Andrea Stephenson - Page 13

Once on this Island is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, belief, and sacrifice. With music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Once on this Island won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical. Director Michael Arden describes their process of working on the revival, explaining, 'Once On This Island is the story of how one seemingly insignificant girl becomes myth and legend for survivors of a wounded and healing island and how the good we do can echo and reverberate long after our lives are over.' As part of the North America tour, Once on this Island is playing at Hershey Theatre through December 8th.

The production really comes together as a whole-from the lights to the sound to the costumes to the set and even the set changes, everything has been carefully designed and choreographed to give the audience the sense of wonder and magic that should accompany any telling of Narnia.

Who's ready for some great holiday entertainment? There are so many great shows to see during the holiday season. If you need a break from all the holiday craziness and a chance to laugh until your cheeks hurt, hop on over to Open Stage for Who's Holiday. Who's Holiday, by Matthew Lombardo, is not your typical Christmas play. It is a show with only one actor. It answers the age-old question of what happens to characters after the original story ends. Told by Cindy Lou Who, it is the story of what happened to her after the Grinch's famous redemption in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The story is told in typical Seussian rhyme. Rachel Landon will be taking on the role of Cindy Lou at Open Stage, and she took some time to talk to us about Who's Holiday, directed by Stuart Landon, opening on November 16th.

These Shining Lives, by Melanie Marnich, first took the stage in Baltimore in 2008. The story follows the lives of four women working in a watch factory in Illinois in the 1920s and is narrated by one of the women, Catherine. These Shining Lives is based on the true story of the Radium Girls-women who were sickened and died from radium poisoning because of their work with self-luminous paint that they used to paint watch dials.

Many will know the story of Oliver from the classic Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The musical Oliver! by Lionel Bart, first opened in the West End in 1960 and on Broadway in 1962. The show has been revived numerous times and, in 1968, it was adapted for the screen. For the sake of the stage version, the original story by Dickens was dramatically simplified and provides a rather different interpretation of the character of Fagin. The musical is particularly true to Dickens in its emphasis on class differences and prejudices related to class, while presenting the subject matter with a healthy dose of comedy. Oliver! can be seen on stage at Oyster Mill Playhouse from November 8-24. I was given a rare opportunity to have a sneak preview of the show during one of their dress rehearsals, and it is a show that you will want to make time for this month.

The musical A Little Princess by Andrew Lippa and Brian Crawley, is based on the 1905 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It first appeared on stage in Mountain View, California in 2004 and premiered in London in 2018. The story opens with Sara Crewe in her room at her school in London. She tells Becky, a maid at the school, about her life growing up in Africa and how she came to be in London. The musical takes the audience on a journey filled with memories, wild flights of imagination, magic, heartbreak, friendship, and love.

Anyone who has undertaken a show by Stephen Sondheim knows that the music is seriously difficult, often including dissonant cords, tricky intervals, and overlapping lines. Assassins is no exception. Written by John Weidman and Sondheim, it was first produced at Playwrights Horizons in 1990 and hit Broadway in 2004. It was originally scheduled to play on Broadway in 2001, but was postponed due to the events of September 11, 2001. The story of those who assassinated or attempted to assassinate various Presidents throughout US history, Assassins combines quirky characters such as the Proprietor and Balladeer with historical characters such as Emma Goldman and John Wilkes Booth. It covers complex themes ranging from broken dreams to corruption to classism with dark humor. The show approaches these themes and the overarching theme of disillusionment with the American dream in a way that may make audiences feel uncomfortable as they are confronted with truths that are all too real about our country, our history, and human nature. Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg takes on Assassins now through November 3rd.

Brilliant Traces, by Cindy Lou Johnson, was first performed in New York by the Circle Repertory Company. In the right hands it can be a beautifully absurd play with a mixture of humor and heart-wrenching revelations. Featuring just two actors, it relies heavily on intelligent directing and talented acting-it can easily become melodramatic and ridiculous or inane and boring. Thankfully, the production of Brilliant Traces at DreamWrights Center for Community Arts, directed by Andrea Unger and featuring Kirk Wisler and Catie Dinneen as Henry Harry and Rosannah Deluce, is both well-directed and well-acted.

Jeeves first appears in a series of English novels by P.G. Wodehouse. Jeeves, valet to Bertie Wooster, a rich young man, is truly the brains of the operation, assisting Bertie in disentangling himself from various predicaments. Jeeves appears in a multitude of manifestations from the 1990 television series Jeeves and Wooster starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie to films, radio shows, musicals, comics, and, perhaps most popular in the States, plays written by Margaret Raether. Jeeves Takes a Bow is the third in Raether's Jeeves series and comes to life on stage at Oyster Mill Playhouse now through September 1.

One of the most impactful theatre experiences I've had in the last year was seeing the Gettysburg Community Theatre Penguin Project's production of The Wizard of Oz. I have been looking forward to their next production, and it is finally upon us. Between the teamwork displayed by the actors, the passion they put into their acting and singing, and the support of the audience, it is a magical time. Starting on August 16th, GCT's Penguin Project will be bringing Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, Jr. to the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center in Hanover. Madagascar is based on the 2005 animated DreamWorks film. It features a group of lovable animals at the Central Park Zoo. Marty the zebra longs for adventure, and boy does he get one-along with his friends Alex, Melman, and Gloria, they end up in Madagascar. Join Marty, his friends, some crazy penguins, and a pack of lemurs for the adventure of a lifetime this weekend only! Young teen performer Cassie Smith took a few moments to share her experience with Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, Jr. with us.

Finding Neverland, the 2004 Academy Award-winning film starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, was based on the 1998 play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee. In 2015, the stage version with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy and book by James Graham first appeared on Broadway.

The Little Mermaid at Hershey Area Playhouse is an aesthetically beautiful and well-directed show. You'll definitely want to add this show to your summer 'must-see' list.