In a dash of pomp and sprinkle of circumstance, Lamplighter’s Theatre of Smyrna began its new season on Friday, Sept. 18, with “My Fair Lady.” Stage and screen star Lane Davies, the founder and Artistic Director of the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival in Bell Buckle, portrayed Professor Henry Higgins in his usual dramatic Shakespearean style of swagger and swashbuckle. Ms. Christina Spitters played Eliza Doolittle and was great in her character, and Colonel Hugh Pickering was played by Sam Dalton, who always impresses me on the Lamplighter stage.
Eliza Doolittle
As much as I enjoyed this play, and others that Lamplighter’s produces, I wish every so often they would relax and attempt to “enjoy themselves” on the stage. While this was a wonderful show, and Director Greg Wilson is my favorite on the Smyrna stage, the overdramatics of this (and other) plays could be toned down for non-theatergoers to come and enjoy as well. This stage theater seems to “over-dramatize,” and this production was no exception.
It seemed at times that the other actors were intimidated by Mr. Davies, with his larger than life presence; however, they all carried their weight and made the show enjoyable. With opening night sold out with 400 in attendance, I was impressed as well with the set, which was huge and had to be moved (with some difficulty) quite often for different scenes.
The lighting was good; the sound has yet to be perfected on this stage as the actors’ mikes would often reverb. The stages at Oakland and Seigel High Schools have better sound.
Lamplighter’s next show is not until December, when it presents a repeat of “It’s A Wonderful Life: the Radio Show,” also produced last year.
Poison at the Center
For those of you who keep up with Center for the Arts productions, “Arsenic and Old Lace” begins Oct. 2 for a three-weekend run. The show is directed by Matt Carr and Mary Rogers.
“Diary” by Booth and Sunday
My good friend Tony Lehew, who wrote a most excellent story on actor and director Brian M. Booth in the last edition of The Pulse, will be reviewing Murfreesboro Little Theatre’s “The Diary of Anne Frank,” which begins Friday, Oct. 16. Booth and his life sweetie Sherry Sunday share the direction of this young lady’s journal of her family’s ordeal through the Holocaust.
Tickets always sell out at this venue, so call early and call often to get a seat at MLT for this upcoming show.
Halloween Storytelling
On a non-theatrical note, my local paranormal/ghost team, S.P.I.R.I.T., will be conducting ghostwalk tours through the Square on the evenings of Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30 every 30 minutes from 7–9:30 p.m. These one-hour walks tell of true and alleged hauntings of different buildings downtown, most all of them investigated by the team. So bring your camera; you never know what you will see!
Also, as we did last year, reserve a night Oct. 27, 28 or 29 as we go into Murfreesboro Little Theatre’s log cabin and tell of the unexplained and haunts of the city’s best community theater building. All donations will go directly to the theater.
See ya at the show!
