REP 2011-12 Season Round-Up

With only five productions this year, it's a bit more difficult for me to do something similar to what I did last year when it comes to expressing my appreciation for the wonderful performances put on by the University of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players.  This year's plays ran the gamut from slapstick comedy to heavy drama and while some of the plays themselves may have left me a little disappointed, the REP continues to prove why they should be the hottest ticket in town when it comes to live theater.

Total Number of "Nominations"

(# of nominations includes "Honorable Mentions")

(Click on titles for link to original review)

The Cripple of Inishmaan -- 5
Noises Off -- 5
Our Country's Good -- 4

The Skin of Our Teeth -- 3

The Little Foxes -- 1

Best Costume Design

Winner -- Martha Hally -- Our Country's Good

Best Scenic Design

Winner -- Takeshi Kata -- The Skin of Our Teeth

Honorable Mentions:

Stefanie Hansen -- The Cripple of Inishmaan

R.H. Graham -- Our Country's Good

The REP continues to shine in both their costuming and scenic design departments which come together to elevate their productions to something very high caliber.  Martha Hally created both realistic slave and soldier garb in Our Country's Good that was the stand-out of the season.

The barren staging of Our Country's Good and the charmingly "depressing" Irish sets of The Cripple of Inishmaan were both wonderful, but The Skin of Our Teeth ended the season with a bang.  Every set from the 1950s style house in Act I to the glitz, glamour, and eye-popping neon lights of Act II to the barren devastation of Act III were top notch.  Although Act II certainly was stunning, as time passes, Act III's move to go "backdrop-less" and allow the audience to see all the way back to the stage's back wall is proving to linger just as much in my mind.  

Best Overall Performances

10. Mic Matarrese - Noises Off

9. Deena Burke - Our Country's Good

8. Elizabeth Heflin - The Little Foxes

7. Kathleen Pirkl Tague - The Skin of Our Teeth

6. Kathleen Pirkl Tague - The Cripple of Inishmaan

5. Elizabeth Heflin - The Skin of Our Teeth

4. Elizabeth Heflin - Our Country's Good

3. Stephen Pelinski - Noises Off

2. Kathleen Pirkl Tague - Noises Off

1. Michael Gotch - The Cripple of Inishmaan

Best Overall Body of Work

Winner -- Elizabeth Heflin

Honorable Mention -- Kathleen Pirkl Tague

If the 2010-11 season was one that placed a bit more focus on the men, the 2011-12 season was definitely one for the ladies.  Kathleen Pirkl Tague continues to be just a joy to watch on stage, excelling in both humorous roles (like Noises Off) and ones that require a little more heart (as in The Cripple of Inishmaan).

This really seemed to be the year for Elizabeth Heflin, however, who took on drastically different major roles in The Skin of Our Teeth and The Little Foxes to great success.  But it was in Our Country's Good where her talent especially shined when she took on a character with one small scene and made her the most memorable part of the play.

However, the best role of the year belonged to Michael Gotch in the title role in The Cripple of Inishmaan.  Completely embodying the character with a limp that had to have been intensely demanding, Gotch not only physically took on the role, but added great depth in terms of heart and vulnerability.

Best Direction

Winner -- Gregory Boyd - Noises Off

Honorable Mention -- J.R. Sullivan - The Cripple of Inishmaan

Favorite Overall Production

Winner -- Noises Off

Honorable Mention -- The Cripple of Inishmaan

Photo by Paul Cerro

In any other year, The Cripple of Inishmaan may have taken the top spot, but it's tough to put anything up against what the REP did with Noises Off which was, quite honestly, one of the best things I've ever seen on stage.  I imagine that this is play that very well could fail miserably in the hands of a less talented cast and director, but Gregory Boyd and the REP crafted something very special.  It helps that they had a great play to work with, but seeing the REP cast of eight play so well off of one another epitomized what is so wonderful about this group.  Watching this troupe change so flawlessly from one play to the next -- comedy to drama and back again -- is what keeps me coming back again and again.