Theater
GO, DOG. GO!
Presented by Nashville Children’s Theatre
Through April 6 at NCT’s Hill Theatre
Under Julee Baber’s animated, free-thinking direction, the current Nashville Children’s Theatre production meets that goal with maximum effect, delivering 70 minutes of child-cheering mirth that celebrates dog culture (always a good bet in Nashville), but also the human spirit.
Seven dogs romp through their day, loosely supervised by MC Dog, played here by Peter Vann, who offers a tongue-in-cheek adult authority over the rambunctious litter, plus an engagingly energetic performance style of his own that evokes chuckles and showcases his considerable physical skills, including roller skating.
Green Dog (Brooke Bryant), Red Dog (Ross Brooks), Blue Dog (Misty Lewis) and Yellow Dog (R. Alex Murray) are the fun-loving and at times unruly anthropomorphized pooches who play out a series of scenarios. They build things, enjoy a candle-lit picnic, play an audience-interactive game of baseball, blow bubbles, race on trikes and skateboards, dance some ballet and turn cartwheels. And like all dogs (well, kids, anyway), they refuse to go peacefully to sleep at night, simply because it’s much too tempting to stay awake—flashlights under the covers—and have more fun.
Dog Day Afternoon Ross Brooks and Marin Miller
Photo: Dan Brewer
As a pooch obsessed with hats, Marin Miller is also in on the party, teasing Vann with her running gags and delivering a lively bluesy number in which she works her gangly frame and throaty vocals with comically entertaining results.
Music Dog is played by Shawn Knight, who, when he’s not part of the general fray, spends a good deal of time downstage right, manipulating sound-effect gizmos and looking like he’s playing the keyboards. The quaint tack piano is piped in, though, as is the supplemental accordion score, the latter provided by talented local musician Jeff Lisenby. It seems like it’s been a good while since NCT put live musicians onstage—a regrettable situation in Music City, of all places. The use of prerecorded music in live theater has become more and more common. It would be nice to see that trend reversed at one of the best children’s theaters in the country, particularly in a music capital.
Director Baber gets maximum mileage out of her cast, including deft use of pantomime, a capella harmonies and high-speed clowning that ensures terrific pacing and surprise moments. At times it’s hard to know where her imaginative staging leaves off and Lewis’ lively choreography takes over—but that just means the presentation is wonderfully seamless. Lewis puts the actor-dancers through relatively simple steps, but the moves are precise and the ensemble is in sync.
Designer Mitch Massaro’s effectively upbeat set includes some aerial devices, including a mirror ball and a stoplight for (canine) traffic control, as well as some scenery and oversized props borrowed from Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. Patricia Taber’s costumes are simple but colorful, with appropriately funny dog ears and tails.
It all sounds pretty basic—people as dogs, just doing whatever. But the achievement here is considerable, as words take a backseat to sheer theatricality. Two paws up.
War is Heller
Vanderbilt’s Great Performances series returns March 29 when Aquila Theatre Company presents their stage version of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 at 8
p.m. at Ingram Hall. Originally founded in London in 1991 by artistic director Peter Meineck, Aquila is now based in New York. In addition to touring classical and progressive performances, the company offers a serious training program at its Lower Manhattan headquarters. While initially rankling some critics, Catch-22 eventually took its place as a great American novel, laced with indelible characters and a strong message about the absurdities of war. Mike Nichols’ all-star-cast 1970 film version helped to solidify the book’s reputation.
Heller himself crafted the play script, which received but a single production in 1971 before Aquila recently resurrected it. With a relatively small ensemble of players taking on multiple roles, Aquila brings in multimedia to help provide context for Heller’s structurally challenging black comedy, with traditional scenery enhanced by military footage, still photos and music from the World War II era. For tickets, call 255-9600.
|
---------------------------Advertisement---------------------------
|
|
---------------------------Advertisement---------------------------
|