Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Go on an adventure with ‘The Hobbit’

NexStage to perform classic tale


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

From left, Betsy Sise, Doug Nef and Ric Hoffman will perform in “The Hobbit” at the nexStage Theatre in Ketchum, with an opening performance on Friday, April 2, at 7 p.m. Photo by Willy Cook

"The Hobbit' is my favorite story ever," said "The Hobbit" director Bruce Hostetler. "It's a stunning adventure story about a reluctant adventurer."

Hostetler has returned to Ketchum from Portland, Ore., as a guest director for the nexStage Theatre's production of the famous fantasy. Based in Portland, Hostetler directed "The Hobbit" at the Northwest Children's Theatre last year.

"Last summer, I showed the images of the show to (the nexStage's) Patsy Wygle, and she said she would want to do 'The Hobbit' at the nexStage," Hostetler said. "The children's theater in Portland rented out the show to the nexStage, including costumes and props. The nexStage has re-created the set based on the children's theater design."

The protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is scared. He is a hobbit who has a quiet life until unexpected guests arrive, which include 13 hungry and thirsty dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf. Gandalf picked Baggins to steal a treasure from a dragon, which will bring him face to face with trolls, goblins and an evil, bizarre creature named Gollum.

"Bilbo is terrified until the end when he becomes a hero," Hostetler said. "He does what he does through cleverness and dumb luck, and he manages to come out all right."

Hostetler said parts of the play are scary but parts are funny, too. The play is a shorter version of the best-selling book by J.R.R. Tolkien. The play begins with a storyteller in a village, which the actors bring to life and become the characters of "The Hobbit."

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"The Hobbit" will use puppets and masks based on the Bunraku style of puppetry from Japan. The two types of puppets used in this show include giant rod puppets and wooden body puppets.

"The Hobbit" was written in 1936. It took Tolkien 14 years to write a sequel, "The Lord of the Rings." He was working on a final volume, "The Silmarilion," when he died in 1973. His son finished the book after his death.

The final cast for "The Hobbit" includes 18 children and nine adults. Because of the size of the role, Bilbo Baggins was double-cast.

"Your imagination will connect with what is happening," Hostetler said.

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com

Playbill

What: "The Hobbit."

Where: nexStage Theatre in Ketchum.

When: Friday, April 2; Saturday, April 3; Friday, April 9; and Saturday, April 10, all at 7 p.m. On Saturday, April 3; Sunday, April 4; Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, also at 3 p.m.

Tickets: $10 for children and $20 for adults. The play is recommended for children from first to sixth grade.

Details: 726-9124 or 726-4857.




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