Kelly celebrated his birthday in style at Pilars.

Posted on by Thor

Kelly Dewayne Richards is a prodigy on the piano so it made perfect sense that he performed while his friends sang for his birthday on November 13. Pilars Martini Bar (146 Plant Street Winter Garden FL) is located right next to the Winter Garden Theater and Kelly has been performing there once a week for the past couple of years. It seems that Kelly’s friends are not your average karaoke singers. These folks belted out the tunes with Broadway quality voices. Trudy Petersen was the singer who I decided to sketch. Love was brazened on her shirt and it was easy to love her voice. One singer introduced as “Joy Top Dance” sang a Louis Armstrong song, “What a Wonderful World“. She lowered her voice and managed to sing with Louis’s gravely vibrato.

As I was packing up to go, an artist named Rod Reeves introduced himself. We sat outside and shared sketchbooks. He sketches on location like myself so it was an unexpected surprise.  He advised me to look up Francis Marshall, an English Illustrator. Marshal’s location sketches are fluid and bold with a flair of fashion. I could learn much studying his work.  I collected a card from my fellow sketcher, but for the life of me, I can’t find it.  Hopefully our paths will cross again. Inside the bar, every voice was singing “Seasons of Love” from Rent. With so much talent in the room, it was an inspired performance that could give the coldest heart a warm glow.

Mark your calendar. Kelly performs at Pilars every Thursday from 7pm to 10pm.

Alice Lost in Wonderland Dress Rehearsal

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Alice Lost in Wonderland written and directed by Rob Winn Anderson had its original world premiere at the Garden Theatre (160 West Plant Street, Winter Garden FL.). The show marks Beth Marshall Presents’ 9th production in partnership with The Garden Theatre. The first thing that struck me was the wonderful Steam punk mental asylum set by Tom Mangieri. It was vaguely reminiscent of the set for Wicked.

Actors gathered for a group photo and then ran through a fight sequence choreographed by Bill Warriner. Becky Eck, who played Jane stood on stage alone as other actors got into place.  I assumed from the title that I should look to sketch Alice, but it became quite clear that Jane was the lead character. I had sketched auditions and heard several dozen actresses read for the part of Jane. When I saw the monologue performed by Becky in the context of the play, I was floored, astonished at the meaning and implied emotion in her performance.

  Alice Lost in Wonderland, uses Lewis Carroll’s classic book to inspire
the story of Jane’s frantic search for what she has lost. Years
of falling in and out of mental institutions have broken her and now she
finds herself in a terrifying situation where chances are final and
journeys into dark places are both wonderful and haunting. This
whimsical psychological thriller steps out of reality and into a
shattered mind to create a classically creepy and intriguingly creative
journey through wonderland.

In one compelling moment Jane is stripped of her cheerful childhood clothes by grey institution patients. She stands bare for a moment in her bra and panties and then the patients slip the dingy grey institution uniform over her head. It becomes clear that her Wonderland quest makes her one of them. I was delighted to see Tod Caviness as the Caterpillar. He gave the character a hip 60’s flair that only a poet could perform.

Jane’s search for Alice in Wonderland is actually a way for her to avoid horrible memories from her past. As these memories surface, the play takes a dark sinister turn to face the worst in human nature. This is NOT a kids show. Issues and horrors faced are all too real. The show is quick witted and light when in the Wonderland fantasy then grey and sinister when facing the realities of doctors who consider electroshock therapy an enlightened practical approach to mental health. This show is a perfect addition to the Halloween season.

Mark Your Calendar! This show runs through November 3rd. Show times are Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $25 for adults ($21 for seniors/students). There will also be an Industry Night on Monday, October 28 at 8pm. This show is open to the public with $15 tickets for those in the theatre industry. Pilars Bar next door will be open and offering drink specials for patrons on Industry Nite Monday Oct. 28th.

Get your tickets now at BethMarshallPresents.com or GardenTheatre.org!

Musical Mondays

Posted on by Thor

On March 11th Terry and I met at The Fifth (112 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, Florida) between 7Pm and 9PM for Kelly DeWayne Richards Musical Mondays. Kelly is playing all over town now. On Fridays he performs at Parliament House, Sunday Nights between 6PM and 9PM, he is at Hanson’s Shoe Repair (27 East Pine Street), and on Thursdays between 6PM and 9PM he is at Pilars on Plant street in Winter Garden right next to the Garden theater also between 6PM and 9PM. Hanson’s sounds intriguing since it is a speakeasy and you need to know the password to get in.

The great thing about Musical Mondays is that actors who love to sing musicals show up in droves. Actress Jessi Riese announced that she will be moving to NYC so this was one of the last chances to see her sing. Terry got up and Sang a Sondheim song. Kelly asked the manager to turn on the rooms pink lights since he knew it would look good for my sketch.The highlight of the evening was when the entire room sang along with a song from Rent. As one singer pointed out, “Hearing so many talented singers is like getting a $75 ticket show for free.”