The Song (or Whatever) of Mulan

Posted by Bruce Miller
Every time I think of The Song of Mulan, I remember what happened eight years ago when we first contracted Paul Deiss to create the show for our touring operation. Schools were crying out for a fun way to support the new SOLs on ancient China, and the epic poem about the young girl who went to war to save her nation from the Mongol (Tartar) horde definitely fit the bill.

It had everything--an inspiring story that illuminates authentic history, a classic work of Chinese literature, and the name recognition that could come only from a recent Disney adaptation.

Paul wrote a beautiful script and score, and when the tour first went on the road, the Richmond Times-Dispatch covered the opening. This was back in the days when we could still get some ink for the arts. There was a beautiful color photo and a sizable caption, all surrounding a prominent headline that proudly proclaimed "Theatre IV Opens The Fish of Mulan."

That's what it said, my friends. We never knew why, but somehow someone in the newsroom changed the title of the play from The Song of Mulan (the actual title of the epic poem, sometimes translated as The Ballad of Mulan) to The Fish of Mulan.

It didn't matter. Then as now, all PR was good PR.

That first tour went so well under Susan Sanford's expert direction, that we soon commissioned Paul to expand his musical into two acts for a mainstage production. Susan again served as director/choreographer, and the show again earned raves from audiences, educators, and critics alike.

Mercedes Schaum created the magnificent sets; Jason Bishop designed a brigade of handsome, authentic costumes; and Steve Koehler worked his usual magic with lights. (Lynne Hartman takes on the lighting responsibilities this time out.)

Now that it's time to revive this Theatre IV favorite, how fortunate we are to have been able to reassemble several members of the original team. (In terms of costumes, Jason has moved to New York, but we have been able to retrieve all his original garments.) Susan Sanford long ago moved to Los Angeles to pursue new career opportunities with her husband, Foster Solomon. But thanks to funding from the Louise Moon Fund, we were able to bring her back to town--a blessing for one and all.

The Louise Moon Fund was created in the late 1990s, shortly before Mrs. Moon died. Throughout her life, she had been a great supporter of the arts. She was on the founding committee of the Richmond Symphony, and she had a long history of support for both Theatre IV and Barksdale.

Before our two nonprofit companies began our strategic partnership in 2001, we worked together to establish the Louise Moon Fund in Mrs. Moon's honor. The fund enabled Barksdale and Theatre IV to bring back to Richmond outstanding theatre artists who had moved on to larger markets. Mrs. Moon had fallen in love this idea after we brought her son, John, back from NYC following his earning his masters in directing from Columbia and his subsequent work with Joseph Papp's Public Theatre.

Susan is only the most recent artist to return due in part to the largesse of Mrs. Moon and her friends.

We have a great new cast for Mulan this year. The titular role is played by Yvonne Samé, recently from the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Her mother and father are played by Hannah Zold and Jason Marks. Mulan's romantic interest is portrayed by Chris Stewart. Lucas Hall, Audra Honaker, Paul Major and Durron Tyre all provide admirable support in a variety of roles.

If you haven't been out to see this wonderful show, please head on down to Theatre IV's historic Empire Theatre. We'd love to have you join us on our return visit to all the wonders of ancient China.

--Bruce Miller

(Note on the images: Whether she is allegorical or real, the character of Mulan has inspired countless works of Chinese art, several examples of which are pictured. First is a painting on silk, then a wooden carving, followed by the oldest surviving copy of the epic poem, circa 1200, found in the British Museum. The original poem dates from the 6th century. Last is a porcelain vase.)

Singing to Help Others

Posted by Bruce Miller
A concert reading of the songs from the Tony Award-winning musical Parade will be presented tonight and tomorrow in benefit performances at Barksdale Willow Lawn. Thirty-three great singers will join together to celebrate the music of Jason Robert Brown, one of Broadway’s hottest “new composers.” The benefit concert is being coordinated by Hannah Zold, an alum of several Barksdale musicals including Into the Woods, The Full Monty and Mame. Music direction is by Damas E. Boudreaux.

The volunteer cast is comprised of many of the finest theatre voices from Richmond and beyond. All funds raised are being contributed by Zold and her performers to Barksdale’s Bifocals Theatre Project (which takes touring one-acts into senior centers throughout Greater Richmond at little or no charge) and Barksdale’s hospital audience program (which makes tickets to musicals and comedies available free-of-charge to families who come to Richmond to be with a child undergoing treatment at an area hospital).

Parade, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Alfred Uhry, is one of the most acclaimed new musicals of Broadway's last decade. It opened at Lincoln Center ten years ago, and received the 1999 Tony Award for Best Book (Uhry) and Best Score (Jason Robert Brown). It was nominated for Best Musical, but lost that year to Fosse, the tribute to Bob Fosse’s legendary choreography.

Quoting from Wikipedia, “The musical concerns the real-life 1913 trial of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank, who was accused of raping and murdering a 13-year-old employee, Mary Phagan. The trial, sensationalized by the media, aroused anti-Semitic tensions in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. When Frank's sentence was commuted due to possible problems with the trial, he was transferred to a prison in Milledgeville, Georgia where a lynching party kidnapped him from the prison. Frank was taken to Phagan's hometown of Marietta, Georgia, and he was hanged. The Anti-Defamation League was formed partly in response to Leo Frank's trial and lynching.”

Broadway director Harold “Prince turned to Brown (pictured to the left) to write the score after Stephen Sondheim turned the project down. Prince's daughter, Daisy, had brought Brown to her father's attention. Uhry, who grew up in Atlanta, had personal knowledge of the Frank story, as his great-uncle owned the pencil factory run by Leo Frank.”

“The show was Brown's first Broadway production. His music has ‘subtle and appealing melodies that draw on a variety of influences, from pop-rock to folk to rhythm and blues and gospel.’ The plot hews closely to the historical story. The true villains of the piece are portrayed as the prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (later the governor of Georgia and then a judge) and the rabid publisher Tom Watson (later elected a U.S. senator).”

The Murder of Mary Phagan, a movie based on the same historical incident, was filmed in locations throughout Greater Richmond in 1987, starring Jack Lemmon as Georgia Gov. John Slaton and Peter Gallagher as Leo Frank.

Parade is the third in playwright Alfred Uhry’s “Atlanta Trilogy.” The first play in the trilogy, Driving Miss Daisy, will be presented at Barksdale Hanover Tavern this fall, starring Joy Williams, Jim Bynum and Garet Chester, and directed by Joe Pabst.

Jason Robert Brown's new musical 13 (pictured to the right) is set to open on Broadway this September. The entire cast of 13 is made up of 13 teen actors, and the entire band is comprised of teen musicians. The story of the musical concerns a happy 13-year-old from NYC who, weeks before his bar mitzvah, moves with his parents to Indiana where he must begin a new life.

If you love great singing, new musicals and/or stirring drama, or if you want to support this cast of magnificent performing artists as they raise funds for two worthy programs, please come to Barksdale Willow Lawn for the 8 pm performance tonight (Sunday) or tomorrow (Monday). Tickets are available at the door for $15, or you can purchase them in advance at the box office for $12.

Having listened in on two rehearsals, I can report that the singers are amazing. I can’t wait to see and hear this huge and talented cast performing these rousing songs.

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Grinch Returns Today to Steal More Hearts

Posted by Bruce Miller
Hannah Zold’s pal, Aaron Galligan-Stierle, will be back on the boards today playing Papa Who in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, thanks to an injunction issued by NY State Judge Helen Freedman. In fact, he’ll have ten shows this weekend, and, I’m sure, a much appreciated paycheck.

But if Jujamcyn Theatres LLC has its way—Jujamcyn is the corporate entity that owns the St. James Theater in which The Grinch is performed—Aaron and his castmates will be back out in the cold again next week.

The Grinch is produced by James Sanna. “We got our Miracle on 44th Street,” he said after the judge’s decision was announced. Hearing the good news, the child actors in The Grinch sang and danced on the courtyard steps.

So what gives?

The labor dispute is between Local One of the stagehands union and the League of American Theatres and Producers, which owns the 27 Broadway theatres affected by the strike. Well, almost. Nine of the 27 theatres are owned by the Nederlander Producing Company of America Inc, which is not a member of the League of American Theatres and Producers and has its own contract with Local One. But the Nederlanders have agreed to stand with the League during this labor dispute.

Apparently 26 of the 27 shows taking place in the League and Nederlander theatres are also co-produced by the League and Nederlander organizations. But Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is different. Even though the show takes place in a League building, the show is produced solely by James Sanna and his partners. And Sanna has his own contract with Local One, a contract that is not affected by the strike.

This being the case, I don’t know why Local One decided to strike The Grinch in the first place, but they did. Then, when James Sanna brought it to the union’s attention that he had a separate, viable contract with the union, and that his show was not co-produced by the League, Sanna and Local One triumphantly announced that The Grinch would re-open.

But by that time the Jujamcyn organization had seen all the bad press the union had received for shutting down a children’s show at Christmastime, so they decided to lock the doors of the St. James until the entire strike was resolved, putting more pressure on the union.

With his show once again closed, Sanna and Local One went to court to seek an injunction that required Jujamcyn to unlock the doors.

Thankfully, Judge Freedman saw the folly in all this gamesmanship and ordered the Jujamcyn folks to get out of the way and allow the show to go on. “I think one Grinch in this city is enough," Freedman told the packed courtroom.

Immediately thereafter, the Jujamcyn organization announced that they were filing an appeal.

As Charlie Brown would say, ...

--Bruce Miller

Broadway Stars with Barksdale Roots

Posted by Bruce Miller

I wrote a couple weeks ago about accompanying my daughter and three of her high school friends on a Broadway weekend, and I promised to return to this topic soon to discuss the shows we saw. Tonight’s blog entry is about the first musical of this fall’s trip – The Phantom of the Opera.

Phantom may be the longest running show in Broadway history, but I’d never seen it before last month. I hadn’t even seen the movie. When I go to New York, I almost always choose plays and musicals that I think we may produce one day in Richmond. Because of Phantom’s reliance on a huge production, it never made my list.

So it was a thrill for me to see it with my daughter and her friends, three of whom were also seeing it for the first time. The arrangements of the music and the relative simplicity of the special effects (by 2007 standards) reminded us that the show originally opened in London in 1986. But the classic story, the haunting melodies and the solid production values still captured our imaginations.

The most exciting aspect of our visit with the Phantom, at least for me, was the chance to point out proudly to my four teenage charges the two Phantom cast members who have strong roots with Barksdale and Theatre IV – Kris Koop (pictured below and to the right) and George Lee Andrews.

Kris moved to Richmond immediately after graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in 1987 to work as a touring actress with Theatre IV. She couldn’t have been nicer or more talented. In 1988, she starred as Cinderella in our first production of that Rodgers and Hammerstein classic—our first major musical in the historic Empire. Later that year, she joined Barksdale’s cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and toured with Joseph when it left the Tavern for other venues around the country.

Since 2001, Kris has understudied Phantom’s female leads, and she's played Christine and Carlotta on several occasions. It’s an ideal, top-of-the-heap Broadway job. When not filling in for one of the two leads, Kris appears in the ensemble.

Kris is perhaps most respected in Broadway circles for the leadership she has provided to the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising efforts. She began volunteering for BC/EFA as soon as she moved to NYC. She and her husband, Steve Ouellette, House Manager at the Neil Simon Theatre, live in Queens. When she finally got the call that she was cast in Phantom, she was working fulltime at BC/EFA, and she still works there today. One of her special projects has been pulling together The Phantom Cooks, Part Deux, the charity cookbook that thus far has earned over $80,000 for BC/EFA.

Everyone in the Theatre IV and Barksdale family should be so proud of Kris and her exceptional Broadway accomplishments both onstage and off.

George Lee Andrews (pictured in his Phantom costume to the right) has been in the cast of Phantom since its Broadway opening in 1988, almost 20 years ago. Guinness, literally, is taking note. Today he plays the role of Monsieur Firmin, one of the two new owner-managers of the Opera House.

Ten years before George began his record-breaking run in Phantom, he played Cole Porter himself in the ill-fated Los Angeles professional premiere of Barksdale’s mega-hit, Red Hot and Cole.

And George’s Barksdale connections don’t end there. Hannah Zold (pictured to the left), who appeared at Barksdale and Theatre IV most recently in Into the Woods, The Wizard of Oz, Mame, and The Full Monty, has been close pals with George and his daughter, Shannon Lee, since Hannah and Shannon worked together in The Lost Colony in 2002. Lee is the actual family name; Andrews was added as a stage name. When Shannon Lee married one of Hannah’s best buds from college, Aaron Galligan-Stierle (who will be playing Papa Who in Broadway’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas once the strike allows him to), papa George Lee officiated at the wedding ceremony and Hannah Zold was the soloist.

The photo to the right is of Hannah Zold (leaning in from the right) and Jennings Whiteway in the Barksdale lobby during Hannah’s visit to Richmond a couple weeks ago. The weekend after this photo was taken, Hannah was back in NYC, hanging with the Lee clan, including her Phantom pal George.

It’s great to be able to remind the teens who are forging their first associations with the Barksdale and Theatre IV families in 2007 that many of the major theatre artists in today's national headlines are also a part of the historic Barksdale and Theatre IV clans.

To view a 2004 video of Kris and George and their Phantom cast mates, visit http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Video.aspx?ci=502222.

All of us have reason to be proud and to celebrate the phenomenal success of two great Barksdale and Theatre IV alum – Kris Koop and George Lee Andrews.

--Bruce Miller

Roy Burgess Plans Ahead for Barksdale's Future

Posted by Phil Whiteway

Congratulations and many thanks to Roy Burgess, former Barksdale Trustee, past Board President, and current poster boy for The Community Foundation. You may have seen Roy's beeming visage recently lighting up the pages of STYLE, the Free Press and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. His ad encourages giving to The Community Foundation. He also has a few great things to say about Barksdale Theatre.

The copy of the ad reads as follows:

"Why did I become a philanthropist?

'There are things I really want to help keep alive long after I'm gone--theater, great old Richmond neighborhoods, and my church.' -- Roy E. Burgess II

You make the difference.
We make it possible.

Roy Burgess has a vision of what he wants to happen. Fast forward to the future. Laughter fills the Barksdale Theatre. A tour guide shows off a beautifully revived old Richmond neighborhood to a busload of impressed visitors. On the Boulevard, the organist practices for the Sunday service at Boulevard United Methodist Church. Roy Burgess has established a legacy that will improve people's lives for generations in ways that reflect his personal passions. How did he do that? He found a partner called The Community Foundation and put a dream in forward motion. Could it be funded creatively through his estate, sharing proceeds also designated for his family? Yes. Could it be named after him? The Roy E. Burgess II Fund--done!

What things are special to you? What will you do to keep them alive?"

In addition to a great photo of Roy, the ad centers on a show shot from Into the Woods, featuring Hannah Zold and Rita Markova.

Roy has been a vital member of the Barksdale family for as long as I can remember. He acted (and sang) on the Tavern stage in the 1968 production of Oliver!, and in H.M.S. Pinafore in 1981. Whether performing on stage, governing in the Board room, or cheering in the audience (he hasn't missed a Barksdale production in decades!), Roy has come to understand that Barksdale depends on his participation and support for its very survival. So he has been a generous annual contributor year after year, and, about two years ago, he became the first supporter to let us know that he had included Barksdale in his will.

Now he's also designated Barksdale as an annual recipient of funding of the Roy E. Burgess II Fund that will be administered by The Community Foundation in perpetuity.

We can't thank Roy enough for acting on his commitment to Barksdale Theatre. For generations to come, it will be Roy's thoughtful planning that will keep Barksdale growing and going strong.

A big part of my job is working with supporters on their planned giving. If you'd like to support Barksdale today or in the future, please give me a call and I'll be happy to meet with you.

--Phil Whiteway

"Into the Woods" Singers Knock 'Em Outa the Park

Posted by Bruce Miller

The Musical Theatre Cabaret that cast members from Into the Woods performed this past Saturday night at midnight (and will trot out again this Tuesday evening, Aug 7, at 8pm) is nothing short of fantastic. The lively, 2-hour show is presented on the lobby stage at Barksdale Willow Lawn, with the audience sitting at tables and enjoying unbelievably delicious homemade baked goods from the kitchen of Zak Resnick’s mom, and spirited libations from mix master Russell Rowland at the cash bar.

All proceeds go to support the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund, which is a good and important cause. The Fund exists to provide immediate financial relief to members of our theatre community if and when severe illness or accident places them in a financially untenable position. Over the past 15 or so years, I can remember at least four times when beloved theatre artists found themselves in desperate situations through no cause of their own. In each instance, the whole community jumped in to help with thousands of dollars of life-saving support.

Some of us old timers started the fund, which is administered by RAPT and managed by the Community Foundation. But in this instance, it’s the young Turks who have decided to lend their voices, literally, to get us one step closer to raising our ultimate goal of $200,000—enough to pay out about $10 K per year without dipping into the principal. I know, I know, it may take 15 years to reach our goal, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Tickets are $25, or $20 for Barksdale and Theatre IV subscribers, or $10 for cast members from other shows. Or if you can’t afford the $25 or the $20 and you want to come, I’m sure no one will object terribly if you pick a show that you’d like to be in and ask for the $10 rate. But come hungry. Proceeds from the scrumptious desserts also go to the Fund.

The high wattage cast includes Zak Resnick (who headed the whole thing up and is a Broadway star in the making if ever there was one), Amy Hruska, Jackie Jones, Katrinah Lewis, Rita Markova, Kim Reuter, Drew Siegla, Craig Smith and Hannah Zold. Robyn O’Neill makes a great cameo appearance, and Rachel Abrams is a high hoot as host. Best of all is the incomparable Sandy Dacus, making the piano sing during every number.
Every number is a high point, but if I had to pick out a few to highlight, I could not resist praising:

Opening – The New World from Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown, sung by the entire cast;

Unusual Way from Nine by Arthur Kopit & Maury Yeston, sung by Rita Markova;

Run Away with Me from The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown by Kerrigan and Lowdermilk, sung by Zak Resnick;

Way Back to Paradise from Marie Christine by Michael John LaChiusa, sung by Katrinah Lewis;

Captain Piggle Wiggle from The Magic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Chad Henry, sung by Jackie Jones; and

Run, Freedom, Run! from Urinetown by Greg Kotis & Mark Hollman, sung by the entire cast. (And don't forget, Urinetown opens soon at the Mill and it should be really great!)

All in all, it’s a glorious night at the theatre. Please call for tickets today at 282-2620.

--Bruce Miller

"Into the Woods" Gives Back

As if doing a full length Sondheim weren’t enough, several of the rising young stars of Into the Woods, now playing on our Signature Season at Willow Lawn, are joining forces to produce and present a Musical Theatre Cabaret as a benefit for Richmond's Theatre Artist Fund.

Zak Resnick (one of our charming Princes, pictured to the left), Rita Markova (our lovely Cinderella) and Drew Seigla (Jack of “fee fi fo” fame) will be joined by Amy Hruska, Jackie Jones, Katrinah Lewis, Robyn O’Neill, Kim Reuter, Craig Smith and Hannah Zold as ten of Virginia’s finest theatre voices come together to present a harmonious evening of musical magic.

There will be two performances of the Cabaret on the lobby stage at Barksdale Willow Lawn. Performance dates and times are Saturday, August 4, 12 midnight (following the Saturday evening Into the Woods performance) and Tuesday, August 7, 8 pm. Patrons will sit at tables, cabaret style, and the house and cash bar will be open 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets are $25 ($20 for Barksdale and Theatre IV subscribers and anyone holding Into the Woods tickets for August 4, $10 for our young company members from Disney’s High School Musical). All but $10 of each ticket price is tax deductible. Everybody who’s anybody in the theatre community will be there, and it’s going to be FUN. So call the Barksdale box office to make your reservations today – 282-2620.

All ticket proceeds will be donated to the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund, a program of the Richmond Alliance for Professional Theatres (RAPT) and the Community Foundation. The Richmond Theatre Artists Fund helps with the emergency needs of metro Richmond theatre artists who are confronted by insurmountable financial challenges due to major illness or some other tragedy beyond their control.

Prior to the establishment of the endowed fund, the theatre community raised emergency funds on a case by case basis. Over the past dozen or so years, theatre artists have raised tens of thousands of dollars to:
provide new housing for an actor with AIDS who lost his job and was thrown out onto the street when his condition was disclosed,

make mortgage payments for a lifelong theatre administrator who was about to lose her home as her husband (a theatre tech director) struggled for more than a year with brain cancer, and

pay for critical medications for a cherished actress fighting against terminal cancer.

So why not support a GREAT cause and enjoy a wonderful evening’s entertainment at the same time? Three cheers to Zak and company for this wonderful gift to our community. I hope to see you there.

--Bruce Miller

Meet the Cast of "Into the Woods" – Part II

Every few months, someone will step forward to complain that Barksdale and Theatre IV keep casting the same people over and over, and that new people may as well not audition, because Richmond’s theatres run closed shops.

It is completely true that Barksdale and Theatre IV benefit greatly from an informal company of national caliber/Richmond-based actors who, if we’re lucky, perform once or twice a year on our stages. We believe this practice serves both audiences and artists well.

However, it is completely untrue to say that newcomers don’t stand a chance. During the Signature Season that is now concluding at Willow Lawn, we cast 62 different roles in five productions. The great news is that 31 of the actors who performed those roles were performing at Barksdale Willow Lawn for the first time since we assumed leadership in 2001.

Three of these exceptional “newcomers” are playing leads in our hit summer musical, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. All three attended high school in Greater Richmond, and have since moved on to larger markets to pursue their careers. All three are performing with Barksdale for the first time.

Rita Markova is doing an absolutely magnificent job as Cinderella. She’s beautiful, as anyone can see in an earlier blog entry, and acts and moves with intelligence and assurance. But it’s her voice, an exceptional lyric soprano, that simply knocks me off my feet. Rita recently played Maria in West Side Story at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina and New Jersey Concert Opera. She also appeared in Cats at Northern Stage, Titanic at Media Theatre, and Godspell, A Chorus Line and Grease at Shawnee Playhouse. Coincidentally, Rita originated the title role in the world premiere workshop of Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Theatre IV will be presenting the official World Premiere of the finished script during our 07-08 Season.

Rita attended Godwin High School during several of her student years, and is a graduate of New York University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance.
Visit Rita's website

Zak Resnick cuts a dashing figure as Rapunzel’s Prince and a second Wolf. Again, I refer you to the photo that appears in a previous blog entry. A rising junior at Carnegie Mellon, Zak is truly someone to watch. Last summer, Zak vaulted to the big time when he was cast in Broadway and Beyond with the legendary Ann Reinking and Ben Vereen. Shortly thereafter, Zak made his NYC debut in Scott Alan’s prestigious Monday Night’s New Voices series.

But Richmond audiences are not unfamiliar with Zak’s many talents. At the Firehouse, he appeared in Bat Boy and starred in The Last Five Years. He also saved our necks once a couple of years back. Due to some difficulty I can no longer recall, we were forced to cancel a performance of one of our Willow Lawn productions—it may have been Anything Goes. As fate would have it, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts had booked a large number of seats for the cancelled performance on behalf of a group of supporters who were coming in from out-of-town. We couldn’t bring the group in to see our show, so, at the last minute, faithful friend Stephen Rudlin put together a full evening’s cabaret performance to take to the Museum, and Zak agreed to perform. Not only was he terrific, he helped us fulfill a major responsibility and defuse a potentially explosive situation.

The third “newcomer,” at least to us, is Drew Seigla, who is charming everyone’s socks off as Jack (of Fee Fi Fo Fum fame). Drew is studying classic voice as an undergrad at Juilliard in NYC (probably the most prestigious performance training program in the nation). He made his opera debut with Le Nooze di Figaro in Rome two summers ago. Last summer, he was an apprentice at Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina. One earlier summer during his Richmond high school years, he appeared with SPARC in Footloose at Theatre IV’s Empire Theatre.

Referring back to Part I in this Meet the Cast series, if anyone can give Ford Flannagan a run for his money in the physically fit competition, Drew is probably the man to do it.

One of the best features of the Into the Woods cast is that the supporting roles are filled by new and veteran talents who are just as amazing as the leads. Amy Hruska (Cinderella’s Mother, Granny, Giantess, Sleeping Beauty) was our hard-working music director and pianist for Annie Get Your Gun, James Joyce’s The Dead, Olympus on my Mind, They’re Playing Our Song and Where’s Charley?, but she hasn’t acted on Barksdale’s stage since appearing as one of the sisters and the cousins and the aunts in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore at Barksdale Hanover Tavern way back in 1981.

Jackie Jones, on the other hand, is back as Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods, but she works so steadily in Richmond’s theatres that it’s hard to think of her as “back.” Jackie recently brought down the house as Letitia Peabody Primrose in Henrico Theatre Company’s On the Twentieth Century, somehow shoehorning that star turn in after two consecutive gigs at Barksdale Hanover Tavern in Over the River and Through the Woods and Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which immediately followed her critically acclaimed turn at Swift Creek in Steel Magnolias. As busy as she is beloved, Jackie is a true charmer.Visit Jackie's website

Katrinah Carol Lewis (Lucinda) is back after performing so beautifully in Intimate Apparel.




Kim Reuter (Rapunzel) lends her magnificent voice to Into the Woods after completing a year of touring with Theatre IV.





Craig Smith (Cinderella’s Father) is sharing his talents with us at Willow Lawn while simultaneously sharing his theatre with us at Steward School. All right, the state-of-the-art Kramer Center is not exactly his theatre, but it’s where he teaches Acting and English and heads the theatre program during the school year. And Steward School will be sharing the Kramer Center with us for the second incarnation of the Greater Richmond High School All Star Musical, which opens in July.

Harriet Traylor (Cinderella’s Stepmother) is truly a Barksdale favorite, having graced our stage as Regina in The Little Foxes and Miss Maudie in To Kill a Mockingbird.




Eric Williams (Steward) is being all aristocratic now, but a few months ago he brought tears to every eye as the brother recently released from prison in Smoke on the Mountain at Barksdale Hanover Tavern.



Completing our cast of 17 is Hannah Zold (Florinda), who is fast becoming a Barksdale and Theatre IV musical mainstay. She recently turned in wonderful performances in The Wizard of Oz, Mame and The Full Monty.



Richmond theatre is blessed to have so many talented artists working in its midst. I hope you’ll catch their inspired performances this summer in Into the Woods.

--Bruce Miller

"Into the Woods" for a Wonderful Summer

It was so much fun to attend the exhilarating Opening Night of our ’07 Summer Musical, Stephen Sondheim’s glorious Into the Woods. Joining in Friday evening’s celebration of Director/Choreographer Robin Arthur’s magnificent production were past and present Board leaders (and spouses) Rhona Arenstein, Roy Burgess, Kevin and Jeannie Kilgore, Charlotte and Andy McCutcheon, and Sara Belle and Neil November. Bifocals All-Stars Tom and Carlene Bass, John and Mary Jane Board, Vaughan Gary and Lyde Longacre lent enthusiastic support, as did Richmond theatre luminary Suzanne Pollard, who was beaming ear to ear throughout intermission.

The irresistible Essie Simms, who, legend has it, hasn’t missed a Barksdale production since the founding in 1953, brought Connie Sarvay, former Program Director at Westminster-Canterbury. Melinda Scott, Theatre Coordinator at Westminster, came as a special guest of the Novembers. Isabella Witt, who has been irreplaceable in the Barksdale family for decades, joined them for the evening’s festivities.

Also raising a glass to the new production were steadfast volunteer Jean Hartley, and dedicated staff members Sara Marsden, Andy Boothby, Joy Corbin, Judi Crenshaw, Catherine Dudley, Jackie Gann, Sarah Grady, Amy Sullivan, Wendy Vandergrift and Jennings Whiteway (who staged the tantalizing post-show reception).

Chase Kniffen, director of this summer’s Disney’s High School Musical, escorted his sister, Mary Carter Kniffen, in celebration of her high school graduation earlier this week. High School Musical cast members Gray Crenshaw, Hannah Miller and Andrea Ross eagerly soaked in the performances, anticipating their rehearsals that begin on Monday.

Several of Central Virginia’s most talented theatre artists were particularly enthused to realize that this was Barksdale’s first Sondheim since Sweeney Todd in 1982. Sandy Dacus, Paul Deiss, Tony Foley, Richard Koch, Dee Lynch, Jennifer Massey, Vickie McLeod, Joseph Papa, Melissa Johnston Price, Jim Smith-Parham, Linda Snyder, Jill Bari Steinberg, Erin Thomas, Robert Throckmorton, Lynn West, Donna Whiteway and Joy Williams enhanced the evening with their presence.

To whomever I’m leaving out, please forgive me. It was a busy night.

Director and Choreographer Robin Arthur, Musical Director Jimmy Hicks, Lighting Designer Lynne Hartmann, Costume Designer Terry Snyder, Props Master Jay Dempsey, Light Op Lynwood Guyton, and deck crewmates Virginia Varland and Jason Weinbarger all graciously accepted kudos as the audience waited for the actors to transform from witches, wolves etc. and join the party. Stage Manager Ginnie Willard, Assistant Stage Manager Rick Brandt, and Sound Op Wendy Vandergrift worked diligently to address various technical issues that needed their attention.

When at last they appeared, the 17 actors who make up our amazing cast were greeted with praise and admiration. The multi-talented ensemble includes Rachel Abrams, Ford Flannagan, Audra Honaker, Amy Hruska, Jackie Jones, Katrinah Lewis, Rita Markova, Robyn O’Neill, Steve Perigard, Zak Resnick, Kim Reuter, Russell Rowland, Drew Seigla, Craig Smith, Harriett Traylor, Eric Williams and Hannah Zold.

Appreciation was also showered upon our gifted orchestra, including musicians named above plus Claire Archer, Taylor Barnett, Jay Calabro, Bentley Cobb, Sarah Davis, Susan Davis, Doug Draucker, Rusty Farmer, Damian Muller, Roxanne O’Brien, Robert Quallich and Alex Samawicz.
As always, I will leave it to others to critique the show. But Phil Whiteway and I are thrilled with the production and proud of all the talented artists involved. We look forward to a long and glorious run of this enchanting American musical.

If you love great theatre, don’t miss this funny, soaring masterpiece from the foremost Broadway composer and lyricist of the last forty years.

Richmond Times-Dispatch review

Special thanks to the Title Sponsor of Into the Woods, Village Bank, who helped make this production possible.

--Bruce Miller