<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#0c4790">Actors’
Summit staging
‘hit’ with ‘Girls Guide to Coffee’</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">3/8/2012
- <i>West Side</i><i> Leader</i></span></b><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"> </span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"> </span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"> </span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"> </span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;background:white"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">By David Ritchey</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">DOWNTOWN AKRON — Actors’
Summit Theater has a charming new hit on its stage — “A Girl’s Guide to
Coffee.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">In about 90 minutes, Cleveland playwright Eric
Coble turns the coffee-shop atmosphere into a philosophy of life. The focus of
the story is on Alex and her co-workers at the Steamed Bean Coffee Shop. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">
<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">Alex
is a young barista faced with the difficult transition from college to whatever
comes next. Surrounded by her roommate, her boss and her parents, she shies
away from committing to one path for her future until a life-changing moment
and a new love come into her world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">The production is stylized
in so many ways that make it work for the cast and audience. However, the set
is visually exciting with many realistic touches on loan from Angel Falls
Coffee Shop in Highland Square.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">Director Constance
Thackaberry has done an excellent job in helping her performers with character
development. For example, I’ve reviewed Alex Nine in many shows over the years.
But only when I got home and studied the program did I realize Nine was playing
the father. In addition, she keeps the show moving at a quick, energetic pace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">However, it’s Margo
Chervony as Alex whose performance is worth the price of admission. She is in
every scene and seldom leaves the playing area. Of course, the playwright gave
her a star’s turn in this script. But, she’s up to everything the playwright
wrote for her — dealing with difficult customers, slowly selecting a man she’d
like to date. She plays an emotional roller-coaster without a moment of panic
or discomfort for the audience.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">Mark Leach (Christopher)
plays one of the regulars at the Steamed Bean. The playwright lets his
character evolve throughout the play. He seems to be a walk-on role at the
beginning of the play, but by the final scenes he has become a leading man.
Leach is a fine actor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">Coble gives Alex a speech
at the end of the play, which is an example of good writing, and Chervony delivers
that speech revealing once again what a good actress she is. In the lines, Alex
explains what she has learned working. Of course, this speech contains her
philosophy of life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">“A Girl’s Guide to Coffee”
will continue through March 11 at Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St. For ticket information,
call 330-374-7568 .</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">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.</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>