By Laura Kennelly
Bam! Pow! Last night’s super fun musical celebrating super heroes at Porthouse Theatre delighted with one wild premise after another in this charmingly happy show written by Barry Keating and Stuart Ross, and directed by Michael McIntosh.
It seems that emerging teenager Eleanor Fairchild (played by the vocally nimble Lucy Anders) lives surrounded by comic books (which she has memorized to the last detail, including issue numbers). When her mother (Colleen Longshaw) sashays into Eleanor’s bedroom and says (basically), “Time to grow up now and get rid of those silly books,” Eleanor protests: She’s a “Superhero Girl.” Then shazam, as mother leaves the room, Eleanor finds herself transported into the amazing world of the comic heroes, the Starmites.
Once she’s in comic book land, crazy adventures ensue as Eleanor gets swept up in a struggle against the evil Shak Graa (wickedly well-played by Darian Lunsford) who seeks to destroy the Starmites (and anyone else he can).
The good Starmites include Spacepunk (an unconventional leading man/love interest portrayed with plenty of sizzle by Daniel Lindenberger) and his comically faithful followers: Herbie Harrison (Elliott Litherland) and Dazzle Razzledorf (Dylan Ratell), and Ack Ack Ackerman (Christopher D. Tuck). Their names just barely serve to illustrate their geeky awesomeness.
They all land in a place ruled by Diva (Longshaw again, dazzling in a long gown and flaunting her impressive vocal chops). Diva’s nerdy daughter, Bizarbara (Anders again, this time comically inept and wearing glasses that don’t seem to improve her vision), has problems too. For extra sparkle, Diva’s henchwomen played by the diverting Jessica Nicole Benson, Grace Falasco, Miriam Henkel-Moellmann, and Mackenzie Duan, dance, sing, and turn on their considerable, but rather serpentine charms (especially the nimbly comic Duan who thinks humans quite tasty).
All this peril doesn’t deflect from the score, a richly flavored frothy blend of gospel-style pop, action, and love songs under the direction of Jennifer Korecki. Choreographer Amy Fritsche and costume designer Susan Williams, and set designer Steve Pauna stay true to comic book basics–colorful and action-packed.,
OK, I admit it: comic books shaped my early years and I still love them (only now we call some graphic novels since we are grown up) so this energetic 1989 show tickled my fancy. This production is a love song to comics and a tribute to imagination.
It’s recommended for adults and for actual kids. The five-year-old girl sitting near me absolutely loved every minute–and in truth, so did the five-year-old in me.
Performances run through July 19 at the Porthouse Theatre, Kent State University’s outdoor, summer theatre located on the grounds of Blossom Music Center. For tickets, call 330-672-3884, purchase online at www.porthousetheatre.com
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.Listening to and learning more about music has been a life-long passion. She knows there’s no better place to do that than the Cleveland area.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223