Rehearsing The Quest, Choose your adventure, a musical.

Posted on by Thor

Central Florida Vocal Arts presents “The Quest” at The Venue, 511 Virginia Drive Orlando FL. I went to the first dress rehearsal on November 9th. In a nutshell the show is about star crossed lovers with a mother in law from Hell. The show’s producer, Theresa Smith-Levin welcomed me warmly to the rehearsal. It has to be nerve wracking to share a production still in rehearsals. The director for the evening was Keith Newhouse. Keith had an Ichibod Cranish enthusiasm that was infectious. Singer and actor Erik Branch had told me about the production several nights earlier at FAVO. When I arrived at the Venue, stage hands were still assembling the simple set.

The Quest Combines Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s The Magic Flute with
Musical Theatre classics such as Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods and Idle and John Du Prez and Eric Idle‘s Spamalot, The Quest allows the audience to decide
the fate of the characters on stage. Find your grail, rescue a bird
catcher with his dream girl or escape the clutches of the Queen of the
Night, it’s up to you. This engaging and interactive show isn’t your
grandmother’s opera!

The sweet young Pamina, McKenzie Frazier, always looked a bit bewildered when her prince Tamino, Kevin Romero, treated her  coldly, but when she sang, her soprano voice demand attention. I have to say that all the singers could sing operatic and also belt out the Broadway tunes.  This show is a rare case of a truly comic opera with modern flair. Erik Branch played the part of Sorastro, who at first seemed like a villain when he demanded that Pamina be imprisoned,  but as it turns out he was trying to protect Pamina from her evil mother, The Queen of the Night, Nissha Carson. Papageno, David Bracamonte, a baritone was often the comic relief of the show. He wore a  head dress with large pointy feathers and though he longed for love, he had to be content with making people laugh and the attentions of a much older woman.

The intimate nature of the Venue means that the audience will sometimes be surrounded by the cast. There are some stellar voices to be heard. I found myself humming along to the many familiar tunes, and smiling at the relaxed fun many of the actors had performing with comedic fervor. I had a blast, it is a fun night of musical theater. The rehearsal ended before I found out what happens to the lovers, but their fate is in the hands of each audience. Voting changes the plot multiple times so no two shows are the same.

Tickets are on sale now for ONLY FIVE SHOWS!
Show dates are November 14, 20 and 21 at 7:30 PM and
November 15 & 22 at 3:00 PM at
The Venue, 511 Virginia Dr. Orlando 32803.

Spamaot costumes get some loving care.

Posted on by Thor

I went to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (12 E Rollins St, Orlando, Florida), to sketch the preparations for the upcoming production of Spamalot. At the entrance to the theater, the giant Trojan Rabbit held a Spamalot banner. Jeff Ferree who built the bunny, works in the scene shop and advised me on the sketch options. He was working on a series of four inch deep wooden clouds that will illuminate thanks to a string of old fashioned big bulbed Christmas lights. It was a daunting job with the all the graceful jig saw cuts needed. He showed me the set which was insanely colorful and over the top like a Las Vegas production. The entire proscenium was surrounded by large bulbs like a marquee.

Jeff told me that all the costumes were rented from the national tour of the show. He walked me to the costume shop and that is where I settled. All the costumes suffered from constant wear and tear and close to a dozen seamstresses were at work repairing the damage. Each costume had to also be adjusted to fit the actors. Twice actors came in to have their measurements taken. I was graciously set up at a table near the air conditioning unit and I was warned that when it kicks on it can be quite loud. I was deep into the sketch when it burst to life. I almost jumped out of my skin.

Jeff searched the costume shop on a quest to find the golden crown worn by Tim Curry in the original Broadway production of the show. Unlike King Arthur, his quest was a success. With some coaxing he got me to wear the sacred coronet. The original  Broadway show opened in 2005. The book and lyrics are by Eric Idle and the music is by John Du Prez and Eric Idle The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical
and was nominated for 14 Tony Awards. The final
performance was in January of 2009. After 35 previews and 1,575 performances;
it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175
million, recouping its initial production costs in under six months.

The Lady of the Lakes wears the gorgeous green gown with the sea shell shaped bustier.  An artificial leg sat on a table encased in armor. This clearly must be the leg of the dark knight who looses his leg in a sword fight only to claim it as a flesh wound. An armored breast plate stood next to the leg. A hole was later plumped to some flexible PVC tubing which I suspect will be used to spew blood. On the table next to me, an artificial head wore a knights helmet. A bulky shoulder piece had loose tubing and meaty viscera in the gaping neck wound. I believe this knight fell pray to a killer rabbit attack.

A delicate white gown was covered in sequins requiring hours of intricate repair. A multi layered garment with a rainbow of ruffly frills turned out to be vivacious and bouncy sleeves worthy of Carmen Miranda. Clearly this is not a show about subtly. The title of the play comes from a line in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, “We eat ham, and jam, and Spam a lot.”

The Orlando production of Spamalot opens on September 9th and runs through October 11th.  Be sure to get your tickets now. I suspect many performances will sell out.