Monthly Archives: May 2015

Bainbridge actress’ ‘Barely Lethal’ on screen May 29

The new film featuring Bainbridge Island’s Dove Cameron, “Barely Lethal,” opens in limited theatrical release and on-demand video on May 29.

The film also stars Hailee Steinfeld, “Game of Thrones'” Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark, y’all!), Jessica Alba and Samuel L. “What’s in Your Wallet?” Jackson.  Steinfeld plays a teen traine11268969_10152838440461373_1464498586879464115_nd from childhood to be an assassin who stows herself away to a bucolic little town to experience “normal” teen age. Cameron (currently starring on Disney Channel’s “Liv and Maddie,” as, well, both Liv and Maddie) plays the daughter in the host family where Megan (Steinfeld) has herself assigned as an exchange student.

“Liv and Maddie” has been renewed by Disney for a third season. She’s also featured in a Disney Channel original movie, “Descendents,” set for release on the mouse-eared cable channel in the very near future.

In his review of the film for Tribune News Service, critic Roger Moore writes, “The best lines go to Dove Cameron, as the edgy, eye-rolling “sister” in Megan’s host family. Her put-downs, long or short, are terminal.”

“Barely Lethal” hits movie screens in selected cities on May 29 before moving on to a wider release. No word yet on when it’ll hit Seattle-area cineplexes. The photo above was taken at the Los Angeles premiere of the film on Wednesday night (May 27).

— MM

 

Bainbridge venue reveals summer concert lineup

There have been a couple of live-music events at Rolling Bay Hall on Bainbridge Island under the umbrella of Spacecraft Bainbridge, the group booking allsorts into the building’s 100-person standing-room capacity (about 45 stadium-style seats for theater performances).

And the new Swinging Hammer Productions outfit recently packed the place with a high-quality production of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo.”

Now, Spacecraft has announced the lineup for their summer series of concerts, which kicks off on June 6 with Seattle trio McTuff (that’s them below). The show is at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at th0529_KSFE_McTuffe door (yeah, good luck with that; 100 people, remember?).

The remainder of the series looks like this:

June 12 — Fauna Shade and Thunderpussy

June 26 — The Fabulous Downey Brothers and Nightspace

July 10 — Mama Rags and Fox and The Law

July 24 — The Weather Machine and Fly Moon Royalty

Aug. 14 — Vaudeville Etiquette

Aug. 28 — A Cedar Suede

Rolling Bay Hall is at 10598 Valley Road on Bainbridge Island.

Information: 206-818-5646, spacecraftpresents.org

— MM

Folks flock to ‘Mary Poppins’ in the forest

Looks like it’s going to be a big four weekends for the Mountaineers Players and their Kitsap Forest Theater production of “Mary Poppins.”

Opening-day performances I’ve hiked down to in past Memorial Day weekends have been sparsely attended, often owing to less-than-perfect weather. But the show on May 24 drew upwards of 4000522_KSFE_Poppins6 — despite cool conditions and overcast skies — roughly twice what opening days normally attract.

And you shouldn’t expect the throngs to get any smaller. The weather should continue to be decent or better, and the draw of the “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” musical won’t get any weaker.

The cast is mostly from Seattle, but look for Bremerton’s  Gary Spees in a couple of supporting roles.

A review of the May 24 show is here:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/entertainment/theater-mountaineers-poppins-a-little-lost-in-the-trees_61184537

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

Jewel Box lightens up with ‘Cake War’

After two pretty weighty shows — the thoughtful dramedy “Over the River and Through the Woods” last winter and the chamber musical “Next to Normal” in early spring — the Jewel Box currently is doing an abrupt about-face with the lightweight, lowbrow comedy “The Red Velvet Cake War,” which is up through June 14.

Depending on your tolerance for Texas stereotypes and recycled gags, you might find it pr0522_KSFE_Velvet2etty funny. It wasn’t my favorite, but there are some yuks to be had

For me, it was most notable for the returns to the JB of Kim Hart (absent since 2010’s “The Great American Trailer Park”) and Carmen Pinto (since 2013’s “Gypsy”), if I’m reading my scorecard correctly. Good to see them both again

The review for the May 23 performance can be found here:.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/local-news/north-kitsap/theater-jb-cant-quite-get-halfbaked-comedy-to-rise_71354578

Tickets and information: 360-697-3183, jewelboxpoulsbo.org; Brown Paper Tickets — 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com.

 

‘Mary Poppins’ will look different in the forest

It’s going to be interesting seeing how the Mountaineers Players handle the musical “Mary Poppins,” which opens with 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday shows during the Memorial Day weekend at the Kitsap Forest Theater.

The Broadway show is full of high-tech (and high-price tag) goodies. Chimney sweeps dance on the ceiling, a kitchen self-destructs and reconstructs, and just about everybody flies at one point or another. When I saw the Village Theatre‘s wonderful version in Issaquah last December, I loved how the show used the great songs from the 1964 movie version without being a simple rehash. But I was also distracted by all the special effects, a reaction Mountaineers director Craig Schieber said he had to the same show

“I was wowed by the spectacle, but not the story line,” said Schieber. “We have to rely on telling the story, and let the audience use their imaginations to supply some of the magic.”

A preview of the Mountaineers’ “Mary Poppins” is here:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/entertainment/theater-forest-theater-hosts-the-magic-of-mary-poppins_85403849

If you saw Village Theatre’s “Mary Poppins” in Issaquah or Everett, or the earlier production in Seattle, and make it out to see the show at Kitsap Forest Theatre, drop me a note at mmoore@kitsapsun.com and let me know how you thought the two compared.

— MM

Admiral’s Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks show cancelled

Due to unforeseen health issues, Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks have cancelled the remaining shows on their current tour, including their show at the Admiral Theatre scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 21.

Ticket-holders who haven’t already been notified about a refund can contact Tiffany Paulino at 360-373-6743 or tiffany@admiraltheatre.org during box office hours, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. M0508_KSFE_DanHicksonday-Friday and three hours prior to all scheduled performances.

Here’s a statement issued by Dan Hicks:
“Dear Hixters At Large:
“The best made plans are sometimes intercepted by unforeseen forces.
Unfortunately this indeed applies to the present Hot Licks touring schedule.
Ill health has befallen me again. This time in the form of liver cancer.
I firmly believe that the proper treatment will take care of this problem but good.
In the meantime we’re putting the Hot Licks gigs on hold until perhaps late summer — doing a few local things for now.
“Who knew? Certainly not me — until recently.
“So thanks for the support and we’ll see ya soon.”

Of course, we wish Dan Hicks a speedy recovery and cancer-free future.

 

Ten-minute Play Festival selections announced

Island Theatre has announced the selections for this summer’s edition of their Ten-Minute Play Festival, which will be performed on Aug. 21 and 22 at Bainbridge Performing Arts.

The competition, open to Bainbridge playwrights, annually draws upwards of 50 submissions of short comedies, dramas and sililoquys, all limited to 10 minutes in length

Each of this year’s nine selected plays (scored by a panel of judges) will be performed both days. The top play will be determined by judges following the two performances, and the winning playwright will receive a cash prize.

This year’s selections (in alphabetical order): “A Cruise at Sunset,” by John Ratterman; “Ferblunjit,” by Karen Polinsky; “Hospice: A Love Story,” by Elizabeth Coplan; “Me and My Shadow,” by Steve Palay; “My Beautiful Voyage,” by Paul Lewis; “Second Chance,” by Bob Burke; “The Play’s the Thing,” by Jeff Fraga; “The Service,” by Wendy Wallace; and “Tree For All,” by Noah Barfield.

Information: 206-842-3502, islandtheatre.org, 206-842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts.org

Ovation! plans a Dickens of a Christmas

Ovation! Musical Theatre Bainbridge performed Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” back in December 2008. They’ll bring it back seven years later for their 2015 holiday production, according to an announcement on May 16 at the company’s annual fundraising gala.

Ovation!Oliver has a nice winning streak going with their holiday shows: An out-of-the-park “Peter Pan” in 2014, “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 2013 and “My Fair Lady” in 2012. (Their summer shows hardly have been slouches, either: “Evita” in 2014, “Les Miserables” in 2013 and “The Pirates of Penzance” in 2012 all were wonderful.)

“Oliver!”, based on Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” is filled with great songs, and thus great opportunities for great singers — which puts it right in the musicals-only wheelhouse of Ovation!

The company is loading up some more Gilbert and Sullivan for this summer. They’ll do “H.M.S. Pinafore” from July 17-Aug. 2.

Performance dates for “Oliver!” have yet to be announced, and an all-parts-open audition date will be disclosed soon, too.

Information: 206-842-0472, ovationmtb.org.

‘Summerplay’ seeks submissions

Changing Scene Theatre Northwest is accepting new, unproduced one-act scripts for “Summerplay 2015: A Festival of New Works,” the 13th annual edition of the festival.

The deadline is June 1.

Playwrights may submit up to two scripts for consideration. Scripts must be in either .pdf or .doc format, and playwrights must submit statement confirming the play has never been produced up to the date of submission: changingscenenorthwest@hotmail.com.

Plays should be no longer than 30 minutes in length, and as this festival will showcase several plays, should be able to be produced with minimal set/prop/costume/casting requirements.

There is no monetary compensation, but selected plays will receive a full production in late summer.

Information: 360-710-5440, changingscenenorthwest@hotmail.com

— MM

Bremerton Youth Symphony ensembles play at Collective Visions

Here’s one that came in too late to get into this week’s exciting edition of Kitsap A&E, but we can still inform you about courtesy of this here blog thingie:

Three ensembles from the Bremerton Youth Symphony Orchestra — the elite strings, elite brass and elite woodwinds — will perform in the main (upstairs) gallery of Collective Visions Art Gallery at 2:30 p.m. on May 17. The concert will be free, but space is limited.

The Collective Visions concert is a warm-up, of sorts, for the BYSO’s final full concert of the year, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Admiral Theatre. Lydia Buck, who’ll front the full orchestra for Bruch’s first violin concerto, will be finishing a full day’s work, as she’s also performing with the elite strings at Collective Visions.

The gallery is at 331 Pacific Avenue in Bremerton; the Admiral is just down the street at 515 Pacific Avenue.

Information: 360-373-1722, bremertonsymphony.org

— MM