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Sedona's Canyon Moon Theatre presents timely “G.I. Jukebox” through Oct 28th

by Beverly Lehnhardt | Sedona.biz

Sedona, AZ - On Sunday afternoon, October 7, many Sedona area residents and guests enjoyed Canyon Moon Theatre’s (CMT) presentation of playwright Rick Lewis’s G.I. Jukebox. It was produced by special arrangement with Select Entertainment and is CMT’s tenth-season opener.

This light-hearted comedy-musical had the audience laughing and swaying to the big band, swing, and Latin tunes that included I’ll be Seeing You, Moonlight Serenade, and In the Mood. Although the play is set in the 1940’s, the show is very timely considering what’s happening over in Iraq right now and the format (the actors speaking to the audience as though we were the boys in uniform) touched some hearts, I’m sure.

CMT veteran, Danielle Miller (Daniella L’amour), seen last season as Gillian in 37 Postcards, joined three newcomers, Modestina Fernandez (Ava Loren), Nate Mullens (Frankie Sumatra), and Jason A. Vargo (Gary Grant), to form the musical quartet. We heard some four-part harmony, as well as duets and solos—all four thespians have wonderful voices and obvious musical training.

Modestina Fernandez recently graduated from Central Michigan University with a BFA in Musical Theater and her powerful vocals and sparkling personality bode well for her future on stage. She is visiting Sedona especially for this musical.

Nate Mullens grew up in Alaska, beginning his acting career by appearing in community Shakespeare productions at the tender age of 13. He has joined the cast of numerous student films and indie productions in cooperation with the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking (ZGI) since arriving in Sedona. He had a starring role in The Devil’s Chair, a short that won the Audience Choice Award as well as the award for Best Film at the ZGI Annual Shorts Festival.

Jason A. Vargo, another Michigan native, has made music a large part of his life for the past 20 years, singing in churches, theaters, schools, basements, attics, and bars. For the last several years, he has also been performing and composing his own original music.

Katherine LaTorraca accompanied the quartet on the piano and is an international award-winning singer, composer, and voice teacher with extensive credits.

Nate and Jason’s rendition of Abbott and Costello’s famous skit “Who’s on First” had everyone in stitches. The music was familiar and nostalgic—I saw toes tapping and heads bobbing throughout the audience.

Musical Directors for this show are Eric Tucker and Nate Hackmann. Hackmann, no stranger to CMT, last performed here in Suburb: The Musical.

Jared Fennell, Darlene Krantz, and Garry Stark created a simple red and blue, star-studded set that worked quite well as a patriotic backdrop for this wartime story.

Mary G. Guaraldi, CMT’s Producing Artistic Director, selected G. I. Jukebox because of its fun, classic music that the audience could relate to. It also underlines the message that we should all “support our troops.” She certainly assembled an all-star cast for this show!

In celebration of its 10th season, CMT has added a fourth weekend to its shows; G.I Jukebox will run Thursday – Sunday through October 28. Thursday and Friday are preview nights with reduced price tickets available for $16 for adults. The rest of the shows are $19 and $11 for full-time students and start at 7:30p.m. Thursday – Saturday; 3:00p.m. on Sunday afternoons.

Tickets may be purchased in VOC at Rycus’ Corners and in West Sedona at Clothing Reflections; you can call a 24-hour Brown Paper Ticket hotline at 800-838-3006 or order on-line at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/20492. For subscriber information, call 282-6212 or visit www.canyonmoontheatre.org . Buying CMT tickets is now simpler than ever!
 

Season X is sponsored by Bistro Bella Terra with support from the Arizona Commission on the Arts.