Most people are ruled by their fears. The fear of being different, the fear of rejection, the fear of each other, and perhaps the biggest for most people would be the fear of death. This is the fear which ruled Justin Barnum in his role as as Victor Frankenstein. The Roxy Regional Theatre premiered their Halloween production of Mary Shelley classic on Wednesday. As usual I was there. Here are my thoughts.
This is a classic tale of man endeavoring for a god like control over creation and destruction without consideration of the repercussions of our actions. It shows the pinnacle of our arrogance and the depth of our despair. The creature played by Kevin Pierson is a epitome of humanity striving to answer the universal questions which mankind faces almost from the moment of it's unnatural birth. The audience can sympathize with the creature as haven't we all asked the very same questions ourselves. What is the meaning of life, why am I here, what is my purpose. When it is denied the answers to these questions and cast out by it's creator into the uncaring world to die the creature begins to discover how to hate. It shortly there after lashes out at it's creator and all whom he holds dear.
The stage was sparsely decorated but was filled totally by the acting and lighting. The very austerity focused the audience more on the internals of the story than the extraneous accompaniments. The costumes helped the mind visualize the dark and relatively ignorant times that the story was set in.
In this show the individual actors and actresses seamlessly merged together to become the story in both mind and body. To the entire cast once again through your hard work and dedication on stage and off you have woven a grand tapestry.
I consider the cast and crew at the Roxy an extended family, one with which I share laughter and tears both on stage and off. I try to get to know each cast member as much as possible both through watching their acting and whatever association I can manage before and after the shows. I am saddened when they leave for distant parts and rejoice when they return to perform in another show. That family has grown by two in this show, I was privileged to meet Jay Doolittle and Scott Woltz and come off the better for it. Jay portrayed a crusty sea captain and has become the rule by which future nautical characters will be judged. Scott's characters appeared to be lifted straight from the 1800's and inserted on stage. I can't wait to see them both in future roles at the Roxy.
I would like to give a special commendation to Michaela Coplen who portrayed young William with talent and believability. If people did not notice through the program they would have believed a young boy was on stage not a very able little girl. I enjoyed seeing her in Beauty and the Beast and look forward to watching her talent grow and bloom over the coming years.
Justin your performance was executed with your usual flair and ability. Kevin watching you work is a joy and honor. I hope you do many more shows at the Roxy. John McDonald, I have said it before, and I will say it again I have never seen a play or musical with you in it that I have not liked. This one was no exception. To the rest of the cast while you were not mentioned individually in this review without you the story would be lacking. You all thus fulfilled your purpose on stage perfectly.
I have not yet mentioned in my reviews the hard work and professionalism that Ellie Ellis puts into each and every show. Without her the magic that the audience experiences just wouldn't be. She manages the stage, coordinates the cast, and works with the directors to make each show happen with an apparent effortlessness. She is to be highly commended for this.
Thank you all once again for another memorable and enjoyable experience.
