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2928 West 13th St. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004
phone: 440-964-3396 |
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�Another Openin� of Another Show�:
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Posted: Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Get two plays in one with the Arts Center's latest musical comedy, "Kiss Me Kate." This hilarious show opens June 20 for ten performances on the Straw Hat Theatre stage. Shows are June 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, and July 3, 4, 5. Curtain for all shows is 8 p.m.
 �Kiss Me Kate� involves a �play within a play� concept, in which the main characters of the musical are also performing the play �The Taming of the Shrew,� the classic comedy from which scenes and contemporary parallels exist in �Kate.� As the characters perform the play, we also get a glimpse into the romance, arguments and conflicts that take place off the stage as well.
In �Kate,� a recently divorced actor (Fred Graham, played by Aaron Rose) and actress (Lilli Vanessi, played by Mindy Seymour-Smith) are cast opposite each other in a touring revival of Shakespeare�s lively comedy �The Taming of the Shrew.� The pair is at first reminiscent of the time they had spent together, dancing joyfully in Lilli�s dressing room and recalling how they first met. But eventually their on-stage roles of shrew and tamer begin to affect their personal lives, causing much bickering backstage. 
This fighting is fueled even further by Fred�s mistake in sending flowers to Lois (played by Jordan Malin), another actress performing in the show. These flowers accidentally get routed to Lilli, who throws a fit when she later learns that they were not intended for her. She threatens to walk off the show, leaving Fred - who is also directing the production - without a leading lady.
What Lilli doesn�t know is that Fred needs this show to open not only for the theater�s benefit, but also for his own, as his name has been forged to gambling debts racked up by Bill (played by Eric Lopez), another actor �The Taming of the Shrew.� When two large men from the Mob show up to collect from Fred, he uses them to his advantage by making them watch over Lilli - telling them that as long as she stays and the show opens, they will get their money. 
The parallels between Shakespeare�s battling couple in �The Taming of the Shrew� and the real-life battle of Fred and Lilli continue throughout the end of the show, as the characters attempt to resolve issues both on-stage and in their personal lives.
�Kiss Me Kate� is the directorial debut for Ashtabula�s Joshua Twining, who was most recently seen on-stage in the Arts Center�s dinner theater production of �Suds� in February.
Originally opening on Broadway in 1948, �Kiss Me Kate� ran for 1,077 performances - the sixth longest run for a musical and the fifteenth longest for any play up until that time on Broadway. One of the reasons for its popularity is that the musical features music and lyrics written by Cole Porter, whose rare combination of sophistication and simplicity once made him the most popular song writer of his time. He had no less than six in Variety�s list of �The Golden 100� of the most popular songs in America of all time, �based on performances, sheet music and record sales.� Only four others had more titles on this list.
�Kiss Me Kate� received glowing reviews during its time on Broadway, including �a smash hit of epic proportions� (Richard Watts, Jr., NY Post), �musical comedy at its glittering best� (Life Magazine), and �a kiss to remember - a prodigal and exultant musical� (Howard Barnes, NY Herald Tribune).
Tickets are currently on sale.
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Summer Is (Finally) Here!:
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Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Straw Hat Theatre opens for the season Friday, June 6, with the hilarious youth musical "Krazy Kamp."
�Krazy Kamp� tells the story of a summer gone awry when two neighboring camps allow their campers to cohabitate on the same grounds. Adam Apple, the �wheeler-dealer� manager of the rustic and rundown Camp John Smith (played by Nick Meloro), and his sidekick, Willard, (played by John Brady) are told that their camp is in no condition to open for the summer. Fearing �real jobs� involving actual work, the pair decide they must get the camp back in shape before the camp is shut down for good.
But what will they do with the rambunctious boys about to arrive on the grounds for the summer? Send them across the lake to the girls� camp, of course!
Camp Pocahontas is a peaceful, serene, and very exclusive camp for privileged girls. Somehow Adam convinces the camp�s manager, Eve Hunnicutt, (played by Lauren Haines) to allow his male campers to spend a few days at her camp while John Smith is being cleaned up - provided, of course, that no one find out about the deal, especially the camp�s owners!
 What follows are a few days of crazy chaos that no one could ever have imagined. Not only do the John Smith �gentlemen� appear at the camp, but also several other bizarre characters.
There's Clams Marinara, the notorious gangster with a song written about him (played by Stephen Robison); and Dixie, a woman who carries a pistol in her violin case (played by Ida Giancola). Three prankster boys (Danny Moore, Caleb Bradley and Ernie Harris) make a celebrity appearance as �The Mo Sisters.� And a poison ivy victim who looks mysteriously like a walking mummy causes many campers to keep their eyes open across the entire camp.
Problems stack on top of problems, and within a few days the formerly peaceful Camp Pocahontas is also declared unfit for habitation by the state inspector. Will these campers and counselors be sent home before the summer even begins?
Songs in the show range from Motown to ballads, including the wacky �A Real Job,� and �Poison Ivy Blues,� the �rap� song �Junk Food Junkie,� and the mellow tune �My Buddy and Me.�
 The cast of �Krazy Kamp� includes over 30 area children and teenagers, including Heather Helms, Laura Cole, Tara Katchur, Elizabeth Kline, Sarah Saddler, Alison Adams, Abigail Svigelj, Missy Cimorell, Emily Kline, Julia Hines, Nikki Loeber, Alyx Lynham, Ryan Czerwonko, Connor Bacon, Kayleena Brashear, Sara Ruane, Christie Bielech, Kaitlyn Mascatelli, Carly Penna, Lindsey Alpeter, Christine Banks, Jasneet Devgun, Maureen Forinash, Giulia Giancola, Taylor Katchur, Erin McNeil, Katie Peck, and Carey Santiana.
The show is directed by Stephen Sposito, a soon-to-be alumni of Geneva High School, is directing his first show under the tent at Straw Hat Theatre. He plans to study theater directing and English at the University of Michigan in the fall.
�This is such a unique show because the cast is made up entirely of youth,� he says. �It has been a wonderful learning experience not only for the kids, but also for me.�
�Krazy Kamp� opens Friday, June 6, and runs for six performances, June 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, and 14. Curtain for all shows is 8:00 p.m. Tickets for all performances are currently on sale at the Arts Center.
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