A Parent’s Review: Annie at the Kitsap Forest Theater by Kelly Rogers Flynt in The Seattle's Child, July 29, 2014

Take one endearing story, place it in a magical location, add a dash of sunshine and the adventure of a ferry ride and you have one memorable, summer day the whole family will treasure. 

The Kitsap Forest Theater has a production of Annie running through Aug. 17. The story will warm your heart, and the setting will refresh your soul. It is truly a theater experience like no other. 

Annie is one of those musicals that almost everyone is familiar with on some level. However, seeing it again reminded me just why it has been beloved by so many generations. The hope and optimism that Annie embodies is just as important today as it was in her 1933 world, deep in the Great Depression. 

There aren’t too many stories, musical or not, that have so many strong female parts. Whether it’s the spunk of Annie, the kindness of Grace Farrell, or the machinations of Miss Hannigan, this story puts the female characters in the driver’s seat. For me, that makes it a must-see for both my daughter and my son. 

The show is first and foremost known for its music. The Mountaineer Players scored big when they found Sophie Walters to play the part of Annie. At 10 years old, this little girl is already sporting some major pipes and showcases the nuances of the music by Charles Strouse. I know Annie is supposed to be the star of the show; however, I think that Sophie might have stolen the show even if she weren’t playing the title character. 

Please note that there are two different girls playing Annie during the run. I haven’t had a chance to see the other one, Jasmine Harrick, but it’s obvious their casting people know what they are doing, so I’m sure she is fabulous as well. Check the online schedule at to see which girl is playing Annie on which day. 

Jason Gingold was another delightful surprise. He plays the part of Rooster Hannigan. Despite his character being the sleazy, scumbag type, you can’t help but fall in love with him. His physical comedy and demeanor are spot-on for the character and add so much to the fun of the show.

My daughter was also delighted to see that they used a real dog for Sandy. I don’t know if Panda has previous stage experience, but the dog certainly knew its cues and blocking. 

My daughter and I have seen quite a few shows this summer, both indoors and out. I was surprised by the quality of the sound system in the forest theater. Perhaps the natural acoustics of the area helped, but whatever it was, it worked perfectly. Every line from every character was heard clear as a bell. For me, this is vital when taking kids to a show. If they can’t hear what the actors are saying, they can’t follow the story, which results in incessant tugs at my sleeve with questions. So thank you forest folks for investing in quality sound.

After the show, the entire audience is invited up, or rather down, to the stage to meet the cast. What a treat! They are all happy to chat, take photos and answer questions. While on the stage area, I noticed a little alcove with a large keyboard and a young gentleman putting things away. It stopped me in my tracks. I had thought they were using recorded music. Nope, it was live – all of it. And all of it was performed by this one young man, Greg Smith, a recent graduate of Cornish College of the Arts. Again, hats off to Kitsap Forest Theater for doing it right. 

While the musical show is certainly the heart of the experience, don’t miss out on all the extra treats on the side. The theater is nestled in a 460-acre Rhododendron Preserve. Even if you are not up for serious hiking, you can learn more about the preserve by visiting the Kitsap Yurt, which houses photos and information. Additionally, the entrance to the trail to the theater features giant display boards with photos and the history of the Mountaineers Players. 

Although this is just the 8th summer theater season, the Mountaineers have been performing in the same forest-canopied spot since 1923. Even if you’re not a vintage photography buff, you will appreciate the photos from the old shows. My 10-year-old daughter loved looking at the old costumes and how they’ve changed over the years. 

Finally, if you plan your day right, you won’t want to miss the Big Tree Trail. The trailhead is located up at the entrance, near the restrooms and Kitsap Yurt, not down by the theater. The trail is about a half-mile long and leads to one of the 10 largest Douglas Fir trees in the world. The hike also includes a bridge over Wildcat Creek and magnificent flora and fauna such as blooming trillium, rhododendrons of course and various other native trees and plants. Don’t be surprised if you find ferns taller than your children! Please note that parts of the trail are steep, so be prepared to help little ones, and everyone should wear comfortable, close-toed shoes that are appropriate for hiking.

Logistics are important if you plan to visit the Kitsap Forest Theater. If you can take the whole day, do it. It will just make everything easier. The shows are at 2 p.m., but when you are depending on traveling by ferry, it’s best to plan to be early. Both the Bremerton/Bainbridge ferry and the Edmonds/Kingston ferry will work. The theater is now offering a $5 per person shuttle from the Bremerton ferry, but reservations are required. This is a great option as it allows you to be a walk-on ferry passenger and skip those long car lines. 

From the Kingston ferry dock, it takes 30 to 35 minutes to get to the theater. Note that there are two routes; one goes along the coast line and through Fort Gamble (this one is more scenic, but takes a little longer) and the other goes through the center of the peninsula and will save you a little time if you are cutting it close. You can also drive from Seattle via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which takes approximately 1.5 hours. 

There is parking at the entrance to the trail and across the road as well. The only “real” restrooms are at the trailhead near the ticket booth. The theater has very steep, stadium-style seating. If you have stadium seats or cushions, bring them. They do have a limited number of cushions at a rental booth. 

While most of the seats are under the filtered light of towering trees, there may be times that you have full sun shining on you, so be prepared. You can bring a cooler with your own snacks or visit their concessions booth that offers a variety of snacks and drinks. 

If there is a downside to the Kitsap Forest Theater, it is the distance. I wish it were in my backyard. It takes some planning and effort to get there, but it is so worth the trip. The theater has officially made its way onto our annual family tradition list. We can’t wait to go again.

Kelly Rogers Flynt is a freelance writer based out of Lake Forest Park and the mother of two children, ages 13 and 10, who dream of building a theater in their backyard.

http://www.seattleschild.com/article/annie-kitsap-forest-theater

Come to Narnia at the Kitsap Forest Theater!

Here is Michael Moore's review from the Kitsap Sun:

Solid storytelling and tremendous singing trump the rain at Forest Theater

BREMERTON — I was a little worried, as it became evident that the drenching rain wasn’t going away any time during the Mountaineers Players’ Memorial Day performance of “Narnia,” that I’d have to make some allowances for the miserable conditions, in compensation for the cold and wet and mud that director Jenny Estill’s cast was obliged to work through.

I needn’t have worried at all. Conditions were indeed dreadful, but you wouldn’t have known it to watch and listen to what turned out to be a spirited, sprightly and altogether enjoyable show.

Well, enjoyable as anything can be viewed from a relentless, sopping downpour that kept the May 27 attendance down to about 100 hearty, umbrella-brandishing souls.

Despite the wet, though, the Mountaineers didn’t miss a beat. The show was sung and acted just about as well as you might have hoped for had it had been sunny and 70.

The show follows the major plot points of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” — the first of his “Chronicles of Narnia.” The story — siblings find fantastical kingdom by climbing through the back of a piece of bedroom furniture and are embroiled in a power struggle between the rightful king, a lion, and a cold-hearted witch — is prodded along pretty nicely by the songs by Thomas Tierney (music) and Ted Drachman (lyrics), ranging from finger-popping swing to big, anthemic productions.

Estill’s production is paced tremendously; there’s nary a dull moment, even though the book (by Jules Tasca) can seem a mite episodic. Multiple-keyboard accompaniment by Greg Smith is orchestrally rich and dramatic, the choreography by Lynda Sue Welch keeps everyone — even the cast’s passel of adorable youngsters — in constant and appropriate motion, and the reliably delightful costumes by Barbara Klingberg cover all the show’s bases, from bunny-and-puppy cuteness to White Witch wicked. Fight scenes choreographed by Ken Michels were a bit deliberate, but still a lot of clanky fun, right down to Peter Pevensie’s (Jake Friang) full-on roll across the muddy stage during one set-to with Fenris Ulf (David Cravens-O’Farrell).

But the standout aspect of the show to me is its vocal richness — especially impressive given the soggy conditions. Everyone in the cast, it seems, can sing, and the individual and corporate work they do merits a tip-o’-the-hat to music director Amy Beth Nolte.

The biggest voices belong to Dave Holden as Aslan, the lion who helps the four Pevensie children find their destiny, and Jenny Dreessen as the White Witch, who would gladly skewer them all to keep Narnia in a perpetual state of “always winter, never Christmas.”

But there’s plenty of depth, even among the youngsters. All four Pevensies — Friang, Katie Dreessen as Susan, a particularly impressive Daniel Geiszler as Edmund and Jasmine Harrick as Lucy — all are in fine voice, and many impress in smaller roles. (Kudos also to Kelsie Engen, who sang tremendously and clowned ably in her role as the the witch’s dwarf minion.) When the whole ensemble cranks up for moments like the inspiring “To Make the World Right Again,” it’s pretty lovely stuff.

The sound in the old amphitheater was surprisingly good, considering the rain spattering against the umbrellas throughout. There were some lines of dialog that were difficult to hear, but not that many.

I’m tempted now to go back and see “Narnia” again before the end of its June 16 run. After all, if it could be as charming, vocally impressive and just plain fun as it was, played out in ankle-deep mud, it might be even more of a hoot on a warm, sunny afternoon.

But not much.
 

Kitsap Sun Review by Michael C. Moore, July 27, 2014 BREMERTON — Little Orphan Annie is a city girl at heart, and her story — at least that part of it related in the musical “Annie” — is set at Christmas time. So I didn’t know how she’d fare in the tree-framed confines of the Kitsap Forest Theatre, in mid-summer.

Turns out I needn’t have worried. “Annie” is such a sturdy, dependable crowd-pleaser, and the Mountaineers Players (helmed by Craig Schieber) are giving it such an affectionate and thoughtful treatment that I can’t imagine anyone climbing out afterward being any less than satisfied.

It’s obvious that Schieber knows his way around the venue, the seeming ease with which he’s able to tell what is an interior-dominated story in such an exterior setting. He makes canny blocking choices throughout and pretty much bans the scene change altogether, keeping the episodic story churning along at a breakneck pace that doesn’t allow the attentions of even the youngest patrons (and there were many little ones in the July 26 opening-day performance I attended) to stray. The cast double as stage hands, and all the scene changes are done on the fly, a scene beginning even as the previous one is cleared off.

I had noticed that some of the musical numbers were performed at a more deliberate pace than what I was used to (and this is about the umpteenth time I’ve seen “Annie”). But the continuity allowed by the spare set (including the most versatile wood crates known to man, doubling as everything from orphans’ bunks and the meeting table for FDR’s cabinet to skyscrapers) and Schieber’s quick-change strategy allowed the Mountaineers to bring the performance — the opening-day performance, remember — in at a relatively crisp two and a half hours, including intermission.

Another big plus for the production is the keyboard accompaniment of Greg Smith, whose voices run the gamut from honky-tonk piano to synthesizer, and give the folks onstage orchestral-sounding backing throughout.

The acting isn’t uniformly good, but the leads all are solid, starting with 10-year-old Sophie Walters, who makes a spunky, full-throated Annie, acing both of her big ballads, “Maybe” and “Tomorrow,” and getting some good mileage out of the plentiful comedy in her line load. (Jasmine Harrick, also 10, alternates in the role, and I’ve seen her enough in KFT shows to feel certain that she’ll be every bit as effective.)

Chris Shea makes an impressive Kitsap debut as Warbucks. The character doesn’t appear until well into the first act, but is probably the busiest in both line and lyric from that point on, and he handles it all ably. Another KFT first-timer, Marine Madesclaire, is an appropriately authoritative Grace, and she and Shea provide possibly the show’s two best voices.

I thought early on that Cheryl Phillips was going to opt for scary over silly as Miss Hannigan, but she settled nicely into a combination of the two — a must for the show’s ersatz “villain” — and was particularly effective at finding the comedy in her big musical number, “Little Girls.” I also liked Bob Stahley, a fine, deadpan Drake; Tiffany Rousseau, who made the most of her brief solo as the Star to Be in the “N.Y.C.” production number; Schieber’s entire raft of orphans (14 in all, ranging from pint-sized to prep school); Jason Gingold (Rooster) who was a constant source of eye-catching movement; and the well-trained, fully engaged Panda, who played Annie’s pooch pal, Sandy.

Without much in the way of set pieces, and no lighting bells and whistles, Schieber could fall back on his own effective blocking, the stage-filling choreography of Guy Caridi and the (as usual) spectacular costumes by Barbara Klingberg. You just have to appreciate the kind of attention to detail that had the orphans’ dresses color-coded to their gift packages for the joyous “New Deal for Christmas” finale.

It’s true that “Annie” is set on the days leading up to Christmas, 1933. And the most recent productions I’ve seen of it have been seasonal.

But as it turns out, there’s really no bad time to see “Annie.” So sunny is its disposition, so welcome its songs and one-liners, so universal and relevant are its messages, that it truly is a show for all seasons, Christmas tree or no.

The Mountaineers’ show is further proof of that. Pack some sunscreen and bug spray, make a picnic and hike down to see it.

REVIEW

‘ANNIE’

Who: Mountaineers Players

What: Musical by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comics

Where: Kitsap Forest Theatre, 3000 Seabeck Highway, Bremerton

When: Through August 17; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Tickets: $16-$14 advance, $18-$16 gate

Information: 206-542-7815, foresttheater.com

Kitsap Sun Review

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