THEATER BLOGGING



I got this email from Brian Gilbert at City Circle:



"Last night Sue and I got out to see ICCT's Opening of Little Shop of Horrors. What a treat! The show was terrific, strong points all around. The music was wonderful, the voices and acting strong. Lights, sound, costumes, and puppetry were all great.



And, there are some familiar faces from past Circle shows. I recommend you catch this one. It runs three weekends."



It should be great, these guys have been working their collective behinds off for weeks now. The info:



Come visit Iowa City Community Theatre's "Little Shop of Horrors," the darkly hilarious musical that became the off-Broadway hit of the 1980's. Loosely adapted from Roger Corman's infamous 1960 B-grade cult classic bearing the same name, "Little Shop of Horrors" blends the big musical and the cheesy science fiction flick into one huge campy blast of fun. Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy floral assistant who lives in the basement of Mushnik's Flower Shop and pines after his blonde-bimbo co-worker, Audrey. After a total eclipse of the sun, Seymour discovers a strange new exotic plant, which feeds only on fresh blood. Seymour slices his fingers to feed "Audrey II," who rewards him by making Seymour a minor celebrity as the plant becomes the talk of the city and Mushnik's Flower Shop is flooded with customers. But Seymour soon finds he can't keep up with Audrey II's voracious appetite.



Director Jeff Shields, who showed himself to be the mast er of campy, over-the-top humor with last season's production of Father of the Bride, lends a grand, hilarious, firmly tongue-in-cheek touch to this classic sci-fi spoof. Meanwhile, Musical Director Thomas Stirling grants his considerable talent to a stunning score composed by the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who redefined the animated musical film with Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin. The music crosses Broadway production numbers with Motown tunes to create an inspired production with lyrics saturated in humor and in-jokes.



Performances of Little Shop of Horrors are scheduled for September 24, 25, and 26, and October 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10. Don't miss out on the opportunity to see this production of one of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8:00 pm with doors opening at 7:00. Sunday performances begin at 2:30 pm with doors opening at 1:30.



Tickets for adults are $14 for evening performances, $13 for matinees. Students and seniors pay $12 for evening performances and $11 for matinees. Kindergarten through Sixth Grade students pay $6. For tickets, call the ICCT Box Office at 1-319-338-0443, or visit J. Hall Keyboards or the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center. Group rates are also available. Visit the ICCT Web site at www.iowacitycommunitytheatre.com for additional information.



Meanwhile, both Paula Grady and Annette Rohlk (starred in Rosenstrasse with me) are in the Moongarden Acting Company production of Mamet's A Boston Marriage. The info:





BOSTON Marriage

by David Mamet

Directed by Rachael Lindhart

Featuring

Paula Grady

Lisa Blouin

Annette Rohlk



Friday, October 1 8 pm

Saturday, October 2 8 pm

Saturday, October 9 8 pm

Sunday, October 10 7 pm



The Galleries Downtown

218 E. Washington St.

Iowa City

Tickets $10 at the Gallery

in advance or at the door

319.338.4442

or respond to this email:

moongardenacting@yahoo.com



"Devastatingly funny...

exceptionally clever...

[Mamet] demonsrates anew

his technical virtuosity and flexibility."

-The New York Times



Anna and Claire are two bantering, scheming "women of fashion" who have long lived together on the fringes of upper-class Victorian society. Between exchanging witty barbs with each other, they take turns taunting Anna's hapless Scottish maid. To this wickedly funny comedy, Mamet brings his trademark tart dialogue and impeccable plotting, spiced with Wildean wit.



I don't know how kid-friendly this one is, as Mamet is generally not G-rated.



Because I'm in City Circle's New Play Festival this weekend, I intend to go to Little Shop next Saturday (I'm ushering) and Boston Marriage on Sunday.



Riverside Theater is still running "Boy Gets Girl,"by Rebecca Gilman and directed by Michael Sokoloff: "Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Boy gets dangerous. Part thriller, part social commentary, University of Iowa alum Rebecca Gilman has written an unflinching and unsentimental portrait of a life irrevocably altered by a stalker. A Time Magazine #1 play of the year! Contains adult language."



There's a lot to choose from these next two weekends, depending on your taste. It's nice to have support for so much local talent.