Lebanon Valley College - Quittapahilla Yearbook (Annville, PA)

Page 23 text:

by Scott Kirk Another stinking review. Why can ' t newspapers leave poor ac- tors alone? They always gotta be writing critiques that hurt people ' s feel- ings. Where is the sense of justice in this world? Can ' t they just tell us what a good job we did and be done with it? That was the voice of an actor who despises being challenged. It could be any actor, anywhere, but it ' s probably someone from amateur theatre. Somebody who doesn ' t realize that feedback is important to improvement and the future of quality shows. It could be someone right here, on the LVC stage. Hopefully it isn ' t, but it ' s probable. Ok, so you want a pat on the back. I ' ll give you one (with a few critical end- notes to balance it out). Alpha Psi Omega ' s recent prouduction of Christie ' s Murder on The Nile was dynamic, well cast and well-paced. Although mysteries are almost sure to entertain, they can be dry. This pro- duction wasn ' t. Director Chad Saylor made sure the timing was right on, heightening the intensity of scenes with just the right tinges of excitement. For example, when Canon Penn- efather (Mike Steckman) is alone on stage, trying to decipher clues like a bloody hankerchief, a scarf and a hid- den bullet, we saw the thought pro- cesses going through his mind. He became our guidepost, our ticket to confirming or denying suspicions. Saylor kept Steckman ' s character ac- tively searching, luring the audience to follow his every move. Casting? Super. Let ' s take Jane Vail as Jacqueline de Severac. If this woman doesn ' t have stage presence, I don ' t know who does. As the self- assured, spoiled de Severac, Vail was the picture of concentration. In Act I, she caught the audience ' s eye by shouting, I ' m in hell all right! The hurting, vengeful intonation, her posi- tion facing full center, her shaking head and neck, and her tensed figure all Review worked together to show us Severac ' s frustrations. In Act II, she retained this concentra- tion as she sidled up to the table and belted down a few too many drinks. Singing and talking to herself, she was undaunted as Smith (Ross Hoffman) and Christina (Cathie Wheeler) carried on a dialogue only a few feet away from her. It would have been so easy for her to lose it, but she didn ' t. Julie Matthews as Kay Mostyn also gave a formidable performance. Her petting gestures, preciseness to detail and intonation were extremely effective in bringing out the snobbish guarded Kay who isn ' t as sure of herself as she lets on. Again in Matthews we saw the concentration and the congruency bet- ween facial and body gestures that are so vital to a convincing character presentation. Steckman ' s performance as Canon Pennefather was slightly uneven, but still credible. I mentioned previously that his scene alone on the stage spoke to the audience of this thought pro- cesses, as if we were inside his head. If he could have maintained that level of audience-empathy throughout all his scenes, the good Canon would have been a great Canon. But Steckman occasionally alienated the audience, becoming artificial in his scene with Matthews in Act I as he heard her confessions. Next, as he pro- bed de Severac, he was antagonistic and somewhat unfeeling. And yet we are still called to admire his Father- Knows-Best counseling and detective work. The sum of all these is a confus- ing, unsettling after-impression of a character we ' re not sure we knew. A few more kudos: Kristi Cheney as Miss ffoliot-ffoulkes added just the right comic gestures to un-tense the drama every so often. Wheeler as Christina was surprisingly emotive, making the most of her brief dialogue. And Kevin Biddle presented an ex- tremely disciplined, serious Dr. Bessner. Biddle gets my vote for the best use of strong, imaginative characterization in a supporting role. Take-it-or-leave-it Dept: Scott Zieber ' s portrayal of Simon Mostyn was certainly the least impressive of his performances to date. Breaks in his sentences were lacking and needed, especially in his dialogue with Penn- efather in the beginning of Act I. Too many times Zieber was caught in a monotone. To break out of it, he ' d raise his voice when Mostyn was angry or frustrated, but the change would occur too abruptly. In sum. Alpha Psi ' s Murder was more than I expected, thanks to some solid individual performances and a tightly paced exchange of action. Chalk this one under the quality theatre column. 19

Page 22 text:

Agatha Christie ' s Murder on the Nile Smith (Ross Hoffman) calms tfie Mostyns fiousekeeper, Nadine Saada. f iss Ffollot-Ffoulkes, (KristI Cfieney), broke up the intensity of the play with her humorous comments. Canon Pennefather, (f ike Steckman), helps Kay t osty n, (Julie t at- thews) down the steps following her encounter with Jacqueline de Severac (Jane Vail). Dr. Bessner, (Kevin Biddle) and Christina (Cathie Wheeler) help Jac- queline de Severac (Jane Vail) following the attempted murder. 18

Page 24 text:

' How To Succeed In Business ' Success In LVC Little Theater By MARY LOU KELSEY For The Daily News ANNVILLE — How to apply for a |0b. How to advance from the mailroom. How to avoid petty friends. How to dictate memorandum. How to succeed in business without really trying. Those are the problems that J. Pierrpont Finch tackles as he makes his leap from window washer to the mailroom to vice president to the boardroom in the delightful early 60s musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Try- ing. Finch follows a simple self-help book in his climb to success. The Lebanon Valley College cast follows a Pulitzer Prize winning script by Abe Burrows that cleverly captures that bygone era when men were men and women were secretaries, work was in the city and home was in the suburbs. I vaguely remember those days, but I keep refreshed by watching old Doris Day movies and Dick Van Dyke reruns. Sitting in the audience this week and watching the past unfold, I couldn ' t help letting out a few chuckles and making a few smug, We ' ve come a long way, baby comments to myself. I even went so far as to imagine what might have happened if director Lisa Russoniello had switched a few roles and made the women executives and the men the secretaries, but I decided to get off my feminist high horse and see the beauty of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The musical is bright, fun, intelligent and a chroni- cle of what some men probably consider the good old days. The wit, the music and the script don ' t have to stand the test of time. They are all bright, fun and highly enjoyable. The play is musical history. Besides, I am sure the women in the cast prob- ably thought it was all a myth. Today ' s younger generation couldn ' t possibly believe those days ever existed. Little do they know. J. Pierrpont Finch Is a brash young man with a vision. He envisions himself out of his window washer uniform and Into a three-button suit. His goal is to be the proud holder of the key to the ex- ecutive bathroom and the key to the boardroom. He envisions having all tfie trappings — a secretary, a wife and a home in the suburbs. He also envisions having It all yesterday. There will be no waiting around for J. Pierrpont Finch. If he weren ' t such a likeable guy you might resent him. The boss ' s boob of a nephew certainly does. His vision of how to succeed In business without real- ly trying is making constant phone calls to his mother. He doesn ' t even bother following the book. Rosemary, an office secretary, believes in J. Pierrpont Finch. She spots him immediately and decides that he is a secretary ' s dream — a hus- band. She tells the secretaries pool that she would love living in New Rochelle keeping his din- ner warm while he goes up the executive ladder. Meanwhile, her prince charming is following every step in the book while apparently doing everything the company way. Everyone seems to be putty in his hands. Actually it Isn ' t hard to make putty out of most of the people In the com- pany. The ditzy president knows little of what goes on. He is content to have his affair with the voluptous Heddy La Rue and allow Smitty, his secretary, to run the business. The rest of the executives follow his actions, 20 Review and if it weren ' t for the secretaries I doubt a single wicket would come out of the World Wide Wicket Co. (Well, I guess some things never change.) Finch has no trouble making his way to the top. He even beats his jealous co-workers at their own game, but his exuberance may be his defeat with Rosemary, who almost gives up on him until the secretary pool pleads with her. Don ' t Cinderella, darling, don ' t give up the prince Rosemary remains steadfast. Her prince stumbles a bit almost causing World Wide Wicket disaster, but in the end, just as the book tells him, he comes out smelling like a rose. The songs are quite catchy and quite familiar, although the last time you heard them was prob- ably on Muzak, which is a shame. I have always enjoyed the numbers, Brotherhood of Man, How to Succeed and I Believe In You. The direction was sound and tight and although the pace could have been a bit crisper, the show ran smoothly. Shows of this era call for a great deal of set changes which seem to eat up the clock and keep the audience waiting. This was not a fault of the cast. It is just the nature of that type of musical and the audience has to be a bit patient. The cast was talented and what ' s more they seemed to be having a great time. Robert Schalkoff as J. Pierrpont Finch captured the role In the true style of the man who originated it — Bobby Morse. He had a sense of style and mischievousness that warmed the audience im- mediately. Chad Saylor as J. 8. Bigley, the boss, took the role In hand and ran with it. Kevin Biddle as the nephew drew on all his comic talents and his ability to infuse those he works with that spark of energy needed for a college cast. In the secretarial pool Laura Pence shone as Smitty, the boss ' s efficient secretary. Kristi Cheney played a perfectly dedicated Rosemary and Maria C. DeMario was a comical knockout as Hedy La Rue. How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a good vehicle for the Lebanon Valley cast. If you want to know how to succeed you are in luck. The musical will be performed next Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Little Theater at Lebanon Valley College.