By Rachelle Porter and Garrett Porter
Date night started as Rachelle and Garrett ran out the door and raced (without speeding, of course) through the streets hoping to get to the Hale Center Theater Orem in time for the doors to open. We found the theater after only one second-guessed “crap was that the theater we were supposed to be at?” incident. But that’s what happens when you run out the door without checking where exactly you are going. Garrett quickly found us a parking spot and only yelled at one other driver. Okay two maybe three, but he has a tendency to do that anyway. Thus, for future visits, we plan on entering the parking lot on the southeast side to avoid a road raging Garrett.
Upon entering the theater, we skipped past the concessions directly to our seats. Settling into the new seating of comfy red velvet chairs, we chatted about the cozy atmosphere of the theater and the welcoming nature of the attendants who had showed us where our seats were. We were amazed by the detail of the set and props. We delighted in reading up about the director and actors of the play and guessed as to its majesty. Only upon returning home in excitement did we learn that Kiss and Tell originally debuted in 1943 at the Baltimore Theater with an impressive number of performances–totaling over 900 in all! Set in the midst of World War II America, playwright F. Hugh Herbert delivers a tale of teenage girls swept up in the love craze for the handsome “uniform” boys off fighting the war. Things quickly spin out of control as the traditional parents begin jumping to conclusions, only worsening the situation. Add in a hidden marriage or two and we had ourselves a show worth every dollar spent and more.
As the play developed, we quickly learned that Brighton Quinn Hertford was outdoing herself as spunky 15-going-on-20 year old Corliss Archer. Rather than just giving the lines, she brought life to the character and did a magnificent job capturing the different moods and the personality of Corliss. When mischievous Corliss and her best friend Mildred Pringle, played graciously by Allie Rae Saraiva, are caught raising money for the Red Cross by selling kisses, we learned that this play had been cast quite well. From short appearances of Lora Beth Brown as Louise (the maid) bringing moments of comic relief amidst the drama, to the sophisticated and gentlemanly appearances of James Bounous as Lieutenant Lenny Archer and Casey William Walker as Private Earhart, we approved director Kymberly Mellen’s casting choices. Jack Stokes also did a wonderful job with his dual roles of Mr. Willard, a painter who appears only in the opening scene, and Uncle George who begins the close of the show with a twist. Mark Pulham could not have been a better fit for Harry Archer, the witty father of Corliss. His fits of overwhelming rage and joy as he deals with the experiences of parenthood were shared alike by the audience.
Hands down, the show stoppers were two bright up and coming stars at HCTO. Ammon Loveless playing Dexter Franklin, obsessed with Corliss and neighbor of the Archers, and Mitch Bandley as Raymond Pringle, the ever annoying yet useful little brother of the Pringle family, brought down the house with their ecstatic and well played roles. The more quiet yet perfectly cast roles of Howard Fullmer playing Bill Franklin, Luone Ingram as Mary Franklin, Cathleen Metten as Dorothy Pringle and Shelly Stewart Truax as Janet Archer provided depth to the story that could not have been better enhanced by these actors.
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The only real critique we found was that the play had a bit of a rushed ending. The story was very well developed and then Kerplop! The End. Although the end was quick to play out, we wouldn’t hesitate in returning to experience it again! Overall, this was a fantastic performance put on by director Kymberly Mellen, cast and team of Hale Center Theater Orem. You will laugh, you will cry, you will cheer and if you don’t well ….at least we did!
Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 West 400 North Orem UT 84057
Kiss and Tell by F. Hugh Herbert.
Play runs from Dec 31 through Feb 8 with Evening performances at 7:30PM and Saturday Matinees at 3:00PM. Weeknight Tickets-A seat 19$, B seat 16$ Weekend Tickets-A seat 21$, B seat 18$. Children are 5$ less for A seats and 4$ less for B seats.
Call 801-226-8600
www.haletheater.org/
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