First Kiss Me, Kate Rehearsal

Tonight, we got our choral books and the scripts. We learned all the songs in which the ensemble sings.

AND, if things stay as they are now . . .

I have a line.

One whole line of dialogue.

I am a couple of ensemble characters, and one of them gets to speak. I actually didn't expect to have any lines. This is cool.

GSM Cancels Show

I learned last Sunday evening that Garland Summer Musicals had to cancel the Sunday matinee on the 18th because Andy Gosnell, who plays Cosmo Brown, was injured during his "Make 'Em Laugh" number Saturday night. I have not heard if Andy is okay or what the plan is for the coming weekend's performances.

I do hope he's fine. As I said in my review, his performance was outstanding. It makes it even more impressive if he was fighting through pain for most of the show.

"Singin' in the Rain" Review

Gotta make this brief before the thunderstorm really gets rolling.

I caught the Saturday night performance of Singin' in the Rain at the Patty Granville Performing Arts Center in Garland. This was the first show of the the two show season for Garland Summer Musicals.

The show was entertaining enough to be worth the price of admission. The sound was uneven at times, but that's partly a function of the performance space and partly the result of the inherent unreliability of body mics. If you've ever seen the movie from which the show was adapted, you know the basic premise. Joseph Jones plays Don Lockwood, the established silent picture star who teams with Lina Lamont, played by Allison Rogers. One evening, Lockwood bumps into aspiring actress Kathy Selden, played by Emily Lockhart, and the chemistry is immediate. Or at least it's supposed to be immediate. I've now seen Jones and Lockhart play romantic leads in three shows at GSM (the other two were 42nd Street and Crazy For You), and I still don't believe them as a couple. Okay, so maybe Billy Lawlor isn't really the romantic lead, but you get my point.

The only time I really paid attention to Jones and Lockhart was when they were dancing together. They co-choreographed the show, and they both are at their best when dancing.

The supporting cast was good, with particular notes of praise needing to be given to Steven Beene as the Diction Coach and Linda Frank as Roz, the head of Publicity for Monumental Pictures. Delynda Johnson Moravec also turns in fine performances in two different roles.

Allison Rogers was strong as the conniving and imminently unlikeable Lina. Some around me had difficulty understanding her lines a couple of times, but she did a great job wih the character. Her song, "What's Wrong With Me" was a highlight of the show.

I cannot think of enough ways to praise the performance of Andy Gosnell as Cosmo Brown, Lockwood's best friend and former vaudeville partner. Gosnell stole every scene in which he appeared and routinely got large applause and cheers after his songs. "Make 'Em Laugh" may have been derivative from the original choreography in the movie, but Gosnell made in enjoyable nonetheless.

The show only runs through Sunday the 25th of June, so if you want to see it, don't delay. It isn't the best show I've ever seen, but it's worth the money.

KCCT People's Choice

Okay, so it wasn't as soon as I got the information, put congratulations to the People's Choice Award winners from the 2005-06 season at KCCT:

The Foreigner—Clint "Tex" Reese (Ellard Sims)

Nunsense—Cindy Woodrome (Rev Mother)

A Christmas Carol—Jeff Vaughan (Charles Dickens/Ebeneezer Scrooge)

Steel Magnolias—Denise Buckels (Shelby)

Oliver!—Rebecca Lewis (Nancy)

KCCT Awards

Major kudos to the winners at this year's Second Annual KCCT Awards Gala. I'll be posting the People's Choice winners as soon as I am sent the list.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY

Jim Holcomb, Charlie Baker, The Foreigner

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADACTRESS IN A PLAY

Angie Bagert, Truvy, Steel Magnolias

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

David Hasley, Mr. Bumble, Oliver!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Emily Hunt, Fagin, Oliver!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Mark Reynolds, Frederick Dickens, A Christmas Carol

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Elli Rinebarger, Annelle, Steel Magnolias

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Randall Carpenter, Dodger, Oliver!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Contrella Dixon, Sister Hubert, Nunsense

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A PLAY

Clint “Tex” Reese, Ellard Sims, The Foreigner

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Emily Hunt, Ouiser, Steel Magnolias

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Randall Carpenter, Dodger,Oliver!

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Sarah Garland, Sister Amnesia, Nunsense

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A PLAY

Fester Adams, Owen, The Foreigner

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Jan Wallace Summar, Clairee, Steel Magnolias

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Rex Bowers, Noah, Oliver!

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Debbie Dominguez, Sister Leo, Nunsense

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Cayman Mitchell, Oliver, Oliver!

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Jennifer White, Widow Corney / Mrs. Bedwin, Oliver!

BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Randall Carpenter, Dodger, Oliver!

BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Morgan Manuel, Ensemble, Oliver!

OUTSTANDING YOUTH PERFORAMNCE – BOY (UNDER 12 roughly)

Rex Bowers, Noah / Fagin’s Gang / Workhouse Boy, Oliver!

OUTSTANDING YOUTH PERFORMANCE - GIRL (UNDER 12 roughly)

Whitnee Bomkamp, Bet, Oliver!

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

Fagin’s Gang, Oliver!
Brooke Bowers, Rex Bowers, Brady Britten, Nikki Britten, Alex Dixon, John David Hasley, Zachary Hogberg, MaryBeth Johnson, Rachel Kucera, Jessica Lewis, Joshua Lewis, Michael Lewis, Courtney Tadlock, Francesca Willis, Joy Willis, Randall Carpenter, Cayman Mitchell

BEST SET DESIGN

Ron Harris / Jeff Vaughan / Victoria Vaughan, A Christmas Carol

OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT

Amy Thurmond-Bush, Contrella Dixon, Regina Bailey and Bob Brown for Oliver!

BEST DIRECTOR

Amy Thurmond-Bush, Oliver!

BEST SHOW

Steel Magnolias