[NEohioPAL]Walkin' My Baby Back Home and The Wind in the Willows Review - Plain Dealer

Wed Feb 22 05:36:53 PST 2006

-------------------------------1140615413
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

THEATER / ONSTAGE AND OFF 

Actor who could steal two shows is big enough to share spotlight 

Friday, February 17, 2006  

With Kevin Joseph Kelly onstage, expect a whale of a time. He's not that big, 
 but his personality is. Stop by the Cleveland Play House sometime in the 
next  few weekends to get a double-dose of outsized KJK.  
Kelly, who has played everything from the bad guy in Disney's "Aida" to a  
headmistress of an all-girls school, now burns his talent-candle at both ends at 
 8500 Euclid Ave.  
Days, he's an imperious Toad in a delightful "The Wind in the Willows" for  
the Play House Children's Theatre. At night, he plays the suave host of the  
Cabaret series' "Walkin' My Baby Back Home." 

In each, he's the center of attention -- the boy can't help it -- but also a  
catalyst.  
In "Wind in the Willows," adapted with theatrical flair from the endearing  
Kenneth Grahame story by local playwright Eric Schmiedl and directed with  
anthropomorphic wit by Seth Gordon, Kelly's waddling, car-crazy Toad surrounds  
himself with Alicia Kahn's darling Mole, Noah Varness' attentive Rat, Everett  
Dodrill's eminence grise Badger, and versatile E.B. Smith and wispy-thin Emily  
Pucell playing all other parts.  
And designer Jill Davis steals the show with a chorus line of cuddly weasels  
and then parachutes a phalanx of said genus Mustela into our midst.  
(In the Studio One Theatre, at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through  
Sunday, March 12. $15. 216-795-7000.)  
Meanwhile, Kelly does children's theater for slightly inebriated adults in  
"Walkin'," a revue created by Bill Hoffman from music by Nat King Cole.  
In this enterprise, two lovely songstresses abet His Royal Kelliness. The  
throaty, blonde is Laurel Held-Posey, a familiar face and voice. Less  
well-known, but not for long, is Trinidad Snider, a dynamic brunette.  
This lusty-sounding triumvirate gets smooth backing from an equally talented  
trio of instrumentalists: pianist Heidi Herczeg, bassist Dave Spondike and  
guitarist Michael Lytz.  
(In the Play House Club at 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 1:30 p.m.  
selected Wednesdays, through Saturday, March 11. $20-$30. 216-795-7000.)  
In "Wind" and "Walkin'," Kelly takes all the spotlight he can. But he deftly  
reflects it on those around him. That's what makes him a whale of a showman.  
To reach this Plain Dealer columnist:  
tbrown at plaind.com, 216-999-4181 

Kevin Joseph Kelly
216-269-3824

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot  change....
Courage to change the things I can......
And wisdom to know the  difference
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a  time,
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

-------------------------------1140615413
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; charset=3DUS-ASCII">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY id=3Drole_body style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY:=20=
Arial"=20
bottomMargin=3D7 leftMargin=3D7 topMargin=3D7 rightMargin=3D7><FONT id=3Drol=
e_document=20
face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2>
<DIV>
<DIV class=3Dkicker><B>
<DIV class=3Dkicker><B>THEATER / ONSTAGE AND OFF</B> </DIV></B></DIV>
<H1 class=3Dred>
<H1 class=3Dred>Actor who could steal two shows is big enough to share spotl=
ight=20
</H1></H1>
<DIV class=3Dsubhead>
<DIV class=3Dsubhead><B></B></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=3Dbyln>Friday, February 17, 2006=20
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV></DIV><B><B></B></B></DIV>
<P>With Kevin Joseph Kelly onstage, expect a whale of a time. He's not that=20=
big,=20
but his personality is. Stop by the Cleveland Play House sometime in the nex=
t=20
few weekends to get a double-dose of outsized KJK. </P>
<P>Kelly, who has played everything from the bad guy in Disney's "Aida" to a=
=20
headmistress of an all-girls school, now burns his talent-candle at both end=
s at=20
8500 Euclid Ave. </P>
<P>Days, he's an imperious Toad in a delightful "The Wind in the Willows" fo=
r=20
the Play House Children's Theatre. At night, he plays the suave host of the=20
Cabaret series' "Walkin' My Baby Back Home." </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P>In each, he's the center of attention -- the boy can't help it -- but als=
o a=20
catalyst. </P>
<P>In "Wind in the Willows," adapted with theatrical flair from the endearin=
g=20
Kenneth Grahame story by local playwright Eric Schmiedl and directed with=20
anthropomorphic wit by Seth Gordon, Kelly's waddling, car-crazy Toad surroun=
ds=20
himself with Alicia Kahn's darling Mole, Noah Varness' attentive Rat, Everet=
t=20
Dodrill's eminence grise Badger, and versatile E.B. Smith and wispy-thin Emi=
ly=20
Pucell playing all other parts. </P>
<P>And designer Jill Davis steals the show with a chorus line of cuddly weas=
els=20
and then parachutes a phalanx of said genus Mustela into our midst. </P>
<P>(In the Studio One Theatre, at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, throug=
h=20
Sunday, March 12. $15. 216-795-7000.) </P>
<P>Meanwhile, Kelly does children's theater for slightly inebriated adults i=
n=20
"Walkin'," a revue created by Bill Hoffman from music by Nat King Cole. </P>
<P>In this enterprise, two lovely songstresses abet His Royal Kelliness. The=
=20
throaty, blonde is Laurel Held-Posey, a familiar face and voice. Less=20
well-known, but not for long, is Trinidad Snider, a dynamic brunette. </P>
<P>This lusty-sounding triumvirate gets smooth backing from an equally talen=
ted=20
trio of instrumentalists: pianist Heidi Herczeg, bassist Dave Spondike and=20
guitarist Michael Lytz. </P>
<P>(In the Play House Club at 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 1:30 p.m.=20
selected Wednesdays, through Saturday, March 11. $20-$30. 216-795-7000.) </P=
>
<P>In "Wind" and "Walkin'," Kelly takes all the spotlight he can. But he def=
tly=20
reflects it on those around him. That's what makes him a whale of a showman.=
=20
</P>
<P>To reach this Plain Dealer columnist: </P>
<P>tbrown at plaind.com, 216-999-4181 </P></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=3D0 face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERI=
F"=20
PTSIZE=3D"10">Kevin Joseph Kelly<BR>216-269-3824<BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=
=3D0=20
face=3DArial color=3D#ff0000 size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" PTSIZE=3D"10"><BR=
>
<P align=3Dcenter>Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot=20
change....<BR>Courage to change the things I can......<BR>And wisdom to know=
 the=20
difference<BR>Living one day at a time,<BR>Enjoying one moment at a=20
time,<BR>Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.</FONT><FONT lang=3D0=20
face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"=20
PTSIZE=3D"10"><BR></P></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>

-------------------------------1140615413--