Our fourth anniversary is coming on on March 21, 2024. So to get ready for the celebration, I am going to us the Throwback Thursday trend to repost our most popular items from the past on the various social media platforms that I use. So watch for them on Facebook, X, Post, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. But in case you want to take an early peek at them, here’s they are: (in no particular order)
I am sure that I have attended a performance of Henry IV, Part 1 in the past but it was obviously some time ago. But I can’t imagine a more determined and enthusiastic presentation of Henry IV than the one performed by First Stage’s Young Company.
Thomas Bastardo, Alice Rivera (center) Maya Thomure, and cast in HENRY IV, PART 1. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
First Stage is well known for its boisterous colorful story telling through large ensemble musicals that feature young through adult actors. The Young Company has a different role at First Stage and Milwaukee theater in general. The company features high school age actors, often members of the First Stage Theater Academy, working through significant dramas and original plays. In many cases, Shakespeare, as we have here with Henry IV and previously with a very strong and complete Macbeth (see my response here). And instead of performing at the large Todd Wehr Theater at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, these dramas play out at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center in a very intimate stage in the round. And since it is usually general admission here, my biggest decision is where to sit! LOL!
And given the size and intimacy of the stage, very few props or set pieces come into play, and they often are rearranged to play multiple roles on set. And this just brings the text and the acting that much more in focus for the cast and audience.
Alice Rivera (front) with Paxton Haley and Thomas Bastardo in HENRY IV, PART 1. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
So, Henry IV! The king is played by Alice Rivera, who maintains the regal bearing of a King of England, even in the face of doubt…as plans to Crusade to the Holy Land fall apart as a local uprising against the crown needs immediate attention. Rivera shows us a king who can rally his troops, make strategic decisions, be a bit pompous and unbending, and then be cruel in conquest.
And although Henry IV is the name of the play, the actual major character is Henry, or Harry, or Hal, the Prince of Wales and the future king. Hal is played by Maya Thomure who gives us the perfect blend of youth seeking fun and recreation away from the court, while also feeling at times the weight of his position on his shoulders, but who willingly takes up his responsibilities as a defender of the crown when his father finally calls. Of course in his rebellion against his ‘lot in life’, he has an anti-father companion in Sir John Falstaff who he loves well…although he feels free to tease him constantly.
Abram Nelson, Max Larson (center) and Elena Marking in HENRY IV, PART 1. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
And Lola Onorato presents the Falstaff that we expect to see in the Henry plays. Big of imposture, big in braggadocio, big in appetites, and a true friend of Hal, Onorato brings it all to the stage.
And this is a Shakespeare history play, so there is swordplay and battle scenes. Director Marcella Kearns and Fight Director Christopher Elst, have provided action galore and obviously grounded the cast in the use of epees and rapiers. The clank clank of metal on metal was a delight for any fan of Shakespeare and/or knightly combat.
Paxton Haley and Elena Marking in HENRY IV, PART 1. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
There is a lot of activity here and a lot of text. Kearns keeps the troupe moving and involved and they presented two hours of Shakespearean dialogue, clearly, cleanly, and engagingly! One technique that I enjoyed was at scene change, when a principal character lingers on stage for a moment longer while their cohort makes their exit…and for just a moment shares the stage with the new characters entering to take up the next scene. That small stroke added some gravitas and continuity to the action and the acting for me.
Evie Patrick and William Swoboda in HENRY IV, PART 1. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Is this really the best Christmas pageant ever? Well I have it on the best authority from Helen Armstrong, the church choir director and traditional director of the play, that indeed it is!
And Helen Armstrong, as played by Lachrisa Landberry, has a magnificent grand voice and a room filling personality that just endears everyone in her presence. And she makes it known that she has definite plans and goals and doesn’t take no for answer. When we first meet Helen she is preparing to audition the children for this year’s Christmas pageant…something of a formality since it seems the same kids play the same roles each year. But Lachrisa brings us that Helen who is clearly in charge and tells us that this is how it is done!
Lachrisa Grandberry (far left), J.T. Backes (center) and cast in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
So we the audience expect a well run typical Christmas pageant with probably a few snags and hilarious bumps in the road. Well, until: calamity strikes and Helen falls on the ice and is hospitalized. So with her don’t take no for an answer attitude, she recruits a novice director, Grace Bradley, to take over the pageant.
Maya O’Day Biddle, Karen Estrada (center), Eviana Gibbons, and cast in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Grace Bradley is played by Karen Estrada, who is a busy wife and mother, and defers at first but can’t resist Helen’s dynamic insistence. And soon she finds she may have bit off more than she can chew but it throws her only for a moment…and Karen brings us a Grace who finds a true Christmas story in the events around her pageant. And she brings that message back to the others in her community.
If you are familiar with First Stage or have been reading my responses to their performances, you know that they alternate between two youth casts with adult actors anchoring the productions…particularly when they are at the Todd Wehr at the Marcus Center as they are for the The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. So I wont be selecting particular actors here but there are two casts: The Kerpows and the Shazams. Here is a link to the playbill for more information on the cast!
Lorelei Wesselowski (center) and cast in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
The drama in the story is introduced when the Herdmans are ‘mugging’ their fellow students in the cafeteria for their lunches. And Charlie Bradley lets slip that he enjoys treats in Sunday school because there are no Herdmans there to spoil the experience. And the Herdmans are the worst kids in the world…all the other kids agree on that. Well, the Herdmans extract more information from Charlie and they show up for the pageant auditions for the snacks. And they force their way into the starring roles as Grace Bradley has little control over their actions. But the rest of the town and Helen Armstrong are incensed but rehearsals go on.
J.T. Backes (front), Laura Gordon, Bree Beelow, and Michelle LoRicco in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
At the first rehearsal, the Herdmans play free and loose with the Christmas carols and are amazed at the events around the Christmas story, which they were not familiar with. Shenanigans ensue, Herdmans smoke cigars, the pastor cancels the pageant, and eventually as more of the back story unfolds Grace reinstates the pageant and retains the Herdmans in the lead roles. Of course there is some very unusual acting to tell this version of the Christmas story but it all works out and brings us to the Best Christmas Pageant Ever! And now a bit more about First Stage’s presentation.
I think this is the largest cast that I have seen at First Stage, nearly two dozen performers on stage for the final numbers and it is a musical after all. And there are some very grand new songs here and the First Stage brings them to life with flair and full voice. You can’t help but feel happy and fulfilled when you hear them and there were a number of times where the audience added spontaneous bits of hand claps. And there is a tremendous amount of humor here, you will laugh without realizing it…even you adults! And there is a real Christmas pageant here…a stable and manger, angels, the Holy Family, shepherds, the three wise guys (sic), the star, and sheep: young actors playing sheep!
Lorelei Wesselowski and Terrance Ilion, Jr.in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Director and choreographer Molly Rhode certainly worked hard to bring all of the parts and roles together and made magnificent music work and made this a best pageant ever! And it always amazes me that First Stage directors can keep the action going at the same time that prop furniture is being wheeled on or off set.
The costumes are marvelous here…lush colors and accurate depictions of 1950s – 1960s attire. I wore some of those outfits back in the day. I wish I had Charlie Bradley’s cowboy hat when I was 10. One of my favorite items were the holiday aprons that the three church women were wearing when they are baking holiday desserts. But all of the costumes were period perfect…even the Herdmans black black black clothing!
Karen Estrada, J.T. Backes, Lachrisa Grandberry, Chase Stoeger, Michelle LoRicco, and cast in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2023. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
This is a very popular production, so don’t dawdle in picking up tickets. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever the Musical runs through December 24, 2023 and is recommended for children five and up and up and up! More information and tickets here!
