[NEohioPAL]Reviews of "Bad Seed" at Ensemble Theatre, running through 10/21

Fri Oct 12 14:37:08 PDT 2001

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There are six more performances of "Bad Seed" at Ensemble Theatre.  Call 
216-321-2930 for tickets.

Here are excerpts from some of the reviews. 
To view the complete reviews, you can visit the "Bad Seed" pages of my 
website for the links: <A HREF="http://www.fredsternfeld.com">http://www.fredsternfeld.com</A>

"It all pays off in a big way"   "genuinely creepy"   "Director Fred 
Sternfeld delivers a chilling second act that contracts like a cold fist 
around your heart"    "pulse-pounding dilemmas that Sternfeld's production 
ultimately illuminates"   "The chills....don't stop even after the curtain 
falls"
         Linda Eisenstein
         The Plain Dealer, 2001

"an enjoyable production "    "sinister moments"   "we ... feel a tingle go 
down our spines" "...credit director Fred Sternfeld for keeping the choked 
sobs from getting out-of-hand. His production is smooth, like a well-crafted 
episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents,' straight out of 1955. In fact, after 
the plot twist at the end, you almost expect Hitchcock or Rod Serling to step 
out from behind the curtain, deliver a stone-faced epilogue and bid you 
goodnight."   "the actors are very good"    "Monica Breedlove...played 
wonderfully by the energetic Catherine Albers" "A touching performance comes 
from Mary Faktor as Mrs. Daigle"   
         Benjamin Gleisser
         The Cleveland Jewish News, 2001

"bold, well-etched performances"   "Director Fred Sternfeld bravely resists 
the obvious temptation to goose this quaint relic with fey overstatement. He 
works with integrity..."   "He delivers up a compelling time capsule"   "the 
evening abounds in 50's ambiance"   "Betsy Hogg ... acts with a frightening, 
iron determination, making deliberate winsomeness horrific"   "Cassandra 
Vincent commences with the perfectly coiffured placidity of one of those TV 
housewives perpetually hawking home appliances and ultimately ends with the 
tragic nobility of Oedipus's Jocasta"   "Mary Faktor has two poignant scenes 
as the desperate, alcoholic mother of the drowned schoolboy. She makes her 
whiskey-drenched, halting agony painfully tangible throughout the theatre"   
"Catherine Albers ... luxuriously envelops all in her madcap psychobabble"   
"Charles Kartali ... offers a dose of trailer-park sexuality"
         Keith Joseph
         The Cleveland Scene, 2001

"Ensemble's Bad Seed a guilty pleasure"   "Director Fred Sternfeld must have 
intuited that his production would be opening a few weeks after the death of 
irony, so he directs his performers, and orchestrates the technical elements, 
into two hours of slice-of-life psychodrama"   "successfully evokes placid 
mid-'50's suburbia"   "charmingly retro"   "fine performances and authentic 
design elements"   "The secret to this production's success is the cast's 
commitment to the real drama and unfolding horror" "undeniably a wicked 
pleasure"
         Marie Andrusewicz
         The Free Times, 2001

Performances October 4-21, 2001

Ensemble Theatre
Lucia Colombi, Artistic Director

presents

Bad Seed
by Maxwell Anderson

Directed by Fred Sternfeld

Once upon a time there was a beautiful little girl named Rhoda who everyone 
loved. She was polite to her elders and very well behaved. But Rhoda's mother 
was a little worried and frightened by her daughter. You see, one or Rhoda's 
classmates mysteriously drowned after winning an award at school that Rhoda 
wanted very badly. This tale shows a mothers anguish as she faces the 
terrible truth about her daughter. The suspense-filled drama asks the 
questions "Can a child be born a cold-blooded murderer?"

"It is solely and honestly meant to entertain...sets your spine to tingling 
and chilling..."  NY Telegram

The Cast
Rhoda Penmark  --  Betsy Hogg
Col. Kenneth Penmark -- Tim Coles
Christine Penmark -- Cassandra Vincent 
Leroy -- Charles Kartali*
Monica Breedlove -- Catherine Albers*
Emory Wages -- Wayne Merholz
Reginald Tasker -- Joe Kerata
Miss Fern -- Jean Colerider
Mrs. Daigle -- Mary Faktor
Mr. Daigle -- Michael Regnier
Richard Bravo -- Mitchell B. Fields*

* member of Actors' Equity Association

Production Staff
Set Designer -- Calvin Knight
Costume Designer -- Amy Matt
Light Designer -- Chris Leja
Sound Designer -- Corby Grubb
Dialect Coach -- Charles Kartali
PR & Marketing Director -- Pat Mazzarino
Administrative Assistant -- Jason Davis
Bookholders -- Ruthy Friedman, Kathy Hogg

Performances Dates & Times, Ticket Prices
Previewing Thursday, October 4, 2001 at 7:30pm - all seats $13.  Performances 
are October 5 - 21, 2001 -- Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm - all seats $17. 
Sundays, October 7 & 21 at 3:30pm, Sunday October 14 at 7:30pm - all seats 
$15.  $2 off for seniors and students. Mastercard and Visa accepted. 
Wheelchair accessible. 

Location
Ensemble Theatre is located at The Civic, 3130 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland 
Heights, Ohio  44118. Parking is located at the west entry (lot closest to 
Lee Rd)

Coffee, soda, bottled water and cookies sold at intermission

Box Office
Call the box office at 216-321-2930. You can also e-mail reservations to 
EnsembleCleve at aol.com to the attention of Jason Davis. Tickets can also be 
purchased through Playhouse Square C-Tix.

Also
Betsy Hogg and Fred Sternfeld will be on Dee Perry's show on WCPN 90.3  
"Around Noon" on Wednesday, October 3rd at Noon.

Ensemble Theatre's 22nd season 
is supported, in part, by the Ohio Arts Council, The Cleveland Foundation's 
BASICs Program and the George Gund Foundation

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<HTML>There are six more performances of "Bad Seed" at Ensemble Theatre.  Call 216-321-2930 for tickets.
 
 Here are excerpts from some of the reviews. 
 To view the complete reviews, you can visit the "Bad Seed" pages of my website for the links:  <A HREF="http://www.fredsternfeld.com">http://www.fredsternfeld.com</A>
 
 "It all pays off in a big way"   "genuinely creepy"   "Director Fred Sternfeld delivers a chilling second act that contracts like a cold fist around your heart"    "pulse-pounding dilemmas that Sternfeld's production ultimately illuminates"   "The chills....don't stop even after the curtain falls"
         Linda Eisenstein
         The Plain Dealer, 2001
 
 "an enjoyable production "    "sinister moments"   "we ... feel a tingle go down our spines" "...credit director Fred Sternfeld for keeping the choked sobs from getting out-of-hand. His production is smooth, like a well-crafted episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents,' straight out of 1955. In fact, after the plot twist at the end, you almost expect Hitchcock or Rod Serling to step out from behind the curtain, deliver a stone-faced epilogue and bid you goodnight."   "the actors are very good"    "Monica Breedlove...played wonderfully by the energetic Catherine Albers" "A touching performance comes from Mary Faktor as Mrs. Daigle"   
         Benjamin Gleisser
         The Cleveland Jewish News, 2001
 
 "bold, well-etched performances"   "Director Fred Sternfeld bravely resists the obvious temptation to goose this quaint relic with fey overstatement. He works with integrity..."   "He delivers up a compelling time capsule"   "the evening abounds in 50's ambiance"   "Betsy Hogg ... acts with a frightening, iron determination, making deliberate winsomeness horrific"   "Cassandra Vincent commences with the perfectly coiffured placidity of one of those TV housewives perpetually hawking home appliances and ultimately ends with the tragic nobility of Oedipus's Jocasta"   "Mary Faktor has two poignant scenes as the desperate, alcoholic mother of the drowned schoolboy. She makes her whiskey-drenched, halting agony painfully tangible throughout the theatre"   "Catherine Albers ... luxuriously envelops all in her madcap psychobabble"   "Charles Kartali ... offers a dose of trailer-park sexuality"
         Keith Joseph
         The Cleveland Scene, 2001
 
 "Ensemble's Bad Seed a guilty pleasure"   "Director Fred Sternfeld must have intuited that his production would be opening a few weeks after the death of irony, so he directs his performers, and orchestrates the technical elements, into two hours of slice-of-life psychodrama"   "successfully evokes placid mid-'50's suburbia"   "charmingly retro"   "fine performances and authentic design elements"   "The secret to this production's success is the cast's commitment to the real drama and unfolding horror" "undeniably a wicked pleasure"
         Marie Andrusewicz
         The Free Times, 2001
 
 Performances October 4-21, 2001
 
 Ensemble Theatre
 Lucia Colombi, Artistic Director
 
 presents
 
 Bad Seed
 by Maxwell Anderson
 
 Directed by Fred Sternfeld
 
 Once upon a time there was a beautiful little girl named Rhoda who everyone loved. She was polite to her elders and very well behaved. But Rhoda's mother was a little worried and frightened by her daughter. You see, one or Rhoda's classmates mysteriously drowned after winning an award at school that Rhoda wanted very badly. This tale shows a mothers anguish as she faces the terrible truth about her daughter. The suspense-filled drama asks the questions "Can a child be born a cold-blooded murderer?"
 
 "It is solely and honestly meant to entertain...sets your spine to tingling and chilling..."  NY Telegram
  
 The Cast
 Rhoda Penmark  --  Betsy Hogg
 Col. Kenneth Penmark -- Tim Coles
 Christine Penmark -- Cassandra Vincent 
 Leroy -- Charles Kartali*
 Monica Breedlove -- Catherine Albers*
 Emory Wages -- Wayne Merholz
 Reginald Tasker -- Joe Kerata
 Miss Fern -- Jean Colerider
 Mrs. Daigle -- Mary Faktor
 Mr. Daigle -- Michael Regnier
 Richard Bravo -- Mitchell B. Fields*
 
 * member of Actors' Equity Association
  
 Production Staff
 Set Designer -- Calvin Knight
 Costume Designer -- Amy Matt
 Light Designer -- Chris Leja
 Sound Designer -- Corby Grubb
 Dialect Coach -- Charles Kartali
 PR & Marketing Director -- Pat Mazzarino
 Administrative Assistant -- Jason Davis
 Bookholders -- Ruthy Friedman, Kathy Hogg
  
 Performances Dates & Times, Ticket Prices
 Previewing Thursday, October 4, 2001 at 7:30pm - all seats $13.  Performances are October 5 - 21, 2001 -- Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm - all seats $17. Sundays, October 7 & 21 at 3:30pm, Sunday October 14 at 7:30pm - all seats $15.  $2 off for seniors and students. Mastercard and Visa accepted. Wheelchair accessible. 
 
 Location
 Ensemble Theatre is located at The Civic, 3130 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio  44118. Parking is located at the west entry (lot closest to Lee Rd)
 
 Coffee, soda, bottled water and cookies sold at intermission
 
 Box Office
 Call the box office at 216-321-2930. You can also e-mail reservations to EnsembleCleve at aol.com to the attention of Jason Davis. Tickets can also be purchased through Playhouse Square C-Tix.
 
 Also
 Betsy Hogg and Fred Sternfeld will be on Dee Perry's show on WCPN 90.3  "Around Noon" on Wednesday, October 3rd at Noon.
 
 Ensemble Theatre's 22nd season 
 is supported, in part, by the Ohio Arts Council, The Cleveland Foundation's BASICs Program and the George Gund Foundation
 
 
 
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