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Still
Bearing Fruit
Depending on the season, orchards can be ugly places. Repetitive rows of grim timber claws dimly drip with indigo skies. No comparison to the brimming fractal greens and pink scents of spring or the intertwining bounty of fall harvests. Artificial creations, sure, but orchards often stand more for romance and nuance than yield. Especially when some wise guy wants to cut them down and vomit up some condominiums — orchards are extra ugly when they're gone. Speaking of revolting cuts, LCC's theater department was chopped to the stumps in 2002. In response, faculty, students and community members formed the Student Productions Association (SPA) to counter the deficits, volunteering time and resources to provide quality theater. In SPA's ambitious production of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, adapted by David Mamet and directed by Patrick Torelle, the central character is fading aristocrat Lyubov "Lovie" Andreevna. Lovie (Sparky Roberts) returns to her doomed orchard during the onset of the Russian Revolution. She's broke, and yes, some wise guy (Chris Pinto) wants to cut her family orchard down and … well, you know the drill. Faced with loss of home and position, Lovie falls victim to egomaniacal delusions, neurotic flirtations and irrational spending habits instead of taking a proactive approach and managing her potential. She's used to being the family ATM and center of the universe. The orchard can't be saved, but Lovie's denials help set a course for her eccentric family and fiendish friends. Thanks to a 15-member, mostly student cast, character motivations can be confusing. But by the second set, familiarity sets in and the story sense improves considerably. A deep broad stage with window box settings supports the clash of over a dozen clownish characters and exposes the audience to various interlocking relationships. The result is an involved dark comedy, flush with sadness, boozy bellowing and corset-ripping lust. Roberts anchors The Cherry Orchard emotionally and psychologically; her Lovie is a lusty, congenial, complicated mess. Other standouts include Tyler Walls as the brittle valet Firs, Matthew Keating as Lovie's billiard-ball brother Leonid (Keating as Leonid would make a hilarious Russian sitcom) and Michelle Nordella as Charlotta, a gypsy governess. Nordella, who studied with professional magicians for the part, performs surprisingly good stage magic between sets and within the play. The scale of this production couldn't happen without SPA, yet its funding is tenuous. See The Cherry Orchard while the magic's still there. The Cherry Orchard runs though Oct. 21. Performances on LCC's Main Stage (Building 6) start at 8 pm. $10.
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