Anne to the Rescue!

ANNE TO THE RESCUE!

by Janine de Souza

Ah!  I love Nickelodeon, especially Nick at Nite. It’s a quirky kind of TV twilight zone that time travels back electronically to all the old shows that you grew up with and loved.  No one ages. That ‘70s hair style still looks “Welcome Back Kotter” fresh. Every show is tied up with a pink bow of happiness and there’s a Snuggie-like comfort around you as you indulge. Way back when, there used to an old show on TV called Underdog.  It was a cartoon parody of Superman as a dog.  Whenever the lovely Sweet Polly Purebred was in trouble, Underdog flew to the rescue shouting, “There's no need to fear-- Underdog is here!” Okay, so what does this have to do with ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, the newest musical production at the Wheelock Family Theatre?  Everything! You see, Anne, (don’t even think about forgetting the e) is the adorable and enthusiastic Underdog of this musical story.

Adapted by Donald Harron and based on the autobiography of Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is the musical journey of an orphan named Anne Shirley (Jennifer Beth Glick) who comes to live with Marilla (Jacqui Parker) and Matthew Cuthbert (Robert Saoud) on their farm.  Once Anne arrives, Matthew immediately bonds to the overly dramatic and linguistically gifted youngster. His sister, Marilla, however, needs much more convincing, but she too soon falls under Anne’s spell. Under the skillful direction of Jane Staab, this show seamlessly glides from one side of the stage to the other and even spills into the aisles of the theater.  A bicycle rides down the center aisle while turn-of-the-century school girls and boys frolic, run, and sing within inches of amazed audience members. It’s distinctly Wheelock and it’s also Wheelock at its best! One of those school girls is Josie Pye (Kaitee Tredway) who becomes jealous of Anne when her beau, Gilbert Blythe (Bradley Jensen), falls in love with the feisty redhead.  Josie bullies, intimidates, lies, and spreads rumors to poison the minds of those around her. But Josie and all the other adults behaving badly in her life have no idea what they are in for.  Anne stands up for herself using her talented sliver tongue and her street wits.  I guess it’s true…“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Even though, the story takes place in the early 1900s, kids these days still navigate and face the same challenges. Bullies still thrive and exist, except now they have expanded their arsenal to cyberspace via Facebook, email, and cell phones.  This is an empowering and uplifting show for kids, especially young girls, who feel peer pressure and the need to fit in on a daily basis.  Additionally, all of the songs in this delightful musical take the audience to a simpler time with their joyful and exuberant melodies under the musical direction of Robert L. Rucinski.  Finally, the main characters in this musical are played brilliantly by Jennifer Glick, Jacqui Parker, and Robert Saoud who pull out all the stops in their performances and pull a mesmerized audience in.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES represents the Underdog in all of us. It’s that part of you that’s tucked away in a dusty place and that won’t give up and won’t back down. She’s the part of us (even adults) that still thinks the brass ring exists and that if we just stretch a little bit further, maybe we really can reach up and grab it.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is running until November 18.

WEST ROXBURY ACADEMY Students respond to ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

1. Words used to describe the play:

funny, love, sadness;

funny, entertaining, sad;

hilarious, entertaining, sad;

entertaining, colorful, interesting;

funny, lovely, jealous

2. Which characters did you enjoy the most?

Anne Shirley and Gilbert;

Josie and Gilbert;

Gilbert and Anne;

Anne and Gilbert;

3. Questions you have:

why did brother of Marilla have to die?

Why girl hated the fact that Gilbert didn’t love her and acted like this at the beginning?;

What inspired you to do this play?

How long did it take to produce?

How long did you rehearse?

Why did Matthew have to die?

Why didn’t Marilla accept Anne at the beginning?

Why did Gilbert act like a bad person b/c of the girl who hated Anne?

4. Favorite scene or moment:

Gilbert and Anne’s fight when she started school;

When Anne Shirley was going to leave Gables;

The ice cream scene and when Matthew died I cried;

When Anne threw the thing over Gilbert’s head;

When Anne and Gilbert find themselves together;

5. Anything else:

I really liked the play and they did an amazing job;

Good job, I really enjoyed my time,

Love you Mr. Jensen;

To hopefully be in a play with both of them;

Thanks so much for having us, Brad and Charles!

 

Yarielis, Melissa, Darveens, Alex, Angie, Stamenley, Mrs. Grady and Ms. Grady

xxoo

Pajama Parties at WFT

Join us for the Pajama Parties at Wheelock Family Theatre!

 

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

October 19 – November 18, 2012

Friday nights at 7:30; Saturday & Sunday matinees at 3:00

Two New Added Performances: Saturdays November 10 and 17 at 7:30

Pajama Parties for Anne of Green Gables ---join us with discounted tickets and The Story Quilt Project. Sponsored by WickedLocal.com.

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is the story of feisty and imaginative Anne, an orphaned child who, under the care of an elderly sister and brother, finds acceptance, love, and a home. Anne has captured the hearts of readers since the book’s publication in 1908.

Attend a Pajama Party in your pajamas, receive discounted tickets, and work on the Story Quilt Project before the show. Patrons of the Pajama Parties will build a paper quilt over the evening performances during the run of Anne of Green Gables. We hope to make a quilt with 125 squares by the end of the run.  Learn about the symbols of quilt making, tell your own story through your own symbols, and participate in a giant community art project.

Wheelock Family Theatre is a professional, Equity theatre located on the campus of Wheelock College in Boston’s Fenway Cultural District. WFT has been producing since 1981 and has been recognized both locally and nationally for its commitment to accessible, multi-cultural, multi-generational productions for all families.

 

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

October 19 – November 18, 2012

Friday nights at 7:30; Saturday & Sunday matinees at 3:00

Two New Added Performances: Saturdays November 10 and 17 at 7:30

ASL Interpretation/Audio-description: Friday November 16 and Sunday November 18

All performances offer Open Captioning

 

• Tickets: $30, $25, $20; Pajama Parties: $15 (discount code: pajama)
• Box Office: 617-879-2300; tickets@wheelock.edu
• Website: www.WheelockFamilyTheatre.org
• Location: 180 The Riverway on the campus of Wheelock College in Boston’s Fenway district
• Parking: Discounted parking at MASCO garage at 375 Longwood Avenue
• MBTA: Fenway or Longwood on Green Riverside Line (D train); CT busses to Beth Israel
• Access: The Theatre is wheelchair accessible. All performances are Open Captioned. Final weekend performances are interpreted in American Sign Language and Audio-described.

The Globe attends ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

“Anne of Green Gables,” the story of an orphan girl adopted by an aging brother and sister on idyllic Prince Edward Island, has been charming readers since it was first published in 1908. The book has sold more than 50 million copies, and has been adapted several times for film, television and the stage. This musical version of the story now at Wheelock Family Theatre is the one that has been performed in Charlottetown in the Canadian island province every summer since 1965, and while the story may be timeless, this musical feels dated.

Despite some terrific ensemble work and a feisty performance by Jennifer Beth Glick in the title role, Norman Campbell’s score is melodically limited, so few of the songs stand out. The story line follows Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel, but the approach is superficial, as if we’re getting a selection of unrelated highlights: Anne’s temper gets her in trouble; Anne accidentally gets her friend drunk on homemade wine; Anne worries that she’s ugly and dyes her hair. The incidents all appear in the novel, but they aren’t presented here with any dramatic tension or sense that we are on a journey with these characters.

Glick does a terrific job illustrating Anne’s oversize imagination and forthright manner in the song “Gee I’m Glad I’m No One Else But Me.” She gets lots of support from Anne’s best friend, Diana Barry (Jenna Lea Scott), even though their duet, “Kindred Spirits,” sounds like a weak knockoff of any number of Jerry Herman songs (think “Mame,” or “Hello, Dolly!”). Also, Anne’s love-hate relationship with Gilbert Blythe (Bradley Jensen) and his jealous girlfriend, Josie (Kaitee Tredway), becomes the focus of the story, distracting attention from Anne’s relationship with her adopted family, Matthew Cuthbert (Robert Saoud) and his sister Marilla (Jacqui Parker).

Saoud does a lovely turn as the quiet, gentle Matthew and even though the lyrics to his ballad, “The Words,” are soppy with sentiment, Saoud’s direct delivery finds some sincerity there. Parker is also strong as the stern Marilla, whose disappointment about receiving a girl orphan rather than the boy she and Matthew requested, slowly turns to affection.

The musical’s best moments come in the production numbers featuring the children in the cast. Choreographer Laurel Conrad has devised combinations that highlight the talents of the Wheelock ensemble, particularly “Where Did the Summer Go To?” and the “Pageant Song.” But director Jane Staab is overly fond of parading the cast up and down the aisles, which slows the action down and pulls the audience out of the story.

At intermission, Emma Harris, 7, of Milton said she was enjoying it, but wasn’t quite sure how it would all turn out. But she confided, “I think Gilbert and Anne are going to like each other.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but by taking the focus off Anne’s indomitable spirit, we lose Montgomery’s theme of a young girl’s struggle to find a balance between her imagination and social expectations.

-Terry Byrne

The Story Quilt Project

Friday nights for Anne of Green Gable---The Story Quilt Project.

Friday nights bring together the stories and symbols of quilt making with a giant community art project.  The Story Quilt Project will build a paper quilt over the 5 Friday nights of the run of Anne of Green Gables. We hope to make a quilt with 125 squares by the end of the run.  (yes, Wheelock College is celebrating 125 years!)

 

The symbols and patterns in quilts tell stories and have hidden meanings; come in and send a secret message using quilt patterns Anne would used or make a  square that  shows your favorite  book or story, then add it to the  quilt in the lobby. The Story Quilt Project takes place every Friday night before the performance. Drop in anytime after 6:15

Changes.

So, here's something I never thought would be interesting, but that I find fascinating:

The daily rehearsal notes I am suddenly receiving in my inbox.

I mean, of course there are notes, right? That makes perfect sense. And of course they get sent somewhere (if a note is taken and doesn't get sent, does it exist?) But it never occurred to me where they would go and, despite all the behind-the-scenes work I have done at WFT since 1992 (!!) now for the first time, I am privy to these little snippets.

It almost feels like I am reading someone's diary. All of this inside information about blocking and staging and lighting. Who was present at rehearsal, who was excused, who complained about parking (note: everyone. Have you seen the parking sitch at WFT?) But, what I am finding the most fascinating, really, are the notes on lyric changes.

I remember when I was an undergrad and WFT produced Peter Pan. The show was, naturally, extremely well-received and audiences raved. But I did hear a tiny bit of buzz about how the word "Christmas" had been removed from the part where Michael (the littlest Darling sibling) was calling out all the things that made him happy so he could fly. It was my understanding then that the producers had made that decision to make the show more universally appealing and respectful. They had decided to take out the word to level the field, or so to speak, and frankly, it didn't change the story or the plot at all.

See, this is what I love about WFT. They're thinking. They're conscientious. They're considerate of their audiences and, actually, of the public at large. Was it necessary to take out "Christmas?" Probably not. (I know that I, as a Jew, would not have been offended.) But does the removal of that word exemplify a thoughtfulness and awareness that is often overlooked in theatre? It sure does. The powers that be at Wheelock Family Theatre think about their patrons. They think about who's listening and watching and how seeing live theatre is going to make them feel. They think about making casting choices and lyric and line changes that are so minute you might not even notice them, but that, if they weren't changed, might affect your experience. And what's more, they are smart about it. They know just how to alter things in a way that will not affect the integrity of the original work. They know, for example, that referring to a character as "atrocious" instead of as "a hussy" is not going to make any difference to the story, but will have a real impact on the kind of experience parents will have with their children in the audience.

It is this kind of careful social awareness that I love about WFT. And I'm so glad I got the chance to peek into the "rehearsal diary" to be reminded.

What about you? What do you love about WFT that is special and unique?

Anne of Green Gables 2012

Tuesday September 27 and the first rehearsal, a read-thru of the script and songs, happens tonight! This musical adaptation of the book by L. M. Montgomery is by Donald Harron and Norman Campbell. Our director is WFT founder, Jane Staab, and musical direction is by Rob Rucinski. The creative team behind this production features the talents of: Matthew T. Lazure (scenic design), Scott Clyve (lighting design), Lisa Simpson (costume design), Laurel Conrad (choreography), and Marge Lusignan (properties).
The beautiful illustration for our posters and flyers is by Kevin Gillespie.

Wheelock Family Theatre: Anne Shirley

"Anne of Green Gables" was first performed at Wheelock Family Theatre in 1989; the production having been seen on Prince Edward Island by Grace Napier and Bill Monnen and suggested as a "good fit" for WFT. Devon Sorvari was Anne Shirley. Ms. Sorvari has gone on to pursue a career in acting, having performed on stage, in film, and for television. The Sorvari family was involved with WFT for years. Besides Devon's work as a performer, Ann Sorvari developed many of the WFT Study Guides.

To check in on Devon, visit her website here: Devon Sorvari

Danielle Perry played Anne Shirley in the 1999 production at Wheelock.

This year's production of "Anne of Green Gables" features Jennifer Beth Glick as Anne Shirley. Jennifer is excited, having wanted to play the role since the last time it was produced at WFT in 1999.
Patrons of WFT musicals may remember Jennifer in "The Secret Garden" as the kind maid of Misselthwaite Manor, Martha, and in "Seussical" as the bird of slight feathers, Gertrude McFuzz. Jennifer has a number of songs on YouTube and you can hear them here: Jennifer Singing