Tuesday, February 21, 2012

KC Actors Theatre "Billy Bishop Goes to War" review by timlovestheatre

Creative Collaboration delivers Powerful Performance
Rating: 5

Billy Bishop Goes To War 
Kansas City Actors Theatre

There is something to be said for ambiance. Walking from your car means walking down the long sidewalk to the only American museum dedicated to preserving the history and objects of the First World War. As you progress you cannot help but notice the Liberty Memorial Tower looming overhead topped by the orange glow from the "pyre" housed at its top. Inscribed on the side of the tower is "In honor of those who served in the world war in defense of liberty and our country." Entering the museum to your left is the Western Front poppy field exhibit. Each of the 9,000 poppies represents a thousand deaths, a total of nine million souls who lost their lives during the War. This effect is heightened when entering the space by a set that evokes the spirit of European beer halls, frontline trenches and bombed out buildings rather than giving us full physical representations. By the time you reach your seat in the plush J.C Nichols Auditorium you are fully immersed in World War I.

"Billy Bishop Goes to War" is a unique story to American audiences. It is the story of a half-hearted Canadian soldier who finds his passion in the new combat arena- the skies. The story is essentially a two-man show with a main narrator and musical support by an onstage piano player. Third Year University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) graduate student Grant Fletcher Prewitt plays Billy and through the course of the show must play easily twenty-five to thirty other characters. Prewitt executes them all extremely well without the use of costume changes or props. The number of different dialects alone was staggering! His ability to handle this is a tribute to his talent, training and the experience and expertise of director John Rensenhouse. Additional accolades must go out to Dialect Coach Erika Bailey, a Professor in the UMKC program.

Prewitt is much younger than the Billy Bishop presented in the original Canadian productions (which has undergone revisions to accommodate the original writer/performers aging). Changing to a younger man's perspective allowed the production to make some interesting changes. (See a movie trailer for the original version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWgcH4zFTk)

The vocal performances and harmonies of this show seems superior to the film. This appears to be due to the work of Musical Director Cary Mock who also plays the onstage Piano Player. Mock doesn't have much in the way of lines and is pretty well fixed behind his piano on stage left but still provides great support to the action onstage. He is a well known face to KC musical theatre lovers and brings all of his experience to play in this show.
Some of the UMKC students must also be applauded for their work on this stellar show. Scene designer Kerith Parashak provided a great design that makes good use of what might be considered limitations of the spaced. The onstage airplane is well-executed and provides Prewitt with interactive scenery, furniture and occasionally a prop. Lighting designer Douglas Macur provides some nice atmosphere in a space that wasn't really designed for it. (This is an auditorium. The space is designed for lectures and films.)

This production of "Billy Bishop Goes to War" is a collaborative of the Kansas City Actor's Theatre (KCAT), the National World War I Museum and UMKC Theatre. It seems that KCAT is quickly mastering the art of collaboration. Or perhaps it is UMKC that is the master, moving its students into collaborative art with the museum, KCAT, Unicorn and the Coterie Theatre? Either way, it works for KC audiences. This production and the previous Unicorn/UMKC/KCAT show "God of Carnage" embody some of the most seamlessly produced theatre going in Kansas City.
"Billy Bishop Goes to War" can be seen at the National World War I Museum until February 26th. Tickets are available at http://www.kcactors.org/ or by calling the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222

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