Updated 11/17/15:
Thanks to Tom Klunzinger for his review of MSU’s Stage Door by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman. (Go to www.greaterlansingtheatre.net, pull down the “about the GLUT” menu and choose “email list” to check previous emails as they were sent.) We can echo his comments about the impressive, huge, set (Elspeth Williams) — SO “period” and even using the “media” projections to create the neon lights of the surrounding city (Izak Gracy, Nathan Brecht, Pam Conley). It was stylish and “swell” as the actors repeated often, and a tribute to 1930’s ladies of the theatre — with lots of roles for the probably-more-women-than-men enrolled in the theatre program. Check out Rob Roznowski’s interesting director’s note about the many educational enhancements to this whole project. It was certainly a lesson in history and “woman’s issues” for all involved. It’s not really my favorite type of play, but it was well done and kept a speedy pace and high energy — which helped it come in at 2 hours (plus 10 minute intermission).
Continues:
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7:30pm
**Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 20, 2015 at 8:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 2:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8:00pm
Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 2:00pm
* Director Pre-Show Discussion Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 1:15 PM
** Post-Show Discussion on Thursday, November 19, 2015 (Following the Performance)
Tickets are available from the Wharton Center Box Office, 1.800.WHARTON FREE, whartoncenter.com
Thanks to Tom Klunzinger for his review of MSU’s Stage Door by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman. (Go to www.greaterlansingtheatre.net, pull down the “about the GLUT” menu and choose “email list” to check previous emails as they were sent.) We can echo his comments about the impressive, huge, set (Elspeth Williams) — SO “period” and even using the “media” projections to create the neon lights of the surrounding city (Izak Gracy, Nathan Brecht, Pam Conley). It was stylish and “swell” as the actors repeated often, and a tribute to 1930’s ladies of the theatre — with lots of roles for the probably-more-women-than-men enrolled in the theatre program. Check out Rob Roznowski’s interesting director’s note about the many educational enhancements to this whole project. It was certainly a lesson in history and “woman’s issues” for all involved. It’s not really my favorite type of play, but it was well done and kept a speedy pace and high energy — which helped it come in at 2 hours (plus 10 minute intermission).
Continues:
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7:30pm
**Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 20, 2015 at 8:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 2:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8:00pm
Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 2:00pm
* Director Pre-Show Discussion Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 1:15 PM
** Post-Show Discussion on Thursday, November 19, 2015 (Following the Performance)
Tickets are available from the Wharton Center Box Office, 1.800.WHARTON FREE, whartoncenter.com
(Mark and I are still “otherwise engaged”: two more performances of our fun-filled Nuncrackers 7:30 pm tonight and 2pm Sunday. $18 at the door for “show only” tickets. www.starlightdinnertheatre.com) Thanks to Stage Door Guest Reviewer, Tom Klunzinger for the following:
The biggest set you’ve ever seen is now onstage at MSU’s Pasant Theatre, starring in the pitch-perfect production of the classic Edna Ferber/George Kaufman 1926 stage/1936 film hit Stage Door. Yes, there are lots of good people in the show (21 women, 12 men) of whom more later, but that set! (designed by Elspeth Williams.) It’s the inside and outside of The Footlights Club, a New York boarding house for young women seeking a career in The Theater. It presents several rooms of the downstairs and upstairs of the club, and no matter where the immediate action is, there’s always something going on elsewhere — big kudos to director Rob Roznowski for his inventive “traffic” direction and these little bits which probably are not in the original script but prompt you to pay attention all the time.
And the script, 90 years old though it may be, is performed straight (like The Colleen Bawn) and works just fine not only as a period piece, but also as a classic take on the young women who continue to flock to the city to take a bite from the Big Apple. It’s delivered just as it should be, with plenty of the snappy, rapid-fire idealistic dialogue that they wrote back then, by the kind of cast that makes it difficult to remember who’s who – that is, they’re all good. Several of the characters have sudden success, some not, but they’re all clinging to their dream of Making It Big.
Eventually we come to appreciate “stage struck” Terry Kendal (Madelayne Shammas), Kingsley the movie guy (Matt Greenbaum), Keith the playwright (Andy Van Otteren) and the innkeeper/actress Mrs. Orcutt (Kathryn Stahl), but that’s only because they have more lines – it’s fun to watch all the others, especially Olga (Bethany Heinlein) who actually plays decent solos on the grand piano. The hair and costumes are all perfectly period as well. The program contains some gender-filter notes that at the time, stage work was one of the few avenues to an independent career for most women, which is true; but really you can and should enjoy this production as a rollicking good evening of theater. Local pride: Edna Ferber was born in Kalamazoo in 1885.
Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 8:00pm
*Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 2:00pm
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 7:30pm
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7:30pm
**Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 20, 2015 at 8:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 2:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8:00pm
Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 2:00pm
* Director Pre-Show Discussion Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 1:15 PM
** Post-Show Discussion on Thursday, November 19, 2015 (Following the Performance)
Tickets are available from the Wharton Center Box Office, 1.800.WHARTON, whartoncenter.com
The biggest set you’ve ever seen is now onstage at MSU’s Pasant Theatre, starring in the pitch-perfect production of the classic Edna Ferber/George Kaufman 1926 stage/1936 film hit Stage Door. Yes, there are lots of good people in the show (21 women, 12 men) of whom more later, but that set! (designed by Elspeth Williams.) It’s the inside and outside of The Footlights Club, a New York boarding house for young women seeking a career in The Theater. It presents several rooms of the downstairs and upstairs of the club, and no matter where the immediate action is, there’s always something going on elsewhere — big kudos to director Rob Roznowski for his inventive “traffic” direction and these little bits which probably are not in the original script but prompt you to pay attention all the time.
And the script, 90 years old though it may be, is performed straight (like The Colleen Bawn) and works just fine not only as a period piece, but also as a classic take on the young women who continue to flock to the city to take a bite from the Big Apple. It’s delivered just as it should be, with plenty of the snappy, rapid-fire idealistic dialogue that they wrote back then, by the kind of cast that makes it difficult to remember who’s who – that is, they’re all good. Several of the characters have sudden success, some not, but they’re all clinging to their dream of Making It Big.
Eventually we come to appreciate “stage struck” Terry Kendal (Madelayne Shammas), Kingsley the movie guy (Matt Greenbaum), Keith the playwright (Andy Van Otteren) and the innkeeper/actress Mrs. Orcutt (Kathryn Stahl), but that’s only because they have more lines – it’s fun to watch all the others, especially Olga (Bethany Heinlein) who actually plays decent solos on the grand piano. The hair and costumes are all perfectly period as well. The program contains some gender-filter notes that at the time, stage work was one of the few avenues to an independent career for most women, which is true; but really you can and should enjoy this production as a rollicking good evening of theater. Local pride: Edna Ferber was born in Kalamazoo in 1885.
Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 8:00pm
*Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 2:00pm
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 7:30pm
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7:30pm
**Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 20, 2015 at 8:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 2:00pm
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8:00pm
Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 2:00pm
* Director Pre-Show Discussion Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 1:15 PM
** Post-Show Discussion on Thursday, November 19, 2015 (Following the Performance)
Tickets are available from the Wharton Center Box Office, 1.800.WHARTON, whartoncenter.com
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