On Stage Tonight - "Best Christmas Pageant Ever!"

The wait is over: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever takes the stage tonight!

Here's the story from today's Herald-Dispatch:

While Marshall University’s students are in the maw of finals, the younger kids in the area have commandeered the bright lights of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center as the First Stage Theatre Company, Huntington’s children’s theater, and the Marshall Theatre Alliance have teamed up to present the rollicking show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Co-directed by the husband and wife team of Justin and Sydnee McElroy, the one-hour play will be presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 3 as well as 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.

Tickets are $12 and $8 for children. Call the Box Office at 304-696-2787 for more info.

Based on the best-selling 1972 book by Barbara Robinson, “Pageant” tells the story about the six wild urchins in the Herdman family who come to church just for the snacks and stay to take all the roles in the Sunday School’s Christmas play, giving the show a little bit of a twist.

Robinson adapted the book to the stage and since 1982 it has been a solid community theater holiday hit around the world. The book was made into an ABC movie in 1983 starring Loretta Swit, of MASH fame.

The McElroys also co-directed the play back in 2005 when First Stage presented the play. Read an interview with the couple in Thursday’s Herald-Dispatch Weekend section, packed with 20 pages and hundreds of ideas of great entertainment for the weekend and beyond in the Tri-State.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

A special play is taking the stage this Wednesday at Marshall University - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

It's special for several reasons: it's a delightful show; it's a great way to get yourself in the holiday spirit; and it's a rare creature - a co-production between the First Stage Theatre Company and the Marshall Theatre Alliance.

It's also directed by alumni of both. Justin McElroy starred in numerous shows for both First Stage and Marshall, and he and his wife Sydnee (who is the co-director) met while acting in First Stage shows.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever uses both local young actors and Marshall's actors, and the set has been designed by Jamez Morris-Smith at MU.

For those who haven't seen it, here's what the show is about:

All the kids in school are scared of the bullying, cigar-smoking Herdman clan.

The only safe place for them has been at church where the Herdmans wouldn’t be caught dead. That is, until little Charlie Bradley lets it out that church is followed by free cookies, punch, and other refreshments.

The Herdmans show up in force the next Sunday to see if this miracle of free goodies is true and are just in time to learn about auditions for the upcoming Christmas Pageant. And when they decide they want the key parts, who’s going to stand in their way?

The result will either be the most disastrous Christmas Pageant ever... or the best!

The show will be presented on the main stage at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center Nov. 30 through Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m.

Don't miss it!

On Stage Tonight!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a great holiday! I'm celebrating Black Friday my usual way: hiding at home (I went out to the store once on this date many years ago. It's not for the weak of heart).

There are two great shows being staged tonight:

- Curtains Up Players presents its Second Annual Holiday Cabaret, Family Memories! The show features a talented group of area performers, including special guest Chris Sizemore! The performances are at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the beautiful Jeslyn Performing Arts Center (the old Camelot Theatre in downtown Huntington)!

- Mary, based on the life of the woman who was the mother of Jesus, is an original Scarpelli-Kehde rock opera presented by the Contemporary Youth Arts Company. It takes the stage at 8 p.m. Nov. 25, 26, Dec. 1, 2 and 3, and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 27 at the WVSU Capitol Center at 123 Summers Street in Charleston.

On Stage This Week: Mary!

Charleston has a Christmas tradition that's returning to the stage for the 15th year. It's Mary, based on the life of the woman who was the mother of Jesus.

It's an original Scarpelli-Kehde rock opera presented by the Contemporary Youth Arts Company.

It takes the stage at 8 p.m. Nov. 25, 26, Dec. 1, 2 and 3, and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 27 at the WVSU Capitol Center at 123 Summers Street in Charleston.

It's a great show, and highly recommended!

On Stage This Weekend: Family Memories!

My pal Paul Neace sends along a reminder about a special concert this holiday weekend:

On behalf of Curtains Up Players, I would like to invite you to attend our Second Annual Holiday Cabaret, Family Memories!

As always, our show will feature a phenomenal group of area performers, and this year, we are happy to share a special guest - Huntington native and now professional performer Chris Sizemore.

The performances will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25 and 26 at the beautiful Jeslyn Performing Arts Center!

Tickets will be available at the door one hour prior to each performance. HOWEVER, by making reservations online or through a CUP Board Member, you can receive a special discount.

We at CUP would like to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and hope you are able to share it with us!

Be sure to "Like" us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter @CUPofTheatreWV, and check us out online at www.curtainsupplayers.org.

Trailer for "The Last Night of Ballyhoo"

Hey, the Marshall Theatre Alliance has created a trailer to promote this week's performance of The Last Night of Ballyhoo - and here it is:



The show is getting rave reviews - here are two comments we've received:

Bil Neal wrote:

Saw the last rehearsal last night. Not only is it a beautiful show, some of my favorites turned in lovely performances. Well worth the price of admission, and perfect for the whole family this time of year.

Stephen Vance wrote:

I agree with Bil. Great performances, strong script, and as always great lighting and set design. First show I've seen directed by Nicole Perrone and it was a great one. Kudos to the whole team. Go see this show.

The play runs this week, Nov. 17, 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse in Huntington. Don't miss it!

On Stage This Week: The Last Night of Ballyhoo

Taking the stage this week is the latest production from Marshall's Theatre Alliance.

The play is The Last Night of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry.

Here's a recap:

It’s December, 1939. Hitler has invaded Poland. Gone with the Wind is about to storm the silver screen in Atlanta, and the biggest concern of the Freitag family is Ballyhoo, a lavish ball for Atlanta’s Jewish socialites.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Broadway Play, The Last Night of Ballyhoo is a luminous and achingly beautiful play that confirms the importance of faith and family heritage.

The play runs this week, Nov. 16, 17, 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse in Huntington.

Highly recommended!

On Stage Next Week: Albert's Hall

Here's a show I somehow missed when I listed the shows for November - it's Albert's Hall, an original play by Jason McAllister.

(Thanks to my pal Sarah Diamond Burroway for passing along this info!)

The play takes the stage Friday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Community Church at 1100 Greenup Avenue, 2nd Floor (above Hope's Place) in Ashland, Ky.

The play was created by Sarah Diamond Burroway, Tiffany Caldwell Trent and Brian Cook.

Albert's Hall is the story of a hard-working river town and a mid-80's dispute between Maytown Coal and the union which impacts the lives of these modest people.

Comraderie is challenged as friends gather for a drink at Albert's Hall with labor talks going on behind closed doors across the street. The events of a single evening cause everyone to contemplate on a deeper level about what it all means for tonight - and for their futures.

This production is a fundraiser for Hope's Place, a children's advocacy center. Admission is $5.00 at the door.

The play is written and directed by Jason McAllister, with original music by Jason McAllister and Rob McNurlin.

Cast:
TALMAGE - Jason McAllister
WHITNEY - Tiffany Trent
ROBERT - Brian Cook
DAVE - Josh Day
ETHAN - Wes Thompson
DENTON - Kenny Riffe
CHARLES MAC - Tim Holmes
JOE JENKINS - Mark Cole
JOHNNY - Len Trent
SARAH - Sarah Diamond Burroway
JACOB - Rob McNurlin
CAROL HENSON - Sarah Diamond Burroway
TV REPORTER - Brittany Quillen Shaw

So see the show and support a great cause - it's a win-win situation!

On Stage This Weekend - Ashland's the Only Game Around

I was about to post that we have a rare weekend where there's no show to see... but then I got a message from my pal Jane Modlin about a show being staged by the Blazer Theatre Arts Society.

The show is called Murder's Bad... But Monday Can Kill You! It's described as an adventure in 'film noir.' Sounds like fun!

The show runs Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2:30 p.m. at The Millennium Center at Paul Blazer High School.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. For more information call 606-327-6040, extension 3602.

On Stage This Week - "Young Frankenstein"

My pal Dave Lavender files this story about the upcoming performance of Young Frankenstein:

When Rory Donovan graduated college he hoped to land a role, any role, in a touring production. He sure landed a "big one."

Tromping around the stage in five-inch heels, Donovan gets to play the 7-foot-tall and about 4-foot wide monster that's created nightly in the campy comedic national tour of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein.

Brought in as part of the Marshall Artists Series' 75th anniversary season, the musical will be performed in the historic Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10.

Tickets are $58, $50 and $45. Tickets can be purchased at the Marshall Artists Series box office, located on the east side of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, or by calling 304-696-3326.

Donovan, a 27-year-old and 2011 Graduate of University of the Arts, said it's been a rip to be out nightly immersed in the camp of one of America's true comedic mad men, Mel Brooks. Brooks first twisted the classic Mary Shelley story in his Oscar-nominated smash hit 1974 film Young Frankenstein that starred Gene Wilder.

"It's a very cool and it's funny and it's campy and interesting and it doesn't get stale," Donovan said, "Some musicals doing them night after night you can feel a little stale. This one always feels fresh and always feels different and fun."

Young Frankenstein follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that's "Frankensteen") as he attempts to complete his grandfather's masterpiece and bring a corpse to life.

Together with his endearing helper Igor, his lab assistant Igna, and in spite of his self-absorbed fiancé Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster, but not without scary and quiet often hilarious complications.

Unfolding in the forbidding Castle Frankenstein and the foggy moors of Transylvania Heights, the show's raucous score includes "The Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and the unforgettable treatment of Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On the Ritz."

That razzle dazzle and slapstick comedy is the work of the Brooks, the three-time Tony winner who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the book along with his record-breaking team from The Producers - five-time Tony winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman and three-time Tony winning writer, Thomas Meehan.

Stroman most recently won critical acclaim for her direction and choreography of the Broadway production of The Scottsboro Boys. She directed and choreographed The Producers, winner of a record-making 12 Tony Awards including Best Direction and Best Choreography.

Donovan said it's been amazing to be on stage when the musical magic of comedy, camp and choreography collide.

"Highlights for me are doing the hermit scene and that scene is always a blast because it is such well-written slapstick comedy and it really works off the audience," Donovan said. "That and 'Putting on the Ritz' and just feeling that energy every night. They know what is coming but they are going to laugh at it as if this is the first time they ever heard it."

Donovan said it's been a challenge but a lot of fun portraying the monster since all emotions get poured onto the stage nightly.

"The thing I really appreciate about the monster is that is innocence in its purest form," Donovan said. "The way I look at it it's like a new born baby in a 7-foot-tall-and-4-foot-wide body. Everything is acted to the nth degree. You're as terrified as possible and as happy as possible and every reaction is completely over the top like an infant would respond, and it's monstrous and a lot of fun."

Donovan, who grew up as a huge fan of Brooks' cult-classic comedy movies such as Robin Hood: Men in Tights and SpaceBalls said it's been really cool to turn on more of his generation to the earlier works of Brooks from the 1970s when he reeled off such classics as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

"I think what this musical and The Producers does is that it helps people fall in love with his earlier work that I think my generation is a little less familiar with," Donovan said of Young Frankenstein which won the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award and the Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Musical. "It's one of the better movies and that is what I appreciate that the musical is turning on a whole new generation."

Donovan said especially this fall in the run-up to Halloween, it's been a blast playing one of the classic monsters as crowds have been all jacked up for the show.

"The crowds have been fantastic and obviously around Halloween it vibes really well with the audience and we've been getting some really great crowds."

If you go

WHAT: The new Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein as part of the 75th anniversary season of the Marshall Artists Series.

WHERE: Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, 825 4th Ave., Huntington

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10

HOW MUCH: $58, $50 & $45

GET TICKETS: At the Marshall Artists Series box office, located on the east side of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, or by calling 304-696-3326

ON THE WEB: www.marshallartistsseries.org

A Sad Farewell

It's been a rough week for Huntington.

First my beloved Chili Willi's closed - a restaurant I've been visiting since it opened in a tiny venue next to the Cinema Theatre.

Then the Jolly Pirate on First Street closed - thankfully, the one on Route 60 is still around.

Then Friday came the word that the Cinema Theater had closed its doors.

That's sad, not just because it's the last of the three Fourth Avenue theaters, not just because I saw so many great (and some not-so-great) movies there, but because I have such fond memories of the people who worked there over the years.

When I was in college at Marshall I spent a couple of years working at the Keith-Albee Theater as a doorman and projectionist, and I sometimes worked with or assisted fellow employees at the Cinema and Camelot Theaters.

We'd assemble new movies late Thursday night (and sometimes "screen" the new releases after midnight), change the Marquee letters and the posters - it was a fun job (especially for a college kid), and I got to see lots of movies and eat lots of popcorn.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next for the Cinema. But I'll miss the old girl.

Here's the story about the closing from the Herald-Dispatch:

The Cinema at 1021 4th Ave. closed its doors for good on Thursday.

The discount theater was the last of the Huntington locations for Greater Huntington Theater Corp., and it closed because of a lack of business, according to a press release from the company.

"First, we would like to thank all our customers who have supported the Cinema over the many years we have been in business," the release said. "We have been carrying losses over the past several years in hopes we could turn things around and keep the Cinema open but that didn't happen. We found that with the first run theaters keeping the movies longer and the shorter time before the DVDs are released, the discount movie theater business just doesn't work."

The Cinema had eight employees.

Greater Huntington Theater Corp., run by President Derek Hyman of Huntington, still operates three other theaters in the region: Park Place Stadium Cinema in Charleston, Fountain Place Cinema 8 in Logan, and Pierce Point Cinema 10 in Amelia, Ohio. But the Cinema wasn't sustaining itself.

"There's so much money you need to run a building like that, and with discounted prices, we didn't manage to make enough to keep it open," Hyman said in an interview Friday morning.

In 2006, the company closed the historic Keith-Albee as a movie theater, as well as the Camelot movie theater, citing competition from the Marquee Cinema at Pullman Square, which opened in late 2004.

The Cinema was kept alive as a discount theater featuring second-run movies. It offered a variety of specials to attract movie-goers, such as free movies for kids in the summertime - which drew crowds of local day care children - and "Flashback Mondays," when they showed classic movies on the big screen, as well as offering "$2 Tuesdays."

Its closing marks the end of an era for a company that got into the entertainment business in downtown Huntington in the 1920s.

"I've known I'd do this for a couple of months and I thought I was prepared, but it's made me sad today," Hyman said.

The Greater Huntington Theatre Corp. was opened by Derek's grandfather, Abe Hyman, and great uncle Saul Hyman, who opened the ornate Keith-Albee Theatre in 1928. The theater corporation was handed down from Abe and Saul Hyman to Jack Hyman, who ran it until the 1990s, when Derek took over.

Along with the theaters downtown and its remaining current theaters, the business has had others as well, including the East Drive-In along U.S. 60 near the current site of HIMG. There also was Starlight in South Point.

The Cinema was once the Orpheum Theater, and it was in business years before the Keith-Albee opened in 1928, according to local historian Jim Casto.

"The Orpheum was built as a vaudeville theater," he said. "When movies came along, it featured both movies and vaudeville acts. Ultimately, like the nation's other theaters, it became strictly a movie house."

Before it was turned into a multiplex, it seated more than 1,300 people, Casto said.

Anyone holding gift cards with balances, valid gift coupons or valid advance tickets for The Cinema can contact its corporate office at 304-523-0185 for a refund.

On Stage in November

Running a little late with this month's rundown - sorry about that!

As always, if I've missed any shows, send in a comment through the link at the bottom of this post, or email the info to me at TheMinskers@aol.com.

Now, the list for November:

- Bat Boy the Musical - Curtains Up Players presents the musical Nov. 4 and 5 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 2:30 p.m. at the Jeslyn Performing Ats Center (the old Camelot Theatre).

- Best Christmas Pageant Ever - First Stage Theatre and the Marshall Theatre Alliance present the holiday play about the worst kids in school who decide to be part of the school’s Christmas play. The result will either be the most disastrous Christmas Pageant ever - or the best! The play will be presented Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 2 and 3 at 7 p.m., and Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

- Young Frankenstein - The Marshall Artists Series presents the touring version of the hit Broadway musical at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

- Annie - Charleston Light Opera Guild, in collaboration with The Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of WV, stages the Broadway blockbuster Nov. 4, 5 and 6, 2011 at the Maier Performance Hall at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.

- Mary - Contemporary Youth Arts Company will present its 15th annual production of the Scarpelli-Kehde rock opera at 8 p.m. Nov. 25-26, and Dec. 1-3, and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 27 at the WVSU Capitol Center, 123 Summers Street, Charleston.

- The Last Night of Ballyhoo - Marshall University’s Theatre Alliance presents the play that confirms the importance of faith and family heritage Nov. 16 – 19 at 8 p.m. at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

So get out there and support your community theatre!

It's "Frahnk-en-steen"

The Broadway touring show of Young Frankenstein, which is based (of course) on the hilarious Mel Brooks movie, will take the stage at the Keith Albee next week - and here's a great story about it from the Herald-Dispatch:

Halloween might be over but you can keep the freaky fun going as tickets are on sale for the new Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein.

Brought in as part of the Marshall Artists Series packed 75th anniversary season, the musical will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

This re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that's Frankensteen) as he attempts to complete his grandfather's masterpiece and bring a corpse to life. Together with his endearing helper Igor, his lab assistant Inga, and in spite of his self-absorbed fiancé Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster, but not without scary and quiet often hilarious complications.

It is based on the 1974 film, Young Frankenstein of the same name and both were created by Mel Brooks, who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the book. It was created by the same team as The Producers, including director and choreographer Susan Stroman and Thomas Meehan.

When Frederick Frankenstein, an esteemed New York brain surgeon and professor, inherits a castle and laboratory in Transylvania from his grandfather, deranged genius Victor Von Frankenstein, he faces a dilemma. Does he continue to run from his family's tortured past or does he stay in Transylvania to carry on his grandfather's mad experiments reanimating the dead and, in the process, fall in love with his sexy lab assistant Inga?

Unfolding in the forbidding Castle Frankenstein and the foggy moors of Transylvania Heights, the show's raucous score includes "The Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and the unforgettable treatment of Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On the Ritz."

Young Frankenstein is the winner of the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award and the Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Musical. The New York Times said Young Frankenstein has "the largest percentage of gags per scene."

Tickets are $58, $50 & $45. Tickets may be purchased at the Marshall Artists Series Box Office, located on the east side of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, or by calling 304-696-3326. Patrons can also visit www.marshallartistsseries.org for ticket information. The box office is open noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased at any Ticketmaster location, including online at www.ticketmaster.com.