Cookin' at the Cookery - Revisited by Debbie Minter Jackson

"There’s always a bit of trepidation when a key cast member steps into a successful show. Audiences wonder how the show will be affected, may have concerns about different interpretations, altering how it’s “supposed” to be. In the case of Jackie Richardson who replaced the “irreplaceable” Earnestine Jackson in Cookin’ at the Cookery, the prep work has already been done because she has already performed the role with the irrepressible Janice Lorraine in Vancouver. While this is a reprise of sorts for them, the change for us is a fresh new experience to be cherished the second time around.

Just when you didn’t think the production could get any better, here comes Richardson who shakes it up with her own mighty gifts, talents and interpretation to the role-and we are all the better for it. If you didn’t catch this stellar production earlier in the run, don’t let it slip away. It is just as much fun the second time around, and Richardson is a major reason why. Her voice and stage presence will blow you away.

Richardson has a particularly effective musical sense that goes beyond belting out the notes. Her whole body seems to breathe the musical tones, and her voice crests and flows with unbelievable crescendo effect. She’s got a hefty bearing that contributes to her no-nonsense stance packaged in a charm-your-socks-off, walloping delivery. Yes, she’s got all the fun-loving facial expressions to relay the message, but there’s something more, a warm accessibility and down-home appeal that makes her rather irresistible. When she refers to the audience lovingly as “children,” she envelops us all as part of the precious few who were fortunate enough to catch Alberta Hunter at the Cookery in New York in Ms Hunter’s unbelievable return-at 82 years old!!"

READ COMPLETE STORY AT DCTHEATRESCENE.COM >

MetroStage's production of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) nominated for 2008 Helen Hayes Awards

Congratulations to Bobby Smith - nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical, Donna Migliaccio - nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical and Dan Kazemi - nominated for Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production!!!

We'd also to acknowledge and thank everyone associated with this production, especially director Larry Kaye, choreographer Nancy Harry and the rest of the extraordinary ensemble Janine Gulisano-Sunday and Russell Sunday.

The 24th Annual Helen Hayes Awards will be presented on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 8:00pm. This gala celebration will bring together 2,000 theatre makers and theatre lovers to The Warner Theatre and JW Marriott Hotel in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. One of the country’s most prestigious cultural honors, The Helen Hayes Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington metropolitan area.

MetroStage ranks in 2 of Joel Markowitz's (dctheatrescene.com) Winter Scene Stealers

"FELICIA CURRY
singing “Come To Your Senses” in tick, tick…BOOM! at MetroStage.
It’s as close as I’ve seen to a roof almost blowing off when Felicia Curry rocked MetroStage with her soaring rendition. At the end, the audience jumped to their feet and I was reminded why I have always been a big Curry fan since I saw her in the title role at Toby’s-The Dinner Theatre of Columbia (she received a Helen Hayes nomination), and in Two Queens One Castle at MetroStage. Felicia is not only a powerful singer, but a powerful actress as she proved in tick, tick… BOOM!.," says Joel.

"JANICE LORRAINE
impersonating Louis Armstrong in Cookin’ at the Cookery at MetroStage.
Dead on!
Not only does Janice sound like Louis, but she manages to convince us she looks like him! If you don’t believe in resurrection, you will after seeing Janice drive the audience into a frenzy as she becomes the great Satchmo in front of their eyes.," says Joel.

See complete story here: http://dctheatrescene.com/2008/02/18/winter-scene-stealers/

Cookin' at the Cookery Promo

With three weeks remaining, check out MetroStage's latest production...

Announcing the cast of The Stephen Schwartz Project

A Hot New Musical Revue featuring the songs of award-winning composer/ lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Celebrate the work of one of Broadway’s most acclaimed writers with “Wicked” new musical arrangements from Broadway and regional favorites Pippin, Godspell, Children of Eden, and The Baker’s Wife, the award-winning films Prince of Egypt, Pocahontas and more. There is ‘magic to do’ in our little ‘corner of the sky’…‘ when you believe’ you will ‘defy gravity’ …all at MetroStage this spring! Directed and choreographed by Michael Bobbitt with musical direction by Doug Bowles. The cast includes:
Amber Iman Moorer is a graduating Senior Musical Theatre Major at Howard University, from Atlanta, GA. Recently, she has appeared in Into the Woods (Jack’s Mother), Sweeney Todd, A Chorus Line, Working and Eyes, to name a few.
Andrew Sonntag graduated from the Catholic University of America in 2007, where he received a BA in Drama. He recently appeared as Jimmy Harper in The Studio Theatre's production of Reefer Madness and he will appear as Atreyu in Imagination Stage's Neverending Story this Summer.

Kerry Deitrick is a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and recently received her BM in music theatre from Catholic University. Upcoming projects include this Summer's Jerry Springer: The Opera at The Studio Theatre.

Jobari Parker-Namdar is making his MetroStage debut. He is a recent graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Felicia Curry has been seen previously at MetroStage in Two Queens One Castle, Three Sistahs and tick, tick…BOOM!

Benjamin Horen, an Ohio native, is a choral director in Fairfax County Public Schools and has served as the music director for US Performing Arts camps at The George Washington University. Ben has performed at The Kennedy Center, understudied the role of Cosme (Souvenir) at Studio Theatre and has performed in a backers’ audition with Stephen Schwartz for the upcoming Broadway production of Children of Eden.
Priscilla Cuellar has worked in various theatres in the area including Signature Theatre, Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre and Toby's Dinners Theatre. She has worked with some of Broadway's best including Carolee Carmello, E. Faye Butler and Judy Kuhn and she will be in Big River at Olney Theatre this Summer.

Clif Walker is a native Washingtonian and graduate of D.C.'s famed Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He has appeared in Arena Stage's South Pacific, Round House Theatre's Once On This Island and The Kennedy Center’s Soul Possessed among other countless musicals and revues.

Florrie Bagel has appeared in Into the Woods at Signature Theatre, Godspell at Olney Theater Center and, most recently, originated the role of “Bethany” in the new musical, Nobody’s Perfect, at The Kennedy Center. She will be performing next in Jerry Springer: The Opera at The Studio Theatre.

The set designer is Alex Cooper, costumes will be by Reggie Ray and the lighting designer is Jason Arnold.

WETA's Around Town discusses Cookin at the Cookery

Jane Horwitz and Trey Graham discuss this award-winning musical about the life and music of legendary blues and jazz singer Alberta Hunter.

PLAY VIDEO >

Listen to Joel Markowitz's podcast with Jackie & Janice

THE LADIES OF THE COOKERY ARE HAVING A GOOD TIME

There is a new Alberta Hunter in town and Joel was there to greet her. The widely acclaimed Canadian actress and blues songstress, Jackie Richardson, recently stepped into the role of Alberta Hunter in Cookin’ at the Cookery at MetroStage and joins co-star Janice Lorraine in talking about the show and their history of performing it across Canada and the United States.

Joining them is William Knowles on piano as they give us a taste of "Downhearted Blues" and "I’m Having a Good Time". Janice, who plays many roles in the show, gives you an intro to Barney the club manager, young Alberta, Oscar Hammerstein II and her Louis Armstrong that has critics raving.

Get ready for a good time....

OR visit

http://dctheatrescene.com/2008/02/16/the-ladies-of-the-cookery/

Lobby artwork for Cookin' at the Cookery

ALBERTA HUNTER

(April 1, 1895 - October 17, 1984)

Pastel portrait by Zeke Estep

from original photograph

In 1995, Zeke Estep was 22 years old when he was a passenger in a car that was hit head-on by a careless driver. He was in a coma ten days, in the hospital two months and in rehab for two years. He lost the use of his right hand and arm and had a limp plus many other cognitive disabilities. Zeke managed to overcome many of his disabilities and live independently with support from family members.

He learned to draw with his left hand and drew many pastel portraits selling for about $800 each. His artwork gave him alot of pleasure and a sense of fulfillment. He participated in numerous art shows in St. Louis and developed quite a following.

Zeke lived with his brain injury for ten years until he passed away on November 8, 2006, at the age of 32. He is survived by a son, Jaren, who was age 6, plus other family members. His artwork can be viewed on www.artjunkiesgallery.com.

Champion of Live Theater

Carolyn Griffin began as a volunteer

to bring live theater to Alexandria
By Christa Watters
January 30, 2008

Carolyn Griffin has been bringing live theater to Alexandria since 1984, when she was part of the startup of American Showcase Theatre Company (ASTC). She was invited to an organizational meeting by Jill Kamp, an acting teacher who wanted to start a professional theater to showcase her acting company. They started working out of Kamp’s dining room on West Windsor Avenue. Griffin, armed with a just-completed MBA from Georgetown and having just had the third of her four children, plunged in as a volunteer and board member. She soon became the managing director. A few months later, developer Oliver Carr gave the new theater group rent-free office space in Shirlington, and the company began performing at the Lyceum.

Two years later, Carr offered them space in the old Station Shops Shopping Center on Duke Street, and they built a 65-seat theater for $16,000, raising money initially through a corporate breakfast – a new concept at the time, Griffin recalled. Alexandria developers, including Roger Machanic, were among the contributors. Skip Maginniss, a principal with BMK Architects, designed the space.

The theater opened in 1987 with a production of playwright Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, featuring two actors, Bill Grimmette and Nat Benchley. They each won Helen Hayes nominations for best lead actor in a resident production, the first of many recognitions of the theater’s excellence. The play began a long tradition of producing Fugard’s South African plays. ASTC offered serious drama, comedy, and premieres of new work – including contemporary American plays, and often featuring local playwrights. Over time, the theater introduced cabarets and small off-Broadway style musicals, still a specialty.

Griffin’s MBA often came in handy. Fundraising and managing the business end of the theater were critical. In 1992, as the Carlyle development began to take shape, the theater lost its space. Norfolk Southern spent $150,000 building out a larger, 85-seat space a bit further down the street – again designed by Maginniss. At that time, Kamp moved on to other ventures, and Griffin took over as artistic director of the theater, which she renamed MetroStage.

MetroStage produced several successful seasons in the second Duke Street space, but in 1995 was displaced again by continuing development. This time the search for new space took longer, and involved a long fundraising campaign. In the interim, the company produced cabarets and did readings of new plays at the Lyceum and in other spaces around the Washington metropolitan area, continuing its tradition of showcasing performers in small, intimate spaces.

The current theater at 1201 North Royal Street opened in 2001. Long-time supporters Mel and Donna Bergheim were actively behind the fundraising campaign to convert the warehouse space, which had formerly housed the Smoot Lumber Company. Mel, a former vice-mayor, believed that the theater was not only a cultural asset, but also an economic development asset to the city. So he lobbied City Council to give MetroStage a 3 to 1 matching grant that helped complete the capital campaign. Supported by then Mayor Kerry Donley, the city offered a grant of $50,000 if the theater could raise another $150,000. These sums brought them to their goal, and made possible the $450,000 construction of a 150-seat theater with a spacious lobby and upstairs office space. Maginniss and BMK won an award from the American Institute of Architects for the project. The inside theater space was named for Donna Bergheim in recognition of her fundraising and support over the years. The theater has continued to pursue its mission of producing dramas, musicals, new work, and cabarets.

Asked how you get from an MBA to being a theater director, Griffin said she always appreciated and loved the power of theater. Born in Long Beach California, Griffin spent her early years in Hawaii, where her father served as a Naval officer. By the time she was in high school, they lived in Akron, Ohio. With her family, she regularly attended theater performances in Cleveland. After high school, Griffin attended Connecticut College. She came to Alexandria in 1969, moving into Parkfairfax with a husband in law school and a 2-month-old baby. She earned a BA in psychology from George Washington University, an MA in the same subject from Catholic University, and then that MBA.

Then as now, she had tremendous energy and a gift for involving others in her passion for the theater. Architect Maginniss and his wife Mary were friends from the Parkfairfax days. They had children the same ages and were members of the same babysitting coop. Maginniss served for many years as a board member as well as designing its theater spaces. “It is entirely because of her dedication that the theater has continued as an Alexandria institution,” Maginniss said. “She brought a legitimacy to the ensemble approach. In the eighties, she was really out front in terms of the types of theater she was putting on – the content.”

MetroStage is the oldest professional theater in Northern Virginia and is a member of the League of Washington Theatres. Yet keeping a professional theater company going is not always easy. Griffin’s supporters say that her tremendous drive and dedication, her love for theater and her total immersion in it, as well as her knowledge and business sense are critical. But clearly another big part of the equation is her connection to this community, her longtime friendships and the loyalty of supporters.

Attorney Beau Brincefield runs a law firm with 10 lawyers, but he’s also a professional actor who’s performed in movies, on stage and in television dramas. He met Griffin when he was cast as the male lead in an early production, “Talking Things Over with Chekhov,” and has been a supporter ever since. “She has a talent for identifying plays that deserve exposure. She has never compromised her artistic sense for the purpose of making money, which has made the road tough for her,” Brincefield said. “She uses her personal energy and human capital, her drive and dedication to make up for the limited resources she has to draw on to create and sustain a professional theater with high standards of artistic integrity.”

Trudy Levy, a past president of the theater’s board, went to acting school with Jill Kamp. Arriving in the DC area right after law school, Levy reconnected with Kamp and promptly became a board member – and met Griffin. “Carolyn is pretty much a force of nature, a visionary and very smart,” Levy said. She also cites Griffin’s contribution to the community, such as bringing professional actors and playwrights into Alexandria’s schools and recreation centers “to enrich the lives of youngsters and to ensure a future audience for live theater.”

Roger and Grace Machanic were there at the beginning and are still among the theater’s supporters. Grace is an emeritus board member and has choreographed productions for the theater. Roger helped to fundraise and negotiate for the space for the present location. Grace lauds Griffin’s integrity and intuitiveness, her determination. “She doesn’t lose her focus, she has a goal. No matter what comes her way, she keeps on and gets the job done.” Grace Machanic said the current focus on musicals makes her happy. “I just love to hear beautiful voices. Good music picks me up.”

Sherry Brown, who served the theater as director for management and resources for 11 years, said, “Carolyn brought the world to Alexandria, especially through the South African plays. I remember we were the first theater production ever reviewed in Pravda. One of the actresses was dating a Soviet reporter here and they published it – a good review by the way.”

Old Town North resident Marie Tavernini was pleased when MetroStage came to her neighborhood, putting a theater within walking distance of both her home and law office. Tavernini now serves on the theater’s board, and lauds Griffin’s energy and commitment, as well as her artistic goals. “She seeks out and produces plays and musicals that encourage social and cultural understanding while entertaining.”

Griffin says theater must entertain, but that the audience needs something more to take home with them. Of the 500 scripts she sees each year, Griffin said, “The ones I choose have to have hope. That’s the redeeming feature.”

What continues to motivate her, Griffin says, is, “the opportunity to choose work I believe in, to offer extraordinary roles to actors I believe in, and to share with an audience the results. I value it, I treasure it, and I have sacrificed for it.”

"Living Legends of Alexandria" is a project of the Rotary Club of Alexandria in partnership with the Alexandria Gazette Packet that documents the lives of individuals who have made tangible contributions to the quality of life in Alexandria.. Nina Tisara is Project Director. Carolyn Griffin is one of 12 Living Legends for 2007 whose lives will be chronicled in the Alexandria Gazette Packet, this year. They were chosen from the list of 49 people nominated by the public.