"South Pacific" at the University of Great Falls

The University of Great Falls' production of "South Pacific" is a bright, energetic, catchy and fun musical in which its strengths outshine the few problems I noticed.

The cast I saw featured Kristi Hale and Darryl Stevens as Nellie Forbush and Emile De Becque, Matt Twedt as Luther Billis, Jason Hodne as Joe Cable, Ali Semenza as Bloody Mary, Brian Logsdon as Commander William Harbison and Ed Moran as Captain Brackett.

"South Pacific" is a classic, well-known musical, so it's crucial that the songs are done well, and for the most part the UGF cast delivers. The girls were just as strong as the guys and there are small details that all give the show life. The short USO performances before the main show is fun, too with my personal favorite act the tap dancing from Jessica Burton and Lindsay Jolliff.

Sarah Raines, the show's director, did a fine job of casting and directing the actors to make their roles believable, lighthearted and interesting to watch. Her musical expertise paired with assistant director Dana Kirkmeyer's stage experience I felt made for a great combo behind the scenes.

The UGF cast performs "Honey Bun." Photo courtesy of Darron Raines

Some of the standout performances for me were Stevens' singing in "Some Enchanted Evening," "This Nearly Was Mine," and "Twin Soliloquies." His powerful, full voice commands attention whenever he opens his mouth. 

Stevens has significant stage experience and it shows in his confidence, stage presence and vocal range. Throughout most of the show I saw him not as an actor playing a Frenchman, but as an actual Frenchman on a small island who's trying to escape his past. Having his two children perform in all French was a nice touch that only made it more real. 

The same can be said for Hale's interpretation of Nellie. While she did have a slight flub on the opening of "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair," she made a quick recovery and delivered a gleeful performance with the help of the ensemble. She made Nellie seem naive, loving and gentle. 

The best song, hands down, however, is "Honey Bun," and the ridiculousness from Mr. Twedt. While some people in the audience seemed a bit unsettled, his was a rousing performance in drag that was very memorable, funny and strong. The fact that Twedt sold it with no hesitation put it over the top. 

Moran's performance of Captain Brackett, too, was top-notch. 

You believe he's an actual Navy captain that anyone who served could probably identify with. He was angry when he needed to be, silly when it was called for and even funny in a few scenes, too. 

Finally the set pieces were likely the best I've seen at UGF since Michael Gilboe took over the program. 

The turnstile that quickly switched the scene from a living room to an outdoor jungle, Bloody Mary's hut and Nellie's shower during "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair," all helped the audience get immersed into the story. I was impressed that the shower had running water coming from it, a little detail that viewers would notice were missing if not included. 

As much as I enjoyed most of the show, there were a few things that I felt were a bit problematic. 

The recorded music seemed a bit too loud at times. 

It's a delicate balance but I think it could've been a touch quieter to give the actors' voices more prominence. 

The sailors perform "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" Photo courtesy
of Darron Raines

Also, it took me nearly half of the show to get used to the fact that there was one speaker on the left-hand side but not one on the right, which created a bit of an uneven listening experience, almost like if you put on a pair of headphones and one side was silent. A small caveat, but noticeable nonetheless.

I also had one small issue with the lighting. During the scene with the island girls standing on the steps in front of the stage, a lone light shone on the girl at the top, while the rest of the girls could barely be seen. 

The biggest concern I saw, though, was during Bloody Mary's portion of "Bali Ha'i." 

Semenza's vocal performance was good and her ability to portray herself as a middle-aged Asian woman was solid, as well. She was at her strongest when she was playing foil to the sailors and officers. During her song, though, it needed a lot more movement from her and the other characters on stage. 

Everyone was flat footed, which is fine, up to a point, but I could see a slight touch of boredom in the faces of some of the sailors. 

I was hoping someone would do some sort of movement on stage. This was alleviated, somewhat, when Luther Billis takes over and he starts to move on stage, but I wanted to see more of it before that. 

Semenza had great movement and character traits going for her before the song, I would have loved to have seen that carry over to her song, also. 

Another smallish problem is one I can appreciate as a difficult to approach. 

I felt like the intimate scenes with Emile and Nellie weren't quite as passionate as they could have been. The kissing, the touching, the embracing, all felt a little awkward. 

The island girls and Bloody Mary perform in "South Pacific"
Photo courtesy of Darron Raines

I say this is a difficult problem to address because of the sensitive nature of acting as if you love someone. It wasn't a showstopper, but I did find that I was left wanting more of a realish connection between the two. 

Stevens' and Hale's singing and individual acting performances, though, were wonderful. The leads are some of the best I've seen at UGF.  

I unfortunately did not see the other cast due to an illness, so I can't speak to the performances of those actors. 

All and all "South Pacific" is a stellar show with lots to enjoy if you're familiar with the show or not. The songs are catchy, the singing is professional and the costumes, props, set designs and direction were great. 

I recommend everyone see this show, which runs again on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings of this week. 

For more information on the show, check out my article from last week's Hot Ticket: 

The Cascade Quartet's "Schubert and Friends" concert, April 6

The Cascade Quartet yesterday performed the grueling, yet satisfying piece, Schubert's "String Quintet in C Major," along with Lucie Vellère's "String Quartet No. 3 and "ECHOES" by visiting composer Chen Zhangyi.

The Cascade Quartet and Fern Glass Boyd

Guest cellist Fern Glass Boyd joined the quartet for the Schubert piece, as well.
Everyone should see the show, there's one more on Tuesday at the Russell Museum, just for the chance to hear the Schubert piece, which, is as close to perfection as a string quartet can get in terms of source material. The sweeping highs, the quiet lows, the richness that Boyd brings to the piece is a magical journey of classical sounds you really have to hear for yourself.

Nothing I say about the piece likely will change anybody's opinion -- it's a legitimate masterpiece placed in the hands of professional musicians. But, if you have not heard it, consider checking it out, even if you're not a purveyor of fine culture.

The final movement, to me, is quite unlike any other I've ever heard. As they wrapped it all up, I envisioned what it must have been like to first hear it played in front of thousands of people in the late 1800s, and the adoration that likely followed.

While there probably weren't that many people at Sunday's show, the standing ovation the audience gave was much deserved.

Before the quartet dived into the Schubert, they played an avant-gardeish piece from Zhangyi, a Singapore native living in Baltimore.

Zhangyi spoke about the piece beforehand, and he suggested folks think of actual echoes as they listened to the sounds.

I found myself a little unsure of it at first, but once I accepted that it's not supposed to sound like Beethoven or Bach or, well, Schubert, I started to see more of its brilliance.

The piece likely won't appeal as much to fans of "conventional" classical music. There's a real purposeful unsettling feeling throughout, punctuated by the picks and plucks each of the performers played.

As I was listening to it, I felt it swell like a wave of sound masked as water expanding and retracting onto the shoreline. There were several moments where I would close my eyes and I'd feel like I could see what the echoes might look like as they were being played.

If I had any complaints about the show, it's that for people sitting in the back rows, you couldn't quite see the performers entirely because they are at ground level inside the chapel. Having them on an elevated platform might help alleviate that. You could hear them wonderfully, however, as the acoustics in the room are quite good.

The performers all were dressed in professional dresses and suits (Well, Thad, was, at least seeing as he was the only male performer,) so it's a bit of a shame I wasn't able to see them better from the back.

They play at a different venue on Tuesday, the C.M. Russell Museum, however, so it's likely easier to see them there.

It also would have been nice to see them play an encore after the roaring applause died down. Having just played the mammoth 55-minute Schubert piece, however, I think the audience can understand how they might have been a tad bit exhausted.

All and all I enjoyed the performance and felt honored to have heard it played by such a talented group of musicians.

You still have another chance to check out the show -- they play again Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Russell Museum.

Reasons to be Pretty at Montana Actors Theatre-Great Falls

The MAT production of Neil DeBute's "Reasons to be Pretty" is a stark contrast from the past few shows the theater has produced.

The script is considered by many to be a dark comedy. It seemed that MAT made it more of a drama, although I didn't consider that it was taking liberties with the story that was not befitting of its tone.

Emily Townsend and Levon Allen in a scene from
"Reasons to be Pretty"

It works fine and there were some fine performances to be seen as it's presented.

The cast I saw featuring Jeff Scolley, Levon Allen, Mary Willmore and Emily Townsend does a good job, mostly, at sucking the viewer into the characters' world.

There were some points where I felt the actors could have taken a different approach, but I'll get into what I enjoyed first.

The scenes between Jeff and Levon (Greg and Kent) I felt were the strongest of the play.

This is the first play the two have worked together, but you wouldn't know that if you weren't told that beforehand. They read each other's cues well, they work at playing off each other's emotions, and they project their voices well so you know what's being said. The same can be said for the two females, as well. There was never a time where I felt I couldn't hear or understand what was being said or why it was being delivered at that time.
The actors did a great job in delivering the story from the point of view of real people.

The music used between scenes was appropriate and catchy, and the lighting and set changes were done well. Perhaps trying to do set changes in front of the audience would've made it more dynamic, but that's a style choice more than anything.

As for the story, if you're not familiar, it focuses on a man who lets his tongue slip around his friends and calls his girlfriend's face "regular."

Once word gets back to her, she erupts and says that she could never be with a man who doesn't find her beautiful, and his attempt to put the genie back into the bottle. It also poses ethical questions about how what one says in private, a la Kent to Greg about his wife and his mistress, can be just as harmful as what one says when he thinks it's in confidence, as is the case when Emily hears what Greg says in regards to her appearances.

It's a look at how words and appearances, while oftentimes shallow, can leave deep scars on a person depending on the circumstance.

The actors do a good job at conveying the message and it makes one think about how it has an impact on your own life.

The fight scene between Jeff and Levon in particular stands out as reason to go see the show. It's staged well, it's believable, and it's a confrontation that sticks with you after you leave the theater.

The issues I had with the play involve the decision to make the script less funny than it maybe could have been, and the decision to over-humanize the characters rather than make them more story characters.

I think it's always a balancing act in how much humanity you give your characters and how much "dramatic technique" you give them to make them work in conjunction with the plot.

These characters also could have used more staging. There were scenes where the cast would stand and deliver lines without moving much at all. If you're following along with the dialogue, it wasn't much of a problem, but if you're trying to also watch the characters' movements, the way their non-verbal communication can say more about what they're feeling and thinking rather than the words they're using.

It's very subtle and not always necessary, but it can make a difference between a good production and a great one.

Another problem area I saw was during the scene with Carly and Greg, where Carly feels Greg knows more about Kent's whereabouts than he's leading on. Kent, at this point in the story, has been having an affair with a coworker and confided in Greg about it. Greg, put in an awkward spot, must either tell Carly the truth or keep his promise to his friend.

The scene seemed too casual. Carly, instead of coming across as desperate for information, seems rather nonchalant.

It took me out of the story for a few brief moments because I thought, "well, I'm not sure I'd act that way in that given circumstance." I felt Mary could've used a bit more anxiety, more accusation, more pain in her delivery. It's still a good scene, she sticks to her method of delivery throughout (which is better than switching back and forth between casual and intense) but I felt it needed a different approach. .

Some people have said that the story has too much cursing or that they felt that Emily wasn't right for the role of Steph.

I disagree with those critiques.

Just because an actor might not fit the character the way you picture him or her in your head, doesn't mean it's a bad performance, and the swearing, while noticeable, wasn't anything I felt was outright offensive. Adults swear from time to time in the heat of the moment. It happens.

All and all, "Reasons to be Pretty" is a step in the right direction for MAT and they should feel pleased to know that community theater still has a place in Great Falls. If you haven't seen it, there are still several opportunities to do so this weekend.

It's an entertaining performance and one where the issues I had with it were all subjective and not anything that caused the story to come to a crashing halt.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told, Dec. 21 at MAT-Great Falls

Last night I saw the MAT-Great Falls production of "Every Christmas Story Ever Told," and overall wasn't that impressed.
I will add a few qualifiers before getting to that, though. The story has some potential. There were a few moments that made me laugh and I wouldn't say it was completely worthless. It wasn't.

I also should add that I left at intermission. Out of respect to Dana, Josh and Aisha, I offer my sincerest apologies for leaving early. I experienced a circumstance beyond my control that made me unable to return.

But, I will, however, offer my thoughts on what I saw.

The good
I enjoyed watching Aisha's enthusiasm for her role. Connie, too, had lots of enthusiasm and almost childlike wonder. This was her first experience acting, and it showed, but she was indeed full of energy and life. I also liked the light show as the first half was ending and seeing the three actors, the previously mentioned Aisha and Connie along with Josh Wendt, dancing silly-like on stage to the music while the Christmas lights flickered in sequence.
Finally, the scenes where they asked someone from the audience to get up and help with the scene worked wonderfully. The person asked to get on stage often added something quantitative to the show that garnered some of the biggest laughs.

The bad
Firstly, I understand why Josh had a script in his hand as they had an actress drop out at the last minute forcing him to fill-in. I understand that.
However, when I saw the show it was Josh's third weekend performing it. Granted he did not glance at the script much at all, probably the least he had of all the weeks, but the fact remains he was up there with a script.
It might not be fair to compare local actors, but I think this comparison has merit.
When Krystine Wendt, Josh's niece, was asked to step in at the last minute in I Hate Hamlet, and in Steel Magnolias, she did so without a script.
Maybe that shows how well Krystine is at memorizing her lines more than anything against Josh, but well, there's just no way this aspect of the show can be construed as anything but a distraction, however small or big depending on your preference.
Like I said, I didn't notice Josh looking at the script hardly at all, but he did still have it and did still look at it so it's always going to be something I'll mention.

Secondly,
I think what made the end of the first act work for me, like I said earlier, was the decorations. The rest of the time the set was plain black. Perhaps some garland or some colored lights, even a Christmas tree, might have added to the atmosphere. I kept wishing there was any kind of small Christmas decoration during the entire show.
I also had a hard time following the plot during several of the skits. The Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer skit was all sorts of confusing because for some reason they made the reindeer have a green nose and made him not a reindeer. There were several other instances where the plot seemed to be so convoluted I wasn't sure quite exactly what was going on.

Thirdly,
The lighting at times didn't quite spotlight all of the actors on stage. The opening scene, in particular, was troublesome as you could see Josh and Aisha fine but Connie appeared to be standing in the dark for a good majority of the scene. It would have been nice to be able to have lighting on each person. It wasn't noticeable for the whole show, but I did notice it now and then.

Lastly,
There were times where it seemed like someone would just be talking without any reason to be talking. Between a few scenes, Josh had a voice-over where he listed off names of Christmas characters and songs and a whole slew of other things that I wasn't sure why they were being mentioned.

 If it was funny, that would be one thing, but I'm afraid to me it just seemed like someone listing off things.

Since the show's run is over, I'm writing this more as a recommendation about some of the things I noticed for next time.
Theater is hard. Producing a good show is even harder.
This one might not have worked as well as it could have, but, everyone involved still put in the time and effort to make it happen and give the community an artistic endeavor to attend.

Despite my thoughts and the thoughts of some others involved in the theater community here, there were still people who were laughing and having a good time at the show. That's really what it's all about.

I'll be watching for the next show sometime later this spring. My hopes are that some changes will be made and the people who care about getting better will improve and the theater will experience another insurgence. Great Falls will be a much better place for it.

"Come Blow Your Horn" at the University of Great Falls, Nov. 9

Taryn Judah and Tim Stoddard in Come Blow Your Horn. 

Last night I watched the UGF production of "Come Blow Your Horn." It's an entertaining, albeit slightly flawed, show.
First let's get into what I thought worked well and why I feel is worth purchasing a ticket to see. If you're not aware of the plot, I'm not going to go much into it, but you can read up on it here.

The show is directed by Ed Moran and stars UGF students Glen Weeks, Payton Henley and Taryn Judah, UGF alumni Janette Conley and community members Tim Stoddard and Sarah Hood.
Moran and Michael Gilboe together did a great job of casting the roles. Each piece fit well and the on-stage chemistry made it easy to get lost in the story of these fallible characters.

Glen and Tim, the lead characters, especially did a fine job with their dialogue-heavy parts. They hardly ever fumbled a line, and if they did it was very quick and hardly noticeable, almost as if it was written that way.
I think some of the funniest parts of the show, for me, involved Janette's answering the telephone what seems like a dozen times and her inability to find a pencil despite there being a jar with 5 or 6 pencils visible to the audience.
It might not sound that interesting describing it, but once you see it's execution, or if you're familiar with that part of the play, you'll understand it's brilliance. Conley for her part did a great job of playing the typical Jewish-sounding mother from Manhattan.
 Her accent, too, was by far the best of the bunch, which isn't to say there was a bad accent in the show. I've heard some really bad accents at other shows and was pleasantly surprised at how well they were done this time around.

Janette Conley in "Come Blow Your Horn"

While Weeks and Stoddard were the leads, for me the women stole the show. It was by far the most fun whenever Sarah, Janette and Taryn were on stage. You couldn't help but start to long for them to get back up there when they were gone.
They also play three distinctly different characters which is a credit to their skill as actors and the well-written script from Neil Simon.
I also loved how Payton, who played the brothers' father, has a chance to show both his soft side and his hard-ass side. Too many times in plays and movies we see one-dimensional supporting characters who only have one emotion throughout the entire show. This script has some of that, but a few of the supporting characters get to show their complexities that real human beings are capable of feeling.
Finally the set and the costumes were well-done, also. A bad set or bad costumes can make a show look bad. The set pieces, costumes and lighting weren't all that noticeable, mostly because they didn't have to be, but they didn't take anything away from it either.
If anything the apartment seemed a little TOO big, but the actors used nearly all of the space and it never took anything away from the performance.

If I was going to nit-pick, I'd say that because they had a piano on stage, they could have had someone perform on it, which is similar to the trope "If you introduce a gun in act one, you better have somebody fire it in act three."
Nobody sat at the piano and it was not a central part of the apartment, but just having it on stage there's likely going to be a portion of the audience who expects someone to sit down and play it.
With that I'll get into a bit about what I didn't like as much about the play.
Glenn and Tim in act one convincingly set up their characters. Watching it and you believe that Glenn is the freewheeling playboy and Tim is the naive younger brother who's not nearly as worldly or experienced with women.
But the third act, to me, is a bit of a make-or-break moment. In act three we see Tim's character turn into the playboy and Glenn turn into the rule-abiding sibling. It's a difficult role reversal but one that I feel is the take home portion of the play.
My problem with act three is that it seemed as if both Tim and Glenn were less comfortable switching their roles. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be played, but I had a hard time grasping how quickly both characters changed and how subtly unnatural it felt. Mind you it wasn't bad, there were no bad performances. And, as a non-actor I can only imagine how difficult it must be since you're essentially playing two characters in one.

Glenn Weeks and Sarah Hood in "Come Blow Your Horn"

But, I would have liked to seen the natural flow of the brothers' characteristics show in the first to acts carry over into act three.
A part of me wanted to see Buddy's suave side come out more. Maybe if, for instance, he had a scene where he romantically kisses a woman. That might not have been in the script, but something like that might have helped.
Also, at one point Buddy says to his brother, and I may be paraphrasing, but he says something along the lines of "I've changed completely thanks to you, Allan." I kept thinking, well, I wouldn't say that's entirely true.

Because this was the first time I've actually seen the entire show, I may be commenting on something that's written into the script. I stand by the critique either way, however, because if you're going to make characters change their identifying traits, I feel it should be done confidently and convincingly.
It was an admirable attempt, I'll give them that, and they have nothing to be ashamed of with their performances. I just kept waiting for more. I kept hoping for that artistic moment that moves the audience into seeing the world a bit differently, or feeling something that they might not have if they chose to stay home or go do something else.
So, in conclusion, I do recommend that everyone see "Come Blow Your Horn." It's a funny show that meets the bar of expectations that continue to be pushed higher in our fledgling artistic community. The performers all work well together and you'll leave the theater with a smile on your face.
It's a good, funny show -- just not quite a great one.

All photos were taken by Michael Gilboe.

Album review of Jacuzzi Boys' self-titled CD

I recently gave a listen through the new Jacuzzi Boys' album, which comes out Sept. 22 through Sub Pop Records.

On the band's Facebook page, they describe the album, saying "It’s like that movie you once saw. The one with the boy and the girl and the plastic lounger on the beach. “Be My Prism” was the invitation. “Black Gloves” and “Double Vision” the promise. “Dust” was the rising tide. “Rubble,” the dirty uncle. “Hotline” was the lightning storm, and “Ultraglide” was the ending, the part where he drove her home with the windows down.You remember you liked it. It stayed with you while you swam alone in your pool that night.

Right off the bat, I found that the album doesn't take a whole lot of thinking to digest. It's light, breezy and smooth. It has a light bit of rock solos and riffs to it, but not enough to make you feel like you're listening to anything but alternative pop-rock. 

In a way I would describe it as a take on the "Big Me" era Foo Fighters. 

I felt it a little too simplistic at times. Other times, I felt like it had just enough of the elements to make the sound work. 

In a way making an album is a bit like cooking a meal. You have the ingredients, the cooks, the equipment and the skill/experience of the people making it happen. 

With "Jacuzzi Boys," the cooks seem to be talented enough to make some decent music. But, don't expect a Led Zeppelin-like complexity to the tunes. 
Whereas a band like Arcade Fire might be Julia Child, the Jacuzzi Boys are more akin to Rachel Ray. 

Some of the highlights for me are "Heavy Horse," "Hotline" and "Rubble," which might be my favorite track of the album. I found myself listening to it two or three times in a row.

That was in contrast to "Domino Moon." The song has some heavy riffs and aggressive pacing, but they're kind of negated by the overly laid-back vibe from the vocals.
I found myself wishing there was more angst in the singer's approach

 Then, finally, on "Ultraglide," there's still something that feels a little off about the vocals matched up with the music. It's got that very lo-fi feel to it. I think that sound can make your band seem endearing. Some of the songs on this album, it does. On this song, it sounds a bit amateurish.

If I were summing this album up, I'd say first and foremost, this is good-time music. 
The artwork, too, is a trip. The cover art is probably the funkiest I've seen in a while. There's really no way to describe it with words, but you can see for yourself here: 

 The handwritten linter notes on the inside and cursive track listing on the back makes it feel very indie/hipster. It's like one of those albums that's unheard-of listening to on anything but a record player. 

As far as the music goes, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these songs on the soundtrack of a romantic comedy or two.
 But, as far as advancing the genre, this album doesn't do much in that regard.  Maybe the next album they'll try some more risks and take things to different places that you might not expect. 

The potential is there, so I'll definitely have my eyes on what these guys end up doing next. 
 

"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Montana Actors' Theatre-Great Falls, Aug. 31

Levon Allen, Josh Wendt and Bob MacNamee perform a scene from "The Complete Works of Willam Shakespeare (Abriged)

Last night at the MAT, I experienced several oddly specific theater firsts.

I was kicked out of my seat so one of the actors could sit in it. I was (fake) puked on, twice, by Mr. Levon Allen, and I was asked to run laps back and forth on stage during the second act. I thought it all was great fun.

This script calls for audience participation just at the right moment, in my estimation. From a director's standpoint, you need to have the audience on board totally with you or else it won't work. Once they're invested in the story, then you can get them to do anything, almost.

A big part of what makes it work is the fact that Levon, Bob MacNamee and Josh Wendt have great onstage chemistry.

Which is good, because it's hard to perform all of Shakespeare's plays at once, sort of, if all of the actors aren't on board together.

Much of the performance is dedicated to parodying Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Some of the other plays are mixed in, as well, but aren't given as much time. They're still funny and effective in their condensed versions.

There's also several popular references, subtle Shakespeare references and physical gags. All and all it's a nice mix. Plus, Levon is quite funny in a dress. A man in a dress is ALWAYS funny. That should be written in the official rule book of comedy. It's never not funny, even if you try to make it so.

Thinking about it more, in a way, Josh, Bob and Levon are like conductors taking the audience on an adventure. I think that effect worked better at times than others, but more or less, the audience is as much a part of the show as the actors.

The costumes, props and lighting really were handled well, also. Sometimes in a show the props can detract from it if they don't fit in with the feel the actors are giving. For this show, however, the props and costumes fit the mood perfectly.

I also appreciated the fact that the script includes passages right from Shakespeare. At times I found myself yearning for more actual Shakespeare, but, that would've made it a different show.

Essentially this was the Naked Gun of Shakespeare. And, that's okay.

As I was leaving the theater, one of the ladies in front of me said to her friend "I haven't laughed that much consistently for a long while."

That, to me, speaks more about the play than anything I can write. That's what people will be telling their neighbors.

I've been thinking about some critical things I can say, but I can't think of many.

The weakest scene, to me, was the middle part when they read the combination of Shakespeare's comedies from the sheet-music stands. About midway through it, I found myself waiting for them to get back to the physical acting.

I guess it created a contrast. I'm just not sure it's quite as effective contrast as some of the other ones they used. But, it still had it's funny lines that engaged the audience. Maybe just the stands between the actors and the audience created a barrier, ever so subtle, that made the difference.

All and all, though, this is a quality show. Levon, Josh and Bob are all confident in their performances. It's a small thing, maybe, but it makes a big difference.

I recommend seeing "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). It only shows for one more weekend, so catch it while you can.