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| Christina McSheffrey and Brandon Brown photo by Tim Trumble |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through September 2nd.
"Jean Anouilh's romantic comedy Ring Round the Moon, adapted by Christopher Fry, is receiving a sumptuous production from Grand Canyon University. The frantic plot and a cast who throw themselves into the fun and frenzied characters, including a superb performance from Brandon Brown as the twin brothers at the center of the piece, make for a humorous, sweet and pleasurable experience..The play is set in the garden conservatory of Madame Desmortes' French chateau where a ball is about to take place. Desmortes has two twin nephews, Hugo and Frederic, who couldn't be more different. Frederic is engaged to Diana, a heartless heiress, so Hugo invites the poor but beautiful ballerina Isabelle to the ball and dresses her up in an attempt to draw Frederic to her and away from Diana. However, Isabelle's mother has come along for the journey and when she sees Madame Desmortes' companion Capulet and recognizes her as a girl she grew up with, she tells her of the plan. Also, Isabelle is more drawn to Hugo than Frederic. Will Hugo's scheme be spoiled? ..Director Michael Kary gets rich comical performances from his cast with none ever crossing too far over into delivering broad caricatures of these mostly comical archetypes. He instills not only big doses of comedy and romance into his staging but also plenty of dance and movement in his upbeat and fun scene changes. Brandon Brown does exceedingly well as both Hugo and Frederic. As Hugo, Brown is brave, bold and fearless, while as Frederic, he is shy, sensitive and innocent. The fact the Brown has to constantly shift between the two parts, sometimes within a few seconds, and that he creates two very different characters, is a huge achievement. Christina McSheffrey is equally as good as Isabelle. ...William H. Symington's set evokes a richly detailed, marble-floored conservatory full of exotic plants while Nola Yergen's costumes are stunning. The lighting from Claude Pensis is sumptuous as are Christen McGrath's hair and make-up designs. Full of both cynicism and sentimentality, Ring Round the Moon is a fun play that include a heightened mix of farce and romance as well as a comedy of manners. Grand Canyon University's production is infused with style and wit and a cast who deliver on the many fun, almost farcical, moments........ " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
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