Tag: Montana Rep

Categories
Reviews Theatre

Montana Rep celebrates 50 years with a classic production

Besides MCT, Missoula is also home to another theater company with a long rich history.  The Montana Repertory Theatre is celebrating 50 years by delivering one of their finest productions and by doing it differently than they have in the past.

Neil Simon has generated some of the most comedic plays ever written, and Barefoot in the Park is definitely one of the best of his best.  It is perfect suited as the cornerstone for this Golden Anniversary celebration, and should contribute to making this year’s national tour a smashing success.

Normally the Montana Rep’s show features Actors’ Equity members in the lead roles, but director Greg Johnson turned that around when he cast UM students Whitney Miller and Hunter S. Hash in the roles of Corie and Paul Bratter, newlyweds moving into their first apartment in NYC in the 60’s.  Although they are not (yet) Actors’ Equity, they are no strangers to theater-goers in Missoula.  Miller just completed a run in the lead role of Elle in Legally Blonde the Musical, while Hash appeared in Dracula and A Christmas Carol.

As for the rest of the cast, all of them are veterans of previous Montana Rep productions.  Laurie Dawn portrayed Kate Keller in last year’s All My Sons, which also featured Colton Swibold as her son Chris.  Mark Kuntz starred as Jay Gatsby two years ago in The Great Gatsby, which also featured Swibold.

The set was a masterpiece of simplicity, perfectly created by Scenic Designer Joey Sarno and complemented by Props Artisan Jerry Goodwin.  The set was further brought to life by Lighting Designer Brian Hapcic and Audio Designer Timothy McHenry, while Costume Designer M L Hart provided the final touches that catapulted the stage into a true icon of the 60’s.

This production achieves its success through the overall direction of Montana Rep’s Artistic Director Johnson, while Stage Manager Hope Rose Kelly ensured that each performance was true to that direction.

Suffice it to say that this is one of the finest productions we have every witnessed, including off Broadway and national touring Broadway productions.  Every cast member left it all on the stage as they transported the audience back to the 1960’s in such a natural way that it felt like we had boarded a time machine and travelled there.  This is a true ensemble piece, and every actor had the chance to shine at some point in the show.  The pacing was brisk and moved the show along without ever dragging.

Do not miss this show.  Remaining performances in Missoula are scheduled for January 26 at 7:30 p.m., 27 (sold-out) and 28 (2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.), as well as February 2 and 4 at 7:30 p.m.  Performances are held in the Montana Theater on the campus of the University of Montana.  Tickets are available at the UMArts Box Office or online at GrizTix.com.

 

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Monday Mashup Theatre Women in Entertainment

Monday Mashup 2017: Vol 3

Happy Monday.  So good of you to join us again, just a few hours before the winners of the LA Music Critic Awards are announced.

There’s been a lot happening to indie artists lately.  Among the latest is Jerad Finck continuing to move up on the Billboard Top 40 charts with the stripped down acoustic version of his mega-hit “Criminal.”  Congrats to Finck and to his promotional team at Ue3 Promotions.  Keep up the great work.

KELLY McGRATH DEBUTS NEW VIDEO ON CMT

Back in October we told you about the new video by indie country star Kelly McGrath of her song “You and Me Today.”  Well, it finally premiered on CMT on January 10, and the fan response was intense.  In fact, it became the #1 video on their 12-pack Countdown of the week’s hottest videos.  The video airs every day at 10:38 am, 5:37 pm and 10:37 pm (all times ET).  If you like it, you can vote for it multiple times by clicking on this link.   Simply put a mark in the box by Kelly’s name, click on vote, refresh your page and do it again to your heart’s content.  Congrats Kelly!

NEW VIDEO RELEASES

Speaking of video releases, check out these new ones by indie artists:


We love this new video, especially the incredible violin work by Annette Homann.  Thanks to Rachel Sage for this great way to kick off 2017.

Although this was technically uploaded in December, we just discovered it and think you will be amazed at the amazing lyrics and the simple arrangement of this beautiful tribute to a fallen friend.  Thanks Elyse Haren for sharing from your heart and for the work you do with the West Coast Songwriters showcase in LA.

THEATRE IN MISSOULA

It’s a great week for theatre in Missoula, MT, with the opening of two new shows this week.  MCT will open their production of Urinetown:  The Musical on Thursday, January 19 (which we will review on January 20), while the Montana Rep will debut their 2017 touring show of the classic Neil Simon comedy Barefoot in the Park on January 20 (and we’ll review it on January 21).  Watch for these reviews next week on Indie Voice Blog.

LA MUSIC CRITIC AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

The list of winners will be published at 6 a.m. MST TOMORROW.  Don’t miss it!

See you all next week.

Categories
Reviews

Montana Rep’s All my Sons hits the mark

Once again the Montana Repertory Theatre has proven that they know how to present good theater.  Their current production of Arthur Miller’s All my Sons delivers on every front, both visually and emotionally.  Despite the fact that it was written in 1947, at a time when America was coming out of a devastating world war, the play is just as relevant today as it was then.

Flawlessly directed by Jere Lee Hodgin, All my Sons should be considered one of the best productions in the history of the Montana Rep.  With the assistance of scenic designer Mike Fink, costume designer Christina L. Milodragovich, lighting designer Michael Monsos and audio designer Zach Hamersly, and under the spot-on stage management of Hope Rose Kelly, Hodgin transports his audience to a simpler time when hard work and patriotism were honorable traits worthy of pursuit.  Underlying that theme is the timeless truth that sooner or later, the truth will come out.

Even with the dynamic behind the scenes work of Hodgin, Fink, Milodragovich, Mnsos and Hamersly, it takes a great cast to bring out the truth of this work, and the cast of All my Sons definitely fits that bill.  Led by Equity members Mike Boland as Joe Keller, Laurie Dawn as Kate Keller and Meg Kiley Smith as Anne Deever, coupled with locals Colton Swibold as Chris Keller, Mason Wagner as George Deever, Scoob Decker as Dr. Jim Bayliss, Cahilan Shine as Sue Bayliss, Sam Williamson as Frank Lubey, Elizabeth Bennett as Lydia Lubey and Heidi Williamson as Bertie, every member of this ensemble contributes to the success of the production.

This show has a particularly special meaning to this reviewer, as it was one of the first shows he performed at Riverside (California) Community Theater, where he portrayed the role of Frank Lubey.  Watching the Montana Rep production, the words of the play kept coming back to him, as the story progressed.

While this is a true ensemble piece, the work of several members went above and beyond, delivering truly epic performances worthy of recognition.  Among those who truly delivered were Swibold, Dawn, Boland and Smith.  Swibold made us believe in the utter goodness of his character who has lived his whole life believing in someone and something, only to find out it was all a mirage.  Dawn showed us that sometimes the person who seems to be out of touch with reality is the only one who truly understands the situation.  Boland showed us that even if we have the best of intentions, when we cut corners it will eventually catch up to us, while Smith showed us that living with a secret makes us do things that are not always in our best interests.

Despite the fact that All my Sons is a tragedy, the true tragedy would be in not learning the underlying message of the show, and in not enjoying this amazing performance.  You still have four chances to check it out, with shows at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, and at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 4 and Saturday, February 6.  You can purchase tickets online or at the UMArts Box Office in the PAR/TV building at the University of Montana.