From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 186, A Review: "Gypsy" (Castle Craig Players)"The plum role of Dainty June, the young vaudeville star who would grow up to become stage and screen star June Havoc is played in this production by the tremendously talented Chelsea Dacey whose portrayal of this iconic character is as powerful as Ann Jillian's was in the 1962 film adaptation, Kate Reinders in the 2003 Broadway revival and Leigh Ann Larkin in the 2008 incarnation that cast Patti LuPone as Rose. What's remarkable about Dacey's work here is that she finds new ways to interpret and express the character adding more color, more nuance, more shading and more personality to this important part. This June is sweet and bubbly on the surface, but underneath she knows that her mother's showbiz ideas are terrible, the act she is forced to perform in is hideous and if she doesn't pack her bags and run - escape that is - she's going to be swallowed up whole. It's a conceit the actress chillingly and achingly conveys (she channels the real-life June Havoc's true feelings about show biz and the "Gypsy" story) until, for story purposes, she elopes with a male dancer from her act.
Dacey also has the vocal chops to bring Broadway style range and delivery to June's musical numbers, which include "If Momma Was Married," "Dainty June and Her Newsboys" and "Broadway." Here, as in the recent "The Winter Wonderettes," also performed at Castle Craig, the actress/singer knows how to achieve the maximum value of the material she is asked to perform, how to hold the audience in the palm of her hand and how to make it real and natural in the truest sense. That fiercely personal perspective is impossible to resist."
Dacey also has the vocal chops to bring Broadway style range and delivery to June's musical numbers, which include "If Momma Was Married," "Dainty June and Her Newsboys" and "Broadway." Here, as in the recent "The Winter Wonderettes," also performed at Castle Craig, the actress/singer knows how to achieve the maximum value of the material she is asked to perform, how to hold the audience in the palm of her hand and how to make it real and natural in the truest sense. That fiercely personal perspective is impossible to resist."
The Dinner Party Review:
jimruoccodesktake2.blogspot.com/2019/05/from-desk-of-jim-r-take-2-column-161.html
"As director, she brings a certain vitality and pulse to the piece which makes it spin and resonate. She also shows us that there is more to this Neil Simon play than just punch lines. Underneath, beats a serio-comic warmth and honesty that's the real deal and can't be faked.
Staging the play, Dacey knows exactly what buttons to push and when. Much of the comedy here depends on entrances and exits, doors opening and closing and people running on and off the stage, etc. It's all about timing and Dacey has things blocked to the millisecond, which works to her advantage. Comic lines are articulated effortlessly with both sets ups and pick ups falling neatly into place. Under her tutelage, everyone involved in "The Dinner Party" also has a sense of purpose, motivation and objective, matched by an impassioned energy that allows the material to evolve constantly in accordance with Simon's fast, clean-cut theatrical flurry."
jimruoccodesktake2.blogspot.com/2019/05/from-desk-of-jim-r-take-2-column-161.html
"As director, she brings a certain vitality and pulse to the piece which makes it spin and resonate. She also shows us that there is more to this Neil Simon play than just punch lines. Underneath, beats a serio-comic warmth and honesty that's the real deal and can't be faked.
Staging the play, Dacey knows exactly what buttons to push and when. Much of the comedy here depends on entrances and exits, doors opening and closing and people running on and off the stage, etc. It's all about timing and Dacey has things blocked to the millisecond, which works to her advantage. Comic lines are articulated effortlessly with both sets ups and pick ups falling neatly into place. Under her tutelage, everyone involved in "The Dinner Party" also has a sense of purpose, motivation and objective, matched by an impassioned energy that allows the material to evolve constantly in accordance with Simon's fast, clean-cut theatrical flurry."
Dracula Goes to High School
Downtown Cabaret Theatre- Broadway World Review
"The always entertaining Chelsea Dacey portrays Zurie, who is Lucine’s bubbly mummy friend, the student who arranges the school’s “Enchantment Under The Ground” dance and wants to be sure that every technical detail goes perfectly. Zurie’s amusing reactions and blunt candor throughout the show are brilliantly delivered in the farcical manner that Chelsea Dacey consistently excels in, as an actress."
Downtown Cabaret Theatre- Broadway World Review
"The always entertaining Chelsea Dacey portrays Zurie, who is Lucine’s bubbly mummy friend, the student who arranges the school’s “Enchantment Under The Ground” dance and wants to be sure that every technical detail goes perfectly. Zurie’s amusing reactions and blunt candor throughout the show are brilliantly delivered in the farcical manner that Chelsea Dacey consistently excels in, as an actress."
