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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

"The Producers," Final Dress Rehearsal, Part 4 of 4, Priscilla Beach Theatre, Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA



The screen and stage classic, "The Producers," opened recently for a fourteen performance run at Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT). (Online at this link or by phone: 508-224-4888).

This post is the final of a four-part series. Part 1 is at this link. Part 2 is at this link. Part 3 is at this link. Images in Parts 1 and 2 are sequential from within the next to last dress rehearsal. Parts 3 and 4 are sequential from within the final dress rehearsal.

"The plot is simple. A down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history. This plan will net them millions of dollars. Everything goes wrong as the flop is actually a hit! " (Source: PBT)



Many members of the PBT team that make all this happen behind the scenes include:

Owners, Guardians, and Producers: Bob and Sandy Malone
Director: Ron Fassler
Musical Director: Christopher Ricci
Production Manager: Joshua Patino
Stage Manager: Ross Magnant
Choreographer: Ashley Kilmer
Co-Choreographer: Kingsley Maduri
Costumes: Megan Mistretta
Lighting: Ellie Rogers
Sound: Chris Conti

The following images are in order of appearance in the show. (Click on an image for a higher resolution version if your device supports that action).

And yes, I realize many are similar to each other. That is purposeful. None of these are posed, rather, they are moments frozen in time during a live performance. An individual actor/actress may look better in one than the other. It matters if you are the individual actor/actress - perhaps not so much if you're a random reader looking at this blog post - please indulge me for the benefit of the cast.






























































































































































































































































































































POSTSCRIPT:

Amy and I went to see the show the second night after it opened. Even though I had observed it in rehearsals, that was through a camera lens. I was preoccupied with camera settings, and lighting, and composition, and so on. Seeing it as a regular patron was as if I was seeing it for the first time. I am neither a theatre critic nor a true aficionado but, I know what I like. And I really liked this silly Mel Brooks over-the-top musical comedy as performed by the wonderfully talented and magical cast at Priscilla Beach Theatre. Although it was truly an ensemble tour de force effort, the lead roles of Max and Leo as portrayed by Michael Caizzi and Matt Kurzyniec were beyond extraordinary. They were so lovable and endearing and capable, I smile in remembrance just thinking about their performance - their creativity and craft, alternating between nuance and in-your-face.

I am not normally the type to gush but, this was one of the most enjoyable theatre experiences in my life - I was transported, transformed, and powerfully moved by the theatre magic this cast and crew created under the superb direction of stage and screen theatre veteran Ron Fassler.

Never a stage performer myself, I do know enough about performing to be aware that every cast, crew, and audience does not gel every time.  But when they do - wow, oh, yes - it is magic! Sometimes the stars and planets align between and within the cast, crew, and audience and that special magic unfolds. The synergy of the elements creates a performance wherein the whole is so much greater than the sum of the parts - that's what happened for me tonight - I experienced theatre magic right here at Priscilla Beach Theatre in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I know every show isn't like this - but this one was, and I got to be there when it happened.

Some locals around here thought Bob and Sandy Malone were crazy resurrecting the dilapidated shell of a 140-year-old theatre/barn they bought in 2014 - it turns out they were brilliant visionaries.

Standing ovation? Absolutely!!!


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