| Kameron Scott King Hair: Brown Height: 5' 9" Eyes: Green Weight: 160lbs. Accreditation: SAG Eligible Home , Resume , Reviews , Videos |
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| Kameron Scott King Hair: Brown Height: 5' 9" Eyes: Green Weight: 160lbs. Accreditation: SAG Eligible Home , Resume , Reviews , Videos |
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Premiere
for a Cause: Guerilla Theatre presents “Not Another Murder
Mystery” 01/28/08 @ 04:13:29 pm by archivesadmin By: MJ Pendleton Guerilla Theatre’s “Not Another Murder Mystery” is unabashedly silly. Just how silly? Well, inside the program the director’s note reads, “In lieu of a traditional director’s note, I have enclosed an excerpt from Wharton Planter Bunion’s enlightening book A Podiatric Concern: Fungi, Curses and other Ailments of the Feet.” In case anyone may be wondering, no, this is not a real book. Then what’s up with the note about foot ailments? It’s a recurring theme of the wacky script written and directed by local playwright Steve Caverno. There is definitely something exciting and somewhat elusive about going to see the premiere of a new play. The average theater attendee may not know what to expect for the length of the show or the details of the story. Heck, the actors may not even really know for sure. There is a clean slate for the original cast to decide how they want to set the stage, and the Guerilla cast takes this opportunity to really vamp it up and have fun with the audience. Caverno’s original story plays off of Clue and other infamous murder mysteries by introducing a cast of stock characters with revealing names. Marilyn Scoop is a successful journalist and reporter of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Jeff Truck is a good ol’ boy with an impressively long mullet and a can of beer permanently fixed in his palm. Curtis Foot is the millionaire owner of a shoe company and the individual around whom the foot-odor theme revolves. He has been cursed by the African Witch Doctor Adidas with a podiatric ailment so repugnant that it rivals a garbage truck filled with dirty diapers. Foot is desperate to free himself from the curse of the odor before it consumes him bodily. The murder mystery occurs at his mansion after he invites guests to his home for the introduction of his new product, The Squeakless Sneaker. Even before the lights go down for the first act, the audience is introduced to the story, as the characters are present to chat up the attendees. The set itself is quite basic, (especially since the new Brown Coat Pub and Theater is still in constructional progress) so it is really the characters themselves and their dialogue that serve to create the setting. While sitting and browsing through my program, I was approached by Marilyn Scoop (Lucy Spain) who inquired with pad and pencil in hand, “Would you like to answer a question for the paper?” Appreciating the role reversal of the situation, I was quick to oblige. The Butler (Richard Davis) moved stiffly throughout the audience, primly checking to insure that all of the attendees were on the guest list for the evening. “Not Another Murder Mystery” removes the fourth wall (the invisible barrier between the audience and the performers) entirely. While a traditional theater-going experience allows the audience to be omniscient onlookers, like flies on a wall, the removal of the fourth wall brings the audience right into the show. It takes a brave actor to accept this task. After all, the audience’s response and willingness to participate can certainly vary on a night-to-night basis. The strength is the Guerilla cast is evident; I received the distinct sense that they were equally prepared for both heckling participants and silent attendees who prefer to remain strict onlookers. Even with the occasional inclusion of an ad-lib, the actors did not skip a beat throughout the play. Each of the characters has his or her own little quirk, my personal favorite being that of Moe Flipps, played by Kameron King. I was surprised to learn that King is a 17-year-old senior at Ashley High School, as there is a maturity in his performance that matches his elder counterparts. Moe Flipps is the stereotypical dork, with enormous dark rimmed glasses, who wins over the hearts of the audience with his twitchy behavior and inability to insult people properly. The names he angrily flings at Curtis Foot include “Bobsled” and “Weedwacker.” Derek Marzotti also performs memorably as Foot, the receptor of the insults. Marzotti portrays Foot’s flippant egotistical nature so convincingly that it is not hard to see why he may be the next victim on the murderer’s list and why he would dress for a party in red silk pajamas. The show itself does resemble more of a variety show than a play. Frequent blackouts in order to transition from one scene to the next cause the show to seem rather fragmented. At times I was uncertain as to what exactly was happening within the progression of the plot, upon which a scene change would occur and the theme song from “The Three Stooges” would play. I perceived this as a cue to focus on the physical comedy aspect of the show and accepted the wackiness that was consistent throughout. While “Not Another Murder Mystery” may be contrary to the traditional theater experience, it does provide quite a few laughs and is wholly lighthearted in nature. “Not Another Murder Mystery” will continue on January 31st and February 1st-2nd at The Brown Coat Pub and Theatre, 111 Grace Street. Guerilla Theatre Company will continue to accept donations for Anita Trivette, the 24-year-old Wilmington resident who recently suffered a heart attack and is in need of a heart transplant. She needs to raise $20,000 toward the $360,000 operation before she can proceed. Please visit guerillatheatre.com or myspace.com/comicallyimpairedbenefit for more details. Meg
Dunno- Angela Kennedy |
Wednesday, April
16th, 2008 Finding
the Child Within: “A
Forgotten Treasure” peaks innocent curiosities By:
Susan Zedella My
curiosity peaked when Audrey McCrummen, assistant director of
Guerilla Theatre’s “A Forgotten Treasure,” introduced the show
by stating, “Please feel free—absolutely free—to sing along.
We would love it.” I
was interested to see how the audience would react. Children are
always the most willing participants at a sing-a-long, but there
were no kids present in the audience at the show’s opening.
Personally, I was feeling a little bit out of my element, as neither
a child nor a parent. What I discovered, though, is that when given
the opportunity, adults are quick to act like kids again. “A
Forgotten Treasure” is not a musical, although it does incorporate
familiar songs into the story to relay bits of history. “Pop Goes
the Weasel,” “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” and
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” all conjure up memories of
childhood past times. The
story begins with Clay, a restless youngster who is being forced by
his mother to clean out the attic of their home. His duties consist
of separating items that are destined to become garbage, to be kept
or to be donated. His disdain for the task is evident, as his mother
encourages him to work quickly and efficiently. Instead, he looks
for excuses to take a nap. The job of organizing the attic soon
turns into an adventure for Clay. When
Clay unlocks his grandmother’s hope chest, he also unlocks his
family history. He is visited by three beings from the past. While
it is not clear if these beings are ghosts, figments of his
imagination or real people, they are there to teach him the valuable
lesson to not take his modern conveniences for granted. Kameron
Scott King, playing the lead role of Clay, brings a very likable
personality to his character. While the 17-year-old Ashley student
is a mature theatrical performer, he is childlike and innocent,
without seeming cliché. Clay’s first visitor from the past,
Jimmy, is performed by seasoned Guerilla actor Jeff Boardman.
Boardman has a huge presence onstage, with a booming voice and a
pretty convincing Irish accent. The physical comedy that Boardman
brings to the show is also that of mastery. Appearing
to add to the tales of Clay’s Irish heritage is Erin Hunter as
Alice. Boardman and Hunter make an entertaining duo, even pairing up
to show off an authentic Irish jig called “The Flop-Eared Mule.” The
last visitor to Clay’s attic is a flapper named Macy, played by
Angela Kennedy, who serves double duty as the director of the show.
Kennedy portrays all the sass and spunk of a rebellious American
woman during the 1920s. Macy’s red flapper dress contrasts
Alice’s modest garments, and shocks Jimmy by exposing her
ankles—even her knees. While
the performers bring great energy to their roles, and the characters
are indeed lovable, the script itself is somewhat stagnant at times.
It quickly formulates a pattern that is consistent throughout the
play. The visitors from the past question Clay about the existence
of modern conveniences as a means to explain what their lives were
like without said conveniences. Jimmy’s discussion of breaking ice
off of the river and allowing it to melt in a tub in order to bathe
is interesting, but the play abandons the idea of a progressive plot
and adopts that of a historical narrative. The goal then becomes
emphasizing how we all should have an appreciation for the hardships
our predecessors were forced to endure. The phrase “quick, simple
and easy” is repeated many times throughout the story, playing on
the idea that something does not have value simply because it has
these attributes. While
adult audiences may be more critical, children will most likely
benefit from this concept of repetition—essential for retention in
young children. Thus, elementary school teachers often
“re-teach” a concept before building on it or utilize songs to
teach facts that require memorization. The script also focuses word
play, such as rhyming and alliteration, more educational techniques
to increase retention of the play’s theme for young audiences. Overall, Guerilla Theatre did a fine job to sustain entertainment through positive energy. The set was crafted with attention to detail, and the story told with a simple sense of lightheartedness and optimism. Parents and teachers alike: Take the kids to see “A Forgotten Treasure,” which continues at the Brown Coat Pub and Theater, 111 Grace Street, April 17th-19th. Tickets are available at www.guerillatheatre.com |
