Review: Gold Fever Follies - A Hot Time in the Old Town!
By Ty Wright
Every year, I am drawn back to see the Gold Fever Follies in Rossland; the yearly, summer-long production that has graced the stage of the Miners Hall for 4 decades. Heck, being a Follies alumni myself, it’s essential that I attend at least one show every season. .. and thank goodness I do, because it would have been a travesty to miss this year’s show. It was fabulous!
Aside from a few old familiar Follies standards, all the music was written by Miller Mason, who has returned for his third year to play the eponymous “Piano Man”. The music this year is spectacular, and Mason has definitely used this year’s show to establish how talented he truly is as both a performer and a composer.
The show starts on a subtle note, with an acapella song belted by Jess Knight, who plays an ex-librarian turned hotel owner named Matilde; much of the show then revolves around this plot with a cast of colorful and quirky figures of Rossland past. Knight’s character is supported by Emily Venturino, who plays a rag-tag jack-of-all-trades named Babe, who offers to manage the hotel and helps organize the establishment’s entertainment prospects.
The cast is absolutely brilliant, and each character has their own distinct traits and charm. There’s a comedic awkwardness about this show, and it almost speaks to my particular brand of humor. Maged Abdelmonem and Tarn Mokara play Will and Rosie, a love-struck couple whose interactions are at times uncomfortable, but ultimately endearing.
Noah Kaulbach, a Follies veteran, performs the ENTIRE SHOW in another language; typically, one character may have an accent or a couple lines in a different language, but this was for the whole show!
Maya Cirella Fischer plays a West coast celebrity Eliza La Londe, a super talented singer and dancer (played by a super talented performer) who is credited with bringing the Cancan to the West. Though she stepped away from the spotlight, a recent divorce and longing to perform again pulled her back to the stage for a grand performance.
And of course, local thespian Freya Dixon-Reusz plays Mrs. Hunter; a Rossland local who is always the life of the party, whose husband owns the mercantile down the street. Dixon-Reusz is hilarious and boisterous in her role, and is a reminder of the excellent talent that is abundant in our little community.
Kudos to this year’s Cast and Crew who put this show together, and have continued the legacy of this historical small-town production. The singing, the acting, the dancing, and the comedic timing are superb this year!
If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to make time to take it in.
Wednesdays – Sundays at 3:00pm and 7:30pm.
Show closes on Saturday, August 29.
Tickets are available at the door, or in advance by emailing the Follies: GoldFeverFollies87@gmail.com
For more information: goldfeverfollies.com
