By Hannah Hacking Brown
Simon Bilius Conrad is back for its second run at the Angelus Theater on Main Street in Spanish Fork, and it’s incredible. I was a part of the show last year, so I was excited to see it from the other side, and my husband, who had seen the show three times last year and knew the solution to the mysteries, was pleasantly surprised that he was kept interested and invested the whole time.
Cobb&Co is a sibling-owned theater company that writes and produces original plays and musicals. This is the second run of John Cobb’s Simon Bilius Conrad, the first being a year ago.
Silvia Bates (Emma Webster-Ford) aims to apprentice herself to the best of the best, and in her chosen profession, that means Simon Bilius Conrad (Matthew DeleFuente), witch doctor, and she won’t take no for an answer. Follow the duo as they solve three mysteries of demonic origin, and grow closer in the process.
The Angelus Theater on Main Street is a historic staple. Originally built as a movie theater over a century ago, the venue now serves as a stage for live theater, music, and youth arts programs. Parking is located on the street in front and in the small lot in the back. The place has an antique vibe, and I fell in love with it the first time I walked in and saw the starry ceiling mural and the angel holding an electric guitar above the stage.
DelaFuente and Webster-Ford play opposite each other incredibly well with a wonderful chemistry. DelaFuente’s charismatic spin on the character kept a grin on my face, and my husband invested. Webster-Ford’s feisty temper contrasted with her vulnerability really deepened the character and made her truly seem like a full person.
Jade Higley reprises his role as Matthew, Simon’s faithful butler with a secret, and I love it. His chemistry with DelaFuente really drIves home their bond.
Given the anthology-style presentation of the story, many of the actors play multiple roles, and that kind of versatility is so fun to watch. Plus, one of the things that make watching a show you know inside-out so fun is the totally different approaches taken by the director and the actors. I won’t do any comparing to the old cast, because it’s generally highly unproductive, aside from this one, which I am uniquely positioned to make: I can readily admit that in my opinion, which is biased toward myself, Amanda Ruth Wilson (Raven/Mary/Demon/Villager) plays a better Raven than I did. Truly, she kills it. Her dynamic with Nate Whorlton (Mayor/John Harrison/Wolf/George) in books 2 and 3 warmed my heart. Whorlton is incredible, and every time I see him, I’m more convinced that there is no role he can’t play. Sami Orme Nordin (Poppy/Villager) looks like she is having so much fun and made me feel it too. Chelsea Lynn Tramell brings a capital-A Attitude to Mrs. Farnsworth that I wasn’t expecting to see and she blew me away. Steve Whitehead (Dressmaker/Stable hand/Demon/Alfred) makes such delightful comedic characters. Austin Ray has little stage time in his part as George Woodstow, but he makes excellent use of it. Every word is clear, even as they are frazzled and tired. He puts so much character into his speech without losing any of the understandability.
This year, J. Cobb directed the show himself and it was fun to see it as he’d pictured it when he wrote it. He brought forward the moments of comedy while balancing the sober moments of characters with high stakes.
Sound (designed by Stanley Johnson and run by Bonnie Leslie) is hard to do in a space not designed to carry sound, but this is very well done.
I adored the costumes. From Conrad’s bright red coat and bowler hat to Silvia’s classy ensemble complete with caplet, to Alfred’s tacky yellow bow-tie, Erin Cobb really set the time period for us. I especially loved the demons’ costumes.
The set (designed by Ruthie Cobb) impressed me thoroughly. The bulk of the set was a handful of three-sided flats with each side painted to be a different backdrop that could be turned and moved to completely change the location, and with how many locations the show takes place in, it’s a really clever way to get the most possible mileage out of each set piece. Stage hands did scene changes behind narration and even sometimes into start of scenes, completely unobtrusively, partially thanks to Nathan Nordin and Justin Stockett (lighting design and execution). By lighting only the narrator, the stage hands can do their work behind him without distracting from the show.(Seriously, the notes I took on the lighting were: “Heart eyes. Final reveal? Drool.”)
Simon Bilius Conrad is a family friendly show, great for family nights or date nights or heck, even a me-time night out.
I had a very fun evening with the show, and though I was sad scheduling conflicts had prevented me from being a part of the cast or crew, I was thrilled to get to see the end result, and it didn’t disappoint.
Cobb&Co Theater presents Simon Bilius Conrad by John Cobb.
Angelus Theater, 165 N Main St, Spanish Fork, UT 84660
Monday-Friday November 11-21 7:30 PM
Tickets: are $18 general admission, $16 child/military/senior/student, group passes for groups of 6 for $96 (which is $16 per person) at the door, $14/$12/$72 respectively when purchased online.
Ticket Link
Contact: Cobbcotheaterproductions@gmail.com
Cobb&Co Website
Cobb&Co Facebook Page
Simon Bilius Conrad Facebook Event
Press reel
0 Comments