‘Sweeney’ makes the cut in the colleges

Tom Titus

Local college theater departments enjoyed a particularly ambitious

year in 2003; UC Irvine, Orange Coast College and Vanguard University

all mounted some highly impressive productions.

While it may be comparing elephants and oranges, it nevertheless

must be noted that UCI topped the list once more with its slashing,

graphic production of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Sweeney Todd, the

Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Director Eli Simon’s masterful production was clearly the class of

the colleges this year, but two other shows -- both from the pen of

William Shakespeare -- were impressive as well.

Runners-up in the college drama category were Vanguard’s bloody,

futuristic treatment of “Macbeth” and Orange Coast College’s

rollicking version of “Twelfth Night,” set on a movie sound stage in

1939 Hollywood. Susan Berkompas directed the Scottish play, while

Alex Golson was at the helm of the Tinseltown comedy.

Rounding out the top five were “Fiddler on the Roof” at Vanguard,

directed by Carey Curtis Smith, and Keith Fowler’s robust revival of

“Hair” at UCI. Special mention also must be accorded to OCC’s

“Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra,” an ambitious mystery

under Golson’s direction.

As for acting honors, UCI’s Robin Buck, though hardly a student,

delivered the outstanding male performance in the title role of

“Sweeney Todd.” Best actress honors go to Kathryn Scott for her

compelling interpretation of Lady Macbeth at Vanguard.

Other outstanding actors during 2003 were Angel Correa for “Some

Men Need Help” at OCC, Tim Larson as Macbeth (as well as for Tevye in

“Fiddler on the Roof”) at Vanguard, Sean Engard in OCC’s “The

Lesson,” Christopher Tillman in Vanguard’s “Macbeth,” and Ben Draper

in both “Poor Richard” and “Some Men Need Help” at OCC.

Actresses who stood out at the local colleges were Valerie

Rachelle in “Sweeney Todd” at UCI, Tammy Joelle Coffin in “Fiddler on

the Roof” at Vanguard and Nancy Troia in OCC’s “Twelfth Night.” Also

impressing were Sean Gray and Emily Rued in OCC’s “Sherlock Holmes

and the Giant Rat of Sumatra” and Teddy Spencer, Amanda Kukuk and

Rudolph Niemann, all in “Twelfth Night.”

At Vanguard, others meriting special attention were Matt Grandpre

in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Mary House and Michael Mulligan in “You’re

a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and Adam Eugene Hurst in “Fools.”

UCI’s contingent of impressive actors included Sara Parry and

Ailene King in “Lady Windermere’s Fan,” Martin Giannini in “Hair,”

Jessica Stevenson in “Big Love,” and Mandy Schmieder and Lisa Clayton

in “The Day Maggie Blew Her Head Off.”

This winds up our annual bestowing of honors on the top

productions and performances in local professional, community and

collegiate theater. Next week’s column will spotlight two very

special people when the Daily Pilot’s man and woman of the year in

theater for 2003 are revealed.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.