Over the weekend, my family went with some friends – we both have 9 year old boys – to see The Kaddywompas Radio Show at Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater. I had been to The Thumb before but never for a radio show performance.
When one takes kids to live theater shows, it’s always a leap of faith. Will they be absorbed or will I regret the whole experience.
Well, these boys sat together and were absorbed and entertained. Now that’s a thumbs up review right there.
Total credit goes to the talent on that stage.
The songs, the story line, the voices, the action on stage, all added up to a spot on show. The fact that the show was recorded live and that our voices, applause and laughter were all part of the performance really kicked up the fun factor as well. The boys even got into it, singing along and happy to clap as loud as they could.
If you missed the show, “The Kaddywompas Radio Show…And the Dog Smiled,” airs on 90.7 KSER at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. May 5.
If you want to see the show live, and you should, the next performance will be 1 and 4 p.m. June 16 at Thumbnail Theater,1211 Fourth St., Snohomish.
The plot for “And the Dog Smiled” is a simple one: the evil potato chip tycoon Monty Mashwell, who has built a huge factory, wants to take over the town of Kaddywompas. But Mashwell’s own greed gets him in trouble in a most unusual and “explosive” way.
This original story, written by JW McClure, Tim Noah, Bill Davie and Cyndi “Soup” Elliott, is value-added with original music that includes blues and folk but all of the songs are polished and well done. Applause to musical director Ted Lombard.
Tim Noah, who played the proprietor of the Kaddywompas Country Store and Curiosity Shop, was also the narrator. He sung and wrote several of the songs. He’s a seasoned performer and as a central figure in the show, led the cast with ease and confidence and also impressed with hitting a wonderfully high note in “Round the Bend.”
Other standout Kaddywompas Players were Sharon”Corkie” Cordisco who had an incredibly versatile voice and I particularly enjoyed her voice of the alarm system. Duncan Huffman voiced villainous Montgomery Mashwell with perfect menace, and the ubiquitous Michael McFadden was hilarious and hard-working as Uncle Don, Foley, Trooper The Dog, and The Oppossum.
Other cast members included Elise Dahlberg, as Carrie Joe; special guest, folk singer and songwriter Bill Davie, as Himself; Cyndi “Soup” Elliott as RSVP (Rebecca Sparks Virginia Peters) and JW McClure as Himself. Angela Roff was audience prompter and the show was directed by Eric Lewis
The music is backed by The Wompas Band which includes Ted Lombard on piano, Lyndon Heart on guitar and Gabriel Glennie on bass.
If you go to the next Kaddywompas Radio Show, and like I said you should, don’t be surprised if you have to stay a little bit after the show to redo a scene or two. It’s all part of the job as audience for a live radio performance and it’s really part of the fun.
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