<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size: 26pt; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">New play set in five restaurants features
‘delightful nonsense’</span></i></b></p><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><b><span>6/23/2011 - <i>West Side</i><i> Leader</i></span></b><span><br>
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</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><i><span>By David Ritchey</span></i></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br>
<font size="4"><i><span></span></i><span></span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p style="text-align: center; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><font size="6"><b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span>Actor’s
Summit presents
‘Five Course Love’</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></font></p><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" size="6">
</font><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span><br></span></font></p><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span>DOWNTOWN
AKRON — A new script makes a production more exciting and more fun. That’s
what’s happening with “Five Course Love,” which is now playing at Actors’ Summit. Gregg Coffin
(playwright) wrote the music, lyrics and book for the show.</span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span>The plot deals with
three characters who are looking for love. Each scene of “Five Course Love” is
played in a different style restaurant: barbecue, Italian, German, Mexican and
a typical American diner.</span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span>In each scene, three
characters look for love (or a date). Those characters are played by Stephen
Brockway, Aubrey Caldwell and Keith E. Stevens. The script provides these three
performers an opportunity to display their talents by singing, dancing, acting
and working in various accents.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span><br></span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span>Brockway, a recent
addition to the company, has a great singing voice and the ability to play
physical comedy with ease.</span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span>Caldwell</span><span>, in her first
production with Actors’ Summit,
moves easily from being a cowgirl, to dominatrix, to a diner-dolly. Caldwell sings well,
dances with ease and seems to have a sense of humor about her characters.</span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span>Stevens is doing his
22nd production with Actors’ Summit.
He has honed his comedic skills, sings well and seems at home on the Actors’ Summit stage.</span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span>MaryJo Alexander created
the costumes. Alexander’s skills are obvious in this production. When Caldwell makes her first
entrance in each of the five scenes, one has trouble realizing this is the same
actress we’ve watched in other scenes. Alexander combines vastly different
clothing with wigs of various colors and styles, giving Caldwell a completely different look for each
scene.</span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><span>Alexander and Neil
Thackaberry (co-directors) did some interesting work in this production.
Certain lines and comedy bits re-appear in each of the five scenes. The
directors make these bits comedic. They make the physical humor truly silly and
good entertainment. In one scene, Brockway rides a stick horse while both wear
similar cowboy hats. Caldwell
rides a stick horse, too, but she keeps the stick horse behind her — she’s
riding side-saddle. This type of delightful nonsense runs throughout the
production.</span></font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4">Marcia Snavely (musical execution) and Justin Hart (percussion) accompanied
the performance and kept the music moving at a brisk pace. Michael Anderson
(musical director) trained and rehearsed the cast.</font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4">The performance runs about 90 minutes, without an intermission. “Five Course
Love” runs through July 24. For ticket information, call 330-374-7568.</font></p><font size="4"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></font><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="4"><em>David Ritchey has a Ph.D. in communications and is a professor of
communications at The University
of Akron. He is a member
of the American Theatre Critics Association.</em></font></p>
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