Reviews

REVIEWS

The Towson Times - Families are 'poppin' with pride for young

01/30/08
MaryLee Saarbach
msaarbach1@gmail.com

JillianWengler,12, a seventh-grader at Cockeysville Middle School, is performing in the local Children's Theater of the Timonium Dinner Theater's production of Mary Poppins. Jillian is portraying Jane Banks, the young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Banks and the nanny to end all nannies, Mary Poppins. Jillian has performed in several local productions, including recently at the Cockpit Theatre at Essex Community College. She is the daughter of Fred and Melissa Wengler, of Cockeysville, and the granddaughter of Doris and Fred Wengler, of Timonium. Jillian's sisters, Allison, who attends Dulaney High School, and Kathlyn, a student at Warren Elementary School, are very proud of her accomplishments in the theater and look forward to seeing her perform. Also joining Jillian in this wonderful musical will be several other Cockeysville residents: Tina Esnaashari, Diana Senatore and Joe Senatore. The show will run on Saturday mornings and have selected weekday matinees from Jan. 26 to May 31. For information, contact the Children's Theatre at 877-560-1113.

Theater: Loud, twisted talkers at Lorenzo’s
‘Foreigner’ funny regardless by Celeste H. Breitenbach from the Times Herald
The Foreigner takes the stage at Lorenzo’s Timonium Dinner Theatre, 9603 Deereco Rd., through Aug. 15.
Larry Shue’s witty, funny play offers the premise of ultra shy Englishman Charlie Baker staying at Betty Meeks’ Fishing Lodge in the deep woods of Georgia. Because he has trouble talking to strangers, his friend tells Betty that he is a foreigner and doesn’t speak the language.
Poor Charlie! Well played by Pat McPartlin, he is subject to Erin Cassell (as Betty Meeks) screaming at full decibel into his ear (as though that would help a foreigner understand another’s language!).
Then there are the Rev. David Marshall Lee and Owen Musser (played by Jim Gerhardt and Jason Michael Maur) hatching their nefarious plot in front of him blithely believing he doesn’t understand a word they’re saying. Actually, I had difficulty deciphering Musser’s lingo because Maur puts on such a redneck hickabilly backwoods accent it seems that his tongue gets wrapped around his eyetooth and can’t see what it’s saying.
The night of this review, Edward Higgins stood in as Ellard Simms and performed admirably in the role of the seeming dimwit who is brighter than he appears.
The Foreigner provides light summertime entertainment coupled with a delicious bountiful buffet. For reservation information, call 410-560-1113.

Blasny! Blasny! “The Foreigner” at Timonium Dinner Theatre  Tuesday, July 17, 2007; Posted: 4:02 PM - by James Howard from www.broadwayworld.com
◊◊◊ out of five.
Larry Shue's viciously funny comedy The Foreigner seems to be getting quite the revival in the Baltimore area. The production of the play which opened earlier this summer at Lorenzo's Timonium Dinner Theatre is the second of three I'll have reviewed in as many months. As directed by Sid Curl, this production is going for the heavy laughs, with little concern for the serious undertones of its subject matter (not the least of which is the KKK and white supremacy). And Mr. Curl has gone with a quite valid interpretation, as Mr. Shue's works are all comedy first, "message" second. He has made sure that things go at a steady, but not breakneck pace, with his naturalistic blocking having the characters move smoothly throughout the space. This Foreigner is quite funny and for the most part quite winning.
The theatre space that makes up the Timonium Dinner Theatre is pretty atypical. The room has enormous ceilings, and given the relative size of the entire space, that which has been given over to performances space is relatively small. The tiered seating, though, is excellent. One imagines that any seat in the house is a good seat. Those high ceilings could be a nightmare, but here, with well placed microphones and excellent projection by the entire company, the sound is terrific – not a word lost, even during some loud thunder effects. What is odd, technically, about the space is that there are no light batons over the stage, so all lighting comes from instruments aimed at the stage from the back. It does not detract from the show at all, but it may be the first time I've seen a show lit entirely from the front, and it takes some getting used to. That said, Diana C. Senatore's lighting is good, with no real shadows and a clear view at all times. Scenic Artists (there is no set designer listed) Zaius Marsalek and Jim Gearhardt did the best they could, I suppose, given the limited space afforded this one set show. They do manage to squeeze in a trap door platform and a staircase to an unseen second floor. Where the design is lacking is in decoration – the wooden planks, noted by jagged black lines of paint, are not that appealing to look at, and in places look like small children were given a go with the brush. Still, they have furnished the space well, managing to create three distinct playing areas – a dining room, a front desk area and a living room space. This is no small fete.

The real appeal, and coincidentally, the downfall of this production is in its casting. I should mention at the get go that at the performance I attended, the audience, made up largely of senior senior citizens was on the small side, and while we were all giving the company our fullest attention, the voluminous laughter they get on other nights with a larger, younger crowd probably generates more spunk on both sides of the footlights. They were also working with an understudy in a major role, which always changes the dynamic, as both actresses probably play the role vastly different.
The understudy, at least, knows the show well. Maureen Rogers, in the role of Betty Meeks, owner of the lodge where the play takes place (replacing Erin Cassell, off performing in Oliver! at Theatre on the Hill), played the same part at Laurel Mill Playhouse last month. Her performance, which I then described as "absolutely hilarious when trying to communicate with her foreign guest and even more a riot when she finds herself running around trying to keep everyone happy while her lodge is under siege. While her accent slips, occasionally, Ms. Rogers has a firm grasp on old school Southern ways" remains valid. That critique still stands, though she seems a bit more at home in the role here, nailing several more jokes. Ms. Rogers has also developed a natural feeling rapport with her cast mates.
Less successful in their roles are Jim Gerhardt as the Reverend Lee and Jason Michael Maur as Owen Musser. Mr. Gearhardt has little reverend-like bearing, and seems focused on playing the more sinister aspects of his character which are revealed as the play progresses. Having seen the play before, I understood what he was about, but it would certainly be confusing to someone less familiar. At the least, it takes quite a bit away from the dramatic punch of the significant plot twists later in the play. Owen Musser, Southern hick redneck personified, also has a seriously mean side, but not as played by Mr. Maur, who does a decent imitation of Yosemite Sam, but never varies the one note of his performance. The result is a performance that is funny at first and rather dull by the end, which in turn takes quite a bit out of the ending of the play.
Kristin Rigsby, as the reverend's fiancé, Catherine, starts out a bit shaky, with many lines coming out in somewhat of a monotone of nagging quality. But it soon becomes apparent that this is her device to show us that she is unsure of her life at the start of the play and may even be bored with it. As the play progresses, Ms. Rigsby flourishes, showing considerable chemistry with Ms. Rogers and the other key gentlemen in the play. Interestingly, she has the least chemistry with Mr. Gearhardt, who plays her fiancé, and in real life (according to the program biographies) is her beau! Of course, it makes sense that they have little chemistry given that they end up REALLY not belonging together. Michael Levy, a talented young actor does his best with the role of Froggie, whose chief purpose is to set up the relatively extensive exposition at the start of the play. He is playing a British army officer in his mid 50's, I'd guess, and this actor can't be more than 24 or 25! His accent is very good – realistic and consistent – and he has good timing.

In the key role of Ellard, the half-wit brother of Catherine, John Kelso (last year's Outstanding Actor for And Then There Were None) is very funny and appropriately touching in his performance. He has created a full character, physically and in his hilarious delivery of some real rim-shot deserving, groan-inducing jokes. The way he trots around the stage is quite humorous and hints at how strange this poor fellow is. He also manages to keep Ellard a half-wit with remarkable smarts. Clearly, he has worked to show us that his character grows as his confidence does. Kelso is magnetic on stage – when he is on, you watch him. You can't help it. He also has remarkable chemistry with Pat McPartlin, who plays the titular foreigner, Charlie. You can tell the two have a natural rapport, likely because they have worked together before in And Then There Were None and in several Do or Die Productions.

Mr. McPartlin has a tough role – one that requires a wide range of emotions, superb timing, physical comedy, and perhaps toughest of all, long expanses of time where he does not speak, but only reacts. And when he does speak, it is often in a made up foreign tongue. (I love it when he exclaims, "Blasny! Blasny!") One of the most outrageous sequences involves McPartlin and Kelso, where they discuss and eat breakfast, doing hilarious imitations of each other. The shtick and physicality is a scream and must be exhausting and exhilarating for these actors. Throughout, Mr. McPartlin does what any good leading actor will. He commands the stage, anchors the production, and knows when and how to let his supporting players have their moments.
With a nice dinner buffet, comfortable seating, and a fun show, Timonium Dinner Theatre offers a pleasant evening out. The Foreigner runs through August 15th.

 
‘Patent Leather’ tickles at Timonium By Celeste H. Breitenbach from the Times Harold
Based on a warning Catholic School girls of my day were given by the nuns, the musical comedy DO BLACK PATENT LEATHER SHOES REALLY REFLECT UP? brings back almost forgotten memories of a more innocent time as it plays through June 17 at Lorenzo’s Timonium Dinner Theatre, 9603 Deereco Rd.
At a playwright, cast and critic party following the first time I saw this show some years ago, I told the author that I could find only one thing wrong with his play.
It is that I could have written it and should have written it, but I did not write it.
To this day, it remains my favorite play of those in the “religious comedy” genre and Lorenzo’s does not disappoint.
Alan Hoffman as Eddie Ryan is priceless. Edward Higgins is a believable Father O’Reilly and Anne Hilb as Becky Bakowski is stellar. Indeed the entire cast deserves kudos for their outstanding performances. Three cheers, too, for an exceptional job well done by Director, Musical Director and Choreographer Susie Goebeler.
Even if you haven’t survived Catholic School and The Confessional, DO BLACK PATENT LEATHER SHOES REALLY REFLECT UP? will tickle your funny bone.
Lorenzo’s is offering a special 2-for-1 rate and the chef serves up a bountiful, varied and delicious buffet. What more could you ask for an enjoyable evening (or matinee) out! For reservations, call (410) 560-1113.
 
 Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP at Timonium Dinner Theatre
By Celeste H. Breitenbach from the Times Harold  Lorenzo’s Timonium Dinner Theatre, at 9603 Deereco Rd., opens its current offering with the Director presenting a brief background of Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP. It seems that in honor of Queen Mary’s birthday in the late 1940s, British radio was doing special broadcasts all day and asked if there was anything special she wanted to hear. Her only request was something by her favorite author Agatha Christie. The famed mystery writer penned THE MOUSETRAP specifically for the occasion. She later expanded the radio show to a full play, which opened in November 1952 and has not closed since. With over 22,000 performances in 54 consecutive years, it is the longest play run ever. There is no film or TV version because Agatha Christie wrote into her contract that there was to be none as long as the play was running in England. To protect the integrity of the show, she did not want a film version to spoil the play. Before the lights come up, a murder is committed offstage. It is winter, 1950. The Ralstons, a young couple, have just opened their Monkswell Manor Guest Home in the English countryside. The murderer’s description airs over the radio. He is wearing a dark overcoat and a felt hat, exactly what the wife is hanging up from her husband who just returned home. As guests come in from the snow, they, too, are wearing the described outfit. After all pre-registered guests have arrived, an unexpected foreigner appears. His car has overturned in a snowbank. A policeman calls and soon arrives on skis. In England, the audience is sworn to not reveal who dunnit. Lorenzo’s audiences are likewise requested to maintain that tradition. Therefore, I shall say only that director Thomas C. Hessenauer stages a masterful production that has the audience pondering the poser of possible pursuer and pursued in a play with the theme of “Three Blind Mice.” The cast is well honed with (in order of appearance) KC O’Connor and Tim O’Neill as Inn owners Mollie and Giles Ralston, Jim Gehrhardt as Christopher Wren, Joan Crooks as Mrs. Boyle, Joseph Senatore as Major Metcalf, Regina Rose as Miss Casewell, Dale Trott as Mr. Paravicini and Kingsville resident Michael C. Stettes as Sgt. Trotter. Which is the murderer? Which is/are the next intended victim(s)? You’ll have to see THE MOUSETRAP to find out! It’s an intriguing mystery. P.S. The food is good, too. For times and reservations, go online to www.timoniumdinnertheatre.com or call 410-560-1113.  
Last Updated: April 6, 2008

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