Spreading it Around

People work hard their whole lives, they provide for themselves and whoever depends on them, and the lucky ones live long enough to reap the ultimate reward: griping about their ungrateful children. Playwright Londos D’Arrigo takes the thankless-generation cynicism to the extreme in Spreading it Around, a farce that makes no bones about glorifying its acerbic outlook. Meadow Brook Theatre now gives the comedy its Michigan premiere, which director Travis W. Walter ensconces in broad, unmistakable exaggerations that aptly complement an outlandish premise.

The phrase “gated community” need only be repeated so many times before a certain level of financial comfort is successfully evoked, and the distinctively lush surroundings of this cavernous residence leave no room for doubt. New-construction anonymity and untouched, impractical, match-y furniture and décor are the signature of set designer Brian Kessler’s concise sold-everything-and-retired-to-Florida story. Lighting by Reid G. Johnson grounds a soaring ceiling with overhead fixtures and gives loving glimpses of the sunny outdoors. Sound design by Mike Duncan turns tunes of a certain age into a peppy grab bag blending tropical and materialistic. The concept is unified by a playfully pervasive visual theme, which rewards attentive viewers with its thorough application and charming Easter-egg surprises.

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Mary Stuart

If to the victor goes the spoils, then at least the vanquished gets a play. Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart romanticizes the last days in the life of a martyred queen and her captors, chronicling the no-win aspect of the monarchy system’s intertwined personal and political interests. Although the Meadow Brook Theatre production is of a new version of the play by Peter Oswald, director Travis W. Walter and team preserve the methodical feel of a costume drama, albeit one whose single-minded pomp overshoots the inevitable circumstance.

Although the titular Mary, Queen of Scotland (Julia Glander), and Elizabeth, Queen of England (Ruth Crawford), are first cousins, and although Elizabeth answered Mary’s desperate plea for protection by imprisoning her for nearly nineteen years, the two have never met. By way of history, Mary’s onetime claim to the throne of England — a rationale contingent on Elizabeth’s bastard status — tasted extra bitter in light of her abhorred Catholicism; her marriage to the man believed to have killed her previous husband was a scandal; her supposed participation in a whopping three assassination attempts — from the closely watched confines of English prisons, no less — appears unlikely at best. Yet the Mary of 1587, when the play opens, receives the expected guilty verdict from her treason trial with the gentle patience of a saint; her only request is to have an audience at long last with her cousin/captor and personally plead her case. Repentant for past sins, steadfast in her faith, and noble to a fault, Glander’s Mary bangs the gong of resolute martyrdom without yield (as do Reid G. Johnson’s positively angelic lighting cues).

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Nunset Boulevard

They’re nuns, they’re entertainers, they’re back for more. Meadow Brook Theatre’s Nunset Boulevard, directed by creator/writer Dan Goggin, is a recent entry in the decades-long Nunsense canon, and for better and worse, it shows. The musical readily takes shortcuts to tap into its already invested fan base, leaving the sense that potential content and character arcs have been pretty well picked over at this point. Yet whatever staleness leaks into the composition doesn’t weigh down this assembly of series veterans, who bring enthusiasm and delightful, sharp silliness to the highly concentrated entertainment of the revue.

On the heels of their growing acclaim from prior shows, here the sisters arrive in Hollywood, expecting to hit their career stride at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. Because the characters were built on being hapless comic foils for whom things go inevitably sour, they are chagrined, but not deterred, by the unexpected suffix “-A-Rama” in the venue name. Barry Axtell’s set design perks up the underwhelming bowling-alley-annex surroundings with loftier architectural elements that both recall the place’s namesake and comfortably house the band, led by music director Michael Rice. Mike Duncan’s barreling sound design glibly reminds viewers that in the world of the play, the sisters aren’t even the main attraction at this lowly establishment; lights by Reid G. Johnson similarly hang on to the conceit, but judiciously get caught up in the pageantry. Costumer Rich Hamson transcends the expected fare by layering on increasingly bizarre and unexpected show pieces that add to the humor of splashy ditties.

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Returning productions — Holiday season 2011

Novemer and December in the theater world signals the return of favorite Christmas productions for all ages. As the Rogue has her hands overfull with new plays, holiday and otherwise, here’s a round-up of shows that played to audience and critical acclaim in previous years and return in 2011 to delight audiences anew.

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Something Wicked This Way Comes

In its Michigan premiere, Something Wicked This Way Comes is well suited for a Meadow Brook Theatre Halloween. Adapted for the stage by author Ray Bradbury from his novel of the same title, the story of two young men who encounter an otherworldly carnival has just enough surprise and intrigue to give the viewer an eerie jolt. However, as directed by Travis W. Walter, the spectacle is a mere catalyst for a recognizable coming-of-age story that is given capable depth by its pair of young leads.

The boys are Will Halloway (Ryan Lynch) and Jim Nightshade (Jacob Zeinski), next-door neighbors and polar-opposite best friends — whereas Will is on the straight and narrow, Jim has a daredevil streak and yearns to be older so his life will start in earnest. On the October approaching their fourteenth birthdays, a strange carnival is erected in town overnight and captures the fascination of the children, as well as the adults reminded of the carousing of their youth. A few nights of sneaking out, as boys are wont to do, unearth a dark underbelly of the carnival and its proprietor, Mr. Dark (Aaron H. Alpern), in particular a carousel that may have command over time itself. As creepy as the attraction is, what’s more troubling is Mr. Dark’s recruitment tactics; when he sets his sights on collaring the boys who have seen too much, they enlist Will’s sweetly doddering old father (Marty Smith) to aid them in their inevitable showdown.

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