Thursday, Jul. 23, 2009

The play's the thing this weekend: 'The Producers' and 'Once Upon a Mattress'

Standing ovations at all three performances of "The Producers" at Southwestern Illinois College last weekend confirmed what director Jeff Blue already knew.

His cast of 22 students and local residents had pulled off one of the most elaborate musical productions ever staged by the theater department.

They followed Susan Stroman's complicated Broadway choreography on dance numbers and figured out how 16 ensemble members could play more than 100 characters.

"There are 200 costumes in the show," said Blue, SWIC's theater manager. "It's enormous in every way. ... Just figuring out the entrances and exits was a challenge."

"The Producers" will continue this weekend at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in SWIC's Belleville Campus Theatre. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

The cast is led by David Guebert of O'Fallon as down-on-his-luck Broadway producer Max Bialystock and Bryan Arnold of Mascoutah as nerdy accountant Leo Bloom.

"I basically tell Max that through an accounting scheme he can make more money with a show that fails than a show that does well," said Arnold, 19, a former SWIC student who plans to major in performing arts at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb this fall.

Max and Leo search for a bad script and an incompetent director and try to raise capital for the project, targeting little old ladies. But their plan goes haywire when critics and audiences love the show, "Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolph and Eva at Berchtesgaden."

The 12-time Tony Award-winning theatrical version of "The Producers" is based on the 1968 Mel Brooks movie with Zero Mostel as Max and Gene Wilder as Leo. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprised the roles on Broadway in 2001 and on film four years later.

"I didn't like the way (Broderick) portrayed Leo," Arnold said. "He was very robotic. I understand why he did it, but that's not the way I wanted to do it. I saw Leo as very emotional and very panicky."

The SWIC theater department invites local residents to join students for some of its productions. Michelle Baldwin is part of "The Producers" ensemble.

The stay-at-home mom formerly worked as a professional dancer. She moved to Scott Air Force Base last fall with her husband, Paul, an Air Force major in public affairs, and three children.

Baldwin, 34, portrays more than a half-dozen characters, ranging from a Broadway dancer to a Bavarian peasant.

"In one scene, we're little old ladies who are helping Max finance his production," she said. "We wear wigs and hideous purple dresses. We all come out with walkers and sing and dance."

To order advance tickets for "The Producers," call 235-2700, ext. 5561.

'Once Upon a Mattress'

Hard Road Theatre Productions will present the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" this weekend and next in the Highland Elementary School auditorium.

It's described as a comical, off-beat version of the "The Princess and the Pea" fairytale. The tyrannical Queen Aggravain challenges princesses to pass seemingly impossible tests to show their worthiness to marry her son, Prince Dauntless.

Carol Burnett starred as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone in the 1959 off-Broadway production (which later moved to Broadway) and 1964 and 1972 TV adaptations. Sarah Jessica Parker reprised the role on Broadway in 1996.

The Highland cast of 30 includes principals Becky Fromme, Mitch England, Mary Knebel, Tom Varner, Whitney Cornick, Josh Noll, Dawna Miller, Ariel Frey and Sarah Henschen.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and July 31 and Aug. 1 and 2 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 2. Highland Elementary School is at 1800 Lindenthal Ave.

Admission to "Once Upon a Mattress" is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for children. Seating is general admission. Tickets are available at the door one hour before performances.

For more information, call 654-7748 or visit www.hardroad.org.

At a glance

What: "The Producers."

Who: Southwestern Illinois College students and local residents.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Belleville Campus Theatre, SWIC, 2500 Carlyle Ave.

Tickets: $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

Information: Call 235-2700, ext. 5561.

At a glance

What: "Once Upon a Mattress."

Who: Hard Road Theatre Productions.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and July 31 and Aug. 1 and 2 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 2.

Where: Auditorium at Highland Elementary School, 1800 Lindenthal Ave.

Tickets: $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for children (available at the door one hour before performances).

Information: Call 654-7748 or visit www.hardroad.org.