Kent Thompson promised he would not disassemble the Denver Center’s resident company of actors Donovan Marley meticulously built over 21 years, and the theater company’s new artistic director has proven to be a man of his word.
There might have been carnage. Marley even (prudently) prepared his company for just that possibility. Actors and audiences alike have had 20 months to fret. But we now know that the casting of Thompson’s first three plays – “All My Sons,” “A Flea in Her Ear” and “September Shoes” – marks a canny mixture of familiar and fresh faces that was the signature of Marley’s tenure.
Most returning favorites will be seen in the Thompson-directed “A Flea in Her Ear,” which will give the new boss a first-hand look at company favorites Jamie Horton, Kathleen M. Brady, John Hutton, Bill Christ, Douglas Harmsen, Stephanie Cozart, Randy Moore, Mark Rubald, Erik Sandvold and Sam Gregory. And “All My Sons” has Mike Hartman, David Ivers, Leslie O’Carroll and Steven Cole Hughes. A pleasant surprise on the “Sons” lineup is the return of Jeanne Paulsen, who starred in “Side Man” here in 2000. In keeping with company tradition, the two plays will use five members of the DCTC’s master’s conservatory program – Eileen Little, John Behlmann, Rachel Duvall, Rob Robinson and Justin Walvoord.
Because the company has no Hispanic actors, it was expected that José Cruz González’s “September Shoes” would bring many new faces, but some are a bit familiar. Luis Saguar had a role in John Sayles’ “Silver City,” which filmed here (and in the Robert De Niro film “Flawless”). Co-star Karmín Murcelo, most recently seen on “The Shield,” appeared in James Michener’s 1978 Colorado epic “Centennial”; and John Herrera played the lead in the national tour of “The Falsettos” that came through Denver in 1994.
The regulars who fared worst tended to be veteran female actors over 40, but any or all could be back later. It’s hard to process the magnitude of what the simultaneous loss of Annette Helde, Robin Moseley, Carol Halstead, Robynn Rodriguez and Caitlin O’Connell would mean for the depth of the company, especially following Jacqueline Antaramian’s departure for Broadway the year before.
Also missing are black actors Terrence Riggins, Kim Staunton, Harvy Blanks, Charles Weldon,
Keith Hatten and Gwen Harris, but their fates will be more accurately known after “Gem of the Ocean” is cast for January.
Thompson’s newcomers sport terrific credentials. “All My Sons” includes David Furr, recently seen in Broadway’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”; Rachel Fowler of New York’s The Actors Company Theatre; and James Michael Reilly, called by the Star Ledger “the finest comic actor in New Jersey.” “Flea” has Broadway actors Angela Pierce and Kathleen McCall (Thompson’s wife); Amber Voiles, currently appearing in Tom Stoppard’s “On the Razzle” in Williamstown, Mass.; and Alabama Shakespeare Festival veteran Philip Pleasants. “September Shoes” has Wilma Bonet of the films “8MM” and “What Dreams May Come,” and Adriana Gaviria, who starred in the Los Angeles premiere of the Pulitzer-winning “Anna in the Tropics.”
Crossroads on hiatus
The Crossroads Theatre has temporarily closed as it completes its zoning transition from warehouse to theater. The city has ordered improved handicapped access and other structural improvements as well as exterior landscaping. “We will survive, but I’ve got to get some help or it’s going to kill me financially,” said artistic director Kurt Lewis. The upcoming “Master Class” has been canceled. Crossroads will reopen with cabaret performances in late October (303-534-5040).
Briefly …
Lead actor Gene Gillette was fired from the final seven performances of TheatreWorks’ “Macbeth” after missing a morning student performance Aug. 26. He was replaced by Michael Peters, who was playing Banquo. …
Thompson’s inaugural new play festival, the Colorado New Play Summit, takes place Feb. 10-11, 2006. It will include readings of three new plays, a panel of women playwrights and critics, and the DCTC’s world premiere of Wayne Lemon’s dark comedy “Jesus Hates Me,” which runs Jan. 19-March 11. …
Buntport’s 16th and 17th original productions will be the thematically linked “Horror: The Transformation,” and “Realism: The Mythical Brontosaurus,” running in rep Oct. 7-Dec. 10. The former is a psychological horror story about a family with an unusual history, the latter a black comedy about a man who has locked himself in his room (720-946-1388). …
The new Stories On Stage season opens at 2 and 7 p.m. Sept. 11 with a program honoring those lost in the 9/11 attacks. Readers include former Mayor Wellington Webb reciting Ronald Reagan’s 1992 farewell address, Jamie Horton (Franklin Roosevelt’s second inaugural), and others by Kathleen Chalfant, Mercedes Perez and Tyrees Allen. At the Stage Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex (303-494-0523). …
And finally, Aspen’s Barry Smith (“Jesus in Montana”) won an overall excellence award for outstanding solo show at the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival.
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-820-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
