The first show of Theatre Works season is the British drama, "An Inspector Calls". A young girl commits suicide and a respectable family is interrogated by an inspector. The happy family gathering is shattered and their true selfish behavior is revealed. There are many twists and turns in this show to keep the audience guessing until the curtain falls. Set in 1912, the play's message about caring for your fellow human beings, is very strong and poignant today especially with the current American tragedy of 2001.

Director Marge Conte and her cast of seven move the show along its mysterious path wonderfully. The questioning of the characters is interesting and you find out their hidden feelings. You also see if they have learned anything by this tragic turn of events or will they still remain the smug, selfish people they have always been. The gorgeous Victorian set and the beautiful costumes by Marge make this show visually exciting to watch, too. Her stage manager, Paul Adam keeps things in order onstage and backstage and her producer, Janet Cournoyer keeps things running smoothly in an organized manner, helping Marge to have a successful show.

Joseph Carlone and Carol Varden play the snobby British parents, Arthur and Sybil Birling. Joseph's pompous, know it all, talking machine father is only interested in the social status of his family. He makes this bumbling character, a reminder of how a father shouldn't behave towards his children. Carol, a fine character actress, also captures the air of superiority and tries to put one over on the Inspector. She stands up to him and uses a commanding tone of voice to accomplish it. The Inspector sees through both parents behavior and they are shown to be cruel people. Both Joseph and Carol show their change of moods by their line delivery and facial expressions, keeping their characters interesting to watch.

The younger people in this show are played by Josh Smith and Amy St. Pierre as siblings, Erik and Sheila Birling. They start off as happy go lucky and end up learning their lesson by show's end. Josh shines in his first major role on stage with great projection and wonderful diction. His line delivery and stage movements are very natural and done with the ease of a veteran performer. Amy, a pretty redhead, makes the constantly giddy, Sheila grow into a caring person when she finds out about her involvement with the dead girl. She makes the transition wonderfully, showing the different acting levels in her role. Amy stands up to her parents and her fiancee's bad behavior and they receive theirs at the close of the evening.

Gregory Bonin as Gerald Croft, Sheila's fiancee and Laurence Cagle as Inspector Goole deliver strong performances. Greg makes the rich fiancee into a real human being when he shows the warmth he felt for the dead girl's plight. Gerald helped her out in her time of need. Greg also shows the other side of Gerald. He hasn't learned anything after the interrogation and becomes as uncaring as Sheila's parents. Lawrence handles the questioning of the others perfectly. His rapid fire delivery induces them to confess their misdeeds. Lawrence handles his scenes with ease and keeps the action of this show moving. He also delivers the line about caring for each other which is an important lesson to be learned by one and all. Rounding out the talented cast is 15 year old Allison Cournoyer as Edna, the maid. So for an evening of mysterious goings on in England in 1912 go to "An Inspector Calls".

Theatre Works current show is the real life story of the Gilbreth family, "Cheaper by the Dozen". Told in flashback style by the two characters playing the children who authored the book, the show captures the strictness of the efficiency expert father and his underlying love and caring for his 12 children. Director Bert Cayer chooses a talented cast of children and adults to carry off this warm family play.

The three act play takes place in the 1920's and has a gorgeous set with furnishings supplied by antique dealers, Fred and Alice Reinhardt. Director Cayer handles the scenes with the family wonderfully. The father whistles for the family to assemble, reminding the audience of "The Sound of Music". He directs 8 children and makes them real people not artificial kids on stage. Bert also handles the comic entrances of the outside family actors very well, too. He is helped by producer, Anna Olson, stage manager, Melinda Tedeschi, costumer, Sharon Charette and lighting and sound operator, Chris Cournoyer by making the show run smoothly from start to finish.

The two narrators of the show are played by Alfred Fortier III as Frank Jr. and Kelley Marcotte as Ernestine. These two performers bring the proper amount of energy to carry off the scenes leading into the family flashbacks. They have a natural give and take and their scenes with the other children make you believe they are brothers and sisters in real life. Their facial expressions and reactions in their scenes are splendid, too.

The main storyline of the play concerns the coming of age of the eldest daughter, Ann and her rebellion against her strict, father. Real life father and daughter, Maurice and Allison Cournoyer play these roles. Moe makes the stern father believable and the audience understands he wants his family to use their time wisely because his time is so short. Allison plays the teenager who wants to get boys to date her beautifully. She gets the emotions across and interacts well with her 2 sisters and her 2 boy friends. Allison learned this huge role in three weeks, showing how talented she is. Dorothy Hunt plays Mrs. Gilbreth who is really the "boss" of this large brood. She does well in all her scenes especially the two touching ones with Moe and Allison. Dorothy also has some funny moments especially in the scenes with the snotty teacher, Miss Brill. Her real life son, Charlie plays the role of Dan and shows his talent by standing up to his father, reciting difficult German lines and continually carrying the family collie onto the porch. This is Charlie's debut in a community theater production and he does it with ease.

Rachel Miller-Sprafke and Michael Poisson play Martha and Bill, two more of the older children. Rachel and Michael show off their talent and have some comic moments to prove it. Some examples are when she tells Ann's boyfriend, she isn't really studying but going out with college boys and when he chaperones Ann's date constantly stopping them from holding hands and kissing. The younger children hold their own with their older counterparts with their cute portrayals. Emily Luther as Lillian, Pheobe Neel as Freda and the youngest child on stage and biggest scene stealer, Guy Guilbault Jr. as Jackie complete the family beautifully.

Another outstanding performance is by veteran actress, Melinda Tedeschi. She is adept at comedy and drama. Melinda makes this bitchy teacher, Miss Brill into someone the audience dislikes by her awful treatment of the children. She gets boos and hisses at the curtain call showing what a great job she did in her role. The boys in Ann's life are played by Steve Nichols as Larry, the football player and Josh Smith as Joe Scales, the cheerleader. Steve brings the right amount of depth to this kind hearted jock and has good chemistry with Allison in their scenes together. Josh is a hoot as a dippy, flamboyantly dressed cheerleader. He enters the house, teaches the kids a cheer and gets tossed out by Mr. Gilbreth making it very funny while doing it. Rounding out the cast are Lisa Forsgard as the exhausted maid, Mrs. Fitzgerald and Dennis Pruitt as the Dr. Burton who gets yelled at by Mr. Gilbreth. So for a wholesome, family show go see "Cheaper by the Dozen", you won't be sorry and you'll see a lot of talent on that stage.

Richard Rodgers' "Two by Two" is a fresh retelling of the Biblical story of Noah — but far from a straightforward Sunday school lesson. The building of the ark turns out to be only the first of Noah's many daunting challenges, and this production reminds us that being chosen by God for great things does not necessarily simplify the daily demands of being a father and husband. By turns inspirational and hilarious, it's good fun from The Good Book. Director Morgan Ban-Draoi provides a wonderfully entertaining production with a talented cast of eight principals and a group of grade school children playing the animals. Musical director Katie Estrella and her musicians give the production delightful sounds from the pit without overpowering the cast. Stage manager Mary Concannon keeps the production running smoothly; Sharon Charette and her costume crew are to be commended for the creative and realistic animal costumes.

Joseph Casey as Noah moves through the role's demanding range — 600 years old at the opening, a rejuvenated 90-year-old in the middle, aged back at the end — with ease and genuine warmth. His storytelling numbers "Why Me?" and "Two by Two" land with a lump-in-the-throat sincerity, and his strong portrayal keeps the show anchored throughout. Lisa Forsgard delivers a truly superior performance as Esther — her "An Old Man" tugs the heartstrings, and her final scene with Noah brings real tears. Christopher Gaulin as the youngest son Japheth is the production's standout: his rich baritone in "Something Somewhere" and "I Do Not Know A Day I Did Not Love You" showcases a remarkable talent, and his timing and chemistry with every cast member are excellent. Alicia Daigle as Rachel has a gorgeous voice — her rendition of "Something Doesn't Happen" and her duet with Gaulin are among the show's finest moments. Janet E. Cournoyer as Leah brings passionate, sometimes defiant energy to the role. Jessica Roch appears as Goldie, the girl chosen to pair with Japheth, and displays her beautiful operatic voice in "The Golden Ram" — her acting is equally witty and poignant. Steven Slate rounds out the principal cast as Shem. The creatures come in from the back of the auditorium and flow onto the Ark in one of the show's most charming staging moments. If you have not been to Theatre Works, "Two by Two" is the show you should not miss.

Theatre Works' final show of their 19th season is "Bermuda Avenue Triangle". The show takes place in a Las Vegas condo purchased by the daughters of two senior citizen widows. They want their mothers to enjoy life; however the two mothers love to be miserable and make everyone around them the same way. A loveable con-man changes their lives for the better, bringing much laughter to the audience. It also leads to the reconciliation with their respective daughters. Add a nosy Rabbi to the mix and you have the gist of the comic antics and situations that follow.

First-time director John Ricci hits pay dirt with this hidden gem of a show. He directs his cast with a lot of insight into their characters and brings out the comic moments very well. John also designed his bright pink and green condo set, which fits the Las Vegas setting beautifully. His stage manager, Josh Smith, keeps things moving smoothly during the scene changes with the help of his assistant, Maryann Ricci. The colorful costumes are provided by Sharon Charette.

The three leading characters are played by strong, veteran performers. Mark Anderson plays Johnny, the bon vivant rascal who brings joy and a lot of life to the widows' miserable lives. He listens to the monologues of the two women attentively, then weaves his own sad tale about his "dead wife". Mark lets the audience in on his con while he transforms the two women's lives. The tango with the arthritic Fannie and the removal of the curse on Tess are laugh-out-loud moments between all three actors.

Mark's real-life wife, Connie, plays the role of Fannie, the long-suffering Jewish widow. Fannie is weepy and whiny at the start of the show but Johnny's love turns her into a blonde vamp by the end. The tango scene is hysterical with Connie's stiff-legged, jerky moves in the first act and her older Rockette moves with her man in the second act. She is an adept comedienne but handles the touching scene with her daughter with ease, too.

The third part of this triangle, Tess, the Irish mother, is played by Carol Varden. She is an older shrew who is a very religious Catholic at the start of the show but with Johnny's help turns into a woman who loves having Johnny slap her backside. Carol is very humorous once the curse is lifted by drinking brandy and swearing in English and Italian. She also utilizes many good facial expressions and shows some tender moments later on with her daughter. The growth of both Fannie and Tess give this show the added dimension to show Connie and Carol's acting talents at work.

Playing the long-suffering offspring are Denise Luther as Rita, Fannie's daughter, and Christine Cardoza as Angela, Tess' daughter. They both make their stage debuts in these roles and handle them with ease — showing how much they care for their mothers while showing their exasperation, too. Dan Gaines rounds out the cast as the busybody Rabbi, handling the comic and conniving moments very well.

So for a fun night of comedy be sure to catch this laugh riot of a show at Theatre Works. (The group celebrates its 20th anniversary on June 29 — be sure to call Connie so you can join in the festivities.)