| Subject: Second show of UMT season a 'Triumph' |
Author:
Bruce Cohen
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Date Posted: 09:32:59 07/12/04 Mon
Strong cast, script make this production worthy of audiences' 'Love'
Note: This review is based on a dress rehearsal and without an orchestra.
By NANCY VAN VALKENBURG
Standard-Examiner staff
nvan@standard.net
There's something about Leonide. Everyone in "Triumph of Love" falls for her, and just as the audience begins to see her flaws, she wins us back, too.
"Triumph of Love," a Utah premiere and the second show in the Utah Musical Theatre season, opens tonight at the Browning Center on the Weber State University campus.
A musical farce written by James Margruder and inspired by an 18th-century play by Pierre Marivaux, "Triumph of Love" enjoyed a run on Broadway. It is a more polished script than UMT's previous production, "Zorro," which got mixed reviews.
"Triumph of Love" follows the exploits of Spartan Princess Leonide (pronounced "Lee-oh-need") and the object of her lust, a young man named Agis ("Ah-jhees" -- roll the "j").
Leonide takes a male alias and manly dress, and attempts to win over each sober, serious member of the household, inventing new stories and aliases as her previous ones are chipped away.
She invents at least five. Forgive yourself if your brain spins briefly as you try to keep track. The first act is all about setting up problems and seems a little long. The dominoes set up over the course of the first act fall fast and furious in a much shorter second act.
Even in rehearsal, Kara Buhrley Powell was spectacular in the pivotal role of Leonide. She has a strong, clear singing voice that lets her character's impetuous passions shine through.
A reliable UMT veteran, Paul Cheney, is solid and endearing in the role of Agis, a difficult role requiring a mix of stern logic, innocence and the experiencing of powerful, first-time emotions.
Michael Weingart and Rebecca Brandt Hample are engaging as Agis' uncle and aunt, whose harsh attitudes and sharp edges soften under Leonide's influence. Hample's singing voice is especially wonderful, and one soul-baring song she sings about old hurts will break your heart.
The set is stylized, harsh and geometric, suggesting severe topiary and living things forced into unnatural, logical shapes. The music was lush and full of surprises even without the addition of the orchestra, which didn't begin rehearsing with the actors until Wednesday.
"Triumph of Love" has strong music and a comical story. It may not be the favorite old comfy musical you've seen at dozen times on area stages, but it's worth a look as something fresh, different and well-executed.
REVIEW
WHAT: 'Triumph of Love'
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday, Wednesday-July 17, 20-24; plus 2 p.m. July 17.
WHERE: Allred Theater, Browning Center, Weber State University, 3750 Harrison Blvd., Ogden.
TICKETS: $18/adults, $10/age 7-15 and students, $16/seniors, military personnel and educators. (800) WSU-TIKS.
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Summer of "Triumph" for UMT Performers
June 30, 2004
OGDEN, Utah – The summer of 2004 is proving quite eventful for Utah Musical Theatre performers Paul Cheney and Kara Buhrley Powell.
The duo portrays the romantic leads Prince Agis and Princess Leonide in UMT's romantic farce, "Triumph of Love." In addition to being the Utah premiere of the show, the production also marks the Equity acting debut for both young stars, a significant milestone in the profession.
"This opens up so many doors for me," Cheney said. "In New York, you can't even audition for a show without being in the union [Actors' Equity Association]."
Powell agreed, admitting she didn't expect she'd have the opportunity to earn her Equity status in Utah. Her first Equity role is just one of several personal milestones. In May, she graduated with her degree in theatre arts from Weber State University. After performing in all three UMT productions this summer, she starts graduate school in the fall at Northern Illinois University, where she hopes to eventually work on the Chicago stage.
For now, her focus is on bringing Leonide to life.
"It's an incredible role, both in terms of acting and singing," Powell said. "She's playful and funny, a little like Lucille Ball." Because of the different identities Leonide assumes, Powell said it was akin to preparing for four different roles.
In preparing for the role of Agis, Cheney has drawn on personal experience. An army reservist with the 321st Engineering Battalion in North Ogden, Cheney said his military training helped him with everything from identifying with the character to his posture on stage.
"This whole role is my life," he said. "Agis is raised to kill and now he's really questioning himself, ‘Can I really do this?'" In real life, Cheney said he could be called up to active duty at any time, making an understudy for Cheney very important.
Cheney is no stranger to UMT audiences. In 2003, he played El Gallo in "The Fantasticks" and Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun." The opportunity to be reunited with director Linda Kerns was a major draw in his decision to return to UMT. Typically cast as a leading man or villain, he viewed the opportunity to do a farce as a way to stretch his range as an actor.
As for the show's somewhat bawdy content, both stars agree Utah audiences will love this production, full of double entendres, intricately woven subplots and comically bent genders.
"I'm bringing my grandmother to see the show," Powell said, describing her grandmother as the epitome of conservative values. "She's going to love the chemistry of this show."
"Triumph of Love" will be performed at the Allred Theatre, Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts, Weber State University, at 7:30 p.m. July 9-10, 14-17, 21-24. A matinee performance will be presented at 2 p.m. July 17. Individual tickets are $18 adults, $16 senior citizens, and $10 for students. Tickets are available at 1-800-WSU-TIKS or 801-626-8500. Season subscriptions covering the 2004 UMT season also are available at $48 each.
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