The Toledo area has an open invitation to a dinner party.

Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party” is the third production of The Village Players Theatre’s season. The play follows six people who have been invited to a dinner party, without knowing how or why.

“It’s one of those plays where you laugh one moment, then it’s serious the next moment, then you laugh again,” said director Jeff Albright.

On top of his Academy and Tony Award nominations, Simon is the only playwright to have had four Broadway productions running at the same time.

“He’s an American institution as far as the theater goes,” Albright said. “I think sometimes he’s dismissed because there are a lot of playwrights that write very serious plays all the time.”

Albright described his six-person cast as “top-notch.”

“I got very lucky in the audition process,” Albright said. “It’s important in the casting of this play that particular people have certain chemistry with one another and I had just an incredible group of actors show up at auditions.”

Of the six, Albright has already worked with four, Barbara Barkan (who plays Gabrielle) being one of them.

“[She’s] somebody I really look up to,” Albright said. “She’s up there with the best I’ve ever seen. She’s like the Maggie Smith of Toledo.”

The one cast member Albright’s worked the least with is JD McIntyre, a local disc jockey who plays Claude. This is McIntyre’s first production with The Village Players.

McIntyre said he enjoys working with Albright.

“He’s very direct,” he said. “He’s not afraid to say what he likes. He’s not afraid to say when you’re doing something he would prefer you didn’t. As an actor, you have to trust the director to make you look good. You don’t feel lost with Jeff.”

The cast of ‘Dinner Party’: Back row: Jake Gordy, John DuVall and JD McIntyre. Front row: Elizabeth Cottle, Barbara Barkan and Marissa Rex. PHOTO BY CHRIS JAGODZINSKI

McIntyre said the sarcasm from his character is his favorite. The play is a challenge though, he said.

“Especially with Neil Simon,” McIntyre said. “There’s layers and layers. You have to know who you are and what you’re doing at every moment.”

Albright, who directs a play every couple of years, is not unfamiliar with the playwright’s work. This is the third time he will be involved with a production of Simon’s.

“The Dinner Party” is a comedy, but touches on serious matter, Albright said.

“It was something that was different from a lot of his writing before. In light of what’s going on in the world, [it’s important] to be able to laugh at the human condition.”

Albright said he can relate to the script.

“Without giving too much away, the play is about relationships,” he said. “We have to make relationships work when things aren’t perfect. I definitely relate to it. I’m in a very long-term relationship and not every day is sunshine and lollipops.”

Albright became interested in drama in college after he was assigned a general education theater class during his first semester. For a time, he lived in New York and performed in plays off-Broadway.

Albright moved back to Toledo in 2003.

The Village Players Theatre staff is encouraging the public to give back for this show. They will be sponsoring a food drive for the Feed Your Neighbor Food Bank of Northwest Ohio. Patrons can bring a nonperishable food item or a monetary donation to any of the performances.

“Our patrons have been so good to us,” saidChris Jagodzinski, who is vice president of development for The Village Players. “The holidays are a hard time for [the nonprofits.]”

Jagodzinski said he wants to give back once a year at least. Any donation from a guest will be entered into a drawing, eligible to win a pair of tickets for all shows in the 2013-14 season.

“The Dinner Party” will run Jan. 11-26. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors.

For more information, visit the website thevillageplayers.org.

Tags: Neil Simon, Village Players

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 11:56 am and is filed under Star, Theater.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

What if Romeo and Juliet’s parents would have wanted them marry? In “The Fantasticks,” two fathers, one with a daughter, the other with a son, arrange to have their offspring fall in love. In the end, the two lovebirds (and their parents) discover that love is more complex than a business arrangement or a moonlit walk. For three weeks, Director Paul Palmisano delighted full houses to a fantastic production. Dave Dysard seduced the audience into trusting El Gallo.

From the moment Dysard entered, he owned the production. When El Gallo told the audience to remember when they were young, Dysard’s smooth articulation manipulated their minds. As El Gallo sang, Dysard’s deep voice enchanted them. Dysard danced figurative and literal circles around the other actors. The two fathers, Hucklebee (David Engel) and Bellomy (Tom Wagner), were hilarious.

Engel’s no-nonsense demeanor was comical, yet relatable. Wagner made Bellomy’s emotions entertainingly exuberant. In the song “Plant A Radish,” the clash of their acting styles created captivating chemistry. The parents’ bickering was more absorbing than the story’s central couple. The same is true for the two professional actors, Henry (Larry Farley) and Mortimer (Paul Palmisano).

Farley’s confident demeanor made Henry the epitome of a Shakespearean actor. As Henry incorrectly quoted Shakespeare, the gusto in Farley’s voice made the audience burst from their seats. Even though Henry is the over-dramatic actor stock character, Farley’s performance made him believable. Palmisano was hysterical as Mortimer, Henry’s touched sidekick. Farley and Palmisano consistently generated the loudest reactions from the audience. Even though it is the longest-running musical in the history of American theatre, “The Fantasticks” is not without flaws.

With the exception of El Gallo, the characters are flat. Luisa is weak-willed. Matt lacks a unique personality. While the fathers have the best intentions for the couple, they are underdeveloped. While the Shakespeare quotations are cleverly integrated, the songs are forgettable. In one scene, there is an outdated and stereotypical depiction of Native Americans. Despite this musical’s shortcomings, the cast and crew of “The Fantasticks” gave their audience an unforgettable production.

“The Fantasticks” concludes the 53rd season of the Village Players Theatre. Its 54th Season begins on Sept. 10, with “Play On!” a comedy by Rick Abbott.

Tags: The Fantasticks, Village Players

This entry was posted on Friday, May 28th, 2010 at 7:55 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Theater.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Ask anyone involved in Canadian theater over the last few decades, and chances are they’ve not only heard the name Norm Foster, but are also great admirers of his rather large body of work. One of the award-winning playwright’s most celebrated pieces will soon be making its way to Toledo, when the Village Players present “The Melville Boys.”

The production features Joe Capucini as Lee Melville, Derek Hansen as Owen Melville, Elizabeth Palmer as Mary, and Clara Engel as Loretta. Norb Mills is directing for the company. The show’s producers are Jean Mills and Tom Wagner.

“One of the most difficult aspects of directing this production was the casting, because we had so many great actors audition. I think that’s because one of the things that Foster does so well is create such good characters. We really do have a wonderful cast that had to pull things together with less rehearsal time due to the holiday season,” Mills said.

Mills is no stranger to the acting bug. A Village Players veteran for more than 27 years, he has appeared in a number of past productions including The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Mixed Emotions, Cabaret, and the recent comedy Squabbles directed by Wes Skinner. A retired communications professor, Mills spent 31 years teaching at the University of Toledo.

“If I had to describe this play, I guess I’d just say that it is about life’s up and downs, its smooth parts and its rough parts, it has something for everyone, something that each member of the audience can relate to in some way, whether it be the theme of cancer or missed opportunities.”

Known as Canada’s most produced playwright, Foster’s other works include “Sinners,” “The Long Weekend,” “Bedtime Stories,” “Storm Warning,” “Here on the Flight Path,” “Jenny’s House of Joy,” “Mending Fences” and many more. “The Melville Boys,” which was Foster’s second play, was first staged by Theatre New Brunswick in 1984 and was later issued as a trade paperback book by Playwrights Canada Press in 1997.

The Village Players production runs January 8-23 at 8pm Thursday through Saturday and at 2pm on the second Sunday. The play contains adult themes and is not recommended for children. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. The Village Players are located at 2740 Upton Avenue.

For more information, call (419) 472-6817 or visit www.thevillageplayers.org.

Tags: Melville Boys, Village Players

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 2:43 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, Theater.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.