[NEohioPAL]"MUST SEE" Beacon Journal Review of QUILTERS at Actors' Summit

Thu May 3 12:44:03 PDT 2007

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Cozy up to beautiful  `Quilters' 
Hard-working pioneer women  sew, harmonize in great fashion 
By Kerry  Clawson 
Beacon Journal staff writer   
Director MaryJo Alexander has poured her  heart, soul and considerable 
talents into the thoroughly enjoyable musical  Quilters, now playing at Actors' 
Summit. 
That's a lot like the passion American  pioneer women infused into making 
their quilts -- family albums that chronicled  the considerable toils and joys of 
their lives. 
This 1984 musical, which was short-lived  on Broadway, pays tribute to the 
many women who did back-breaking work to settle  the West. Part of the source 
material comes from Women's Diaries of the  Westward Journey, a book that 
Alexander read and has been mulling over for  many years in preparation for 
directing the show. 
The musical stitches together the fabric  of these pioneer women's lives, 
story by story, block by block and song by song.  The nicely constructed musical 
pairs nearly every song with an accompanying  block that illustrates 
individual stories. 
Alexander's excellent cast is led by  Lenne Snively, who gives mother Sarah a 
dry, folksy flair. Her lovely,  fresh-faced daughters are played by Tricia 
Bestic, Kathleen Culler, Shani Ferry,  Sally Groth and Lisa Marie Schueller. 
All the actresses playing daughters are  fine singers who create beautiful, 
vibrant  harmonies. 
Evie Rosen-Morris and Lissy Gulick make  up the onstage band on piano and 
guitar, joined periodically by Groth on fiddle  and Culler on flute. 
There's so much female singing, acting  and musical talent on this small 
stage, Quilters is a  must-see. 
The only inconsistency in the show is  the actresses' accents: A number of 
them fade in and out of a Western, twangy  sound. Some even resort to an 
upper-crust effect at  times. 
In pioneer times, quilting was both a  necessity -- for warmth and protection 
-- and a satisfying art form in which  women could take pride. Quilts created 
with loving attention adorned everything  from a bride's dowry to a loved 
one's casket. 
Quilting was one way these hard-working  women kept their sanity after 
terrible losses on the plains. And gathering to  create quilts served as a 
much-needed social  outlet. 
In the musical, mother Sarah talks about  a quilt she toiled over for 25 
years after her children went to sleep, saying  tellingly: 
``I tremble sometimes when I think about  what that quilt knows about me.'' 
This show creates plenty of fun-loving  moments, including girls' games of 
patty cake and jump rope in the celebratory  Every Log in My House, and the very 
sweet making of corncob dolls in  Cornelia Song. 
One of the most enjoyable vignettes goes  with the tune The Needle's Eye, as 
one of Snively's characters hosts a  quilting bee to create a quilt to 
celebrate her nephew's 21st birthday. One by  one, each of the girls reveals that she 
has her heart set on the young  man. 
At the opposite end of the spectrum,  another song tells of some women's 
desperation at having 15 or more babies. And  others speak of twisters, horrible 
fires and death. 
Actors' Summit's simple set lets the  quilts do the talking. For each story, 
an actress adds a quilt block to pegs on  the proscenium, or to a clothesline 
across the back of the  stage. 
A quilt-maker may piece together her  squares in any number of ways. Whatever 
each block's story was, the finished  quilt was passed from generation to 
generation as a  legacy. 
The piece de resistance in this show is  a fabulous, finished quilt created 
by Alexander and 12 other volunteers. The  unveiling of the massive, beautiful 
piece of art is a breathtakingly dramatic  moment that's sure to bring tingles 
to all who see  it. 

____________________________________

Staff writer  Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail  at 
_kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com_ (mailto:kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com) . See 
her theater blog at  _http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com_ 
(http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com/) .  

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

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<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Cozy up to beautiful=20
`Quilters'<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Hard-working pioneer w=
omen=20
sew, harmonize in great fashion<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">By Kerry=20
Clawson<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Beacon Journal staff writer=20
<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Director MaryJo Alexander has po=
ured her=20
heart, soul and considerable talents into the thoroughly enjoyable musical=20
Quilters, now playing at Actors' Summit.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">That's a lot like the passion Am=
erican=20
pioneer women infused into making their quilts -- family albums that chronic=
led=20
the considerable toils and joys of their lives.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">This 1984 musical, which was sho=
rt-lived=20
on Broadway, pays tribute to the many women who did back-breaking work to se=
ttle=20
the West. Part of the source material comes from Women's Diaries of the=20
Westward Journey, a book that Alexander read and has been mulling over f=
or=20
many years in preparation for directing the show.<o:p></o:p></=
P>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The musical stitches together th=
e fabric=20
of these pioneer women's lives, story by story, block by block and song by s=
ong.=20
The nicely constructed musical pairs nearly every song with an accompanying=20
block that illustrates individual stories.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Alexander's excellent cast is le=
d by=20
Lenne Snively, who gives mother Sarah a dry, folksy flair. Her lovely,=20
fresh-faced daughters are played by Tricia Bestic, Kathleen Culler, Shani Fe=
rry,=20
Sally Groth and Lisa Marie Schueller.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">All the actresses playing daught=
ers are=20
fine singers who create beautiful, vibrant=20
harmonies.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Evie Rosen-Morris and Lissy Guli=
ck make=20
up the onstage band on piano and guitar, joined periodically by Groth on fid=
dle=20
and Culler on flute.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">There's so much female singing,=20=
acting=20
and musical talent on this small stage, Quilters is a=20
must-see.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The only inconsistency in the sh=
ow is=20
the actresses' accents: A number of them fade in and out of a Western, twang=
y=20
sound. Some even resort to an upper-crust effect at=20
times.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In pioneer times, quilting was b=
oth a=20
necessity -- for warmth and protection -- and a satisfying art form in which=
=20
women could take pride. Quilts created with loving attention adorned everyth=
ing=20
from a bride's dowry to a loved one's casket.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Quilting was one way these hard-=
working=20
women kept their sanity after terrible losses on the plains. And gathering t=
o=20
create quilts served as a much-needed social=20
outlet.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In the musical, mother Sarah tal=
ks about=20
a quilt she toiled over for 25 years after her children went to sleep, sayin=
g=20
tellingly:<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">``I tremble sometimes when I thi=
nk about=20
what that quilt knows about me.''<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">This show creates plenty of fun-=
loving=20
moments, including girls' games of patty cake and jump rope in the celebrato=
ry=20
Every Log in My House, and the very sweet making of corncob dolls in=20
Cornelia Song.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">One of the most enjoyable vignet=
tes goes=20
with the tune The Needle's Eye, as one of Snively's characters hosts=20=
a=20
quilting bee to create a quilt to celebrate her nephew's 21st birthday. One=20=
by=20
one, each of the girls reveals that she has her heart set on the young=20
man.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">At the opposite end of the spect=
rum,=20
another song tells of some women's desperation at having 15 or more babies.=20=
And=20
others speak of twisters, horrible fires and death.<o:p></o:p>=

<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Actors' Summit's simple set lets=
 the=20
quilts do the talking. For each story, an actress adds a quilt block to pegs=
 on=20
the proscenium, or to a clothesline across the back of the=20
stage.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">A quilt-maker may piece together=
 her=20
squares in any number of ways. Whatever each block's story was, the finished=
=20
quilt was passed from generation to generation as a=20
legacy.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The piece de resistance in this=20=
show is=20
a fabulous, finished quilt created by Alexander and 12 other volunteers. The=
=20
unveiling of the massive, beautiful piece of art is a breathtakingly dramati=
c=20
moment that's sure to bring tingles to all who see=20
it.<o:p></o:p>
<DIV class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"=20
align=3Dcenter>
<HR align=3Dcenter width=3D"100%" color=3D#cccccc noShade SIZE=3D1>
</DIV>
<SPAN=20
class=3Dtagline>Staff=20=
writer=20
Kerry Clawson may be reached at <st1:phone o_x003a_ls=3D"t=
rans"=20
phonenumber=3D"$6996$$$"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">330-996-3527<=
/st1:phone><SPAN=20
class=3Dtagline> or by=
 e-mail=20
at <A href=3D"mailto:kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com"><FONT=20
color=3D#000099>kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com</A>. See her theater bl=
og at=20
<A href=3D"http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com/"><FONT=20
color=3D#000099>http://kerryclawson.wordpress.com</A>.</SP=
AN><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p></DIV> <DIV><HR style=3D"MARGIN-T=
OP: 10px">See what's free at <A title=3D"http://www.aol.com?ncid=3DAOLAOF000=
20000000503" href=3D"http://www.aol.com?ncid=3DAOLAOF00020000000503" target=
=3D"_blank">AOL.com</A>. </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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