Olympia Family Theater’s Season Opener
Attending Olympia Family
Theater’s
season opener in their brand new space was a special treat—heartwarming and
funny. For starters, walking in to the former home of Capital Playhouse was a
fun kind of déjà vu. Everything was the same, yet nothing was the same. No
longer partitioned as in former days, the lobby was much more spatial, and
bright with beautiful wall murals designed by resident scenic designer Jill
Carter, who also designed the beautiful set with a backdrop of a crowded scene
painted with bright colors depicting the hustle of a busy little town in a
style typical of children’s book illustrations with moveable and rotating set
pieces to allow for easy scene changes engineered by scenic engineer David
Nowitz.
The lighting and sound systems are also new (the Capital Playhouse
equipment had been auctioned off); lighting and sound for OFT’s opening show is
by Kate Arvin. I have nothing but the highest praise for the staff and
volunteers who pulled off the giant feat of readying the space for opening
night audiences.
And
now on to the play itself: Busytown
by playwright Kevin Kling with musical compositions by Michael Koerner.
It is based on the book by Richard Scarry, directed by
Jen
Ryle and musically
directed by
Stephanie Claire.
Unlike
many of the younger actors and audience members who grew up with Scarry’s books
or whose children did, I was unfamiliar with them and grateful that notes in
the program explained how his books differ from those of most other children’s
book authors. They do not so much tell stories as ask questions to stir the
imaginations of readers—complete with enjoyable but definitely not exclusive
answers to those questions, answers that are designed to further stimulate
thought. The big question is “What Do People Do All Day?” —a musical question
about the residents of Busytown posed by the ensemble in a song following the
opening number, “Busytown Theme.”
The residents (anthropomorphized animals) are letter carriers and
bakers and fire fighters and a pickle car driver and Lowly the Worm, a hand
puppet operated by Harrison Fry; and a very inquisitive cat named Huckle (Kate
Ayers) who endlessly poses questions.
Her questions are answered in a series of musical vignettes presented
by the large and talented cast with a backup trio that sings in the style of
the Andrews Sister and occasionally breaks into do-wop harmony. The trio is Terri
Charles, Emmalene Ryle and Carolyn Willems Van Dijk.
The entire cast is so good that I want to list them all, starting with
the trio, each member of whom doubles as other characters:
·
Charles as Grocer Cat, Ryle as Bananas Gorilla and Van Dijk as
Stitches
·
Ayers as Huckle and Train the Dog
·
Jeff Barehand as Alfalfa Dig Pig, Dr. Lion and Mate
·
Eric Crawford as Sgt. Murphy, Construction Worker and Airport Worker
·
Christine Goode as Nurse Nelly and Able Baker Charlie (the baker, of
course)
·
Ryan Holmberg as Captain Salty and Humperdink
·
Vanessa Postil as Betsy Bear and Jason the Mason
·
Levi Somers as Mr. Frumble and Sparky
·
Chris Traber as Grandma Bear, Blacksmith Fox and Sawdust Carpenter
·
Priscilla Zal as Postman Pig, Farmer Pig and Firechief
Ayers is one of the most expressive, joyful and energetic actors
you’ll ever see on stage as she has proven in her performances in OFT’s Lyle the Crocodile and her depiction of
Gertrude Stein in Theater Artists
Olympia’s Chamber Music. Her antics in the
song “Grandma a Letter,” sung in duet with Postil, had audience members jumping
out of their seats (Postil’s contribution on this song was great and Ayers was
insanely funny).
Another of the many standout performances was turned in by Goode in a
scene depicting her crush on Lowly Worm, and another that had kids in the
audience going wild was Holmberg’s song, “Captain Salty.” I’ll forever remember
him singing the line, “My favorite letter is Rrrrrrrr.”
Among many others who deserve special notice are costumers Becky Scott
and Sally Fitzgerald, and scenic artist Jeannie Beirne who brought Carter’s
design to life.
Following the show there was an impromptu tribute to Jen Ryle,
co-founder of Olympia Family Theater, which brought her and a good portion of
the audience to tears.
Busytown
runs Thurs.-Fri.,
7 p.m., Sat.-Sun. at 2 p.m. through Sunday October 12. Arts Walk Open House with selected scene previews
every half hour and a kid disco from 5-9 p.m.,
Oct. 3. The art of Angela Yoder in the lobby.
612 4th Ave E, Olympia,
360-570-1638
Top from left: Christine Goode as Nurse Nellie, Jeff
Barehand as Alfalfa Dig Pig and Kate Ayers
as Huckle the Cat. Photo Credit: David Nowitz
Bottom: Kate Ayers as
Huckle the Cat and Harrison Fry, ensemble member who puppeteers Lowly
the Worm.
OFT’s Lowly puppet was designed
and
created by Jamie
Jenson. Photo by Dinea de Photo
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