|
|
 |
|
|
|
Children's
Theatre Puts Summer Movies To Shame
|
Kerri
Kanelos
July
8th 2003 |
|
 On
Saturday, I drove for over two hours with
one goal in mind-to take in a performance
of Our Friend the Atom at Andy's Playhouse--a
children's summer theatre tucked deep in the
woods of New Hampshire. For those who may
be skeptical of taking a lengthy drive up
north for the sake of children's theatre,
I urge you to put aside your inhibitions and
go for it. From the set design, costuming,
and music to the actors, it is immediately
apparent that Our Friend is not your
average, run of the mill Wizard of Oz
remake at the local elementary school.
Our Friend
the Atom is the story of an inventor who
is commissioned by the bumbling President
of the United States (and a war hungry, overzealous
military general played brilliantly by Dan
Neverisky) to create a large red button that
will automatically detonate atomic weapons
around the world. In a wacky episode of "The
Monkees" sort of way, the performance
unfolds as each character either attempts
to destroy or save all of mankind.
The inventor
and his eccentric "nuclear" family
steal the show time and time again throughout
this performance. Ellen Kate Finley, the family's
clairvoyant Betty Crocker mother and part
time spy, shows everyone who wears the pants.
Dick and Jane, played by Brendan Wile and
Christy Emmond, are hilarious as the real
life version of the homogenized children from
every Baby Boomer's favorite books. Dick had
the audience in stitches during his monologue
about how he lost his pet dog, Spot. After
throwing a ball and yelling "Run Spot!
Run!" Dick was dismayed to find that
Spot would never return again. Alas, he forgot
to say "Come Spot! Come!"
On a more serious
note, Our Friend touches upon some
of the issues that faced Americans during
the Cold War and unfortunately continue to
plague us today. A group of nuclear scientists
struggle with the moral and ethical decisions
involved in harnessing the power of the atom.
Later in the performance, atomic creatures
in wildly creative costumes stormed the stage
in an effort to attack the main characters.
Whether a giant squid, atomic dandelion, or
an enormous moth, the creatures were both
creepy and hilarious at the same time.
One cannot discount
the catchy tunes that accompanied many of
the scenes in this performance. The wacky,
almost psychedelic remakes of older hits such
as "Yellow Submarine" and "Life
Goes On" are still spinning through my
head. I never thought I would see the day
when an atomic squid boogies on stage with
a melded together pair of scientists. Don't
ask-you just have to go see it for yourself.
Advertisements
from Andy's Playhouse compared My Friend the
Atom to cult classic films such as 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea, Godzilla and Dr. Strangelove.
I have to say that although some venues make
outlandish claims in order to sell more tickets
for certain performances, I cannot think of
a better comparison than the one provided
by Andy's.
Our Friend
the Atom is written and directed by Jonathan
Farmer and DJ Potter, two local friends who
plan on debuting their own film company in
the near future. Farmer's experience in Syracuse
University's Theatre program and Potter's
thirteen years of training at Andy's seem
to blend together very well. I would love
to see more works by this talented duo, especially
for an adult cast.
Andy's Playhouse
is a small theatre located in the town Wilton,
New Hampshire. Named after C.W. Anderson,
the wildly popular children's author of such
horse books as Blaze and Thunderbolt,
Andy's began over thirty years ago in the
neighboring town of Mason. In the late 1980s,
Andy's acquired the former Wilton town hall
and began all operations out of that location.
As their website states, "Andy's programs
foster creative collaborations between children
and professional artists who work in a variety
of media: performance art, theater, dance,
music, puppetry, video, set and lighting design
and playwriting."
Our Friend
the Atom is playing now through July 12th.
For ticket information, call the box office
at 603-654-2613. For a lineup of other Andy's
Playhouse performances, visit their website
at http://www.andyssummerplayhouse.org
This article was previously
published on www.lovethyjob.com |
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
