panto

REVIEW: Friendship, camaraderie and mischief take center field in Imaginary Beasts’ engaging ‘Casey at the Bat: An All American Panto’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

How far would you go for your dream?

For Cameron Hinkle as ambitious entrepreneur Homer Humdinger and many characters in Mudville, baseball is king and some are willing to do almost anything for it.  Exploring integrity, celebrity, ambition, the true nature of friendship and the spirit of the game, a lot is at stake in Imaginary Beasts’ production of Casey at the Bat:  An All American Panto.

Directed wistfully by Matthew Woods, Imaginary Beasts presented Evan Turissini, Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods’s Casey at the Bat: An All-American Panto from October 18 through October 26 live and in person at Topsfield Town Hall in Topsfield, Massachusetts.  The show was approximately two hours with one intermission.  Click here for more information.

Hot popcorn and baseball-themed concessions were sold prior to the show and intermission as a lively audience arrived for an interactive Panto.  A panto is a form of wintertime family entertainment in the UK that weaves in puns, wordplay, jokes, and more.  Boasting a friendly drawl and wicker hat, Molly Kimmerling warmly portrayed guardian angel, wise narrator and townie Pop Fly who shared the wild tale of Casey at the Bat partially based on the classic poem by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.  It delved into a mysterious deal with the devil in order to bring baseball to a town like Mudville.  However, things quickly get complicated as events unfold.

Julia Hertsberg, Hampton Richards, Cameron Hinkle, Laura Ditwiler, and Tommy Vines in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo credit to Imaginary Beasts

The continual audience engagement fueled this exaggerated tale that meandered and veered off course on occasion while humorously weaving in fitting contemporary pop and winking adult references.  Billie Eilish, Ebay, Marilyn Monroe, Mae West and various musical and baseball film references are just a few examples. 

With so many productions that rely on the zip and zing of digital effects, CGI, and AI, it is exciting to again see director Matthew Woods solely rely on homespun creativity and audience interaction to bring to life this patriotic and unpredictable spin on a classic poem.

Imaginary Beasts has been excelling at creating vivid costumes and mesmerizing settings as if walking into a storybook.  Mudville is a cheerful and optimistic world and the imaginative and layered set folded out in a wonderful way standing as a portrait of vintage baseball nostalgia which included inflatable bats, fields, a locker room and as baseball is America’s pastime, American flags and patriotic ribbons wrapped around the set. 

Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo credit to Imaginary Beasts

Casey at the Bat poem was published in 1888 and the uniforms reflect that colorful retro quality which included the old time milkmen and barbershop as part of this vintage landscape.  Cotton-Talbot-Minkin’s captivating costumes reflect baseball nostalgia with a dash of steam punk.  As the look is inspired by silent films, distinctive patterns combined with bow ties, top hats, sporty converse sneakers, bodices, velvet, vintage baseball uniforms, pearls, and boots.  This panto also delivered a dynamic assortment of tunes including calliope music, characters breaking out into baseball themed song, a pop tune a tap dance or Camille Chartier as eternally Shakespearean and mischievous accordion playing Sox the Cat.

With swagger and a winning smile, Evan Turissini charismatically portrayed the Mighty Casey with a dose of gruff and ego seemingly striding through life.

In a velvet red coat and top hat and scowling eyes, mustachioed Matthew Woods schemed and plotted as Silverado Quick who will stop at nothing to win over a soul, even if it means tricking everyone in his path.  However, the person assigned for the actual dirty work was the multi-tasking Miss Slump portrayed with versatile comic timing by Kiki Samko.  Slump did what she must and she was great. 

Cameron Hinkle, Tommy Vines, Laura Detwiler and Camille Chartier in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo credit to Imaginary Beasts

Fresh faced Tommy Vines was earnest as idealistic and wide eyed Dewey who dreams of becoming a star baseball player.  Vines’s enthusiasm shone through the production boosted by some endearing scenes with Julia Hertsberg as shrewd yet sweet Katie, baseball’s biggest fan especially in a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s High Hopes. 

Casey at the Bat is a love letter to the sport in many ways.  Although it had its corny moments, these animated characters delivered a quirky tale with high jinks, scheming and sleuthing through memorable and poetic dialogue including vintage expressions such as ‘flimflam’ and ‘hop to’ to deliver a meaningful message about inspiration, friendship, and doing what is right.

Evan Turissini, Tommy Vines, Molly Kimmerling, Julia Hertzberg, Cameron Hinkle and Colin McIntire in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo courtesy of Imaginary Beasts

Directed wistfully by Matthew Woods, Imaginary Beasts presented Evan Turissini, Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods’s Casey at the Bat: An All-American Panto from October 18 through October 26 live and in person at Topsfield Town Hall in Topsfield, Massachusetts.  Click here for more information and upcoming events by Imaginary Beasts.

REVIEW: Imaginary Beasts conjures a boisterous ‘The Spider and the Fly’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

With a collection of zany characters such as a Moth, a Praying Mantis, a Gossamer Fairy, Figment, a Land Octopus, and a sleepy constable named Bluebottle, it is clear that The Spider and the Fly has no shortage of zealous imagination.

With so many productions that rely on the zip and zing of digital effects, CGI, and AI, it is exhilarating to see director Matthew Woods solely rely on homespun creativity and audience interaction to bring to life a vivid and unpredictable gothic children’s tale.

Imaginary Beasts ‘The Spider and the Fly’ cast Photo by Matthew Woods

Directed artfully by Matthew Woods, Imaginary Beasts presents live and in person Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods’s The Spider and the Fly or the Tangled Web (a gothic pantomime) through October 29 live and in person at Chelsea Theatre Works in Chelsea, Massachusetts.  The show is one hour and 40 minutes with a 10 minute intermission and is recommended for children 5 and up.  Click here for more information and for tickets that are quickly selling out.

Blending vintage with the contemporary, The Spider and the Fly is quite the inquisitive adventure with lots of high jinks, scheming, plotting, sleuthing, and memorable and poetic dialogue that delivers a meaningful message about inspiration, friendship, and doing what is right.  A panto is a form of wintertime family entertainment in the UK that weaves in puns, wordplay, jokes, and more.  The Spider and the Fly is somewhat a panto within a panto as the cast embarks on an ardent journey to inspire a writer inside the writer’s own head.

Brooks Reeves as King Cumbercrown in Imaginary Beasts ‘The Spider and the Fly’ Photo by Matthew Woods

Brooks Reeves relishes in the part of King Cumbercrown who will stop at nothing to stop the Panto from happening, even if it means corrupting everyone in his path.  Reeves is up to no good and his scheming and crafty behavior is such fun to watch as Reeves’s blue face scowls and sneers at the any sign of happiness and joy behind hypno spiral goggles.

The black and purple painted set design by Jason Taschereau has a vintage and mesmerizing quality while Cotton-Talbot-Minkin’s captivating and colorful costumes exude a gothic, fanciful and vintage edge with a dash of steam punk.  As the look is inspired by silent films, outrageous patterns combine with bow ties, top hats, sparkling converse sneakers, lace, corduroy, pearls, flowered shoes and boots.   Though it is gothic, it is not scary, but creative, inviting, and imaginative. 

Laura Detwiler as the Great Author and Brooks Reeves as King Cumbercrown in Imaginary Beasts ‘The Spider and The Fly’ Photo by Matthew Woods

The continual audience engagement fuels this wild tale that does meander and veer off course occasionally, but it is difficult to notice with such a lively cast of characters that weave in some random contemporary pop and winking adult references.  The Wednesday dance challenge, Rhianna, and random television show references are just a few examples. 

Jamie Semel as Young Woodby and Evan Turissini as Madame Bijou in Imaginary Beasts ‘The Spider and the Fly’

Some of the cast depicts more than one role.  Evan Turissini is all drama and also relishes in the part of lovelorn, flirty, and attention-seeking Madame Bijou, especially while vying for the attention of Bluebottle, portrayed with British flair by Colin McIntire.  Sophia Yael Koevary as Daisy Mae and Jamie Semel as Young Woodby share some sweet scenes.  With choreographer Laura Detwiler’s dynamic choreography, Camille Charlier as the Gossamer Fairy and Lindsay Eagle as The Ghost of Mary Whosie-Whatsit perform a  harmonious rendition of Mills Brothers’ The Glow Worm.  Another memorable tune comes straight from the audience as the cast invites the crowd to believe in a spark, depicted by Erin FM and navigated by Beth Owens.

For a show about inspiration, The Spider and the Fly doesn’t need much coaching as it delves into this exciting production with a quick pace with lots of heart.

Imaginary Beasts presents live and in person Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods’s The Spider and the Fly or the Tangled Web (a gothic pantomime) through October 29 at Chelsea Theatre Works in Chelsea, Massachusetts.  The show is one hour and 40 minutes with a 10 minute intermission and is recommended for children 5 and up.  Click here for more information and for tickets that are quickly selling out.