The quartet discusses a number of topics relating to the Neil Simon classic. This week’s edition of the “Wabash On My Mind” podcast talks to “Biloxi Blues” director Michael Abbott and cast members Artie Equihua ’20, Austin Ridley ’20, and John Wallace ’20. The play includes adult situations and language. The design team includes scenic designer Noah Files, costumer Andrea Bear, technical director Todd Handlogten, lighting designer Zac Hunter, and sound designer Ace Dzurovcik. He’s a well-rounded theater guy with good creative instincts, and the cast just loves him.” He’s my true partner and I trust him 100 percent.
BILOXI BLUES PROFESSIONAL
“He’s decided he wants to be a professional stage manager and he will get some work, for sure. Abbott gave high praise to Little’s work - not just as the stage manager. Ian Little is the stage manager with assistance from Benny Wang. “Zachery came to the first 20 minutes of almost every rehearsal and led the cast in military drills. Koppelmann, who directs the Wabash Writing Center and is an Army Veteran, brought his military experience to the cast. The remainder of the cast includes Clayton Allen as Roy Selridge, Kevin Ballard-Munn as Don Carney, Austin Yeomans as James Hennesey, Brea Carlson as Rowena, Betsy Swift as Daisy Hannigan, Rob Castellano and Erik Hetler as MPs, and Zachery Koppelmann as First Sergeant Carl Lipton. “We needed a big, strong, strapping guy to play Wykowski, and when Artie walked into auditions, everybody knew it was his part,” Abbott said. The year is 1943 and Eugene Morris Jerome (Broderick) finds himself far from the comforts of his Brooklyn home after being sent to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi. Senior Artie Equihua, who is a captain and starting safety on the Wabash football team, is on stage for the first time at the College. Matthew Broderick stars as a naive army recruit looking for action though not the battle kind in Neil Simon's hilarious comedy about boot camp during WWII. The cast includes a blend of Wabash Theater veteran performers and some new faces. “Rob delivers his first lines - big, booming, and thunderous like the drill sergeant he plays, and everybody was like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be like this.’ He’s really challenged the other actors to meet him at his level.”
BILOXI BLUES FULL
“We had a second full read-through when Rob joined the cast – in our tiny green room,” Abbott said. Johansen has done dozens of shows in the region, and has worked closely with Wabash’s Theater Department as a guest director, workshop leader, and fight choreographer. Toomey (played by Indiana Repertory Theater veteran actor Rob Johansen). Set in the midst of World War II, Eugene tells the story of Arnold Epstein (played by Austin Ridley), and the platoon’s battles with their sergeant, Merwin J.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever had a cast work this hard and put so much into a production.”īiloxi Blues is the second play in Simon’s trilogy, which includes Bright Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound. “The cast members quickly came to love the play and we just had a feeling, very early on, that it would be a blast to bring to the stage at Wabash,” said director Michael Abbott. A senior, Wallace delivers a terrific performance as the play’s narrator. Thought to be semi-autobiographical, the story is told by New Yorker Eugene Jerome (played by John Wallace), an 18-year old recruit who intends to turn his experiences into a memoir. The Tony Award-winning play follows a zany band of Army recruits going through basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi, while coming of age. Tickets are free, but should be reserved online through the box office. More detailed information including options for ticket holders unable to follow this policy is available on our Pandemic Policies page.The Wabash College Theater Department opens its 2019-20 season with Neil Simon’s comedy, Biloxi Blues.
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