[NEohioPAL](Review) NCP Presentation of Aladdin Jr. Should be Seen

[DVangaasbe at aol.com]

-------------------------------1154988924
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NCP=E2=80=99s Alladin Jr. Is A Good Youth Production
=20
     Normally, I do not like going to youth  productions mainly because half=
=20
of the cast is committed while the other half is  being babysat.  That means=
=20
that you get an uneven production where you=E2=80=99re  left wondering where=
 certain=20
kids=E2=80=99 minds are. =20
=20
     That is not the case with the North Canton  Playhouse=E2=80=99s Youth P=
roduction=20
of Aladdin Jr. which opened on Friday, August 4 and  will continue on every=20
weekend to August 27.  Ably directed by Lisa  Paynter, the very youthful cas=
t=20
keeps your attention throughout the entire  performance and gives a well=20
disciplined performance.  This is especially  gratifying since the oldest me=
mber of=20
the cast is 21 years of  age.   Mrs. Paynter=E2=80=99s supporting crew did a=
 very good=20
job in most areas and some adult  production=E2=80=99s should take notice th=
at the=20
youth can put on as good a production  as us senior citizens.
=20
     Notable in this production was Greg Rininger  who played the Genie. =20
Greg is a wonderful talent who has a =E2=80=9CRobin  Williams=E2=80=9D type=20=
mind and approach to=20
acting.  Greg was fast talking and on  point the entire performance. =20
Unfortunately, for those like myself who  were expecting a tour de force per=
formance=20
of improvisation, you will come away  a little disappointed because Mrs.=20
Paynter wisely reigned Greg in.  If she  had not, she may have lost the cast=
=E2=80=99s=20
discipline because Greg can stretch a  well-seasoned adult cast to the limit=
.  I=20
had the privilege of directing  Greg in The Man Who Came to Dinner last=20
December.  At one  rehearsal, he single handedly played all five parts in a=20=
scene=20
using Sean  Connery, characters from Mad TV and Saturday Night Live, and a h=
ost=20
of other  characters to entertain the cast, which was rolling on the floor=20
laughing.   If an adult cast could not restrain itself, how could a youth ca=
st? =20
Good  job Greg and Lisa for not going beyond the limits that this cast could=
 =20
handle.  Good job cast for giving Greg an incredible amount of room to do  h=
is=20
job.  I would love to see Greg as the Genie in the adult version of  Aladdin
=20
     Also notable were Danielle Huff and Brenton  Cochran who played Iago,=20
the parrot, and Jafar.  Brenton=E2=80=99s interpretation  of Jafar was disti=
nctly=20
different from the interpretation in the cartoon movie  version of this play=
.  In=20
that version, Jafar is sinister.  In this  version, Jafar is a world class b=
ully=20
and Brenton=E2=80=99s portrayal was good and  polished.  He is equally match=
ed by Ms.=20
Huff who reels off one liners  faster than a speeding bullet.  Ms. Huff is a=
t=20
best ten years old.   She is a treasure of a talent and shows no inhibitions=
.=20
 Hopefully, teenage  years will not give her those inhibitions that will=20
thwart her comic timing and  presence. =20
=20
 The chorus did an excellent job as did the Royal Guard led by Ben  Nypaver.=
 =20
Mrs. Paynter again did a good job in reigning in the young actors  in the=20
guard who could have easily over milked the scenes.  With that they  managed=
 to=20
keep a great deal of credibility.  The chorus complimented the  leads quite=20
well and some of their dance numbers for youth were very  polished.  However=
,=20
there were some scenes where the dancing was stretched  to the limit with so=
me of=20
the dancers being asked to do some things beyond their  experience.  On the=20
whole the timing was not bad. =20
=20
     Ray Kreit played the Sultan and did a good  job even though he was=20
weighed down by a big costume.  He had you believing  that he was an older m=
an. =20
Also, notable were the young ladies who  portrayed the flying carpet.  Nothi=
ng=20
seemed to distract them as they made  you believe that they were a flying=20
carpet.
=20
     The narrators were also good in their  presentation.  Many times a=20
narrator can be distracting.  This was not  the case with these five young =20=
actors.

The pianist and the drummer  were excellent as they complimented the singing=
=20
and dancing well.  Suzanne  Myers and her husband, Jacob, did a good job=20
keeping the singers on a good brisk  pace.  Sometimes, a pianist and/or drum=
mer can=20
slow it down to accommodate  the singers but that did not happen in this=20
case.  Canned music was used  occasionally and it was hard to hear sometimes=
 which=20
caused the performers to  have trouble following it.  However, Mrs. Paynter=20
relied on Mr. and Mrs.  Myers for most of the production and that was a very=
=20
smart move.
=20
     There are negatives to this production and  some of them are not the=20
individual fault of the actor or actress  involved.  Nor are these comments=20=
meant=20
to be critical of the actor=E2=80=99s or  actor=E2=80=99s talent or commitme=
nt to the=20
production.  Some of the negatives  dealt with the age and inexperience of t=
he actor=20
or actress.  There was  very little chemistry between Jasmine and Aladdin wh=
o=20
had to profess love to one  another.  Chemistry is a very difficult thing to=
=20
portray in love stories  and even seasoned actors have trouble.  Both Aladdi=
n=20
and Jasmine had  difficulty showing any interest in one another and seemed t=
o=20
be  uncomfortable.  I do believe with experience and age Calvin Radsick and=20=
=20
Becca Monteleone will overcome this problem. =20
=20
 Calvin also has to give himself a little more room for his  voice.  In A=20
Whole New World, he started an octave too high which  gave him little room t=
o=20
maneuver.  It caused him to drop his voice later in  the song.  The drop cau=
sed=20
Becca to become quieter in her presentation  which took a great deal out of=20=
the=20
song.  Both seemed to be relieved when  it was over.  Age and experience wil=
l=20
be the best things for these two fine  actors who may have played the parts=20
one to two years too early.
=20
     There were some blocking problems- many minor  but one that was major.=20=
=20
That one was when Jasmine and Aladdin were sitting  and talking at the stage=
=20
front.  I had to tip my seat back so I could see  them.  I heard them but ha=
d=20
trouble seeing them.  It is a scene that  needs to be seen visually.  Having=
=20
them sit on something a few steps back  would alleviate the problem. =20
=20
     The lighting was good throughout the whole  play.  The scenery was good=
=20
and I am glad that there is a playhouse that  does not need to place its=20
entire set in black for the entire performance.   Too many playhouses make y=
ou feel=20
like you are sitting at a morgue when they are  performing.
=20
     The costuming was good except for the Genie=E2=80=99s  costume.  The le=
tter =E2=80=9CG=E2=80=9D=20
was not fastened very well and made Greg look like  some sort of comic book=20
super hero instead of the Genie.  For the amount of  work that was put into=20=
the=20
other costumes, this one should have been better  planned. =20
=20
     On the whole, this is a noteworthy  performance which should be seen. =20
There are weaknesses but I do not fault  the talent or the commitment.  I fa=
ult=20
the age and the inexperience.   One great thing about youth productions is=20
that they do give experience and  allow a child actor to develop emotions an=
d=20
character traits while having a good  time.  Mrs. Paynter should be commende=
d=20
for her work and this production  and these actors should be seen.   Out of=20=
four=20
stars, I give it a  three.

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<DIV align=3Dcenter>NCP=E2=80=99s Alladin Jr. Is A Good Youth Production</DI=
V>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     Normally, I do not like going to youth=20
productions mainly because half of the cast is committed while the other hal=
f is=20
being babysat.  That means that you get an uneven production where you=
=E2=80=99re=20
left wondering where certain kids=E2=80=99 minds are.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     That is not the case with the North Canto=
n=20
Playhouse=E2=80=99s Youth Production of Aladdin Jr. which opened on Friday,=20=
August 4 and=20
will continue on every weekend to August 27.  Ably directed by Lisa=20
Paynter, the very youthful cast keeps your attention throughout the entire=20
performance and gives a well disciplined performance.  This is especial=
ly=20
gratifying since the oldest member of the cast is 21 years of  age.&nbs=
p;=20
Mrs. Paynter=E2=80=99s supporting crew did a very good job in most areas and=
 some adult=20
production=E2=80=99s should take notice that the youth can put on as good a=20=
production=20
as us senior citizens.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     Notable in this production was Greg Rinin=
ger=20
who played the Genie.  Greg is a wonderful talent who has a =E2=80=9CRo=
bin=20
Williams=E2=80=9D type mind and approach to acting.  Greg was fast talk=
ing and on=20
point the entire performance.  Unfortunately, for those like myself who=
=20
were expecting a tour de force performance of improvisation, you will come a=
way=20
a little disappointed because Mrs. Paynter wisely reigned Greg in.  If=20=
she=20
had not, she may have lost the cast=E2=80=99s discipline because Greg can st=
retch a=20
well-seasoned adult cast to the limit.  I had the privilege of directin=
g=20
Greg in <EM>The Man Who Came to Dinner</EM> last December.  At one=20
rehearsal, he single handedly played all five parts in a scene using Sean=20
Connery, characters from Mad TV and Saturday Night Live, and a host of other=
=20
characters to entertain the cast, which was rolling on the floor laughing.&n=
bsp;=20
If an adult cast could not restrain itself, how could a youth cast?  Go=
od=20
job Greg and Lisa for not going beyond the limits that this cast could=20
handle.  Good job cast for giving Greg an incredible amount of room to=20=
do=20
his job.  I would love to see Greg as the Genie in the adult version of=
=20
Aladdin</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     Also notable were Danielle Huff and Brent=
on=20
Cochran who played Iago, the parrot, and Jafar.  Brenton=E2=80=99s inte=
rpretation=20
of Jafar was distinctly different from the interpretation in the cartoon mov=
ie=20
version of this play.  In that version, Jafar is sinister.  In thi=
s=20
version, Jafar is a world class bully and Brenton=E2=80=99s portrayal was go=
od and=20
polished.  He is equally matched by Ms. Huff who reels off one liners=20
faster than a speeding bullet.  Ms. Huff is at best ten years old.&nbsp=
;=20
She is a treasure of a talent and shows no inhibitions.  Hopefully, tee=
nage=20
years will not give her those inhibitions that will thwart her comic timing=20=
and=20
presence.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> The chorus did an excellent job as did the Royal Guard led by Ben=
=20
Nypaver.  Mrs. Paynter again did a good job in reigning in the young ac=
tors=20
in the guard who could have easily over milked the scenes.  With that t=
hey=20
managed to keep a great deal of credibility.  The chorus complimented t=
he=20
leads quite well and some of their dance numbers for youth were very=20
polished.  However, there were some scenes where the dancing was stretc=
hed=20
to the limit with some of the dancers being asked to do some things beyond t=
heir=20
experience.  On the whole the timing was not bad.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     Ray Kreit played the Sultan and did a goo=
d=20
job even though he was weighed down by a big costume.  He had you belie=
ving=20
that he was an older man.  Also, notable were the young ladies who=20
portrayed the flying carpet.  Nothing seemed to distract them as they m=
ade=20
you believe that they were a flying carpet.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     The narrators were also good in their=20
presentation.  Many times a narrator can be distracting.  This was=
 not=20
the case with these five young=20
actors.<BR> <BR>     The pianist and the drumm=
er=20
were excellent as they complimented the singing and dancing well.  Suza=
nne=20
Myers and her husband, Jacob, did a good job keeping the singers on a good b=
risk=20
pace.  Sometimes, a pianist and/or drummer can slow it down to accommod=
ate=20
the singers but that did not happen in this case.  Canned music was use=
d=20
occasionally and it was hard to hear sometimes which caused the performers t=
o=20
have trouble following it.  However, Mrs. Paynter relied on Mr. and Mrs=
.=20
Myers for most of the production and that was a very smart move.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     There are negatives to this production an=
d=20
some of them are not the individual fault of the actor or actress=20
involved.  Nor are these comments meant to be critical of the actor=E2=
=80=99s or=20
actor=E2=80=99s talent or commitment to the production.  Some of the ne=
gatives=20
dealt with the age and inexperience of the actor or actress.  There was=
=20
very little chemistry between Jasmine and Aladdin who had to profess love to=
 one=20
another.  Chemistry is a very difficult thing to portray in love storie=
s=20
and even seasoned actors have trouble.  Both Aladdin and Jasmine had=20
difficulty showing any interest in one another and seemed to be=20
uncomfortable.  I do believe with experience and age Calvin Radsick and=
=20
Becca Monteleone will overcome this problem.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Calvin also has to give himself a little more room for his=20
voice.  In <EM>A Whole New World</EM>, he started an octave too high wh=
ich=20
gave him little room to maneuver.  It caused him to drop his voice late=
r in=20
the song.  The drop caused Becca to become quieter in her presentation=20
which took a great deal out of the song.  Both seemed to be relieved wh=
en=20
it was over.  Age and experience will be the best things for these two=20=
fine=20
actors who may have played the parts one to two years too early.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     There were some blocking problems- many m=
inor=20
but one that was major.  That one was when Jasmine and Aladdin were sit=
ting=20
and talking at the stage front.  I had to tip my seat back so I could s=
ee=20
them.  I heard them but had trouble seeing them.  It is a scene th=
at=20
needs to be seen visually.  Having them sit on something a few steps ba=
ck=20
would alleviate the problem.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     The lighting was good throughout the whol=
e=20
play.  The scenery was good and I am glad that there is a playhouse tha=
t=20
does not need to place its entire set in black for the entire performance.&n=
bsp;=20
Too many playhouses make you feel like you are sitting at a morgue when they=
 are=20
performing.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     The costuming was good except for the Gen=
ie=E2=80=99s=20
costume.  The letter =E2=80=9CG=E2=80=9D was not fastened very well and=
 made Greg look like=20
some sort of comic book super hero instead of the Genie.  For the amoun=
t of=20
work that was put into the other costumes, this one should have been better=20
planned.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>     On the whole, this is a noteworthy=20
performance which should be seen.  There are weaknesses but I do not fa=
ult=20
the talent or the commitment.  I fault the age and the inexperience.&nb=
sp;=20
One great thing about youth productions is that they do give experience and=20
allow a child actor to develop emotions and character traits while having a=20=
good=20
time.  Mrs. Paynter should be commended for her work and this productio=
n=20
and these actors should be seen.   Out of four stars, I give it a=20
three.</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>

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