Theatre Sarnia: October 2011

Sunday October 16, 2011

Crazy For You: Theatre Sarnia October 2011
Great Music, Fabulous Choreography and Incredible Polish

by Brian Hay

The band sounded great, even before the curtain opened. Music Director Tim Hummel had the rhythm section of drummer Tim Nicholls and bassist Peter Hysen jumping and they drove the fourteen piece ensemble with a level of precision and raw energy that was a joy to hear. Somewhere, the composer, George Gershwin, was smiling.

The principle players were excellent. Andrew Colborne is tall, really lean and doesn't seem to mind using his build to generate the type of laughs that people give when they watch someone who looks like a dressed-up hat pin act and react with exaggerated physical gestures. This isn't meant to be taken in any way that's insulting. John Cleese took advantage of the same attributes through the Monty Python and Fawtly Towers years. Colborne can dance, his singing voice is good and his natural timing makes it all click. Tia Colborne was excellent as well. Her singing and dancing was good and she played off everyone in the ensemble well. Richard Teskey has a flair for comedy and hard work has only seasoned it nicely. His delivery is strong and his timing is good. The drunk mirror sequence that he and Colborne played together was hilarious.

Deb McCormick was stellar as the "bad girl", 'Irene Roth'. She captured the nuances of the seductress persona so well it seemed as if she might be a succubus in human guise. Stephanie Smith captured the greed and disdain inherent in the banker persona of 'Lottie Child' nicely. The exchanges between her and Deb McCormick were great. Both ladies also also assumed roles in the ensemble dance numbers when their characters weren't part of the action. This was something most of the supporting players did and they all managed it well. As 'Lank', Dave Mitchell had to come across as a complete horse's (CENSORED) every second he was on stage and he did it beautifully. Steve Gelinas evoked images of the "home on the range' every time he spoke. Karen Davies played the small role of 'Tess' with a good mixture of authority, intelligence and tenderness. Anthony Fracalanza shone as the dim witted 'Moose'. Claire Ross was delightful as the lovably air-headed 'Patsy'.

The set, stage management, lighting and wardrobe were done beautifully. Frank Canino and Walt Farr's design consisted of dual sided props that could be rotated according to settings. The props fit neatly with the platform they created to have the band on stage rather than in the pit. This gave the connection between them and the actors more immediacy and both sides seemed to benefit by it — there were a lot of smiles on musician's faces whenever they weren't actively playing. Stage Manager Andrea Hughes, her assistants Vincent Quinn and Jaime Perry and the crew had the movements of the sets flowing smoothly throughout the production. The lighting designs by Brian Austin Jr. and Brian Little guided the eye flawlessly. The sound which Austin and Little set up with Dan Tidball was excellent. The technology squawked out loud once but the operators got it back to normal quickly. The wardrobe created by Lynn Kershaw-Smith, Jean Dowswell and Mary Anne Coderre-Richardson was perfect for the production. It suited the period the piece was set in and captured the "lack of dirt" look that would have been typical of a production from that period.

Musical Director Tim Hummel, Choreographer Shirley Schram and Director Henri Canino did a brilliant job of making this all work. The singing was pretty even. The pitch from most of the individual performers was generally good and the work from the ensembles held together well, even when everybody was moving. Often that was when they were at their best. Many of the dance routines involved a great deal of movement from large numbers of people and they flowed beautifully. Often performers had to step or jump over one another and they made it seem effortless. The story moved briskly and the performances from the players drew every reaction they were intended to. Everything fit beautifully with the material originally written by Ken Ludwig and the fabulous music of George and Ira Gershwin.

This production has a level of polish often associated with larger venues. It also has the love of people doing it simply because they want to. That shines through like a beacon and there'll never be any way to replace it.

This performance took place on Saturday October 15, 2011 at the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia Ontario. This review was written to convey an impression of what it was like to be there watching.

Crazy For You runs from Friday October 14, 2011 through to Saturday October 22, 2011. The Matinee performance is held on Sunday October 16 at 2:00 p.m. and evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. There are no performances on Monday or Tuesday.

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Imperial Theatre:
Official Site