate Hamlet. Especially when you consider that in the movie, Olivier got to re-shoot a scene over and over until he got it right. I won't even mention Hadas in the same breath with Mel Gibson in the 1990 movie. That would be an insult to Hadas.

Founder and artistic director Donna Devlin was wonderful as always in the role of Gertrude. Executive Manager Will Hammond was satisfyingly villainous as Claudius, and doubled as Hamlet's father's ghost. All actors were superb, some playing multiple roles. With a surplus of female performers and a shortage of males this season, several roles had to be feminized, such as Horatio (Horatia), Laertes (Laerta) and Polonius (were they calling her Polonia? I didn't catch that). Even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were girls. But it worked. Many Shakespeare characters are interchangeable gender-wise. I'm waiting for a female Hamlet some day. Donna is just the sort of risk-taker who might attempt this. "Hamlette," anyone?

Check out Theatre Under the Stars' entertaining website at this link:

http://www.shakespeareinthevalley.com/

"Arms and the Man"

August 4, 2011 — I really want to give this play a good review. The sets were beautiful. Two intermissions were required to facilitate the extensive scenery changes. The 19th Century Eastern European costumes, from society women's gowns to peasant dress to military uniforms, were no less than stunning. Add to all that the fact it was George Bernard Shaw's best-known and most popular play.

The play was staged at Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and featured Players regulars Karen Peakes in the female lead role as Raina, Dale Hodges, Sevanne Martin and Kraig Swartz. The play is set during the Serbo-Bulgarian conflict, a two-week war that took place in 1885. It's a comedy and a satire, containing Shaw's biting commentary on love and war.

In spite of all its good intentions, and the fact that I've rarely been disappointed by a Peterborough Players production, I must say this was not among the best I've seen this summer, and I can't put my finger on just what it was that disappointed me. I think it could have been played with more energy. The comic aspect of the play just wasn't being delivered effectively.

Besides the aforementioned actors, also appearing were Tom Frey in the male lead role as Swiss soldier Bluntschli, Richard Rosenthal and Ryan Farley. Michael Dell'Orso was outstanding as Major Petkoff, a perpetually confused army major.