Hey guys! Sup?! I had the most awesome, freakiest experience last night. Actually, it was a good kind of freaky and I think you should get your freak on too! What am I talking about? Glad you asked! I think you all should come and, well, you know, like chill with the cast and crew of Freaky Friday presented by The Maryland Theatre Collective at The Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park. I guarantee you will laugh, applaud, and cry. Yeah dudes, it’s like that good. So let’s hang for a few and I’ll let you know what I mean.
The Maryland Theatre Collective is a relatively new company formed by the merger of two other companies, The Heritage Players (est 1975) and The Baltimore Theatre Collective formerly started as The Purple Light Theatre Company (est 2012). So far their productions have been top notch in both form and function, delighting audiences and showcasing the abilities of some of Maryland’s homegrown best talent, and this current show does not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination.
Anstey started in all in 1882 by penning a story called “Vice-Versa: A Lesson to Fathers”. It was adapted in 1976 by Mary Rodgers who adapted Anstey’s novel and switched the protagonists from father and son to mother and daughter Ellen and Annabel Andrews. Said novel was further adapted to a film version by Disney in 1975 starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster as mother and daughter (respectively). Disney went on to create two additional screen adaptations (1995 starring Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffmann, 2003 starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan). Then, in 2016, it was turned into a stage musical (based on the Disney films) with book by Bridget Carpenter, Music by Tom Kitt and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Actress Heidi Blickenstaff played the mother and went on to reprise her role in another Disney televised film adaptation in 2018, with the daughter played by Cozi Zuehlsdorff. Mom/daughter were renamed for the musical to Katherine and Ellie Blake.
The story is set in present-day Chicago and tells the story of a mother and teenage daughter who argue a lot (that never happens, right?) and have no comprehension of the daily trials and tribulations of the other. They are given a chance to do just that, although unintentionally and not by choice, through a bit of magical intervention which causes them to switch bodies. What follows is a hilarious and downright touching story of self-discovery and understanding of what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. It all makes for one freaky Friday and some excellent theatre.
Director and co-Choreographer Tommy Malek (working alongside fabulous co-director/co-choreographer Atticus Cooper Boidy) has the Midas touch when it comes to putting on a show. His insights and style have been honed and polished through years in the business and this current production continues to showcase his inimitable style and fingerprint. Malek has many strong points, one of them being casting. He and Boidy have put together a cast of some of Baltimore’s finest vocal and acting talent. There was not one weak link that this reviewer could detect. Everything is seamlessly fluid and, as the story line builds, the audience is taken along on the journey scene-by-scene through song and dance. Malek knows how to tell a story (and get his actors to move!) and has crafted yet another standing ovation warranted production.
Let’s talk for a minute about those voices. OhMyGod you guys (sorry, wrong show, but it fits). Everyone has their own voice, and were cast partly for their vocal ability, but it takes an expert to coach, teach and bring out the best in voice, a task which is handled with aplomb by Musical Director Rachel Sandler. Sandler (who has a golden voice of her own) has worked with Malek to make the vocal portion of the production shine. Yes, it’s a musical and people sing in musicals, but it’s not always great. However, through a collaborate effort between Malek & Sandler, (a seasoned, historical partnership which for this production included the creative collaboration of Atticus Cooper Boidy), a cast of vocally strong performers were cast, directed and groomed. The result is not only great, but superb. Sandler is a gifted muse when it comes to voice, and what the audience hears is a true testament to her ability to not only teach a score but to ensure that everyone is on their A game from solo numbers to ensemble pieces that ring out with glorious harmonies.
Lighting and Set Designer Atticus Cooper Boidy is one of those people that has a flair for knowing what works. Boidy is no novice to community theatre, having directed shows as well (including co-Directing this one!), and continues the collaborative effort with Malek & Sandler to bring a set to life through a series of pieces that, through what seems like effortless scene changes, takes the audience from the living room, to a school hallway, to a bus station, to a backyard. The lighting effects are also well designed and executed, and perfectly accent the scene as well as the mood of the scene. This is something Boidy understands well (how lighting can affect and convey mood as surely as the actors convey it through acting and song). In addition, Boidy co-choreographed the show with Malek and the dance numbers also shine with the mark of a true artist.
Misunderstood and underappreciated teenager Ellie Blake is played by Alyssa Wellman Houde. Houde’s Ellie is full of teen angst. Still upset at the death of the father, she anguishes over her mother’s forthcoming marriage, girlishly delights in her crush on schoolmate Adam, and is going through the growing pains that most teens experience at one time or another. Trouble is, we only get to see that side of Houde in the opening number “Just One Day”. After the “switch” Houde deftly changes into the persona of her mother, showcasing some excellent acting chops. So much of this show is built upon this change-of-personalities within each other’s bodies, and on what the show’s true message is based, and Houde’s ability to become her mom is quite amusing to witness. And oh my, can she sing and dance!
Katherine Blake, played by Jamie Erin Miller, is the busy working mom of two. A professional caterer, planning her own wedding and rehearsal dinner (complete with magazine reporter/photographer present doing a feature story on her/her business), Miller is the mom who loves her kids but is so caught up in her own life that she doesn’t recognize the struggles her daughter is going through. As with Houde, Miller switches personalities after the opening number and spends the rest of the show as her daughter. It’s a delight to watch her transition and channel a misunderstood teen trying to grapple with this awkward stage of life. Miller’s interactions with several characters, most notably Ellie’s brother Fletcher, makes for some tearful moments. Not only that, but Miller can SANG! Some of her sustained high notes in certain numbers brought rapturous hoots and hollers from audience members (including yours truly) and showcases her powerful vocal chops.
Speaking of Fletcher, played by Mckenzie Nace, this little girl playing a boy will make you smile and will melt your heart. An aspiring comedian, Nace’s character of Fletcher goes around with puppets on each hand and has his own “voice” for each one. Nace knows how to tell a joke and, since she truly is just a kid, her innocence shines and is vital to some of the show’s more cathartic scenes. Nace will make you laugh. She will make you cry. She furthers the plot with youthful boyish charm as Fletcher and had this reviewer in tears with one especially sentimental number with Houde…and she was “asleep” during this number! Such is the power of this little tyke. A delight to watch.
Katherine’s fiancée, Mike, is played with patience and heart by Ryan Holmes. Holmes portrays the character of loving husband-to-be with true conviction. You can tell that he truly loves Katherine, despite her crazy change in personality which, while strange, is embraced and understood (or at least he tries his best). Holmes, too, has some great moments of pathos, such as when Ellie (in the body of her mom) is finally convinced that he loves her and her brother, and has no intention of taking her dad’s place. Holmes has a deeply rich, melodic voice and exudes confidence and charm as his character struggles to comprehend the events going on as he gets ready to wed Katherine, but never losing his grace and love for his soon-to-be wife and her family.
Ellie’s nemesis Savannah, played by Alyssa Bell (who also is the show’s Dance Captain) is sufficiently smarmy. I’m sure everyone of us knew a Savannah during our high school years. She serves as a perfect foil to Ellie’s character. This rivalry makes for some good comedic interplay and much fun. Bell is also a gifted dancer, and watching her bump and grind her way through the various dance numbers makes for great entertainment.
Teen heartthrob Adam, whose entrances are marked with a chorus singing his name in angelic harmony, is played by Danny Bertaux. Tall and boyishly handsome, and with an insatiable love for Katherine’s sandwiches, Adam is the object of Ellie’s desire and the leader of the famous scavenger “hunt”. Bertaux channels his inner teen quite well, with cocky exuberance at times and true heart at others. His signature number “Women and Sandwiches” had the audience in stiches of laughter, and his interaction with Fletcher during this number shows that he is anything but shallow. Yeah, we all knew an “Adam” in our high school years as well. But this Adam, while a true teenage boy in every sense of the word, also has heart, too, and is what endears him to the audience, even if he is followed around by personal chorus.
This reviewer has a particular appreciation for ensemble, for without them the show could not go on. A show such as this needs a well-executed ensemble to support the show through song, dance and supporting characters. Although too many to mention in this review, each of them is a true standout in their own right. A shout out, however, must be given to Bridget Makowski who plays Katherine’s personal assistant Torrey. Her seemingly uptight, uber professional demeanor increasing unravels during the show as she grapples to understand Katherine’s sudden change in behavior and comes to a crashing comedic climax in one of the show’s final numbers during which Makowski had the audience jeering and cheering for her. Amy Haynes Rapnicki plays a variety of ensemble parts, but most notably the high school gym teacher not unlike some of the gym teachers we all remember from our youth. Hysterical! And veteran actor Todd Hochkeppel takes some great comedic turns as Katherine’s father (and Ellie’s grandpa) as well as the high school Spanish teacher. Comedy gold at its finest. And while the other ensemble members are not mentioned here by name, know that your performances were noted, appreciated and very much applauded!
Will Katherine & Ellie finally reconcile? Will they get their bodies back? There’s only one way to find out. Come and see the show’s final weekend and let this cast take you on a ride back to your teenage years. To a place where acceptance is only understood through understanding. Where we learn that only after we question what someone else may be going through, and try to see the world through their eyes, that love can triumph.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission
Freaky Friday, a production of The Maryland Theatre Collective, plays through April 2nd 2023 in Studio194 of The Chesapeake Arts Center— 194 Hammonds Lane in Brooklyn Park— Baltimore, MD. Tickets can be purchased at the door, though they are strongly recommended to be booked in advance online.
