Hope Abounds in Market Theatre’s Rambunctious ‘Annie’

By Paul Hyde/Anderson Observer

Hope and optimism are in abundant supply in the Market Theatre Company’s rambunctious “Annie.”

Charles Strouse’s 1976 show about an orphan who wants to find a loving home is a perfect treat for the Caption: The Market Theatre Company's "Annie" continues through Dec. 16. Photo Credit: Escobar Photography.Christmas season. It’s sweet, disarming and cheery.

Look a little deeper and you’ll find a great American musical with heart and decency, recalling a time – specifically the Great Depression – when Americans stuck together through thick and thin, looking out for each other.

That’s a welcome message at Christmastime and anytime.

Director Jessie Davis and choreographer Ryan Hewitt deliver an energetic, high-spirited production.

Those virtues are evident early in the show when the young residents of the Municipal Girls Orphanage attack the number “Hard Knock Life,” generating a satisfying ruckus with their foot stamping and vocal oomph.

This is a staging with gusto, and it’s a big cast, with more than 15 orphans.

Davis, the director, nimbly negotiates the Market Theatre’s challenging space, bringing clarity and momentum to the proceedings.

Daisy Bates is a spunky Annie with a sparkling smile and winning stage presence.

Kyle Caudell is a pleasingly gruff Oliver Warbucks who later exhibits a heart of gold and an appealing baritone.

Heather Mutolo, a standout, plays a fierce Miss Hannigan, the drunken matron of the orphanage, the harridan you love to hate. In the comic world of “Annie,” however, even the villains are not all that nasty. Mutolo brings a powerful voice to songs such as “Little Girls.”

Noah Austin and Victoria Cox are the two zesty schemers, Rooster and Lily St. Regis.

Kyle Heaten is adorable as the youngest orphan, Molly.

Ben Otto Sunderman is a likeable, forthright Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s scenes are played for laughs but they’re a reminder of a president who preached optimism, invested in people and brought Americans together. Those scenes gain added resonance in light of today’s divided political climate.

Hal Hunsinger is the chipper radio host Bert Healy.

Martha Upper and Carl Whitman offer solid contributions as, respectively, Warbucks’ secretary Grace and butler Drake.

The dog playing Sandy was uncredited in the program, but he (she?) did what Sandy usually does in “Annie” – completely steal the scene.

Michael Benitez does a good job with the musical preparation.

The entire ensemble makes a splendid sound in the relatively small Market Theatre. One caveat: At times, the cast could articulate Martin Charnin’s superb lyrics a bit more crisply.

This lively “Annie” continues through Dec.16. For tickets, call 864-729-2999 or visit the website www.themarketanderson.org.

Paul Hyde, a veteran Upstate journalist, writes about the arts for the Anderson Observer. Write to him at paulhydeus@yahoo.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.

Mill Town Players “Plaid Tidings" Brings Great Joy for the Season

By Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer 

Looking for a sweet, fun, enjoyable show holiday show to get you through this hectic season? The Mill Town Players’ “Plaid Tidings” is just the ticket.

A followup to “Forever Plaid,” the tale of a young quartet (“The Plaids”) who could have been famous if not for their untimely deaths in a 1964 auto crash (they were hit by a bus full of teenagers on their way to see the Beatles), who have now been sent back to Earth from the cosmos for one more visit. 

Their new mission? To help spread the wonder of the holiday spirit. The Plaids’ members — Frankie (Drew Whitley), Sparky (Mark Spung-Wiles), Jinx (Aaron Pennington) and Smudge (Dalton Cole) — kick off the show with a good look around the theater and concluding that the audience sure looks a lot older than they did on the group’s last visit to Earth.

It takes the quartet a bit to realize their holiday mission, with a fair portion of the initially somewhat slow first act connecting to the group’s past musical numbers, including a medley of their “would have been” hits.  

But the Plaids hit their stride when, with the help of Rosemary Clooney, they move into a wonderful, hilarious run of new spins on holiday favorites. Channeling Harry Belfante, one calypso number, which continues to repeat “in excelsis da-a-ay-o,” let’s the audience know they are in for a fun ride for the rest of the show.

And fun it is. Their recreation of “The Ed Sullivan Show,” complete with Topo Gigio, the Flying Wallendas, a plate spinner, a dog act and more, is one of the most delightful moments I’ve witnessed on a local stage. (Kudos to Kim Granner who designed the scene’s wonderful madness.)

The harmonies, a mixture of barbershop harmony and Four Seasons, are tight, and, after a bumpy start, the comedy works, especially when it’s just plain silly.  

Aaron Pennington, who steals almost every scene, is hilarious as he evokes Lou Costello to the point one half expects him to shout “Hey Abbott!”  

The rest of the cast also delivers, including Spung-Wiles’ energetic and amazing (and strange) cover of Peggy Lee’s “Fever.” Spung-Wiles near-frenetic movement thoughout gives momentum to the play Just when things start to slow a bit. Cole brings not only a calming presence, but a much needed lower-register voice, and his solos of straight Christmas numbers shine. Meanwhile Whitley is in top form wearing an island hat and leading the audience in a Christmas-inspired “Matilda” singalong. 

Chase McAbee, on piano, and Anderson Legend John Brookshire, on upright bass, provide almost all of the production’s lively music in style.

And “Perry Como” also puts in a noteable, if somewhat stiff, cameo as himself near the end. You don’t want to miss it.  

If you need help getting in the Christmas spirit this year, there’s no place like The Mill Town Players “Plaid Tidings” for the holidays. And there are still two more weekends of shows. Tickets are $12 and available here, at the door or by calling 864-947-8000. 

Mill Town's "Romeo and Juliet" Packs Emotional Wallop

By Paul Hyde

Set it where you will, “Romeo and Juliet” can still pack a wallop.

Gregory Middleton as Romeo and Kat Bates as Juliet. Photos by Escobar PhotographyThe Mill Town Players decided to place Shakespeare’s tragedy among hardscrabble mountain folk in 19^thcentury Appalachia.

The conceit works well, perhaps because any time period is apropos for a play about how tribal animosities can destroy young love and young lives.

Such hatred has always been with us, and perhaps more so in this election year, as the headlines of the past week attest. 

Director Christopher Rose has given the play, which opening Friday, a hurtling momentum, reducing its famed “two hours’ traffic of our stage” to one hour.

Rose has cut many lines while admirably retaining the heart of the story about the star-crossed lovers from two families divided (in this production like the Hatfields and McCoys) by an ancient feud.

Shakespeare’s words remain unchanged, but they’re delivered with Appalachian accents. Knives and guns take the place of swords. Paris bribes Capulet for his daughter’s hand with a jug of moonshine. If those nods to our own region’s heritage help to bring the play’s message closer to home, all the better.

Another plus: This is an age-appropriate production: Rose’s teenage characters are played by young actors.

Rose’s uptempo production grabs you by the lapels and never releases you. One occasionally longs for more breathing space for dramatic emphasis – or for love to develop. (I believe this play is being prepared for competition where performance time is limited.)

Yet the cruelty of the parents, the rage of the young rivals and the fate of the lovers tug mightily at the heart.

Kat Bates and Gregory Middleton are an appealing pair of impetuous young lovers. Bates is a glowing Juliet. Middleton is the very picture of the wide-eyed besotted swain with his head in the clouds.

The marvelous Cindy Mixon is a standout as the blunt, earthy, garrulous, highly emotional Nurse. She’s terrific.

It’s a pleasure also to see Anne Robards, another veteran of Upstate stages, as the fierce Lady Capulet. 

Ken Thomason has some explosive scenes as the domestic tyrant Capulet.

In a nice bit of non-traditional casting, Kelly Crittendon is a nimble Mercutio, delivering the character’s Queen Mab speech with verve.

Also offering solid contributions are Will Landrum (Benvolio), Al Means (Friar Lawrence), Jason Masters (Paris/Apothecary), Matthew Garrison (Tybalt), Ed Chambers (Montague) and Debbie Chambers (Lady Montague). 

Scenes are pleasingly interspersed with some evocative Appalachian fiddle music.

Will Ragland’s set design features a weather-beaten barn that serves a variety of purposes. Mountains and trees are never out of sight, reminding the audience of the ties that bind these characters to the land.

Beth King’s costumes are excellent – plain, sometimes threadbare and dirty -- suggesting a people burdened by poverty and hard work.

The cast generally articulates Shakespeare’s words clearly and naturally, although a few lines could be enunciated more crisply.

This production of “Romeo and Juliet” continues at Pelzer’s Mill Town Players through Nov. 4. For tickets, call 864-947-8000 or visit the website www.milltownplayers.org.

Paul Hyde, a veteran Upstate journalist, writes about the arts for the Anderson Observer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.

Market Theatre "Addams Family" October Gust of Ghoulish Fun

By Paul Hyde/Anderson Observer

They're creepy and they're kooky -- but mostly kooky.

The Market Theatre Company's "Addams Family" is an October gust of ghoulish fun.

This Halloween treat, which opened Friday, asks very little of an audience except to sit back and bask in the daffiness of the famously macabre Addams clan, familiar to mostly everyone through Charles Addams' classic Dalton Cole, center, stars as Gomez in the musical "Addams Family," continuing through Oct. 28 at The Market Theatre Company in Anderson.New Yorker cartoons and decades of TV and film adaptations.

Director/choreographer Mary Nickles gives us a peppy production of the 2010 musical, which features an appealing score of uptempo numbers and ballads by Andrew Lippa.

The show, written by the "Jersey Boys" team of Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, centers on a crisis in the Addams family involving Wednesday, the daughter. She's been raised to be a black-clad princess of darkness with a drop-dead stare and a penchant for torturing her little brother Pugsley. 

But, oh the horror, Wednesday has fallen in love with a nice, ordinary young man from a painfully normal Midwestern family. It's even suggested that they're (gasp!) Republicans.

Both families take a dim view of the budding relationship. Cultures clash when the Addams family invites the young man and his parents over to dinner.

The story of mismatched families locking horns over youthful romance is an old one (think "La Cage aux Folles," "Abie's Irish Rose" and "Romeo and Juliet"), but sometimes the star-crossed lovers prevail.

The show tosses in plenty of jokes about death, torture and other dark topics.

Nickles brings clarity and a giddy, playful spirit to the show. I liked Friday's opening performance most when it was most extravagant. I've always thought these Addams characters should be played one step below the campy hams of "Rocky Horror."

Nickles elicits fine performances from her cast.

Leading the revels is Dalton Cole as Gomez, the sword-wielding paterfamilias. Cole opts for understatement in a usually flamboyant role (John Astin on TV, Nathan Lane on Broadway), but his suave approach often pays off handsomely, particularly when Cole applies honeyed vocals to his ballad "Happy Sad," about life's contradictions. It's a tear-jerking moment.

DeAnna Gregory is a bewitching Morticia, cool and poised, with the expected rigor mortis posture, and she brings some strong pipes to her big number, "Just Around the Corner," a blithe song about death. 

Sarah Greene's winning Wednesday is a petite tornado of teenage self-assertion. Greene offers a dynamic account of the song "Pulled," about Wednesday's tumultuous feelings of love.

Sean Johnson plays a cheerfully wacky Uncle Fester, in love with the moon.

Eli Stone is terrific as the spunky young Pugsley.

Libby Riggins does a nice turn as the scratchy-voiced Grandma.

Bill Griffith, wonderful as the undead Lurch, towers above the scene with a world-weary snarl. 

Noah Austin offers a sympathetic portrayal of Wednesday's love interest, Lucas.

Becca Payne plays Lucas' mother Alice, given to nervous laughter and spontaneous rhymes. Late in Act I, Payne's Alice unleashes a powerful voice in her frustrated wife's lament, "Waiting."

Mark Cawood strikes the right note as Alice's stuffy husband (and secret rock fan) Mal.

The ghostly chorus of 10 shakes the Market Theatre rafters with vocal heft.

Sarah Greene's dark-hued and spooky costumes are marvelous.

Julie Florin is responsible for the tight music direction.

Makeup (Kat Bates) and set design (Noah Taylor) also are excellent.

One caveat: On opening night, some of the song lyrics were not as crisply articulated as they might be. Ongoing performances should iron things out.

Theater-goers should note: The show contains a few instances of strong language and sexual innuendo. 

This zany "Addams Family" continues through Oct. 28. For tickets, call 864-729-2999 or visit the website www.themarketanderson.org.

Paul Hyde, a veteran Upstate journalist, writes about the arts for the Anderson Observer. Write to him at paulhydeus@yahoo.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.

Ricky Skaggs to Perform Anderson Bluegrass Festival

Many of the best-known names in bluegrass will be on the stage at the civic center Oct. 25-27 forthe Anderson County Bluegrass Festival.

Performers scheduled for the event include: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder; Gene Watson, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Dailey & Vincent, Carolina Blue; The Gibson Brothers; Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys; Little Roy and Lizzie Show; Flat Lonesome; and many more of today's top bluegrass acts including the excellent local band, Tugalo Holler.

Tickets are $45 for VIP day pass, $40 general admission day pass. Three-day passes are $95 for VIP and $90 general admission adult. One-day children passes (ages 7-15) are $25 VIP and $20 general admission. Three-day VIP children passes are $50, and $40 for general admission. Children under seven are admitted free with paying adult. To order tickets, visit adamsbluegrass.com

For more information, visit here.

Camping is available (with no hook ups) at campsites, along with many hotel discounts in Anderson. For tickets and camping, please call 877-282-4650. 

No video or audio recording, no smoking, no pets and no alcohol allowed at this family event.  

For more information, visit here.

Camping is available (with no hook ups) at campsites, along with many hotel discounts in Anderson. For tickets and camping, please call 877-282-4650. 

No video or audio recording, no smoking, no pets and no alcohol allowed at this family event.