The Academy of Performing Arts production of the classic musical “Guys and Dolls” was the big opener this weekend, with performances continuing of “Straight White Men” at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater and Chatham Drama Guild’s “Steel Magnolias.”
Check back for additional reviews as more shows open mid-week at Cape Cod theaters.
“Guys and Dolls”
By Sue Mellen
Written by: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, based on the story and characters of Damon Runyon, presented by the Academy of Performing Arts.
What it’s about: In its program, the Academy refers to this uber-classic as “a musical fable of Broadway,” and that about sums it up. It’s a brightly colored, affectionate snapshot of a whole kitbag of New York originals. There’s the man about town, Sky Masterson (Brendon Prentiss), Salvation Army crusader Sarah (Jennifer Almeida), confirmed gambler Nathan Detroit (Ryan Van Buskirk), and the sweet and long-suffering chorus girl Adelaide (Ann Vohs). And who could forget Nicely Nicely Johnson (Terrence Brady) and out-of-town tough Big Jule (Bragan Thomas). The story offers romance two times, with the audience hoping from the start that Sarah and Adelaide get their guys.
See it or not: Go for the sheer joy of this song-and-dance classic, along with a little romance for good measure.
Highlight of the show: At this show’s heart of this show is Loesser’s unforgettable music and, under Sue Lindholm’s direction and Chris Morris’ musical direction, the Academy troupe does it justice. Duets like “I’ll Know” (Prentiss and Almeida) and “Sue Me” (Van Buskirk and Vohs) are sweet showcases of the chemistry in each set of sweethearts. And the ensemble song-and-dance numbers like “Take Back Your Mink,” “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin ‘the Boat,” fill the theater with the lively music and movement at the heart of this show’s amazing longevity. (DJ Kostka is choreographer.)
And while the show is filled with good vocalists, Vohs stands out with a powerful delivery that sends her voice up to the rafters of the venerable Academy Playhouse in songs like “Adelaide’s Lament” and “Take Back Your Mink.”
Fun fact: The show was first performed on Broadway in 1950, based on the 1930s Runyon short stories, “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure.”
Worth noting: Costumes, by director Lindholm, are simply priceless. The highlight has to be those of the chorus of Hot Box Girls (Jess Phaneuf, Brynn Grambow, Jasmine Netherwood and Rebecca White), with hysterical get-ups for “Take Back Your Mink.”
One more thing: If you’re looking for something to do with the kids this summer, the theater will be featuring “101 Dalmatians” at 10 am Saturdays from July 8 through Aug. 14.
If you go: 2 pm Sundays June 19 and 26; 7 pm June 24, 25 and 30 and July 1 and 2 at the Academy Playhouse, 120 Main St., Orleans. Tickets: $ 30 adults, $ 20 under age 16; 508-202-1952, www.academyplayhouse.org
Straight White Men
By Sue Mellen
Written by: Young Jean Lee, directed by Sasha Bratt, presented by the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater
What it’s about: It’s Christmas and middle-class, probably Midwestern, Ed (Mark Hofmaier) has managed to rope his three adult sons into staying with him for the holiday. When they gather for the reunion, there’s a lot of reminiscing and roughhousing; they are, after all, straight white men. But there’s something else going on. Matt (Mike Mihm), who has been staying with Dad for some time, is depressed. Life hasn’t turned out as expected for the high school valedictorian and Harvard graduate, and that’s especially hard considering the obvious success of brothers Jake (Andy McCain) and Drew (Carl Howell). How will the guys deal with this family crisis (if, indeed, it is a crisis)?
See it or not? See it for the sometimes moving, sometimes humorous look at what some consider the “endangered species” of the straight white male.
Highlight of the show: Clearly, this show is about relationships. Throughout, the four principles expertly play off one another, deftly expressing every emotion in the book. It would be all too easy for the actors to overplay their hands and ease into melodrama, but they and director Bratt resist the temptation and instead take the audience on an often-touching tour of that familiar and dangerous territory of a family reunion (shades of the old Holly Hunter flick “Home for the Holidays”).
Fun fact: The 2018 production of this show at the Hayes Theater on Broadway made the writer the first Asian-American woman to have a play produced on the Great White Way.
Worth noting: Not so far behind the scenes, this show is about white male privilege and how it thrives in capitalist society. Early on, the boys sing a number about the Ku Klux Klan to the tune of “Oklahoma,” then retrieve from the bookshelf a Monopoly-style game named Privilege and – just in case we had any doubt about underlying messaging – we learn that as an adolescent, Matt had a School for Young Revolutionaries.
Learn more:WHAT’s ‘Straight White Men’ not about what you think it is + 3 other theater shows worth seeing
One more thing: Two Persons In Charge (Eleanor Philips and Freddy Biddle) introduce the show, and at each scene opening, guide the characters onstage and position them as if they are props. It’s a unique and particularly effective device.
If you go: 8 pm Tuesday through Saturday through June 24 at the Wellfleet Actors Theater, 2357 State Highway (Route 6), Wellfleet; $ 40 orchestra, $ 36 orchestra senior, $ 15 orchestra students, with additional $ 2.50 added to each ticket for fees; 508-349-9428, www.what.org.
Steel Magnolias
By Carol Panasci
Written by: Robert Harling, presented by Chatham Drama Guild, directed by Anna Marie Johansen
What it’s about: Set in the sisterly sanctuary of a beauty shop in a fictional small Louisiana town, the play explores the strong bonds of female friendship. The five characters grapple with day-to-day life, problems small and overwhelming – and hairstyles, of course. They deal with it all with grace, strength and a generous dollop of humor.
See it or not: While there is less substance to the 1987 play than the 1989 film, the characters are realistically sketched with humor and pathos. Despite some glitchy production values (intermittent lighting and overly loud music drowning out dialogue), this is an entertaining evening.
Highlight of the show: The Chatham cast works well together under Nicholson’s direction: Nicole Gardner as Annelle, Sheila Jamieson as Clairee, Lee LaCroix as M’Lynn, Emily Nyerick as Shelby, Julia Randall as Ouiser and Kristen Winn as Truvy.
Lots of local actors:They’rrre back: Cape Cod Pirate Festival returns for two weekends of fun in bigger space
Fun fact: The work has seen a number of iterations, including a 2012 TV film featuring an all African-American cast.
Worth noting: Harling based his play on his real-life family situation and circumstances. Conceived originally as a short story, it morphed into a play.
One more thing: The actresses who have played in this story in some form or another run the gamut from Julia Roberts to Marsha Mason to Queen Latifah.
If you go: 7:30 pm June 9, 11 and 23-25, 4 pm June 5 and 12, and 2 pm June 25 at Chatham Drama Guild, 134 Crowell Road; $ 25 cabaret seating, $ 22 general seating, $ 12 students; 508-945-0510, www.chatdramaguild.org