Many Shows, Memories Created At Wagon Wheel
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Since the Wagon Wheel Theatre is celebrating its 55th Anniversary Season this year, I decided to go back and take a look at the feature stories and reviews I've written over the years regarding the theater.
I started writing reviews in 2000, but not full time. Former Times-Union staff writer Teresa Smith was in charge of the Leisure section at that time and handled most things involving the Wagon Wheel. In fact, from my research I could only find two of my reviews from 2000 and none in 2001.
Even though I started at the Times-Union Aug. 31, 1998, my first year of writing theater reviews in 2000 proved a bit of a bumpy road.
It was the first season Wagon Wheel attempted the musical "Evita", and I didn't like it and I said so.
Tammy Mader played Evita Peron, while Mark Ledbetter played Magaldi, Michael Sinclair played Che and Robert Joseph Miller was Juan Peron. I liked Miller's performance.
Of course, my opinion didn't go very well with some people, including then-Artistic Director Roy Hine. For as long as he was still there, Hine apparently never let anyone forget my review of "Evita". Of course, that didn't stop him from being a nice and friendly guy, and he would joke and chat when we ran into each other at the theater or at Owen's.
My review of that show was probably a forewarning of things to come, but I kept my job and eventually took over Leisure and the reviews from Smith. And despite the fact that I do like some shows and giving glowing reviews, I still get the letters asking for my head when I don't.
Before "Evita", I gave a great review to the production of "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella".
For that June 7-18, 2000, production, Jessica Henson played the lead role and Seth Muse was the Prince. Of their duet, I noted you could feel the enchantment in the air. Muse and Henson both impressed me with their singing voices.
Before he started directing the shows at Wagon Wheel, Tony Humrichouser was acting in them. In "Cinderella", he played the king to Jessica Edward's queen. "They are the perfect 'Odd Couple'," I noted.
2002 was my first full season of being the Leisure editor, but I didn't yet do all the reviews for the Wagon Wheel. If someone wanted to go see a show and do a review, they did. Both M.J. Rhodes and Jen Gibson took their turns that year.
The Christmas show was "Meet Me In St. Louis", highlighted by Jennifer Dow as Esther Smith. She had been in Wagon Wheel shows before, and was in the first two this year, but "St. Louis" is still one of her roles I remember best.
Of Dow that holiday, I said she "makes Esther her own as if she were the first actress to play Esther. Whether she's singing 'The Boy Next Door' or 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas', she'll melt your heart with her amazing voice."
Dow is still an extraordinary entertainer.
For "St. Louis", Dow was joined on stage by fifth-grader Emma Jane Hostetler and Warsaw Community High School senior Heather Bonahoom. Some other WCHS students in that show included a young Skyler Scott, who then went by the name Skye, and Charles Robison. There also was Robert Joseph Miller and Amber Gainey Meade, and Stephen Todd as Lon.
That season, I also really liked George and Ira Gershwin's "Crazy for You", though for the life of me now I can't remember it. It starred Mark Ledbetter and Lauren Robinson as Bobby Child and Polly Baker respectively.
In the cast also was Amber Gainey Meade, and I do remember enjoying every performance she gave at the Wagon Wheel. She also made for an easy interview.
"Titanic" also set sail on the Wagon Wheel stage that year, with cast members Shawn Pennington, Lauren Robinson, Nick Perry, Gary Brintz, J. Fitz Harris, Tony Humrichouser and Robert Joseph Miller. Apparently, I was a big fan of that production, too.
The feature story for that show was about all the locals in it, who included Charles Robison, Skyler Scott, Andrea Skafish, Heather Bonahoom, Andrew Moore, Mike Yocum, Marie Weller, Richard Wroughton, Jim Saner, Shay Dixon, Tim Yocum and Allison Davis. Dixon, by the way, just graduated from WCHS and is in some of this summer's productions.
This Christmas, Wagon Wheel is bringing back "Annie". In 2003, the title character was played by Natalie Bryan. Amber Gainey Meade played Grace Farrell and the ever-popular Carrie McNulty played Miss Hannigan.
My review on McNulty said she was "the real star of the show", while Meade "shines". Dow, as expected, gave a "memorable" performance.
To start off a review of "Always ... Patsy Cline" that year, I used the words "magnificent, remarkable, outstanding, stellar, cool, uncanny". It starred Kelli Cramer as Cline and McNulty as Louise Seger.
Before that show, Cramer had not appeared in a WWT production since 1993.
In an interview, Cramer told me, "It was just (artistic director) Roy Hine's phone call out of the blue that got me back into this."
That year also featured Rod Thomas in "Promises, Promises". MJ Rhodes and I decided to try a "he said, she said" review of the musical, and I think it worked well. While I thought Thomas was miscast (still a good actor though), Rhodes liked the show a bit more. I did think Christine Mild was perfect for the role of Fran Kubelik though.
Besides her role in "St. Louis", another role I'll always remember Jennifer Dow in is her 2003 performance in "South Pacific". She was joined on stage for that show by Robert Joseph Miller, Joe Schenck, Jeremy D. Cohen, Vivian Chiu, Alexis Laureano and J.C. Aguilar.
Apparently, I didn't like "Phantom" that summer, despite its strong stars of Amber Gainey Meade, Robert Joseph Miller and Jeremy D. Cohen. I think I disliked that show more than I disliked the performances. Not every storyline appeals to all audience members.
Rod Thomas directed "Inherit the Wind" that summer. I wrote, "Under the illustrious direction of Rod Thomas, the ensemble cast has made this dramatic presentation one of the best plays ever produced at the theater." Dow, Cohen, Humrichouser and James Robert Daniel all were featured.
I interviewed Thomas and Humrichouser both at the start of that season. Asked if he felt any pressure from all the admiration local audiences heaped upon him, Thomas told me, "No pressure. I'll tell you that. It's a huge compliment that I've just been able to connect with people in that way. If I'm connecting to people ... that's what we do as artists. Try to connect with people. Take them on a journey. It really is a huge compliment. I enjoy coming back here. It feels like home. It's nice because they always want me back here."
Part II
Sometimes I interviewed members of the Wagon Wheel family not for a musical, but for other reasons.
In 2004, local native and Wagon Wheel alum Beckie Menzie released her second CD, "Real Emotional Girl". For an interview, she talked about how important the Wagon Wheel was to her.
"My life would be different without it," she told me.
Classic songs were heard at the theater when "Smokey Joe's Cafe" was done on stage. The cast performed such hits as "Poison Ivy", "Charlie Brown", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Stand By Me". Among those cast members were one of my favorites, Brianna Borger, with Maggie Portman, Jerry Galante and Pegah Kadkhodaian.
Rod Thomas was back in 2004, and for "Barefoot in the Park" he shared a stage with Ann Whitney. Whitney first appeared on the Wagon Wheel stage in 1983 for the late Tom Roland in "On Golden Pond" and "Good News".
Whitney was one of those WWT actors with some film credit to her name. In the first "Home Alone" movie, she played a drug store clerk. She also played a blood nurse in "While You Were Sleeping" with Sandra Bullock, but most of her scene ended up on the cutting room floor. Her scene in "The Fugitive" with Tommy Lee Jones also was cut.
"Beauty and the Beast" also magically appeared on the Wagon Wheel stage that summer. Not only did I like it, but I believe most people who went and saw it enjoyed it. Thomas was the beast, with a cast that included Dan Zakarija as Gaston, Kadkhodaian as Belle and Tony Humrichouser as Lumiere.
Martin Chapman-Bowman was featured in a story that summer as he was the costume designer, and the costumes were impressive.
"Cats" was the first show this summer season. The Wagon Wheel also did it in 2004. It was my first time seeing the musical, but I enjoyed it more than I had thought I would. Among the cast members of that production were Jason Weitkamp, Jerry Galante, Maggie Portman and Dan Zakarija.
Grizabella, the "cat" that sings the well-known "Memories", was played by Christine Mild that year. Of her performance, I noted, "Mild's performance is heart-breaking" and "I felt the small hairs on the back of my neck stand up" when she sang.
Scott Michaels was just an actor and choreographer for the show that year, under Hine. He said when it came time to decide how to put the story into dance, he began with the idea of nothing more than rolling around the floor like a cat.
Carrie McNulty also was a star that year as Mame Dennis in "Mame". Alongside her was Borger as Agnes Gooch and Adam Ganyard as a young Patrick Dennis.
Of McNulty, Borger told me in an interview, "Carrie is fantastic. I love her. I'm glad to finally get to do a show with her."
The show that kicked off that season was "Kiss Me, Kate" with Amber Gainey Meade as Lilli Vanessi and Dan Zakarija as Fred Graham. I loved it, and said so.
Part III
The Christmas show in 2005 at the Wagon Wheel was "Frog and Toad", starring Robert Joseph Miller as Toad and Tony Humrichouser as Frog.
Scott Michaels got to play Lizard, Maggie Portman was a turtle and Melanie Allgood was a mouse.
I started giving number ratings for shows in 2005, giving "Frog and Toad" a 3 out of 4; "A Little Night Music" got a 3.75 out of 4; "On Golden Pond" got a solid 4; "It's A Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" got a 2.75; "Pirates of Penzance" got a 3.5; "Annie Get Your Gun" got a 3; and "Singing in the Rain" got a 2.25.
Stephen Colella played the Pirate King and Superman that season, with Carrie McNulty playing the lead role in "Annie Get Your Gun".
Ann Whitney did "On Golden Pond" again, this time for Director Roy Hine. She previously did the play for Tom Roland. She was joined onstage by Amber Gainey Meade as Chelsea, James Robert Daniels as Norman Thayer, Colton Johnson as Billy Ray and Ben Dicke as Bill Ray.
Family seemed to be a theme that summer, as not only did the Wagon Wheel put on "On Golden Pond", but brothers Adrian and Alexander Aguilar also made their WWT debut that summer.
"Our family never stopped supporting us," said Adrian in an interview then.
The young men performed in "Annie Get Your Gun", "The Pirates of Penzance", "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" and "Singing in the Rain".
Both guys keep acting, including some movie roles lately. Alex appeared in "Were the World Mine" and Adrian plays Chubby in "Cherry".
Making her debut at the Wagon Wheel in 2006 was Jennie Sophia. Her talent was quickly showcased in "Oklahoma!"
Also making their first appearance on the WWT stage in that show was John Hickman as Curly and Lauren Weisman as Ado Annie. A favorite of many, Pat Daniels, played Aunt Eller.
Sometimes sports makes it onto the Wagon Wheel stage. In "Damn Yankees" it was baseball, with Derek Krantz as a young Joe Hardy, Andrea Andert as Lola and Dicke as the devil. Tony Humrichouser played the older version of Hardy.
While "Damn Yankees" got a three, "Seussical the Musical" got a 2.5, but it starred Pierceton's very own Lucas Thomas. Thomas' cousin is Shanda Fredericks, who also has appeared on the WWT stage.
"Thoroughly Modern Millie" had Alexander Aguilar as Bun Foo and Marcus Ringvelski as Ching Ho providing some hilarious moments. The cast also included Andrea Andert as Millie and Alex Michaels as Trevor Graydon, plus McKinley Carter as a "modest Chinese woman."
Despite the great cast, I didn't like the production of "Steel Magnolias" that year. And people disagreed with me. How could I not love a show with Jennifer Dow, Patricia Daniels, Brianna Borger and Alyssa Wilmoth? Good question.
"Leader of the Pack" featured Borger, Adrian Aguilar and Jim Meade. Borger revealed the secret to her talent in an interview for the show.
"Acting is genetic in my family. Everyone does it," she said.
Local child actors were featured in a story for "The Sound of Music". Luke Thomas shared the role of Kurt with Derek Grose. Louisa was a role shared by Emma Hostetler and Natalie Bryant.[[In-content Ad]]Part IV
One of my favorite musicals, "Cabaret", hit the Wagon Wheel stage in 2007. Andrea Andert was back as Sally, with Ben Dicke in the role of Cliff.
"I think anyone can relate to it, but it's not a light-hearted musical," Andert told me in an interview.
I missed "Grease" that summer as I was gone on vacation, but I thoroughly enjoyed "Big" and hope it comes back to the WWT soon. In the role of a grown-up Josh was Derek Carley, while Derek Grose played the younger Josh.
Of Carley, I wrote, "Carley's ability to remain young at heart and display that exuberance also is an attribute for his role in 'Big'."
From an actor to a director, Tony Humrichouser directed "Anything Goes" in 2007. Then there was a riveting "Picnic" with Patricia Daniels and Heather Bonahoom, Jennie Sophia and Michael Vangemert. "Grand Night for Singing" with Vangemert, Erin Rinke-Vangemert, Jennie Sophia and Adrian Aguilar was "fun" and "romantic", while the December production of "Cinderella" was "innocent" and "sweet."
"Cinderella" was in production when Hine died Nov. 21, 2007. The Wagon Wheel family and all who knew him were shocked and saddened. A special concert Dec. 14, 2008, paid tribute to Hine, including performances by Alex and Adrian Aguilar, Brianna Borger, Crystal VanArtsdalen, Jason Weitkamp, Jennie Sophia, Jennifer Dow and others.
Many of the shows and performances in 2008 were done in tribute to Hine. Among the shows were "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" with Anthony Rand and Mary Joe Duggan; "To Kill A Mockingbird" with Jim Daniels, Pat Daniels and Tara Rusinack; "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" with Vanartsdalen, Annie Fitch, Brandon Springman and Sarah Goeke; "Guys & Dolls" with Jennifer Dow; "Footloose" with Adrian Aguilar, Kira Lace Hawkins and Annie Fitch; and "The Wizard of Oz" with Carrie McNulty returning to the Wagon Wheel as the Wicked Witch.
McNulty previously played the witch in "Oz" at the Wagon Wheel in 1997. Returning to the same role in 2008 was her own silent tribute to Hine, she told me during an interview for a feature story.
"It changed my whole life," McNulty said of losing Hine. "But the best thing we can do, those who invested so much time and energy here, is to uphold the standards he set, and continue to raise the standards."
Tom Roland died Sept. 26, 2008. Roland was artistic director at the Wagon Wheel from 1960 to 1995, with a brief hiatus in the middle.
Part V
Besides witches and baseball, Biblical stories have made their way onto the Wagon Wheel Theatre stage.
In 2009, that was "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".
"I think it's going to be a really fun show for the audience," said Brandon Springman in an interview. Springman played Joseph.
"It's definitely a piece that will help you forget your problems. Just sit back and go with the ride," said Erica Wilpon, who played the show's narrator.
Though some were excited, and some rolled their eyes at the prospect, "High School Musical" also made its way to the theater-in-the-round, and it was good. The cast included Rachel MacIsaac, David Glenwright, Mary Joe Duggan and Jake Thomas Klinkhammer (who has since dropped his middle name).
Audiences got to see the talent of Ashley Travis and John Rapson in "Brigadoon".
"The show is about faith and love," said Travis in an interview.
"The show is about the power of love in a time of hate," said Rapson. "It's a great, fantastic show. It's funny. It has adventure. It's a love story. It's a great way to introduce people to musical theater."
"A Chorus Line" turned out to be one of my favorite performances last year, and included WCHS student Shay Dixon on the stage. With him were Carleigh Bettiol, 23, from Oenonta, N.Y., as well as John Rapson, Ryan Castillo, Ashley Travis and Jose Sepulveda.
Over the years, Beckie Menzie has played many roles at the Wagon Wheel, including musical director and advertising budget director. In "Nunsense" she got to play The Reverend Mother Mary Regina.
"I think they're going to laugh," Menzie told me in an interview Monday prior to the show opening. "And everyone needs to laugh. And I think they're going to have a good time. That, I'm sure of."
Wagon Wheel only does one play per year. The other five shows are musicals. In 2009, the play was Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs".
The small cast was great and gave an enjoyable - but somewhat controversial for some - performance. In the show were Adrian Aguilar, WCHS student Cameron Carter, Ashley Travis, Jennifer Down, Jennie Sophia, Tara Rusinack and Mike Yocum.
Last year's Christmas show was, again, "The Sound of Music", with Sophia outperforming everyone else on stage, though Klinkhammer played Capt. Georg von Trapp well, I indicated.
Now, the 55th anniversary season, here in 2010, is halfway over. Audiences have seen the rebirth of "Cats", and gotten "All Shook Up" with 25 Elvis Presley songs. "The Music Man" hit all the right notes, and "Godspell" is July 21-31.
After that, there's the play "The Importance of Being Earnest" as directed by Ben Dicke and Andy Robinson, who also co-directed "Brighton Beach Memoirs" in 2009.
Concluding the season Aug. 18-28 will be a brand new show to the Wagon Wheel, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee".
Many new faces have graced the Wagon Wheel stage this year, including Caroline Kobylarz, Nick Laughlin and Spencer Case. There's also been some familiar faces, such as Ashley Travis, Andy Robinson, Jennifer Dow and Jake Klinkhammer.
"Annie" will return in December for the Christmas show, and beyond that, what magic awaits for audiences?
As long as the Wagon Wheel continues, expect many surprises and make your own memories.
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E-Editions
Since the Wagon Wheel Theatre is celebrating its 55th Anniversary Season this year, I decided to go back and take a look at the feature stories and reviews I've written over the years regarding the theater.
I started writing reviews in 2000, but not full time. Former Times-Union staff writer Teresa Smith was in charge of the Leisure section at that time and handled most things involving the Wagon Wheel. In fact, from my research I could only find two of my reviews from 2000 and none in 2001.
Even though I started at the Times-Union Aug. 31, 1998, my first year of writing theater reviews in 2000 proved a bit of a bumpy road.
It was the first season Wagon Wheel attempted the musical "Evita", and I didn't like it and I said so.
Tammy Mader played Evita Peron, while Mark Ledbetter played Magaldi, Michael Sinclair played Che and Robert Joseph Miller was Juan Peron. I liked Miller's performance.
Of course, my opinion didn't go very well with some people, including then-Artistic Director Roy Hine. For as long as he was still there, Hine apparently never let anyone forget my review of "Evita". Of course, that didn't stop him from being a nice and friendly guy, and he would joke and chat when we ran into each other at the theater or at Owen's.
My review of that show was probably a forewarning of things to come, but I kept my job and eventually took over Leisure and the reviews from Smith. And despite the fact that I do like some shows and giving glowing reviews, I still get the letters asking for my head when I don't.
Before "Evita", I gave a great review to the production of "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella".
For that June 7-18, 2000, production, Jessica Henson played the lead role and Seth Muse was the Prince. Of their duet, I noted you could feel the enchantment in the air. Muse and Henson both impressed me with their singing voices.
Before he started directing the shows at Wagon Wheel, Tony Humrichouser was acting in them. In "Cinderella", he played the king to Jessica Edward's queen. "They are the perfect 'Odd Couple'," I noted.
2002 was my first full season of being the Leisure editor, but I didn't yet do all the reviews for the Wagon Wheel. If someone wanted to go see a show and do a review, they did. Both M.J. Rhodes and Jen Gibson took their turns that year.
The Christmas show was "Meet Me In St. Louis", highlighted by Jennifer Dow as Esther Smith. She had been in Wagon Wheel shows before, and was in the first two this year, but "St. Louis" is still one of her roles I remember best.
Of Dow that holiday, I said she "makes Esther her own as if she were the first actress to play Esther. Whether she's singing 'The Boy Next Door' or 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas', she'll melt your heart with her amazing voice."
Dow is still an extraordinary entertainer.
For "St. Louis", Dow was joined on stage by fifth-grader Emma Jane Hostetler and Warsaw Community High School senior Heather Bonahoom. Some other WCHS students in that show included a young Skyler Scott, who then went by the name Skye, and Charles Robison. There also was Robert Joseph Miller and Amber Gainey Meade, and Stephen Todd as Lon.
That season, I also really liked George and Ira Gershwin's "Crazy for You", though for the life of me now I can't remember it. It starred Mark Ledbetter and Lauren Robinson as Bobby Child and Polly Baker respectively.
In the cast also was Amber Gainey Meade, and I do remember enjoying every performance she gave at the Wagon Wheel. She also made for an easy interview.
"Titanic" also set sail on the Wagon Wheel stage that year, with cast members Shawn Pennington, Lauren Robinson, Nick Perry, Gary Brintz, J. Fitz Harris, Tony Humrichouser and Robert Joseph Miller. Apparently, I was a big fan of that production, too.
The feature story for that show was about all the locals in it, who included Charles Robison, Skyler Scott, Andrea Skafish, Heather Bonahoom, Andrew Moore, Mike Yocum, Marie Weller, Richard Wroughton, Jim Saner, Shay Dixon, Tim Yocum and Allison Davis. Dixon, by the way, just graduated from WCHS and is in some of this summer's productions.
This Christmas, Wagon Wheel is bringing back "Annie". In 2003, the title character was played by Natalie Bryan. Amber Gainey Meade played Grace Farrell and the ever-popular Carrie McNulty played Miss Hannigan.
My review on McNulty said she was "the real star of the show", while Meade "shines". Dow, as expected, gave a "memorable" performance.
To start off a review of "Always ... Patsy Cline" that year, I used the words "magnificent, remarkable, outstanding, stellar, cool, uncanny". It starred Kelli Cramer as Cline and McNulty as Louise Seger.
Before that show, Cramer had not appeared in a WWT production since 1993.
In an interview, Cramer told me, "It was just (artistic director) Roy Hine's phone call out of the blue that got me back into this."
That year also featured Rod Thomas in "Promises, Promises". MJ Rhodes and I decided to try a "he said, she said" review of the musical, and I think it worked well. While I thought Thomas was miscast (still a good actor though), Rhodes liked the show a bit more. I did think Christine Mild was perfect for the role of Fran Kubelik though.
Besides her role in "St. Louis", another role I'll always remember Jennifer Dow in is her 2003 performance in "South Pacific". She was joined on stage for that show by Robert Joseph Miller, Joe Schenck, Jeremy D. Cohen, Vivian Chiu, Alexis Laureano and J.C. Aguilar.
Apparently, I didn't like "Phantom" that summer, despite its strong stars of Amber Gainey Meade, Robert Joseph Miller and Jeremy D. Cohen. I think I disliked that show more than I disliked the performances. Not every storyline appeals to all audience members.
Rod Thomas directed "Inherit the Wind" that summer. I wrote, "Under the illustrious direction of Rod Thomas, the ensemble cast has made this dramatic presentation one of the best plays ever produced at the theater." Dow, Cohen, Humrichouser and James Robert Daniel all were featured.
I interviewed Thomas and Humrichouser both at the start of that season. Asked if he felt any pressure from all the admiration local audiences heaped upon him, Thomas told me, "No pressure. I'll tell you that. It's a huge compliment that I've just been able to connect with people in that way. If I'm connecting to people ... that's what we do as artists. Try to connect with people. Take them on a journey. It really is a huge compliment. I enjoy coming back here. It feels like home. It's nice because they always want me back here."
Part II
Sometimes I interviewed members of the Wagon Wheel family not for a musical, but for other reasons.
In 2004, local native and Wagon Wheel alum Beckie Menzie released her second CD, "Real Emotional Girl". For an interview, she talked about how important the Wagon Wheel was to her.
"My life would be different without it," she told me.
Classic songs were heard at the theater when "Smokey Joe's Cafe" was done on stage. The cast performed such hits as "Poison Ivy", "Charlie Brown", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Stand By Me". Among those cast members were one of my favorites, Brianna Borger, with Maggie Portman, Jerry Galante and Pegah Kadkhodaian.
Rod Thomas was back in 2004, and for "Barefoot in the Park" he shared a stage with Ann Whitney. Whitney first appeared on the Wagon Wheel stage in 1983 for the late Tom Roland in "On Golden Pond" and "Good News".
Whitney was one of those WWT actors with some film credit to her name. In the first "Home Alone" movie, she played a drug store clerk. She also played a blood nurse in "While You Were Sleeping" with Sandra Bullock, but most of her scene ended up on the cutting room floor. Her scene in "The Fugitive" with Tommy Lee Jones also was cut.
"Beauty and the Beast" also magically appeared on the Wagon Wheel stage that summer. Not only did I like it, but I believe most people who went and saw it enjoyed it. Thomas was the beast, with a cast that included Dan Zakarija as Gaston, Kadkhodaian as Belle and Tony Humrichouser as Lumiere.
Martin Chapman-Bowman was featured in a story that summer as he was the costume designer, and the costumes were impressive.
"Cats" was the first show this summer season. The Wagon Wheel also did it in 2004. It was my first time seeing the musical, but I enjoyed it more than I had thought I would. Among the cast members of that production were Jason Weitkamp, Jerry Galante, Maggie Portman and Dan Zakarija.
Grizabella, the "cat" that sings the well-known "Memories", was played by Christine Mild that year. Of her performance, I noted, "Mild's performance is heart-breaking" and "I felt the small hairs on the back of my neck stand up" when she sang.
Scott Michaels was just an actor and choreographer for the show that year, under Hine. He said when it came time to decide how to put the story into dance, he began with the idea of nothing more than rolling around the floor like a cat.
Carrie McNulty also was a star that year as Mame Dennis in "Mame". Alongside her was Borger as Agnes Gooch and Adam Ganyard as a young Patrick Dennis.
Of McNulty, Borger told me in an interview, "Carrie is fantastic. I love her. I'm glad to finally get to do a show with her."
The show that kicked off that season was "Kiss Me, Kate" with Amber Gainey Meade as Lilli Vanessi and Dan Zakarija as Fred Graham. I loved it, and said so.
Part III
The Christmas show in 2005 at the Wagon Wheel was "Frog and Toad", starring Robert Joseph Miller as Toad and Tony Humrichouser as Frog.
Scott Michaels got to play Lizard, Maggie Portman was a turtle and Melanie Allgood was a mouse.
I started giving number ratings for shows in 2005, giving "Frog and Toad" a 3 out of 4; "A Little Night Music" got a 3.75 out of 4; "On Golden Pond" got a solid 4; "It's A Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" got a 2.75; "Pirates of Penzance" got a 3.5; "Annie Get Your Gun" got a 3; and "Singing in the Rain" got a 2.25.
Stephen Colella played the Pirate King and Superman that season, with Carrie McNulty playing the lead role in "Annie Get Your Gun".
Ann Whitney did "On Golden Pond" again, this time for Director Roy Hine. She previously did the play for Tom Roland. She was joined onstage by Amber Gainey Meade as Chelsea, James Robert Daniels as Norman Thayer, Colton Johnson as Billy Ray and Ben Dicke as Bill Ray.
Family seemed to be a theme that summer, as not only did the Wagon Wheel put on "On Golden Pond", but brothers Adrian and Alexander Aguilar also made their WWT debut that summer.
"Our family never stopped supporting us," said Adrian in an interview then.
The young men performed in "Annie Get Your Gun", "The Pirates of Penzance", "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" and "Singing in the Rain".
Both guys keep acting, including some movie roles lately. Alex appeared in "Were the World Mine" and Adrian plays Chubby in "Cherry".
Making her debut at the Wagon Wheel in 2006 was Jennie Sophia. Her talent was quickly showcased in "Oklahoma!"
Also making their first appearance on the WWT stage in that show was John Hickman as Curly and Lauren Weisman as Ado Annie. A favorite of many, Pat Daniels, played Aunt Eller.
Sometimes sports makes it onto the Wagon Wheel stage. In "Damn Yankees" it was baseball, with Derek Krantz as a young Joe Hardy, Andrea Andert as Lola and Dicke as the devil. Tony Humrichouser played the older version of Hardy.
While "Damn Yankees" got a three, "Seussical the Musical" got a 2.5, but it starred Pierceton's very own Lucas Thomas. Thomas' cousin is Shanda Fredericks, who also has appeared on the WWT stage.
"Thoroughly Modern Millie" had Alexander Aguilar as Bun Foo and Marcus Ringvelski as Ching Ho providing some hilarious moments. The cast also included Andrea Andert as Millie and Alex Michaels as Trevor Graydon, plus McKinley Carter as a "modest Chinese woman."
Despite the great cast, I didn't like the production of "Steel Magnolias" that year. And people disagreed with me. How could I not love a show with Jennifer Dow, Patricia Daniels, Brianna Borger and Alyssa Wilmoth? Good question.
"Leader of the Pack" featured Borger, Adrian Aguilar and Jim Meade. Borger revealed the secret to her talent in an interview for the show.
"Acting is genetic in my family. Everyone does it," she said.
Local child actors were featured in a story for "The Sound of Music". Luke Thomas shared the role of Kurt with Derek Grose. Louisa was a role shared by Emma Hostetler and Natalie Bryant.[[In-content Ad]]Part IV
One of my favorite musicals, "Cabaret", hit the Wagon Wheel stage in 2007. Andrea Andert was back as Sally, with Ben Dicke in the role of Cliff.
"I think anyone can relate to it, but it's not a light-hearted musical," Andert told me in an interview.
I missed "Grease" that summer as I was gone on vacation, but I thoroughly enjoyed "Big" and hope it comes back to the WWT soon. In the role of a grown-up Josh was Derek Carley, while Derek Grose played the younger Josh.
Of Carley, I wrote, "Carley's ability to remain young at heart and display that exuberance also is an attribute for his role in 'Big'."
From an actor to a director, Tony Humrichouser directed "Anything Goes" in 2007. Then there was a riveting "Picnic" with Patricia Daniels and Heather Bonahoom, Jennie Sophia and Michael Vangemert. "Grand Night for Singing" with Vangemert, Erin Rinke-Vangemert, Jennie Sophia and Adrian Aguilar was "fun" and "romantic", while the December production of "Cinderella" was "innocent" and "sweet."
"Cinderella" was in production when Hine died Nov. 21, 2007. The Wagon Wheel family and all who knew him were shocked and saddened. A special concert Dec. 14, 2008, paid tribute to Hine, including performances by Alex and Adrian Aguilar, Brianna Borger, Crystal VanArtsdalen, Jason Weitkamp, Jennie Sophia, Jennifer Dow and others.
Many of the shows and performances in 2008 were done in tribute to Hine. Among the shows were "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" with Anthony Rand and Mary Joe Duggan; "To Kill A Mockingbird" with Jim Daniels, Pat Daniels and Tara Rusinack; "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" with Vanartsdalen, Annie Fitch, Brandon Springman and Sarah Goeke; "Guys & Dolls" with Jennifer Dow; "Footloose" with Adrian Aguilar, Kira Lace Hawkins and Annie Fitch; and "The Wizard of Oz" with Carrie McNulty returning to the Wagon Wheel as the Wicked Witch.
McNulty previously played the witch in "Oz" at the Wagon Wheel in 1997. Returning to the same role in 2008 was her own silent tribute to Hine, she told me during an interview for a feature story.
"It changed my whole life," McNulty said of losing Hine. "But the best thing we can do, those who invested so much time and energy here, is to uphold the standards he set, and continue to raise the standards."
Tom Roland died Sept. 26, 2008. Roland was artistic director at the Wagon Wheel from 1960 to 1995, with a brief hiatus in the middle.
Part V
Besides witches and baseball, Biblical stories have made their way onto the Wagon Wheel Theatre stage.
In 2009, that was "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".
"I think it's going to be a really fun show for the audience," said Brandon Springman in an interview. Springman played Joseph.
"It's definitely a piece that will help you forget your problems. Just sit back and go with the ride," said Erica Wilpon, who played the show's narrator.
Though some were excited, and some rolled their eyes at the prospect, "High School Musical" also made its way to the theater-in-the-round, and it was good. The cast included Rachel MacIsaac, David Glenwright, Mary Joe Duggan and Jake Thomas Klinkhammer (who has since dropped his middle name).
Audiences got to see the talent of Ashley Travis and John Rapson in "Brigadoon".
"The show is about faith and love," said Travis in an interview.
"The show is about the power of love in a time of hate," said Rapson. "It's a great, fantastic show. It's funny. It has adventure. It's a love story. It's a great way to introduce people to musical theater."
"A Chorus Line" turned out to be one of my favorite performances last year, and included WCHS student Shay Dixon on the stage. With him were Carleigh Bettiol, 23, from Oenonta, N.Y., as well as John Rapson, Ryan Castillo, Ashley Travis and Jose Sepulveda.
Over the years, Beckie Menzie has played many roles at the Wagon Wheel, including musical director and advertising budget director. In "Nunsense" she got to play The Reverend Mother Mary Regina.
"I think they're going to laugh," Menzie told me in an interview Monday prior to the show opening. "And everyone needs to laugh. And I think they're going to have a good time. That, I'm sure of."
Wagon Wheel only does one play per year. The other five shows are musicals. In 2009, the play was Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs".
The small cast was great and gave an enjoyable - but somewhat controversial for some - performance. In the show were Adrian Aguilar, WCHS student Cameron Carter, Ashley Travis, Jennifer Down, Jennie Sophia, Tara Rusinack and Mike Yocum.
Last year's Christmas show was, again, "The Sound of Music", with Sophia outperforming everyone else on stage, though Klinkhammer played Capt. Georg von Trapp well, I indicated.
Now, the 55th anniversary season, here in 2010, is halfway over. Audiences have seen the rebirth of "Cats", and gotten "All Shook Up" with 25 Elvis Presley songs. "The Music Man" hit all the right notes, and "Godspell" is July 21-31.
After that, there's the play "The Importance of Being Earnest" as directed by Ben Dicke and Andy Robinson, who also co-directed "Brighton Beach Memoirs" in 2009.
Concluding the season Aug. 18-28 will be a brand new show to the Wagon Wheel, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee".
Many new faces have graced the Wagon Wheel stage this year, including Caroline Kobylarz, Nick Laughlin and Spencer Case. There's also been some familiar faces, such as Ashley Travis, Andy Robinson, Jennifer Dow and Jake Klinkhammer.
"Annie" will return in December for the Christmas show, and beyond that, what magic awaits for audiences?
As long as the Wagon Wheel continues, expect many surprises and make your own memories.
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