REP 2010-11 Season Round-Up

And here is a very lengthy post that will be seemingly relevant to only a very few...

Perhaps rather selfishly (seeing as how my "reviews" of the University of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players productions are some of my heaviest hit, most-searched-for blog posts), I figured that I'd post a wrap-up of the REP's pretty great 2010-11 season.  While it wasn't without a letdown or two (I still don't understand Harold Pinter's The Homecoming even a little bit), overall this is a fantastic theater troupe that I can't help but "promote" as much as this little blog with its whopping dozens of hits per day will allow.

Apparently, according to an article I read about the troupe, the University of Delaware sits outside the boundaries of the Philadelphia-based Barrymore Awards for theater.  So, instead, I'll hand out my own "awards" which should be seen as a hearty thank you to both the onstage and backstage members of the REP and the students of the Professional Theater Training Program (PTTP) for a wonderful season.

It also should be noted that this blog in general is simply a way of keeping track of the goings-on of the entertainment aspects in my life...so this post is really more of a journal entry than anything else, but if it gives anyone associated with the REP a slight chuckle, so be it.  Don't look at it so much as a competition, but an absolute respectful take of one theatergoer's favorite moments of a wonderful and engaging ten-play season.  I don't know how the upcoming season works, but if it means the departure of all or any of the REP members, rest assured they will be thoroughly missed by myself and my fellow season ticket holders.

Total Number of Nominations

(# of Nominations include "Honorable Mentions")

(Click on titles for a link to original review)

A Midsummer Night's Dream -- 8

Private Lives -- 8

The Glass Menagerie -- 7

The Good Doctor -- 6
Way to Heaven -- 6
O Beautiful -- 4

The Importance of Being Earnest -- 3

Our Town -- 2

Links to other 2010-11 REP productions

All the King's Men

The Homecoming

Best Costume Design

Bronze Medal -- Martha Hally - O Beautiful

Silver Medal -- Martha Hally - A Midsummer Night's Dream 

Gold Medal -- Laura Crow - The Good Doctor

A really close call seeing as how Ms. Hally's work for A Midsummer Night's Dream was rather exquisite in its imaginative uniqueness and her designs for O Beautiful allowed her to display both modern and historic threads, but Laura Crow's sumptuous costumes for the rather large ensemble of The Good Doctor added elegance and transported the audience right into the era of the play.

Best Scenic Design
Honorable Mention: Takeshi Kata - O Beautiful

Bronze Medal -- Stefanie Hansen - Private Lives

Silver Medal -- Junghyun Georgia Lee - The Glass Menagerie

Gold Medal -- Takeshi Kata -- A Midsummer Night's Dream

Without a doubt, coupled with the outstanding costumes presented by the REP, this company doesn't skimp when it comes to the visuals the audience sees onstage.  Presented in the smaller Studio Theater, Private Lives presented two very different sets filled with great details.  Junghyun Georgia Lee's set for The Glass Menagerie was stunning in its simplicity.  But Takeshi Kata's rotating moon and freaky forest of A Midsummer Night's Dream were so one-of-a-kind that it had to take the top prize.  When that moon spun around...pretty darn cool.

Best Ensemble

Honorable Mentions:  Way to Heaven

Bronze Medal:  The Glass Menagerie 

(Michael Gotch, Erik Mathew, Carine Montbertrand, Kathleen Pirkl Tague)

Silver Medal:  The Good Doctor  

(Drew Brhel, Deena Burke, Ben Charles, Caroline Crocker, Donte Fitzgerald, Andrew Goldwasser, Erik Mathew, Carine Montbertrand, Kathleen Pirkl Tague, Steve Tague)

Gold Medal:  Private Lives 

(Deena Burke, Michael Gotch, Carine Montbertrand, Andy Nagraj, Meaghan Sullivan)

The cast of Private Lives portrayed comedy at its very finest with each one having their moment to shine.    While that's surely a credit to the playwright, in lesser hands, the comedy would have fallen flat.  The quintet of actors provided a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theater.

Best Direction

Honorable Mention:  Matthew Earnest - Way to Heaven

Bronze Medal:  Warner Shook - Private Lives

Silver Medal:  Sanford Robbins - A Midsummer Night's Dream 

Gold Medal:  John Langs - The Glass Menagerie

Although Sandy Robbins certainly elevated the REP to another level with his production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I still vividly remember the exquisite final moments of The Glass Menagerie with much fondness.  The Inception-like demolishment of the set was breathtaking and for that vision alone, John Langs takes this award.

Best Supporting Actress

Honorable Mentions:

Elizabeth Heflin (REP) as "Lady Bracknell" - The Importance of Being Earnest

Jasmine Bracey (PTTP) as "Hippolyta/Titania" - A Midsummer Night's Dream

Bronze Medal:  Carine Montbertrand (REP) as Various Characters - The Good Doctor

Silver Medal:  Carine Montbertrand (REP) as "Miss Prism" - The Importance of Being Earnest

Gold Medal:  Meaghan Sullivan (PTTP) as "Sibyl Chase" - Private Lives

I don't know what it says that nearly all of my top five supporting actress performances are comedic...I guess I just like funny ladies (now if only I could find one for myself...).  Ms. Heflin was scene-stealing in Earnest.  Ms. Bracey was a strong, powerful, and commanding magical fairy in Midsummer.  Carine Montbertrand was the comedic genius that is Carine Montbertrand.  She always excels on the REP stage, but her hilarious turn in The Good Doctor and her take on Miss Prism in Earnest had me wishing she was on the stage for the entirety of each of those plays.

But the "winner" is PTTP member Meaghan Sullivan in Private Lives whose take on Sibyl Chase felt like a loving homage to comedic actresses of the 1930s and 40s.  I'm a sucker for a good comedic crier and Ms. Sullivan is one heckuva comedic crier.

Best Supporting Actor
Honorable Mentions:
Mic Matarrese (REP) as "Reverend Chasuble" - The Importance of Being Earnest
Drew Brehl (Guest Actor) as Various Characters - The Good Doctor
Bronze Medal: Matthew Simpson (PTTP) as "Red Cross Representative" - Way to Heaven
Silver Medal: Eric Mathew (PTTP) as Various Characters - The Good Doctor
Gold Medal: Ben Charles (PTTP) as "Philostrate/Puck" - A Midsummer Night's Dream

It's rather nice that the medals here get doled out to three PTTP members.  Kudos to Matthew Simpson for the difficult role he had in Way to Heaven.  Tackling a nearly thirty-minute monologue, having to do so at the very beginning of the play, and making the audience feel riveted was an unenviable task, but he surely succeeded.  Eric Mathew was rather genius as the smooth-talking lothario in The Good Doctor, taking a short scene and making it incredibly memorable.

Just eking out a win is Ben Charles as Puck (and also the smaller role of Philostrate) in A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Showcasing his acrobatic talent (or, at the very least, his bravery in performing some high-flying aerial moves), Mr. Charles was completely engaging and brought quite a bit of humor to Shakespeare's words.

Best Actress

Honorable Mentions:

Sara J. Griffin (PTTP) as "Emily" - Our Town

Sara J. Griffin (PTTP) as "Alice Fletcher" - O Beautiful

Bronze Medal: Kathleen Pirkl Tague (REP) as "Amanda Wingfield" - The Glass Menagerie

Silver Medal: Carine Montbertrand (REP) as "Amanda Prynne" - Private Lives

Gold Medal: Elizabeth Heflin (REP) as "Linda Ryan" - O Beautiful

If I'm being completely honest, I felt that this season of the REP left the ladies a tiny bit by the wayside.  The plays felt a tad more male-centric this year in terms of "leading" roles.  Still, there were five great performances that either moved me, made me laugh, or managed to do both.

Kudos to PTTP member Sara J. Griffin for her lovely and charming take on teenage Emily in Our Town and a somewhat more emotionally confused teen in the premiere presentation of O Beautiful.  Ms. Tague, who excelled in last year's Death of a Salesman, was a different kind of mom in The Glass Menagerie, but just as powerful.  And although Ms. Montbertrand has certainly proven she can be the dramatic heavy of a piece, she was a comedienne of the finest caliber in Private Lives.

However, the top "prize" goes to Elizabeth Heflin in Theresa Rebeck's O Beautiful.  SPOILER ALERT:  There's something gut-wrenching about watching a parent go through the loss of a child.  I recently had a relative who lost her child and Ms. Heflin hit the emotions on the nose and made me feel the same "uncomfortableness" that I felt in real life.  However, even before the tragedy hits, Heflin's portrayal of Linda seemed genuine and true to life.

Best Actor

Honorable Mentions:

Michael Gotch (REP) as "Elyot Chase" - Private Lives

Michael Gotch (REP) as "Tom Wingfield - The Glass Menagerie

Bronze Medal:  Ben Charles (PTTP) as "George" - Our Town

Silver Medal:  Mic Matarrese (REP) as "Commandant" - Way to Heaven

Gold Medal:  Stephen Pelinski (REP) as "Bottom"- A Midsummer Night's Dream

Michael Gotch is always great to watch and his roles in Private Lives and The Glass Menagerie showed two different sides of his acting spectrum.  Ben Charles makes a second appearance in these "awards" with his role of George in Our Town.  The innocence that he brought to the role was what won me over.  Mic Matarrese was rather frightening as the eerily charismatic Nazi Commandant in Way to Heaven.  It was very nice to see Mr. Matarrese be able to showcase his talent with a meaty role to sink his teeth into.

Stephen Pelinski, however, took the role of Bottom in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and showed me a completely different take on the character than I ever could have expected.  He made Shakespeare's words come alive and seem surprisingly relevant, creating comedy where I thought there would be none.  Based off my previous exposure to the play, I was absolutely dreading his character's big role in the Pyramus and Thisbe finale, so I never could have guessed that Mr. Pelinski would have created some gut-busting laugh-out-loud moments.

Favorite Moment/Scene

Honorable Mentions: "The Showdown of the Ex-Lovers -- Pillow Scene" in Private Lives; 

Red Cross Representative Monologue in Way to Heaven

Bronze Medal: "Pyramus and Thisbe" in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Silver Medal: "Surgery" in The Good Doctor

Gold Medal: Final Moment of The Glass Menagerie

Both the Bronze and Silver medalists are here because of their gut-busting belly laughs.  But the final moment of The Glass Menagerie when the set began to tear apart...I'm still feeling wowed by it.  It floored me and was my absolute favorite moment of a REP production this season.  It's an image that has stuck with me even several months later and I think ultimately that's what you really want to happen when you go see live theater. 

Best Overall Production

Honorable Mention:  Private Lives

Bronze Medal:  Way to Heaven

Silver Medal:  The Glass Menagerie

Gold Medal:  A Midsummer Night's Dream

Overall, it was a great season for the REP.  Our Town and The Good Doctor could have easily been swapped out with any of the four plays listed above, but this is way the chips fell for me.  It was actually a really tough decision determining whether Private Lives or Way to Heaven took the Bronze seeing as how both plays were really great and couldn't be more different from one another.  In the end (and quite possibly because Way to Heaven is fresher in my mind), playwright Juan Mayorga's gripping take on the Holocaust, the rather ingenious slow unfolding of the events that took place at the Theresienstadt concentration camp, and the simple haunting set just barely took the prize over the great comedy on display in Private Lives.

I've said it before, but thanks to John Langs' direction, The Glass Menagerie was a special treat.  Langs elevated the words thanks to the way he decided to stage Tennessee Williams' work.

However, A Midsummer Night's Dream was simply too fanciful to deny it the top spot.  To make Shakespeare relevant, entertaining, and completely engaging is a credit to director Sanford Robbins and the entire cast of the production.  To not be bored for a minute shocked me immensely.  With the costumes, set design, and wonderful acting, I can't help but think that this production would rival anything you'd see up in New York City.

Total Number of "Gold Medal Wins"

A Midsummer Night's Dream - 4

The Glass Menagerie - 2

Private Lives - 2

The Good Doctor - 1
O Beautiful - 1

Once again, thanks to the REP for a great season.  Those in the area should definitely check out the troupe in seasons to come.