going is Opera San José. I’ve never seen or heard Gounod’s Faust, which runs April 21 – May 6 at The California Theatre and I am anxious to know what this fine company does with the devilish story. My friend, Reg Huston, dusts off the yarmulke to have another go at Tevye in Pac Rep’s Fiddler on the Roof April 26 – May 27 at the Golden Bough Theatre in Carmel. Tevye is for him what Don Quixote is for me, a role we keep on playing because we love it. Oh man! Pintello Comedy Theater’s latest


SVCT’S OUT OF ORDER – (L. TO R.) ROB INGENTHRON, DOUG DOUGHTY, ROBERTA VINKHUYZEN, KELWHISNER (IN WINDOW), JOHN BREWER, CHRISTINEMCELROY, DENEE LEWIS BOHNSACK AND BILL TINDALL PHOTO: JOSHWORKS (PHOTOSHOPPED BY ZANA VARTANIAN


by Cassin McClairn and Bill Tindell, costumes by Zana Vartanian, and it was all well lit by Matthew Hendrickson.


San Benito Stage Company


NARNIA I


dropped by the Granada Theatre in Hollister to catch a rehearsal of the


youth musical Narnia, which opens on April 13. For years now I have been impressed with the San Benito Stage Company’s children’s shows – impressed with the joy of the kids and the loving dedication of the adults that support them. With three week to go until open- ing, many of the performers were off book and the rest nearly so. The children range in age from the single digits to teens with adults playing the key roles of Aslan (Duane Holt) and the White


Witch (Out & About favorite Sarah Smith). Director Candace Blanton, a recent


theatre graduate, repeatedly bounded up on stage with enthusiasm to give hands on direction, demonstrating what she requires of her young actors. It was clear that there is a bond of mutual trust and appreciation between them. The rehears- al accompanist was out that night and when there was singing to be done, the cast launched into fearless, tuneful a capella. A big second-act choral num- ber, a dirge for the slain hero lion Aslan was kicked off by the angelic voice of


nine-year old Hana McElroy. I was moved as the company went into unac- companied four-part harmony. This show looks like a winner.


And Don’t Forget… TheatreWorks presents a new pro-


duction of an American classic with Of Mice And Men April 4 – 28 at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts…Gavilan Theatre Arts mounts William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew April 27 – May 12 at the Gavilan College Theatre…and Oakwood High School’s presentation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast plays Fridays and Saturdays at the Oakwood High School Theatre Morgan Hill.


A Theatrical Cornucopia Pity the poor part-time critic with a


bushel-basketful of promising shows in April. There are seven I would like to see and four of them are must-sees. In no order of preference other than alphabeti- cal, I’ll start with the resurgent Ballet San José. Program Two of the limited Spring Season presents ballets to the music of Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Bruch. And May is looming with Prokofiev’s Cinderella. Limelight Actors Theater continues their ambi- tious season with Bill Tindall, Carol Harris, Dave Leon and Dana Morgan in Weekend Comedy, April 27 – May 19 at Gilroy Center for the Arts. I love the opera and one of the best companies


production is Pageant (April 21 – May 12 at the Grange Hall in Gilroy) and prominent on the cast list is Lawrence- Michael C. Arias, my favorite Sancho (we’ve done Man of La Mancha together twice). Also in the cast are John Brewer, Peter Mandell, Chris Bezanson, Matt Haluza and the father and son team of Jeff and CJ Patereau. I got a close-up experience with the


new play Buffalo’ed over a year ago at San Jose Stage Company when I par- ticipated in a day long work-through of the script with some of the best actors in the Bay Area and Director Tony Haney (with whom I did Grey Gardens at TheatreWorks). The fascinating story concerns the African American soldiers who were sent to the Philippines in the late 1890s to put an end to the bitter insurrection against the American occu- pation. I really want to know how it plays out in a full production. It runs April 4 – 29. And finally, the national tour


Spamalot, Apr 10 – 22 at the Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, and I have been offered press tickets for the opening. ‘Nuf said. Hmmm…what shall I do? For details on these shows and many


more, go to OnStage, page 41. See you at intermission.


~ Paul Myrvold has been a member of Actors’ Equity since 1973 and has been writing and reviewing the- atre and cinema for twenty years. Email him at arts@outandabout- magazine.com


Out & About • April 2012 45


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