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Little Theatre brings Narnia to SLO ‘Country Strong’ proves Nikol Schiller nikolschiller.md@gmail.com
The stage inside of San Luis Obispo’s Little Theatre on Palm Street is slowly transforming into the snowy wonderland of Narnia. Igloos are being fashioned out of chicken wire and newspaper. Fur coats, tails and ears fill the dressing room, waiting to transform the actors into woodland creatures. At the edge of the stage, the iconic lamppost of C.S. Lewis’ magical world serves as a meeting point for the children actors during rehearsal. On Jan. 14, the Little Theatre will showcase the play “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardobe.” The story, still frequently read as well as acclaimed on the big screen, will be acted out under the guidance of director Shelagh Garren and feature young actors from the Academy of Creative Theater Program ( A C T ) , which is an after school year-round theater program offering classes for children to improve their acting skills. During the winter and summer seasons, the aspiring children actors put on productions for the community. Cal Poly theatre alumna Kerry DiMaggio is the coordinator of ACT who helps run the children’s program. DiMaggio said part of the reason this play was chosen is because “it was such a classic story — it still speaks to audiences and it’s timely.” San Luis Obispo high school student and ACT actress Mackenzie Allen said her involvement is due in large part to Garren. “One reason a lot of us stay is because of Shelagh,” Allen said. “We can’t get enough of her.” The children in the Academy started rehearsing in October, perfecting the story of four children who discover an imaginary world, Narnia, through the back of a wardrobe. The children go on to help the creatures of Narnia overpower the evil White Witch and give the throne to its rightful owner — a courageous lion. The fantasyfilled, family-oriented story has been around since the 1950s and
recently made a comeback in theaters as the “Chronicles of Narnia” series. For this play in particular, Allen said special lighting effects make the magic of Narnia visible. The magic behind the lighting is controlled by Cal Poly electrical engineering senior Dylan Pavelko, who volunteers for the Academy to handle the lighting for the production. DiMaggio said several ACT members joined the program at a young age and have con-
illustration by melissa wong
tinued all the way through high school, such as Allen who said she has participated in ACT since she was 11 years old. Allen’s experience at the Academy helped her land the part of the White Witch. Allen described her costume for the part as an iciclecapped crown with blue lights, a white fur trimmed cape, a corset and long, flowing dress. In addition to the witch’s costume, all costumes for the cast were handmade by Sharon Woodside and Karen Miles. The two costume designers have spent countless hours making the costumes for the children, but Wo o d s i d e said their efforts pay off on the big day. “When a kid goes out (after putting on their costume) and says, ‘I’m that character.” that’s why I do this,” Woodside said. “Their whole attitude changes when they put on the costume. They get into character and have a feeling of confidence in themselves.” DiMaggio said she expects opening night to be a success when the children finally put on their costumes for the big day. The show will run from Jan. 14 to Jan. 30. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children under 13 years old. Shows begin at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
weak in movie reviews Roger Moore The Orlando Sentinel
“Country Strong” is a little like modern country music — odd moments of sincerity, heart and authenticity peek through the plastic, the hype and the manufactured hokum. Moving once or twice, maudlin and mawkish the rest of the time, this “Crazy Heart” for Gwyneth Paltrow and launching pad for Garrett Hedlund (“TRON: Legacy”) and Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girl”) doesn’t quite work out, from its honkytonk opening to its incredibly overdone concert curtain call. Oscar nominations? I don’t think so. Paltrow plays Kelly Canter, a burnout case just finishing up a stint in rehab after a drunken onstage meltdown that caused a miscarriage. In Dallas, no less. So everybody who talks to her and about her can use this line: “I’m sorry about Dallas.” Her manager-husband (Tim McGraw, in a testy, one-note turn) is anxious to get her out and back on the road, on the “comeback” trail. But the guitar-pickin’ orderly at her rehab hospital, Beau (Hedlund), is concerned. “Don’t take somebody outta rehab before they’re rehabbed,” he protests. But nobody listens to him, even though fragile Kelly is sweet on him and manages to get him booked as her opening act. The second performer on the bill is a Taylor Swift-like beauty queen prone to freezing onstage. Meester plays Chiles Stanton with a pleasant deer-in-headlights edge. She has some chops, a little talent to go along with her insecurity. But it’s her looks that have McGraw’s manager-hubby panting after her. Hedlund and Meester have the film’s best scene, when Beau gallantly plays his way
onto a stage to save Chiles from stage fright, a little “Friends in Low Places” duet. Country music permeates the background, with “Last Date” playing in a brittle restaurant scene between star and manager, Patsy Cline popping up to remind us who’s cheating on whom and Roger Miller being the sing-along of choice, on the road, in the van with the rest of the backup acts. Writer-director Shana Feste’s script wrestles with an odd dynamic, with the has-been and the wannabe both lusting after the hunk, insisting how kind and gentle he is, “a good man.” But he’s messing around with another man’s wife, is rude to just about everybody he meets and blows off Chiles until she just can’t live without him. Feste can’t decide who to root for and goes all operatic in an effort to resolve all this pain. A few lines sting, Beau’s “I’m just tryin’ to do what’s best for you,” which makes Kelly spit back, “Since when?” A few scenes pay off, but how ridiculous is it seeing Paltow in a mini-skirt, drunkenly singing along with “Keep on Smiling?” At least Kelly’s obscenely manipulative visit to a sick child (part of her image rehab), making up a song for the little boy on the spot, works better than it should. The stars do their own singing and all are perfectly passable in this age of autotune. Hedlund, however, doesn’t have the stage presence to go along with that crooner’s baritone. Paltrow never lets us forget she’s acting like a singer. A lot of effort has been made to appeal to the country music faithful with this picture, and McGraw gives it a little Nashville street cred. But you have to wonder, as Kelly sings about craving a “pink flamingo double-wide,” if the whole lot of them aren’t pulling the 10-gallon hats down over the eyes of a lot of bootscooting fans. That’s country weak.