Meet More "High School Musical" All Stars

One of the interesting things about blogs is that when you write them, the most recent posting appears on top. So if you’re writing a series of six, and you post each part as soon as it’s finished, Part II will appear above Part I, and Part III will appear above Part II, etc. Readers who come along two days later will, most likely, start reading from the top and scroll their way down. So the reading experience can often feel like you’re starting at the back of the book and working your way forward.

Anyway, this is my fourth entry about last night’s triumphant opening of Disney’s High School Musical, and it makes a crazy sort of sense to read my ruminations in reverse order. After all, this is the post where I start boasting about the uber talented ensemble—the 29 gifted kids who aren’t playing the leads. In many ways, the ensemble is the star of the show.

One of our goals with the Greater Richmond High School All Star Musical is to give kids from throughout the Metro Richmond area a chance to work with and get to know each other. The 39 kids who started out in Disney’s High School Musical (we’re now down to 38 due to the departure of one actor who couldn’t make it to rehearsals on time) live in 19 different zip codes!

Our diverse talent pool includes (in alpha order):

Kristen Barney, a rising junior at Deep Run H S, is an accomplished veteran of Christian Youth Theatre and appeared with us last summer as Patty Simcox in Grease. When you see Disney’s High School Musical, Kristen is the beautiful blond who shows off her legit soprano, with exaggeration, in the audition number.

Emlyn Crenshaw, a rising freshman at Maggie Walker Governor’s School (keep your eyes open for this one, Grant), brilliantly played the role of Scout in Barksdale’s To Kill a Mockingbird. At Theatre IV, Emlyn appeared in A Christmas Carol, Honk!, Snow White and the …, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Emlyn is the tiny one who’s accomplished dancing will catch your eye front-and-center with the cheerleaders.

Gray Crenshaw—the other half of one of our two sibling pairs—is a rising senior at Freeman H S, where she played Zaneeta in The Music Man and Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods. Last summer, Gray brought down the house with us as Frenchie in Grease. In DHSM, she’s the one girl who appears incognito as a boy in Getcha Head in the Game.

D J Cummings, a rising senior at Deep Run H S, is a vet of CYT and his high school drama department. Last summer he worked as a production assistant with a professional children’s theatre company in NYC. In the audition scene, he’s the third of the three bohemians, clad all in black. He gets his big laugh by spouting a garble of dolphin noises (or is it a nervous giggle?) for his vocal audition.

Dwayne A. Daniels II, a rising senior at Varina H S, is an active member of his school’s show choir. Dwayne has a stand-out moment during Getcha Head in the Game, sharing a duet with Andrew Schappacher, rapping “And Troy boy Troy be cuttin’ de net.” And on the title page of the script, Disney credits 13 people as lyricists.

Peter Davis is a rising sophomore at Godwin H S, where he knocked us dead as Wally in The 1940s Radio Hour and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If you want to identify Peter, he’s the skater dude who asks if you have to wear a costume to play the cello, and when he hears about the coat and tie, replies, “That’s uncalled for!” From off-stage, he also shouts “Come on, Wildcats,” the first line in the show.

Kelsey Donner is a rising sophomore at Westminster Academy. She just appeared at the Firehouse in RED, and is an alum of the training programs at Richmond Ballet and Bon Air Dance, and the summer theatre program at Luther Memorial. A petite blond dancer, Kelsey is one of our outstanding cheerleaders and a particularly limber gymnast in Stick to the Status Quo.

Rachel Dozier is about to begin her senior year at Godwin. She’s the second black-clad bohemian in the audition scene. Dylan Moon speak-sings “It’s hard to believe…” and Rachel continues that thought, speak-singing “…that I couldn’t see,” immediately followed by D J Cummings and his dolphin noises (or are they the blips that R2D2 would make when his hard drive is getting fried?)

Patrick Dunnevant just graduated from Godwin, and will be majoring in music composition next year at Belmont University in Nashville. In the show, he’s one of our basketball playing jocks, and during the Counting on You locker room scene, he shouts out the name of basketball legend “Thunderclap Hap Haddon.”

It’s a good thing that the magnificent Cramer Center at Steward School has such a large stage. We need it to accommodate our overwhelming overflow of talent. To learn more about the remaining twenty All Stars, scroll up!

--Bruce Miller

They're Not Called All Stars for Nothing

Needless to say, the most impressive people associated with Disney’s High School Musical, which opened this evening to a well-deserved standing ovation, are the 38 students and two adults who comprise the magnificent cast. We use the moniker Greater Richmond’s High School All Star Musical to describe this annual summertime initiative. These great kids have earned the right to be called “All Stars.” I thank them for their talent and commitment.

Dave Amadee and Nadia Harika head the terrific cast as Troy and Gabriella. Dave is a rising home-schooled senior who comes to us from extensive experience with Christian Youth Theatre—an exceptional training program. At CYT, Dave played The Beast in another Disney musical that I bet you can guess, and more recently Joseph in Joseph … Dreamcoat. Nadia is a rising junior at Deep Run H S, where she most recently performed as Ronnette in Little Shop of Horrors. She has also received training and experience at CYT, as well as SPARC and the Richmond Dance Center.

Ali Thibodeau and Chris Collins play the “second leads”—the Evans twins, Sharpay and Ryan. Ali is a rising junior at Lee-Davis H S, and a dance teacher and performer at Shuffles Dance Center. Ali’s last two shows have been Joseph … Dreamcoat at Swift Creek Mill Theatre and The True Story of Pocahontas at Theatre IV. Chris is a rising senior at Godwin H S, and he’s thrilled to be returning to the beautiful Steward stage this summer after playing Eugene with us last summer in Grease.

Filling our two major supporting roles are Eric D. Brown, Jr. as Troy’s best bud Chad, and Brittney Germaine Slater as Gabriela’s new pal Taylor. Eric comes from a very musical family, his mother being a singer and his father a drummer. He has played saxophone and percussion with the Varina H S Marching Blue Devils, sung with the Varina show choir, and performed with the Ebony Esquire Drum Corps. Brittney is a rising senior at Henrico H S, where she participates in the Honors Chorus and the Center for the Arts.

Rounding out our young featured players are Jessica Harika as Kelsi Nelson (the composer of the musical within the musical), Zac Moon as Jack Scott (the velvet-voiced master of morning announcements), and Andrew Schappacher as Zeke Baylor (the dude who loves to bake and would love even more to be Sharpay’s boyfriend). Jessica, Zac and Andrew all three appeared with us in Grease last summer.

Jessica just graduated from Deep Run H S and will be studying voice at VCU’s School of Music next fall. Zac just graduated from Collegiate and will be studying theatre next year at UNC-Chapel Hill. Andrew, one of our youngest cast members, is a rising freshman at Clover Hill’s Math and Science Center. Andrew has received excellent training at the Jessica Morgan School of Dance. When you see the show, look up on stage for the guy who’s dancing his socks off. That will be our Andrew.

Well, it’s getting to be 2 a.m., and I’m bushed. I hope the rest of the cast will forgive me if I now hit the sack and talk with you more tomorrow about the remaining All Stars who will be gracing our stage for the next three weeks in Disney’s High School Musical.

--Bruce Miller

The Start of Something New

Posted by Bruce Miller

Something new and wonderful started tonight—Disney’s High School Musical. It is our second effort at bringing the Greater Richmond High School All Star Musical back to life, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with Opening Night. If I appear to be a little blog happy, please forgive me.

Among my favorite things about blogs are the labels that appear at the bottom of each post. If you become interested in someone or some event mentioned in a blog, and you want to read more about that person or production, you can click on the label at the bottom, and all other blog entries in which that person or play is mentioned will line up beneath the entry that first caught your eye. If you want to take the system for a test drive, just click Disney’s H in the labels below, and all blog entries about Disney’s High School Musical will instantly appear directly beneath this post.

The only problem is this—following each post, the system will allow you to enter only 20 labels consisting of no more than 200 characters. So, in order to give everyone the label they deserve, I have to divide my kudos sometimes so that only 20 names appear in any one entry. And I have to abbreviate longer labels so that I don’t exceed 200 characters.

So here’s Part II of my Opening Night coverage. And you're likely to find Parts III and IV close on this post’s heals.

To be honest, it’s been a rough tech week for Disney’s H. There are so many moving parts. Up to and including last night, major things seemed to go wrong at every rehearsal. But tonight the miracle happened, and everything magically came together. Three Wildcat Cheers and more for our magnificent Stage Manager, Ariel Osborne, and her stalwart Deck Chief, Jody Strickler. They kept their cool and kept the trains running, ably assisted by our outstanding high school running crew: Will Sowers, Collin Shelton, Jacob Brown, Margaret Gupton, Caitlyn Ofte, Karole Johnston, Michael Thibodeau, and Wendy Amadee.

Our pit band sounded amazing tonight, under Sherri Mathews inspired direction. Mike Williams, our drummer extraordinaire, is a student at Virginia Tech, and is returning to the Greater Richmond High School All Star Musical band after playing for Grease last summer. Michael couldn’t have a more impressive theatrical pedigree, being the son of father Eric Williams and stepmother Joy Williams, and mother Harriet Traylor and stepfather Doug Jones.

A 2004 grad of James Madison University, Kirk Jackson is new to our band, and we couldn’t be happier that he found us and agreed to play bass. Kirk teaches some lucky students at Thompson Middle School. He's certainly a talent we hope to hang on to.

Greg DeBruyn is our masterful guitarist, returning this summer after playing Beehive with us last summer at Steward School.

Lisa Pennington is our fifth and final musician. Manning our second keyboard, she helps Music Director Sherri Matthews cover all the string and wind instruments that don’t actually appear in our downsized band.

If you’re still looking for a reason to attend Disney’s High School Musical, hearing these first-rate musicians bring the memorable rock/pop score to life is in itself worth the $15 admission.

--Bruce Miller

Greater Richmond H S Musical Returns

During the first year of Theatre IV, 1975-76, our nonprofit company took in either $14,000 or $17,000 during the entire 12-month fiscal year. For some reason I can’t remember which of those two figures is correct. What I do remember is that every penny of that gross revenue went to pay bills, including very meager salaries for everyone except Phil and me. Phil and I didn’t earn any salary from Theatre IV for the first three years.

We earned our living during those salad days waiting tables and acting (I mention waiting tables first cause that’s where the money was) at the Haymarket Dinner Theatre and Swift Creek Mill Playhouse. We talked about waiting some at Barksdale, but, if memory serves, we never actually did. We acted there, but I don’t think we waited there.

We also worked the midnight cash control shift at King’s Dominion during the summers, collecting and counting money, mostly late at night. And I worked as the Drama Director at Collegiate Schools. I didn’t teach any classes, but I directed Barefoot in the Park, Carousel, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, As You Like It, No No Nanette, and Seven Keys to Baldpate. Phil and Lynn Keeton helped with choreography on the two musicals.

There were several wonderfully talented students who played major roles in more than one of those plays, including Page Bauder, Beth Freeman, Meg Hardt, Bill Hickock, Tommy Kastenbaum, Steve Kelly and Mary Lloyd Sinnott.

I remember all of them loving theatre and wishing there were some summer opportunities. In 1977, the Richmond Department of Recreation and Parks provided just such an opportunity. They produced the Greater Richmond High School All Star Musical at Dogwood Dell. In ’77, it was Kismet. It starred Steve Kelly. I remember that Phil and I went to see it, and we were so proud of Steve we could hardly stand it.

Immediately after that summer, I stopped working at Collegiate (my Theatre IV responsibilities were getting to be too much), and the Dell stopped producing the Greater Richmond High School All Star Musical. The two stoppages were not related.

Throughout the nearly 30 years that followed, Phil and I wanted to start once again a summer program that allowed high school drama kids from throughout the entire community to have the chance to audition for and work together on a summer musical that would showcase all their talents. We wanted to revive the Greater Richmond High School All Star Musical, that terrific community-wide program from the past.

Until last summer, the only similar opportunities that existed were available only to those kids who could afford to pass on a summer day job to attend daytime rehearsals, and, in most cases, pay several hundred dollars in tuition to be in the show. And many of the leads in the shows that existed were actually played not by high school kids, but by adult professionals and/or college theatre majors.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the programs that existed, and everything right with them. They were terrific programs. But they weren’t free, community-wide programs like that fondly remembered production of Kismet at Dogwood Dell.

In the fall of '05, Chase Kniffen and I met with a group of high school drama teachers from throughout Greater Richmond and asked what Barksdale Theatre could do to support their students. No surprise, the number one unfilled need mentioned by these teachers was this: as Metro Richmond’s major professional theatre, wouldn’t it be great if Barksdale could produce a musical every summer in which high school kids could all act together free-of-charge, with evening rehearsals so that kids who needed to could hold down day jobs.

Two days after this meeting, Craig Smith and Andy Mudd, who head the great theatre program at Steward School, called Chase to ask if Barksdale would be interested in filling this unmet need by starting exactly such a program in partnership with Steward School. Barksdale would fill the production responsibilities, and Steward would provide the facility.

That’s how Greater Richmond’s High School All Star Musical came back into being. Last summer we produced Grease at Steward’s fantastic Cramer Center--show photos are included above. This year we will be producing Disney’s High School Musical, opening day after tomorrow, with a cast of 38 wonderfully talented high school students from 20 different schools. Two supporting roles will be played by adults—Kathy Halenda and Michael Hawke.

We hope you’ll support this vital, community-wide program. In many ways, it’s a dream come true. We’re proud to be partnering with Steward School, and we hope you’ll join us at the theatre to see many of Richmond’s finest kids in action.

--Bruce Miller

Unexpected Co-Star Joins Dell Performance

In Genesis 3:14, God says to the serpent, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman.” When God said “the woman,” the particular woman He had in mind may have been Kesha Afrika Oliver, one of the leading lights of African American Repertory Theatre (formerly the Living Word Stage Company). Kesha HATES snakes!!

Can I hear an "Amen" somebody?

More’s the pity, then, when during one of last weekend’s outdoor performances of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, the late great August Wilson play presented by AART at Dogwood Dell, Mr. No Shoulders himself decided to make a surprise appearance with Kesha onstage in front of a live audience.

Kesha was just beginning the “shout” section of the play, when she bowed her head to become one with the Holy Spirit, and found herself foot-to-fang with a wholly disgusting serpent instead.

“People must have thought I was really in touch with the Almighty,” Kesha said. “I shouted ‘Jesus!’ and jumped up, clapping my hands and tears flowing down my face.”

Other cast members said afterwards that they saw Kesha step on the snake, and then saw the snake slither out from under her skirt. After enjoying his few minutes of stardom, the serpent calmly returned to the wild, but not before inspiring one of Kesha’s more powerful and moving performances.

“I was saying prayers on stage that night, and really meaning 'em,” Kesha said. “That wasn’t acting. That was real. And the good Lord saw me through.”

For the latest on the newly-named African American Repertory Theatre, check out their website at http://www.livingwordstage.com/ .

--Bruce Miller

That Championship Reading

Posted by Bruce Miller
We had a great time last night reading That Championship Season by Jason Miller in the Kilgore McAuley Library at Barksdale Willow Lawn. The reading was pulled together by Scott Wichmann. The late Jason Miller is the man who introduced Scott to theatre a couple decades ago. Miller is also the actor whom everyone knows for having played, brilliantly, the younger priest in the film The Exorcist.

In the 1980s, Scott was a mere lad of 12, and he and Miller both lived in Scranton, PA, setting of That Championship Season. More than a decade earlier, Miller had received tremendous national acclaim for writing Championship, which opened on Broadway in 1972 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in '73. Miller immediately followed that triumph by playing the younger of the two titular priests in The Exorcist, the most popular film of 1973. For his role in The Exorcist, Miller received an Oscar nomination. In the late 70s / early 80s, Miller chose to retreat from the limelight and return to his hometown of Scranton.

It was there that Miller directed a community theatre production of A Thousand Clowns, and Scott auditioned for the 12-year-old boy. It’s a GREAT part, one for which Scott was perfect, so of course he nailed it. It was Scott’s first show, and it was directed by one of the most nationally acclaimed playwrights and film actors of the time. Talk about fate.

Scott has never forgotten Jason Miller, and the two stayed in touch until Miller’s untimely death in 2001. One of the things the two had discussed was Scott’s desire to one day play the role of Tom, the cynical alcoholic in That Championship Season.

So last night, Scott called together some pals (Joe Inscoe, Larry Cook, Grant Mudge, and, of course, the current other half of Scott’s Odd Couple, Dave Bridgewater). They sat around the conference table acting their hearts out, drinking bottled water and eating Chex Mix. Phil Whiteway and I enjoyed the privilege of listening in.

All five men were terrific. The play reads beautifully today, and it reminded me how visceral 70s Broadway was. The language is intense. Five middle aged men assemble for the 20th Anniversary of a high school basketball triumph, and explore the limits of macho gamesmanship and the power of friendship and forgiveness. After the reading was over, we all talked about the messages of the play to a 21st Century audience.

I don’t know if Barksdale will produce a revival of Championship or not. After last night's powerful reading, we're certainly considering it.

Barksdale first produced the show at the Tavern in 1975 with Jay Lundy, Burt Edwards, Lloyd Shockley, Frank Howarth and William C. Smith. In the early '80s, the play was made into an acclaimed film, directed by Jason Miller, and starring Robert Mitchum. Martin Sheen, Stacy Keach, Bruce Dern and Paul Sorvino.

Thanks to Scott and his pals for bringing this searing classic back to life.

--Bruce Miller

In Sympathy

We are keeping Jason Marks and his family in our prayers. We learned this morning about the death of Jason’s father. Jason is currently preparing for his role as Mr. Mushnik in SPARC’s Little Shop of Horrors, which opens this Thursday.

Jason appeared as the stuffed shirt lawyer Babcock in the cast of Mame this winter at Barksdale's Signature Season at Willow Lawn. He sang a very memorable O Holy Night in Home for the Holidays, our annual cabaret benefit for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund. Prior to that, Jason starred as Belle’s father in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and as the Grinch in Seussical the Musical, both at Theatre IV.

When I was 32, I lost my father unexpectedly. He was 74, which seemed old to me at the time, but seems young to me today. It was a very jarring event in my life, one that will always be with me. My theatre responsibilities at the time helped me tremendously to deal with the loss and move on. I hope the same proves to be the case for Jason.

I also hope that Jason knows with certainly that our community stands with him during this transition, providing a foundation of love and support that he can fall back on if and when he needs to. We offer our deepest sympathy. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do.

--Bruce Miller

All Halenda's About to Break Loose

When director Chase Kniffen was casting the two adult roles in Disney’s High School Musical, he decided to keep it all in the family. All in the Mame family, that is. Chase played grown-up Patrick in Mame last winter, and his character’s surrogate parents were Auntie Mame herself (Kathy Halenda) and her new husband, Uncle Beau (Michael Hawke). Starting tonight, Halenda and Hawke join the rehearsals for DHSM, playing the supporting roles of Mrs. Darbus, the over-the-top high school drama teacher, and Coach Jack Bolton, the “keep your head in the game” basketball coach and dad of leading guy Troy.

This is a textbook example of type casting in both cases. No one ever accused either Mrs. Darbus or Kathy Halenda of being restrained and demure. And both Coach Bolton and Michael Hawk are somewhat gym obsessed.

Bringing Halenda back to town was not cheap, but Chase convinced me she’d be worth every penny. It didn’t take much convincing. Not only is Kathy perfect for the part. More importantly, she’s perfect for keeping the cast’s spirits at a constant high and providing our 38 high school actors with a first-hand example of what true theatre professionalism looks like.

Kathy has been working in the theatre nonstop for the last 30 years. Immediately prior to Mame, she was the first Singing Ringmaster in the history of New York’s prestigious Big Apple Circus. Immediately following Disney’s High School Musical, she’ll be off to star as Mama Rose in the national tour of Gypsy—a 12 month gig.

Many actors with Kathy’s national credentials let it be known by their behavior and attitude that they expect to be treated like a star. Kathy’s not cut from that cloth. When you’re looking for someone to work hard, stay up late, come in on time, keep everything ahead of schedule, and respond to every up-and-down of the rehearsal process with nothing but positive energy—Kathy’s your gal. She held the Mame cast together like glue during a really difficult tech rehearsal period, with never a harsh word for the process or anyone involved.

Leads always set an example that other cast members emulate. The example set by Kathy in Mame guaranteed that we’d have a happy and healthy cast throughout the 11-week run. And indeed we did.

We can’t wait for our high school theatre students to get a taste of Kathy’s moxie and charm. If providing these kids with examples of true professionalism is part of our responsibility—and it is—then Chase scored a hundred when casting Halenda.

And as for Michael Hawk, you couldn’t find a nicer guy. He has talent to spare, and a coach-like physique to boot. He’s another one who moves easily from one show to the next. While performing in Disney’s High School Musical, he’ll also be in rehearsals for Urinetown at Swift Creek Mill Theatre.

So don’t miss Disney’s High School Musical. And if you notice two actors on stage whom everyone else seems to be looking up to, know that we’ve cast two of our nation’s finest troopers to set the perfect example for the 38 students who comprise the rest of the cast.

--Bruce Miller

Only Wallets Make Wishes Come True

Posted by Bruce Miller

September is a ‘comin, which means the opening of Richmond’s newest theatre, Henley Street Theatre Company, named, we’re told by founder Alex Previtera (pictured), for the street address of Shakespeare’s birthplace. Alex seems like a dedicated and serious young man, and we wish him all the success in the world.

Henley Street’s first production is The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, which hasn’t been seen in Richmond, to the best of my knowledge, since the 70s, when it was produced by both TheatreVirginia and the University of Richmond. Thoreau is by the late playwriting team of Lawrence and Lee, the same guys who wrote Mame and Inherit the Wind, two Barksdale hits of seasons recently passed.

Everyone I know is wishing the new company well, but we need to put our wallets where our wishes are. I remember what it was like to start a theatre—it’s only been 32 years. Those of you who think the words “only” and “32 years” should never be in close proximity of each other can stop laughing now. Bottom line—it’s next to impossible to start and maintain a new theatre. So everyone who’s wishing Henley Street success needs to buy at least two full-price tickets to their first production. It’s as simple as that.

Theatre people are notorious for not going to theatre, and for demanding heavily discounted tickets when they do. Let’s all give Alex Privitera a break. He’s shelling out more than you’ll ever know to get his show on the road. The least we can do, and should do, is buy a pair of tickets.

--Bruce Miller

Shining as Alexandra in Arlington

The Whiteways and the Millers made it up to Signature Theatre yesterday, and had a grand time seeing Emily Skinner’s terrific performance in The Witches of Eastwick. We were dazzled by (and envious of) Signature’s beautiful new home, which opened in Arlington in January.

Within a great cast, Emily stood out as Alexandra Spofford, the earth mother among the three “witches.” Her acclaimed singing, her accomplished dancing—I’d forgotten how good a dancer Emily is, and especially her engaging acting abilities provided a warm heart and open arms at the center of what is, for the most part, a musical burlesque.
In the original 1980s Witches novel, John Updike kept the three women at its center, and had satiric fun imagining what witchcraft would look and feel like in the 20th Century. It's been a long time since I read the book, but if memory serves, the attractive man (Darryl Van Horne) who moves to Eastwick in the book seduces readers with his charms just as he seduces the three women, and it's not until we're well into the story that we knew for sure that he's not just a devilish rake, but the Devil himself.

In the musical, as in the Jack Nicholson movie from the 1990s, it’s Darryl Van Horne who takes center stage. Particularly in this production, we’re completely aware of his satanic identity from his first entrance, with all that such an identity implies. And as directed by Eric Schaeffer and performed by the very talented Marc Kudisch, Van Horne is one hell of a Devil. A full evening of snakelike tongue flicking, Elvis-like pelvic thrusting, genital grabbing and profane proclamations ensues.

There is fun to be had, to be sure, with a large number of crowd-pleasing songs and dances. The Devil is one funny dude. Eric Schaeffer is a great director—I still fondly remember his Passion, one of the highlights of the Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration. In my opinion, it was a much better Passion than the original version that James Lapine directed on Broadway. And Marc Kudisch is a dazzling and magnetic actor. Maybe it was because I saw Kudisch play the Snake in The Apple Tree on Broadway only a few months ago, but I tired of all the satanic shtick before show’s end. And I kept wishing for the three women to be returned to the center of the story.

A show about the three women would be much more interesting to me than a show about how devilishly cute Satan can be. I had read a couple of reviews comparing Witches to The Music Man. To me, the much more apt comparison would be Damn Yankees.

Three cheers and countless more to Signature for their continued commitment to producing new work. What an amazing asset they are to Virginia and the nation. When we spoke with Emily after the show, she said that there was considerable interest from New York regarding a 2008-09 Broadway production. We wish all involved the greatest success.

Most of all, it was GREAT to see Emily. Having watched her grow up in Theatre IV’s productions of To Gillian on her 37th Birthday, Quilters, Biloxi Blues and several more, we’re incredibly proud of her and all that she has achieved. Watching her greet her many fans after the show, people she’d never met before, and seeing how exceptionally gracious she was with everyone, we realized why she’s one of the ones who’s made it so far. She’s not only a world-class talent; she’s a genuinely good person.

--Bruce Miller

Photos: Emily's headshot, Signature's new exterior, Signature's lobby, and the "sculpture" Emily's character creates in Act II of The Witches of Eastwick. The "sculpture" is on display in the lobby as the audience leaves the theatre.

"Little Shop" Promises Big Fun

Disney's High School Musical is not the only show in town this summer to feature young talent.

* SPARC will be opening their high school / college / young adult production of Little Shop of Horrors this week, the day before we open.

* The Godwin High School theatre program, under the direction of Mac Damron, will be opening their Scotland-bound production of Chicago next week.

* Dogwood Dell's production of Bye Bye Birdie is in the pipeline, featuring at least one alumnus of last summer's production of Grease.

More on the second two later. As for this week, be sure to reserve your seats for Little Shop of Horrors soon. SPARC’s summer musical opens this Thursday at the Firehouse.

Little Shop is coming together under the expert leadership of SPARC’s returning creative masterminds: Tom Width – Director, Blanton Bradley – Music Director, Pam Turner – Choreographer, Joe Doran – Light Design and Stage Management, Kym Mincks – Costume Design, and Mercedes Schaum – Set Design. It should be a great production!

The cast includes Hayley Roberts as Audrey; David Watson as Seymore; Richmond favorite Jason Marks as Mr. Mushnik, Elliot Lau as sadistic dentist Orin; Erika Thomas, Justine Ryan and Gianna Barone as Chrystal, Chiffon and Ronnette; Eric Stallings as the puppet operator for Audrey II; and T. J. Ellis as the voice of Audrey II.

The show runs July 19 through 29, and the ten performances are all expected to sell-out quickly. You can buy your tickets by calling SPARC at 788-6457.

Everyone from Disney’s High School Musical sends a big “Break a Leg” to SPARC and the entire Little Shop crew!

--Bruce Miller

Summer on the Sand

Many of you may remember a previous post sent in from our own P. J. Whiteway, who is stationed in Iraq with the Virginia National Guard. Those of us who know and love him like hearing and seeing the latest. For those who fall into that category, here's P. J.'s most recent email to family and friends, including several new photos of life on the blazing sands.

"Here are a handfull of random pictures that I thought everyone might enjoy! I'm still the same old goofy hyperactive P. J. Just letting you guys know this place has not changed me one bit. Miss you all like you wouldn't believe!!!

The first pic is me chilling (well, burning my buns off actually) on a humvee at the weapons clearing barrels right after coming in from a mission. The second is me trying to look like the heat is not bothering me before we put on all of our gear and cram into a humvee to go out on mission. Enough said.

#3 - I'm putting the gunner's harness on to get ready to go out on a reconnisance patrol for the night! I'm usually the TC (truck commander), but sometimes I throw on the harness and give my gunner a break from standing up on his feet in a turret all night.

#4 - This is my truck crew... my gunner PFC Michael and my driver SPC Carpenter.

#5 - The ROBOT---and some of the guys! We always test our equipment before going out on a mission. This fella is becoming our new best friend. When we see things out there in the desert that look like they maybe shouldn't be out there, this is the gadget we send across the sands to check things out. He can flip it over, kick the tires, whatever ... and we don't have to get too close. He's one of our little toys. One day he may be the toy that saves our butt.
#6 - Someone's got to wash all that dirt and mud off the truck. Its a daily task that I just love doing! Kinda like washing dishes at home--well maybe not.

That's it for now. Keep those good thoughts coming. All of us over here hope you guys have a great summer on a different kind of sand. Some with water near by.

P. J. Whiteway"

Arms and the Giantess

Ah, Picasso's Guernica. My second most favorite painting in the world. Ever since it appeared on the cover of my high school Sunday School book in the late 60s, I've been bowled over by this mural. And once, when it was on tour to the U. S., I had a chance to see it at MOMA live and in person. It was incredible--huge and devastating--a perfect depiction of the chaos and suffering of senseless, meaningless war. Violence visiting unannounced.

When we first started talking about the lady giant's arm in Into the Woods, Guernica is the image that popped into my head, specifically the lower left corner of this majestic painting. But Robin Arthur, our brilliant director, was far wiser than me, and wanted not a surrealistic arm, but a realistic one.

One that would take lots of time and money to make.

I’m writing this blog entry to correct a misperception brought about by the questions of a fellow scribe (one whom I respect mightily, by the by). While sorting through his thoughts on Into the Woods on his wonderful blog, he speculates that he’s seen the giantess’s arm from Act II of I the W in a past Theatre IV production!

After receiving my fourth or fifth guess as to which Theatre IV production featured said appendage, I want to set the record straight and put the guessing game to rest. Every inch of the arm is brand new. It was made specifically for this production of Into the Woods by the same guys who build props for GWAR. And it cost about the same as a 1990s Accord with 150,000 miles on it—dare I say an arm and a leg.

After spending all that money, I want to squelch the rumor that this pivotal prop is nothing more than some odd bit of brachial detritus pulled from a dusty bin of leftovers from shows gone by. I confess that I didn’t want to spend the money—partly cause I’m cheap and partly because the arm languishes for such a short time on stage. But Robin really wanted a realistic three-dimensional arm, and in the end, Robin won. I may be cheap, but I’m not stupid. Robin has a mean left hook.

Anyway, to the left and above are pictures of the hand part of the arm, before the arm itself was stuffed and costumed. The real arm looks much better than the photo, so that's why I led off this posting with a Picasso.

I guess I should have listed the arm’s credits in the playbill, so that everyone could see that she was making her Richmond stage debut.

If anyone would like to buy her after the show’s over, I’m open to offers. Otherwise I’ll have to see what I can get for her as a trade-in.

--Bruce Miller

In Memoriam: Pfc. Jonathan M. Rossi

Posted by Bruce Miller

Our best thoughts and prayers go out to AnnaMarie Rossi, her parents Joan and Dan, and all of the Rossi family, as they mourn the loss of Pfc. Jonathan M. Rossi, 20, who was killed last Sunday in Iraq. Pfc. Rossi was AnnaMarie’s nephew, eldest son of her brother Michael.

Many families are part of the extended Barksdale and Theatre IV family, but few families have more or closer ties to our theatres than the Rossis. We stand with them during their time of loss.
Pfc. Rossi was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. He was a Florida native, and joined the Army in Tampa on June 14, 2005.

He was killed in Baghdad when insurgents attacked his unit with a roadside bomb and small arms fire. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals.

AnnaMarie writes: “Pray for our family as we struggle through this one. We realize we are not alone, but that does not make the burden any easier to bear.”

A video account concerning Pfc. Rossi can be accessed here

We send the love and prayers of everyone in the Richmond theatre community to all of the Rossi family. Please know that you are in our hearts.

--Bruce Miller

Would you like a light plot with that quiche?

Thanks to Laurie Null and Miss Hathaway’s Café for featuring Barksdale and Theatre IV designers in her current gallery display. Miss Hathaway’s Café is a charming eatery located in Stratford Hills, South of the James, adjacent to the pharmacy at the intersection of Forest Hill Avenue and Hathaway Road. For the last few weeks, design sketches and plots from Sue Griffin (costumes), Lynne Hartman (lights) and Terrie Powers (sets) have been gracing the walls of this colorful café.

Laurie Null is a Richmond theatre alum from days gone by, but she now spends her time making just about the best pastries, sandwiches and quiche you’ll find, and serving them in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

The name Miss Hathaway’s Café was inspired, in part, by the Hathaway Road intersection, but also by the character of Jane Hathaway, played with such aplomb for years on The Beverly Hillbillies by the late Nancy Kulp.

When you’re feeling in need of a break, be sure to visit Miss Hathaway’s Café, and tell Laurie that Barksdale sent you.

--Bruce Miller

One Less Koch in our Kitchen

We bid a fond farewell to Richard Koch, our Production Manager and all ‘round great guy. Richard has worked on and off for Theatre IV and Barksdale pretty much since his college graduation in the late 80s. We could never have asked for a more faithful and hard working employee. Or a more steadfast friend.

But now dear Richard has moved onward and upward to a similar position at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, where he’ll be working for Henrico County, earning more money and better benefits while tackling a much more manageable work load. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

To say that we will miss Richard would be the understatement of the century. But hopefully we won’t have much time to miss him, because rumor has it that Richard will now have many more opportunities to appear as an actor in our various productions.

In fact, negotiations have just been completed to have Richard fill in for Scottie Wichmann as Felix Unger for a week in August during the run of The Odd Couple. So we're happy to say "Farewell" and "Welcome Home" both at the same time.

--Bruce Miller

We're Off to See the Witches

In April, someone commented on the Where Are They Now blog entry I wrote about Clay Jackson, a former Theatre IV touring actor who was named the new Maytag Repairman. “If you're going to do a Where Are They Now column, why not do one on Emily Skinner?” the anonymous commenter asked. “I LOVED her when she used to act in Richmond with you guys, and I haven't heard much from her since her Tony nomination for Side Show.”

Well, it may have taken me three months, but I’m proud to offer a little on Emily’s latest project, and state with considerable excitement that Phil and Donna Whiteway, my wife Terrie and I will all be going up a week from Saturday to see Emily on stage.

Emily is currently starring in the American Premiere of The Witches of Eastwick at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. Signature is a terrific regional theatre led by Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. In addition to being a nationally acclaimed Sondheim specialist, Schaeffer is a stage director with a considerable international reputation. He was Artistic Director for the Sondheim Festival at the Kennedy Center a few seasons back, and directed the World Premiere of The Witches of Eastwick on London’s West End in 2000.

Based on the novel by John Updike and the Warner Bros. motion picture that starred Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer, The Witches of Eastwick features book and lyrics by John Dempsey and music by Dana Rowe. Dempsey describes the plot as follows: “In the tiny New England town of Eastwick, Rhode Island, three modern day witches innocently plot and conjure over a heady brew of weak martinis and peanut butter brownies. But when their longings are made flesh in the arrival of one Darryl Van Horne, all hell breaks lose. Quite literally.”

Emily’s co-stars at Signature are Christiane Noll and Jacquelyn Piro Donovan as the other titular witches, and acclaimed Broadway leading man Marc Kudisch as Darryl Van Horne.

The reviews have been very favorable. “Witches of Eastwick spells wicked fun … carnally enjoyable,” states The Washington Post. “A funny and enjoyable show with obvious audience appeal and a laudable ability to laugh at itself,” adds Variety. “It definitely gets an A for attitude.”

“The Witches of Eastwick is a bewitching musical,” continues the Baltimore Sun. “An exuberant production” was the descriptive phrase used by the Arlington Sun Gazette.

Emily herself has received unanimous praise.

Among those few Richmond actors who have gone on to national success, Emily and Blair Underwood are certainly the two who have gone the farthest. In Richmond, she appeared in numerous shows at Theatre IV, Swift Creek Mill and, to a lesser extent, TheatreVirginia, throughout her teens and twenties. She spent her college years in Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious theatre program (as did Underwood, by the way, and as does Zak Resnick, now appearing in Into the Woods), and she achieved almost immediate success in New York, culminating in her Tony- nominated leading performance in Side Show.

I’ve enjoyed Emily in every show I’ve ever seen her in, from her earliest work as a high schooler through her recent performance as Gooch in Mame at the Kennedy Center. She is one of America’s treasures, and I can hardly wait to see her in Witches.

Best of all, Emily continues to be as gracious and down to earth as she’s always been. We hope you'll continue to keep your eye on Emily. We certainly will. She’s truly one of our nation’s great musical theatre stars, and every Richmond theatregoer should be enormously proud of this exceptionally talented home town girl made good.

--Bruce Miller