LOCAL AUTHOR WRITES, DIRECTS, AND STARS IN HIS OWN ONE MAN SHOW.

Kelton White, the young author of The Mysterious Files of Mr. Chimes series, is a talented East Valley local who will be performing his one man show this March. To be Fond of Dancing is a one

act drama about a man finding his place in the aftermath of his shattered marriage. Written and performed by the 23 year old actor/writer Kelton White, who was most recently seen as Young Scrooge in Hale Theatre’s A Christmas Carol in Gilbert. Kelton will take you on an emotional journey through his exceptional performance and the incredible story telling ability he is widely known for. His new show will premiere at 7pm, March 5th at The Actor's Cafe, Desert Stages Theatre. Scottsdale Fashion Square, 4720 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, with a second and final performance on March 19th.White will be accepting donations to cover production cost however, admission to either performance is free. Visit https://www.facebook.com/mr.chimes/ to find more details and stay updated. 

                 
 Head Shot Photo Credit  JLP James Lewis Photography.               

Review : ASU Lyric Opera House's Guys and Dolls

Last night I went to the ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU's Lyric Opera Theatre and saw their production of Guys and Dolls, whew, that's a mouthful.

The story of Guys and Dolls is based on Damon Runyons short story, The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown, in which a gambler falls in love with a Salvation Army worker. Like a lot of other stories, the main characters may fall in love with one another, but it is the supporting characters that grab the audience.
The story has been made into a well beloved movie classic that is really all I have to compare it to.

This production was Directed by Toby Yatso with Music Director Miles Plant.
The Venue was nice, if not over crowded due to multiple events, but luckily the staff was polite and helpful. The bathroom was pretty much taken straight out of my nightmares. Ugh *shiver* Anyway. Inside the Theatre nice with steep stadium seating for optimal viewing. The seats were comfortable and the numbering was only slightly confusing at first.

What I Loved:

Sets were a clever use of a small stage and the transitions were pretty quick and smooth. A great use of a some what smaller stage by Alfredo Escarcega.

The leads in this show were Good.

Sky Masterson was portrayed  by Lane Northcutt who was oddly close to Marlon Brando's take on the character. He had a nice clean voice and cocky charm, perfect for Sky.

Sarah Brown played by, Kristen Bell look a like, Sarah Sanderson. She was cute little soloist with a voice in the rafters. Her high notes were a little shrill for my taste and didn't seem mix well with other singers, namely her duet with Sky (Northcutt) who had a smooth mellow sound. However her duet with Miss Adelaide by Bryn Lewallen  for their ending song Marry the Man Today, was a much better match. Her solo If I were a Bell was awesome.

 Nathan  Detroit played by Adam Sowards was portrayed way more comical and goofy than his Frank Senatra's counterpart. But, his spastic take on the character was still likable and engaging.

 All I can say about the song More I Cannot Wish You by Arvide (Micheal Devery) is; Wow. With a very simple concept of Sarah sitting on a step and Uncle Arvide singing directly to her without much movement, it was beautiful and touching. Not gonna lie, I kinda loved his voice.

The trio of the song Guys and Dolls was just a duet for Nicely Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet with Nicely (Drake Sherman) singing Nathan's parts and doing a freakin' good job of it.

Speaking of Drake Sherman as Nicely Nicely, his song Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat in the second act was a stand out number. While it strayed from the movie version I'm used to, with a solo part by General Cartwright (Nellie Shuford,) it was powerfully entertaining and so much fun! Drake comedic understanding is a joy to watch.

What I Didn't Love:

The big dance numbers weren't great. Some soloist stood out but, really the girls were just never in sync and their facial expressions were unsure and uncomfortable most of the time. There were a few male stand out dancers like Ben Massouras and John Batches (who danced well despite a loose suspender.)

The use of a female actor as Big Jule (Erin Kong) was bold and progressive, and I liked the irony of have a girl shorter than the rest of the cast play a big man, but I don't think it added anything.

Over All

The show was fun, no one can argue that. and through there were a few kinks it was still such a great production.

I was laughing and smiling and rooting for the characters! Over all it was a great night out.

Review Southwest Shakespeare :The Merchant of Venice

Last Saturday at the The Mesa Arts Center in the Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse, I saw a timeless Shakespeare play: The Merchant of Venice. From the Green Show beforehand, "The Merchant Named Dennis" and the Directors Orientation, I had very high expectations.

The theatre itself was very professional, but I would expect nothing else from The Mesa Arts Center.

The music in the theatre while we were seated was modern pop songs done in 1920's flapper style, it was perfect for setting the stage for the out-of-time story we were about to experience.

I was unfamiliar with this play and no one could give me a straight answer as to whether it was a comedy, drama, or anti-semitic or really place it in any clean genre. Now I know why.

It's a dramatic story baked inside of a rather hilarious comedy.

The director, Kent Burnham, set story in the 1929, in New York and the Hamptons. The stage curtains were left open and characters were left on stage. Any time they changed their outer clothes they took them from the set, eventually leaving the mannequins, that adorned the stage naked and bare. The practice was effective in making it feel less and more intimate at the same time. .
The language of money, as the director pointed out in his orientation, was very apparent throughout the show. Worth, sum, business, gross, full debt, merchant - all words over used in this piece. Everything seems to come back to money in this play.

The story is pretty straight forward and you think it will resolve itself in a Much Ado about Nothing type of way. However, the seemingly unimportant B plot takes the center stage in the pivotal courtroom scene, and the tragic aspect of the play comes out full force.

The whole cast was amazing, very entertaining and engaging. I have nothing bad to say about them.

David Dickerson played multiple roles. He was funny and entertaining as each individual character.
Alison Campell, who played Portia, was great. She was likable with a movie star quality in her flapper wig and costume.
Keath David Hall who played Gratiano and Megan Lindsay who played Nerissa were the quirky sidekicks that really stood out.
But, honestly, the entire cast had such a grasp of the bard's language that I was left nearly forgetting that poetic Shakespearean vernacular wasn't how people talked all time.

I repeat, the acting was incredibly good.

The costumes were spot on, with everyone looking very 1920's fabulous.

I don't think the use of aisles and balconies was necessary, but it did give some dimension to the play. (Working at a theatre in the round, I understand the use of the entire theatre is enticing.)

Over all, Southwest Shakespeare did an incredible job with this show. Part of me loves it because it's so funny and ridiculous and the other part of me hates it for the tragic lack of mercy or understanding the characters show. All characters are flawed. You feel a cruel empathy rather than sympathy for a mans death.

Shylocks is awful but so is everyone else he deals with. They mock him and he hates them. It makes me sad because as much as we brag about how far we've come from Shakespeare's time of prejudice - and we brag about it...a lot, we still miss the point!
If we could just take a lesson from this unorthodox story: Shylock refused to show mercy and was therefore shown no mercy when the table was turned on him.

If he had simply taken the money and been satisfied, there would be no tragic ending to this story. But the blame doesn't end there. Antonio didn't take his opportunity to show mercy either, neither did his friends, the judge, the lawyers, (really Portia and Nerissa in disguise) none of them. If even one person had shown mercy to another, then this would be a happy romantic comedy and not the ambiguous genre-less story it is. But, bottom line, when people refuse to show love and/or mercy, the result is always tragic.

The character Jessica closes the show with a morose song while behind her, her now estranged and penniless father makes a tragedy out of the play you've just been laughing at for 2 hours. Not gonna lie it leaves you with an odd feeling.

Anyway, my philosophical rant aside, Southwest Shakespeare has some unbelievable talent! I can see now why everyone raves about them.
If you're looking for incredibly well done Shakespeare, I highly recommend you catch one of their shows this season.
And be sure to come early and see the Green Show. Trust me, you'll love it! Although I may never get the song It's Hard to be the Bard out of my head... Oh well.

Tell me what you think of my review.
What's your favorite Shakespeare play?

Review of Actor's Youth Theatre: Dracula

 I saw a play at AYT, partially to support a friend and partially to see a play not where I work, but also to check out this Actor's Youth Theatre I've heard so much about.

I don't know about you but when I hear the words "Youth Theatre" I picture kids dressed as trees and dancing vegetables, or teenagers awkwardly reciting Romeo  and Juliet with sweaty palms. But this afternoon I saw Actor's Youth Theatre Company perform Dracula, and it was far from a typical school production. The company of actors is an odd mixture of youthful inexperience and "Wow, why is that kid not famous already?"

The production was staged at the Tuscany Theatre in Gilbert; a quaint little spot that AYT calls home. Together they've made it their mission to encourage youth to fall in love with the arts. They make that very clear. From the second you walk in the theatre, the casual feel and ridiculously friendly staff make you feel a little like being an 8 year old on a field trip. Everyone's super nice to you, beaming about how they hope you'll have a good time and possibly learn something (or more accurately, fall in love with learning.) The theatre has a nice, sweet homey feel.

The nicety ended there as the dark and creepy tale of Dracula began. Orderlies in an insane asylum start the show off by describing how a patient went crazy and started killing people. It sets the dark creepy tone of the rest of the play. 

The story itself is pretty intense but has been adapted to pretty much every medium (you've seen this episode in pretty much every fantasy series.) Good versus evil and an internal battle of: Do I love the good guy? or have I fallen for the evil guy? 

The character of Mina Murray, a shy book lover played by Sarah Scroggins has the unfortunate honor of being the object of the vampire master Dracula's latest obsession. After her betrothed, Jonathan, (Troy Jensen) is brought to Transylvania on business and enslaved. Jonathan inadvertently gets his host, Count Dracula, (Noah Delgado) entranced with his fiancee, after seeing Mina's picture and hearing the loving way Jonathan talks about her, Dracula 'feeds' Jonathan to his legion of brides and goes after the heart of sweet Mina. Transforming himself into the dashing Vlad Dracul, played by Kale Burr, he uses his charm and the information Jonathan supplied him, as well as his vampire powers, to win her over.

 *Side note not gonna lie the line "Your face brightens, my once dark dreams." Crazy poetic! and delivered flawlessly by Kale Burr, almost made you forget he was a murdering demon bent on enslaving her soul. Almost.

Anyway, Mina's best friend Lucy (AJ Marshall) is murdered by the Beast version of Dracula (Carter Palumbo) and turned into a vampire who must be killed by a group of people, including Dr. Van Helsing (Ben Wright), and the two men who loved her when she was alive, Quincy (Cole McAffee) and Arthur (Josh Robinaugh). It was a great scene - all dramatic and hauntingly depressing. Good stuff.

 Johnathan, kept alive by will power and his love for Mina, escapes the brides and returns home to confirm that Dracula was, in fact, behind everything, just as Dr. Van Helsing had warned. His group of hunters,Quincy, Arthur, and a female Dr. Stewart and her orderly, decide to kill Dracula once and for all.

In a climatic scene Vlad declares his possessive obsessions of the girl he and Jonathan both love. He bites Mina in order to enslave her as his bride. 

The war is on and Dracula is eventually killed. The war is won, with one tragic casualty. But as he dies, Dracula insists "You can't kill evil." Leaving Mina forever scarred.

 The play ended after Mina and Jonathan's wedding with Vlad Dracul bathed in red light, and Mina's voice repeating the Counts final phrase.

Creepy right? But I was actually very entertained. the Director and writer Zack Diepstratenr did an inspired job. The scene changes were a bit long but smooth. Everyone knew their marks. The ensemble cast were all clever for such young actors. A lot of them relied on the mics a little too much, but hey, some adult actors do that. The narrations at the end were a little odd because the story didn't start that way. It did start with a letter being written and read but they weren't voiced over. BTW having them onstage as the letter was read aloud with a nice lighting effect using warm and cold lighting to show who was the focus, was kinda brilliant, but not a voice over like at the end.

The lighting design by Josh Lindblom was very good, using strobes at inspired time to dull movement, hide vampire entrances, and make their disappearances, seem magical, plus the red glow every time Dracula used his mind control powers. Very effective for such a small theatre. Fog was used to signify the characters had left their home in London and were in creepy Transylvania. I do wish it was a little clearer where they were, at times, it wasn't clear at the top of the scene who's house they were in. Though to be fair it's in the play bill. But, all in all set designer Mike Smyth did a nice job with a very drab color-scheme (necessary for the classic horror feel.)

What I Didn't Love.

My critiques are pretty minimal.

Some of the smaller roles were a bit stale and robotic but well Youth Theatre. What do you expect?

Miners cussing...okay this is a pet peeve of mine. But, really, I don't like cussing at all and if it were up to me it'd be taken out of adult and youth theatre alike. So it might not bother others and there is that whole - stay true to the writers intentions thing but, I personally can ALWAYS do without it, especially in a youth production.

The volume shifts. Going from kids saying their lines so low it's hard to hear to kids screaming, rather committedly, was a little off putting.

The music before curtain. It wasn't very...Dracula. Didn't set the mood for a scary vampire show set in the 1890's. Unlike the cool lighting and castle set...the mixture was kinda counterproductive.

Count Dracula's fingers. I know what they were going for with the fake Halloween witch fingers, I get it, they made the Count's costume in a way that signify that he was half, between Vald and the Beast but, the fingers just ended up being distracting. The rest of the costume, including the make up, was super good and very effective. 

What I Did Love.

The principle actors were great! 

Count Dracula was perfect at his role as the older more creature-like vampire. Totally creeped me out.

Mina was great at her part. Not over the top on anything, just subtle acting to portray the change the character goes through.

Vald Dracul was spot on showing a stiff, guarded, portrait of a clever demon without ever being...well stiff, it was totally believable. 

Dr. Van Helsing while at times was hard to understand, his facial expressions and comedic timing lightened the intense story with humor whilst moving the play forward.  

Lucy - outgoing, flirtatious, not afraid to commit, very likable. The chemistry with the two girls was believable, and fun. I would have liked to have seen more of her character. 

Jonathan - great voice and even though he had some staging issues, he portrayed the character well. 

The hunters. Dr Stewart, Quincy, and Arthur and the Orderly played off each other well, they were a cute little band of heroes.

The story moved. The dialogue moved everything forward and the lighting effects and acting made things continuous. The pace was impressive for such a seemingly slow feel, like an old horror movie. 

Costumes.  I liked a lot. A mixture of make shift out fits and classic looking attire. Only a few malfunctions but nothing grave. 

Overall I'd give it a super high score for a youth production and even as a full adult production it would still be relatively up there.

 Based on my experience I would recommend going to an AYT production. They seem to know what they're doing, and they clearly know how to treat and work with youth actors. 

If you are a parent looking to place your child in an acting or theatre group I'd say based off  of this production you're safe with Actor's Youth Theatre.  

Once I was A Beehive Review

Once I was a Beehive created by Maclain Nelson, of the Saratov Approach, and Hailey Smith.

Those of you who know me know I'm not into movies that make you cry by sucker punching you in the feels. This movie did exactly that; but I loved it.

 Once I was a Beehive is the perfect balance of a cheesy Mormon movie, heartwarming coming of age story, and an accurate true-to-life representation of LDS culture.

   By taking the perspective of a non-LDS girl, this movie really relates to all family-friendly audiences. Lane is distraught after the death of her father, and when her mother gets remarried to an LDS man, she feels completely powerless. But like most girls, she deals with her pain by finding a way to help others, starting with her mom by agreeing to go away for 3 weeks with her new step-aunt. She then agrees to accompany her new step-cousin, with a major anxiety disorder, to an LDS girls camp. She continues this pattern throughout the film, and eventually comes to realize that this corny girls camp is exactly what she needed to heal herself.

What I liked:

• The cheesy Mormon cliches were kept in check but were still very present as it wouldn't be the same without them. 
• You could tell this story was written by a guy and empowering young women while still making fun of their respective stereotypes takes talent. I liked that Maclain Nelson,the writer, understood that the characters themselves are funny and not everything has to be a pun on the Mormon culture.
•  It actually felt like a regular fish out of water story where the fish just happened to be at Mormon girls camp.
•  It's a very approachable story and shows Mormon culture in a completely original way. And it's just plain hilarious.
• It showed the objective of our church is not just to baptize, but to show Christ-like love.

What I didn't like:

• While they did a good job of portraying the characters and people in the church, in order to make it more accessible they sacrificed a lot of specifics that set the church apart. (like only using the Bible instead of including the Book of Mormon, things like that.)
• The lead actress, Paris Warner, could be a little monotone at times. 
• Some of the girls were clearly not Young Women age. 
• The ending  was a little in-cohesive as they wrapped up stories with a heartfelt voice-over, then played a little more with the girls and the family, and then wrapped up stories with a heartfelt voice-over again . 
• The worst offence this movie made was they did, in fact, sucker punch you in the feels. Women of the church will happy cry sad cry and then happy cry again. Over 80% of the guys who go see this will cry. 

Over all, in its genre, I give it an A.

Go see it and let me know if you agree.

#onceiwasabeehive

How To Train Your Man

Girls: Session One

Be a lady and so they can be a gentleman.

Girls complain that there are no gentlemen left and that chivalry is dead. To this I say,
Really? When was the last time you waited until a guy opened your door? When was the last time you used proper manners at the table? (I'll give you a dollar if you can point out a salad fork) When was the last time you acted like a lady?

Why is it that girls can say "Act like a gentleman," and men must hop-to-it, but if a guy were to say "Act like a lady," it would be taken as some horrific insult?

*Because he is a gentleman and you are not a lady, that's why.* ...Cough... Moving on.


Let men be gentlemen.  It's not that you can't do it for yourself. It's that men need opportunities to practice if they are ever to become true gentleman.

If a guy asks to carry your things LET HIM.
If a guy asks to pay for your food LET HIM.
If a guy tries to open your door LET HIM.
If a guy compliments you LET HIM!
If a guy tries to help you LET HIM.

Again, it doesn't mean you're helpless it means that you trust him. And men need women to put more faith in the them.Expect great things and you'll see great things. 

 In order for men to be men, women must be women. The more we pervert the soft and hard roles of women and men, the more low-class jerks we create.

Lastly on this subject, DRESS like a lady. 
You can't attract a 'good man' when you're dressed like a 'bad girl'.
In short:
You dress like a slut, and you'll attract guys who are looking for sluts. The math really is that simple.

LET THEM BE GENTLEMEN. EXPECT THEM TO BE GENTLEMEN. HELP THEM BE GENTLEMEN.

Have Fun Dating girls

End of Session One

We Had One Job Ladies, One Job!

                                                     One job girls; we have one job!
As the girl it's our job to let the guy know: We're interested.  No guy likes to ask a girl out if he doesn't know she'll say yes. Now, some guys are brave and take the leap in spite of our epic failure to communicate. But, let's face it, those heroic studs are hard to come by. So girls, do your job, let him know you're interested.

HOW? You ask me (and a lot of you have)

A lot of you may have heard of something called "Playing hard to get." It's a fun game we girls play because boys like the thrill of the chase...
A lot of you may take the direct approach leaving nothing to their imagination about how you feel because guys love confidence...
 Well if you are reading this because you're still single then here's a hint: Whatever your strategy is, it ain't working!
Take a page from the other book.
Your job, and you only have one, is to communicate how you feel, without scaring the wits out of the poor guy.

Step 1) Know how you feel.
If you're confused about what you want, just imagine the headache he's having trying to figure you out!
So before you go all eyelashes and lipstick on some guy decide. Are you 'open to seeing where this leads' or  'Ready to have some babies' or simply 'not that interested.' After you've figured that out, and only after, you can proceed to step two.

Step 2) Figure out how YOU communicate best.
All girls have a go-to move. If it stops working (or never really started working) then CHANGE IT UP.

If you seem to scare guys away by your forwardness than Calm Yourself. Let things happen more naturally this time.
And don't get so attached that you have a break down every time a guy doesn't fall madly in love with your crazy-self. Give him time. Let it sink in. And if it don't happen; relax, you'll love again. The world isn't ending.

If you can't seem to get the time of day from a guy then Come on Stronger. Stop waiting for him to crack the code and SPELL IT OUT.
 If you get Friend Zoned more often than not, then put a stop to it. Tell yourself (and him) that you have enough friends and what you need is more romance. The more used to being Friend Zoned you get the more often it will happen to you. Nip it in the bud.

Step 3) Be Honest, Not Crazy.
Being dishonest is the thing we girls are best at. We say No when we mean Yes. We say Yes when we mean No. We say "I'm hungry" when we really mean "Pull over and buy me food."
But when it comes to telling the opposites sex that how we feel- We gotta learn to be honest, not crazy, Honest!
If you don't like someone be honest "The Chemistry just isn't there for me." Short. Quick. To the point. Don't drag it out.
If you do like someone be honest NOT Crazy.Chemistry is good, but it's not love.

If you feel chemistry and want to let him know, there is a right way and a crazy way.
Safe:
I like you.
I like this about you,_____
I want to get to know you better.
You make me feel good about myself.
I'm glad you asked me out.
I like your shirt, hair, tie ect
That color looks good on you.

Crazy:
I think I love you.
Our kids would be so cute.
I feel like you're the one.
You're such a great guy and the fact that you're into someone like me means so much to me.
Other guys have never treated me as good as you.
You're so much better than my Ex-Boyfriend.

Letting him know you like him doesn't have to be a production it just has to be clear.

Step 4) Get Noticed
Don't be offended if he doesn't see the miracle that is your awesomeness right away. Remember it's your job to show him!
Just remember your FACTS of getting noticed

F-Flirt
A-Ask
C-Compliment
T-Touch
S-Show

Flirt- Let him know you're flirting, eye contact, smile, make cute jokes, laugh, wink, whatever.

Ask- Ask him questions then listen to the answers, what's he looking for, what has he had in the past that he did/didn't like. Interest, hobbies ect

Compliment- Find something you like and say it out loud. Smaller things like looks and hair style you can say in public with a flirty smile. Deeper things say in a one on one conversation looking him  in the eyes and smiling.  

Touch- Cross the touch barrier as soon as possible. Arm; linger on the elbow. Shoulder; get closer to his neck than a friend would, Hand; never pull away first. Knee;...well that's really all you need to do there.

Show- Don't be scared to show it in public, just be subtle. Sit next to him in groups, say his name when talking, bring him a treat, or make him something, show you think he stands out. If you were listening when he answered your questions then you should have a good idea of how to make him feel special.

~Let them know we're interested~

Ladies we have one job let's start doing it. Correctly this time.

Have Fun Dating Girls.