Cast weaves show together

Tom Titus

Just because “Quilters” has paused its covered wagon at most of the

community theaters and colleges in the area doesn’t mean that the

musical focusing on pioneer women of the 19th century can’t be done a

little differently.

At the Huntington Beach Playhouse, where the show will be in

residence in an expanded engagement through Aug. 17, director Marla

Gam-Hudson has virtually doubled the cast, adding a six-girl “young

daughters ensemble” to the seven-woman company. These ubiquitous

young ladies back up the principals in the ensemble numbers and

function as cows, horses -- whatever is required.

The result is a richer, more enjoyable version of the Molly

Newman-Barbara Damashek musical than any in recent memory. In a few

of the scenes -- the windmill number and the horrific fire sequence,

for example -- the presence of additional players adds layers to the

production.

The all-female show depicts the often-unbearable hardships of

pioneer life, especially on the women, who were expected to produce

and raise children while taking on their share of the physical toil

-- and create quilts for posterity in their spare time. This latter

task they tackle with enthusiastic glee. The only “men” in the

production are those impersonated on occasion by one or another of

the actresses.

The Huntington Beach version benefits from Andrew Otero’s

utilitarian setting and a three-piece orchestra under the direction

of Crystal Barron, which provides musical accompaniment and

background noises crucial to the stories. Michael Lopez’s

choreography is graphically effective, carrying out the hardscrabble

mood of the show, but with an occasional nod to the heart.

The cast is a beautifully drilled ensemble, but even in such a

well-ordered unit, there are bound to be standouts. At Huntington

Beach, the superlatives must be reserved for Tree Hanson, who creates

an awesome collection of characters both comic and dramatic with the

unbridled aplomb of a young Carol Burnett. Hanson’s rubbery facial

features elicit howls (as a bratty teenager) and heartache (as an

elderly spinster reflecting on her lost love) among many others,

including a swaggering cowboy.

Jasmine Curry tears at the heartstrings as a demented unwed

mother, among her well-executed oeuvre, which also includes a

hilarious put-down of the “Sunbonnet Sue” quilting pattern. Maureen

Lawrence plays blooming youth and advanced age with equal dexterity

while Dyan Hobday-Brant graces the show with flirtatious charm.

Tiffany Berg enacts a rebel tomboy daughter with slightly

restrained glee and Samantha Bullat is button-cute, but needs work on

her diction. As the matriarch of the clan, Grace Lynne is somewhat

uneven in her early delivery, though she fleshes out a memorable

character as the show progresses.

The Young Daughters Ensemble, an inspired addition, is composed of

Melissa Nicole Ames, Kimberly Bower, Manika Garg, Jordan Leanne

Green, Jordan Snyder, Tori Vollmer and Kimberly Wong. These splendid

supernumeraries enrich the show without uttering a word, weaving a

memorable tableau just as their elders stitch their memory quilts.

Musicians Scott Kelly (piano), Damjan Rakonjac (guitar and

percussion) and Stacy May (violin/viola) back the show with inspired

audio accompaniment. The show is less a musical than a historical

perspective with music, which often takes the form of sound effects.

You’ve probably viewed “Quilters” on more than one occasion

locally, but the imaginative Huntington Beach Playhouse production

stands a cut above the others and is well worth another look.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.