FAMILY FRIENDLY A Wolf In Wolf’s Clothing
TOURING MUSICAL COMEDY COMES TO WALTON ARTS CENTER WITH A MESSAGE
Friday, November 20, 2009
Not every actor would appreciate being called “slimy” in a review. And that’s not how Jon Gentry sees his character in “Peter and the Wolf.”
“I tend to think of him as very urbane and suave,” says Gentry, one of the eight-man touring company coming to the Walton Arts Center Saturday. “There are a couple of points where he gets a little angry, but he’s not a mean, snarly wolf at all.”
Still, the veteran actor admits, “I have made one kid leave the theater crying.”
Of course, the Arizona Republic critic also called Gentry’s performance “stellar” when Childsplay debuted the musical comedy in its hometown of Tempe.
“Directed with theatrical vision and style ... the tale is told with puppets and with actors who portray the fanciful animals with shimmering appeal,” Chris Curcio wrote. “If you have little ones who haven’t been to a live performance, you couldn’t select any better message-driven play...”
The original “Peter and the Wolf” was also intended to appeal to young audiences. Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev was commissioned by the Moscow Central Children’s Theater in 1936 to write a piece that would introduce children to orchestral music, and each character in the resulting story has a musical counterpart: the flute for the bird, the oboe for the duck, the clarinet for the cat, thebassoon for the grandfather and French horns for the wolf.
In Allison Gregory’s adaptation, commissioned by the Seattle Children’s Theatre, the story again follows Peter as he explores the dangers outside the garden gate. But this time, dialogue and songs help tell the tale.
“This is more of a musical comedy version,” says Gentry, who has performed with Childsplay for 27 years. “It’s lots of fun and very silly.”
Gentry says the play comes with “a whole big set, wild costumes sort of like Cirque du Soleil on steroids - and the Wolf is sort of a cross between Liberace and a Vegas showgirl!”
The tour is a lot less glamorous. Gentry says the five actors, a stage manager, sound man and wardrobe master go into a venue, put up the show, do the show, take down the show and get back on the road.
Gentry is one of two actors who plays multiple roles, including the Wolf and Grandfather. He’s wanted toact since elementary school, “but I never thought I’d be doing it. I was teaching, and I came home one day and found a message from David Saar (founder of Childsplay) saying he needed an extra person for a show. And he said I’d get paid! I just sort of stayed.”
Gentry knows not everyone who sees “Peter and the Wolf” will aspire to be an actor.
“But live theater engages them,” he says. “Because it’s not all handed to you, you have to use your imagination more. It engages you on amental and emotional level.
“And because it’s live, almost anything can happen!”
Parents will enjoy it, too, he promises.
“It has the really savvy humor adults can appreciate as well,” he says. “It’s just tons of fun.”
Entertainment, Pages 25 on 11/20/2009
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