C.S. Lewis' beloved tale of four children, a wardrobe and a magical land called Narnia has enjoyed bursts of popularity in the 60 years since it was originally published. The book has been fashioned into a TV series, big-screen adaptations and theater production, and yet the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre has found something new to bring to the story:

Puppets.

"We thought it would be a new thing, which fits with our educational outlook here. It gives the actors the opportunity to do something new," said Nicki Poer, director of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and also the director of education and outreach for the Civic Theatre.

The actors she is referring to are actually children between the age of nine and 18, as the Civic Youth Theatre is performing the play.

In Poer's production, youth actors dressed as wood nymphs and sprites can be seen onstage operating the large puppets.

"It's a different way of puppeteering as well," she said.

Besides the innovations in costuming and acting, the Civic Youth Theatre also has a unique interpretation of the set.

"We have a big multiplatform set," Poer said. "It's got at least 12 or so platforms, a long ramp in the back, the stone table, three different entrances on each side, stairs...it's conceptual."

Though she confesses that she didn't initially know what she wanted, she's impressed with the result.

"There are pieces of fabric that can be trees or snow and a gigantic painted background, and there is some magic with that," she said.

The crew operating the set is also made up entirely of youth.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Civic Auditorium, Kalamazoo March 5-14, times vary $6.50 kazoocivic.com, (269) 343-1313

"We had 183 youth audition, and we kept 31 onstage and 32 on our crew," Poer said. "The talent and the work ethic of the youth are amazing."

The Civic Youth Theatre performs three productions a year, and the Civic offers year-round educational classes and camps.

"The characters are written in a certain way and the youth develop their own take," Poer said. "It's a fun challenge [for them]. The way that we're doing things brings about looking about things in a different way but we're sticking to the story in a way that everyone knows and loves."

 

Other Theatre Events

The Little Dog Laughed
Actors' Theatre
143 Bostwick Ave NE, Grand Rapids 49503
Mar. 18-20 & 25-27, 8 p.m.
$22
actorstheatregrandrapids.com, (616) 234-3946

Mitchell is an actor living in New York with a "slight recurring case of homosexuality," as his agent, Diane, puts it. When the sexually confused Mitchell is cast in a lead role that happens to be gay, Diane worries his recent relapse into a homosexual relationship with Alex, a male prostitute, will harm his career. To keep her job, she must find a way for the show to go on.

RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
Broadway Grand Rapids at The DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids
Mar. 5-6, 8 p.m.
$25-$55
broadwaygrandrapids.org, (616) 235-6285

For those who weren't alive in the ‘60s to experience Beatlemania firsthand, or last year for the first RAIN performance, seize the opportunity to "come together" with other Beatles fans for a live concert. Although the original fab four have long since disbanded, this quartet of Beatles look, and-sound, alikes help resurrect the magic of the Beatles. Accompanied by historical footage, the replicas rock out to an extensive repertoire including early jams like, "Can't Buy Me Love" and ballads like "Let it Be". RAIN offers a great alternative to renting Hard Day's Night or Across the Universe to get your Beatles kick.

Chicago
Gilmore Theatre Complex, Kalamazoo
Mar. 18- Apr. 2, show times at 2 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
$20
wmich.edu/theatre, (269) 387-6222

This musical finds a way to make murder, corruption, and greed look sexy, sophisticated and jazzy. Set in the prohibition era, Chicago follows Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, two women made famous by the crimes they've committed — so famous that they've had to hire not only a lawyer, but an agent as well. However, it's not all for song and dance — the show poses a satirical commentary on the idea of criminal celebrities and the judicial system.

The Cries of the Wolves
Lab Theatre, Calvin College
Feb. 4-6, 11-13
$5-$10
calvin.edu/academic/cas/ctc, (616)526-6282

Sudan gets press. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan aren't strangers to the media's limelight. But when it comes to the War in the North Caucasus, also known as the Russian-Chechan Conflict, how many of us have heard about the tens of thousands killed and hundreds of thousands displaced?

Chechnya is a small country in the mountainous North Caucasus region with a population of more than one million. Its contentious relationship with Russia dates back to the 19th century, when Russia annexed Chechnya into its expanding empire and subjected Chechnya to Russian governance. Since then, whenever Russia has suffered internal uncertainty, Chechnyan separatists have rallied for independence, and Russian authorities have responded heavy-handedly. The results are never pretty.

Chechnya tried to secede following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. This led to the First Chechnyan War of 1994-96 and later the Second Chechnyan War of 1999, which has only just recently come to a halt at the end of this past year. Throughout these little-known events, guerrilla warfare, terrorist-style bombings, and human rights abuses have been common occurrences. The wars have taken the lives of more civilians than fighters and forced 40 percent of Chechnyans to leave their homes.

Recent Calvin College-graduate Moriah Ophardt first learned of this dark chapter in Chechnyan history five years ago while working at an English-teaching camp in Berlin. There, many of the students were Chechnyan refugees. While Ophardt tutored them in English, they tutored her in the history of the ongoing Russian-Chechnyan conflict that had driven them to Berlin. Her immediate response was, "Why is this news to me? How come so few people know about this? What can I do?"

Determined to help but uncertain just how, Ophardt returned to Michigan. As a college student, she devoted all her free time to theatre, acting, choreographing, and designing costumes for productions such as Sense and Sensibility, The Tempest, Dead Man Walking, and The Government Inspector. In theatre, she found the answer to her quandaries about the unknown stories of her Chechnyan refugee friends. She then began writing a play.

The script would take her five years to complete, working on it in whatever open spaces she could find in her congested schedule of college courses and theatre productions. The script's completion also required another trip to the English camp in Berlin. Funded by a grant from her school, this time, instead of teaching English, Moriah along with fellow student Brandon DeWyn interviewed and filmed the testimonies of Chechnyan refugees. Together their testimonies form the basis for her first play, The Cries of Wolves, directed by Michael Page, which will run Feb. 4-6 and 11-13 in Calvin's Lab Theatre.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Grand Rapids
Feb. 26- Mar. 21, 7:30 with Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
$16-$30
grct.org, (616) 222-6650

God shows He's got style when a traditional black and white biblical parable becomes a colorful onstage production.

Since its original conception in the late 1960s as a short school production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has grown in length and reputation as a nontraditional interpretation of a traditional story about much more than fashion.

Adapted from the "coat of many colors" story in the book of Genesis, the musical follows Joseph, a boy with a unique gift for interpreting dreams. His special talent makes him stand out as his father's favorite of 12 sons, marked by the gift of an iridescent coat. Joseph's jealous brothers sell him as a slave to travelers passing through the desert, who take him to Egypt. There he works as a servant for many years until he winds up in jail, where he interprets the dreams of his cellmates and eventually the dreams of the Pharaoh himself. Through the dreams, Joseph predicts a plague and is put in charge of preparing for it in order to save the Egyptians from starvation - including his long lost family.

The narrator, played by Peggy Keuning, and Joseph, played by Reid Coe (Cinderella's Prince Christopher and Grease's Danny Zucko) are the two central characters. They are joined onstage by an eclectic group of 53 performers, including a 25-member children's choir. Their vocal power is necessary, as, with the exception of a few lines, the entirety of the play is fueled by song.

Executive Director at the Civic, Bruce Tinker, explains the family oriented musical as a modern way of telling the story. Watching the story unfold through actors and song creates a different and lasting impression.

"It is definitely an Old Testament message," said Tinker. "It reminds kids how to tell a story. Kids get a message versus just reading the King James version of the Bible."

Don't be mistaken, this show is not just for children. It is designed for an audience of all ages, including 20-somethings.

"[The show] does take an open-minded and humorous look at a biblical parable, which is something that our community will appreciate," said Marketing Director Jennifer Prater.

What she described as "a cornucopia of musical styles" is represented, including calypso, pop, country, and blue grass.

The musical also addresses the question of how you discover who you are.

"In the beginning, Joseph is kind of a jerk. He knows he's special but doesn't know why. It isn't until he loses everything that he is able to discover why," said Tinker. "The coat is not only an object but a symbol that exhibits how special you are, and a metaphor for how much stronger we are when we're all working together."

The essential message is inclusion and acceptance in an increasingly multicultural world.

The production reminds the audience what it's like to pretend-- an important pastime for all of us to remember, kids and adults alike-- but one that is all too easily forgotten.

The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From
Louis Armstrong Theatre, Allendale
Feb. 25-27, 7:30 p.m.
$6
gvsu.edu/theatre, (616) 331-1876

Mysteries aren't always as serious as crime shows like CSI make them out to be. When the Hardy Boys hear from the school nurse that Nancy Drew must get married because she's got a "bun in the oven," they put their sleuthing powers to practice to uncover the mystery of what that means and where babies come from. A light-hearted, one-act play, this comedy is one that's entertaining to watch even though we all know the answer.

NETworks presents Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo
Feb. 23-25, 7 p.m.
$28-$55
millerauditorium.com, (269) 387-2300

For those who crave a happy ending, make your way to Kalamazoo's Miller Auditorium for the traditional, pure fairytale Beauty and the Beast. This classic tale about a prince stuck in the body of a beast who meets a beautiful provincial girl isn't love at first sight. The unlikely duo are accompanied by singing household staff including the kitchenware, a clock and a candlestick as they perform songs all can sing along to.

Is He Dead?
The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Kalamazoo
Through Feb. 13, performances at 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
$9-$22
kazoocivic.com, (269) 343-1313

Mark Twain is dead, but his words are not. This manuscript, long known but unpublished until 2003, turns to the stage. In this comedy, Jean-François Millet is a starving French artist who is deep in debt. Only dead painters achieve fame and fortune, so in order to increase the value of his paintings, Millet stages his own death. However, the "dead" artist is resurrected as his "twin sister" and hilarity involving cross-dressing, mistaken identity, and romantic deception ensues as Millet must get out of a dress, come back to life as himself, and woo the woman he loves.