10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL October 12, 2016
COMING
UP IN
COTTAGE
GROVE
photo by Autumn Carter
Lanny Mitchell has appeared previously in Cottage Theatre's 'Les Miserables' and 'Assassins', but 'A Chorus Line' marks his direc-
torial debut in Cottage Grove. A simple stage offers a chance for more character and story development.
'A Chorus Line' brings another Broadway gem to CT
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
T
he Cottage Theatre opened “A
Chorus Line” over the week-
end, and it is a production that differs
from recent plays held at the Theatre.
The original play (by Michael Ben-
nett) was a big hit throughout the
late 1970s and 1980s, and once again
the Cottage Theatre has successfully
produced another famed Broadway
gem.
Cottage Grove invited back Lanny
Mitchell, a professional of the theatre
business that has worked on and off
Broadway and has appeared in pre-
vious Cottage Theatre plays such as
“Les Miserables,” and “Assassins.”
However, this was Mitchell’s fi rst
time as a director at the Theatre. He
also choreographed and plays Zach in
the show.
The play takes place entirely at
the audition for a chorus line of a
Broadway show and dives into the
professional and personal lives of
all the different auditioning dancers.
The setting gives the show its fi rst
unique aspect. The stage is supposed
to be a studio and is therefore empty
except for mirrors lined in the back,
and the costumes are simple rehearsal
clothes. The simplicity of the stage
allows for more focus to be on char-
acter development as each character
gets a chance to explain who they are
and where they’re from. This leads to
another unique aspect of the show.
While some character’s stories are
more prominent and drawn out lon-
ger, there really are no main charac-
ters that steal the show. And while the
characters are developed to the audi-
ence, their objective at the audition is
to blend in with the chorus line and
not stand out.
Characters’ stories range from
growing up in a wealthy yet neglect-
ful suburban home to growing up in
different boroughs of New York City
struggling with poverty, abuse and in
some cases, being accepted for their
sexuality.
Some top performances came from
characters like Bobby played by
George Butterick. Butterick puts on
a quirky persona to display the story
of an outcast to his suburban fam-
ily. Contrast that with the aging and
aggressively promiscuous Sheila,
played by Marcee Shriver Long, and
the cast brings the audience on an
emotional roller coaster.
The play connects with the audi-
ence differently in that there is no
protagonist and antagonist. The audi-
ence connects with different charac-
ters based on individual relatability
which makes the viewer root for dif-
ferent characters to get the job on the
chorus line.
The size of the cast makes Mitch-
ell’s directing and choreography all
the more impressive and has proven
he is a welcome sight at the Cottage
Theatre, whether he’s acting or di-
recting.
Chainsaw
Carving Expo at Twin
Timbers Christmas
Tree Farm
Twin Timbers Christmas Tree Farm,
82234 Hwy 99 S, between Cottage
Grove and Creswell, is hosting its sec-
ond annual Classic Chainsaw Carving
Expo on Oct. 14, 15 and 16. Admis-
sion is free to the live chainsaw carving
demonstrations and pumpkin carvings
by professional carvers. Carvings will
be auctioned off Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. with
a Bad Bear Bonfi re at dusk. Great food
by local vendors and gift shop. For more
information, call 541-915-2229.
912 Project
The next meeting of the Cottage Grove
912 Project will be Monday, Oct. 17
at 6:30 p.m. at Stacy’s Covered Bridge
Restaurant, 401 E. Main. The guest
speaker will be Anne Marie Gurney with
Freedom Foundation, who will address
the desperate need for labor reform in
Oregon and how her organization can
help candidates.
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Winner will be announced in the November 2 Cottage Grove Sentinel
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and previous winners are not eligible to enter.
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