More Reviews for CSU Summer Stages

Check out some more fantastic reviews for CSU Summer Stages.

From Tony Brown at the Pee Dee:

Now in its third and strongest season, the mixed professional-student company succeeds best at its two extremes, the heart-rending death-drama "The Shadow Box" and the farcical outer-space musical "Return to the Forbidden Planet."

...Quinton's masterfully balanced reincarnation of "The Shadow Box,"... the extremely well-disciplined nine-member cast...

Mauldin pulls out all the nutty stops for his scatterbrained production of the wafer-thin but highly entertaining "Return to the Forbidden Planet"... Several students turn in exemplary performances, too, including dashing dork Lew Wallace as the Capt. Kirk hero, brawny Lawrence Charles as the Caliban-esque Cookie, John Paul Soto as a sweet-voiced, roller-skating robot version of Ariel and fresh-faced Melissa Crum as Miranda.

Christine Howey at Rave & Pan:

With the playwright borrowing liberally from Shakespeare’s The Tempest (on which the original flick was based) and his other works, the dialogue in Return ranges from elegant to glibly idiotic. And since it’s all played for maximum fun and minimum reflection, it all seems appropriate

And don't forget about this weekend's performances!

• Thursday: The Shadow Box (Benefit performance for Hospice of the Western Reserve)
• Friday: Chekhov in Yalta
• Saturday and Sunday*: Return to the Forbidden Planet

All performances at 8pm except *2pm.
Box office: 216.687.2109

Roy Berko Loved It

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: ‘RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET’ is a laugh delight at CSU’s 2009 Summer Stages. This is a must go-see for summer entertainment!

Roy Berko loved Return to the Forbidden Planet. Check it out:

The CSU production, under the creative direction of Michael Mauldin, is well staged and has all the right ridiculousness needed to make this a fun production. Lynn Deering’s fine choreography adds to the hilarity.

The cast is universally excellent. Handsome Lew Wallace plays the Ken doll-like thick-headed, emotion absent, captain of our ship, with the right degree of seriousness. He has a fine singing voice and dances well. Greg Violand, he of great singing voice... is properly fake-evil as scientist Prospero... John Paul Soto sparkles as a endearing roller-skating robot. Tracee Patterson sings and mugs her way through the role of the bad/good Gloria.

Here's hoping Tony and the rest of the critics liked it just as much. The AUDIENCE sure liked it.

WCPN's Around Noon with Dee Perry

Dr. Mauldin and Greg Violand discuss CSU Summer Stages with Dee Perry on WCPN's Around Noon, along with John Paul, Lew and Melissa singing songs from Return to the Forbidden Planet and Amy and Doug perform a scene from Chekhov in Yalta.

This week's performances:
Thursday, July 16th: Return to the Forbidden Planet
Friday, July 17th: The Shadow Box (Benefit performance for The Hospice of the Cleveland Clinic)
Saturday and Sunday*, July 18th and 19th: Chekhov in Yalta

All shows are at 8pm except *at 2pm.

Beck Center Discount

Hey CSUers! Get $5 off adult tickets to the Beck Center production of Little Shop of Horrors when you mention the code word ALIEN.

A down-and-out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite!

William Roudebush, director of Beck’s critically acclaimed Equus and last season’s My Favorite Year, comments, “The popularity of this show never wanes, and its tunefulness and tongue-in-cheek humor lend to its staying power. I am delighted to return to Cleveland and the Beck Center to direct this musical gem.”

The Beck Center is offering special family-friendly pricing so the entire family can enjoy this musical classic. Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors (65 and older), $17 for students (22 and under with ID), and $10 for children (12 and under). An additional $3 service fee per ticket is applied at the time of purchase. Preview night on Thursday, June 25, is $10 with general admission seating. Group discounts are available for parties of 13 or more.

Do a sci-fi double feature and see both Return to the Foridden Planet and Little Shop of Horrors!

CSU SummerStages Are GO!

Cleveland State University Summer Stages, downtown Cleveland's only professional summer theatre company, is proud to announce its third season, returning with another three shows this summer, operating in rotating repertory with a five week run.

Our flagship musical is Return to the Forbidden Planet, written by Bob Carlton, directed by Program Chair Dr. Michael L. Mauldin, a 50’s/60’s jukebox musical which combines the science fiction movie Forbidden Planet with Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Dr. Mauldin was previously seen as Captain Hook in the Beck Center's production of Peter Pan and in CSU Summer Stages' Rough Crossing.

We will also be presenting the farcical Chekhov in Yalta, by Jeffrey Haddow and John Driver, directed by Cleveland Playhouse Education Director Cathy Hartenstein, full of low comedy and high tragedy, this historically-informed comedy features famed playwright Anton Chekhov and Stanislavsky’s Moscow Art Theatre.

Rounding out the season is the 1977 Pulitzer and Tony Award winning drama The Shadow Box, by Michael Cristofer, directed by Everett Quinton. The Shadow Box, full of hope and heartbreak, tells the story of three very different families each facing an impending death in their own unique way. New York legend Everett Quinton is a founding member of CSU Summer Stages and has been seen in every CSU Summer Stages production except for last year's hit Dark of the Moon, which he directed.

Being the resident theatre company of CSU, much of the cast and crew is composed of CSU Dramatic Arts students and alumni. After bringing in actors, directors and choreographers from New York and California for two seasons, we have refocused our efforts on local growth, and we are proud to announce that we are the biggest summer employer of union actors in the region. A significant presence in the downtown arts scene, CSU Summer Stages presence will only expand when CSU’s Dramatic Arts’ proposed move to Playhouse Square Center’s Allen Theatre.

The shows run in rotating repertory from July 9th through August 9th, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $15 each, and discounts are available for season tickets and groups of ten or more. Free street parking is available, and parking in CSU lot S1 (East 24^th Street between Chester & Payne) is only $4, with a coupon available at www.csuohio.edu/theater.

Box office: 216.687.2109

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