Broadway by the Iron Horse trail
There is a very nice little theater in Danville, with an excellent little art gallery in front. Why doesn’t somebody tell me these things.
Tonight we went with friends to see Reel Blondes, a musical comedy/revue in the Village Theater, right there on Front Street. This show started out 15 years ago in a hair salon owned by Victoria Brooks, the writer/producer/innovator/beautician who just needed to sing and dance to fill her life. The beauty shop is outgrown, and now they perform in the town theater, a fairly professional atmosphere.
First, though, the art.
A well lit room with both two and three dimensional art.
The theme of the current show is "Branches"
A second, smaller room still has a variety of works.
Although small, this gallery has excellent depth to its exhibition
The art exhibit was excellent, well selected and well displayed.
Through the art exhibit was the theater–a very modern establishment seating Here’s how the city describes it on their website:
Built in 1873 for use as a farmer’s lodge, the Village Theatre has been used as a Grange Hall, movie theatre, and church. Recognized as a historic site by the Heritage Resource Commission, the Village Theatre now serves as a performing arts theatre with a fine arts gallery located in the lobby area.
I think this is about 300 seats, good lights and a decent sound system. What more could a city theater want?
The show, you ask. What about the show?
It’s a riot. An hour and forty five minutes of non-stop skits. Excellent singing, more excellent dancing. The choreographer, Paula Wujek, did an incredible job, as the 8 players perform as Madonna, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, a box of Maxi Pads, Sarah Palin, a jar of grape juice, Rapunzel, Sully Sullenberger, Rasputin and a horde of others.
The performers, all of whom act, sing and dance, may not be full time professional Equity members, but they are all seriously talented people who have clearly devoted much of their life to their art.
Donald Trump makes a visit.
The writing is, shall we say, spirited. The plot is thin, to say the least. The dialogue is not up to the standard of Doc Simon or Athol Fulgard, but this is a local production done for love, not money. The jokes are as old as the theater building and who cares? The show is full of life and joy. The audience is encouraged to sing along, (but not dance, darn it).
There is another performance Saturday night, and then they will be back in May. You can go see more serious theater, but you can’t really have more fun in a theater than at Reel Blondes in Danville.
Totally Unauthorized 