#Joanne Maurer

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REVIEW: "Clever Little Lies" at the Ghent Playhouse

REVIEW: “Clever Little Lies” at the Ghent Playhouse

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REVIEW: "Cabaret" at the Ghent Playhouse

REVIEW: “Cabaret” at the Ghent Playhouse

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REVIEW: "The Elves and The Shoemaker" Panto 2018

REVIEW: “The Elves and The Shoemaker” Panto 2018

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REVIEW: "The Chalk Garden" at the Ghent Playhouse

REVIEW: “The Chalk Garden” at the Ghent Playhouse

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The Ghent Playhouse Presents "Cabaret"

The Ghent Playhouse Presents “Cabaret”

Willkommen! Join us at the Ghent Playhouse where the stage is transformed into The Kit Kat Club as we present *Cabaret*, Tony Award-winner for Best Play in 1967 and again in 1998 for its revival.  Directed by Matthew Teichner, this production runs March 16, 2018 through April 1, 2018. Book by Christopher Isherwood; Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb Set amid the backdrop of 1930?s Germany…

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by Fred Baumgarten

Every generation, it seems, must have its “Chalk Garden.” Major revivals pop up every decade or so like crocuses sprouting in spring. And then there’s the popularity the 1955 Enid Bagnold play enjoys in regional theater, perhaps owing to its meaty dialogue and eccentric characters.

Is it any wonder that the Ghent Playhouse’s new production of “The Chalk Garden,” under the direction of artistic director Cathy Lee-Visscher, took an exceedingly dark tone with this British dramedy? That’s about right for this #MeToo generation. But it’s a pity that some of Bagnold’s wit and satire couldn’t shine through more.

In actuality, “The Chalk Garden,” for all its actorly chops, fits awkwardly against contemporary America—both more relevant than ever and oddly disconnected—hailing from a time of nascent feminism in England weighted down by postwar norms and still viewing liberated women as upstarts and eccentrics. (Trigger warnings and spoilers ahead.)

The story revolves around a triangle of “troubled” women: Mrs. St. Maugham (Wendy Spielmann), who tends her country estate garden and looks after her granddaughter, Laurel (Elisheva Malfatto); and a mysterious governess, Miss Madrigal (Sally McCarthy), who answers an ad to take care of the teenager.

Each of them bears a kind of moral burden, though an ambiguous one: Mrs. St. Maugham may have driven away her daughter, Laurel’s mother Olivia (Lee-Visscher); Miss Madrigal may have murdered a stepsister; and Laurel may have been “violated” (Bagnold’s explicit term) as a preteen.

The heart of the drama turns on the question most often associated with #MeToo: whom do you believe? In 1955 England, the answers are complicated by other questions regarding women’s ability to distinguish truth from fiction and whether anyone can see through to their “true” natures.

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Also hovering around for the unfolding events are Maitland (Steve King), a reluctant servant; an unseen, unwell butler living upstairs, named Pinkbell, who represents something like the old order; his nurse (Jewel Winant); and “The Judge” (George Filieau), a friend of Mrs. St. Maugham’s whose arrival for a visit sparks an unraveling of stories.

The Chalk Garden, incidentally, is a literal description of the estate’s garden, where the soil is limestone and everything planted by Mrs. St. Maugham, with advice from the unseen butler, dies. You would be hard-pressed to overlook the metaphorical meaning, just as Miss Madrigal’s healing touch with the garden symbolizes this play’s belief in second chances.

There was ample ramping up of tension as the third act’s confrontation between The Judge and Miss Madrigal drew near, and some riveting mother-daughter showdowns between Olivia and Mrs. St. Maugham, courtesy of some excellent acting by Lee-Visscher and Spielmann.

What was missing from this production of “The Chalk Garden” was the sense of hope and possibility, not to mention just plain carpe diem zaniness hidden underneath each character like a seed needing watering. The actor who came closest was Malfatto, the youngest, who imbued Laurel with a mischievous sparkle. Spielmann had moments of inspired battiness as called for by Mrs. St. Maugham’s character.

Unfortunately, as Miss Madrigal, the heart and soul of the play, McCarthy sustained an overly angry and emotional demeanor—though as I said at the outset, as a directorial choice it may not be entirely inappropriate to our time. It was also difficult to draw a bead on King’s Maitland; he too seemed alternately angry and confused. Filieau was fine as The Judge, if a little stiff, and Winant serviceable as the nurse in a part that is admittedly marginal.

Sam Reilly’s set was gorgeous, Joe Sicotte lighting luminous, and Joanne Maurer’s costumes lovely.

Part of me feels like it’s time to retire old chestnuts like “The Chalk Garden,” and yet as long as there are literary and challenging plays like it, they will forever grow again in half-decent soil.

The Chalk Garden by Enid Bagnold, directed by Cathy Lee-Visscher, runs January 31-February 2, February 7-9, and February 14-16, 2020 at the Ghent Playhouse, 6 Town Hall Place, Ghent, NY. Stage Manager Ariell Lant, Props Cathy Lee-Visscher, Kelly Mackerer, Costumes Joanne Maurer, Set Sam Reilly, Set Construction and Décor Sam Reilly, Cathy Lee-Vissscher, Lighting Design Joe Sicotte, Sound Effects Monk Schane-Lydon, Lighting and Sound Operation Randi Lant. CAST: Sally McCarthy as Miss Madrigal, Steve King as Maitland, Joanne Maurer as Second Applicant, Elisheva Malfatto as Laurel, Karen McNulty as Third Applicant, Wendy Spielmann as Mrs. St. Maugham, Jewel Winant as Nurse, Cathy Lee-Visscher as Olivia, and George Filieau as The Judge.

Tickets $22, $17 for members, $10 for students. For tickets and information, call (800) 838-3006 or visit ghentplayhouse.org.

  REVIEW: “The Chalk Garden” at the Ghent Playhouse by Fred Baumgarten Every generation, it seems, must have its “Chalk Garden.” Major revivals pop up every decade or so like crocuses sprouting in spring.

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A story of daily life, love & marriage and death & eternity in a small American town nestled in at 42°40′ north latitude and 70°37′ west longitude.  This production is directed by John Trainor and runs May 18, 2018 through June 3, 2018.

Set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece is narrated by a Stage Manager and performed with minimal props and sets as the audience follows the Webb and Gibbs families, as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually – in one of the most famous scenes in American theater history – die.  

The Ghent Playhouse is thrilled to present the playwright’s definitive version of Our Town, described by Edward Albee as “… the greatest American play ever written.”  Winner of the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Joe Kelly & Susan Dantz in “Our Town” at the Ghent Playhouse. Photo: Cindy Smith.

Meaghan Rogers & Quinn Haley in “Our Town” at the Ghent Playhouse. Photo: Cindy Smith.

The cast includes Eric Washburn, Joe Kelly, Susan Dantz, Meaghan Rogers, Quinn Haley, Tula Haley, Bill Shein, Amy Hausknecht, Clyde Drake, Ely Loskowitz, Kathy Marin Wohlfeld, Sam Reilly, Gene Fox, Mark Lant, Bob Walker, Karen McNulty, Randi Lant, Julie Valliere, Amy Loskowitz and Alice Roth.

This production is produced by Playhouse President Kelly Mackerer.  Artistic Director Cathy Lee-Visscher is the set designer.  Arielle Lant is the stage manager.  Costumes by Joanne Maurer and Lighting design by Izzy Filkins. 

Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 pm and Sunday matinees are at 2 pm.  Tickets are $22 each, $17 for Members of the Playhouse and $10 for Students with ID.  Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-800-838-3006 or going to the website at www.ghentplayhouse.org. 

 And, thanks to our wonderful patrons and sponsors, the Ghent Playhouse is now air conditioned!

“Our Town” Opens at the Ghent Playhouse A story of daily life, love & marriage and death & eternity in a small American town nestled in at 42°40′ north latitude and 70°37′ west longitude.  

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"Our Town" at the Ghent Playhouse

“Our Town” at the Ghent Playhouse

A story of daily life, love & marriage and death & eternity in a small American town nestled in at 42?40? north latitude and 70′ 37′ west longitude. This production is directed by John Trainor and runs May 18, 2018 through June 3, 2018, at the Ghent Playhouse. Set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece is narrated by a Stage Manager and performed with minimal…

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REVIEW: "Clever Little Lies" at the Ghent Playhouse

REVIEW: “Clever Little Lies” at the Ghent Playhouse

by Gail M. Burns Joe DiPietro has something to say about being married for the long haul – it’s a slog. This is neither news nor entertainment, it is simply a rather dreary fact of life. And it is a crummy basis for a comedy, which is what Clever Little Lies is supposed to be. And when you start with a crummy play no amount of money, talent, or hard work is going to make it right. The 2015 New…

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Ah, where are the Pantos of yesteryear? In this, their 18th season, there are only two active original members of the PantoLoons and while the young performers who have come on board in recent years are fabulous, they have lost track of exactly what they are about.

A British Panto is a very specific form of theatre, and the PantoLoons were founded by a Brit – Judy Staber – who until very recently got playwright’s billing on the shows, even though they were, and still remain, a collaborative effort amongst the Loons. Staber’s oversight ensured that the joie de vivre and lunacy that is a British Panto remained intact in this Americanized version.

That is not to say that this year’s Panto isn’t great good fun, but it hews too close to the plot of the Disney film and doesn’t take some very obvious liberties that would have moved it from spoof to true Panto. In these days of “Fake News” and burgeoning accusations of sexual assault by powerful men there is much political satire to be mined from the story of a woman who loses her voice*.

But for those who love a drag version of a Disney princess, this is the show for you. Sam Reilly is a divine leading lady. He is a truly beautiful Ariel and Joanne Maurer’s costumes greatly aid the illusion of both femininity and fishiness. (All the merfolk except King Triton carry their tales like dress trains, attached to their wrists.) Reilly remembers when he is underwater and when he is on dry land, and swims and swirls across the stage. And he is a powerful singer!

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Mark “Monk” Schane-Lydon has inherited the mantel of Panto Dame from Tom Detwiler and Paul Murphy, and channels his inner Harvey Fierstein to create a deeply villainous Ursula. Again, Maurer has done a bang-up job on the cephalopodian costume. Schane-Lydon has arms to spare! I wish the Loons could have come up with a second evil solo for him later in the show, rather than doing a reprise.

Mark Wilson gets many Trumpian lines as Ariel’s father, King Triton, although no attempt is made to make him look or sound like the sitting President. He and Kathy Lee-Visscher get to play their own gender, while all around them cross dress or play crustaceans. Lee-Visscher plays a new character, Ariel’s Aunt Ethel, sister to her late mother and sister-in-law to Triton. While she enters as Ethel Mermaid she concludes the show as Ethel Merman!

Nothing makes me happier than seeing Sally McCarthy in a trouser role on the Panto stage. As Prince Eric’s valet, Grimsby, she assists new Loon Meaghan Rogers in her first trouser role as Ariel’s beloved. Rogers takes her leading man role very seriously and is quite charming as the Principal Boy. She has a sweet singing voice, but no one belts out a number like McCarthy!

Another newcomer, Emily Spateholts, is a nervous Sebastian. (Isn’t Sebastian a lobster in the Disney film? Spateholts keeps referring to herself as a crab. Either way, I’m allergic.) Maurer has given her appropriately Rastafarian dreadlocks but she fails to maintain a true Caribbean accent. Maurer gamely makes her annual Panto appearance – as Nana, the sweet little granny who is reading us this bedtime story, and briefly as Flounder, in another one of her own fabulous costumes.

Reilly has once again also designed the excellent set, which has his trade mark nooks, crannies, and surprises. Isabel Filkins supports with a fine lighting design.

Catherine Schane-Lydon has taken over as musical director from Paul Leyden. She has been an honorary Loon all the years that her husband has been dragging her to the shows (pun intended) and she has the proper Panto spirit. An especially fun musical moment came from an unexpected chorus of bivalves in a take-off of Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock.” (But if they were annoying him so much, why didn’t King Triton tell them to clam up?)

Lee Visscher and the Loons have managed to squeeze every old wheezy fish pun ever created into their script (turn off your shellphones, just for the halibut!) and the show ends in a proper chase around the theatre. It wouldn’t be the holidays without the Panto, and hopefully next year will see the return of a little more satire. Ah well, they managed to wedge in a joke about the Hudson River!

The PantoLoons present The Little Mermaid: Beyond the Sea at the Ghent Playhouse from November 24-December 10, 2017. Script and lyrics by Cathy Lee-Visscher and the PantoLoons, directed by Cathy Lee-Visscher, musical direction by Catherine Schane-Lydon, set design by Sam Reilly, costume design by Joanne Maurer, lighting design by Isabel Filkins.

CAST: Al Fresco (Emily Spateholts) as Sebastian; Anita Mandalay (Cathy Lee-Visscher) as Aunt Ethel; Helena Corset (Sally McCarthy) as Grimsby; Howie Izinbed (Meaghan Rogers) as a squid and Prince Eric; Jack A. Ninny (Mark Wilson) as King triton; Kar DeBord (Sam Reilly) as Ariel; Ophelia Tuchus (Mark “Monk” Schane-Lydon) as Ursula; and Sybil McFrey (Joanne Maurer) as Nana and Flounder.

The Ghent Playhouse is located at 6 Town Hall Place in Ghent, NY. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 pm and Sunday matinees are at 2 pm.  Tickets are $22 each, $17 for Members of the Playhouse and $10 for Students with ID.  Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-800-838-3006 or going to the website at www.ghentplayhouse.org

*(Dreary Detail: The Little Mermaid has its roots in the ancient Greek legend of Philomela, whose brother-in-law rapes her and then cuts out her tongue to prevent her from revealing his crime.)

REVIEW: The Panto – “The Little Mermaid: Beyond the Sea” Ah, where are the Pantos of yesteryear? In this, their 18th season, there are only two active original members of the PantoLoons and while the young performers who have come on board in recent years are fabulous, they have lost track of exactly what they are about.

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Annual Panto "The Little Mermaid: Beyond the Sea" at Ghent Playhouse

Annual Panto “The Little Mermaid: Beyond the Sea” at Ghent Playhouse

Come join us beneath the sea and beyond at the Ghent Playhouse where the Panto-loons fracture yet another tale!  It’s time again for the Annual Holiday Panto and this year the Loons will be serving surf and turf with their zany twist on the popular fairytale, The Little Mermaid.  Come see King Triton’s youngest daughter, Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder and all the gang for a rollicking good time!  You…

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REVIEW: "Greater Tuna" at the Ghent Playhouse

REVIEW: “Greater Tuna” at the Ghent Playhouse

by Macey Levin Greater Tuna is the first of four plays about the third smallest town in Texas.  It was first performed in 1981 in Austin, Texas, and arrived Off-Broadway in 1982.  Since then it has played literally all over the country and is now at The Ghent Playhouse in Ghent, New York.  But maybe it should retire. Written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, using two actors to portray…

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"Greater Tuna" to open the 43rd Season at the Ghent Playhouse

“Greater Tuna” to open the 43rd Season at the Ghent Playhouse

Greater Tuna, written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard will open at the Ghent Playhouse October 6 and run 3 weeks through October 22, 2017.  This production will be directed by Brian Wagner who appeared in last year’s season opener, The 39 Steps.  Brian chose to direct this gem because – it’s a laugh a minute riot that will send audiences out into the chilly evening with a smile on…

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by Macey Levin

Sam Shepard is one of the country’s major playwrights having received nearly every award the American theatre and film industry has to offer.  His major works include True West, The Tooth of Crime , Curse of the Starving Class , Buried Child (1979 Pulitzer Prize), Fool for Love , and A Lie of the Mind. 

 True West, first performed in 1980 at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco and currently at the Ghent Playhouse in Ghent, New York, has a structured plot unlike much of Shepard’s canon.  In most of his other works the story line is fractured with flashbacks and flash-forwards accompanied by extensive, often rambling monologues.  This play utilizes a perceptible dramatic arc while incorporating many of Shepard’s preferred themes… the bane of family, the fabled West vs. the real West, the fallibility of the American Dream.   Though there are very intense and violent scenes, True West is laced with numerous comic moments.

Taking place 40 miles outside Los Angeles, Austin, a budding screenwriter with a suburban existence, is minding his mother’s house while she is on a trip to Alaska.  His older brother Lee, an itinerant alcoholic small-time thief, suddenly appears after spending three months alone in the desert.  Their bantering reflects their lifelong contentious relationship.  Lee tells his brother that he has a better idea for a film about the real West rather than Austin’s mundane love story.  After meeting Saul Kimmer, a film producer who is interested in Austin’s script, Lee wheedles himself into Saul’s favor by relating his plot concept.  As the acrimony between the brothers builds, an emotional undercurrent slowly leads to a reversal of attitudes.  Lee is intent on writing his screenplay and Austin wants to forsake all  has to live in the desert.  The arrival of their mother triggers a precipitous conclusion.

Their father, an offstage presence, dominates the lives of the brothers.  He has lived in the desert for years since he left his wife and has become a raging alcoholic.  Both Lee and Austin have a love/hate attitude toward him, but they are envious of his declaration of independence, living his life by his definition.  Their recognition of this subtly motivates their turnabout of life choices.

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For experienced actors the performing of a Shepard play is akin to climbing Mount Everest.  For unseasoned performers it’s like climbing Everest, K2 and The Matterhorn piled on top each other.  The actors in this production, as sincere as their work is, have not yet reached the level of ability required to portray the subtleties of a Shepard work, especially this one.

From the moment Lee’s (Nathaniel Drake) presence is felt by Austin (Kevin Kilb) there should be an overwhelming sense of menace and that the slightest misstep would propel Lee into a violent state.  Rather, the tone that is created is one of simple sibling rivalry and vexation.  Drake has the physical presence to intimidate but it is not supported by many of his line readings.  Austin is an Ivy League graduate, married with children; Kilb plays him as an unsophisticated naif.  Rob Weber delivers a superficial characterization of Saul Kimmer with posturing and artificial facial expressions while Stephanie Sloane looks lost as Mom.

Much of this is the responsibility of director Patrick White.  His work seems to be unaware of Shepard’s intent, depending on the writer’s words but not his subtext.  The last several minutes of the play should make an audience gasp.  This doesn’t happen.

The set by Sam Reilly depicts a neat, somewhat cluttered kitchen, but the table at the audience left blocks the character who sits at the upstage side of it.  This is probably due to the relatively small stage at the Playhouse.  Initially, the costumes designed by Joanne Maurer define the characters; however, neither character changes clothes though the time span of the story is several days.

Ghent Playhouse should be respected for attempting to produce important plays by  major playwrights, something many community theatres would not attempt.

The Ghent Playhouse presents True West; Directed by Patrick White; Cast: Kevin Kilb (Austin) Nathaniel Drake (Lee) Rob Weber (Saul Kimmer) Stephanie  Sloane (Mom);  Scene design: Sam Reilly; Lighting design: Isabel Filkins; Costume design: Joanne Maurer; Stage Manager: Arielle Lant;  Running Time: Two hours; one  intermission; The Ghent Playhouse, 6 Town Hall Place, Ghent, NY ; From 5/19/2017 – 6/4/2017

REVIEW: “True West” at the Ghent Playhouse by Macey Levin Sam Shepard is one of the country’s major playwrights having received nearly every award the American theatre and film industry has to offer. 

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Madcap time again as the PantoLoons take Ghent Playhouse stage

Madcap time again as the PantoLoons take Ghent Playhouse stage

The Pantoloons take a bow in last year’s panto “SleepFrog” at The Ghent Playhouse. Photo by Daniel Region.

Opening Friday 28th (the day after Thanksgiving) and running through December 14, the Ghent Playhouse will present The PantoLoons fifteenth production. This year, the madcap troupe will present “Ali Baba and the Four Tea Thieves”, a new, heretofore untold, version of the Two Thousand and One…