Mid April - Fullerton Observer

MID APRIL 2013
At Right:
Angela
Griswold,
and Jordan
Killion in
Legally
Blonde
playing
through
May 25 at
the Maverick
Theater.
Tickets:
714-
526-7070
PHOTO
BY AUSTIN
BAUMAN
REVIEWED by Mark Rosier
Legally Blonde at the Maverick
It takes a great many ingredients for a
local theater to thrive with a musical production.
Some directors have made the
mistake of casting singers who lack acting
ability or vice versa. It is a false notion that
the acting aspect is secondary to a successful
musical performance.
The Maverick Theater's latest musical
comedy production of Legally Blonde has a
winning formula for a crowd to escape
their everyday reality and be delightfully
drawn in to a two-hour journey of
escapism with just the appropriate mixture
of ingredients for a highly energized,
foot stomping, heart warming evening at
the theater.
First step to success is a worthwhile
script (and subsequent story) filled with
an eclectic assortment of characters who
can engage the audience and hold their
attention and enthusiasm.
Legal Blonde was initially introduced to
the world at large as a novel written by
Amanda Brown. It's second and most
acknowledged incarnation was the
immensely successful motion picture of
the same name. The success of the film
spawned a sequel and a Tony Award
nominated Broadway musical production
on which The Maverick's production is
based.
The story is the simple yet engrossing
tale of Elle Woods, a superficial yet
spunky sorority girl who enrolls at
Harvard Law School to become the kind
of woman her ex-boyfriend Warner would
desire to settle down with for the long
haul.
Secondly, a musical score filled with
catchy, and at times, heart-tugging and
emotionally diverse lyrics is a necessity.
Laurence O' Keefe and Nell Benjamin
have crafted many a memorable song
that will leave numerous audience participants
with a desire to purchase the
soundtrack once their evening at the the-
THEATER NEWS
ater has concluded.
Thirdly, it takes a skilled craftsman at
the directing helm to cast performers who
can excel with ease at the daunting trifecta
of tasks including acting, singing and
dancing.
Director Curtis Jerome obviously has a
supreme eye for multi- faceted talent and
has assembled a first class group of local
talent to tell the tale of the young lady
who far reaches potential she never knew
resided within her growing soul. What is
particularly refreshing about Mr Jeromes
cast is that the leads, supporting roles and
ensemble members all have noteworthy
moments where their shine is undeniable.
Angela Griswald has been given the task
of portraying Elle Woods and she does so
with a comedic charm, impressive ability
and emotional range that places the audience
within her corner from moment
one.
Other stand out performances include,
but are not limited to, Glenn Freeze as the
enchantingly iniquitous Professor
Callahan and Jenny Swoish who adds an
extra degree of adrenalized energy and a
pitch-perfect comedic subtlety to the role
of Brooke Wyndham.
Legally Blonde's ensemble members
have risen to the occasion of portraying
various characters, and they dazzle amid
full-throttled numbers that raise the bar
of local theater (choreography by
Cassandra Cade, Curtis Jerome). Luke
Pena, Bryant Watson and Sabrina Zellars
add some scene stealing precision within
the supremely strong ensemble.
A live band adds an extra dimension of
quality to the proceedings. Legally Blonde
may be a simplistic story on the exterior
but The Maverick Theater's rollicking
production is one that will satiate many
an audience member whether or not they
have been introduced to it's previous narrative
mediums.
•ALL SHOOK UP inspired by and featuring
the songs of Elvis Presley. Book by
Joe DiPietro, directed by Patrick Pearson,
musical direction by Diane King-Vann,
choreography by William F. Lett in the
Little Theatre through April 27 at 8pm
and April 20, 21, 27, 28 at 2pm. When
rebellious Chad rides into town, he shakes
things up with guitar in hand, challenging
the “no tight pants, no public kissing, and
no loud music” laws of this sleepy
Midwestern town.
•ROUGH MAGIC by Roberto
Aquirre-Sacasa, directed by Travis
Donnelly in the Young Theatre April 26,
27, May 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 8pm, and
April 28, May 4, 5, 11, 12 at 2pm. A
romantic and darkly funny takeoff of
Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The evil sorcerer
Prospero arrives in New York in
•FUN & NOBODY
Written by the acclaimed author of the
1988 coming-of-age play Boy's Life
Howard Korder, and directed by Jeffrey
Kieviet, Fun & Nobody performs May 4
through May 25, Saturdays and Sundays
at 5pm.
In FUN, two bored teenagers look for a
good time in their small city of tacky
shopping malls and fast-food outlets. Told
in a series of short, fast-moving scenes,
FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 13
CAL STATE CLAYES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
800 N. State College Blvd, Fullerton
Tickets: 657-278-3371
http://www.fullerton.edu/Arts/theatredance/events2012-2013.html
search of his stolen book of spells.
Who’s to defend New York City from
the forces of evil?
•SPRING DANCE THEATRE coordinated
by Gladys Kares, performs in the
Little Theatre May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18
at 8pm; and May 12, 19 at 2pm.
•SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS for
the Theatre and Dance season at
California State University, Fullerton are
available now. The FlexTix subscription
offers 6 redeemable credits, to use all at
once or one-at-a-time. Patrons can create
their own unique season with the “paperless”
FlexTix credits. Subscriptions covering
the Spring Season are $55 each and
single tickets range from $10 to $22.
Tickets are available at the Joseph Clayes
III Performing Arts Center box office by
calling (657) 278-3371.
STAGES THEATER
400 E. Commonwealth, Fullerton
Tickets: 714-525-4484 www.stagesoc.org
•THE UNCERTAINTY FILES
& WHAT LOVE IS
Written by Linda McLean, directed by
Dave Barton The Uncertainty Files performs
April 26 through May 26, Friday &
Saturday at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.
Based on a series of intimate interviews,
acclaimed Scottish playwright Linda
McLean talked with Americans, transcribed
the discussions--as well as the
sounds around them--creating a one-act
play about love’s uncertainty, the uncertainty
of the hereafter and our uncertainty
about ourselves.
The comedic one-act What Love Is, as
an opener for Uncertainty Files, examines
the loving, gently acrimonious relationship
between a husband and wife growing
old together, their grown daughter and
memories of past love and loss.
with biting, dialogue capturing both the
laid-back and the pseudo sophistication of
the boys, the action of the play follows
them, boom-box in hand, as they move
from one locale to another in search of
excitement, sex, booze, drugs, or whatever.
In NOBODY, Carl loses his well-paying
factory job and as his family life
plunges into turmoil, he finds his growing
despair leads to drinking, violence, and
the eventual destruction of his marriage.
MAVERICK THEATER
110 E. Walnut Ave., Fullerton
Tickets: 714-526-7070 www.mavericktheater.com
•LEGALLY BLONDE: The Musical
Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at
8pm and Sundays at 4pm (April 21st
starts at 6pm). 13 & up. -thru May 25
Book by Heather Hach, music & lyrics
by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin,
directed by Curtis Jerome and based on
the novel by Amanda Brown and the
MGM motion picture, this is the Orange
County Premiere.
Harvard’s beloved blonde takes the
stage by pink storm in this fun, upbeat
musical about self-discovery.
•THE STING Written by David Ward,
directed by Brian Newell, this show takes
place in Chicago during the years of the
1st Depression. Small time grifter Johnny
Hooker (played by Redford in the film)
joins a friend in a successful con of a “runner.”
After things go wrong Johnny enlists
the aid of the master con man Henry
Gondorf (played by Newman in the film).
Together they try a big con to take powerful
racket boss Doyle Lonnegan for hundreds
of thousands. May 31-July 14, Fri
& Sat at 8pm, Sundays at 5pm.