Video by Noah Parker
After being hired to work for an upper-class family in the city, Toby, a red-headed farm boy with a witty sense of humor, attempts to see the unfolding love story before him succeed.
Director: Richard Major
Cast: Colby McKeehan, Kristen Branch, Jeanette Hartsough, Michaela Williams, Hope Dingus, Jacob McGlamery and Colin Morgan
There is something to be said about the fairy tale genre, and it’s not anything particularly nice. What was once a genre full of so much potential has, perhaps inevitably, been worn out over the years. Production after production, tired joke after tired joke, the genre has become a thin retread of the same old gags, beginning, predictable climax and ending. Fairy tales tend to be relatively simple productions, and those on a low budget might aim for either a juvenile, comedic interpretation of one or for a sincere fairy tale that has been popularized through Disney. Either way, what happens in these plays is almost always generic.
However, there are those rare instances in which a theatre company or department will stage a production that has been selected with passion and care. “A Toby Show” falls into this rare category. Not only that, but it is perhaps the funniest stage production that I have ever seen. Rarely do I ever actually find myself laughing out loud at theatre, usually because the attempts in delivering the heart and effort needed to produce these laughs are generally lacking. “A Toby Show” has no trouble whatsoever in producing the quality entertainment one should expect from a serious department or company.
“A Toby Show” is roughly an hour long and is enjoyable from beginning to end. It should be noted that “A Toby Show” markets itself as a unique spin on the classic fairy tale of “Cinderella.” While this is arguably true, the play feels much more like its own thing, which is probably something that any theatre company could ever hope for, especially if it’s a production drawing inspiration from another source.
“A Toby Show” is able to stand alone due to the phenomenal performances by its cast members. I’m a huge fan of theatre, and, more often than not, lines are mumbled, quickly slurred or softly spoken, adding an unintentional wall between the audience and the performers. However, with “A Toby Show,” the performances were so passionate, so well-acted, and ultimately so spot on that the production felt like an unfolding series of events that I was merely a witness to. Toby breaking the fourth wall on a number of occasions, surprisingly, made the production much more personal, testament to freshman Colby McKeehan’s fully devoted performance. Junior Kristen Branch played Cindy with a sincerity often lacking in renditions of “Cinderella.” Meanwhile senior Jeanette Hartsough–as the often-screaming Mrs. Van Undersquire–added a sense of surreal humor, especially regarding the scenes surrounding Colonel Dinwiddie (played masterfully by an almost unrecognizable senior Colin Morgan) and his invisible dog, Ulysses.
Junior Michaela Williams and senior Hope Dingus played the stepsisters of this loose fairy tale rendition to perfection, filling the production with ridiculous poetry and opera singing. The two made the show something of a spectacle to watch. Nothing could replace the sheer joy I got out of watching these two on stage together.
Senior Jacob McGlamery played Prince Burtock, a character acting as a sort of intermediary between Cindy’s desires and Toby’s efforts. Nonetheless, the character is a central part to the story. McGlamery’s performance was one full of subtlety and even maturity, balancing the play’s absurd surrealism and basic storytelling into a seamless narrative.
Richard Majors’ direction really shines through in “A Toby Show.” The performance was so energetic, and the actors were entirely committed to their roles. I must also applaud Pamela Adolphi and her direction of scenery. I was surprised by how fantastic the set looked, despite this being a relatively small production. It was without a doubt the perfect design for Aurand Harris’ play “A Toby Show.” If Milligan College does another production of this play in the future, this reviewer highly recommends seeing it.
