Northern lights

Tonight marks the second weekend of Almost, Maine. We have managed to pull in two fabulous reviews and the audience feedback has been wonderful. On opening night I heard both laughter and cries of despair as our audience invested themselves in our characters. After weeks of rehearsing with only our director in the room, the validation our audiences have been graciously bestowing on us has been refreshing. I can only imagine what this weekend will hold, with a packed house. We had a pick-up rehearsal last night, and despite all the goofball antics and Cruz feeling under the weather, we fell right back into place. Consistency has always been something I strive to achieve in this art form that is constantly changing and evolving every time the lights come up, as the northern lights dance behind us in the sky.

Murder on the High C’s - A Murder Mystery

Rose Center Theatre’s Murder on the High C’s pays tribute to the golden age of musical theatre, set in the 1930’s and mimicking the musical stylings of Cole Porter. At the heart of the production is a farcical plot based in the genre of a mystery novella. Faced with a mysterious set of deaths, the passengers and crew aboard the S.S. Van Dine frantically struggle to solve the murders and avoid their own deaths. Professor Alastair Kenworthy (Scott Ratner), probably the world’s worst detective, leads the remaining passengers on a misguided journey to find the killer. Ratner cleverly wrote the book and lyrics alongside lyricist, director and musical composer Tim Nelson. As a seasoned actor, Ratner’s comedic timing as the riotous Alastair heightened the comedy of the production. Dolores Kimble is delightful as his love interest/side-kick and mastermind behind solving the puzzles posed in the play. The set proved much like one would expect to see in a production of Anything Goes. On a sour note, some of the costumes were poorly fitted and appeared cheaply made. The vocal quality of Ratner and Kimble could not be matched by the supporting cast, who seemed to underperform their roles. Ratner seemed to poke fun at the ridiculousness of his character, which created hysterics among the audience. However the supporting cast members took themselves much too seriously. The young lovers fall flat, the movie actress seems contrived and the singing trio of flappers is devoid of star quality. This created a tension in the audience: Do we laugh? Is this funny, or is it just extraordinarily bad acting? It took about 20 minutes into the production (a horrific amount of time for both cast and audience) to accept the farcical nature of the play and have fun. It was fortunate that this transition was made before intermission, as the audience may have been much reduced at the start of the second act. Nothing about this production is exceptional or unusual, but one can expect to leave with a smile on their face. As this play continues to evolve and revisions are made, one can expect great things to come of this refreshing musical extravaganza.

Performances are 7:30 pm, Fri. & Sat, 2 pm, Sun. February 5-February 21, 2010. Tickets are $17-20. The Rose Center Theatre is located 14140 All American Way, Westminster CA. For more info call 714-793-1150 or visit www.rosecentertheater.com.