Bike America maybe my favorite of the MSU Summer Circle adult shows this summer. It keeps with the summer’s travel theme, and offers a good balance of humor and thoughtfulness. Emma Callis stars as a complex, troubled, but engaging “F***-up “Penny” embarking on an impulsive cross country bike trek to find herself and lose herself. The opening lines describe her demise under the wheels of a truck in the desert — so the adventures and questions and deflections and mistakes/lessons along the way are framed by that perspective.
This epic odyssey was directed by Mark Colson and features a wonderful ensemble cast of fellow bikers, some of whom dexterously transformed into additional random folks along the journey. Grant Cleaveland was the pathetic but endearing back-home boyfriend. Mike Merluzzi was the could have/should have been boyfriend on the road. Curran Jacobs was the taskmaster hunk tour leader, next-option boyfriend. Karen Vance and Kathryn Stahl were lesbian lovers on a quest to get married in as many states as possible. (Karen was fun as the boyfriend’s inhospitable mother, too.) Matt Greenbaum was The Man in the Van following the bikers — also shining in several extra roles -- and offering some Baby-Boomer/Gen X perspective on the Millennial Dilemma… that is really a pretty universal dilemma, involving whether we can figure out how to truly inhabit our lives.
One More Chance to see Bike America at 8pm tomorrow, Saturday — followed by the wild and crazy, adults only, Bob, A Life in Five Acts at 10. Plan to arrive early for Contra Dance Lessons in the courtyard at 7. If you haven’t been to Summer Circle since the new amphitheater was built, you must check out the much improved outdoor site. (Thanks to MSU Friends of Theatre.) Corner of Farm Lane and Auditorium Road, right behind the Auditorium Building.
Btw, the Kids Show culmination of the week long MSU Kids Camp preceded Bike America and was very cute and well managed in a way that gave everyone a chance to participate. Our grandkids were part of the gang of first through sixth graders acting out some American Tall Tales, skillfully herded and cued by the MSU Camp staff. It’s amazing they could put together such a coherent, fun show with only a four afternoons of rehearsal and a huge herd of kids.
The MSU Summer Circle group of actors/teachers/directors is a truly magnificent — and I’m sure very tired — ensemble.
This epic odyssey was directed by Mark Colson and features a wonderful ensemble cast of fellow bikers, some of whom dexterously transformed into additional random folks along the journey. Grant Cleaveland was the pathetic but endearing back-home boyfriend. Mike Merluzzi was the could have/should have been boyfriend on the road. Curran Jacobs was the taskmaster hunk tour leader, next-option boyfriend. Karen Vance and Kathryn Stahl were lesbian lovers on a quest to get married in as many states as possible. (Karen was fun as the boyfriend’s inhospitable mother, too.) Matt Greenbaum was The Man in the Van following the bikers — also shining in several extra roles -- and offering some Baby-Boomer/Gen X perspective on the Millennial Dilemma… that is really a pretty universal dilemma, involving whether we can figure out how to truly inhabit our lives.
One More Chance to see Bike America at 8pm tomorrow, Saturday — followed by the wild and crazy, adults only, Bob, A Life in Five Acts at 10. Plan to arrive early for Contra Dance Lessons in the courtyard at 7. If you haven’t been to Summer Circle since the new amphitheater was built, you must check out the much improved outdoor site. (Thanks to MSU Friends of Theatre.) Corner of Farm Lane and Auditorium Road, right behind the Auditorium Building.
Btw, the Kids Show culmination of the week long MSU Kids Camp preceded Bike America and was very cute and well managed in a way that gave everyone a chance to participate. Our grandkids were part of the gang of first through sixth graders acting out some American Tall Tales, skillfully herded and cued by the MSU Camp staff. It’s amazing they could put together such a coherent, fun show with only a four afternoons of rehearsal and a huge herd of kids.
The MSU Summer Circle group of actors/teachers/directors is a truly magnificent — and I’m sure very tired — ensemble.
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