OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR! - Winona State University

written by: Joan Littlewood, Theatre Workshop, and Charles Chilton
director: Jim Williams
music director/accompanist: Sandy Todd
choreographer: Heather Williams-Williams
scenic design: Peggy Sannerud
light design: Peggy Sannerud & Andy Glischinski
costume design: Tracy Van Voorst
stage manager: Gavin Johnson
cast: Cody Anderson, Sam Bolt, Rebecca Borchardt, Adam Calcagno, Ella Dierberger, Catherine Douglas, Josie Hannon-Geller, Brad Krieger, Jake Leif, Courtney L'Heureux, Kayla Nelson, Sam Scherrer, Abby Schmidt, Stephanie Trypuc, Lance Urbick, Kayla Williams-Schwarze, Heather Williams-Williams

A 1960's satirization and attack on the war profiteers of World War I as only the British could conceive it.

#####

What do you say about a show that has almost nothing worth writing about?

There were a couple of strong performers in the show (it's difficult to name who they were because the playbill only lists the actors as "Ensemble") and it's quite possible that all of them were decent performers, but the direction of this piece...

This play was the brainchild of Joan Littlewood in the 1960's, but she, or someone connected with the lay, hated the color khaki and didn't want to put the actors in army khaki green and instead gave it more of a circus/commedia dell'arte look.  This production is trying to recreate that feel, but there's little sense that anyone understands why they are performing it in the way that they are.

It was muddy, and generally illogical.

The black and white clownish costumes were interesting and nicely done.  It certainly created an interesting tone - it's just too bad nothing else lived up to it.

The set was workable.  There was an attempt to add some levels to the staging, though it wasn't used particularly well.  The rolling carts that represented the trenches on the front lines were very well done but strangely out of place - they were quite realistic but the 'soldiers' in them were in black and white clown outfits.

And while there seems to have been an attempt to recreate the 1960's production, the addition of video/slides on a screen center stage brings this piece decidedly into the modern stage.  This dichotomy of styles only compounds the lack of focus on the project.

I was glad I went simply because this is the sort of show I would likely never have an opportunity to see again, but at the same time, I wish I had these two hours back.

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD - Viterbo Univesity

written by: Jacques Offenbach
English lyrics and book: Buck Ross
reduced orchestration: Omari Tau
director: David Gardiner
music director: David Richardson
choreographer: Joey Miller
scenic designer: Frank Ludwig
lighting designer: Ann M. Archbold
sound designer: Megan Gunderson
costume designer: Bryce Turgeon

cast: Katie Bean, Aidan Buckingham=Taylor, Alexandra Burch, Arianna Day, Jackson Diedrich, Hunter Evenson, Emma Finder, Jonathan Gill, Sierra Glosson, Abigail Hall, Cameron Henrickson, Zach Johnson, Aaryn Jones,Cameron Lande, Joseph Madary, Cale RauschMax Rosa, Deana Schmidt, Sarah Seegert, Libby Sorenson, Nick Temte, Leah Wons, Dylan Woodman, Emma Woods

#####

How often do you get the opportunity to see an opera like Orpheus in the Underworld?  If you live in a major metropolitan area with a regularly producing opera company, perhaps there are more opportunities. But for those of us who live in a rural area, the opportunities are much less.

The production at Viterbo University was pretty average college fare.  Most of the performances were somewhat tepid and the direction simple.  As is often the case with opera, the voices are most important, and indeed, our leads (Arianna Day as Eurydice, Jackson Diedrich as Pluto, and Hunter Evenson as Jupiter) sing divinely.

The costumes are the star of the show, however ... with Cameron Henrickson as Mercury making an applause-worthy entrance and outshining the rest. The costume theme is clear and well conceived and beautifully executed.

I am not a fan of productions that add regional commentary and inside jokes and this production added more than a few.  Not being previously familiar with the show, I don't know what the references typically are and how the modern references may have changed things.

The music is familiar, of course, and some may be surprised at just how familiar.  You might not be expecting to hear the 'can-can' in an opera about gods and hell, but this is the show where that familiar piece originated.

I'm glad I went but this was definitely a college performance.