Crazy Town was a springboard for 15 new faces from LCC’s first semester Studio. Jonathan Rand’s somewhat banal, sophomoric script was comprised of nine vignettes featuring groaner jokes and caricatures. Paige Dunckel directed this tongue-in-cheek spoof and gave every actor a chance to grow and shine.

I’m sure you’ll see these new faces springing up in future LCC and area shows: Andrew Birchmaier, Lae’La Ivey Brown, Tyler Brown, Antone Chatman, Jennifer Dale, Timothy Ewald, Hannah Feuka, Benjamin Guenther, Joseph Harris, Tong Kupatavetin, Ariah Leifker, Porcha Lipsey, Ndegwa McCloud, Emilio Pido, Brandon Townsend.

Crazy Town was a two-performance “quickie” and tonight was the last show. If you ARE looking for a show to see tomorrow, I’ll put in one more plug for the last performance of the sensational DECEMBER PROJECT at MSU   Studio 60 Sunday at 3. Get there early, it was nearly sold out last night.
theatre.msu.edu/index.php/productions/season-archive/2015-2016-season/december-project/

I knew nothing about this show, going in, except that it was one of those “devised performances” that I often judge as wonderful, educational, therapeutic experiences for the actors involved, but that leave me behind, as an audience member. This was NOT one of those shows. 

THE DECEMBER PROJECT is a highly entertaining, creative, thought-provoking show, well deserving its packed house and standing ovation. Even those of us who are far from millennials can relate, and maybe appreciate it in a different way since we have experienced a significant chunk of life PRE-smart phone, email, internet.

Beginning in September, Director/Choreographer Kellyn Uhl led this group of nine-plus excellent actors, in developing this script from scratch, based on what is relevant to their lives. The result is an energetic, visceral performance that is very timely and fresh, funny and provocative.


In the press release, Uhl explains “…we were gathered together in one big circle…asking enormous questions: What drives us to create and why? Is it our duty as artists to reflect the times? When given the gifts of stage and audience – what do we long to say and how?"

Dramaturg Dan Smith states, "The December Project aims to offer hope in the technological winter of social media.” It portrays a group of people starting in a support group for smart-phone addiction, then leaping to vastly varied vignettes, each offering surprises and remarkable choreography/acrobatics to illustrate myriad aspects of our relationship to technology. 

Performances continue in the Studio 60 Theatre in the MSU Auditorium.

Friday, December 11, 2015 at 8:00pm
Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 2:00pm
*Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2:00pm

*   Director Pre-Show Discussion, Sunday, December 13, 2015, 1:15.
 
Tickets are available from the Wharton Center Box Office; 1.800.WHARTON; www.whartoncenter.com.
Box office at the Studio 60 Theatre is on the Farm Lane end of the Auditorium building and opens 1 hour prior to each performance with house doors opening 30 minutes prior. Studio 60 is in the basement, beyond the Arena theatre. They have helpful signs posted.
General Admission $13. Seniors and Faculty $11. Students $10.

Only ONE more chance to see CYMBALINE at LCC’s Black Box. Mary Job has overcome my Shakespeare-phobia with this fun adventure where lots (30ish) of actors infuse their Shakespeare-language-confusing lines with enough real intention to make us understand this multi-plotted show. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be useful to look it up on Wikipedia in advance… (I’m paranoid about Shakespeare, so...) but I really don’t think you’d need to. This gang gets the adventure communicated under the able direction of Mary.

A conniving queen (Carissas Zielinski) tries to get her loutish son (Boris Nicokolovski) on the throne, and King Cymbaline (Jesse Frawley) banishes his daughter’s( Anna Szabo) fiancé (Zach Riley) Clever servant Pisianio (Anna Raymo) (like Snow White’s huntsman) refuses to kill her and devises a dress-like-a- boy maneuver to save her mistress. There is an amusing attempted seduction by Iachimo (Connor Kelly) war, betrayal, beheading, war… it’s kind of action movie meets fairy tale.

The set is very simple in “black box” style and the costumes (Kate Coskinen, Perri Foster, Envy Meisel) are wonderful, but hard to describe — inspired by period costumes, but not entirely “realistic”. The effective sound knits in the scene changes and evokes an action/adventure movie feel (Danica O’Neill) And the fight choreography is great (Dr. John Lennox) including an effective stop-action war.

Even non Shakespeare fans will get a kick out of this one. ONE MORE SHOW 2 pm tomorrow (today!?) at LCC’s Black Box room 168 Gannon Building. ($5/$10) Park on Grand Avenue and enter at the southmost small door of the building.

www.lcc.edu/cma/events/

THE MONKEY KING is a wild hour-and-fifteen-minute Chinese fairy tale that unleashes “Freshman Power” in a devised performance in the MSU Arena. The place was packed, both onstage (30-plus actors) and in the sold-out audience, with fans whooping at the wild combat choreography and some modern humor overlaid on a centuries-old story of a Buddhist journey to enlightenment; many students also participated on the “script team” to create this play. 

This “world premiere devised performance” was written as part of MSU’s “Year of China,” meant to deepen cultural awareness and inclusion. This is a new version of “Journey to the West,” one of China’s best known pieces of classic literature. (Check out the “Dramaturg” notes for more info on the origins.) 

It was beautifully directed and choreographed with impressive stage combat. Director Deric McNish mentioned a name, I want to say Jennifer Jacobs, but I could be wrong… as Combat-Mentor, whose name was left out of the program; sorry if I got that wrong. Choreography was Brad Willcuts. Sound, much of it generated by the cast itself surrounding the stage with drums and other vocal/body-made sounds added to the energy. (Grant Cleaveland, Emma Klatt, Lee Jones listed for sound design.)

The two Monkey Kings (young and older) Evan Phillips and Evan Houdek were fired up and energized the entire stage. They embodied a rebellious ambition as they made the quest along with the Pig and the Fish and the Jade Emperor whose stories intertwined as all searched for enlightenment despite demons and twirling battle sticks.

The Monkey King runs through December 6 in the Arena; buy tickets at the box office (Farm Lane side of the Auditorium Building, corner of Auditorium and Farm Lane) and go downstairs for the show. Dress in layers, since it is a bit warm in the Arena, especially when it’s full.)
Friday, December 4, 2015 at 8:00pm
Saturday, December 5, 2015 at 2:00pm
Sunday, December 6, 2015 at 2:00pm
*   Director Pre-Show Discussion, Sunday, December 6, 2015, 1:15.
 
Tickets are also available from the Wharton Center Box Office; 1.800.WHARTON; www.whartoncenter.com.
Box office at the Arena Theatreopens 1 hour prior to each performance with house doors opening 30 minutes prior. General Admission $13. Seniors and Faculty $11. Students $10.