Once upon in Brooklyn, two elderly sisters rented out a room in their house. They welcomed lonely bachelors into their home . . . and the men were never seen again.
The Brewster sisters are at it again in Arsenic and Old Lace, a River City Theatre Company production at the Reedley Opera House through October 2.
Mark Luzania, D.D.S. (last name rhymes with Tanzania) spent his whole childhood romping among the fruit trees and vineyards outside of Reedley, as well as riding his bike around town, having as much fun as a kid could have. As a little guy, his family lived north of town on their ranch. He remembers the times he and his siblings spent swinging from a rope tied to a tree out into the cold, swift-moving Kings River, having to swim like the dickens to get across to the other side.
Did you ever end up in “Heartbreak Hotel” when you were trying to “Follow That Dream?” Did a “Devil in Disguise” you thought was a “Teddy Bear” turns out to be a “Hound Dog?” Do you want “A Little Less Conversation” from that “Burning Love?” Well, “It’s Now or Never!” Put on your “Blue Suede Shoes” and spend “One Night” with Reedley’s River City Theatre Company’s production of All Shook Up, a jukebox musical that blends the songs of Elvis Presley with bits and pieces of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet.
Another year of theatre in the Valley has come and gone, and it was another amazing one. There is so much talent in the Valley that no one needs to go to New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco to see a great show. Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights!
It started as a 15-minute pop cantata by a schoolboy (Andrew Lloyd Webber) and a wannabe songwriter (Tim Rice). Along with the fame of the creators, it grew with each staging, until it became a full-size musical…and it’s based on a story from the Bible’s book of Genesis. It’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, now on stage at the Reedley Opera House under the banner of the River City Theatre Company, and it’s a joyous, cheeky way to spend an hour or two.
Clue—the board game was developed in 1943 by Anthony E. Pratt in England, where it was known as Cluedo, and first marketed in 1949. The murder mystery game challenged the players to deduce the weapon, location, and killer.
This past weekend the latest Legends show opened at the Reedley Opera House presented by the River City Theatre Co. Legends is a series of cabaret type shows that have a different running theme in each one. This year’s theme is Hollywood!
If someone comes off as a really nice person, but suddenly turns mean and nasty, we call him a “Jekyll and Hyde,” all because of Robert Louis Stevenson and a bad dream. That dream, of a man physically turning from good to evil, became the 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Over the last 133 years, the story has appeared on stage, on movie screens, and on television countless times (I actually wrote script and lyrics for a musical comedy version presented when I was in high school in 1969), and in varying degrees of adaptation (Remember Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)?).
It started as a Christmas card for friends. It found its way to Hollywood, where Frank Capra turned it into a movie that didn’t make much money. Years later, it was picked up by television stations, and it suddenly became a Christmas classic, one of America’s most-beloved films…..It’s a Wonderful Life. Reedley’s River City Theatre Company has mounted an adaptation on the Reedley Opera House stage through December 16. It’s light fun and some great moments.
KRL has been covering Valley theatre for over eight years now and we have profiled local actors, directors, set designers, and more. We know that every piece of a show is vital, from the last bit of paint, to the costumes, the make-up and the hair.
