Tag Archives: Ken Kaden

Review: Mad Props Productions’ “Art” (in association with Bard in the Burbs)

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So… it has been a while… a long while. And why is that? Because typically I would be working on a stage production and although I may have time to see friends in shows… I wouldn’t necessarily have time to think about the show itself to write a review about it.

But somehow, this time around… I am not involved with or anticipating being involved in a production and ergo have time to think. Not only that but this is one of those productions that just needed to be mentioned and immortalized in print… even if it is on my own blog.

“Art” is produced by Mad Props Productions in association with Bard in the Burbs. Directed by the incredibly talented Ken Kaden and whose cast includes the equally talented trio of Christopher Williams (Marc), Sean Ogren (Serge), and Aaron Hoge (Yvan) with Fletcher Ogren and Maureen Corcoran working tech and stage managing.

“Art” is a moment in a trio of lives of three friends as they converse, debate, argue over art, life, love, friendship, and growth.

What makes this piece difficult to stage is that the actors have to bounce off of one another and work off of one another so effortlessly that it pulls the audience in for the ride and doesn’t let them go until the end… and even then, the audience shouldn’t want the ride to end quite so soon.

With the staging so simply set (a sofa, side table, and a couple of chairs) all that is needed are the actors to fill the space… and that they did and much more:

The trio of Christopher Williams, Sean Ogren, and Aaron Hoge have found that balance and the ebbs and flows of their characters between one another and themselves that is arguably a Masterclass of how to listen and work with your scene partners through the script.

One may infer that the actors may have been tailor-made for their roles, but this blogger would argue that the roles were just quite simply the perfect embodiment of each of the individual actor’s life work to this point… knowing that they still have decades to give.

I could go and provide accolades to each individual actor… and I probably should… but what can I say that would accurately describe the power of each individual’s talent and charisma that they bring to life.

One person said it best: “They made me forget that they were my friends.” and I agree. To transcend the personal connection and to pull the audience into the characters and the piece isn’t easy and yet this trio does it effortlessly.

There is only one weekend remaining for this gem of a show, nestled in the quiet of suburban Lisle. For $15 cash at the door… this is a must-see show.

For information on tickets please go to “Art” on Stacey De’s Website. Shows are at 8pm on Friday and Saturday, 7pm on Sunday.

Review: Wheaton Drama’s “The 39 Steps”

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Wow… it has been a while since I have done one of these. Looking back on my history it would appear that the last one that I saw was Brightside Theater’s Moonlight and Magnolias, which was done back in early September of… 2013?!?!? Oh my gosh…

So what has kept me from reviewing all the other shows that I have undoubtedly seen since then? A multitude of reasons really:
1) I’m busy… but then again when am I not?
2) I haven’t seen anything on the community theater circuit that went “you have to write about this”… which I suppose isn’t fair since reviews are suppose to be honest opinions of a show.
3) This was beginning to feel like work than fun… but all things that were hobbies eventually become that, no?

Ah well…

Whatever the reason, I am here and I am writing now… and mainly because this show MUST BE SEEN. Don’t believe me? You don’t have to, go and see the show once, and you’ll find yourself wanting to see more because you are sure you…

Ok… wait… slow down here… let’s get through the formalities first and then beyond the break get to the nitty gritty… and there is a lot of nitty gritty here.

Acting: LOVE
Directing: LOVE
Set Design: LOVE
Overall: LOVE

Ok… ready? Here we go…

If you are not familiar with the original film of “The 39 Steps”…

“A man in London tries to help a counterespionage agent. But when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to both save himself and also stop a spy ring which is trying to steal top secret information.”

So now imagine all the speaking role characters from that film being portrayed by four actors. And ONLY four. From Samuel French:

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony® and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance!

In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on the man’s trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale!

Not much different… and yet for someone who has seen the original film… they are differing points in a multitude of things. But to go through that would be dull and boring… so let’s get to the nitty gritty.

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Aftermath: Ken Kaden’s Adaptation of Nick Hornby’s “A Long Way Down”

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Wow…

Seriously… just wow.

Ask any thespian on the planet about shows, movies, etc that they are most proud of and I am sure they have one. Not that they have to… but chances are they do.

For a long while I was most proud about a role in a musical theatre production that people still remember to this day. However, after having been blessed with the chance to run lights for Ken Kaden’s adaptation of Nick Hornby’s “A Long Way Down”, I find it mildly ironic that the role I played in this production wasn’t onstage (not that I would have wanted it… hits too close to home) but rather off. Not only that, but it happens to tie in with my day job.

Figures doesn’t it.

But enough about me. This is Ken’s show, Ken’s production and for his first time in adapting a book in such a way that makes sense for stage and doing it well… Not only that but directing for the first time and putting all this together for the first time, yeah, it is a job not just well done… but WELL DONE.
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Reflection: Ken Kaden’s Adaptation of Nick Hornby’s “A Long Way Down”

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There are few shows that bring comedy into a serious issue and still resonate with the audience… and yet Ken Kaden has managed to keep that vary spirit of Nick Hornby’s novel “A Long Way Down” via his staged adaptation.

But first a little about “A Long Way Down”:

In his fourth novel, New York Times-bestselling author Nick Hornby mines the hearts and psyches of four lost souls who connect just when they’ve reached the end of the line.

Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year’s Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper’s House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives.

In four distinct and riveting first-person voices, Nick Hornby tells a story of four individuals confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own mortality. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances.

Intense, hilarious, provocative, and moving, A Long Way Down is a novel about suicide that is, surprisingly, full of life.

Yep… you read that right, funny but in a very thought provoking way even Ken admits as such via the Facebook invitiation:

Some oddities about “A Long Way Down!” :
1. It’s about suicide, and we hope to make you laugh.
2. It’s a staged reading, and most of the lines are memorized.
3. It’s not a musical, and music is important throughout.
4. One of the characters is famous, and nobody likes him.
5. Admission is free, and we hope you will give generously to a worthy cause.
6. It is first-come, first-served, and we hope to turn no-one away.

So now that you are semi-familiar with the adaptation and realize that it will open this coming weekend, why am I writing about it now?

Simple..

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Review: Wheaton Drama’s It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Show

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Show: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE RADIO SHOW
Produced by: 		Location: Wheaton Drama
Director: Sean Ogren

Earlier in December of 2012, a friend of mine and I went to Wheaton Drama to see a bunch of our friends in the holiday radio show “It’s a Wonderful Life”. When I say “a bunch” I mean I knew a fair number of the case right of the bat… (I know that is considered par for the course for me). Anyway what is different about this particular radio show was the addition of a children’s dance troupe from Geneva.

Before I move on here were some first impressions:
Acting: like
Singing: like
Choreography: meh
Staging: like
Sound Effects: love

One of the first things I noticed is that while the audience was trickling into the theatre, various members of the cast were already fully in character, interacting with the audience. It was strange having this sense of being transported into a different decade completely and feeling a sense of being part of the live audience for such a production.

Off to the side of the stage was a couple of tables that were set up for what it would appear to be the “sound effects” guys for the production. Helmed by R J Ogren and Peter Lemongelli, I knew instinctively that we were in for a real treat.

The radio program was hosted by Randy Knott (also known as Count Carl-Magnus in VTG’s A Little Night Music) who was cracking jokes towards the audience and the sound effect guys. However, who really stole the pre-show was Steve Schroeder and his antics of dinging a bell and pointing randomly “and you get wings” *ding* “and you get wings” *ding* “and you get wings”… well you get the idea. That damn guy keeps stealing the show no matter where he is at… but I digress.

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Review: Wheaton Drama’s Broadway Ballot (Act Two only!)

Show: BROADWAY BALLOT Location: Wheaton Drama
Director: Craig Gustafson

After my whirlwind weekend getaway up north in Minocqua, Wisconsin… I drove straight south back home and realized that if I pushed it, I would make it to see a few of my theatre friends at their Broadway Ballot. Granted I ended up missing the first Act (which had a few shows that I really wanted to see) but seeing the second act provided songs from shows that I am not typically a fan of, but now I would be kind of curious to see.

Below are all the songs that were featured in the second act of the Broadway Ballot at Wheaton Drama. What Wheaton Drama did was put on a kind of revue of a vast variety of Broadway songs from a variety of musicals and asked the audience to decide which shows they would love to see or not care to see at all. Then these ballots are tabulated and presented to the Wheaton Drama monthly meeting and from there they may use the data to decide what musicals to present for future seasons.

Regardless if the data would be used or not, in the end it was a fun revue / production and it helped bring in donations and dollars to the theatre group for their future productions. So all in all a win-win situation for an outsider looking in (aka myself).

From what I understand from those that were part of the production there were twenty-two performers who were singing twenty-six songs and they only had eleven rehearsals to do it. Now coming from someone that has been thrown into the thick of things a week before Opening weekends (including Shakespeare)… I can honestly say that I was expecting nothing less than fun, laughter, and entertainment and this group definitely delivered.

Taking a look at the official Ballot the revue is comprised of songs taken from a vast variety of shows: traditional and non-traditional, well and lesser known. A nice mixed bag with something for everyone to enjoy.
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