 |
| some residents of Avenue Q |
Mazeppa Productions, located
in Christ Church Neighborhood House Theatre on 20 N. American St, Philadelphia,
Pa is presenting Avenue Q
through July 27. You might miss the theatre’s location, as I did, the first go
round as it is located off 2nd Street between Market and Arch, but it
is well worth driving around the block to find it. I expected to be shocked by
the language of the show (I was not) . I expected to be amused. (I laughed …A LOT)
What I did not expect was the talent in the cast of this fledgling theater company. Mazeppa Productions has only been in
existence since 2011 and was founded with the express goal of bringing exciting
works of musical theater to Philadelphia.
While all of the cast members of Avenue Q have some on-stage experience,
many of them are still students or very recent graduates with degrees in
musical theater. The aggregate talent of
these young performers is astounding. Kudos to Mazeppa Productions founders Rob
Henry and Brian Seaman for providing a venue for such talent to be heard and to
blossom. The cast not only works well with puppets. Prop Designer Annie Heath’s
talking boxes were also a huge hit with the entire audience. Erin McCourt must also be acknowledged for
designing such a perfect set. The season
continues with cabaret-style performances and a two-day Rapunzel event. I hope that as this theater company matures
they will be able to add more full length productions to the schedule. This
will not only provide further experience to the cast members resumes, but bring
additional enjoyment to Philadelphia musical theater lovers as well. For further
information or tickets, call 265-559-9602 or visit online at www.mazeppaproductions.org.
