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reviews
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What the critics say…
Cats
“…Beaudry’s brilliant choreography weaves this wonderful tale. The movements of the cast, their cat-like behaviors,
move the audience to a bombed-out section of London in 1941, where this production takes place… This is not just a
story about cats, but a story about the human race itself and how we relate to others around us… .”
--Tim O’Brien, Sauk Valley Newspapers
Grease
"For an example of just how hugely entertaining director James Beaudry's musical is, allow me to describe its high-
school dance sequence. (I'm presuming we can skip the show's plot and character synopses. If you find yourself
needing a Grease primer, simply consult any random passerby on the street.) ...what follows is a sampling of what
you'll witness in roughly 60 seconds of stage time.
Danny Zuko (Thomas Stewart) maintaining a cool façade while obviously heartsick over the absence of sweetheart
Sandy (Kaci Scott). Rizzo (Jessica Dyer) and Kenickie (Carl Hendin) ecstatic at being the hottest couple in sight.
Beautician wannabe Frenchy (Eli Pauley) consoling Doody (Adam Fane), who's hoping that no one else noticed his
klutzy dance-floor tumble. The beaming Jan (Sainty Reid), resplendently happy at landing Roger (David Herr) as her
date. Roger fastening his belt buckle, having just mooned an off-stage victim. Smarmy DJ Vince Fontaine (Justin
Verstraete) making out with high-school vixen Marty (Jamie Finkenthal). Sonny (Kyle Szen) aghast at the feral dance
moves of Cha-Cha DiGregorio (Vanessa Panerosa). Peppy Patty Simcox (Meredith Jones) miserable at her dissing
by Danny. Nerdy Eugene (Phillip Newman) absconding with Rizzo's flask of booze. The tyrannical Miss Lynch (Amanda
Hendricks) peevishly loathing the kids' incivility. And crooner Johnny Casino (Rod Lawrence) taking it all in with an
expression that reads, "These high-school gigs suck."
At no time does Beaudry specifically direct your attention to any of these happenings (although Cha-Cha's volatile
writhing is certainly tough to miss); they're there for you to catch, or not, and the fluid generousness of this
sequence - with Beaudry gently insisting that each character is the star of his or her own story - is representative
of this Grease as a whole... It's the little things that make Beaudry's rendering of this frequently assaultive rock 'n'
roll warhorse so memorable - the quirky curlicues and throwaway bits that, for 140 minutes, turn these familiar
stereotypes into wonderfully goofy, flesh-and-blood people.
--Mike Schultz, River City Reader
Oklahoma!
It is fresh! It is ambitious! It is demanding of the performer! It is a delight to watch!
--Bill Beard, Rock River Times
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
"...Beaudry established - and sustained - an infectiously playful atmosphere, and the cast members demonstrated
the sort of vocal, comedic, and even dramatic confidence that area audiences are treated to all too rarely. The Best
Little Whorehouse in Texas is about as sensationally entertaining as one could hope for."
--Mike Schultz, River Cities' Reader
42nd Street
“…Directed by Kim Rubinstein, with choreography by James Patrick Beaudry, the production that opened Thursday
night is full of just one jaw-dropping, knock-‘em-dead, fabulous number after another, and there is nothing more
important to say about it than get a ticket and go!… .”
--Jim French, Freeport Journal-Standard
State Fair
“When director James Patrick Beaudry—better known for his excellent work as a choreographer—appears in a
company number during “State Fair,” you know the result will be pretty amazing. And the show does have several
spectacular dance numbers. But this “State Fair” offers so much more. …Excellent performances are almost
everywhere. Warm and engaging, folksy, yet unassuming, the actors work so well together that you’ll find yourself
hoping they’ll come out for another scene or song… This portrayal of the Frake family is a complete success… .”
--Ruby Nancy, Quad City Times
The Sound of Music
“…The dancing scene with [Maria and Captain Von Trapp] is absolutely the best—rapt with carefully controlled
passion, gracefully beautiful, full of an intensity that is palpable… This number, which has no singing or spoken lines,
is so full of emotion and meaning that it transcends everything else in the show… .”
--Ruby Nancy, Quad City Times
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
“…I have seen this show on national tours, in professional and community theatres, in colleges and high schools,
and I have to say that this was the most enjoyable choreography I have seen. Beaudry has his cast moving with
zest and intricacy across the stage… He brings his chorus line to Ancient Egypt with some highly stylish moves and
an unconscious beauty that can bring forth chuckles and awe at the same time… .”
--Jim French, Freeport Journal-Standard
Urinetown
"Every once in a while - if you're lucky - you'll enjoy an experience of this sort in the theatre, one where, as an
audience member, you feel you can't fully express your happiness and gratitude to those on-stage. But in this
regard, I'm luckier than the rest of Saturday's crowd, as I actually get to write - and have published - the following:
Timber Lake's Urinetown is a spectacularly fine production, so clever and confident and joyously performed that I'd
have been happy for it to go on all night. Screw 40 seconds; at the curtain call, I would have applauded for 40
minutes. ...Aided by James Beaudry's excellent choreography, the musical numbers here manage to simultaneously
spoof and pay homage to nearly a dozen Broadway shows with laugh-out-loud-funny results."
--Mike Schultz, River Cities' Reader
Thoroughly Modern Millie
"Under the direction of Brad Lyons, and with the gifted James Beaudry as choreographer, Timber Lake’s production
triumphs over the spottiness of the material, employing a revolving set with dexterous aplomb. The staging is
wonderfully inventive, and some of the musical numbers here posses the kind of delirious high spirits that make you
want to applaud several times in the middle of them; the show’s renditions of “Forget About the Boy,” “The Speed
Test,” and the title number are practically the reason some of us love musicals.
--Mike Schulz, River Cities' Reader
