There are 4 great shows playing this month.

The Fall of the House

by Robert Ford

April 9 – 25, 2010

The spirit of Edgar Allan Poe haunts this mind-bending new play that brings together magic, betrayal, forbidden love, tragic accidents, secret documents and familial bonds that span 150 years. This production is recommended for mature audiences only due to strong profanity and mature themes

Lettice & Lovage

by Peter Shaffer

April 9 – May 22, 2010

Exuberant, eccentric Lettice Douffet is a tour guide given to exaggerating history to entertain her charges. Lotte Schoen is a buttoned-up, by-the-book boss brought in to fire her. Their confrontation leads to an unlikely friendship filled with drama, laughter and an accidental near-beheading. This very witty, very British comedy is tailor-made for fans of the BBC. Recommended for ages 10+.

Hamlet

by William Shakespeare

April 16 – May 22, 2010

Denmark’s sweet prince suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune as he seeks to avenge the murder of his father, poisoned by Hamlet’s conniving uncle. The bodies pile up as his revenge takes its toll on the innocent as well as the guilty. Recommended for ages 10+ for some violence and mature themes.

All’s Well That Ends Well

by William Shakespeare

April 23 – May 22, 2010

Helena is smart, brave, talented…and in love with a man who’s just not that into her. But she’s willing to do whatever it takes to win his heart – be it risk the wrath of a king, cross battle lines or fake her own death. Because after all, all’s well that ends well. Recommended for ages 10+ for mature themes.

This is pretty cool as well as there are plenty of Jasmine Guy fans in Montgomery.

Jasmine Guy joins cast of world premiere at Alabama Shakespeare Festival

By Alec Harvey — The Birmingham News

March 30, 2010, 9:20AM

Jasmine Guy is headed to Alabama.Jasmine Guy, whose career has included notable stints on TV series such as “A Different World” and “The Vampire Diaries,” will be coming to Montgomery’s Alabama Shakespeare Festival in September to star in a world-premiere musical.

Guy has joined the cast of Pearl Cleage’s “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One-Hundred Years.” The world premiere takes place at ASF Sept. 24-Oct. 3 before moving on to Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre Oct. 20-Nov. 14.

Tickets for the show go on sale Thursday at www.asf.net or by calling 800-841-4273.

Set in Montgomery, Cleage’s show is described by ASF as a “joyous and irreverent romp through black debutante society.” Guy will play a New York Times society reporter.

Guy is no stranger to musicals. She has appeared on Broadway in “The Wiz,” Leader of the Pack,” “Grease!” and “Chicago.”

Here is the link to the auction page where you can check out all the stuff that’s available. Looks like alot of great items and we will take a look at some of the winning bids next week. The two most intriguing items to Eddie are listed under the “one of a kind” tab.

Item Information

Estimated Value Priceless

Item Number OAK1

Item Description

The Scot Bruce Up Close and Personal package includes four premium house seats to Elvis: The Early Years starring Scot Bruce at ASF on August 16, 2010. This sure-to-be-sold-out concert is actually on the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death 33 years ago! You and your guests will also enjoy getting up close and personal with Scot and the band during an intimate backstage cocktail dinner and photo op before the The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll takes the stage.

The concert is August 16, 2010.  Dinner is at 6:30pm and the concert begins at 7:30pm.

Item Information

Estimated Value Priceless

Item Number OAK3

Item Description

Step on stage! Win a walk-on role in ASF’s 2010 holiday show. You’ll give one star-making performance after a little rehearsal time with the cast and crew.

Good for ASF’s 2010 holiday play only

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Harriet’s Return is a one woman show based upon the life of Harriet Tubman.

It will be playing at ASF  from  Fri Feb 05 to Sun Feb 28

Excerpt from Wikipedia

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross; c. 1822 – March 10, 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue over seventy slaves[1] using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. She later helped John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harpers Ferry, and in the post-war era struggled for women’s suffrage.

Karen Jones Meadows is a mega talent and we will have an exclusive interview with her  sometime next week.

In the meantime check out her website and see what people are saying about the show.

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Updated 15 Feb 2010

We would like to thank the very gracious staff at the King Parsonage Museum for allowing us the opportunity to film there. Karen was very excited  about being there and that enthusiasm helped   inspire some of the great footage that we obtained.

Eddie saw the show last weekend and it didnt disappoint. Because a full exclusive  review will appear in the next issue of RSVP Magazine we will keep this short. The show was awesome and a

Marvel in Modern Day Storytelling

The stage version of the play will be performed at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival now through 24  December 2009.

Get your tickets at ASF.net

Here is a GreatNews Video edited using some original footage mashed with an official ASF  commerical. This video also appears on a sidebar channel

This is our Jib-Jab created version of the show staring Eddieographer, Meg Lewis, Jt and Leanne and Scot Bruce

Hopefully we will have a chance to see the show soon.

In the meantime here is a killer  review from Michael Howley of TheatreMontgomery Blog.

– “What do you want for Christmas?”
– “..a legendary official Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action range model air rifle with a compass and this thing which tells time built into the stock.”
– “You’ll shoot your eye out!”

These lines are repeated frequently in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s delightful production of Jean Shepherd’s “A Christmas Story” adapted for the stage by Philip Grecian, and brought to life under Geoffrey Sherman’s clever direction by a company of professional actors and local students recruited from many Montgomery schools.

Anyone who has seen the television movie version — and there were plenty in the audience for its sold out opening performance — anticipates this dialogue and many of the signal moments in the life of nine-year-old Ralphie Parker: his imaginative adventures as a cowboy, his school friends and the local bully, the friend who gets his tongue stuck to an icy lamppost, the delivery of a leg lamp, an outrageous pink bunny pajama set, the unchanging meat-loaf and red cabbage dinner, and numerous exploits and anticipation on the way to Christmas morning’s opening of presents.

And we see all of this through the lens of the grown up Ralphie reminiscing on his childhood in Depression Era Indiana, as he vividly conjurs his family, friends, teachers, and local characters for us to see…but more on this later.

The young student ensemble is top notch: from Hailey Covington’s unnerving depiction of Helen — the science wiz who can also fight like a boy; to MaryKathryn Samelson as Ralphie’s younger brother Randy who always “has to go wee-wee” and hides in the most unlikely places; to Jackson Massey’s bully, Scut Farcas, who gets his comeuppance in right good fashion; to Riley Segars’ portrayal of Flick — the bully’s victim; to Claudia Hubbard’s always patient Esther Jane, and to Schwartz [Nathan Looney], Sarah [Helen Taylor], and Bob [Matthew Sailors] who participate fully in each scene.

But attention must be paid to Seth Meriwether as Ralphie. No stranger to the ASF stage [he has appeared in "A Christmas Carol: the Musical", and made a significant impression in both "Over the Tavern" and "Richard III"], this young actor is in the process of mastering a comic technique and complex characterizations and already exhibits a high degree of proficiency and maturity. — In “A Christmas Story”, he is so natural in the role, and such a likeable personality, that we are continually engaged in his dilemmas and cheer him on to success.

The adults in Ralphie’s life — his Mother [Sandy York], his Father, the “old man” [Bryant Mason], and his teacher, Miss Shields [Jennifer Lyon] — are more than cut-out versions of adults that children often perceive. Yes, they do have their foibles and peculiarities, yet: Ms. York is so unassuming in the role of the Mother, that we are delighted when she can supply answers to the trivia her husband is attempting to discover, and admire her ability to be the real strength in the family; Ms. Lyon’s magical portrayal of the ever-optimistic teacher is a scene-stealer; and Mr. Mason’s pompous “old man” with his “catalogue of invective…and…lexicon of curses” belies his compassionate treatment of his wife and children.

In a tour de force performance as the narrator — Ralphie’s grown-up self who can “triple-dog-dare you” to not love this show –Rodney Clark pulls out all the stops as the lively and masterful storyteller, a man who realizes the impact his childhood experiences had on him, an understanding of the adults who molded him with their love, an ability to see both the serious and the comic in life’s everyday occurrences, and an actor’s flexibility in developing each of these parts so completely and believably.

Thanks to Shepherd’s [and Grecian's] wonderfully descriptive and insightful and imaginative dialogue, to a design team that provide the illusion of a nostalgic past, and to Sherman’s sense of the comic proportion of this story, the stellar performances usher in a delightful Christmas season in Montgomery.

Joy Lambert of WAKA channel 8 told us that…

ASF’s A Christmas Story was like being a fly on the wall in the classic movie, every moment executed just as you remember it, it really brings you into the story… and really made me want a leg lamp!

A Christmas Story at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival is Great News Montgomery.

Hopefully we can hang out more  in the future

Before the show started it was announced that ASF  is adding one more performance to the sold out Scot Bruce Elvis tribute. Check ASF.net for details.  This is great news for Elvis and Bruce fans as the original show has been sold out for a while now. This extra show is likely to  sell out as well so make that box office move ASAP.

As for the Beehive performance that took place on Saturday July 1 2009  it was all that and more.

Here is the official GreatNewsMontgomery.com one sentence review.

 “Beehive drips entertainment honey from every comb”

As an overall performance it was outstanding as expected.
Everything from the stage design to the outfits and costumes of the band/performers was excellent.

I was really surprised at how much energy the ladies were able to transfer to the crowd. Even though every ASF audience that I have had the opportunity to be a part of over the years has been respectful and appreciative of the performers, they are often reserved in certain ways.
That was not the case on Saturday as the Beehive ladies were able to create a level of crowd participation and enthusiasm unseen by me at this venue before.

As much as we enjoyed the show as a whole. It was the individual performances that we talked about the most on the ride home. My mother Helen  is very conservative and mostly unexcitable when dishing out praise. When I think something is good she often will describe it as “okay”.
So when she said the show was “good” then that is like me saying “incredible”

Here are some thoughts about the individual performers and things that caught my eye:
First off Terita Redd can hit some serious notes. She could  do a one woman show featuring the music of famous soul singers past and present.
Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston are a few names that she could easily do.
I would love to hear her version of And I am Telling You by Jennifer Holiday, that would be sick and possibly dangerous to your eardrum  in a small venue like ASF.

To Terita, in case you have been too busy to check it out yourself here are some sights that you may be interested in.

Dexter Ave Baptist Church and Parsonage museum

The Civil Rights Memorial on Washington Avenue is great as well

If you already found the time Im sure that you learned alot. If you haven’t and want to see them for real one afternoon send  an email to Editor@GreatNewsMontgomery.com and we will treat you to a tour.

LOL at Ginger Bess describing Virgina and North Carolina as the South in RSVP Montgomery. Let us know if you want to enjoy a real southern feast one day.
There is no laughing at this girl’s  talent though.  I loved her role in the Its My Party segment of the show and her A Natural Woman/Do Right Woman duet  with Terita in act 2 was super good and drew an extra level of enthusiasm  from a number of  audience members.

Here are your fireflies

The only let-down of the evening was the Supremes section because  it didn’t last long enough. Sasha Sloan is  sweet and tempting  Cherry Cherry Pie in the Diana Ross role.

Since that part of the show doesnt last long enough here is some more Supremes.

Anna Eilinsfeld’s version of Society’s Child child got my attention because I wasnt  familiar with the song but was enthralled by the performance.

The song was originally sung by Janis Ian and this except is from Wikipedia…
At the age of thirteen, Ian wrote and sang her first hit single, “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking),” about an interracial romance forbidden by a girl’s mother and frowned upon by her peers and teachers; the girl ultimately decides to end the relationship, claiming the societal norms of the day have left her no other choice. The song’s lyrical content was too taboo for some radio stations, and they withdrew or banned it from their playlists accordingly; in her 2008 autobiography Society’s Child, Ian recalls receiving hate mail and death threats as a response to the song, and mentions that a radio station in Atlanta that played it was burned down...end Wikipedia

Crazy to see what was considered taboo only about 40 to 50 years ago.

This is a video of 16 year old Janis on the Smothers Brothers show

Robyn Payne served up a heaping portion of talent that the crowd ate up like fried chicken and mashed potatoes at a southern picnic. She is a great setup and guiding voice for the show, the mini skirt story was funny.

Did you cinch your mini skirts this high?

or was it higher?

Finally there is Brooke Jacob who  extended her hand, inviting me to dance with her in one of the interactive portions of the show.
I did a very weak mashed potato and was glad that it didnt last too long. Gotta work on my dancing game. If any dance studio in Mongtomery wants to demonstrate their teaching skills then contact the editor  and we will give you some publicity in a feature tentatively called “Fred Flintstone to Fred Astaire”.  This is a serious offer, if you can teach me to dance then people will line up around the block to sign up for your classes.

I was very familiar with the Janis Joplin tunes sung during  Brooke’s solo section of the show, especially Piece of My Heart and Me and Bobby Mcgee .
I was not however familiar with Joplin’s performances.

I looked up some stuff on YouTube and found this.

Watching some of her videos  gave me a greater appreciation of Brooke’s performance.

That is about it for now but how can I not give one last ” job well done” for the band. After the show, several audience members went up to the stage to let them know how good they were. It was great to see those giving extra kudos to a fantastic ensemble of musicians.
It was a nice touch to end an enjoyable and entertainment filled night for me and Mom.

IF you would like to add a short review then please do so in the comments.  Im sure the ladies of Beehive  and ASF would love to hear from you.

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Updated 22 Sept 2009

This great show and the number of times this little blog page has been accessed is amazing. It led to the first print commission by RSVP Momtgomery magazine for Sept/Oct 2009 issue that appears in virtual form below. Page 36 in the Section Titled Applause and Appraise

ASF, RSVP and Beehive are Great News Montgomery!

Great Hair, Greater Hits

I could tell you all about it but they already have at the ASF site,  that is the Alabama Shakespeare Festival for the culturaly bankrupt.

This show and the sold out Elvis tribute is a nice change of pace from the regular awesome Shakespeare stuff they already produce.The 3Musketeers was one for all and all for one as the entire cast kicked buttocks.

ASF is offering Broadway sized entertainment at WAY OFF Broadway sized $25 prices for certain  showings of Beehive.  In many cities a ticket for show of this caliber sells for $60 to $100 and up. Heck even the newer Imax 3d movies will set you back $15 per ticket. This is live and in living color, top notch quality entertainers.

Enough hype from us. We have a pair of front row seats for Sat July 12 and will write review after show.

Copied from ASF.net

Beehive

Fri., Jul 10 to Sun., Aug 02

What’s all the buzz about? The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is bringing back the good times! Beehive: The Musical features the hit Top 40 tunes from the great girl groups and artists of the 60s such as It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want To (Leslie Gore), My Boyfriend’s Back(The Angels), One Fine Day (The Chiffons), Come See About Me (The Supremes), Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (The Shirelles), Downtown (Petula Clark),Respect (Aretha Franklin), You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me (Dusty Springfield), Proud Mary (Tina Turner) and so much more! ASF is not going to take this recession lying down. Put up your hair and get ready for Beehive: The Musical! It’ll be a blast!

If anyone from ASF  can provide special access we would be happy to produce a short original  segment to promote the show on our website .  Something to complement your rehearsal video which is a nice touch for sure.

We could tie it in or keep it separate from our personal visit Saturday night.

Maybe a few minutes backstage AFTER the show could be a nice contrasting piece. Perhaps a picture or video taken from the perfomers POV as they are getting a deserved standing O would offer another perspective.

Chew on it and contact if interested.

If any of you other fans of the ASF would like to write a review, plan group viewings,  or contribute to keeping this area of Great News Montgomery populated please contact us by email or commentary

Email editor@greatnewsmontgomery.com