Inspecting Carol is a two act comedy by Daniel Sullivan. A struggling theater group is about to close their doors when another actor comes in to audition. The group mistakenly thinks he is from the National Endowment For the Arts and bends over backwards to please him hoping that the struggling troupe will be given a grant and be able to continue acting. Mayhem ensues when the real NEA inspector shows up and is given a hasty performance of the classic play A Christmas Carol.

Unfortunately this production was not able to live up to the hilarity that was described in the playbill. The setup of the situation in the early portions of the show went well enough, with nice development of the characters and their histories. But as the “show within a show” started, it seemed that the actors weren’t quite as ready to sell to the audience that a disaster was taking place. Lines were rushed and stumbled over. Some actors were not loud enough or clear enough to be understood. In this type of farce it is somewhat difficult to distinguish which things were supposed to be badly executed and which was just bad execution. The cast seemed to try to force the laughs and this, too, just did not sustain the action. The characters often seemed to stand in straight lines. And at several points, characters would sit in the audience seating near the front of the house, making it difficult to hear the actors and to see their faces.

The set was made up of a series of flats representing an office or backstage area. Unfortunately, the flats weren’t changed during the performance of A Christmas Carol, which led to a bit of confusion. Were they acting in their rehearsal space, or on the stage? The lighting was also interesting. In the second act, two of the characters, M.J. and Larrry (Veronica Lee Johnston and Dino Coppa) came downstage and did their scene basically in the dark, which detracted from the action going on upstage. The problems during A Christmas Carol were fine, but the “problems” carried over into the “backstage” and “post-show” performances.

One of the lines from Inspecting Carol that seems relevant now was “You don’t kill yourself over a review.” There was potential for some real comedic moments in this play that never were able to develop. Was more rehearsal needed? Did Sandy Spring run into unexpected challenges in performing at the Rosborough Center for the first time? Did SSTG simply bite off too large a challenge with this production? Or maybe the Sunday performance we attended was the final performance after a long week (tech week and opening performances) and the cast and crew were exhausted? Regardless, this production was disappointing.

Cast

• M.J. (Mary Jane) McCann: Veronica Lee Johnston
• Wayne Wellacre: Ken Kemp
• Zorah Bloch: BJ Bergman Angstadt
• Luther Beatty: Matthew Tobin
• Dorothy Tree-Hapgood: Judy Mayer
• Sidney Carlton: Bill Spitz
• Phil Hewlit: Bruce Hirsch
• Walter E. Parsons: Will Ayers
• Colleen Emery: Susan Aaron Ostrinsky
• Larry Vauxhall: Dino Coppa
• Betty Andrews: Stacey Fearheiley, Mara Bayewitz

Production Staff

• Co-Producers: Mara Bayewitz, Brian “BC” Campbell
• Director: Frank DeSando
• Stage Manager: Brian “BC” Campbell
• Scenic Design: Dave Kaysen
• Master Carpenter: Dave Kaysen
• Construction/Painting Crew: Dave Kaysen, Ed Eggleston, Brian Campbell, Tony Pisarra, Trish Weiler, Veronica Johnston, Bruce Angstadt, Joe Connor, Bruce Hirsch
• Props Master: Andrea Kibbe
• Lighting Design: Ed Eggleston
• Lighting Execution: Ed Eggleston, Joe Connor
• Sound Design: Patrick Hughes
• Sound Execution: Patrick Hughes/Mike Urciolo
• Costume Design: Sandy Eggleston
• Stag Crew: Bruce Angstadt, Xavier Ayers
• Makeup/ Hair Design: Cast
• Program Design: Carl Yonder (carlyonder.com)
• Box Office: Mike Urciolo
• Load-in/Load-out Crew: Tony Pisarra, Trish Weiler, Cast, Production Staff, Stage Crew

Disclaimer: Sandy Spring Theatre Group provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Are you relevant? What do people see when they look at you? When you’re in your 80’s, will it be the same? I’m Not Rappaport, a joint production (pun intended) of Sandy Spring Theatre Group and Rockville Little Theatre running through March 13th at the Randolph Road Theatre, attempts to answer some of those questions. The only time we were able to make it out to a production was this week’s pickup rehearsal. We did so and other than some minor technical and line issues, the audience of three watched a well done run of the show.

I’m Not Rappaport follows the real and imagined adventures of Nat and Midge, a pair of octogenarians passing time together in Central Park. Nat (Bill Spitz) spun his yarns generally to the consternation of Midge (Wayne Henson). Through his words and expressions, Spitz could draw you in and make you believe he was once the president of the United States, as long as you didn’t think about things rationally. He was the younger of the friends (Midge being 82) and had a bit more bounce in his step. Despite an injury received at the hands of another downtrodden New Yorker, Spitz was unfazed and unwilling to let life stop him. His tall tales always seemed to catch up with him and often led to bigger and more dangerous problems, yet his arrogant out look that life is his for the taking, he does so with gusto.

As counterpoint to Nat’s relish, Midge was happy to let life happen, as long as it doesn’t happen to him. Like Nat, Midge accepted old age more gracefully, held on to a dream of needing to be needed and feeling useful. He found that in an unlikely and annoying friendship with Nat. Even though he complained during most of his misadventures with Nat, Midge felt like he was needed, if for nothing else to keep Nat from getting killed. Henson showed us an opposite approach to life than Nat, both from physical movement to expressions. Midge’s greatest impediment was his vision and there were times when he seemed to be looking into space because he could not find anything to focus on. His pace, especially when he was angry, kept the show moving.

Nat’s daughter Carla opened the second act. Played by Mara Bayewitz there was definite tension between the two. It was clear that Bayewitz cared about her father, but often grew frustrated with his wanderings and stories. In the second act one of his stories almost had her convinced until the light bulb went on and she realized it was another one of Nat’s tall tales. Watching him go on while she gritted her teeth and glared was priceless.

The rest of the cast was convincing and believable as they interacted with Nat and Midge. As the Association president Danforth (David Gross), his outlook towards Nat and Midge was pity as he tried to do what he thought was a kind gesture, but turned into disaster, again for poor Midge who just wanted to be needed. The bully Gilley (Thomas Copas) was cold and uncaring, treating the elder gentlemen with threats and violence. The Cowboy (Skylar Sanders) was a total unknown, was he to be a comic character or another victimizer? Sanders gave his character several layers to move through, making for a very interesting sequence of scenes. Sweet, innocent Laurie (Rachel Schlaff) liked the two older gentlemen and wanted to be friendly.

The set for I’m Not Rappaport was well done with two benches and a bridge leading back to the rest of the park. Set Designer/Master Carpenter Dave Kaysen used the levels effectively to show heights and distance. Being a pickup rehearsal, sounds and lights were difficult to judge as the normal operators weren’t present. Sandy Eggleston’s costumes were passable, mostly succeeding to feel like the early 1980’s.

The show did run long, over two and a half hours, which at times felt really uninspiring. But the complete work was riveting as Nat and Midge’s relationship grew together. This was a thought provoking show about growing old that, no matter how hard you try, no one will be able to avoid.

Director’s Notes

Have you ever given a well-read copy of a favorite book to a friend, and secretly envied them because they were about to experience it for the first time?

If so, then you know why am I just a bit jealous of you right now. You’re about to discover what happens when you give seven incredibly talented actors a Tony Award-winning script and six weeks to rehearse.

There’s a popular bumper sticker that says “Growing Old Ain’t For Sissies” and in I’m Not Rappaport Herb Gardner takes that thought to its logical conclusion, with some wonderfully poignant stops along the way. Growing old isn’t always fun and games, but Nat and Midge remind us that it’s still the best idea anyone’s come up with so far. While I’m not ready to admit that I’m looking forward to old age, I can say I’m hoping to display the same quiet dignity and grace that Midge brings to it, with a healthy dollop of Nat’s joie de vivre thrown in to keep things interesting. I’d like to think that Nat is much like my own grandfather often was, when given the slightest encouragement- you never knew if one of his stories was the truth, an “alteration” or an outright tall tale. Watching these two old codgers has often felt like being at a family reunion; don’t be surprised if you see a branch or two of your own family tree in the story, too. I didn’t start out with this in mind, but somewhere along the way, I’ve grown to know and love Nat and Midge. I’m Not Rappaport became a belated valentine to all “seasoned citizens” in my life – those wonderful old folks (past and present) who remind us all that growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.

This show also marks my return to the director’s chair after an absence of nearly a decade, and I would be greatly remiss if I didn’t thank Sandy Spring Theatre Company and Rockville Little Theatre for this incredibly rewarding opportunity. Added to that are my sincerest thanks and deepest admiration for the amazing cast, producers and crew who made this little journey a joy beyond measure. Mara Bayewitz deserves special recognition for being the best Assistant Director, confidante, den mother, co-conspirator and organizer on the planet.

And finally, thank you for coming to see our show. Your support makes it possible for these two great theatre companies to continue bringing quality entertainment to our community, and we’re extremely pleased to be able to share this production with you. If you enjoy the performance, please do more than applaud at the end – share the magic of live theatre with your family and friends by telling them to come see I’m Not Rappaport before the run ends.

And now, sit back, and enjoy I’m Not Rappaport. Two hours from now you’ll be jealous of me – when you realize that for the last six weeks I’ve had the great pleasure of watching and guiding these amazing actors as they worked to bring this wonderful play to life.

-Ken Kemp

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Ken Kemp.

Cast

• Nat: Bill Spitz
• Midge: Wayne Henson
• Clara: Mara Bayewitz
• Danforth: David Gross
• Gilley: Thomas Copas
• Cowboy: Skylar Sanders
• Laurie: Rachel Schlaff

Crew

• Director: Ken Kemp
• Assistant Director: Mara Bayewitz
• Producers: Trish Weiler & Toby Pisarra
• Lights: Joe Conner
• Sound: Dave Eikens and Bob Schwartz
• Props Mistress: Andrea Kibbe
• Costumes: Sandy Eggleston
• Volunteer Coordinator: Anne Cary
• Set Design/Master Carpenter: Dave Kaysen
• Set Crew: Artur Agaronyan, Kevin Gross, Marty Speiser

Disclaimer: Sandy Spring Theatre Group/Rockville Little Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

• The One-Act Play Festival, TBD
• Arsenic and Old Lace, November 2009
• Called Up to Life, June 2010

Schedule is subject to change due to performance rights conflicts or other issues.

SSTG’s 2008 One Act Festival Will Be held at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn on October 24th & 25th. We are seeking plays to be performed. All plays should have a running time between ten and fifty minutes each. Playwrights and/or directors may submit up to two entries each! Original works preferred; published works accepted.

Send your submissions electronically as attachments to Rick Starkweather at -snipped-. (.doc format is preferred; however, .pdf format is acceptable)

Deadline for submission: July 3rd!

Laura: Friday night we saw the opening night performance of Picasso at the Lapin Agile performed by the Sandy Spring Theatre Group, at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Mike: Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a comedy written by Steve Martin. This absurdist comedy places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian cafe in 1904 just before the renowned scientist transforms physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the world afire with Cubism. The two geniuses discuss this centuries achievement and prospects as well as other fanciful topics with infectious dizziness. Bystanders introduce additional flourishes of humor.

Laura: Sandy Spring Theatre Group did a pretty good job with Picasso at the Lapin Agile. This was opening night so I could tell there were a few jitters, maybe a few dropped lines. Overall everybody did a pretty good job. One of the things at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn that the groups that come perform there have to deal with is a small stage. All in all they did well with the area that they had to work with.

Mike: I think the show works really well at the Arts Barn. It was not at all a small set. It was quite intimate. It worked really well for a cafe in Paris. The Sandy Spring Theatre Group did a fine job with this show. There were some rough spots. It was opening night. Some of the characters weren’t quite the right casting choice, I don’t think. I think they all worked together very well.

Laura: Albert Einstein was played by Stu Fischer. He did a pretty good job with this role. He was definitely the person always thinking about science and not necessarily about what was going on in the world around him which he didn’t really seem to care about. All he was wanting to do was make a name for himself and science was all that was important.

Mike: Pablo Picasso was played by Tommy Shuggars. He did an ok job. He didn’t seem quite as aloof as I think he would have been if he had been really full of himself. If he had had that attitude of, “I am an artist.” He didn’t quite have that. He was a little more down to earth. That wasn’t quite a disappointment, it was just a different interpretation that I had not really thought about before for famous artists to be like.

Laura: Germaine the bar maid was played by Casssandra Redding. I liked her. I liked how when she had finished delivering her lines she was still in tune with what was going on around her. She was very believable in her portrayal as the barmaid who didn’t really think all that highly of men, but used them as she wanted to.

Mike: Freddy, the owner of the Lapin Agile was played by Paul Noga. He really took control of the stage in the first act. He was running the show, not letting himself be pushed around. A little bit later he did kind of fade into the background a little bit and just reacted to the different people in the cafe. I really liked the opening scene when he was calling the shots.

The third famous inventor of the twentieth century was Charles Dabernow Schmendiman. He was played by Rob Allen. When he came in he had a heck of an entrance and did a pretty good job with his great ideas that he kept inventing and sharing with the crowd. The one thing I thought was when asked his name and he said, “I am Schmendiman.” I kind of expected a deep reverberation coming from his voice or the lights to flash or a spotlight to drop on him. That didn’t happen, so that was kind of a disappointment. It would have fit well with the absurd nature of the show and the break from reality for parts of it. He was definitely a funny role and he did fine with it.

Laura: The set was a straight set. The opening scene, Freddy the bartender came out and was wiping down all the tables and chairs and was setting things up for the day. The Gaithersburg Arts Barn stage is small, but I think everybody did well with not crowding each other and really spreading out effectively on stage.

Mike: Picasso at the Lapin Agile was just over an hour and fifty minutes long, with one fifteen minute intermission. It’s playing at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn in Gaithersburg, Maryland through Saturday, June 16th. Friday and Saturday nights at 8 and Sundays at 2 pm.

Laura: And now, on with the show.

Cast

• Freddy: Paul Noga
• Gaston: Steve Michael
• Germaine: Cassandra Redding/Lisa Burl
• Albert Einstein: Stu Fischer
• Suzanne: Celia Blitzer
• Sagot: Ryan Logue
• Picasso: Tommy Suggars
• Charles Dabernow Schmendiman: Rob Allen
• The Countess: Jo~Z Duke
• The Female Admirer: Celia Blitzer
• The Visitor: Andres Aviles

Crew

• Producer: Karen Dugard
• Director: Kirk Anderson
• Assistant Director: Melissa Esposito
• Stage Manager: Dave Eikens
• Lighting Director: Joe Connor
• Sound Designer: Dave Eikens, Stan Levin
• Costumer: Sandy Eggleston
• Production Artwork: Wendy Chapin
• Set Construction: Andres Aviles

Laura: Last weekend we saw the Sandy Spring Theatre Group and their production of Nunsense being performed at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn in Gaithersburg Maryland.

Mike: Nunsense is a musical comedy by Dan Gogan. It takes place in Hoboken. The little sisters of Hoboken have discovered that their cook Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned the rest of the nuns. They bury a bunch of them and then they run out of money. So they have to have a fundraiser, Nunsense. A health inspector comes by to check out the health of the place and discovers the nuns in the freezer. Therefore they have an urgent need to get some funds raised.

Laura: I thought this show was a lot of fun. It was a vaudeville comedy. The dance numbers were lively. The set I thought was simple, but effective. I thought everybody sang really well.

Mike: This was an ensemble piece. There were five “nuns” in the show and they did a pretty good job over all.

Laura: The Mother Superior, Sister Mary Regina, was played by Elissa Borzilleri. She was good as the uptight nun. She was always worried about what some of the other nuns were going to do to raise the money to get those poor nuns out of the freezer for a proper burial.

Mike: Sister Mary Amnesia was played by Jennie Lutz. She was a nun who had had some kind of traumatic experience and couldn’t remember her name. She forgot her lines at points and wandered off into the audience to chat. She had a really good time with forgetting how to do stuff.

Laura: The other three Nuns, Sister Hubert, played by Mary MConnell, who drove the church van, Sister Mary Leo played by Megan May and Sister Robert Anne played by Celia Blitzer all did a very good job. They had lot of energy. They had some really good dance numbers. I liked the scene when Robert Anne got her spotlight on center stage because the understudy was not able to perform and I thought that was a really good scene. She has a good strong singing voice that carried really well.

Mike: The pacing of the show was wonderful. It was very snappy. The Gaitherbug Arts Barn is a very intimate setting and it really let the show move along at a nice pace. There was a scene early on where they did a quiz to the audience. It moved right along. They also told jokes while standing in the aisiles of the audience. It worked really well.

Laura: This was a very enjoyable show. Some of the humor was for adults, but for the most part I think it was a kid friendly show.

Mike: Nunsense is playing through March 4th at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3PM. The show is about two hours long with one fifteen minute intermission. I think you’ll have a good time if you go see this and support the Sandy Spring Theatre Group.

Laura: And now, on with the show.