Rising Star Production's premiere of The Piper promises mirth and meaning for patrons By Susan Donahue
I think it was W.C. Fields who cautioned against acting with animals and children because they'll steal the scene every time. With The Piper, however, there's no avoiding it--you must have both rats and kids. Although I often had difficulty hearing, this Rising Star Production provides many enjoyable moments, complete with the scene-stealers of which Fields warned.
The Piper, by Roger Griffin and Roseann Hammill, is a retelling of Robert Browning's The Pied Piper of Hamlin. In this play, the "heinous" actions of the piper of lore are gone, and it focuses on the power of love to lead us where we want to go.
Director Jueanne Meyers has assembled a talented 52-person cast. Steve Thorpe in the title role as the Piper is engaging and mesmerizing. Especially nice are the passionate moments about believing in oneself, which Thorpe performs with total commitment, whether singing or acting.
Other highlights include the lovers Gerta and Penn, excellently played by Tricia Potter and Adam Pithan. Their duet "Could We Have Been In Love?" was tender and emotional.
Laurel Moore as Mistress Hale also had many strong moments, but her rendition of "Love Must Grow" was simply stunning. This scene with Potter's Gerta was one of my favorites.
The Ministrel was ably played by James Johnson. Johnson's gorgeous tenor voice was a bit hard to hear at times, but his captivating manner drew me into his story.
The accompaniment by pianist Greg Moore and flutist Melanie Kitchens served this production well. Both are extremely talented musicians.
Some of the more humorous moments in the show come from a variety of characters. Adam Pond as Franzenfoofer, the evil Mayor's sidekick, was haughty and arrogant in his humor. Erica Gonser as Ilse, who aspires to be the Mayor's daughter, is excellent; both her voice and acting warrant special notice. Also, Ti Nhong as French tailor LePel has many hilarious moments, but I did have trouble hearing him. And W.C. Fields didn't lie; Latte, the live rat (don't worry--he's in a cage) had a memorable, humorous scene, too.
Likewise, the town children are adorable, confident, and completely charming, especially in their scene with a dead rat. Chiefly notable are Matthew Meyers as Willy, the rat slayer, and Loryn Musgrove as Hilde.
Costumes, designed by Director Meyers and Stacie Kelley, were wonderful. Every costume seemed appropriate for the time, character, and vision of the play. The set worked well and provided the production with a variety of settings with a minimum of fuss.
Two preventable problems, however, plague this production: sound and choreography.
Many times the chorus (and individual voices from the chorus) cannot be heard or understood. I saw the emotions in the actors' expressive faces; I heard the feelings in the voices, but often, I could not understand the lyrics. Several times, actors in leading and supporting roles turned so far upstage (to the back of the stage) that it was virtually impossible to hear them. While an inadequate sound system or theatre with poor acoustics can be held partially accountable, being seen, heard and understood should be the paramount concern of all involved.
The other area that did not work for me was the choreography. Actors, especially in chorus scenes, seemed uncertain of their steps, shooting furtive glances to each other as the dances began. I felt that if the actors had confidently executed the dance numbers, I wouldn't have noticed or cared if mistakes happened.
In other numbers, the choreography didn't seem to flow. An example of this is in the scenes with the Mayor and Franzenfoofer. As they plot their evil plans, the complexity of the choreographed movements detracted from the humor and made the lyrics secondary at a moment when they should be primary.
The dancers in the rat ballet also seemed uncertain of their dance. And the moves were graceful with long, elegant lines! Since the rats are described as the scourge of the town, I wanted the rats to be grittier, grimier--well, more rat-like, in their movement.
Despite these limitations, Rising Star Productions has created a pleasing play that the entire family can enjoy. Performances continue at the Kessler Elementary School auditorium in Longview, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through July 8, with matinees on July 1 and 8 as well.
Susan Donahue teaches English at R.A. Long High School in Longview and has been active in community theatre for 26 years.
