Audience promised Once in a Lifetime laughing good time
by Ashley Clark, reporter

    Caroline Rivera, student and cast member, describes Once in a Lifetime as the kind of show that will make the audience wish they were on stage rollicking, romping and dancing with the cast.

   George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s comedy, which is opening on NE Campus tonight at 8 p.m., features three destitute vaudeville actors in the wrong place at the perfect time.

   The Jazz Singer, the first film talkie shown to the masses, has opened, and troupe-mates Jerry Hyland, George Lewis and May Daniels, played by Stephen Levall, Derek Whitener and Jennifer Dodd, respectively, are inspired to sell their act and head for Hollywood.

   The goal is to catch newly unemployed silent film stars and enroll them in a brand new school of elocution. The problem is the trio know very little about the trade.

   Whitener plays George, the endearingly dim actor who ends up in the center of a plot line funnel cloud.

   “I found this character fun,” he said. “This was very fortunate because I find most leading parts boring, but I’m glad this one is more of a character part.”

   Dodd plays May, the levelheaded and at times brutally honest voice of reason.

   Levall’s character of Jerry is the medium of the three.

   Three acts find the trio on a train, in a hotel lobby and in the famous Glogauer studios. Sets are quickly and dramatically changed using wagons and a variety of set and lighting designs.

   Rivera arrives on the set as the famous silent film star, Phyllis Fountaine. Rivera said there is a good reason her character is having a difficult time breaking into talking pictures—she has a really horrible voice.

   The actress desires to keep her character’s dialect a mystery.

   “You have to have a little suspense,” she said.

   Phyllis shares her silent screen time with another well known, Florabel Leigh, played by Jenell Underwood.

   “What is great about her is that even though she doesn’t have the best voice, she carries herself as though she does,” Underwood said.

   Florabel and Phyllis are elaborately costumed in designs created by Whitener, who makes his costume design debut with this play.

   “This would be the most challenging part of the production,” he said.

   Despite the trial of juggling a lead role and costuming a cast of 23,    Whitener has enjoyed combining his own unique style with the look of the ’20s.

   “The theme for my design was that of a coloring book,” he said. “The costumes you see are bright solid colors with black outlines.”

   Whitener credits his costuming talents to training he received at Keller High School under the direction of Gail James.

   It was James who inspired Whitener to transform recent styles to fit the vintage times needed for the production.

   Helping Whitener realize his costuming visions is Kate Nuttall, who not only sewed several of his original designs, but also plays Helen Hobart, the famous Hollywood gossip columnist.

   “She thinks she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread,” she said.

   The actress also described her character as somewhat naïve.

   “She doesn’t understand everyone is laughing at her,” she said.

   Actors have also welcomed the NE Playhouse directorial debut of Joe Alberti.

   “Joe’s wonderful,” Whitener said; “he has brilliant ideas and he’s extremely organized.”

   Whitener especially enjoyed dancing the mambo during several rehearsals with Alberti.

   Rivera shares Whitener’s admiration, but says she has one small concern.
“He never laughs,” she said.

   Hilarious, fast-paced and fraught with original and traditional style are a few ways to describe Once in a Lifetime.

   However, Whitener chooses to wrap it up in one word: fun.

   “Everything in the show is fun. The characters are fun; the Charleston is fun; the audience will just have a lot of fun,” he said.

   Performances are tonight through Saturday at 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday.

   Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students and free for TCC students, faculty and staff.

   Call 817-515-6687 for ticket reservations.