The Commercial Appeal - Go Memphis
Voices of the South reprises ‘Duckling’
This season, Voices of the South is celebrating 20 years of producing and premiering works reflecting Southern culture.
One of its most recognized works is the play “The Ugly Duckling,” which premiered in 2000 behind a grant from the Center for Arts Education (now Artsmemphis). The company put its heart into creating the adaptation of the fairy tale but wasn’t sure how it would be received by the audience.
Voices of the South needn’t have worried — it not only won the hearts of the kids, but it also has toured regionally and nationally and been viewed by more than 50,000 people — many of them delighted adults.
“Inevitably, kids are amazed and slackjawed,” says Jerre Dye, who wrote the adaptation. “It’s a very heartrending piece and was, in many ways, the one that formed the ensemble.”
The original grant wanted Voices of South to do more than tell a story. It also would teach and encourage broad literacy using, for example, days of the week, seasons, colors, word construction, sounds of words and how they intersect with actions. So company members reread fairy tales and decided on “The Ugly Duckling.” They asked Dye to write it, and he read every version he could. “They were all stiff, and none did the story justice,” he says. So he got to work on his adaptation, imbuing it with a distinctive Southern flavor inspired by folk art and with vivid characters and down-home music by Virginia Matthews.
Instead of dialog that is typical for a play, it was narrative prose with “he saids” and “she saids” all spoken.
There were only 11 rehearsals. “Everyone was stretched out emotionally,” Dye says, “and we were scared to death.” The premiere took place at the Buckman Arts Center. Dye says Tiffany Mcclung, a company member and ordained minister, said, “We’re a family right now,” and gave Communion to cast and crew before the curtain went up. “We were from different religious beliefs or none at all,” Dye says. “The show was extraordinary.”
“The Ugly Duckling” by Jerre Dye plays at 2 p.m. Sunday at Buckman Performing Arts Center, 60 Perkins Ext. Tickets: $7. Info: voicesofthesouth.org and 901-726-0800.
‘INTO THE WOODS’
The production of Steven Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” at Theatre Memphis is one of the best things the theater has ever done. It’s beautifully directed by Ann Marie Hall with splendid choreography by Courtney Oliver, stunning scenic work by Jack Yates, and first-rate music direction (Gary Beard), costumes (Anne Suchyta) and lighting (Jeremy Fisher).
Happily, the cast of 20 is uniformly superb in telling the adventures of fairy tale characters all living together where Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack (of beanstalk infamy) and the Witch all reside. The story more or less follows the generally known adventures of the characters, getting them to the “happily ever after” point at the end of the first act and then making them deal with life’s vicissitudes in the second.
The production favors the comedic (even the cow has its moments) and the players are gifted in expression and timing. As singers, they knock it out every time.
“Into the Woods” is a sheer delight and highly recommended.
“Into the Woods” runs through April 3 at Theatre Memphis, 630 Perkins Ext. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $30; $15 students with valid ID and youth. Info: theatrememphis.org and 901-682-8323.
HELLO? HELLO?
Let’s not get out of “Into the Woods” yet. During last Saturday’s performance, someone on the front row was making liberal use of her cell phone. Evidently, she was Snapchatting away, using the app that lets you share photos and videos.
The Witch, a Type A character played by Renee Davis Brame, became the enforcer. Here’s her story: “It started at the beginning of the show and several actors mentioned there was someone on the front row with her huge, bright phone. It turns out many of the audience members had asked her to stop and the house manager had asked her to stop. During the second act, I have to sing a song right in front of where she sat. It was hard to focus, so I just trusted (music director) Gary Beard and asked him to stop (the orchestra). I was polite. I said, ‘Could you please turn your phone off — you’ve been using it during the whole show.’”
The audience applauded, and the woman put the phone under her chair.
Whoever she was, it’s not as if she didn’t know the rules. Debbie Litch, executive producer at Theatre Memphis, gives a welcoming speech before performances with a stern warning that phones must be turned off and no photos or videos are allowed. “That woman,” Brame says, “was sitting exactly where Debbie gave that speech.”
LBJ REDUX
I was a teen in Texas in 1964, so we had lots of LBJ in our lives. I loved politics then as now, so I had followed the story retold in “All the Way” at Playhouse on the Square and was interested in how it would play.
The soundbite version is that it has moments of goodness and moments of clunk.
The story is a series of anecdotes that follow the events from President John F. Kennedy’s assassination into Lyndon B. Johnson’s taking office, LBJ’S determination to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and his mission to be elected as president on his own later that year.
A lot happened during those 11-plus months with a lot of people involved. There are 19 actors playing nearly 60 roles, which made for some confusion and congestion although the production worked hard to keep everything running smoothly. Robert Schenkkan’s script tried to pack a lot of “The Book of Mormon”: Musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries. 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Orpheum, 203 S. Main. Tickets: $44, $64, $84, $134. 901525-3000. orpheum-memphis.com “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”: Musical comedy. 8 p.m. Fridays-saturdays through March 26, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Germantown Community Theatre, 3037 Forest HillIrene. Tickets: $28. “Free Man of Color”: Drama. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays through April 3 at Hattiloo Theatre, 37 S. Cooper. Tickets: $18, $22, $26. 901-525-0009. hattiloo.org “1 in 10: Perspectives from the LGBT Society”: Series of short monologues from the LGBT point of view. Arrive early for pre-show entertainment from transgender activist, musician and comedian Lisa Michaels. 8 p.m. Fridays-saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday. $20 ($15 for senior citizens age 65 and older, students with ID). Presented by the Emerald Theatre Company at Theatreworks, 2085 Monroe. No show on March 27, which is Easter. All tickets sold at the door. etcmemphistheater.com “Pageant”: Six “WOMEN” vie for the title of Miss Glamouresse in this musical comedy. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through April 9 at Circuit Playhouse, 51 S. Cooper. In repertory with “Pinkalicious the Musical.” Tickets: $40 Fridays-saturdays; $35 Sundays and Thursdays; $22 senior citizens, students, military with ID; $15 children under 18. Advisory: Play contains adult situations. Call 901-726-4656. Theatrekids in “An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe”: 7 p.m. Friday-saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center, 3663 Appling. Tickets: $10. 901-385-6440. bpacc.org
moments into two acts. Important events shared the stage with slight anecdotes, and through it all, “All the Way” was trying to examine one complex man, succeeding more in presenting detail than depth.
George Dudley brought his height and heft to the role of LBJ, convincing as a man accustomed to wielding power and understanding how politics works.
There was particularly fine work by Michael Detroit (Sen. Hubert Humphrey), Dave Landis (Sen. Richard Russell), Delvyn Brown (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) and Claire D. Kolheim (Coretta Scott King and Fannie Lou Hamer).
“All The Way” runs through March 26 at Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $30 Thursdays and Sundays, $35 Fridays and Saturdays. $22 seniors, students, military. $10 children under 18. Info: playhouseonthesquare.org and 901-726-4656.