Since I saw this show on Sunday — the climax of a four-show weekend — I gave myself the luxury of sleeping on it (and risking nightmares!) to write about Misery at Lebowsky Center in Owosso. (Trying not to bother you with more than one GLUT email per day!)

I am one of the few people who have never seen the infamous movie version of Misery, (nor read the Stephen King novel) so the intrigue and mystery of if/how the captive novelist would escape the clutches of his obsessed “Number One Fan,” Annie, kept me riveted. 

As Annie, Stephanie Banghart commanded an unnerving range from starry-eyed, fan-girl sweetness to deeply disturbed obsession and violence — coddling, coercing and torturing car-crash victim novelist Paul Sheldon. He was perilously well played by Glen Tenoff, whom we commiserated with though a wide array of mental and physical challenges. Andy Frikken was a strong presence as Sheriff Buster, a significant twister of the plot.

Amy Jo Brown seems to be an all-purpose director, also handling set/sound//costume/props … and, one assumes, fight choreography, as no one else is listed in that specific capacity. This show presents many logistical challenges and even physical dangers which were well handled — and the cast appeared to be alive and well at curtain call, prepared to creep you out next weekend. 

Many worthy theatrical options next weekend include Merrily We Roll Along, Fabulation, Magnolia Ballet and Misery — and/or the Friday-Night-Only 7 pm Arsenic & Old Lace radio show at Hannah Center with Lee Helder and me!

Misery is recommended for adult audiences 13 and older; violence; strong language — reservations & info at https://lebowskycenter.com

Wow. The Magnolia Ballet Part I is a powerful experience. 

The time is now… and then. The place is Georgia… and elsewhere. It’s an intense drama with moments of humor — creative, unusual uses of dance (haircut, chained rhythms — choreography Marsae Mitchell) — all weaving a complex and intimate tapestry of Civil War history, masculinity, homophobia, and the love between a queer Black kid and his father. 

Director Gary Anderson has brought this rolling premiere of Terry Guest’s new script to Williamston Theatre, gathering an excellent cast of four. The wonderfully engaging Stefon Funderburke is the son, loving/fearing his father, well played as an understandable villian/hero by Scott Norman (with a funny but unnerving interlude where he also portrays the cop father of his son’s white friend.) Timothy Hackbarth is excellent as the white friend/more-than-friend shaped by his own history. Jesse Boyd-Williams shines/haunts as “Apparition” bringing to life strong visions of the past. 

The set is a ruinous but beautiful old house rising out of a Georgia swamp (Scenic Design by Jennifer Maiseloff; Lighting Design by Becca Bedell. Swamp sounds and a little water based mist add literally and figuratively to the atmosphere.

This was a matinee audience, not the youngest crowd in the world, but still we came slowly and sincerely to our feet at the moving climax of this play. One can only wonder about the “Part 1” tag to this title. Will there be a “Part II”? Have we/can we evolve/improve/accept...? 

This touching and thought-provoking play continues through November 6. See it — ALL of it, now unobstructed by the pesky support poles that have been expensively replaced by new support from above. 

Tickets/info at http://williamstontheatre.org

Director Rose Jangmi Cooper is a relative newcomer to area theatre, starting with Ixion in Hoodoo Love in 2017 — but she has become increasingly involved, discovering, and adding to, the power of community and inclusion in Lansing area theatre. Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine is her full-stage directorial debut, and it received a standing ovation at Riverwalk Theatre!

Llke her other scripts we’ve seen in the area over the past few years, Sweat, and Intimate Apparel, Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation focuses on Black working class people. Undine invites us along on a multi-layered journey of her own comeuppance and eventual redemption. She’s knocked from societal, professional and financial heights by a betraying husband, and lands, pregnant and penniless, with the family she abandoned in Brooklyn’s Walt Whitman projects. Satirical and sometimes humorous observations abound.

Vanessa Mazhangara shines as the title character, evolving from overbearing boss-lady to a more compassionate, weathered but hopeful version of herself. She has a huge line load, since she both portrays herself and explains herself to the audience. I hope this New York actress plans to stay in the Lansing theatre scene. 

And she is well assisted by what seems like a “cast of thousands” which is just ten additional actors who effectively portray 32 characters, differentiated, not only by acting but also by “Costume Fabulator” Ashley Hampton’s costumes. From the suave but betraying Hervé (Lorenzo Lopez) to the intense Rapper/Flow (Norrlyn-Michael William Allen) to the lovable but addicted Grandma (Janell Hall) to the charming Guy (Wulf Hogan) to the intimidated Stephie (Jllian Tosolt) to the beleaguered parents (Timetra Horton and Julian Van Dyke) — with Jordan Taylor, Ny’kieria Blocker and Teriah Nicole covering twelve more roles among the three of them.

The technical aspects enhanced the production: The simple, practical set designed by Tom Ferris, whisked from scene to scene, using mainly furniture, all set up under a wonderful set of slides depicting real-life locations that anchored each scene. Clint Hoagland’s sound, Steve Vangel’s lighting, and Bernie Lucas’s props effectively completed the scenes.
 
Fabulation runs through October 30 -  7 pm Thursdays, 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 pm Sundays, masks required. It contains mature themes, depictions of drug use and strong language. Tickets at http://riverwalktheatre.com. or call 517-482-5700.

This "compelling Broadway fable about friendship, compromise and the high price of success” is told backward, and felt a bit inside out as well, as we were plunged into a perspective that cast a pall on the happier experiences that follow/precede. How are we supposed to feel when we know too much? I found it thought provoking and touching.

The leads were all great and I especially liked Josh Martin’s angry talk show song as the betrayed partner, Charley. James Curtis as Frank (the betrayer?) was also excellent and spent a lot of time being charmingly conflicted and uncomfortable. Meghan Malusek was stunning and stylish as Gussie; Rachel Daugherty broke our hearts as Beth — with some help from young Miles McEvoy playing her son; Dinah DeWald delivered both humor and pathos as Mary.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by George Furth, this show is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It was notoriously UNsuccessful when it opened in 1981. (Director Ben Cassidy recommends the documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened on Netflix.) It has been extensively rewritten and revived to acclaim — and Peppermint Creek is giving us its latest iteration in a new-to-them performance space, Lansing Public Media Center on South Washington, south of Mt. Hope.

This is a large yet up-close space, with the audience encircling on the same level as the actors, and a well balanced seven-piece orchestra in the back, led by John Dillingham. The backdrop is a blank, white, projection screen with no projections — yet I could accept that as the “blank slate” of the characters’ lives. Set pieces were all roll-on units and the specific time travel scenes, ranging from 1976 to 1957, were established by evocative, period costumes and props — many provided by Riverwalk Theatre’s prop loft and Costume Shop. Kudos to costumer Kate Koskinen and props procurers Melody Stratton and Katie Dufort Way. Karyn Perry’s choreography was especially fun in “the blob” numbers.

It’s well worth finding this venue to experience this time-traveling musical. The Lansing Public Media Center is at 2500 S Washington Avenue; free parking at the front and side. Look for the big astronaut mural and the “vote here” signs. Masks are required for audience members.

Merrily will runThursdays through Sundays (with NO performance on Friday October 21) through Sunday, October 23. All shows are at 8pm, except Sundays at 2pm. Tickets at http://www.peppermintcreek.org, and are $20 general admission, and $15 for students/seniors 65+/military.