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MCT delivers powerfully with its production of Disney’s Tarzan the Stage Musical

Over the years, the Missoula Community Theatre (“MCT”) has consistently delivered four musicals and one play during its annual season.  The first offering of the 2016-17 season was Disney’s Tarzan the Stage Musical.

We attended the opening night performance on October 21, and, needless to say, we were blown away by the performance.  Joseph Martinez has once again proven his talent at directing musicals.  Along with Music Director Roxann Jackson, Choreography Director Heather Adams, Tumbling Choreographer Kelley Durbin-Williams and Aerialist Choreographer Caitlin Warr, Martinez has created a dynamic production which was perfectly orchestrated by Stage Manager Megan Brown.  Thanks to the work of Scenic Designer Theresa K. Jenson, Lighting Designer Spencer Perry, Properties Designer Lesley Washburn, Costume Designer Kara Chandler and Sound Designer Gregory Boris, Martinez’s artistic vision has been brought to life.

The final element to this amazing production was the perfectly cast group of actors, actresses, gymnasts and acrobats that made up the ensemble of the show.  Every member brought his or her best efforts to the stage, and the resulting show earned a standing ovation from the virtually packed house.

Among the standouts of this fine ensemble were Dylan Wright as Kerchak, Kirsten Paisley as Kala, Anthony Ascione as Terk, Melissa Briner as Jane and Thain Bertin as Tarzan.  They consistently performed superbly and truly brought the characters to life.  They were aided in their performance by a likewise amazing cast of supporting actors, including Drew Nagy as Young Terk, Evangeline Wright as Young Tarzan, Don Fuhrmann as Professor Porter and Ian Tooley as the villain Clayton.  Staci Weidner as Victorian Mother, Clayton Dutton as Victorian Father, Regan Muscutt as the Leopard and Curtis Hammer as Snipes also performed well in minor roles.

MCT consistently presents exemplary theatre in Missoula, and Tarzan is one of their best efforts to date.  We strongly recommend this production.  The show continues with performances on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 26-28 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 29 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 30 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  Tickets are available at the box office or online at MCTInc.org.

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‘Hot ‘n’ Throbbing’ brings much needed message to Missoula

Domestic violence is an epidemic that has impacted our country in many ways.  According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.  Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.  In particular, 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner, and 92% of the time, the victim is female.

Playwright Paula Vogel has written a very powerful and moving play, Hot ‘n’ Throbbing, to bring these numbers to life.  Skillfully directed by Jillian Campana, and produced by the University of Montana School of Theatre & Dance in the Masquer Theatre, the show pulls out all the stops and presents these facts in an undeniable and unforgettable way that makes a lasting impression on the   Feataudience.

Working with Scenic Designer Mike Monsos, Costume Designer Bayne Tilton, Lighting Designer Megan Nishida and Audio Designer Cole Milligan, Campana has directed a masterpiece of theater that does what theater and art in general should do – shed light on a social issue.

The amazing cast features Jourdan Nokleby in the lead role of Charlene, living with her kids Calvin (Treyson Sherk) and Leslie Ann (Jenna Lockman), after leaving her husband Clyde (Kurtis Hassinger).  Charlene is a screenwriter of adult entertainment catered to women, and her screenplays are visualized and acted out in the form of two actors – Voice-Over (Alyssa Berdahl) and The Voice (Jake Bender).  This is a true ensemble cast, and every performer is worthy of recognition.

Without giving away the story, Charlene works hard to make a living for her family, while discovering the painful truth of trying to be an effective single parent to teenagers.  Her fateful mistake is allowing her drunken husband inside the house “to talk.”

Regardless of your stance on the issue of domestic violence, this play will give you something to think about, and this reviewer highly recommends it for its sheer power in storytelling.

The show continues at the University March 1-4 at 7:30 p.m. and on March 5 at 2 p.m.  Tickets are available at the UMArts Box Office or online at umt.edu/theatredance.

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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.