2 old men

Observations by Bob Hess

It was a return trip for two old men whose accumulated age was 165 years. For one, Andy Bro, who 50 years ago, had created, with the backing of Don Mackay, the Timberlake Playhouse Theatre. For this writer it was a pleasant reunion.

While I talked to Andy on the phone many times, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. You see, Andy always had such a beautiful gray beard, which made him stand out from the crowd, but alas, now, it has turned snow white. Such are the penalties of time.

I hadn’t been to the Timberlake Playhouse for years, so, Andy talked me into attending with him, the production of the play “Sweet Charity.” His reason for the invitation was, the revolving stage that I designed and built 36 years ago, wasn’t in operation last year, but was repaired for the productions this year.

You see this theatre has a modified thrust stage, with a built in 36-foot revolve. The sets on it may be the size of a house. It is very impressive seeing such large scenery in motion. This is the only theatre in the Midwest with such capabilities. The thoroughly modern playhouse is designed for the audience. There is no such thing as a bad seat in the house.

Now, here is where I fail as a drama critic. You see, no matter how good the play is, a successful drama critic nearly always will find something very nasty to comment about. I couldn’t! Am I prejudiced? Just slightly! So, here goes my first try at being a drama critic.

Alexandra Palkovic, a perky young lady from Peoria, played the lead role of “Charity.” She acted, sang and danced this very complicated part, flawlessly. There are those that might say, “What chance does a young lady from Peoria have in the big time?” I answer with the fact that such a big named actor as Spencer Tracy came from Freeport, Ronald Reagan, from Dixon, or Margaret Lindsay from Dubuque. I know I’m dating myself with these three examples. Remember, history tends to repeat itself. Keep watching for more of this delightful young lady.

A wonderful cast accompanied her. There is one thing I noticed in particular, each person on the stage acted as if there was a reason for their being there, not as mere window-dressing puppets, to fill the stage. They are all real actors or dancers and they proved it. This makes for a realistic presence that is missed in many amateur productions. Remember, this is professional theatre.

The dancing was done so well, my back ached, trying to keep up with the gyrations of the dancers. Ah, to be young again! I looked in the program for the name of the choreographer, but the only thing I could find was “Kelsey Andres” the dance captain, so, I suppose that’s what they call them now. It’s easier to spell!

The orchestra was backstage, and their accompaniment of the vocalist and dancers was worth the price of admission. I have watched many movies where they can edit sound tracts to make them perfect, but here it was beautifully done live, and it was flawless. In this age of rock noise, it’s rewarding to know there are young people who are so gifted.

Andy introduced me to a young man who looked like a young high school kid on vacation. His name was James Beaudry, and he was the artistic director, which is the guy responsible for all of the plays, and how they are presented. For short he is the boss. I later learned he has a directing resume of a full page of plays and is a peer reviewer for new texts concerning musical theatre. After all of these accomplishments, he still looks like a high school kid!

If you saw the same play in New York or Chicago, your ticket price would probably be between $150 or $200 dollars and parking would be about what you paid for a ticket to TLP.

Parking is free at Timberlake, and unlike in the big cities, your car will still be there after the show is over.

After leaving the air-conditioned comfort of the theatre we were immersed in the hot humid unbearable climate of Northwest Illinois.

Does this fulfill my task for writing something nasty about my experience?

I still think I’m a failure as a critic!

As Andy and I left the theatre, we both felt a somber satisfaction for our efforts of so many years ago.