Top theater of year goes to Vanguard

Tom Titus

That quaint little Scottish village, which only surfaces every 100

years, materialized at Costa Mesa’s Vanguard University long enough

to establish itself as the top collegiate theater production among

the three local institutions of higher learning in 2004.

“Brigadoon,” the Lerner-Loewe musical fantasy directed by Amick

Byram, was an ambitious choice for the limited dimensions of

Vanguard’s Lyceum Theater. It was, however, a choice fully realized.

As this column’s review observed, the show was “an intimate epic,

a full-blown production delivered almost into your very lap, a

wonderful, colorful and fully melodic revival of one of Broadway’s

most romantic musicals. The Vanguard University production

beautifully demonstrates how big things can happen on small stages.”

Big things also happen on big stages, as UC Irvine’s “Blood

Brothers” proved. Again quoting this column, “Director Myrona DeLaney

has mounted a steely, deeply involving production, and her

all-undergraduate cast responds with vigor and imagination,” making

the show No. 2 on this column’s year-end review.

Orange Coast College came up with the third-place show in the

student-directed drama, “Wit,” Linne Mosakewicz’s staging of a play

that had premiered a few blocks away at South Coast Repertory about a

decade ago. This column referred to it as “a gripping, involving and

challenging -- both emotionally and intellectually -- production.”

“The Lion in Winter,” a veritable feast for actors, proved a

banquet at Vanguard University and checks in at No. 4. Director

Marianne Savel brought the show into a modern setting without

sacrificing the edgy intensity of the conflict between King Henry II

of England and his captive queen Eleanor.

Fifth-place honors go to “Pippin,” Orange Coast’s colorful staging

of the musical centering on the son of Charlemagne, directed by Beth

Hansen, which narrowly edges out OCC’s dramatization of the epic

novel “Moby Dick,” adapted by the college’s David Scaglione.

Individual acting awards must be accorded by school, since there

were so many excellent performances during 2004. Heading the class

are the royal couple from Vanguard’s “Lion in Winter,” Richard Davies

and Susan Berkompas. True, neither is a student, but both set shining

examples of excellence for their charges to emulate.

At OCC, Jennifer Drake was hands-down the top actress for “Wit,”

while Teddy Spencer excelled as best actor in “Moby Dick.” UCI’s

premier performers were Zachary James Oldham in “Blood Brothers” and

Talia Thiesfield in “Romeo and Juliet.”

Other notable performances delivered during the year included, at

UCI, Christopher Trice, Justin Lujan and Michelle Cowin, all for

“Romeo and Juliet,” and the “Blood Brothers” duo of Katherine

McLaughlin and Kristen Brandt.

At Vanguard, special mention must be accorded Michael Mulligan,

Heaven Peabody, Rene Scheys and Caitlin Macy-Beckwith of “Brigadoon,”

Daren Kjeldsen and Amy Maier for “The Lion in Winter” and Darlene

Watson and Rick Arbuckle in “A Murder is Announced.”

At OCC, Michael Cavinder and David Marchesano excelled in

“Pippin,” while Brittany Keehn and James Grant were impressive in

“View of the Dome.”

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

appear Fridays.