Brazosport Center Stages – Page 3 – South of Town: Notes and Scenes from Texas' Upper Gulf Coast

Burying Bodies in the Basement Has Never Been So Much Fun

Brazosport Center Stages opened Arsenic and Old Lace last night in the Dow Arena Theater. To be sure, it’s an old play and every community theater has offered it several times in the time most people spend in a single community. But these are days of mobility and rootlessness. Things like “A&OL” given to you by friends of such superb talent is a gift that is settling to the soul.

32755685817_34789424fb_k — Abby and Martha Brewster fuss about in the foreground while Mortimer Brewster places a frantic call to his editor.

Wes Copeland, who doubles as executive director of the Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences, assembled and directed a cast of experienced players who share a love of theater, a lot of talent, a joy in giving it to their friends, and . . . well, that’s about it. Beyond those qualities held in common, they represent the spectrum of businesses, trades and professions that make up a village like ours.

In addition to the wonderful performances by Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha, you will be able to see the results of Dr. Einstein’s somewhat sub-standard plastic surgery and you can follow the political and engineering exploits of the brother who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt. Don’t miss it.

Jonathan Brewster and the result of the plastic surgeries performed by Dr. Herman Einstein. Don’t tell him he reminds you of someone you’ve seen in a movie.

Teddy Brewster – off to finish the Panama Canal

Reservations are available for performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons through May 5 at this link. Laughter is very necessary to your health and well-being. Works better than elderberry wine.

More photos from the dress rehearsal may be viewed on the Flickr site. If you buy a ticket you will see completed costumes, makeup and set.

Opening Tonight at Brazosport Center Stages: “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”

If you were coming of age in the Fifties and Sixties, the music you heard every day on the radio still lives in your head. “Yakety Yak,” “Searchin’,” “Charlie Brown,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Spanish Harlem,” “Hound Dog” – to name a very few – are songs that never go away. But do you have any idea who wrote them? Probably not.

Brazosport Center Stages opens “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” tonight in the Freeport LNG venue, aka, the large theater. Directed by Jean Warren, it is really more of a musical revue than a play. It consists entirely of songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller performed by excellent musicians from our area. Just a few of the singers you will hear are Elon Coates, Lizzy Conger, Amber Crawford, Jacob Aguilar, Cameron Losoya, Mason Rod, Chayton Herbst, Maurice Williams, and some new folks whose names I can’t recall to tell you right now. But they are all good. (Send me a tip if you identify them in the photo below.) More photos are posted to the Flickr site here.

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Lest you think this is a show for old timers, I can tell you that when I finished shooting photos of the invited dress rehearsal last night, I spotted some high schoolers on the third row and I asked a young man if he knew someone in the cast.

“No but I love this music,” he said.

“A gift to you from my generation,” I said.

“Wow. Thanks,” he said.

“Fee, fee, fi, fi, fo, fo, FUM, I smell smoke in the audi-tor-i-UM … ” I said.

It’s a great show. Come out, listen, and re-live to the birth of rock and roll – back when you could make out the words in the songs.

Maybe you can even learn how to shimmy.

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Reservations available online at The Center web site. The remaining shows:

Saturday, Feb 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb 3 at 2:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb 8 and Saturday, Feb 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb 10 at 2:30 p.m.

Four More Performances of the Brazosport Fine Arts Council’s Elizabethan Madrigal Feast

The Flickr feed in this chronicle’s righthand column has been revealing photos from rehearsals and performances of the Brazosport Fine Arts Council’s Elizabethan Madrigal Feast, 2018.

Once again, area talent has gathered in The Center to slip a Shakespeare comedy by an audience that may have been expecting something a little more tinsel-themed and Toyland oriented. Sorry, there is way too much talent around to waste it on the ordinary fluff of a commercial Santa Land production. This is an assembly of talented singers, dancers, instrumentalists, actors, artistic designers, foodies, theater techies and costumers who muster and present a big city show with Broadway brilliance in the beautiful little chemical burg of Clute, Texas.

46021455261_b59730295c_k — Petruchio sweeps Katharina off her feet in the scaled down version of “The Taming of the Shrew” inserted into the Elizabethan Madrigal Feast 2018 edition.

It’s one of those little Texas secrets — like where to get the best barbecue or hear the best live country music— that you hope Texas Monthly doesn’t discover any time too soon so that you will still be able to get tickets.

That’s not really true. There are mixed feeling about the event becoming well known, but to be honest, we need people from around the state to start coming into Clute to experience the Feast first hand. The financial well being of the Center for the Arts and Sciences would benefit greatly from a statewide reputation that would appeal to foundations and other donors able to offer large gifts.

And, while we are at it, why not raise the ticket price, too, to make the cost align more correctly with the quality of the production? I contend that it would be a $200 ticket (drinks, tips and coat check not included) in a major urban center. It would probably run higher than that in NYC where people expect to pay the performers they wish to keep in town. Bottom line, The Center needs revenue to maintain and expand facilities for its program of education and entertainment in the arts and sciences.

The place is bustin’ at the seams, well-used and scheduled to the hilt. The lines for restrooms during the EMF intermission pretty well illustrated the need.

There are four more performances as I write this. Reservations are available at the Center box office web site.

Hurry and get your reservations. There is no better way to say “Welcome Yule”.

32166493788_1c3e927785_k — The Earl of Warwick, the Queen and other of the Earl’s guests join in the message: “Welcome Yule”.

Another Madrigal Feast; Another Madrigal Book

It is time for another edition of the Elizabethan Madrigal Feast at the Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences in Clute. Performers are coming in from Angleton, Lake Jackson, Richwood, Freeport, all the communities West of the Brazos and beyond. The performers, stitchers, set designers and builders come from all around. It is probably too late for tickets but it can’t hurt to try. Online ticketing (if seats are still available) would be here.

30496958333_d183de2f15_k — Marc Davis performs in the 2016 Elizabethan Madrigal Feast at the Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences. He will be back this year in a Shakespeare role. The young dancer is Summer Hughes.

This is no longer a strictly local event. You have to compete with people from all over the state for your tickets now. Good luck.

And of course, I have put together another book of photographs from the last performance in 2016. You may preview the book here. It is a 13×11 in hard cover edition with quality paper and beautiful color. Check it out. Maybe it would be a nice gift if you know a someone who performed in it. (I do it for the costumer.)

Now, here’s the problem. It’s a little pricey at $95. But all the profits go to the printer (Blurb.com) except for the $5 I add to the printer’s price to help me buy a lens now and then. (The slight surcharge also allows me to know if any of the books are being purchased. Otherwise, I have no idea. I will happily refund you the $5 but you have to look me up in order to collect.)

But, if you attend EMF 2018, you may use one of your raffle tickets to try to score one for a mere $20. Good luck with that, too.

If you are wondering what in the world there is to be thankful for in 2018, take a peek at the Elizabethan Madrigal Feast. If you can’t get a ticket, buy the book.

A friend from Chapelwood reminded me this morning that God still makes beautiful things. I try to take a few pictures and it’s more than I can keep up with. I am always thankful for that. Happy Thanksgiving South-of-Towners.

Center Stages Opens “Deathtrap”

30668270528_4e0936666a_z — Craig Fritz, Devon J. Smith and Roxanne Strobel talk about the young playwright’s (Smith’s) first try at a murder mystery script on the set courtesy of Keith Plowman.

The Brazosport Center Stages production of Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap” opened Friday night in the Dow Arena Theater. Director Susan Moss and her company and crew played all the plot twists with skill and plenty of dry humor for an appreciative opening night crowd. The veteran cast of Craig Fritz, Roxanne Strobel, Devon Smith, Becky Gore LaRoche, and Phil Partridge communicated an intricate plot and a word heavy script with clarity and even physical dexterity when it was called for. And that was often.

No snoring at this play, gentlemen. You will be wide awake waiting to see who dies next and to see if they stay dead. Is that a plot spoiler? I don’t think so. But maybe it’s a clue that this one is not to be taken too seriously. Just enjoy the fine acting of some community theater pros who just keep on doing it for free. And what a gift it is.

You will also see a beautifully designed and executed set (thank you, Keith Plowman, for the design), period perfect costumes by Tina Gray, and combat (!) scenes choreographed by Wes Copeland. And the light! Near perfection by Lisa Chapa. Give her a budget and a few new instruments and it would be perfect. And there were also lots of eerie sound courtesy of Barry Dunn. And the script calls for props galore, always a challenge for a small community theater. And resourceful Callie Ayers is always up to the job.

This is theater for fun. Come out and enjoy a brutally funny murder mystery tonight. It runs through next weekend, Sept. 16. Tickets and reservations are available at The Center ticketing web site.

Brazosport Center Stages Has a New Superstar

The Annual Meeting of the members of Brazosport Center Stages was held last Saturday, August 4. It is the annual gathering to conduct the organization’s official business and to recognize the contributions of time and talent to the theater’s success in the year coming to an end.

Occasionally, BCS grants Superstar recognition to a person who has made extraordinary contributions to the theater in both performing and backstage roles. It is intended to recognize a career if contributions. It is not awarded every year.

This year, the BCS board chose Craig Fritz as its newest Superstar.

30097051538_244a4646d4_z — Craig Fritz, Brazosport Center Stages Superstar.

Craig has acted in numerous roles over the years. He does leads, supporting roles, comedy – you name it. He has produced, directed, worked the lights, sound and done set construction.

I had the pleasure of working with Craig when he directed “The Crucible” in 2014. He was very gentle in his suggestions that the older fellow playing Francis Nurse should spend a little more time practicing his lines even though very few. We got through it and Craig presented an excellent show for the Brazosport Community. I wish I could have seen it.

Congratulations, Craig – a gentleman so deserving.

Craig is already in rehearsal for his next role in “Deathtrap.” You won’t want to miss it.