"The Rink, The Musical" strong cast at Opera House Players

EAST WINDSOR - "The Rink, the Musical" is a relatively obscure, rather serious musical that could not have been better cast or staged.
Every member of the nine-person ensemble was terrific, with not a weak link in the bunch.
From the lead roles of the mother, Anna Antonelli, played with wise-cracking earthiness by Kathi Such and Nicole R. Giguere’s heart-felt portrayal as Anna’s prodigal daughter, Angel, down to the all male chorus who play a broad spectrum of characters - they were all stellar.
The plot centers on a decaying roller rink at a seaside resort whose heyday has passed it by. Anna has sold the rink to developers and it is about to be demolished, when her long-absent and estranged daughter, Angel, reappears unexpectedly.
The story is told in a series of musical flashbacks, where the two struggle towards mutual understanding and forgiveness.
The play, originally produced on Broadway in 1984, starred Chita Rivera, who won a Tony for her performance, and Liza Minnelli, who was nominated for a Tony.
Despite the star power behind the show, the production, written by Terrance McNally, never became a bonafide hit, and closed after a short run.
While none of the songs were particularly memorable on their own, they worked together well enough to tell the detailed history of love and loss.
There was humor along with some genuinely funny scenes interspersed amongst the more serious mature segments.
Without giving away too much of the story, there was no nudity, however there was a graphic "mature audience only" scene that was as powerful as it was surprising - well handled by director Philip D. Vetro.
Early on in the production there was a dance number with construction workers which was amusing. Later in the show the construction crew all roller-skated on the stage and were a lot of fun to watch, with fine choreography by Todd Santa Marie.
Such and Giguere both have powerful Broadway-belting voices, which was a good thing, because they sang a lot. Their voices also harmonized beautifully together in their duet "The Apple Doesn’t Fall."
Maria Meier who played the little girl gave a strong performance - more than holding her own with the adult cast.
Other notable characters were Tom Knightlee who played a variety of roles, including one hilarious Mrs. Silverman, reminiscent of Mike Myers’ Linda Richmond "vaclempt" character from "Saturday Night Live," along with the equally funny Dallas Hosmer as Mrs. Jackson.
Tom Knightlee, who looks much like Keanu Reeves, also played a number of roles, and had a fine, crisp, and clear tenor voice.
All in all, the cast, under Vetro’s assured direction, was better than the material, and the actors made the most of what they had to work with.


THE RINK, THE MUSICAL

Two and one half stars

Theater: Broad Brook Opera House, 107 Main St. Broad Brook

Production: Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Book by Terrance McNally. Directed by Philip D. Vetro. Musical direction by Tom Slowick. Choreography by Todd Santa Maria. Assistant director and dance captain Khara C. Hoyer. Stage manager Paul Leone. Produced by Moonyean Field. Lighting designed and operated by Diane St. Amand. Sound designed and operated by Devon Gamache.

Running Time: Two hours plus one 20 minute intermission

Show Times: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Feb. 24
Tickets: $20, $16 for over 65 and under 12. Call 292-6068 to purchase tickets. For further information visit their Web site at www.Operahouseplayers.org

Actor...Character
Kathi Such...Anna Antonelli
Nicole R. Giguere...Angel Antonelli
Maria Meier...Little girl
Tom Denihan...Guy, Dino
Tom Knightlee...Lino, Lenny, Punk #3, Peter Reilly
Michael Reilly...Policeman
Dallas Hosmer...Buddy, Hiram, Mrs. Jackson, Suitor #2, Arnie
Mark Wantroba...Tony, Tom, Punk #1, Suitor #3, Booby Perillo
Sam Donovan...Lucky, Sam, Punk #2, Suitor #1, Junior Miller, Danny