Young area actors bagged big honors at the Junior Theatre Festival West in Sacramento, California, back in mid-February. Recipients came from youth theater outfits on each side of Mobile Bay.
Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre (ESRT) in Fairhope won a Freddie G award for Excellence in Acting for their performance of Godspell, Jr. ESRT’s Joe Solomon and Victoria Whatley were named All-Stars.
“Seeing Godspell JR. by Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre made me very emotional. This wonderful, beautiful production showed me where the future of theatre is going. It’s clear the people of Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre encourage their actors to dive deep inside of themselves to find the true meaning of the story,” said adjudicator Steven G. Kennedy.
The PACT Theatre Company out of Mobile performed Jungle Book, KIDS. Colt Benson won a Freddie G award for Outstanding Performance by an Individual. Also, PACT’s Jude Moore and Hastings Weavil were tapped as All-Stars.
“Their narrators drew us in from the moment they stepped forward to deliver their lines. It was captivating. This program knows how to let all their students have their special moment to shine,” adjudicator Khalia Davis said of The PACT’s performance.
Additionally, ESRT was hand-picked to present selections from “Descendants One-Act Edition” for all festival attendees during the New Works Showcase at the festival.
Congratulations go out to the talented honorees. Thanks for representing the Southern version of the Bay Area in Old Sac.
Ludwig in Levis marks mid-March
Spring’s arrival combined with ebbing COVID-19 numbers has sent an undercurrent of hopeful renewal coursing through Mobile’s arts community. Perfect timing for Mobile Symphony Orchestra’s (MSO) regular Beethoven and Blue Jeans on March 12 and 13 at the historic Saenger Theatre (6 S. Joachim St.).
The blend of casual comfort with audible perfection is boosted by the presence of pianist Charlie Albright, a featured performer on the Grieg Piano Concerto.
“[Albright] and I have worked together so many times that he has become a good friend,” MSO Music Director Scott Speck said in a press release. “He plays with a marvelous virtuosity and a buoyant, generous spirit. It feels like he’s performing just for you — and in a way, he is.”
Speck recalled that his first appearance with Albright featured the same Grieg concerto on slate for the upcoming show. He said that audience’s exuberant reception made it a must for the new appearance. Albright’s last MSO appearance was for a 2016 performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Albright has earned lofty praise elsewhere. The New York Times lauded his “jaw-dropping technique and virtuosity meshed with a distinctive musicality.” The Philadelphia Inquirer praised his “ease and smoothness.”
The program also includes José Mauricio Nunéz Garcia’s Overture to “Zemira,” a glorious example of the Afro-Brazilian titan who rose from an inauspicious start as the child of previous slaves and became one of the greatest exponents of Classicism to the Americas. A genius? Garcia was already teaching music at age 12, so yeah.
Don’t forget the titular composer. MSO will tackle Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8, a four-movement piece considered one of the composer’s more “light-hearted but not lightweight” symphonies. It fell into the cracks of the adage proclaiming Beethoven’s odd-numbered symphonies as his best, an unfair rule of thumb. When asked why the Eighth was less popular than his Seventh symphony, Beethoven retorted, “Because the Eight is so much better.”
The Saturday concert is at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday matinee is at 2:30 p.m.
While COVID policies are being reviewed on a show-to-show basis, masks are required regardless of vaccination status.
Tickets are available from $20-$89. Three-concert season memberships are $51-$204. They can be purchased online, by phone at 251-432-2010 or at the MSO Box Office (257 Dauphin St.).
Through MSO’s Big Red Ticket program, sponsored by the Alabama Power Foundation, students in grades K-12 can attend any of the season’s six classical Sunday performances for free when accompanied by a paying adult. More details are at mobilesymphony.org.
Sponsors are The Robert and Joanna Cunningham Charitable Foundation, the Larkins Foundation, Jim and Karen Atchison and Alabama Public Radio.
Concerts are made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Man In Black musical at JJP
Johnny Cash’s position in American culture transcended musical genre and generations, something apparent in Joe Jefferson Players’ (JJP) production of “Ring of Fire,” March 11-27 at their Carlen Street playhouse. More than a straightforward bio, this is testimony to how Cash’s outsized presence in American culture only grew as he aged, then exploded postmortem.
“Johnny Cash has a level of coolness that most entertainers can only dream of achieving,” director Gene Murrell said.
Murrell said his cast of eight features “lots of newcomers with great harmony” and “nearly 30” renditions of Cash’s music. He also nodded to musical director Stan Chapman’s return to Mobile’s theater community — “he hasn’t done anything in years” — as another exciting attribute.
The run time is roughly two hours with intermission. Per a press release, masks are required.
Friday and Saturday curtain is 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee is 2 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and available at joejeffersonplayers.com. For more info, call 251-471-1535 or email [email protected]
This page is available to our subscribers. Join us right now to get the latest local news from local reporters for local readers.
The best deal is found by clicking here. Click here right now to find out more. Check it out.
Already a member of the Lagniappe family? Sign in by clicking here
