WATERLOO — Four actors will set a frenetic pace playing about 150 characters in Waterloo Community Playhouse’s “The 39 Steps,” opening Friday.
Performances will be in the McElroy Studio Theatre at WCP’s Walker Building, 224 Commercial St. Additional shows are at 7 pm. Saturday and May 16, 17 and 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday and May 19. Tickets are $22 for adults and $10 for children. Student rush tickets are $15, available only at the door. The May 16 show is “pay what you can.”
“The 39 Steps” marries Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller with a hearty dash of Monty Python humor. “It’s a parody, and the smaller theater setting lends itself to this kind of show that has a vaudevillian feel. We liked the idea of suspense, intrigue and humor that sets audiences up to wonder what will happen next,” said WCP Executive Director Anita Ross.
The show contains every legendary scene from the award-winning Hitchcock movie, including the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the escape on the Fourth Bridge, the first theatrical bi-plane crash ever staged and the death-defying finale in the London Palladium.
Cast members are Ryan Haynes, Charis Crozier, Bethany Nelson and Annette Moundry, directed by Jakob Reha.
The smaller, black-box studio theater requires fewer set pieces and puts emphasis on the story, actors, lighting and sound effects. “The challenge is that it’s such an active show. The actors are playing a ton of roles and have to remember that the audience is all around them. That makes the show very intimate and personal,” Ross said.
May marks mid-season for the Waterloo Community Playhouse and Black Hawk Children’s Theatre. Late spring brings with it Shakespeare in the rose garden at the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Garden, while anticipation builds for the summer musical in July.
This year’s Shakespeare is “Julius Caesar,” directed by Alan Malone, associate artistic director. Performances are June 19-23.
“This is a political year, and we haven’t done any of Shakespeare’s histories, so this felt like the right time,” Ross said. “This is the ninth year for Shakespeare at the garden. Ten years ago, performing Shakespeare outdoors was just a pipe dream, and now we’re going to be celebrating a decade next year.”
Malone loves the summer repertory theater-feel of performing outdoors.
“The rose garden has a beautiful pagoda-like structure that works well for us. We don’t have the ability or space to create a new set, so Shakespeare really becomes a show about the story, the language and the relationship between the characters,” he said.
Based on true events, “Julius Caesar” tells the story of a powerful ruler brought down by the betrayal of men he held dear. Veteran actor Henry Edsill will portray Caesar, with Hudson Kalter as Cassius, Andrea Morris as Brutus and Emily Eisenman as Anthony.
Adult actors are cast as senators and other characters, while young actors will play the citizens.
“These are eight young actors who have been in BHCT shows with us and in classes with me or were interested in being a show,” Malone said. “This is the one show of the season where we ask actors to memorize a monologue. We need them to be able to handle and understand the language.
“I like the concept of having them be the plebians, the citizens, because the senators treat their citizens as children, so here we have a whole bunch of children playing the citizens,” he explained.
“Legally Blonde: The Musical” is on the boards July 12-27 at the Hope Martin Theatre in the Waterloo Center for the Arts.
“We have so much young talent in the area, and the timing was right to get rights to the musical. The show is empowering with strong female roles, which was appealing to us,” Ross said.
BHCT revives an adaptation of “Jack and the Beanstalk” for performances Sept. 13-21. Ross wrote the adaptation more than 10 years ago, giving her own twist to the classic fairy tale.
The show was a favorite with the original cast in 2012, Ross said. “Even now, actors who were in that show still talk about it. It’s a great show with lots of kids and lots of fun.”
Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” returns to the Hope Martin stage to kick off the holiday season, Nov. 22-Dec. 8.
“The show is beloved by audiences. Everyone knows the story and loves the music. It’s so memorable. We also know it fits the stage, and we have the talent in the Cedar Valley to perform the show,” she explained.
The season closes with “A Seussified Christmas Carol,” Dec. 18-22, which Ross describes as a “parody of ‘The Christmas Carol’ with the dialogue in Seussical language.” The BHCT production also will offer opportunities for youth to be mentored by professionals in such areas as lighting, sound, costumes and set design.
Tickets can be ordered online at www.wcpbhct.org, by calling (319) 291-4494, or at the WCP box office.
Richard Hannay (Ryan Haynes) and Margaret (Annette Moudry) find that life on the run isn't very glamorous in a scene from Waterloo Community Playhouse's 'The 39 Steps.'
In a scene from Waterloo Community Playhouse's production of 'The 39 Steps,' the clowns (Charis Crozier and Bethany Nelson) have a scheme in mind. The show opens Friday in the McElroy Studio Theatre at the WCP Walker Building.