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Evan Donnellan

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The cast, from left, Ari Spiegel, Derek Hough, Cassidy Gill and Alexa Oliveto. Photo by Heidi Sutton/TBR News Media

By Heidi Sutton

The children’s picture book Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems was an instant success when it was released in 2004 and won the Caldecott Honor in 2005. The story, based on the author’s 3-year-old daughter Trixie and her favorite stuffed animal, was followed by two sequels, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity and Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion as well as an animated short film.

The cast, from left, Ari Spiegel, Derek Hough, Cassidy Gill and Alexa Oliveto.
Photo by Heidi Sutton/TBR News Media

Now the Smithtown Performing Arts Center pays homage to the award-winning book with a children’s theater production of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. With script and lyrics by Mo Willems and music by Michael Silversher, it  begins as Dad suggests that Mom take a trip to the spa while he takes their rambunctious pre-verbal daughter Trixie to the neighborhood laundromat. While Mom is hesitant, Dad insists he is up to the job. “It’s just one load of laundry. What could go wrong?”

Mom reminds Dad to make sure Trixie takes along her favorite stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny, and the adventure begins.

Dad and Trixie walk through their neighborhood, through the park and into the laundromat. Dad decides to go home to fix Trixie a snack but as they head back to the house things take a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes she has lost Knuffle Bunny. Can she make Dad understand what’s wrong? Will he be able to save the day?

Expertly directed by Evan Donnellan with musical direction by Robbie Torries, the four-member cast does a flawless job conveying the funny, silly, engaging and fast-paced story. 

Derek Hough, last seen on SPAC’s stage as Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, is incredible in the role of a clueless but well-meaning Dad and Alexa Oliveto shines in her role as the all-knowing Mom. Their duet “[Life Is] Tricky With Trixie” kicks off the show and sets the tone for a fun afternoon. 

Cassidy Gill is wonderful in the role of a frustrated Trixie and plays her character with infinite energy. While Trixie desperately attempts to communicate with her solo “Aggle Flaggle Klabble” and acts out by going “boneless,” she surprises everyone at the end with her first real word. Can you guess what it is? 

A versatile Ari Spiegel rounds out the cast and plays numerous supporting roles including a pigeon and a giant Knuffle Bunny.

A nice touch is the constantly changing screen in the background, from the exterior and interior of the family’s home to the laundromat and even a video of a fire truck driving by.

In the end, the show reminds us of the amazing lengths parents will go through for their children and that is worth the trip.

The Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 E. Main St., Smithtown presents Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical on Aug. 19 at 6 p.m., Aug. 20 at 2 p.m., Sept. 1 and 2 at 6 p.m. and Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. Running time is one hour with no intermission and snacks and drinks will be sold before the show. All seats are $18. To order, visit www.smithtownpac.org.

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The cast of Theatre Three's 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger
A scene from 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger
A scene from 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger
A scene from 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger
A scene from 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger
A scene from 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger
A scene from 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger
A scene from 'Baskerville.' Photo by Brian Hoerger

By Barbara Anne Kirshner

Gothic!

Thrilling!

Suspenseful!

Wait a minute — It’s a comedy!!

It’s hilarious Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery now playing at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson.

“Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!” That exclamation conjures up ominous chords and the audience is immediately immersed in the murder mystery at bleak Baskerville Hall perched on the edge of the desolate fog-laden moors.

In Ken Ludwig’s (Lend Me A Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, Crazy for You) adaptation of the 1901 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, he brilliantly takes this gothic classic and infuses it with comedy making for spine-tinglingly funny results.

The searching questions, who killed Sir Charles Baskerville and is there a legendary hound haunting Baskerville Hall, must be answered before another heir is murdered. Enter Sherlock Holmes (Evan Donnellan) and his sidekick, Dr. Watson, I presume, (Kevin Callahan). The brave duo ferret through contradicting clues and a host of suspicious characters in efforts to protect Henry Baskerville, the next heir who has just arrived from Texas. 

Donnellan takes the stage in grandiose style. His Holmes is sly, elegant and capable. When he says he knows the print of every paper in the country, we believe him. Kevin Callahan’s Doctor Watson is so much fun. He tries to keep up with Holmes though often bungles, adding to the laughs, but his genuine investigative spirit makes him the perfect sidekick to Holmes. Together they are an invincible pair despite the labyrinth of deceit and intrigue they must face in attempting to solve this crime.

The original Conan Doyle mystery is chock full of characters all necessary in creating red herrings that keep the reader guessing until the final page. Ludwig realized he would need numerous characters to tell the story, so he inventively reduced his adaptation down to five actors — Holmes, Watson and the other three playing more than forty roles. 

This challenge calls for extraordinary performers who must instantly change costumes while also changing accents, physicality and intentions, all the while making the audience believe each of their characters. 

Director Christine Boehm has accomplished just that by assembling an outstanding supporting cast — Jonathan Sawyer Coffin, Elena Faverio and Ana McCasland — who change costumes as easily as they transform into different personas. This high energy threesome bounce snappy lines into the air wrapped in an array of accents. 

Faverio’s German accent as Mrs. Barrymore is hysterically reminiscent of Cloris Leachman’s Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein. Coffin’s booming southern drawl is a comical contradiction for the next in line of the Baskerville fortune. McCasland takes on the proper English of Dr. Mortimer as easily as she emotes the Castilian of the hotel proprietor. These outrageously high camp performances are met with rapturous laughter and applause from the audience that builds to an enthusiastic crescendo at curtain call.

Randall Parsons’ scenic design gives the necessary gothic feel with a gray backdrop detailed in swirls of black suggesting impending fog blanketing the moor. A giant screen, center, ingeniously projects settings and events. Lighting design by Robert Henderson, Jr. sets the eerie mood, then stirs things up with flashes of bright lights.

Chakira Doherty’s costume and wig designs are masterfully crafted. Actors, portraying numerous characters, must change in an instant and Doherty’s well-thought-out garments and coiffures make this task possible.

Tim Haggerty’s sound design is essential in instilling chills. Whether it be the cacophonous howling hound to the staccato of the chugging train to a deafening explosion, these sound effects build in both suspense and humor.

Since simplicity is key to this production, properties play a major part and Heather Rose Kuhn creatively plants scenes with the use of sparse props. A train is depicted with only a well-placed bench that morphs easily into a bed at Baskerville Hall for the next scene. A counter glides in and out representing Northumberland Hotel and giant wheels appear when Holmes refers to a cab.

All the twists and turns are captivating and hysterical as we follow Holmes and Watson to a startling conclusion that even gives way to an unexpected epilogue. So, take out your spyglass and join the intrepid pair on this thrilling and uproarious caper!

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery through Feb. 5. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and up. For more information, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

See a sneak peek of the show here!

 

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A scene from 'Twelfth Night'. Photo by Arya Sementilli/Carriage House Players
A scene from 'Twelfth Night'. Photo by Arya Sementilli/Carriage House Players
A scene from 'Twelfth Night'. Photo by Arya Sementilli/Carriage House Players
A scene from 'Twelfth Night'. Photo by Arya Sementilli/Carriage House Players
A scene from 'Twelfth Night'. Photo by Arya Sementilli/Carriage House Players
The cast of 'Twelfth Night'. Photo by Arya Sementilli/Carriage House Players

By Barbara Anne Kirshner

In this COVID era where outdoor activities are preferred, the Carriage House Players, in partnership with the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithtown Historical Society, has extended the usual summer open air entertainment by heralding autumn with an under the stars production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Twelfth Night.

East Main Street in Smithtown is well lit at night by passing car headlights but once you turn off the main road and head up a narrow country lane, you are instantly immersed in a blanket of serene darkness save for an illuminated structure standing tall in the distance. 

A string of white twinkling lights guides the way through a meadow that ends at this grandiose structure decorated as a red barn framed by natural towering trees. You have just entered the world that is Twelfth Night.

This tale of unrequited love, believed to have been written around 1601–1602, has a whirlwind of twists and turns bursting with intrigue and mistaken identities that one remains riveted throughout.

The pre-show antics make it worth getting to the grounds early. Actors in Victorian garb circulate, hob knob with the audience, one strums a guitar and even reads tarot cards.

High-test energy explodes right from the start and maintains momentum through to a rollicking ending. This exceptionally well-rehearsed cast, thanks to director, Christine Boehm, appears comfortable with Elizabethan English and flings Shakespeare’s words in an easy, conversational manner just as the Bard intended. 

The opening springs to life with the song I Put a Spell on You and the stage rocks with a captain at the helm trying to stay the course of his ship veering off through a turbulent storm. Black sheers fiercely whip up and down, an abstract representation of violent waves which ends with a catastrophic shipwreck. 

Enter Anna Stacy, dynamic as Viola, in a role that shifts genders from female to male and back again. Viola was rescued by the sea captain, the adept Patrick Campbell, while Dan Schindlar, charismatic as her brother Sebastian, is rescued by Antonia, played by the expressive Zöe Katsaros. Neither are aware that the other has survived which adds another layer of intrigue to the plot. 

Viola disguises as a young man, ‘Cesario’, to go into the service of Michael Mandato’s evocative Count Orsino. Orsino is tortured by unrequited love for Countess Olivia a damsel in mourning for seven years over the death of her brother. Mary Caulfield captivates as the grieving countess shrouded in black and spurning all suitors. ‘Cesario,’ in doing the bidding of Orsino, professes his master’s love for Olivia, but it backfires when the countess falls in love with ‘Cesario’ instead. 

Upon seeing Sebastian, Olivia assumes he is ‘Cesario’ and implores him to marry her which he does willingly. In a final twist, ‘Cesario’ and Sebastian appear before Olivia and Orsino causing more confusion. But Viola reveals her true identity, declares her love for the count and is reunited with her twin brother. 

Sub-plots abound with Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby, a drunkard performed with gusto by Evan Donnellan and his comrade, Sir Andrew, (Jae Hughes), a delightful fop who also pines for Olivia. This duo adds much madcap humor into the mix! 

Another comical twist happens when Maria, Olivia’s maid, played with relish by Katie Murano, pulls a prank on the pompous steward, Malvolio, making him think Olivia is in love with him. Kevin Callaghan’s Malvolio falls into hilarious raptures as the lovesick steward and nearly stops the show. 

Another participant in the plot against Malvolio is Feste, Olivia’s jester, played by the multi-talented Ana McCasland who displays all of her talents from singing to playing the guitar to acting.

For an electric celebration of wits, intrigue and an enthusiastic ensemble thoroughly committed to Shakespeare’s raucous comedy, catch a performance Twelfth Night, now playing through Oct. 31.

The Carriage House Players presents Twelfth Night on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society, 239 East Main Street, Smithtown on the evenings of Oct. 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31. Tickets are $20, $15 seniors and children 12 and under. To purchase, call 631-724-3700 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

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The talented cast, from left, Gabrielle Arroyo, Alexa Oliveto, Ari Spiegel, Lorelai Mucciolo, Max Lamberg and Derek Hough. Photo by Heidi Sutton

By Heidi Sutton

For too short a time, Mo Willem’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! flies off its pages and takes roost on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society in a children’s musical production by the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts that is too cute for words!

Written in 2003, it was Willems’ first book for children, and received the Caldecott Honor the following year. The book’s appeal was that it spoke to the reader throughout the story as a bus driver asks the audience to not let the pigeon drive the bus while he has to step away for a moment. The remainder of the story is the pigeon pleading with the reader to let him drive the bus … until he sees a semi-trailer truck.

While Willems went on to write many more Pigeon books, his debut novella was turned into a musical in 2019 and now comes to life in Smithtown through Sept. 17.

Directed by Evan Donnellan, with musical direction by Robbie Torres, the 6-member cast embrace this clever script and jazzy score and run with it.

The pigeon has a complaint. He never gets to do anything. When the park gets a new bus stop, he gets his first glimpse at the beautiful shiny bus and … he wants to drive it! As passengers board the bus, the pigeon begs and pleads but the bus driver won’t give in. When the bus suddenly won’t start and all the passengers begin to panic, the pigeon realizes he just might get a chance to do something after all.

Uber talented Derek Hough is perfectly cast as the pigeon. Every line, song and dance number is executed perfectly and he quickly becomes an audience favorite who complains about the lack of adventure in his life. When the pigeon is tasked with flying to all the other bus stops on the route to tell them the bus is running late, Hough runs through the audience and relays the message to all of the young children, a highlight of the show.

Gabrielle Arroyo shines as the enthusiastic bus driver who boasts that her bus, like all public transportation, must always be on time. (LOL) Her three passengers are terrific as well. Lorelai Mucciolo’s transformation into a little old lady who has a purse full of bird seed (and likes to throw it at the pigeon) is hilarious; Ari Spiegel as the high strung business man late for his first day at a new job is spot on; and Max Lamberg as a superhero-obsessed teenager who wants to catch the premiere of a new movie is excellent. Alexa Oliveto, as the “voice” of the bus engine, is tasked with delivering the silliest and hardest lines and does so with ease.

The songs, written by Mo Willems and Deborah Wicks La Puma, are catchy and fun with special mention to the fast-paced “Panic at the Bus Stop” and “Let Me Drive the Bus” and the melodramatic “What Could Have Been.” The set, painted in the same shades as the book, and the creative costumes by Ronald R. Green III tie the production together nicely. Catch a performance before it flies the coop.

The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts presents Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society, 239 E. Main St., Smithtown on various dates and times through Sept. 17. Running time is 50 minutes with no intermission. While folding chairs are available, theatergoers are welcome to bring blankets or chairs for seating and bathrooms are available on the premises. Tickets are $18 per person. To order, call 631-724-3700 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

 

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By Heidi Sutton

The holidays have arrived at the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts in a most delightful way. While a spunky orphan commands the spotlight in the theater’s current main stage production of Annie, a spirited young girl named Emily stars in the second annual children’s theater production of Ken Ludwig’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. 

Directed by Christine Boehm, the 45-minute fast-paced show with the underlying message “to make life an adventure” is the perfect choice to introduce young children to live theater.

It’s Christmas Eve and Uncle Brierly (Evan Donnellan) greets the audience with a recitation of “the greatest poem of all time,” Clement C. Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. He gets as far as, “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” only to be interrupted by Amos the Mouse (Jae Hughes) who is in fact stirring, cookie dough that is, to make cookies for Santa in hopes that he’ll show up this year. You see, Amos and his best human friend Emily (Lorelai Mucciolo) were left off the Naughty or Nice list last year and never received any presents.

It is then that Calliope the Elf (Lisa Naso) shows up to investigate and, after telling Emily and Amos that many other children around the world had the same thing happen to them, convinces them to accompany her back to the North Pole to tell Santa the troubling news and to save Christmas.

When they arrive at Santa’s workshop, they overhear a former elf, Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Donnellan), and his sidekick Mulch (Anthony Panarello), plotting to sell the Naughty and Nice list to retailers just like last year.

What follows is a whirlwind attempt to retrieve the list complete with a surprise appearance from Amos’ brother (the amazing Hughes in a dual role), a hilarious case of mistaken identity, a sword fight, an elf cheer, a visit from Santa Claus (Panarello) and a chase scene through the theater to the Benny Hill theme song. There is no shortage of excitement in this show and the cast does a wonderful job portraying this sweet holiday story.

Booster seats are available and snacks are sold during intermission. Stay after the show for a meet and greet and photos with the cast in the lobby.  

The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 East Main St., Smithtown presents Ken Ludwig’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas on Dec. 15, 22, 28 and 29 at 11 a.m. Children’s theater continues with Shrek The Musical Jr. from Feb. 1 to March 1 and Flat Stanley Jr. from May 16 to June 21. All seats are $18. For more information or to order, call 631-724-3700 or visit www.smithtownpac.org

All photos by Cassiel Fawcett

 

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A scene from last year’s performance of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Museum

By Sabrina Petroski

Come join the fun as the most beautiful words in the English language are given new life! In celebration of its 30th anniversary, The Carriage House Players will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet” for its annual Summer Shakespeare Festival at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport. The festival opens on June 29.

With a modern twist on two of the Bard’s most famous plays, performances will be held under the stars in the central courtyard of William K. Vanderbilt’s Eagle’s Nest mansion, one of the last remaining Gold Coast estates on the North Shore.

The festival was the brainchild of Frederic De Feis, who ran the productions through the Arena Players until his retirement. Upon his leave, De Feis passed the reins to longtime company member and protégé, Evan Donnellan.

“[The festival] started because Fred was looking for a space to perform Shakespeare outdoors,” said Donnellan. “He found the Vanderbilt courtyard and decided to use the space because of its atmosphere and architecture, which lends itself particularly well to Shakespeare.” As executive director, Donnellan, who was part of the company for 22 years, decided to rename the troupe The Carriage House Players to “better reflect our space” as they perform in the Vanderbilt Carriage House on the museum’s grounds.

“The Carriage House Players add a delightful dimension to the Vanderbilt Museum’s creative programming throughout the year,” said Lance Reinheimer, executive director of the Vanderbilt Museum, in a recent email. “Every July and August, their annual Shakespeare productions are a very popular summer attraction. Their shows, presented on our outdoor stage, are enhanced by the graceful backdrop of the estate’s century-old Spanish Revival architecture.”

Jacob Wright and Michael Limone in rehearsal for ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

“The Shakespeare Festival has been a main event for Long Island for three decades now and we are proud to continue the tradition,” added Donnellan who said the group chose “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” because the timeless story of love gone awry, complete with mischievous fairies and bumbling actors, will create a hilarious evening of theater filled with charm, magic and grand romantic gestures. The play will be directed by company member Christine Boehm, who has previously graced the stage as Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” and has directed recent productions of “The Woman in Black” and “Precious Little.” 

“With an aesthetic largely inspired by the Celtic Punk movement popularized in the 1980s with through lines discussing politics, pride in the working class and, most importantly, drinking, our ‘Midsummer’ will focus on the text’s most largely identified theme as the title suggests — a dream,” said Boehm. 

After “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” The Players will present Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, “Hamlet.” Donnellan says “the classic tale of revenge, loss, and the thirst for power, complete with glorious sword fights and ghostly visitors, will transport audiences back in time and put them right in the head of the Danish prince as he struggles to determine what is wrong and what is right.” Directed by company member, Jordan Hue, who directed “Macbeth” and “Much Ado About Nothing” at previous festivals, the show will be performed in the more classical tradition but with an emphasis on neo-futurism.   

For Donnellan, his hope is that this festival will appeal to wide audiences and introduce new theatergoers to the Bard’s genius. “Our goal is for audiences to embrace the old with the new while focusing on Shakespeare’s gorgeous prose and powerful storytelling.” 

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, located at 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, will host “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from June 29 through July 29 followed by “Hamlet” from Aug. 5 through Sept. 2. Shows are held at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and 7 p.m. on Sundays, weather permitting. Running time is approximately 2 hours. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and enjoy a picnic on the grounds before the performances. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or at the door. For more information, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org or call 631-854-5579.

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