The Critics Review

  The Only Christmas Pageant in Town - Clio Cast and Crew By: Laura Anne Miller ‘Tis the season for Christmas songs and Christmas pageants. Clio Cast and Crew, with the direction of Jan Palmer and the Show to Go Singers deliver a solid, family friendly Christmas production, ”The Only Christmas Pageant in Town”. Olive Green (Nicole Dunckel) directs the church’s Christmas pageant every year. Every year, something seems to be missing and in an effort to change things up and figure out what is missing, Olive hires the Hollywood Theater of Peace and Tidings of Great Joy Traveling Troupe to put on the show this year.  A big snowstorm keeps the Hollywood troupe away and the existing church members get stranded at the church. They decide to put on the Christmas pageant instead, including the pastor, Reverend Holly (Bill Fagerstrom), and the church board, and women’s auxiliary.  Seeking shelter from the storm, Allen (Tom McCarty), Fred (Malachi Kittell), and George (Aaron Cole...

  A Seussified Christmas Carol - Muth Community Players By: Laura Anne Miller What happens when you mix a beloved classic Christmas tale with the stylings of Dr. Seuss? A Seussified Christmas Carol ! While much of the story remains the same, A Christmas Carol is given a Seussical flair and is shortened, as Narrator 1 (Lauren Visuri) and Narrator 2 (Beth Emmons) are quick to point out.  The Scrooge (James Lloyd) - not Scrooge, THE Scrooge - is a curmudgeon of an old man who overworks and underpays his one employee, Bob Cratchit (John Dunning). He is stingy and mean and even turns down an invitation from Bed-Head Fred (Ashton Edie), and refuses to donate to the Solicitors (NIckolas Perretti, Jay Waliczek). What a guy, that “The Scrooge”. Meanwhile, the Cratchit Family is poor, but happy. The children (Ada Emmons, Azalea Krummen, Sophia Lloyd, Everly Moore, Victoria Sebert, and Sylvie Wilson) must all get jobs to help make ends meet. Little Timmy Loo Hoo (Peter Howell) is...

Rehearsal for Murder - Clio Cast and Crew By: Marshall Summers Celebrate Spooky Season with Clio Cast and Crew’s season opener, a production of Rehearsal for Murder. The show opens with playwright Alex Denninson (Nikolas Watford-Conrad) alone on the stage in an empty theater. He is interrupted by Ernestine (Rachel Foley), the janitor. We also meet Sally Bean (Johanna Kurnik), Alex’s somewhat ditzy and nervous assistant.  Alex narrates, taking the audience back to the events of the previous year. The police (Norman R. Ban Etten, Rachel Foley) rule Monica’s death a suicide. Under the guise of reading his new play, Alex brings the cast and crew together on the one year anniversary of Monica’s death. After reading through some scenes, the director, Lloyd Andrews (Carter Temsey) and producer, Bella Lamb (Becky Wilhite) along with actors Karen Daniels (Allison Maynard), David Matthews (Matthew Micoff), and Leo Gibbs (Harper Court) become frustrated and demand to know what is really going...

  Shrek: The Musical Theater for Young Audiences Edition By: Marshall Summers Take a trip to magical Duloc with Clio Cast and Crew and their production of Shrek: The Musical (Theatre for Young Audiences) production.  The story opens with the origin story for Shrek. Young Shrek (Tristan Jones) is celebrating his birthday, except there is no party, just Mama Ogre (Jennifer Taylor-Perry) and Papa Ogre (Alex Vokoun) kicking Young Shrek out of their swamp because it is time he was out on his own. He is seven years old after all. The scene is driven by beautiful vocals from Jennifer Taylor-Perry and Alex Vokoun as well as Tristan Jones.  Eventually, we meet Adult Shrek (Kiel Fauske). Fauske plays an amazing Shrek, with powerful vocals  and with his own version of the “Shrek Voice” (and The Roar) that the audience will recognize from the movie. Truly, Fauske nailed the lead role.  Shrek’s peaceful swamp is interrupted by various fairytale creatures being led into...