For a community theater to stage a big project like "The Sound of Music" could be daunting, but Lakewood Playhouse has done an outstanding job of bringing the Oscar-winning Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to life on its stage thanks to some great performers and savvy directing by Scott Campbell.

On opening night, Dec. 7, the audience visibly enjoyed watching the ageless tale unfold. The playhouse's theater-in-the-round setting adds a unique level of intimacy for the audience to feel like part of the action rather than to just be observers. Warm smiles were seen on just about everyone in the seats, especially those familiar with the love story that centers on the singing von Trapp family and their narrow escape from Nazis that were spreading like a virus through the family's Austrian homeland on the eve of World War II.

Adrienne Grieco plays Maria, the role made famous by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film. With wide-eyed sweetness and a singing voice that rings clear and true, Grieco is perfectly fit to play the exuberant young ingénue who wishes desperately to become a nun. The young actor is visibly comfortable in her role, perhaps because it seems so natural for her; her work in "The Sound of Music" often blurs the line between Grieco herself and the character she is playing. She is that convincing.

The seven young actors chosen to play the von Trapp children were equally enjoyable to watch. All deserve praise for their enthusiasm onstage, which made the production all the more charming. Claire Thoreson, a second-grader at Brooklake Christian School in Federal Way, plays little Gretl and she is adorable in her first production. Olivia Seward plays the eldest von Trapp child, Liesl. A portion of the story focuses on her budding womanhood and secret romance with a young man named Rolfe (Steve Barnett, also in his first show at Lakewood Playhouse) and the chemistry between the two young lovers comes forth during their duo "Sixteen Going On Seventeen."

As the story goes in "The Sound of Music," Maria is having trouble fitting in at the abbey she has just entered. Her superior, Mother Abbess (Frances Rankos) is torn over how to deal with the energetic postulant who wears curlers beneath her wimple and whistles carefree tunes in the hallowed abbey's halls. "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" she asks in the song "Maria." "How do you catch a wave and pin it down?"

Ultimately, upon conferring with Sister Bertha (Robin Sutton), Sister Margaretta (Molly Callender) and Sister Sophia (Cynthia Bettes), the wise nun decides that young Maria must experience life outside of the abbey's protective walls in order for her to know within herself that she is ready to take her perpetual vows. Against Maria's protests, Mother Abbess sends her to be governess to seven children who live in a mansion with their rather cold and distant father, Captain Georg von Trapp (wonderfully played by Christopher Gilbert).

Captain von Trapp runs his household with militaristic precision. With his wife having passed away recently, the decorated World War I captain of the Austro-Hungarian Navy suddenly finds himself solely responsible for his passel of children who greatly miss their mother's gentle touch. The von Trapp children love their father but also fear for him as he grieves in silence, pushing them away.

Enter Maria, full of life and song. She earns the mischievous children's trust and brings music back into their house, something they had not enjoyed for a very long time. She also earns the respect of the stony Captain – in fact, he develops romantic feelings for her and Maria for him, much to her horror. She is torn between her longing to become a nun and her escalating desire to be in the arms of Captain von Trapp.

While the von Trapp family grows closer than ever under the guidance of angelic Maria, a menacing shadow lurks all around them. Nazis are systematically taking over Austria and they demand that Captain von Trapp join them as a Nazi officer. He is dead set against it and expresses his inner resolve to remain true to his beloved Austria in the touching song "Edelweiss."

In the face of such a dangerous situation, Maria and the von Trapp family risk their lives to stay together, forming a blessed family bond that could never be put asunder by evildoers no matter how powerful they become. The ending is a very happy one, just right for the Christmas season.

Lakewood Playhouse has a real winner on its hands with its charming new production "Holes." Based on the popular, award-winning book by Louis Sachar, later made into a Disney film, the comedy/drama is sure to please viewers of all ages with its universal themes of friendship, justice and being true to one’s self.

Henry Walker plays Stanley Yelnats IV, around whom the story centers. It seems Yelnats is a good child yet a magnet for abuse. He ends up getting lots of it when he is wrongly accused of stealing and sentenced to do time at Camp Green Lake, a dust bowl of a youth correctional facility in the middle of a west Texas desert. There he meets a group of boys who challenge him on many levels, both physically and emotionally, but the young man perseveres and by the end of the story he achieves personal growth and the happiness for which he yearns.

Yelnats is convinced that he is subjected to so much grief because of a family curse waged on his Latvian great-great-grandfather by a gypsy in the 1800s. However, the curse turns out to be a blessing when it leads the boy to realize his destiny to clear his family’s, and his own, name. In the meantime he must spend his days doing manual labor, digging one hole a day "as wide and as deep as your shovel," snarls dominating taskmaster Mr. Sir (Scott C. Brown). Under the blazing sun, and with very little water, he digs with the other adolescent inmates who are also misfits in their own ways: X-Ray (Izaic Yorks), Armpit (Alex Domine), Magnet (Jonathan Hogue), Zig Zag (Lex Gernon), Tough Kid (Hunter Larsen) and Zero (Joseph Allegro).

Camp Green Lake is a bad place run by bad people with the warden (Christie Flynn) forcing the detainees to dig for something she wants to get her hands on, something that, unbeknownst to her, will release the secret of Yelnats’ past. Several different stories intertwine into one in this multi-layered play and in the end it all comes together with the bad guys finishing last and the good guys finally getting what they rightly deserve.

Walker, a junior at Stadium High School, plays Yelnats with heart and the friendship he strikes up with the adorable little Zero (Allegro, a student at Mason Middle School) makes the play quite enjoyable and at times downright heartwarming.

All the boys play their roles very well and it is their energy that makes the play at once funny and touching. The cast includes about 20 actors, some who play multiple roles. There is a lot going on in this play, and although it does not get confusing the viewer is best advised to pay close attention to the storyline. Presented "in the round" at Lakewood Playhouse, "Holes" encourages a deeper level of intimacy with the actors such that the audience feels like part of the action rather than just observers.

The play is directed by Naarah McDonald.

The Lakewood Playhouse continues its 2006-2007 season with the production of Peter Shaffer’s "Amadeus." The production opened on March 30 and runs through April 22.

The play is set in 18th century Vienna, then the capital of the Hapsburg Empire of Joseph II. The tale of the career and premature death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is told from the point of view of Antonio Salieri, a court composer of the Emperor Joseph II.

The action begins with the aged Salieri (ably portrayed by Scott C. Brown) being wheeled out onto the stage in a wicker wheelchair. Haunted by whispered accusations that he destroyed Mozart, Salieri summons "ghosts of the future," the audience, to hear his confessional tale.

Discarding his turban-like nightcap, his heavy night-coat, and his wheelchair, Salieri takes on the strong voice and the upright posture of his past days and commences to narrate the story. The narration, directed at the audience, is punctuated by vignettes of Salieri’s interactions with Mozart and members of the emperor’s court.

As a composer himself, Salieri finds himself to be the only one able to discern the divine inspiration in Mozart’s music - and yet he despises the potty-mouthed (parent advisory for harsh language), arrogant young man that Salieri perceives as a vessel of God’s music.

Upon hearing the music of Mozart, Salieri knows how poor his own compositional abilities are by comparison. "I felt my emptiness as Adam felt his nakedness," he laments.

The drama is a tragedy not only for Mozart, but also for Salieri, who is willing to destroy his own soul in order to thwart God and Mozart. He is like that prideful Lucifer in Milton’s "Paradise Lost" who would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven.

Members of the audience can despise Salieri - both as a character and a historical figure - for causing the premature death of Mozart. If his claim is true, he robbed the world of all the music that might have been when he cut short a brilliant career. What might Mozart have accomplished had he been given due recognition and a comfortable living? Yet at the same time Salieri is a fascinating character to watch in his self-destructive contest against the divine forces that he sees at work in the person of Mozart.

As Salieri, Brown has his work cut out for him. The role requires that he carry the bulk of the performance on his shoulders. He proves up to the task, capturing the complexity and depth of the character. The script requires that he shift from an ailing old man to his younger self and back again several times. He interacts with the other characters at the same time that he narrates his ongoing confession to the audience.

Erin Chanfrau’s cross-shaped stage proves to be an interesting artifice. The actors stride and cavort back and forth, up and down and over the narrow, cross-shaped platform that runs through the span of the theatrical space.

The cruciform arrangement of the stage also adds a layer of symbolic meaning to the play, helping to emphasize Salieri’s belief that Mozart is a creature in which the divine is incarnate. Mozart is in this sense a Christ-like figure, odd as it may seem. The point is brought home in the scene in which Mozart dies in the arms of his wife, Constanze, in the very center of the cross/stage. The two are positioned in the manner of a pieta, with Constanze cradling the dead Mozart just as the Virgin Mary is depicted cradling the dead Jesus.

On the downside, the use of Mozart’s music handled just a little too softly. At times, one almost has to strain to hear it, so ephemerally is it handled. Perhaps this was deliberate on the part of director Scott Campbell, but it can have the effect of causing a distracting frustration. One desires to better hear the music that is at the root of the drama.

Weighing in at three hours in length (dare it be joked that the play has "too many words?"), the play requires the audience to hold its attention for longer than is customary in this era of the remote control.

Theatergoers would be well advised to get a sugar boost during the intermission. The theater offers an array of sweet confections in the lobby. The "nipples of Venus" are especially recommended.

All told, Brown’s performance and the thought-provoking material make attendance at Lakewood Playhouse’s production of "Amadeus" a worthwhile endeavor.

Dr. Seuss is a name that conjures up images of shaggy, saggy creatures amid wildly tipsy and tangled architecture. Rhythmic, nonsensical rhymes and streams of conscious storylines are indelibly seared into our minds. So unique and without antecedent are the Dr. Seuss books that they have retained a state of timelessness. They are firmly entrenched as part of our cultural baggage.

Recent years have seen the Dr. Seuss characters and stories appear in both Hollywood cinema and on the Broadway musical stage. "Seussical" is the title given to the latter, a Dr. Seuss-based musical conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Monty Python's Eric Idle.

Now, via the talents of the Lakewood Playhouse, "Seussical" has come to life in the Tacoma area. The Lakewood Playhouse production of "Seussical" opened Dec. 8 and will run through Jan. 7. The opening night of this musical circus was well attended with many children present in the audience.

"Seussical" is a patchwork of Dr. Seuss tales that are stitched together into an overarching narrative and set to music. The basis for the whole narrative is given as the places thought into being by Jojo, instigated by that maker of fruitful mischief, the Cat in the Hat. At base, the narrative centers around Horton, the good-hearted and long suffering elephant who becomes the defender of the Whos on their speck of dust and is also duped into sitting on a nest to incubate an egg.

As a subplot there is the story of Gertrude, the plain bird who is in love with Horton and tries to grow a wonderful tail in order to get him to notice her. Other side stories take place in Whoville, where there is a war between the "butter-side uppers" and the "butter-side downers."

The musical compositions by Flaherty and Ahrens are lush and various, ranging from the raucous, full cast blasts like "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think" to haunting and melodic pieces like "Solla Sollew."

Lakewood Playhouse managing artistic director Marcus Walker both directs and acts, playing the starring role of Horton. He brings a depth of acting experience to the role and is successful in giving his audience a portrayal of a creature who is unwaveringly good and is possessed of a huge capacity for endurance in doing right.

Also starring in the production is Peter Gernon as Jojo, the boy who is at the center of everything, including thinking the whole Seuss world into existence. He is drafted into an absurd war and holds dialogues with Horton, the protector of his tiny world.

Both Walker and Gernon bring energy and stage presence to their roles. As this is a musical, however, cast members are required to sing as well as act. Walker and Gernon both are able to carry a tune that is for the most part quite adequate. Neither, however, has the ability to give their melodies that professional quality of vocal creaminess necessary to elevate their solo parts into truly dreamy realms. As a result, songs like "Alone in the Universe," which is a musical dialogue between Horton and Jojo, suffer somewhat. Yet even here, where their voices are fully exposed, the two do manage to have a haunting effect.

Karen E. Christensen is fantastic as the Cat in the Hat, the narrator, master of ceremonies and the court jester of the show. She sings her parts with a strong and brassy voice that is comparable to that of Janice Joplin.

Perhaps the most well-rounded member of the cast, gifted with both acting skills and musical abilities, is Stephanie C. Nace who plays Gertrude, the bird with a "one feather" tail who is desperate to remedy that perceived shortcoming in order to attract Horton's attention.

As the Sour Kangaroo, Cynthia Bettes, a music and drama teacher at Hudtloff Jr. High, belts out her parts with such in-your-face gusto that she cannot but succeed in making herself into the obnoxious instigator to Horton's persecutions. She is amusingly backed up by fith grader Sariah Brumet ,who plays the young kangaroo that is the echo and accent mark of her mother's strident opinions about Horton.

Frances Rankos' costume designs are a mixed bag. The bird characters are wonderfully done. The "Bird Girls" are dressed in airy, shimmering green outfits and have eyelids, noses and lips done in exotic swirls of green. Another bird, the Amazing Mayzie, is similarly made up in sparkling reds. The denizens of Whoville are also well-done - especially the Munchkin-like mayor and his wife, and the soldiers who look as if they've come straight from the toy box.

Scott C. Brown's lighting brings a number of wondrous moments, such as the effect of an underwater space during one of the songs. During a piece called "Havin' A Hunch," the Wickersham Brothers perform a dance wearing white vests and white top hats under black light. The effect is joltingly magical.

Hats go off to the musicians who played the entire instrumental accompaniment live. Terry O'Hara's keyboard skills carry the bulk of the load.

With "Seussical," Lakewood Playhouse has pulled off another success. A musical fantasy realm is brought into being. Characters vaguely remembered from childhood readings of the Dr. Seuss books are summoned forth to sing and cavort in a deliberately off-kilter carousel of tunes that go twirling by, one after the next - almost too quickly to grasp.

It’s just before dawn in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, N.H., (population 2,642) in May 1901, with the sun just rising over the mountain and a train passing by – that’s how the stage manager Scott Campbell described the setting of the play "Our Town" at Lakewood Playhouse when Act I opened. Description was the key in this production.

The sets are minimal to say the least, and the props are non-existent. Both are left up to the imagination of the theater-goer, assisted by the vivid descriptions from Campbell who steals the show in Act I and II. It’s no wonder he won a best actor award for his portrayal of George Milton in "Of Mice and Men." Campbell is also associate artistic director at the Lakewood Playhouse. Not only does he serve as stage manager, a major role in this production narrating between scenes and acts, but also as a minister, a worker at Mr. Morgan’s Drugstore and other minor roles. He is a superb actor, never missing a beat. He is amazing to watch as he graciously walks across stage or looks on from the side sharply dressed in gray slacks, a well-starched white shirt with tie and a gray vest with a gold pocket watch tucked in the front pocket. For those unfamiliar with Lakewood Playhouse, it’s a thrust setup with the stage area in the center and seating available on three sides.

During Act I, the stage is divided into two sections – the homes of the Gibbs and Webb families. The houses are represented with a couple of chairs and tables. The viewers imagine (courtesy of Campbell’s descriptions) ideal homes with white picket fences as well as plentiful gardens in the yards. The story of "Daily Life" in this ordinary town begins with Mrs. Gibbs (played by Laurie Sifford) and Mrs. Webb (Aya Hashiguchi) making a hearty breakfast for their children. The talent of the actors in this production comes through as early as this opening scene with both Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb flawlessly opening cabinets, preparing breakfast and pouring coffee and juice for the family members. (To reiterate, minimal props were used in this production).

However, to help jumpstart the imagination of viewers, sound effects come from off stage. For example, when Howie Newsome (Nathan Daniel Hicks) makes his daily milk deliveries, no horse appears onstage though audience members hear the neighing of "Bessie," as Howie calls his horse. In addition, they hear the clinking of milk bottles as he sits them on the porches of the Gibbs and Webbs and picks up the empty bottles. Throughout the first act, viewers get to know each member of the Gibbs and Webb families, especially the older children – Emily Webb (Erin Culbertson) and George Gibbs (Chad Russell). The chemistry between them is apparent even at a young age.

Act II, "Love and Marriage," begins a few years later in July 1904 on the wedding day of Emily and George. After a brief intro, the audience members get to see a flashback of when the young couple knew they were meant to be together – the day they sipped ice-cream sodas at Mr. Morgan’s Drugstore. It was a heartfelt moment, and Campbell asked theater-goers to think back to a time when they first fell in love and could barely think or walk straight.

Thornton Wilder’s "Our Town" doesn’t just tell a story but forces the viewer to think about his or her own life and whether he or she is actually living it or just going through the motions day in and day out. As director of Lakewood Playhouse’s rendition, Doug Kerr does an excellent job bringing this philosophical meaning to life through the actors. In addition to Campbell’s, other highlight performances were delivered, most notably in Act III by Culbertson in her debut role at Lakewood Playhouse, and by Russell, an actor, stage manager and director for over 15 years.

Agatha Christie's 1934 murder mystery "Black Coffee" opened to a packed house at the Lakewood Playhouse Friday, Sept. 8. The play will run through Oct. 1 with a "Pay What You Can" showing on Sept. 14 and a cast benefit night on Sept. 28.

"Black Coffee" features Christie's fastidious and dry-witted Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, here played by Michael Dresdner. John Munn directs this Lakewood Playhouse production of the classic whodunit.

On a warm, late summer's evening, the Lakewood Playhouse can get slightly muggy, but the intimacy of the arrangement- with the audience practically seated right in the middle of the drama- soon makes one forget oneself as the eye begins to follow the intricately choreographed "musical chairs" kind of character positioning, the characters' trips to the little bar right down in front, and all the various other comings and the goings of the actors on the stage.

The drama is set in the library of the house of Sir Richard Amory (played by Tim Goebel), a wealthy English scientist and an inventor who has come up with a valuable formula for a weapon of mass destruction. When the formula goes missing, he calls in the services of Hercule Poirot, the famous detective. By the time Poirot arrives, however, Sir Amory is dead in his chair. Thus is set in motion a complex double mystery: who took the formula and who killed Sir Amory? Was it the debt-ridden son, the mysterious daughter-in-law, the Italian doctor, the sweet aunt, the flirtatious niece, the secretary, or the butler? Poirot has his work cut out for him.

A high point of the production is Dresdner's twinkling-eyed portrayal of Poirot, the prim, mustachioed, and rotund detective who is possessed of such astute intelligence - ah, those fabled "little gray cells" - and such keen observational skills that he is able to read the most minute details and seemingly frivolous musings of the other characters to work his way inexorably through to the truth. He uncovers the truth behind the mystery of the murder, and along the way he unveils truths that the characters around him have been hiding from one another.

Dresdner plays his starring role with aplomb.

Other notable performances are turned in by Joel Nicholas as the sleek, sly and charming Italian doctor who has a hidden agenda, and by Deya Ozburn as the voluptuous, 20's era floozy who is rude enough to speak the truth and yet is as amused at herself as everyone else. Elliot Weiner amusingly portrays the valiant and befuddled Captain Hastings.

The play is enlivened with many comical moments. The dialogue, for example, is peppered with little xenophobic comments about "Italians" and "foreigners" by some of the English characters. These are funny for what they reveal about the characters that speak them and rarely fail to evoke laughter from the audience.

If there is one drawback to this drama, it is that one never really feels the tyranny of Osier's Sir Amory, the murder victim. We never get a visceral sense of the suffocating domination that he is supposed to have imposed upon the members of his family who live under his roof. This robs the play of some of its dramatic tension. A viewer must remind him- or herself that the characters are in this state of desperation, but the desperation is never really felt in the gut. This fault may lie more with Agatha Christie's script than with the director or the actors.

Overall, however, the Lakewood Playhouse production of Agatha Christie's "Black Coffee" is well worth an excursion to this treasure of a theatre tucked away in a corner of the Lakewood Towne Center. Watching Poirot at his work is eminently absorbing.

Community theater is known for producing some of the best under the radar productions, but undertaking such a production as “The Three Musketeers” is only something that the Lakewood Playhouse could have accomplished.

Brotherhood, betrayal and love are the themes so vivid in Alexandre Dumas’ original tale of King Louis XIII’s loyal servants, Porthos, Athos and Aramis, who are joined by the ambitious d’Artagnan.

"The story has been adapted many times for film and stage; a few musical versions were even composed," said director Scott Campbell, who noted the playhouse used the adaptation by Erin Chanfrau for its play. More than 160 years later, "the story still captivates our imaginations."

The cast is considerably larger than normal; the set is a little more elaborate; and the list of credits including a fight director makes the story truly complete. But with the playhouse’s intimate stage the story is still better than ever.

For those unfamiliar with the tale, it centers around three guardsmen played by Scott C. Brown, Jeff Hanson and Christian Doyle. They are wise cracking, loyal to the king and fond of beautiful women and are often seen coming back from the pub. The trio is challenged by a spirited boy, played by Brian Lewis, who hopes to become a musketeer. However, Lewis eventually ends up being their closest friend and ally.

The plot thickens when the sinister Cardinal tries to overthrow the King by accusing the queen of treachery and his friends as foes. But the game is fair in love and war, and while the musketeers are a little tattered, they emerge victorious to save the king and remain loyal to each other.

The play is indeed the longest production, coming close to three hours, which I have seen from the playhouse in a while. But I give credit to Campbell, who portrays the play so exact to the book and the movies. He didn’t leave any stone unturned.

Lewis is the perfect Ken-doll version of the ambitious d’Artagnan, and Hansen portrays the perfect combination of religion and military when Aramis struggles with the decision of whether or not to return to a life of the church and give up his sword fighting days.

But for every good spirited character, there must be several sinister characters to counteract. Snow White had the evil witch, Sleeping Beauty had another evil witch, and the 101 Dalmatians had yet another evil witch.

So, who did the Three Musketeers have? An evil witch, or the typical femme fatale — Comtesse de Winter, played by Julie Haakenson. She was scorned in love and now seeks revenge in often the hardest of ways. But in my opinion, Haakenson gave one of the best performances — a true diamond, or witch, in the rough.

Lakewood Playhouse brings audience members, residents of the village of Anatevka, back to 1905 in its current production, "Fiddler on the Roof," which runs through April 30.

"This is the largest, most ambitious production in the five years I've been here," said Marcus Walker, playhouse artistic director who also served as director for this show.

The musical, "Fiddler on the Roof" by Joseph Stein, Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, requires a cast of 30-plus to accurately portray the life of townspeople in the Russian village of Anatevka during the pre-revolution period in Russia.

Throughout the almost three-hour production, theater-goers experience the life of a Jewish peasant, Tevye (Michael Slease) the milkman, his wife Golde (Carol Richmond) and their five daughters.

"Fiddler on the Roof" tells their story of struggle between staying faithful to their religious traditions and keeping up with the rapidly changing "outside" world.

The musical begins with the "Orchestra on the Roof," as Walker referred to it, filling the playhouse with music followed by the entire cast appearing on stage from all which ways, singing "Tradition" led by Slease, who has a marvelous voice.

Walker warned audience members at the onset of the show that cast members "come out of every corner of the theater."

For those who have never experienced a production at Lakewood Playhouse, it's a black box theater, which means the audience members sit in a square around what is used as the stage, basically just an empty space in the middle.

This demands little to nothing being created as far as a permanent set goes but allows creative usage of props and small set pieces such as a table here or a chair there.

Throughout the scenes, cast members transform the empty area into a farmhouse, an inn and a town square. It's amazing what can be created with just a few props and audience members' imaginations.

The plot revels around Tevye, attempting to live a normal life while finding the appropriate husbands for his three eldest daughters - Tzeitel (Renee Roberts), Hodel (Keri Costello) and Chava (Olivia Seward).

Tevye tries to abide by Jewish traditions and allows the matchmaker of the village, Yente (Debbie Birkey) to pick a husband first for his oldest.

Yente decides the butcher Lazar Wolf (Michael Dresdner) should wed Tzeitel. Even though he is much older than her, Lazar Wolf is lonely and cares for Tzeitel.

News of this arranged marriage pleases both her parents, Tevye and Golde, since Lazar Wolf is a successful business owner in town and is fairly well off.

However, Tzeitel was less than happy and wants to marry Motel the tailor (Samuel Rudolph), who she pledged herself to. After much deliberation and thought, Tevye gives his approval.

Though, it's not so easy for his other two daughters of marrying age when they wish to follow their hearts instead of the matchmaker traditions of their culture.

If this wasn't enough to drive a man insane, ethnic Russians are instigating trouble against a large portion of the Jewish population, forcing many to flee their homes and villages.

Tevye does a superb job taking on both the roles of a concerned father who wants nothing but happiness for his daughters as well as a man the townspeople look to for advice. He is undoubtedly the star of this production.

Though, Roberts' portrayal of Tzeitel comes in a close second. She effortlessly captures the feelings of a 20-something young adult who wants to follow her heart. In addition, she is a wonderful singer and dancer as are her sisters. Their performance of the song "Matchmaker" is a must see.

All of the cast members, the youngest to the oldest, did an exceptional job and really made audience members feel as if they were a townsperson in the small Russian village, and the song and dance numbers just added to the overall experience of the production. Songs performed include "If I Were A Rich Man," "Miracles Of Miracles" and "Do You Love Me?"

The latter is a heartfelt number performed by Tevye and Golde, which poses a question neither has asked before.

If the story line wasn't enough to draw audience members back a century, the well-done costumes, created by Lauren Walker, did.

We all have dreams - dreams to become something better than we are now. And it is a variety of these dreams that encompass Lakewood Playhouse's newest production, "A Raisin in the Sun."

Set in 1950s Chicago, Lorraine Hansberry's classic play delves into the struggles segregation and oppression brought to the African-American community in the early part of last century and their pursuit to realize their dreams. And it is director Frederick Charles Canada who brings this very real struggle to life.

Canada first saw "A Raisin in the Sun" in the summer of 1963 and said he "relishes this opportunity to direct this play that brings back memories from a now distant past." With a solid cast and realistic set design, the production is both inspiring and heartbreaking.

The play portrays a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago. The story begins with the Youngers awaiting an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the deceased Mr. Younger's life insurance policy.

Early in the play, each adult member of the family establishes an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money. The lady of the house, Mama (Lena), played by Eva Abrams, wants to buy a house to fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Her son, Walter Lee (Lance McQueen), would rather see the money put into a liquor store he dreams of investing in with his friends. Walter's wife, Ruth (Sarita Williams), agrees with Mama, in putting the money into buying a home - all in the hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis (Izaic York).

Finally, Beneatha (Ijeoma O. Okpala), Walter's sister, wants to use the money for her medical school tuition.

As the story moves along, the characters become more complex and their issues deepen.

The entire cast's performance is the stuff great productions are made of. Canada's casting of all parts, big and small, is right on the money and at times, it was hard to remember if I was watching a play or a moment in time.

In her first formal play performance, Abrams' portrayal of Lena (Mama), is both dynamic and strong. Abrams exemplifies the struggles Mama, her family, and their community faced in their world during this time in history.

Williams' take on Ruth Younger, who is emotionally strong but withered beyond her years, is wonderful and real.

McQueen's ever dreaming Walter Lee takes hold of the audience and never lets go with his struggle to discover a quick solution to his family's financial problems all the while trying to find himself and hold his marriage together.

Okpala breathes vibrant life into the character of Beneatha. She gives an inspiring and refreshing performance and adds a complex dimension to list of characters.

York embodies the character of Walter Lee and Ruth's son Travis with much ease. His portrayal of a pre-teen boy is funny yet sweet and truly encompasses the essence of such a young age.

The production's supporting cast is just as impressive. Frank Reed's portrayal of Beneatha's ultimate love interest Joseph Asagai is bright and energetic, and Beneatha's other flame, George Murchison (Ekello Harrid, Jr.), is perfect as a wealthy socialite. As the only white character in the play, Patrick Schroeder's work as Karl Lindner, a representative of a housing development, is solid.

Erin Chanfrau's set design and Jane McKittrick's costume design capture the time period beautifully and allows for the cast to shine to their full potential.

Canada's production of "A Raisin in the Sun" is a true masterpiece and will undoubtedly inspire and touch the hearts of all who come to see it.

Fifty years after the beloved "Peanuts" characters were first created by Charles Schulz, they still captivate audiences with enjoyment.

Lakewood Playhouse's current production of "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown," is a musical that brings to life all the characters and centers around a simple, yet clumsy boy wanting to fit in.

Truth be told, there isn't a bad production I have seen at Lakewood Playhouse. The sets are well done, the script is well rehearsed, the characters are flavorful, the actors are talented, and the costumes are perfect.

This production was no different.

A veteran director at the playhouse, Michael O'Hara, maybe best known for his comical musicals, best summed up the production by saying "children haven't changed."

"Their situations and predicaments are as relevant today as they were when Mr. Schultz began his comic strip," he described in the production notes. "Yes, the exterior of today's kids may be vastly different, but the inner hopes, dreams, and disappointments remain closely connected regardless of the generation."

He couldn't be more right.

The full house on Jan. 8 opened with Charlie Brown describing how he's never won a single item. No baseball games, no football games, no spelling bees-nothing. He's in a word, simple.

Yet his close friends: blanket carrying Linus, piano loving Schroeder, bossy Lucy, his kid sister Sally and of course his loveable dog Snoopy think otherwise. They are convinced that he may be average and the only good quality about him is his hands, but he is still a good man.

A great scene is when he is eating lunch. Sitting alone, he pulls out his peanut butter sandwich and recites a verse that shows lonely people are proven to eat peanut butter sandwiches.

Johnathan Reed acted out this loveable misfit with ease. You feel sorry for his state of messiness, but can't help but love him.

Sally, performed by Rachel Morton, is down right witty and funny.

She decides jumping rope is futile, that her teacher is being too harsh on a school project and debates about a speech she has to give about the past, saying that she wouldn't know about the past because she wasn't there.

Schroeder is played by Peter Punzi, who comically adores Beethoven and prances around the stage amidst friends flashing a countdown to the Big B's birthday.

Even Snoopy got a little limelight with actor Jerod Richard Nace, who portrayed the dog as under appreciated, yet loving.

"There's no hope of advancement," he said. "Today I'm a dog, yesterday I was a dog and tomorrow I'll be a dog."

The rookie of the cast, Drew Dresdner plays Linus with perfect admiration for his blanket and his thumb. He even breaks out of his inner shell to do a dance duo with his blanket that came to life.

Patti Sprague gave life to Charlie's tormentor Lucy, who on one hand is known to be the meanie of the group, yet struggles on how to be nicer.

It is comical when she goes around asking her friends what they would rate her on a bossy scale. Of course they are quick to rethink their decision, knowing if they give the wrong answer it could mean a fist in their face.

This is a light-hearted production with comical tunes and hilarious dialogue. All the actors are talented singers and rave from vast experienced backgrounds.

Go see the production because it's two hours where adults can let their hair down and reminisce about their childhood and younger viewers may not see that much of a difference between the characters and themselves.

But one thing is for sure-you've done a good job, Lakewood Playhouse.

Lakewood Playhouse's current production of "Lilies of the Field" is an endearing story of hard work and the value one man can have. Adapted by F. Andrew Leslie from the novel by William Barrett, it follows the story of free-spirited loner Homer Smith, who fixed up a bed in the back of his station wagon and headed to the remote Southwest. On his way, he encounters a group of nuns working in the dusty fields and offers to help. Homer soon realizes that the nuns, who speak with a heavy German accent, have very little to call their own, not even a chapel. They are full of faith and the head mother, Maria Marthe, is stubborn and doesn't give a thank you easily to Homer. What began as just helping the nuns for one day turned into an extended stay for Homer. It showed him that giving a little of yourself goes a long way. Though a man may be free in every way, it is ultimately his emotions and big heart that keeps him tied to helping the nuns.

On Oct. 22, the show had quite a full house at Lakewood Playhouse. A rustic set was the perfect scene for the dusty fields, or the shop in town where the nuns went to buy supplies to build a church. "Lilies of the Field" isn't an average play. It follows more along the lines of "Grapes of Wrath," rather than "Grease," where words are not always spoken, but the feelings are there. It is a wholesome play, maybe a little deep for younger children to understand but a knockout for adults. The humorous spots included when Homer was teaching the nuns English and one term in particular, station wagon, caused some difficulty. Or the humor could easily be seen when Homer and Mother Maria came to blows about seeing eye-to-eye. Homer wanted to get paid for the work he had done, but Mother Maria refused to pay him. They both used versus from the bible to get their point across to each other.

But beyond the humor or the richness of characters, was the shining moment in the play where Homer stood amidst the chapel he had built by hand. He looked up at his hard work and just paused, dumbfounded with no words to speak. It made any spectator reminisce back to their hardest job in life and how adamant they were about finishing it. Once it was done you bask in the ray of your work. And that is where this play succeeded. The viewer doesn't feel disconnected from Homer and the nuns. You felt in someway you were Homer or the nuns, trying to complete a job that seemed impossible. For Homer, it was the chapel. For any of us, it could be a project at work or trying to repair a tire. But regardless of the struggles facing a project, the human spirit never fades, and the sense of achievement is only that much more when you are done.

Applause goes to David Dear who played Homer Smith. This native of Tacoma sure pulled off Homer's role with ease, even nailing the Southern accent. Jeanne Ross, who played Mother Maria Marthe, was that perfect combination of harsh tyrant and caring woman. Though director Stacey Gassman may have made her directorial debut with "Lilies of the Field," she did it with grace-and definitely made this critic leave the play in tears-and that by far is a job well done. "Lilies of the Field" continues through Nov. 13 with showings on Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd. SW. For more information call (253) 588-0042.