MICHAEL C. MOORE·MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019

The Mountaineers Players leave no stone unturned and deliver a striking production of the inspiring Disney musical

BREMERTON — A note to local theater companies who have productions of "Newsies" either in the works (Paradise Theatre opens theirs in Port Orchard June 14, and CSTOCK just announced the show as their season opener this coming fall), or on the drawing board:

The bar, my friends, is set high.

That's because the Mountaineers Players' first-in-the-area production at the Kitsap Forest Theater not only scooped the competition, but gets the story bracingly, delightfully right.

"Newsies," the Disney screen-to-stage adaptation about the New York Newsboys Strike of 1899, is a musical I was seeing for the first time. And it's a credit to director Craig Schieber and his massive cast and crew that I could — despite the distractions that are part of any experience at the rustic amphitheater — retire on this one, perfectly satisfied that if I never got to see another production of it, this one would always supply a positive memory.

Fortunately, I don't have to. I look forward to seeing how other companies handle the memorable Alan Menken-Jack Feldman songs and the snappy Harvey Fierstein book; how they stage the production numbers; how they manage to portray turn-of-the-century New York City in confines very different from those in which the Mountaineers are bringing it to life.

But I'll remember the Mountaineers' joyous run-through for the strength of its performances — dramatic, vocal, instrumental and dance — the thoroughness of its presentation (Schieber's crew and production staff easily outnumber the cast of 52, and the manpower brought to bear shows) and its overall power.

For starters, the show itself is tremendous, based on and totally respectful of historic events (filtered through the 1992 movie screenplay by Noni White and Bob Tzudiker), but still eager to please and entertain.

And Schieber, with able assists from musical director Amy Beth Nolte and bandleader Elizabeth Rainey, set designer Chris Stanley and — perhaps most notable of all — choreographer Guy Caridi, finds all the drama and fun and presents it in oft-thrilling fashion.

The story centers around Stanley’s monolithic brownstone construction, which allows Schieber's actors and Caridi's dancers to cavort on three levels — ground, fire-escape and rooftop.

Jack (Trevor Burden, left) and Crutchie (Oliver Girouard) dream of a future somewhere other than the streets of New York.

It's the rooftop where Jack (a terrific Trevor Burden) dreams of escaping his NYC existence, even as he inspires his oppressed fellow newsboys to organize against publishers like tyrannical Joseph Pulitzer (who's no prize, let me tell you).

Down below, the Newsies strike, attracting the attention of ambitious reporter Katherine (Katie Dreessen, Burden's equal in the "terrific" department, particularly dealing with the rollercoaster lyrics of “Watch What Happens”), who then, inevitably in a show needing a romantic subplot, attracts the attention of Jack.

Those two are the rocks of Schieber's cast, but they're far from alone. Oliver Girouard is an effectively sympathetic Crutchie, and Zach Edson and Andrew Kruse both shine as fledgling newsies, the elder taking up Jack's call to action while the younger seems destined to make his fortune on the streets. Meagan Castillo (as their ally) and Jeff Pettiross (as the enemy, Pulitzer himself) both add considerably.

But Schieber and Caridi find ways to let dozens of their supporting players and hoofers contribute, and they all do. The dancing, in particular, is breathtaking.

Newsies dancing L-R: (Alexandra Kunin, Stefanie Van Rafelghem, Olivia Ingram, Anna Vizzare)

The singing is almost uniformly tremendous, and Rainey's five-piece band supplies distinguished accompaniment.

There were sound foibles during the well-attended May 26 (opening day) performance I attended, but this venue is always going to have sound foibles — especially with a big, complex show like this, that literally surrounds the gallery with singers, from all directions and altitudes. But you won't miss anything; I heard every line and lyric, just not always through the intended microphone or at the intended volume.

And you won't miss anything, either, because you'll be hanging on every word of this "Newsies." It's a no-stone-unturned effort that deserves to be front-page news among local theater enthusiasts.

REVIEW ‘Newsies’

Who: Mountaineers Players

What: Musical by Alan Menken, Jack Feldman and Harvey Fierstein, based on the movie screenplay by Bob Tzudiker and None White

Where: Kitsap Forest Theater, 3000 Seabeck Hwy. NW, Bremerton

When: Through June 16; 2 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Memorial Day; gate opens at 1 p.m.

Tickets: $18-$10 advance, $20-$12 gate

Information: 800-573-8484 (tickets), 206-542-7815 (information), foresttheater.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALFONSO BARRERA / MOUNTAINEERS PLAYERS

Top: Jack (Trevor Burden, middle) tells Davey (Zach Edson, right) that his kid brother Les (Andrew Kruse) is a born newsie.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/michael-c-moore/newsies-is-a-knockout-in-the-forest/10156517867918635/

Michael C. Moore's review in the Kitsap Sun. (Photos by Alfonso Barrera)

On opening weekend, the cast of the Mountaineers Players' production of "Shrek, the Musical" at the Kitsap Forest Theater were having their makeup washed off by prodigious rainfall.

For the performance I saw, though — Aug. 2 — they had to hose down the floor/stage at intermission to beat down the dust.

Having weathered the inclement stuff at KFT in previous years, I appreciated the extremely clement conditions — and I'm sure director Nikki Fey-Burgett's cast and crew did, too.

The performance had a lot more than good weather to recommend it, though. Fey-Burgett has assembled a large and talented cast of actors and — especially — singers to bring the David Lindsay-Abaire—Jeanine Tesori song-and-dance (based on a trilogy of DreamWorks Animation film features) to the forest. From its dozens of bright costumes and imaginative (and minimal, by necessity) sets to its depth of vocal and instrumental talent, it's generally really well wrought.

And the setting. Well. It's all the same trees that were there last time you went, but you never get tired of them — especially when they're providing shade, as they were on Aug. 2, and not shelter from the harsher elements.

I have to issue a strong warning, though, to anyone considering a hike down to the remaining performances, Saturday and Sunday matinees through Aug. 16: Be prepared for distractions.

"Shrek's" best features, for adults, are its clever lyrics and snarky, funny script. For the younger set, it's the presentation of the characters — not just the Big Green Ogre himself, but the pint-sized Lord Farquaad, the comical Donkey and the platoon of fairy-tale characters that Shrek takes it upon himself to re-relocate from his bog and back to their homes in Duloc.

For many of the youngsters — including a big bunch of toddlers who haven't grown up knowing the film series because they've just barely started growing up at all — the jokes are over their wee heads, and the characters can only hold their attention for so long, especially during several extended sequences of dialogue or vocal solos or duets.

The little ones were gone by intermission — not physically, but intellectually. There's more movement in the galleries than there is on the stage.

If you're there for the "experience," that's all part of it. But if you're there just to see the show, it's liable to make you grumpier'n a ... well ... an ogre who just wants peace and quiet.

It's too bad, because — as previously stated — the show is quite good. Despite what I felt was a somewhat deliberate pace, the story of Shrek's quest to earn the deed to the bog by rescuing Farquaad's intended (the princess Fiona, the Girl with a Secret) is told efficiently, the costumes are fetching and the music is consistently at a high level (musical director Dawn Brazel has bass and drums to augment the Mountaineers' usual keyboard accompaniment, with Josh Zimmerman doubling on electric guitar to bring a convincing rock ‘n' roll feel to several of the numbers.

The leads — Jason Gingold as Shrek, Meagan Castillo (who played Mary Poppins at KFT only a few weeks ago) as Fiona, Matthew Sythandone as Donkey and Adam Othman as the vertically challenged Farquaad — all are wonderful. A personal highlight is the early-Act 2 gross-out battle between Shrek and Fiona, "I Thinks I Got You Beat," a totally charming sequence where the two gradually warm to each other, with the bonus (at least for the sophomoric, like myself) of perhaps the best fart-and-burp sound effects ever to grace the old amphitheater.

At least, I hope they were sound effects.

A few supporting players get their chance to shine, as well, and none does as much with the opportunity as Taylor Davis as Pinocchio, bringing great comedy and a ripping good voice to the fairy-tale rabble-rouser. Both of Fiona's younger incarnations — Maria Pledger and Anna Vizzare — also do strong vocal work in brief appearances during "I Know It's Today."

Mike Myers voiced the Shrek character in the movies, and the rude, referential humor that drips over into the musical owes a lot to him. Shrek and Donkey aren't a million miles from Wayne and Garth, and the off-color gags are toned down from the "Austin Powers" franchise.

That'll all well and good ... unless you're a 3-year-old, who doesn't get much of any of it. At some point, you become more concerned with whether there's any popcorn left.

If you can follow it through, though — including the distractions — you'll like and appreciate the Mountaineers' "Shrek." Owing to all that musical talent, it might be even more fun to listen to than it is to watch.

Jason Gingold (Shrek) is overjoyed to be performing in his 3^rd production at KFT. Last season he played the Cat in Honk! and Rooster Hannigan in Annie. Here is what he had to say about his experience in Shrek, the Musical:

"I love Shrek. The music is fantastic, the script is hilarious and moving, and the Kitsap Forest Theater is really the perfect place to perform a musical that takes place, well, in the forest. And, the joy of joys is that I feel absolutely blessed to play one of my dream roles."

"To me, Shrek is a story about transformation. When we meet Shrek, he is an outcast who has learned to cope with twenty years of ostracism, suffering and loneliness by lashing out at the world and accepting a fate of isolation. His journey to soften his heart, to “tear down the walls” (literal and figurative) and make space for others to be a part of his world is very moving to me. As an actor, showing that progression, from defended and angry to open-hearted, is a wonderful challenge. I think that Shrek, despite being an ogre, is one of the most human characters I’ve had the opportunity to play."

"The other beautiful part about this play is its message of acceptance. Shrek, Fiona, and the fairytale creatures must learn to accept who they are, and be willing to share that proudly with the world.  I think that message is very timely. We are living in a time when many people—for dozens of reasons—are struggling to accept themselves, and be accepted by the world. I love knowing that we are presenting a story that stands up for all the people who feel left out or “less than”. Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone has something beautiful inside them. Everyone is special. I can’t think of a play I’d rather be a part of at this time than this show."

"As the song says, “We are different. And united. You are us and we are you. This is our story.”"

"(Plus there’s a lot of fart jokes.)"

Thank you, Jason, for sharing how much this role means to you. We encourage everyone to purchase your tickets today and plan to attend this fabulous show - you won't be disappointed! Three more weekends left (Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm) to see the show - trail to the theater opens at 1:00 pm - come early for the best choice of seats.