June 20, 1:50 PMGilbert Theater ExaminerJoseph Gordon

Many people cringe at the very thought of community theater. They are perceived as unprofessional venues meant for actor wannabes and their families. This is so far from the truth. Community theater is the bedrock, the foundation of our theater community. This is where budding talents are trained and encouraged and where individual performer’s dreams are nurtured and fulfilled. Certainly, these not-for-profit venues cannot compete with their larger, professional cousins and must be viewed with a different standard of criticism but the need for them should never be in question.

The Valley is blessed with a plethora of pleasurable community theaters. Wherever you turn, no matter where you live, there is a local non-professional theater to call your own and each, with its distinct personality, is to be respected. They are truly an embarrassment of riches. Peoria has its Theater Works. Tempe has its Tempe Little Theatre. Scottsdale has its Desert Stages Theatre. Mesa has its Mesa Encore Theatre. Fountain Hills has its Fountain Hills Community Theater. Everyone of these mentioned theaters is a constant source of Broadway’s best on a limited budget and each has its own unlimited supply of fresh and proven talent.

For example, there is the jewel of Fountain Hills, the Fountain Hills Community Theater. Friday night FHCT opened its final production of its 2009-10 season with a most delightful production of Stephen Helper, Jack Viertel, and Otis Sallid’s smash hit musical revue Smokey Joe’s Café, featuring the amazing song catalog of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The revue possesses nearly forty of simply the greatest songs of any specific era ever recorded. Musical magicians Leiber and Stoller could easily be credited with inventing rock ‘n’ roll.

The show opened on Broadway at theVirginia Theatre (now the August Wilson Theatre) on March 2, 1995 to mixed reviews but quickly caught on with the general public. It proved so popular that it ran for just shy of five years, closing on January 16 2000 after a run of 2,036 performances, becoming one of Broadway’s longest running musical revues.

Smokey Joe’s Café was nominated for five 1995 Tony Awards. The best selling original cast recording on Atlantic Records/WEA won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 1996.

The Fountain Hills Community Theater production of Smokey Joe’s Café is staged by Peter J. Hill (direction and set design) and Noel Irick (choreography and costumes) with superb musical direction by Bill Moore. The production stars Alex Bradley, Jessica Frieling, Dominic Kidwell, Jessica Kidwell, Scott McKown, Lew Myers, Chrystalle Reed, Elizabeth Reeves Fidler and Ronee Korbin Steiner.

Hill and Irick have staged this Smokey Joe’s Café with a twinkling eye and a great sense of humor. I saw the original New York production and had no memory that it was so full of welcome comic moments. That show was a non-stop evening filled with remarkable songs, a concert of Leiber and Stoller’s best. FHCT’s dynamic duo have added a joyous sense of delicious, inventive fun to each set piece but never at the expense of their ensemble’s gorgeous harmonies. What we have here is an entertaining, fast moving well-sung and most welcome evening of musical nostalgia.

The wonderful cast includes delectable performances from all but most particularly from Alex Bradley, Lizz Reeves, Jessica Frieling and Dominic Kidwell. Bradley not only has the good looks of a matinee idol, he has the talent to match. Reeves is both an incredible singer and fabulous comedienne. Her Fools Fall in Love is pure magic. Frieling has a luscious stage presence and her sexy, scintillating delivery of Don Juan is one of the evening’s highlights. Kidwell is a marvelous singer and smartly funny comic actor.

And then there are those songs! Front and center are such unforgettable favorites as Hound Dog, On Broadway, Charlie Brown, Love Potion #9, Jailhouse Rock, There Goes My Baby, Yakety Yak, Kansas City, Spanish Harlem, Poison Ivy and Stand By Me.

Community theater? Where else would you have the pleasure to witness the debut of the wonderfully funny, aspiring performer Scott McKown? The lean McKown is a most agreeable discovery. FHCT has given him a stage to display his talents and fulfil his wish to perform. Just witness his surprisingly rich bass voice in his highly pleasing duet, You’re the Boss, with Ms. Frieling. This is what community theater is all about, talent and discovery.

Another example of why we should treasure our local theater companies? Jacqueline Rushing, who recently starred as Ti Moune in Mesa Encore Theatre’s sparkling revival of Once on This Island, is another sample of talent mined to perfection. Rushing was charged with carrying the show and she shouldered that memorable production with flawless ease. Proof positive? She has been tapped by the Phoenix Theatre, the Valley’s premier musical home, to co-star next season in Hairspray.

Have you hugged your local community theater lately? They need all of our love and support.

Production photos by Patty Torrilhon and graphic art, courtesy of Fountain Hills Community Theater.

Smokey Joe’s Cafe runs through July 4. For additional information regarding ticket availability and/or performance schedule, please contact the Fountain Hills Community Theater Box Office directly either by phone (480) 837-9661 ext. 3 or ON LINE.

Fountain Hills Community Theater 11445 North Saguaro Blvd. Fountain Hills 85269

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1. Smokey Joe’s Café
2. Letter to the Editor of The Fountain Hills Times
3. Theater Update

DATES: June 18 – July 4, 2010
TIMES: 8:00 pm Fridays & Saturdays; 2:00 pm Sundays

NEW! Online Ticketing – CLICK HERE!

Fountain Hills Community Theater
11445 N. Saguaro Blvd.
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269

Box Office : (480) 837-9661 x3
Visa/MC/Amex/Discover

Email Order: play@fhct.org
We’ll call you back to complete your order. Be sure to include your phone number!

Printable Order Form
Fax to: 480-837-5972
or Mail to: FHCT Box Office, P.O. Box 18312, Fountain Hills, AZ 85269

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by John  Stanley
Mar. 16, 2010 01:37 PM
The Arizona Republic

A Night in the 40′s Big Band Dance

Ticket Prices are $35.00 in advance and $40.00 on the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased on the Night in the 40s Dance website, http://www.bigbanddance.com and at the Museum Gift Shop, 10:00am – 4:00pm, seven days a week: Commemorative Air Force Museum, 2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa.

Great music transcends time.

Consider the years surrounding World War II, say the decade from 1937 to 1946.

“There’s a kind of romance about the music of that era, even though we were in the middle of a terrible war,” said Valley jazz singer Kathy Donald. “But such music came out of it, such beautiful music. I think it will go on forever.”

There’s no mystery to its appeal, she said.

“It’s the rhythm, the beat. It’s catchy, especially the swing style. It really gets the toes tapping and makes people want to dance,” she said.

Experience that for yourself Saturday evening, when the exhilarating sounds of Glenn Miller and the sweet harmonies of the Andrews Sisters fill the air at A Night in the 40′s.

“The idea is to keep the music and history from this time period alive,” said Rick Senffner, wing administrator at the Commemorative Air Force Museum at Mesa’s Falcon Field, which is hosting the dance. “And to honor our veterans.”

One of their guests of honor at the dance this year, he said, is a World War II pilot who was shot down and spent almost two years as a POW.

The evening’s festivities also commemorate the 65th birthday of the B-17 now known as “Sentimental Journey,” which will be on display. Guests can have their photo taken in front of the aircraft, which bears a painting of Betty Grable in her famous pinup pose.

About 1,100 guests typically attend the annual dance, Senffner said, making it one of the largest big band events in the nation.

The evening will begin with an appearance by the Walk In-Dance Out group, doing some of the popular dances from the era. Then the Kathy Donald Jazz Ensemble takes the stage for a “WW II Musical Show.” One of the highlights, Donald said, comes when she and two other singers perform some of the Andrews Sisters’ biggest hits, including “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Rum and Coca Cola.”

They’ll be followed by the Sun Lakes Big Band, which plays the pulse-pounding music of such popular WW II-era composers as Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James and Stan Keaton.

Guests are encouraged to dress in the styles of the 1940′s. Anything goes, Senffner said, from military uniforms (Allied forces only) to zoot suits. One year, he said, a guest came as Albert Einstein, complete with slide rules and wild hair.

Costumes will be judged by those in attendance, with the top three men and women receiving trophies.

There will also be a swing dance competition. Because of the renewed interest in swing dancing in recent years, the organizers have created two categories – over 40 and under 40.

Although guests of all ages enjoy the music and dancing, it seems to mean the most to the veterans from that era, and their families, Senffner said.

Donald recalled the moment last year when she and others performed an a cappella version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“The response was amazing,” she said. “When everybody stood and put their hands over their hearts to sing the anthem, it was very emotional. We didn’t know if we were going to get through it last year. We were all
crying as we were singing. We don’t have enough of those veterans left.”

Proceeds from the evening will benefit the CAF Museum at Falcon Field.

When: 4:30 – 11 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Commemorative Air Force Museum,
2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa.
Admission: $35 in advance, $40 at the door.
Details: 480-924-1940, bigbanddance.com

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/events/articles/2010/03/16/20100316night-in-the-40s-in-mesa.html

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B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey on display along with other warbirds. Come dressed in the styles of the 40’s for the costume and dance contests. Call (480) 924-1940 x111 for more information.

Ticket Prices are $35.00 in advance and $40.00 on the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased on the Night in the 40s Dance website, http://www.bigbanddance.com soon, and at the Museum Gift Shop, 10:00am – 4:00pm, seven days a week:

Arizona Wing CAF Aircraft Museum
2017 N. Greenfield Rd
Mesa, AZ 85215

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Henry Higgins made a bet that if he could get Eliza Doolittle, a poor girl who sells flowers, to speak the English language properly, she would fit into the higher class. She messes up on her first trip to the Ascot races (although she does catch the attention of Freddy), and when she goes to the Embassy Ball, she does so well that a speech professor proclaims her to be a Hungarian princess.

Jan 15 – 31, 2010

Possible extension through February 7th!

Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays – 8:00 PM
Saturday (1/23 only) – 2:00 PM Matinee
Sundays – 2:00 PM Matinee

Fountain Hills Community Theater
11445 N. Saguaro Blvd.
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269

Box Office : (480) 837-9661 x3
Visa/MC/Amex/Discover

Email Order: play@fhct.org
We’ll call you back to complete your order. Be sure to include your phone number!

Printable Order Form
Fax to: 480-837-5972
or Mail to: FHCT Box Office, P.O. Box 18312, Fountain Hills, AZ 85269

NEW! Online Ticketing – CLICK HERE!

Related posts:

1. Smokey Joe’s Café
2. Smokey Joe’s Café reviewed at Fountain Hills Community Theater and then some!
3. FHCT announces opening of Godspell!

I am so glad that someone finally had the vision to produce RAGTIME in the Valley of the Sun! This is one of the most beautiful shows I have ever seen in every sense of the word. It is the quintessential story of America at the turn of the 20th Century, the melting pot of the world. Based on the classic novel by E. L Doctorow, RAGTIME has a magnificent message, a gripping story, glorious music and enough history to satisfy any one. Here we meet the likes of Booker T. Washington, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Evelyn Nesbit, Admiral Peary as well as a future scion of the motion picture industry. Here we watch the interweaving of three important ethnic groups who have made America strong – the WASP backbone of the country, the immigrants who flocked to these golden shores and the African Americans who finally came into their own in the middle of the 20th Century. This is their story told with stirring song and intricate dance. Desert Stages is to be commended and lauded for telling their story.

And Director Terry Helland deserves Kudos galore for his coup in presenting this broad based, gigantic show in a theater not much bigger than my living room! At one point I counted almost 50 people on stage at once. This is no small feat – to do this Helland made use of every inch of space, even staging several scenes in the eaves of the room high above us. Another clever use of space was the revolving circular stage in the center of the floor. Helland and Choreographer Katy Callie were absolutely ingenious in their designs and staging. It almost was a shame that they could not have had more space in which to work their magic. They did well with what they had, but I kept imagining what they could do with a roomier venue.

There were few if any weak links in the huge ensemble; even the young people knew their roles well and deserve praise. But of course, there were a few standouts. Miguel Jackson, a newcomer to the area, was clearly the star of the show as he sang and acted his role of Coalhouse Walker Jr., the ragtime piano player who falls in love with Sarah and with the idea of America but who is thwarted at every turn by bigotry and prejudice. In true tragic fashion, he loses in the end, but he puts up a stellar fight. He has a fascinating voice which captured the role beautifully. And opposite him was Brittany Bradford in the role which made Audra MacDonald famous, beautiful Sarah, another tragic figure representative of the fate of the Negro in the early 20th Century. Her voice was a delight. In the role of Tateh, the Jewish immigrant who met nothing but poverty until he accidentally hits on the idea of moving silhouettes was Jeff Davey, a natural who portrayed this bedeviled man to the hilt. Both his characterization and his much improved singing voice was perfect for his part. Then there was Elizabeth Reeves as Mother, the Victorian woman subservient to her husband, who discovers what life should be all about as she rebels, much like the heroine of A DOLL’S HOUSE written at this same time period. Reeves has a beautiful voice and a charming, serene characterization which was just right. Sean Taylor as Younger Brother was suitably rebellious and symbolic of the change in attitude that was taking over in America at the time. And in several small roles, Wade Moran, and all those playing the famous Americans listed above did a spectacular job of bringing these icons to life. The only weak link I found was Mickey Courtney as the Grandfather who simply did not meet the level of those he was playing with.

Technically, the costume design is a real winner. True to the period, the designer, Lisa Suico-Scheir, produced stunning dresses for Mother, accurate clothing for a slew of immigrants and typical dress for the African American group. And the choreographical staging played up the intermingling of the three groups so well with the costuming adding to the mix. It was a delight to watch. Musically the ensemble was very strong and well trained for which Terry Temple is to be thanked. Lighting was good except in the very few places where the segues from scene to scene appeared to be a little rough. The set was necessarily simple due to the lack of space and the number of actors that graced the stage. The one area where I felt ther could have been some improvement was in some of the props. When Sarah had her baby, it was appropriate for a small doll wrapped in a blanket be used, but 6 to 8 month later and then a year or more later, it was very annoying to see the same tiny baby being carried around the stage. Didn’t he grow at all during that time? Again, perhaps a small thing, but the camera used by a reporter was definitely not from the right period and I doubt if people at the turn of the 20th Century would have used plastic suitcases.

But don’t let these few very small items deter you from going to see a truly excellent show; RAGTIME at Desert Stages should be on your must see list now before it closes on November 1. You will adore the music, marvel at the staging and agree that the actors deserve all the plaudits they can get. The intertwining of the author’s characters and the talents of those who make them come to life are superb.

Paula Shulak
The Theater Maven

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Goodyear resident Miguel Jackson went to audition for the musical, Ragtime at Desert Stages Theatre in Scottsdale with one role in mind.

“I was hoping to get the role of Coalhouse Walker; it’s rich and has a lot of meat on it,” he said of the Harlem musician. “It’s a very important role in terms of race. And being so far away, it was [that role] or nothing.”

It turns out; the 31-year-old had nothing to worry about.

“There was no doubt,” Ragtime director Terry Helland said of who would land the part of Coalhouse Walker, one of the show’s three leads, after the audition process. “He [Jackson] was an obvious choice because of his stature and how well he sang. He got it right away.”

Since then, the recent Canadian transplant has become very familiar with Arizona freeways, making the 45-minute trek – the time it takes without traffic – at least four days a week to rehearse.

“I give full credit to my wife to put up with the three months it has taken,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s wife, Elissa, is a third-grade teacher at Sonoran Sky Elementary in Glendale. So by the time she gets home from school, Jackson is ready to head out for rehearsal.

“It is really a commitment for her as well,” he said. “She has been patient with me and the time it has taken.”

Fortunately for her, Ragtime opened Oct. 9 and all that is left for Jackson to do are the remaining 12 performances.

Turn-of-the-century America
Ragtime is the story of three groups in turn-of-the-century America: African-Americans, upper-class whites and European immigrants. The story also has appearances from several historical figures, including Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, Booker T. Washington and Evelyn Nesbit.

It is based on the 1975 novel of the same name by E.L. Doctorow. It first appeared on Broadway in 1998, lasting two years. The musical is set for a Broadway revival Nov. 15, marking the first musical from the 1990s to be revived.

Desert Stages’ production runs through Nov. 1.

“It’s an important story,” Hellman said of Ragtime.

It tells of the “clash between the races and the conflicts that each American faced during those days,” the director said. “It will make you cry; men cry during the performance. It is pretty powerful.”

Jackson said he feels the story is relevant.

“Especially with the tension you see in everyday life,” he said. “It feels like there is a lot of tension out there and the show mirrors that tension, but there is a sense of relief.”

“[Ragtime] is one of the most beautiful shows I’ve seen in my life,” said Helland, who is also the artistic director for Desert Stages. “So I wanted to give it a try.”

The director placed Jeffrey J. Davey (Tateh) and Elizabeth Reeves (Mother) in the other two leads.

“They are all amazing,” Helland said, though his praise didn’t end with the leading actors.

“It has the most powerful vocals and incredible music of any show I’ve done,” the 30-year theater veteran said. “It’s a powerhouse.”

“There is a lot of talent in the cast, no question about that,” Jackson said. “The cast is incredible vocally and artistically, and I don’t say that a lot.”

Singing like nobody’s business
It appears Jackson picked a winner for his first Arizona performance.

The Canadian and his wife – who has dual citizenship – moved to Arizona in November 2008 from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, which is across the border from Detroit.

“I think we made the right choice,” he said of the move. “My friends are shoveling snow and I’m in shorts on my balcony.

“A lot of people warned me [of the heat],” Jackson said. “I was told for eight months of the year it is the Valley of the sun, and the other four months it’s the surface of the sun.”

He survived his first summer, though, and with a job working behind-the-scenes at a Phoenix TV station in place, said he is excited for his future in Arizona, which might include additional theater performances.

“My wife and I will have to sit down and discuss that,” he said of possibly being in other productions. He admits, “The [theater] bug, when it bites, is pretty hard.”

Jackson has been performing in theater for about four years, although he has been in front of audiences much longer, getting his start in church choirs as a youngster.

“I’ve always been very comfortable going in front of people making a fool of myself; whatever to get the job done,” Jackson said.

He is definitely getting it done for Desert Stages.

“He sings like nobody’s business,” Helland said of the Canadian, “Who doesn’t have much of a Canadian accent, so that helps, too.”

Plus, Jackson knew his lines, his music and is nice to work with, he said.

“That part needs a huge singer,” the director said of Coalhouse Walker. “It is one of the best roles for a male in a musical; it’s a role of a lifetime.”

Rich Ott, Assistant Editor
West Valley View
October 16, 2009

Rich Ott can be reached by e-mail at rott@westvalleyview.com.

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Since its 1998 Broadway debut, Tony Award-winning musical “Ragtime” has been seen by millions worldwide.

The musical gets a new twist in Scottsdale Desert Stages’ “theater in the round” setting. A rectangular stage with rotating sets is surrounded by seating on all four sides, creating entrances and exits in all corners of the theater.

“The simple fact that we are doing it in this venue changes it so dramatically that it can’t be anything but new and fresh,” said director Terry Helland. “The challenge is to include 360 degrees of people.”

Based on E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel of the same name, “Ragtime” tells the stories of three families and their oddly intertwined lives at the turn-of-the-century.

After an upper-class housewife takes in a struggling young mother and her newborn baby, the infant’s father, Harlem musician Coalhouse Walker Jr., fights to win her back and survive in a changing world. Also chronicled is the struggle of a Jewish immigrant and his daughter to find a place in a strange new land. The three paths are all connected by dreams of a brighter future.

Filled with themes of hope and love in the face of social injustice and economic hardship, “Ragtime” has remained relevant.

“We’ve all been in situations where we’ve felt the whole world was against us,” said Miguel Jackson,who plays Coalhouse.

Handling difficult matters such as racism and hate, “Ragtime” forces audiences to evaluate themselves and the world they live in.

“It deals with the human condition,” said Elizabeth Reeves, who plays the part of Mother. “It deals with, unfortunately, things that will probably never go away.”

Helland said that with the 360-degree format, the fast-paced action and quick scene transitions made the production particularly challenging. Helland said it’s the hardest show he has ever directed.

“I strive to bring a level of energy from beginning to end that suspends the show in an unwavering state of believability,” he said.

With a Broadway revival of “Ragtime” opening in mid-November, Desert Stages’ production will be one of the last regional productions of the show for a few years. While a show is on Broadway, it cannot be produced nationally, Reeves said.

Tyler Lockman
The Arizona Republic
October 13, 2009 03:01 PM

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