Recent Events
If you don't find it here, check the archives (filed by date of the event)

Quick links:
The ShoeString Community Players "Disney’s Beauty and the Beast" - July 12, 13, 14 and 19, 20, 21 at 7 pm, July 14 and 21 at 1 pm. Review by Ned Piper

Longview Stageworks "Angry Housewives" - April 13- May 6. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 pm; Sunday, 2 pm., review by Horace J.Digby
Lower Columbia College Band Concert - Tuesday, March 6, 2007, review by Howard Meharg
"The Chairs" and "The Bald Soprano"   two plays by Eugene Ionesco
Review by Jueanne Meyers (Show presented March 1-17 by Lower Columbia College Centerstage)

Proof by Longview Stageworks, Jennifer Cheney, Director, through February 18, 2007, Review by Susan Donahue
Tuna Christmas (Longview Stageworks) review by Ed Phillips
LCC Symphonic Band Provides Evening of Superb Musicianship (Concert Tuesday, November 28, 2006) a review by Howard Meharg

Ned Piper earned  a B.A. degree in drama at the University of Washington and enjoys community theatre. He also writes a regular column for Columbia River Reader, "The Spectator."

Opening Night • July 12, 2007

A rousing, standing ovation exploded from an appreciative audience as the curtain rang down on an impressive opening night production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, staged at the Olmscheid Auditorium in St. Helens. Each and every actor, singer and musician contributed to the success of this musical treat. I’m continually amazed at the wealth of local talent we have in the Lower Columbia River region.

Director Lisa Bishop must be very proud of her cast, the orchestra and all the backstage workers who helped her mount this colorful production.

Her decision to raise the curtain on a blank scrim (a piece of fabric made of cheesecloth that covered the entire proscenium), then backlight the opening scene of the prince being transformed into a hideous beast by a scorned witch, was effective. There was no doubt that we were about to witness a fairy tale.

The painted backdrop gave a positive first impression, upheld throughout the play by clever, professional scenery. The scenes move effortlessly from location to location with just a few minor additions or the removal of certain pieces. Actors fully used the entire set, with its various elevations. With roughly 50 bodies on stage involved in complex dance routines, it was obvious that countless hours had gone into perfecting them. All the crowd scenes were animated and lively.

Belle (played by Abby Olson), while bookish and seemingly-aloof, is the most eligible young woman in the village. Her father Maurice (acted by Patrick Birkle), an unsuccessful inventor, is the village laughing stock. The town’s conceited “hunk” and blowhard, Gaston, played by Tom Weaver, is convinced that Belle will agree to marry him, but she is an independent young woman who has no interest in becoming Gaston’s wife. When Maurice gets lost in the woods and ends up in the castle inhabited by The Beast, he encounters a strange set of characters. Former aids to the Prince, they were transformed from humans into household items as part of the spell which changed  the Prince into the Beast.

We have Lumiere (portrayed by Mike Judah), who is a candlestick; Cogsworth (Larry Ward) who’s become a grandfather clock; Mrs. Potts (Kate Knutson) as a teapot and her “chipped teacup” child, Chip (Sarah Thurston); Babette (Jenny Mason), a feather duster; and Madame de la Grande Bouche (Sandi Hess) who is an armoire. These hopeful “household items” see the possibilities of the Beast’s spell being broken if he can fall in love with, and be loved in return, by a woman. If this can happen, they will be restored to being human again.

Co-staring with the actors are the costumes. That they were rented for this production does not diminish their importance. They are cleverly devised and the actors use them well, with excellent comic effect. Mike Judah and Larry Ward, Lumiere and Cogsworth are very funny with their Abbott & Costello back and forth antics.

I previously mentioned the wealth of talent on display on the Olmscheid Auditorium stage. Not only is Abby Olson’s singing voice crisp and melodious, but she manages to convey authentic emotions through it. Her voice is ideal for musical theatre.

Tom Weaver’s Gaston is well acted. His powerful voice and comic sense carried the scenes he was in. In his scenes with Lefou (Doug Weaver), Gaston’s sidekick, they worked well together, not only in their comic timing, but their physical slapstick, as well. The young Mr. Weaver is a highly talented comer.

The third main star, along with Belle and Gaston, is the Prince/Beast, both played by Caleb Thurston. Here is another fine actor with a superb voice. He effectively conveyed the pathos in the Beast’s lonely life. Then, as a relationship develops between the Beast and Belle, he is able to communicate to the audience his change of attitude.

I can’t stop without mentioning the three Silly Girls played by Amanda Allen, Kayla Sullivan and Tori Sullivan. These giddy girls are simply gaga over Gaston. They sigh and swoon whenever this pompous gent comes into view. They are delightful. At times, when they squeal, however, it’s a bit shrill. Perhaps their microphones need to be turned down a notch.

Also, sound-wise, there were times when the music rising from the orchestra pit overpowered the actors’ spoken dialogue. This may be difficult to modulate, but it should be worked on. Overall, the 13-member orchestra, directed by Ron Nunn, enhanced the professional quality and ambience of the show.

The crowd scenes were all splendid. Near the end of the first act, their rousing rendition of “Be Our Guest,” ended with a surprise resembling fireworks on the Fourth of July. All in all, the audience loved the show. The ShoeString Community Players have been producing shows for 25 years. This is their 26th musical, and undoubtedly one of their best to date.

This is an amazing and stunning community production, an entertainment treat you shouldn’t miss.

LONGVIEW STAGEWORKS HAVE A HIT ON THEIR HANDS WITH "ANGRY HOUSEWIVES" by Horace J. Digby

Ever wonder what happened to those teens from the hit movie and musical “Grease”?  Well, they grew up, had daughters and those daughters became Angry Housewives.
 
Here's the question: How do four frustrated housewives respond to the rush of life's problems, bill collectors, loss of a husband and the turmoil of new relationships?
 
They form a punk rock band, of course.

Angry housewives -- Bev (Jamie Hegsatd), Carol (Julia Marsh), Wendi (Janeene Stephens) and Jetta (Ashley Stevens) -- are stuck in a world of teenagers, financial pressure and the choice between self-obsessed husbands and boyfriends or no man at all.  And did I mention, it's a musical?  The book is by A. M. Collins of Denver, Colorado, with Music and Lyrics by Chad Henry of Everett, Washington.
 
The “Everett Herald” wrote that composer Chad Henry expected Angry Housewives to run six weeks (its original engagement in Seattle).  But instead, its Seattle run lasted just shy of seven years.  It ran five years in Portland, six years in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has been performed in Chicago, Off-Broadway in New York, London, Vienna, Tokyo, Australia and the Philippines.  The Santa Rosa, California production ran so long it earned enough to build a new theater.
 
Longview Stageworks' production of Angry Housewives features many of our community’s most talented actors and they can sing. too.  Combine this with very impressive choreography by Angry Housewife Julia Marsh, and you have a play with a richness and complexity that completely belies its simple premise.  My hat is off to director Leslie Slape and her superb cast, crew and musicians for bringing it all together so nicely.  And you've got to love the songs.  It's hard to believe these talented actors, singers, dancers and musicians are all local performers.
 
Jamie Hegstad's expressive portrayal of angry housewife "Bev" leads the way.  Grasping at straws, Bev has turned to Betty Jean Cosmetics, a multilevel marketing company, whose business plan appears to be based on the color pink, the rejuvenate power of crankcase oil, and a requirement that its members Think Positive (the title of Hegstad's first song).
 
While Bev valiantly struggles to maintain her PMA, son Tim (Nick Long), an aspiring punk rocker sporting amazingly weird spiked black and green hair, works equally hard to bring Bev back to the earth, always at the worst possible moment for Bev but the best comically well-timed moment for the audience.  All the while, with perhaps just a slight hint of knitted brow, or an uncompleted move to wring her hands, Hegstad almost imperceptibly allows us to see past Bev's positive facade to the true panic hiding behind her forced broad smiles.  Hegstad gives a perfect delivery that creates some of the funniest lines in the play.  (But I won't tell you what they are here.)
 
Bev's friends want to help.  But Wendi (Janeene Stephens) and Carol (Julia Marsh) are also struggling.  While Jetta (Ashley Stevens), the only Angry Housewife who actual still has a husband, is saddled with "Larry Prince, Junior Partner," as Obadiah Noakes repeatedly calls himself.  Playing Jetta's charming but quirky husband Noakes is both self obsessed and a lawyer (but then, I am repeating myself).  Noakes really makes us believe that his character Larry believes Jetta's place is in the home, folding boxer shorts, tying neck ties and tending to their ever growing nest of daughters. Stevens takes her character Jetta through a marvelous arc.  While allowing her to remain just a bit obtuse and comically blunt, Stevens moves Jetta artfully from an anything but liberated wife; to minor rebellions against spousal authority characterized by Jetta's "don't tell Larry" attitude as the other housewives convince her to join their foray into the world of punk rock; to Jetta's apex as a lead singer, trumpeting the Angry Housewives' new song, “Eat Your F*&%ing Cornflakes.”
 
Wendi, played by Janeene Stephens, has her own man problems.  Her beau is Wally (Adam Pithan), an award-winning fisherman who is more attentive to his boat than to Wendi and her unforgettable smile. Stephens' verbal fencing with the Ackroyd-esque Pithan is a pure delight. 
 
Carol (Julia Marsh) is a real presence on stage, especially singing and dancing (along with the other housewives) in her performance of the song “Generic Woman,” and later, when she becomes romantically entwined with the punk-rock-club impresario Lewd Fingers played by Michael Cheney. Marsh also does an excellent job doubling as choreographer for this production, coming up with some enjoyable dance moves for the cast.  
 
Pithan, Noakes, and Cheney, despite their quirky characterizations, do a commendable job of keeping the play real, serving as much more than foils for the housewives and at times each other.  Cheney and Pithan sparkle with their comic song and dance, “Betsy Moberly,” as does Noakes with his various bits of business, including one I will call "the string-bean dance."  Adam Jacobson performs wonderfully both on and off stage as Lewd Finger's stage hand and lights manager, "Weasel." 
 
As director, Leslie Slape had to work with all the tools at her command to bring off this complex musical at the Pepper Theater.  The audience is on three sides of the stage (which is not a stage at all, but the main floor).  As with most shows at the Pepper Theater, this production uses only minimal sets (by Michael Cheney) and props (by Jennifer Cheney): a raised platform, a stairway, a couple of black wooden blocks, a table or two and for a big splash of elegance, drapes and a chandelier pop into view for one scene.  The result is that Jennifer Cheney's lighting design and costume design by KC Andrew play a major role.  And perhaps I wasn't supposed to think so, but as punk rockers the Angry Housewives actually looked sort of hot in Andrew's costume designs.  Be sure to look for the whisk adorning Hegstad's neck line.
 
Slape was concerned not only with tempo and delivery, but also with how her players moved.  "I will tell an actor to walk over there (pointing) or to stand here.  Then I might change it to, 'sit here,' or 'move there.'  It can be a lot like rearranging furniture," Slape said.  But the director also worries about things her audience isn't supposed to notice; like set changes. "Your crew needs to be well rehearsed . . . In some plays you might notice a crew member pick up a prop, start to remove it and then put it back."  Such uncertainty slows the play and detracts from the theater experience, Slape warns.
 
I must salute Slape's crew. Adam Jacobson, Felicia Bowman and Eric Rakestraw remained all but invisible making set changes.
 
And what is a musical without music.  Musical director Dorothy McMillan gathered a fine stage band, with herself on piano, Melanie Press on drums, Dennis Yalch on bass guitar and Kory Randall on guitar. Professional and versatile (they played everything from punk rock to vaudeville song and dance) their music seamlessly supported all the singing and dancing, helping to make “Angry Housewives” a very enjoyable evening of theater.  
 
It looks like Producers Jennifer Cheney and Bethany Pithan have a hit on their hands.

Horace J. Digby writes a regular column for Columbia River Reader and won the Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor in 2005. You may notice his acute sense of humor creeping into his play reviews. Digby earned a degree in communications from the University of Washington and has acted occasionally in community theatre since 1968. He follows in the footsteps of Robert Benchley who, in addition to being a humorist, was a noted play reviewer.

Compositions by women composers featured at LCC Symphonic Band Concert

Women (composers) ruled!
They did last night (March 6, 2007) at the Lower Columbia College Symphonic Band concert performed in the Columbia Theatre in Longview.

Band director, Dr. Gary Nyberg, selected a program of compositions by women. The band opened with “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1,” by Joan Tower…a bit of a take-off from the “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland. This was followed by Anne McGinty’s “Tientikos.” McGinty is considered the most prolific of all women composers for concert band. A five movement work  by Germaine Tailleferre, a highly revered French composer, was featured to close the first half of the concert. It was called  “Suite Divertimento.”

Great Britain’s Ruth Gipps contributed “Seascape, Op. 53” to open the second half, followed by “Motivations,” another work by Anne McGinty.

Nyberg’s choice for the program finale was by Cecile Chaminade and featured Dawn Weiss, who has been the principal flutist with the Oregon Symphony for 25 years. Ms. Weiss played “Concertino, Op. 107.”

As usual, Dr. Nyberg’s choice of literature pushed his accomplished musicians to even further growth. This again was not easy literature. The opening fanfare, featuring a formidable brass and percussion group, was dissonant at times, rhythmic and multi-metered and called for some virtuosic work from some of the area’s best players. Mark VanZanten’s timpani work was especially to be noted.

Composer McGinty’s “Tientikos” was a study in textures and, at time, almost disconcerting combinations of instruments, making for strange tonal colors.

The five movement work by Tailleferre could be likened, as Nyberg pointed out, to some of the work by American composer Charles Ives. In some sections it appeared that there were several melodies in different keys all going at once…polytonality to be sure, but (while dissonant) somehow all fitting as it should.

“Seascapes,” by Gipps, was performed by a double woodwind quintet. Nyberg’s program notes call it neo-impressionistic. It did take on a Ravel-like lack of key centeredness at times, but the melodies that passed from flute to clarinet to the double reeds and horns were still tonal in nature. Lisa Sudar, English Horn, and bassoonist, David Taylor, showed exquisite musicality in solo sections.

The last two works on the program were especially satisfying. “Motivations” (again by Anne McGinty) is based on the first five notes of the minor scale as in the hymn tune “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” I suppose it would have been easy for the composer to get carried away by the power of that melody and let the brass blaze away. But she kept a marvelous balance between the stateliness and power of the hymn tune and, at times, almost whimsical rhythmic devices. This work stuck closer to traditional harmonies and the band played it beautifully.

Dawn Weiss, as one might expect from such a consummate professional, was the supreme master of the “Concertino, Op. 107,” by Chaminade. Technically, Weiss was superb. Her tone was sheer purity. The band is to be commended for such tasteful accompaniment and was especially effective in graceful entrances following flute cadenzas.

The encore was solo flute by Ms. Weiss. Band members and Conductor Nyberg listened as she took the spotlight, in her lovely red dress, and played Claude Debussy's beautiful, impressionistic “Syrinx,” for unaccompanied solo flute. “Syrinx” refers to a type of flute called a “pan flute.”

I keep saying this, but music lovers in this area need to be reminded that this is not your ordinary “town band.” The Lower Columbia Symphonic Band is a first rate musical organization to be taken seriously. Some of the best musicians in town play in this group. I’m betting they do it because they get a great deal of musical satisfaction in participating in such high quality music making. The LCCSB is becoming less and less of a secret, but deserves considerably more attention from serious concert goers. The next concert is June 5. It features one of the finest tuba players in the northwest, local student Tristan Calabrese.

The Chairs and
The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco

REVIEW by Jueanne Meyers

The notes in the program will scare you. They tell you that plays  in the Theatre of the Absurd genre “all share the view that humanity inhabits a universe with which we are out of key.  It’s meaning is indecipherable and our place within it is without purpose.  We are bewildered, troubled and obscurely threatened.”

You are not, however, in for a night of terror and depression.  The audience I sat with laughed often and loudly at the mad antics of the characters on stage during Centerstage’s production of “The Chairs” and “The Bald Soprano”, both by Eugene Ionesco.

“The Chairs” is up first, with a simple set of two chairs, on a floor painted with circles and squares.  Hung from the ceiling are circle cut-outs that reminded me of gel frames.  On the back wall, a pair of boarded-over windows. The scene is the island home of an old man and woman. The circles evoked the sense of an island and the boarded-over windows clearly showed the isolation of the couple.  Leslie Wheeler and Scott Lawrence did an admirable job of portraying the old couple. I particularly enjoyed the consistant physical characterization throughout. Scott, as the old man, set the tone at the very beginning when he entered and tried very hard to step up onto a stool to peer out the window.  He had the audience laughing with him from that first moment.  Leslie’s attempts to sweet-talk him into doing what she wanted made every woman in the audience laugh in recognition.

The Old Man has a message he wants to give to the world. His wife alternately praises and discourages him. I was struck by the conflicting messages she sent, and by how malleable he was to her manipulations. Invisible guests arrive, and the audience is treated to some very vivid interpretations of what those guests are like. It was well-played, but I would have liked to see the two actors agree on a focus point when they were talking to the same “guest”.  Sometimes it was distracting to decide where the guest was, or whether the guest was sitting or standing. 

The old man doesn’t feel that he can adequately express his message to the world, so he hires an Orator to deliver it for him. It was entertaining to watch the room fill up with guests as we waited for the Orator to appear. The poor wife was kept busy running for more chairs until the entire stage area was filled.  Luke Chestnut made a magnificent entrance as the Orator, and Leslie and Scott made an equally magnificent exit. I won’t tell you more than that, except to say that Ionesco seems to be commenting on the futility and insignificance of our existence . . . and I will leave the audience to ponder whether the guests were real or a figment of the imagination.

“The Bald Soprano” was Ionesco’s first play and was written while he was trying to learn English using the Assimil method.  He found the whole process absurd and was struck by the things he learned that were as stupefying as they were true – the fact that there are seven days in a week, for instance, or that a ceiling is up and a floor is down.  The Bald Soprano is his comment on that experience.

Mrs. Smith, played by Leslie Wheeler, was pretty in pink, but Mr. Smith’s (Dawson Carter) costume was so garish that I had a hard time seeing past it. In terms of drawing attention to the absurd, though, it worked marvelously. Scott Lawrence and Jamie Hegstad played Mr. and Mrs. Martin, a neighbor couple who drop by for a visit.  They have an absolutely delightful interchange as they try to figure out where they have seen each other before. Their intricate movements create a dance that is very engaging.

The whole play involves a dance-like choreography with the chairs and the people constantly moving and revolving around each other, changing places and coming back again, just like the conversational rhythms. I loved the women’s victory dance when they think they have won a battle with their husbands.

Jessica Burgoyne does an excellent job as Mary, the maid, and Alex Brown creates a delightful foil with his character of the fire chief.

The conversations roil and boil and become more and more nonsensical towards the end of the show as everyone talks and no-one listens.  With every conversation unheeded, all the words become chaotic and communication breaks down completely.  Which is, after all, the point.

Longview resident Jueanne Meyers is Director of Rising Star Productions, a community group which presents two shows each year. She has been involved in theatre all her life.
"I am drawn again and again to the theater because it allows me to explore places and people that are outside of my everyday experience. . . And I love it.  I love every aspect of theater.  I love acting and directing and costume making and set building and finding the perfect props and designing programs . . . there is a joy in motherhood and a joy in other things that I do in my life, but there is also a joy that I only feel when I'm standing on a stage connecting with an audience, or standing backstage watching actors whom I've nurtured come alive.  It fulfills a part of me that would otherwise be empty."

IF YOU GO

“The Chairs” and “The Bald Soprano” by Eugene Ionesco.
Presented by Lower Columbia College Centerstage.
March 1 – March 17, 2007.

Performed at Pepper Studio Theatre, 1235 Vandercoork Way, Longview
Tickets: $9.50 Adults, $8.50 Students/Seniors. CTPA Box Office 360-575-TIXX or at the door.

Proof, presented by Longview Stageworks

REVIEW by Susan Donahue, Opening Night Feb 2, 2007.

Do the math: The "Proof" is in the performance.

Jennifer Cheney’s well-crafted production of "Proof" proves itself with strong acting, a poignant story, and a surprising amount of humor. Longview Stageworks' Co-Artistic Director Cheney has delivered a thoroughly enjoyable production that enchanted the audience at the Pepper Studio Theatre on opening night.

David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play is about mathematics--on the surface, that is. However, audience members don’t need to know a thing about the advanced math concepts occasionally discussed in the play because Auburn’s play is much more about relationships in the human realm. And, while it’s not a laugh-riot, there are many moments of humor to alleviate the tension of this powerful drama.

Catherine (Jessica Burgoyne) has cared for her father Robert (Steve Thorpe), a brilliant university mathematics professor, during his long illness, sacrificing her own goals and dreams. Once dubbed a genius, Robert’s condition has brought with it mental illness, and the hundred or so notebooks that he has compulsively filled contain little more than gibberish. Catherine’s sister Claire (Megan Chappelle) has supported the family financially from afar, distancing herself from the anguish of a deteriorating father and a disheartened sister. Enter Hal (Dan Polacek), one of Robert’s former PhD students and now a university professor, who believes that the notebooks might contain some hidden brilliance. Through one emotionally-charged weekend, the characters pull together and pull apart and they struggle to find the proof to resolve their own urgent questions.
Jessica Burgoyne is exceptional as Catherine, and this is Catherine‘s show--she‘s in nearly every scene. Her expressive voice and face convey every nuance of this intelligent, passionate, sometimes brooding, frightened, loving character. Burgoyne made me love Catherine and fear for her mental health--does she recapitulate her father in his genius or his madness, or both? But when Burgoyne smiles, I know it’s cliché, but she lights up, and I couldn’t help but smile myself.

As Robert, whom we meet mostly in flashbacks, Steve Thorpe is first-rate. Thorpe expertly handles the frustration and humor, the logic and irrationality of this complex character. The scene between Catherine and Robert, when he breaks down, moved me to tears. Thorpe has marvelously performed in many comic roles, and his humor is right on the mark in this play also, but here, he is strongest in scenes of pathos.

It would be easy to play Claire as a one-sided, stereotypical antagonist--the "together" sister who thinks she will save the day. Megan Chappelle, however, does not take the easy road; she has sculpted a multi-faceted Claire in order to make her likable at times and unpleasant at others.

Dan Polacek as Hal is affable and tenacious. His understated portrayal is a nice contrast to the intensity of the other characters.

A few adjustments would enhance this excellent production, however. First, Chappelle and Polacek were occasionally too quiet to be clearly heard and understood. This was the case especially when the actors were facing away from me. That brings me to another note: I was seated on the side and there were too many moments when actors were turned away for extended periods. If the settee and chair were angled a little less, that would solve part of the problem; actors "cheating" out (turning slightly toward the audience) would solve the rest. Finally, a few scenes felt a little rushed, especially toward the end of the play.

The technical components also deserve kudos. Lights, sound, costumes, and set all suitably enhanced the production. Michael Cheney’s attractive set looks like a back porch and it provides a number of levels to work with. However, the rail does obscure sight from the front rows on the sides of the theatre.

The subject matter and the language make "Proof" most appropriate for more mature audiences--I'd say PG-13 as a rating. If you want a thought-provoking, dramatic evening out, this production, which continues through February 18, may be your cup of tea.

12-2-06
Tuna Christmas
Production by Longview Stageworks (Fri., Sat., Sun., Dec. 1-23)
Directed by Bethany Pithan
Featuring Joey LeBard and Michael Cheney

There is nothing not to like about Longview Stageworks’ presentation of Tuna Christmas. It is particularly enjoyable if you appreciate men in panty hose. Think “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour” meets Skamokawa, only it isn’t mud on their boots. For those of you with really long memories, think of an updated Lum and Abner transported to Texas.

Playwrights long ago discovered the inherent humor of men dressed as women and Tuna Christmas exploits this concept very well. The

intimate venue of the Pepper Theater is the ideal platform for the play’s virtues.

“Tuna Christmas” is the anti-Christmas Carol. Tuna is a Texas town populated by a congerie of Tuna-ites of varying ages, genders proclivities and downright eccentricities. It’s the kind of town that Tom Wolfe would document for The New Yorker.

It’s not clear that Tuna has a stop light but it does have a drive-in restaurant with two waitresses aptly named Helen Bedd and Inita Goodwin. Need I say more?

Plot is not the point, but characterization is. The story begins 24 hours before Christmas and has three minor plot lines designed to emphasize the characters’ various eccentricities. A local production of “A Christmas Carol” is threatened with closure due to unpaid electric bills, some citizens plot to upset the annual winner of the yard decorating contest by adding underwear and other accoutrements to the manger scene, and we follow the exploits of one dysfunctional family as the Baptist mother has a few drinks, loses control, and acts like a Methodist. All of this is done with a great deal of good-natured humor and is performed by two male actors.

The two actors, Mike Cheney and Joey LeBard, are seasoned performers and have performed this play many times. They believably and humorously inhabit all 20+ characters with a genuine humanity, although they seemed entirely too comfortable in panty hose.

In a play where two actors must portray many roles, coordination with the support staff is crucial to the smooth transition from one scene to another. Thursday night all went well and the transitions were seamless. There are 39 costume changes in all, 25 in the first act alone.

The true test of any play is the audience reaction. Thursday night, a good time was had by all. The play runs Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.: Tickets for the evening performance are $16 adults and $11 seniors and students. All matinee seats are $11. It is time and a dime well spent.

Edward Phillips, a retired teacher, economic consultant and public employee, is a musical theatre aficionado.

11-28-06
LCC Symphonic Band provides an evening of superb musicianship

Tuesday night’s performance by the Lower Columbia College Symphonic Band was another exhilarating example of the richness to be found in the musical arts in the area. While Director Gary Nyberg’s 50 member wind group may be lesser known, it takes absolutely nothing away from the SWW Symphony’s status in saying that the band deserves equal acclaim.

Nyberg’s programming took a nautical turn in the concert entitled “Seafaring Music.”

The band opened with Mendelssohn’s “Fingal’s Cave Overture.”

Mendelssohn visited the legendary Hebrides Islands cave by boat in 1829 and was so taken by the experience he wrote the opening melodic theme that day. He finished the oft played work a bit later and its premiere performance was in 1832.

The band’s Mendelssohn performance was solid and, as it was all evening long, characterized by richness of tone, much of this to be attributed to fine playing in the low woodwinds. It’s worth noting that the use of cornets in the upper brass warmed the tone and contributed to excellent blend in the opening piece.

The second work in the first half of the concert was “Poseidon: of Horse and the Sea” by Aldo Rafael Forte. “Poseidon,” the last movement of a four movement piece by Forte, pushed the musicians technically, as Nyberg is apt to do. “If you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it,” he said, referring to a tactic by many conductors of advanced community ensembles…that of pushing the musicians to further growth.

Richard Rodgers’ “Symphonic Scenario, Victory at Sea,” was written for the 1950s TV series by that name. The show depicted naval warfare during World War II. Bennett’s skillful rewrite of the orchestral score made it appear as if the work was designed for wind ensemble. One had to be impressed with the band’s flowing lines and marvelous blended unison in the low brass in the calm parts of the work, but nothing can elevate a listener like the full power of the whole wind ensemble brass section. “Victory” was indeed a winner last night.

Grainger’s “Molly on the Shore” featured some excellent work by Robert Mayclin, first-chair clarinetist. Mayclin set the example for some virtuosic playing throughout the band in this very difficult piece based on Irish dances.

The final selection of the first half, “The Sea Treaders: In Calm and Storm,” was written in 1995 by W. Francis McBeth for the U. S. Naval Academy Band. This dramatic piece gave the percussion section a workout. It featured some outstanding work by Mark VanZanten, tympanist, Tony Amata, Angie Boyer-Blum, Bill Goodwin, Kurt Harbaugh, and Angela Lagergren.

The band returned from intermission with “Sea Songs” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It wasn’t until the 20th century when the better known composers began to take seriously the band and wind ensemble genre. Vaughan Williams knew the British military band idiom, and wrote this setting of sea songs for it.

John Herberman’s “The Fisher Who Died in His Bed: Variations on Newfoundland Folk Song,” is a four-movement setting of ballads from Canadian sources. The opening section of the work called for some rather transparent woodwind and horn playing. While not appearing to be technically difficult, there were some mild intonation problems early in the piece. As good musicians do, adjustments were made and the issue was soon resolved. Brian Smith provided some exquisite fluegel-horn playing during one section of this piece.

Director Nyberg couldn’t resist adding another Percy Grainger piece to the evening of sea-faring songs. As the program notes said, “Grainger collected folk songs like a botanist collects flowers.” “British Waterside, or The Jolly Sailor” (complete with the song lyrics) allowed for a little musical humor…especially in the deliberate use of “out-of-sync” saxophones…probably an inside joke by Grainger, himself a saxophonist.

The final selection on the program featured Seattle’s Dr. Jay Easton, the band’s guest artist. Easton astounded the audience (and we suspect all the band members) by showing off the tremendous range, tone quality, and artistry that can be achieved on the baritone saxophone. It’s not the first instrument to come to mind for a composer to use in a concerto like solo setting. “Rhapsody for Baritone Saxophone” by Mark Watters, is truly an amazing piece. Easton is truly an amazing virtuoso on the instrument. The piece allows for a display of the instrument’s mellow low tones and unbelievably high pitches as well as Easton’s superb technical agility. This performance alone was worth the price of admission and much more. Apparently Easton plays some 30 other woodwind instruments. As Director Nyberg recommended…look him up on the web! The young artist will continue to make his mark in the musical world.

Music lovers of the area are missing it if they ignore the LCC Symphonic Band. While the weather contributed to relatively poor attendance Tuesday evening, I suspect there is a tendency to assume “another town band” type of presentation. or maybe there is even a connotation of  “marching band.”  Those wishing for real instrumental ensemble artistry will not be disappointed in this organization. The programming is wonderful and very satisfying. As with most community college musical groups, the ensemble is truly community in make-up. About 18 of the musicians are full-time students at LCC. The remainder of the 50 member band consists of some of the area’s finest instrumentalists. It speaks well of the respect these people have in Dr. Nyberg’s leadership. They are fully aware of the excellence he requires and appreciate playing in a group that sounds so very good.

You can hear the Lower Columbia Symphonic Band again on January 14, along with the LCC Invitational High School Honor Band; on March 6; and again on June 5. These events are in the Columbia Theatre building. Gary Nyberg pointed out that the new Fine Arts Building at the college is scheduled for opening in the fall of 2007. The inaugural concert date has not been set yet.

Longview resident J. Howard Meharg has been involved in music all of his adult life. He earned a Master's Degree in Music Education from Western Washington University. He began his teaching career in Castle Rock and then taught vocal music at Kelso High School for 14 years. His professional career includes two tours with the famed Norman Luboff Choir. He returned to teaching in 1981 and directed choirs at Mark Morris High School until his retirement in 1995. Over the years, he has directed many school, church and community vocal groups, including the Columbian Choral Ensemble and Male Ensemble Northwest (founder). He is frequently called upon to judge at music contests and festivals, Howard enjoys travel, reading, designing websites and writing and is an occasional contributor to Columbia River Reader.