Posts Tagged ‘mustard seed theatre’

Mustard Seed’s “Kindertransport” is Compelling Drama

Posted in Snoop's Soapbox, tagged , , , , , on August 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Kindertransport
by Diane Samuels
Directed by Deanna Jent
Mustard Seed Theatre
August 19, 2016

Kelley Weber, Hannah Ryan Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Kelley Weber, Hannah Ryan
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Mustard Seed Theatre is embarking on its 10th Season staging quality thought-provoking theatre in St. Louis. Its latest production, Kindertransport, is a fictionalized tale inspired by real historical events. It’s an exploration of mother-daughter relationships and the development of individual identity as a result of life-changing circumstances. At Mustard Seed, it’s a fascinating drama featuring some truly outstanding performances.

The play gets its title from a real historical program, in which thousands of children, most of them Jewish, were transported out of Nazi Germany and given shelter with families in England. As mentioned in the playwright’s introduction printed in the program for this production, this particular story is fiction, although it was written as the result of extensive research and interviews. The story here is a representation of elements of various stories playwright Diane Samuels was told. The story she has written portrays two parallel stories–one that starts in Germany in the 1930s and one that takes place in late-1970s Manchester, England. The England story features three generations of a family–Lil (Kirsten De Broux), her daughter Evelyn (Michelle Hand), and Evelyn’s daughter Faith (Katy Keating), who is having trouble deciding whether she wants to move out of the house and live on her own. Concurrently, we also meet nine-year-old German Jewish girl Eva (Hannah Ryan) and her mother Helga (Kelley Weber), as Eva prepares for her trip to England via the Kindertransport. Helga loves her daughter dearly, but insists that she learn to take care of herself and hopes that she will be safe in England and that they will one day be reunited. Eva’s story then continues as she travels to England and meets her host family, and as she deals with her fears, her homesickness, and the distrust and suspicion of some of the locals. As these two stories unfold simultaneously, the link between the “present” and the “past” stories eventually becomes clear, and although it’s fairly easy to predict as the story progresses, I won’t spoil it here. It’s a fascinating, believable story that is best seen for itself, and it’s remarkably staged here.

The six-person cast is uniformly excellent, led by the truly extraordinary performance of high school senior Ryan as Eva. As the character who grows and changes the most throughout the production, and as the central figure in the story, casting in this role is key, and Ryan is remarkable, portraying the transition from the inquisitive but scared young girl to a conflicted teenager with much energy, heart, and incredible stage presence. She is the heart of this production, but everyone else is impressive, as well, from De Broux’s kind, supportive Lil to Weber’s devoted, determined Helga, to Hand’s secretive but resilient Evelyn, to Keating’s curious, strong-willed Faith, to Brian J. Rolf’s portrayal of various roles from a stern Nazi officer to a helpful postman to a suspicious train station guard. All the performers work well together, with excellent ensemble chemistry and believable relationships, especially between the various mothers and daughters. Profound emotion is clearly apparent here, from hope and fear to, especially, love, all portrayed convincingly by this extremely strong cast.

 Visually, the production is also stunning, with a detailed two-level set by Kyra Bishop that represents primarily the English house but also serves as an ideal backdrop for the various locations as the story plays out. The costumes by Jane Sullivan are impressively detailed, as well, reflecting the times and characters and their changes well. There’s also excellent use of lighting by Michael Sullivan and clear sound design by Zoe Sullivan. Kudos also to vocal coach Nancy Bell and German language coach Marlene Rene Coveyou for helping the cast members achieve convincing Northern English and German accents.

Kindertransport is a compelling personalization of history. Taking a profound and traumatic personal experience and highlighting the importance of mother-daughter bonds, this story is remarkably portrayed and presented on the Mustard Seed Stage. Showcasing the top-notch cast and particularly the talented Hannah Ryan in a memorable performance, this is a show that is sure to provoke much thought and conversation. It’s an important and fascinating piece of theatre.

Katy Keating, Michelle Hand, Kirsten De Broux Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Katy Keating, Michelle Hand, Kirsten De Broux
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Kindertransport is being presented by Mustard Seed Theatre at the Fontbonne University Fine Arts Theatre until September 4, 2016.

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Mustard Seed’s “Bosnian/American” Tells a Fascinating Story

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , on April 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Bosnian/American: The Dance for Life
by Deanna Jent
Directed by Adam Flores
Mustard Seed Theatre
April 24, 2016

Cast of Bosnian/American: The Dance of Life Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Cast of Bosnian/American: The Dance of Life
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Mustard Seed Theatre’s latest project tells an important story in the history of St. Louis, and the world. The Bosnian-American  community in St. Louis has become a vital part of the city over the past two decades, revitalizing a neighborhood contributing to the overall quality of life in St. Louis. Working with Fontbonne University’s Bosnia Memory Project, playwright Deanna Jent has taken the stories of first-generation Bosnian-Americans and shaped them into Bosnian/American: The Dance for Life, a play that uses memory and metaphor to illustrate their experience in St. Louis.

This isn’t a long play. Running at approximately 45 minutes, it’s a succinctly structured, vividly told story that reflects the experiences of various Bosnian immigrants to St. Louis, including a group of young adults who meet at a coffee shop and share their memories, of fleeing war and genocide in their homeland, of moving to St. Louis, and of growing up and adjusting to life in a new city and country. This story is intertwined with the framing device of a tale told to a young girl (Carly Uding) by her grandmother (Agnes Wilcox), of “Aska and the Wolf” in which a young lamb (Melissa Gerth) is separated from her flock and must figure out how to outwit a dangerous wolf (Andrew Kuhlmann) through means of dance. The 10 cast members (also including Elvedin Arnautovic, Arnelia Bogdanic, Katie Donnelly, Amir Salesevic, Mary Schnitzler, and Bob Thibaut) all play several roles in the story, including the sheep in the “Aska” story, as well as soldiers, parents, teachers, school children and more.

This show initially played two performances at Grbic Restaurant before settling into Mustard Seed’s usual space at Fontbonne University. The set, designed by Kyra Bishop, authentically recreates the restaurant setting. The costumes by Jane Sullivan are well-suited to the various characters, including the simple and inventive use of hats and a mask to represent the sheep and the wolf. There’s also good use of lighting by Michael Sullivan and excellent sound by Zoe Sullivan. The music is provided by Salesevic on the accordion, setting the tone of the production well.

The cast is uniformly excellent. From Gerth’s brave Aska, to Kuhlman’s menacing Wolf, to Wilcox’s kind, wise Nena, to Uding’s inquisitive Ariyana, to Arnautovic and Salesevic in various paternal roles, to the entire group, the ensemble is cohesive and energetic. The stories are told with a mixture of drama and humor, and the staging is well-paced.

Simply stated, Bosnian/American: The Dance for Life is a well-told story of the shaping of a community, and that community’s impact on the city of St. Louis. Produced with the participation of members of St. Louis’s Bosnian-American community, this play serves to inform and instruct as well as celebrating the real life experiences of individuals and families.

Melissa Gerth, Elvedin Arnautovic Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Melissa Gerth, Elvedin Arnautovic
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Bosnian/American: The Dance For Life is being presented by Mustard Seed Theatre at the Fontbonne University Fine Arts Theatre until May 1, 2016. 

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Mustard Seed’s “Eleemosynary” Is a Winning Character Study

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on February 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Eleemosynary
by Lee Blessing
Directed by Doug Finlayson
Mustard Seed Theatre
February 6, 2016

Austen Danielle Bohmer, Nancy Lewis Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Austen Danielle Bohmer, Nancy Lewis
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Eleemosynary is an exploration of the unconventional in the story of three generations, a non-linear story that’s a study in emotions and relationships. It’s a fascinating play, now on stage at Mustard Seed Theatre. Lee Blessing’s story of family, estrangement, eccentricity and love of language and life is presented with spirit by a first-rate cast.

It’s a fairly straightforward premise, but then the story veers on flights of fancy through various times in the lives of young spelling bee champion Echo (Austen Danielle Bohmer), her mother Artemis or “Artie” (Kelley Weber), and grandmother Dorothea (Nancy Lewis), with whom Echo has lived for most of her life. At the play’s outset, we learn that Dorothea has had a stroke and has been hospitalized, necessitating Artie’s return. The story jumps around, recounting tales of Dorothea’s chosen life of eccentricity and its effect on the sensitive, increasingly distant Artie, who has difficulties relating to her mother and her daughter.  Although the story is by no means linear, it’s not confusing, either. It’s structured in a way that highlights the eccentricity of its characters as well as majoring on the emotional connections between the characters.

With such an emotional story and complex characters, casting is essential in a play like this. Mustard Seed and director Doug Finlayson have assembled a talented, fully invested cast to tell this story. As the word-obsessed Echo, Bohmer adeptly portrays the character’s intelligence as well as her sensitivity and underlying sense of determination and hope. Lewis is also memorable as the willfully unconventional Dorothea, allowing the audience to see her stubbornness as well as her optimism. Weber, as Artie, gives a masterful performance, displaying the sensitivity and fear that lead to her estrangement from her family but also displaying a real sense of caring and desire for connection, despite the fear.  All three performers work together well, showing a believable family relationship that is the heart of this production.

The set, by Kyra Bishop, is a colorful, whimsical multi-level unit that provides an ideal space for the many shifts in time and place that occur in the story. Michael Sullivan’s lighting also contributes well to the overall atmosphere of the play. Jane Sullivan’s costumes perfectly suit the characters, from Echo’s bright-colored overalls to Dorothea’s more eclectic attire, to Artie’s more subdued, conventional fashion.

Eleemosynary is a richly told story that focuses on self-expression and multi-generational relationships. It’s a vivid portrayal of three fascinating characters, raising many thought-provoking questions. Mustard Seed has brought it to the stage with style, energy, and heart.

Kelley Weber, Nancy Lewis Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Kelley Weber, Nancy Lewis
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

 Mustard Seed Theatre is presenting Eleemosynary at the Fontbonne University Fine Arts Theatre until February 21, 2016.

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MST’s “The Amish Project” is a Profound Reflection

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on September 4, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The Amish Project
by Jessica Dickey
Directed by Deanna Jent
Mustard Seed Theatre
August 28, 2015

Amy Loui Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Amy Loui
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Mustard Seed Theatre has begun their new season with The Amish Project. It’s an intense, thought-provoking drama that takes a real life event and makes it the centerpiece for reflections on faith, suffering, and the power of forgiveness. At the core of this production is a remarkable multi-layered performance by its lone performer, Amy Loui.

The shooting at an Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania made headlines in October, 2006 for the horrific tragedy of the event itself as well as for the community’s response of forgiveness toward the shooter.  In The Amish Project, playwright Jessica Dickey has taken the basics of that event but has fictionalized many of the details. Names have been changed and some situations have been imagined for the play. Amy Loui, clad in a simple Amish woman’s dress, apron and bonnet, performs all the roles. The play is structured in a non-linear style, as various characters tell their stories and  react to the events. The idea appears to be to focus more on the concepts and emotions rather than the particulars of history, as this becomes a powerful emotional exploration of the mystery of faith and forgiveness among a group of people who are seen as outsiders in American culture.

The story is clearly presented, for the most part, although it jumps around quite quickly at times, becoming somewhat difficult to follow on a few occasions. Still, its message is profoundly clear because of Loui’s masterful performance. Though there are no costume changes to suggest the different characters, Loui’s adjustments in voice and physicality make it easy to distinguish between the characters, ranging from a very young Amish schoolgirl and her older sister, to an outraged area woman who watched the news on TV, to the shooter’s haunted wife and the feisty young, pregnant store clerk who encounters her,  as well as a sympathetic local college professor who acts as a spokesman for the Amish community, and the unsettling, preoccupied gunman himself.  Loui is able to effectively portray both female and male characters of varying ages and backgrounds with remarkable clarity, shifting between vivid characterizations without missing a beat. Much of the drama comes through the contrasting stories and portrayals, and how each character deals with the events.  Responses ranging from disbelief to rage, weariness to shock, sadness, anger, confusion, compassion and forgiveness are richly portrayed here, and Loui has the energy, presence and credibility to convey all these emotions and more. It’s a profoundly memorable, poetic and riveting performance.

The play is simply staged, with Kyra Bishop’s set suggesting the Amish schoolhouse. Loui’s costume, designed by Jane Sullivan, is appropriately authentic. The sound, designed by Zoe Sullivan, and the lighting designed by Michael Sullivan, are both used to excellent effect, as changes in light and sound effects are used expertly to suggest changes in scene or character. All the technical elements effectively augment Loui’s acting and maintain the overall mood of the piece.

The Amish Project is commendable for taking some very difficult issues and treating them with respect and depth, without descending into sentimentality or manipulation. The situations are presented with startling emotional detail, and with a vividness that is sure to stay in viewers’ minds.  Ultimately, the success of a one-person show relies on the effectiveness of that one performer, and Loui delivers an outstanding central performance with remarkable energy and sensitivity.

Amy Loui Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Amy Loui
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Mustard Seed Theatre’s productio of The Amish Project runs at the Fontbonne University Fine Arts Theatre until September 13, 2015 

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Mustard Seed’s “White to Gray” is Intriguing, Problematic

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on February 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

White to Gray
by Rob Maesaka
Directed by Deanna Jent
Mustard Seed Theatre
February 6, 2015

Ben Nordstrom, Charlie Barron Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Ben Nordstrom, Charlie Barron
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

For its current production, Mustard Seed Theatre is presenting a world premiere production of a new play by local playwright Rob Maesaka. White to Gray employs the backdrop of an ocean cruise during the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor to explore issues of suspicion, racial and ethnic tensions, love and loyalty. While it’s certainly a worthy subject matter and intriguing premise, the play does have its obvious faults, despite an extremely good-looking technical production.

The somewhat soapy tale focuses on Japanese Americans Sumiko (Fox Smith) and her mother, Keiko (Paige Russell), who are preparing to move from Hawaii–where their family has lived for many years–to San Francisco following the death of Keiko’s husband, Sumiko’s father. They’re traveling on the SS Lurline, a passenger liner, not realizing that Sumiko’s former boyfriend, the wealthy and aimless Peter (Ben Nordstrom) is also on the ship, having deliberately booked passage in an effort to win back Sumiko’s affections.  Also on the ship with Peter is his friend Jimmy (Charlie Barron), a Navy Reservist who has tagged along for the ride.  Unfortunately, they’ve chosen December 6, the day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to start their cruise.  After the bombing, the ship becomes commandeered for military use, and all Navy personnel, including Jimmy, are called into active duty. Suspicions are high, and every Japanese-American passenger is detained for questioning, including Keiko and Sumiko.  Both Peter and Jimmy are then torn between their loyalty to their country and their loyalty to their friends and, in Peter’s case, the woman he loves.

The treatment of Japanese Americans by the US government following the bombing of Pearl Harbor was both a tragedy and a travesty, and this play does its best to capture the atmosphere of that time, when so many innocent Americans came under suspicion simply because of their heritage.  This subject, as well as the concept of cruise liners being drafted into war service and going from “white to gray”, is a fascinating subject for a play. Unfortunately, this particular play has its problems, suffering from overly long, drawn out scenes with little energy, especially at the beginning of the play.  The cast is uneven as well, with good performances by Nordstrom and especially Barron, and Russell’s feisty, proud portrayal of Keiko despite an uneven accent.  Taylor Campbell is also suitably menacing as suspicious Navy officer. Smith, as Sumiko, has her best moments in her scenes with Nordstrom, but her energy is lacking for much of rest of the time.  There are fine performances from Chuck Brinkley, Jeff Kargus, and Greg Lhamon as crewmen on the ship, although there is not particularly much for them to do.

Technically, the show looks and sounds excellent. Dunsi Dai’s set effectively suggests a ship at sea, with movable set elements to suggest the deck and cabins. There are also striking period-specific costumes by Jane Sullivan, as well as effective lighting by Maureen Berry.  The look and atmosphere of a cruise ship and, eventually, a military vessel is rendered well, although the action of the play itself tends to the melodramatic.

Overall, I would say that White to Gray is an ambitious project with an interesting concept. The presentation of that concept, however, is entertaining but uneven in its pacing. It’s a promising script that could use a little bit of work. Despite its limitations, though, Mustard Seed has presented a great looking production that manages to entertain and inform.

Fox Smith, Ben Nordstrom Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Fox Smith, Ben Nordstrom
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

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Mustard Seed Presents a Thoughtful, Timely “Terrain”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on September 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Human Terrain
by Jennifer Blackmer
Directed by Lori Adams
Mustard Seed Theatre
August 29th, 2014

Wendy Greenwood, Melissa Gerth Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Wendy Greenwood, Melissa Gerth
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Mustard Seed Theatre’s new 2014-2015 season is filled with new plays, with the one exception being their upcoming encore performance of last year’s critically acclaimed All Is Calm. To start the season, the company brings us a story that turns out to be even more timely than the author may have planned. With top-notch casting and dynamic staging, this show presents the story of a cross-cultural friendship and all the issues that stem from it in a compelling way that is sure to make audiences think about the very real issues it presents.

Human Terrain is so-called after a real US Army program, although the story is fictional.  As Dr. Mabry Hoffman (Melissa Gerth) repeatedly states, she is not a soldier. She’s an anthropologist, embedded with a US Army unit in Fallujah and trying to learn as much as she can about the locals and how they think, in turn advising the Army about local concerns.  The play is framed in flashback, with Mabry detained by Federal authorities and being questioned in connection with a bombing in a public marketplace.  As Mabry is prodded by the initially detached agent, Kate (Dawn Campbell), the story of the events leading the the bombing unfolds, including Mabry’s relationships with the unit’s Captain (B. Weller) and the soldiers in his unit, including the thoughtful Detty (Taylor Campbell) and the more caustic, gung-ho Harrison (John Clark).  Situations get more complicated after Mabry meets a local woman, Adiliah (Wendy Greenwood) and forms a gradual friendship, as well as having to deal with the tense situations of attempted bombings and the questionable interrogation methods involving a local young man, Kemal (Antonio Moseley). As the events leading up to the bombing unfold, Mabry increasingly questions her situation and the challenged presented by conflicts of interest between her personal goals for her job and those of the military.  In the course of telling the story, cultural issues are also dealt with, particularly in the form of Mabry’s conversations with Adiliah, who challenges Mabry’s Western assumptions concerning her way of life.

As a new play, Human Terrain is mostly well-constructed, and the flashback structure works very well, althoug the play does have its issues, in that some of the situations are predictable, and some characters are presented as somewhat simplistic contrasts, such as “nice” solider Detty and “mean” soldier Harrison.  The character of Adiliah is also a bit overly idealized and given something of a mystical, almost superhuman aura, even though Greenwood gives a wonderful, affecting performance in the role.  She has a very strong presence, and her scenes with Gerth as Mabry are fascinating to watch.  The most compelling character is Mabry herself, portrayed with strength and compassion by Gerth, who presents the character’s increasing uneasiness in her job, as well as the dilemma of her growing friendships with both Adiliah and Detty in a thoroughly convincing way. The complex performances of Weller as the Captain and Dawn Campbell as Kate are also memorable, and Taylor Campbell is thoroughly sympathetic as Detty.  Clark, as the zealous Harrison and Moseley as the conflicted young Kemal give convincing performances as well.

The experience of this show is powerfully aided by the excellent staging and technical work.  John Stark’s meticulously detailed set is used to great effect, as the central “office/interrogation room” set piece slides back and forth into place as needed, adding to the dramatic effect.  There are also great costumes by Jane Sullivan and impressive lighting design by Michael Sullivan and sound design by Zoe Sullivan.  All of the technical elements of this production come together seamlessly to add to the increasingly tense atmosphere of the the production.

This is a show that’s going to give viewers a lot to think and talk about, especially in light of the ever-present tensions in Iraq and increasing issues of cross-cultural conflict in an increasingly global society.  It also poses some very important questions about the working relationships and conflicts of interest between civilians and military, especially in wartime situations. As presented in Mustard Seed’s impressive staging, Human Terrain is a memorable theatrical experience as well as a compelling call to thought and conversation in these increasingly complex times.

Melissa Gerth, B. Weller Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Melissa Gerth, B. Weller
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

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“Falling” Returns with Powerful Impact

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , on April 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Falling
by Deanna Jent
Directed by Deanna Jent
Mustard Seed Theatre
April 12th, 2014

Daniel Lanier, Greg Johnston, Michelle Hand Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Daniel Lanier, Greg Johnston, Michelle Hand
Photo by John Lamb
 Mustard Seed Theatre

Falling has become quite the success story in terms of St. Louis theatre on a national stage.  Since Mustard Seed’s first production in 2011, the play has enjoyed productions in New York (Off-Broadway) and Los Angeles with critical acclaim. Now, the production has come full circle, being re-staged at Mustard Seed with most of its original cast.  Although I didn’t see the show the first time around, I can see now why this show has enjoyed so much success. It’s a powerful, riveting and extremely well-written  drama that tells the story of one family’s very specific struggles, but also manages to speak to universal human themes in the process.  This may be Mustard Seed’s second time producing this show, but everything from the cast to the staging to the overall effect can only be described as first-rate.

Inspired by playwright/director Deanna Jent’s personal experience as the mother of an adult child with autism, this play tells the story of the fictional Martin family by first introducing us to 18-year-old Josh (Daniel Lanier) as he wakes up and goes about his usual morning routine of wandering through the living room setting things in order (such as arranging stacks of videotapes) and enjoying one of his favorite rituals involving tipping over a box of feathers that fall onto his head as he joyfully dances underneath.  We then meet the rest of his family–mom Tami (Michelle Hand), dad Bill (Greg Johnston) , and teenage sister Lisa (Katie Donnelly), as the family prepares breakfast and gets Josh ready to go to school.  Although the challenges with Josh’s situation are apparent early on (it’s a struggle to prepare him for school),  it’s when Bill’s mom Sue (Carmel Russell) arrives later for a visit from out of town that the situation becomes even more tense eventually bringing out a wide range of emotions and issues as this family deals with the ever-increasing  conundrums concerning the family’s relationships and the increasingly uncontrollable (and occasionally aggressive) Josh’s future. Tami especially is confronted with the dilemma of how best to help Josh while trying to maintain some level of harmony within the rest of her family as a series of increasingly confrontational and explosive events forces her to come to terms with her own hopes and fears concerning Josh, her family and herself.

One of things I find particularly impressive about this production is that it presents such a fully-realized world, through the combination of the carefully crafted script, a fully committed cast and meticulously appointed set (designed by John Stark) and strikingly atmospheric lighting effects (designed by Michael Sullivan).  This show becomes something of a window into this family’s life, and the proceedings are more powerful in that they are all so achingly real, from Tami’s struggles to stay optimistic, keep  order in her family and love her son despite his increasingly uncontrollable and occasionally dangerous behavior, to Bill’s frustration in maintaining his bond with his wife, to Lisa’s anger and resentment of her brother and his necessary hold on his parents’ attention, to the devoutly Christian Sue’s struggle to reconcile the concepts of her faith with her desire to be a help to her family.  All of these characters and their situations are fully realized without being cookie-cutter characters, and the play presents the issues and challenges of dealing with a family member with special needs in a way that is simultaneously specific and universal. Not everyone watching this play will have the same or similar experience to the Martin family, but there’s something about the human condition and the continual struggle to find hope in the midst of seemingly insurmountable obstacles that all humans will be able to relate to in one way or another.  It deals with issues of family love, parents’ sense of inadequacy, sibling resentment, faith and doubt, and other common human situations, confronting a range of possible solutions to these problems but with no easy answers, as is often the case in life.

The cast here is top-notch, bringing this family to life with realism and power.  As Josh, the play’s focal point and the catalyst for its action, Lanier is astounding. He’s at once endearing and physically imposing, bringing energy and warmth as well as a capacity for both gentleness and violence, and his interactions with his family are full of both highly-charged emotion and great sympathy.   Hand, as Tami, demonstrates a tremendous emotional range as the initially optimistic and upbeat Tami, who is trying to make the most of difficult situation but is finding that increasingly difficult.  Her character’s ever-increasing weariness, as well as her great love for all of her family,  is readily apparent in Hand’s remarkable performance.  While Hand and Lanier portray the play’s central relationship, the rest of the cast is equally excellent in support, with Johnston strong as the loving but increasingly exasperated Bill, Donnelly in an extremely true-to-life portrayal of the teenage girl who just wants her life to be more “normal” and struggles with her own resentment, and Russell in a refreshingly sincere, non-caricatured performance as the well-meaning but somewhat out of touch grandmother.  Across the board, this cast provides a very rich and believable portrayal of a family  I could easily imagine meeting in real life.

One frustrating aspect of being relatively new to reviewing plays in such a vibrant theatre scene is that there will always be particularly acclaimed productions I wish I had gotten the chance to see, and short of time travel there’s no way to be able see those shows. With this encore production of Falling, It feels like I’m actually getting to realize one of those missed chances, and that’s a real blessing with a production as profoundly moving as this one. For anyone who missed this last time, I would strongly suggest you catch it this time.  It’s more than worth the effort.  

Michelle Hand, Daniel Lanier Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Michelle Hand, Daniel Lanier
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

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An Enlightening Patchwork of History

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , on February 12, 2014| 2 Comments »

Gee’s Bend
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
Directed by Deanna Jent
Mustard Seed Theatre
February 8th, 2014

Marty Casey, Jacqueline Thompson, Alicia Reve Like Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Marty Casey, Jacqueline Thompson, Alicia Reve Like
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Upon entering the theatre for Mustard Seed Theatre’s production of Gee’s Bend, the first thing I noticed was an enormous quilt.  Serving as the backdrop for the play’s set, this quilt represents many years and many hours devoted to quilting in the African-American community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, as well as the importance of quilting to every aspect of life for the women of that community.  Throughout the middle decades of the 20th Century and the great changes that took place in society, quilting was the common thread that bound these women together, and it serves as a unifying theme for this fascinating story of one family’s life in this small but significant corner of Alabama. At Mustard Seed, this story is presented with much warmth and great care

Inspired by the story of the real community of Gee’s Bend, the play’s action begins in 1939 and follows the gentle but determined young Sadie Pettway (Jacqueline Thompson) and her feisty dreamer sister Nella  (Alicia Reve Like), from their teenage years living in a small house with their devout, loving and principled mother Alice (Marty Casey), who teaches Sadie the art of quilting and the importance of hospitality.  It continues as Sadie marries a young farmer named Macon (Reginald Pierre) and moves into a new home to start a family, and then skips ahead to the 1960’s, as Dr. Martin Luther King brings the Civil Rights movement to their county and Sadie is inspired to follow his cause despite the opposition of her husband and others.  Through all the conflicts and struggles, Sadie carries on her mother’s tradition of quilting until finally, in the year 2000, the Gee’s Bend Quilts have gained national attention and the now elderly Sadie and Nella, accompanied by Sadie’s adult daughter Asia (also Casey) prepare to attend an exhibit at a museum celebrating the art to which Sadie has devoted much of her life.

It’s a story of humor, romance, drama, and great emotion, punctuated by some excellently sung traditional songs to augment the events. There is a lot happening here for a relatively short play (80 minutes with no intermission), and it is very efficiently staged by director Deanna Jent, telling a coherent, educational and heartwarming story aided by Kyra Bishop’s set, Meg Brinkley’s props and Jane Sullivan’s costumes, which effectively evoke the time and place.   There are also many, many quilts, some in progress and some finished of varying color schemes and patterns.  The quilts themselves almost seem to be characters in the play, as important as they are in moving the story along, serving as a means of bonding between generations, an outlet for creativity, a source of warmth and comfort through cold and illness, and even a source of income in leaner times.  This production, appropriately, never lets the audience forget about the quilts, from the first moments of the play, as mother and daughter work on their quilts,  to the last,  as the women reflect on what quilting meant to them and share their legacy with Sadie’s own daughter as well as the world outside of Gee’s Bend.

As important as the quilts are, though, this production is driven mainly by a very strong cast.  As Sadie, Thompson displays warmth, humor and strength, and a great deal of courage. Like is a joy as the spunky, sometimes snarky Nella, and she and Thompson share a believable sisterly chemistry in their scenes together, and both actresses convincingly play the later scenes as elderly women. Their early scenes with Casey as their mother are another highlight of the show, with a great deal of energy and humor.  Casey does an excellent job playing two distinct characters as both the tough, wise Alice and the concerned daughter Asia, and Pierre is strong as Macon, showing great chemistry with Thompson both in their earlier moments as a young couple in love and their later, more tense and conflict-fraught exchanges.

This play introduced me to the story of the Gee’s Bend quilts, and the very personal bonds within this community and its role in the Civil Rights movement and in the world of folk art. It’s a play about relationships, of women with their families, their community and their art. It’s a story well worth telling, and Mustard Seed has told it in a simple and memorable style.

Reginald Pierre, Jacqueline Thompson Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

Reginald Pierre, Jacqueline Thompson
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

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A Christmas On the Front Lines–Well Worth Remembering

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , on November 11, 2013| 2 Comments »

All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914

An Acapella Musical by Peter Rothstein

Directed by Deanna Jent

Mustard Seed Theatre

November 8, 2013

The Cast of All Is Calm Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

The Cast of All Is Calm
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

Today, November 11th, is Veteran’s Day in the USA and Remberance Day or Armistice Day in various countries around the world. While it is now a day to remember those who served in all wars, it was instituted to commemorate the Armistice of 1918, which brought an end to the bloodiest conflict the world had seen at the time, the First World War. It’s an appropriate weekend for the opening of Mustard Seed Theatre’s latest production, All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, which highlights a moment of brightness in the midst of the horrors of war, and celebrates the humanity and dignity of the men who fought in that war. It’s a musical tribute to a moment that is well worth remembering, and Mustard Seed’s cast and crew more than do justice to this important subject.

This is a unique show. It’s difficult to figure out what to call it. Is it a musical? A revue? A staged concert? A pageant? All of those terms seem inadequate to describe this remarkable piece. Originally written for a choral ensemble in Minneapolis in 2007, All Is Calm uses the music of the era, along with some classic Christmas carols, to tell the story, along with the dramatized words of actual participants in the conflict. It’s not just singing, though, even though the singing is glorious. This is a fully-staged theatrical presentation that brings the audience into the experience of the soldiers and the atmosphere of the first years of the 20th Century.

From the first haunting notes of “Will Ye Go to Flanders?” all way through to the “The Last Post” bugle call at the end (played on the trumpet by  cast member Antonio Rodriguez), we are taken on a journey with this varied group of soldiers, most of whom were experiencing war for the first time.  They were men of all walks of life, from cities, small towns and the countryside. They were farmers, laborers, and university students.  Some, such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, would be remembered as great poets of the era, and others were just regular guys remembering their experiences, and their words are brought to life here.  In a format reminiscent of a Ken Burns documentary, the soldiers’ words are recited and punctuated with many popular songs of the era, capturing the full range of experiences that these men endured as part of the war.

The tone at first is optimistic, as the young men see going to war as an adventure, and are hopeful that it will all be over by Christmas, and then the rude awakening of the realities of war sets in, and the realization that this will be a long and bloody ordeal.  Well-known songs such as “It’s A Long Way to Tipperary” and “Pack Up Your Troubles” are performed with energy and gusto, but these songs give way to more somber moments with numbers such as “Keep the Home Fires Burning”.  There are a few moments where both the serious and the comic relief are covered through the course of one song, such as in “The Old Barbed Wire” and “I Want to Go Home”.  Mustard Seed’s excellent ensemble performs all these songs impeccably, believably portraying the camaraderie of brothers-in-arms in the midst of conflict.

Eventually, Christmas arrives with no end in sight to the war, and the British and German soldiers are presented with the dilemma of what to do.  This leads to the Christmas Truce, in which “Tommy” and “Fritz” laid down their arms for the day and joined together–haltingly at first, and then more enthusiastically–in singing carols in both German and English (“O Tannenbaum”, “Silent Night”).  There were upbeat moments, such as a spontaneous soccer game, as well as more somber moments of remembering their fallen comrades–represented here with a hauntingly beautiful, bi-lingual rendition of “Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming.

Finally, the day came to and end. Commanding officers prohibited further truces and the fighting returned, continuing almost four more years and resulting in millions of casualties. For one brief moment, though, this truce was there to remind these men of not only their enemies’ humanity, but their own, and this sense of unity is beautifully punctuated in this production by a bittersweet rendition of the classic “Auld Lang Syne”, as the soldiers from the two sides prepare to return to their own trenches and renew the conflict.

This production is an ensemble piece in the truest sense.  Every single cast member performed at the highest level of excellence, singing together in beautiful, rich harmonies and portraying a wide range of emotions as soldiers in war.  Also, because of the structure of this show, each cast member had to play various different characters, making use of several varying accents from English and Scottish to German, French and Italian. Director Deanna Jent has assembled a top-notch ensemble in Charlie Barron, Shawn Bowers, J. Samuel Davis, Gary Glasgow, Christopher Hickey, Jason Meyers, Antonio Rodriguez, Tim Schall, Luke Steingruby and Jeffrey Wright. It’s difficult to single out any one performer, because they all worked so well together.  Rodriguez’s beautiful solo on “O Holy Night” deserves a mention, though, as does the excellent acting and dialect work of Glasgow, Barron and Hickey.  Every moment of this show rings with authenticity, and that is because of this great cast that puts their all into every scene and song.  It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a truly excellent ensemble.

Visually, this show is stunning as well.  The meticulously detailed costumes (designed by Jane Sullivan) and simple but evocative set (designed by Kyra Bishop) provide an authentic mood and setting.  Kudos also to lighting designer Michael Sullivan for some striking effects especially in the “Silent Night” sequence, and throughout the show as well. This could very well have been a staged concert with all the glorious music, but the staging, lighting set and costumes made it a fully realized performance that makes a strong impression.

Overall, this is a truly memorable presentation of a little-known moment in world history. I had heard of the Christmas Truce before, but I’m something of a history buff, and World War I in particular has been of interest to me in that it seems to have been largely forgotten (in America, anyway), or at least overshadowed by World War II in history books and dramatic representations.  I think it’s worth remembering all these brave men who endured all the ugliness and horror of battle while keeping their humanity in the process, and moments like the Christmas Truce help demonstrate that humanity.  Mustard Seed Theatre’s production of All Is Calm is a striking and poignant tribute to this incident and these brave soldiers.  It is a more than worthy portrayal of an event that deserves to be remembered for years to come.

All Is Calm cast Photo by John Lamb Mustard Seed Theatre

All Is Calm cast
Photo by John Lamb
Mustard Seed Theatre

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