| Quilters a Promising Patchwork | | Print | |
| Written by Laura Apelt | |||
| Friday, 27 June 2008 | |||
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I began the evening a bit wary, since I and my party entered Yoder Barn approximately ten minutes before 8pm and yet we were “greeted” by an overly-aggressive usher who all but reprimanded us for showing up so late. No biggie, I suppose, but not a great way to begin the evening. (Frankly, I’m only writing it here in hopes that the House Manager will see it. Mwahaha.) Tidewater Rep has chosen a perfect season for their space. Quilters is a musical based on the lives of American pioneer women, Of Mice & Men teaks place in a series of locations that include a stable and barn, and The Foreigner (one of my personal favorites) takes place in a Georgia fishing lodge. All perfect shows for a barn venue.
The voices were a variety (should I use the patchwork metaphor again?) of textures, timbres, and well… talents. Local voices shone through as some of the strongest of the evening. Kimberly Lee, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Caroline Rigby, Laura Lloyd - all were a beautiful example of Hampton Roads vocal talent.
Although I admit this was not the most moving or relatable production of Quilters I’ve seen, it is definitely still a good show. It is a strong production with some brilliant staging that speaks well of the shows to come. Please come out and support this very promising new company. At the very least, you’ll be entertained and gain a new appreciation for the work, and love, that goes into stitching a quilt. Quilters runs through June 28th at the Yoder Barn in Newport News. Call 757-594-8752 or go to http://trr.cnu.edu/ for reservations. |
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Yoder’s / CNU’s / Ferguson Center’s new theatre company,
Tidewater Regional Repertory offers up their first production in a strong,
lovely, and occasionally moving way. The evening was a patchwork of the lovely
and not-quite-so-lovely, but the end product did end up revealing a whole that
promises to entertain and enchant.
Staging was really superb 
Acting proficiency had just as much variety, but the star of
the evening was Jackie Prucha. From her first word, she branded herself a true
professional and an incredibly believable actor. I dearly look forward to
seeing her again as Betty in The
Foreigner. Many of the scenes were endearing or sweet, usually the ones that were told mostly in song. On the other side of the quilt however, other tender and moving
moments were often glossed over, made “funny”, or just didn’t connect. A
problem, or rather, a difficulty with
this show is that it is a series of vignettes. Actors have very little time to
establish character or history and often have to begin in the middle, so to
speak. However, this will probably be less of a problem for audience members who are less familiar with other productions of this show.
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I saw the show Sat 21 with family and returned with friends the wednesday 2pm show. Second time around was even better.Loved the music as much as the production. made me want to sing along some of the gospil songs I knew. Facinated at the changing of scenes. To produce |