THE MASKED CANARY -- FROM MELODRAMA TO MEGASUCCESS by Pam North A dramatic presentation that is met with boos and hisses ordinarily is not likely to qualify as a success, but when the play is a melodrama such sound effects signify that the audience has gotten into the spirit of the occasion and is participating in the fun. Last weekend's three performances of "The Masked Canary," at Nederland's Backdoor Theater, certainly laid no eggs. The Friday and Saturday evening entertainments were both sold out, and Sunday afternoon's matinee nearly so, all much to the pride and delight of the director and cast members of the rollicking and highly enjoyable production. In the works since last October, the performances were the culmination of months of hard work and detailed coordination, all done as a gesture of faith with no real assurance that the somewhat fickle mountain public would respond with its attendance. Attend it did, however, applauding its appreciation in standing ovations for the cast members to bask in following each finale. Live theater has arrived in Nederland, and what an impression it has made! Last week's edition of the Gilpin Gazette-Crusader profiled the Backdoor Theater and its emergence from its birth process. The vision and dedication behind the efforts to create this theater space are quite remarkable. Its main role so far has been to be a community movie theater, but its scope has now enlarged with its first live play. The plot of the two-act "The Masked Canary" featured all the classic characters of a melodrama and then some. Amanda Goodsort (portrayed by Barb Kuepper) is an 1880s Nederland woman who lives two lives; by day she's a respected, admired citizen, and by night she's in disguise as the torchy "Masked Canary," singing at a local saloon called the Bird Cage. While she awaits a visit from her daughter, Little Victoria (Heather Walz), the dastardly Judge Harshly (played sneeringly by David Ruskay) and his trashy cohort, Sugar Loaf (Tonia Thompson) have discovered Amanda's secret and intend to blackmail her. Their plot escalates as ailing Ole Timer (bewhiskered Brent Warren) announces his plans to will Amanda his stage line and freight franchise. Mixed into the suspense and intrigue are the old man's well-meaning pal, Sidekick (John Levanthal); the Harvard-graduate Indian, Lonely Wolf (Tom Plant); the sexy and exuberant French maid, Fifi (Julie Scott); the sterling-character Army officer Lt. Pete Bogg (Frank Newberry); the Chinaman Wing Tip (Corey Papastathis); three society matrons, Merriweather (Annette Croughwell), Flora (Debbie Smiley) and Fauna (Dawn Baumhover); audience-prompter Liesl Easl (Melinda Sherod), a barroom girl (Anna Milan) and a cavalry man (Dick Javes). The plot thickened, romance blossomed, and revelations abounded as the audience waited breathlessly for everything to sort itself out, the villain to get his comeuppance and the typically happy ending to at last come about. "The Masked Canary" was surprisingly good. Very few of the cast members had any professional theater experience, yet all gave polished and dimensional performances. Each assumed the assigned role with gusto and enthusiasm, daring to take chances in reaching within to bring the character to life.  Kayla Evans lent her considerable directorial expertise to masterfully assist the actors to blend their own personalities with their roles to create their own individual stamps on and interpretations of their characters. Evans is the consummate plate-juggler, able to deftly handle all of the variety of tasks that constitute a theater production with the ultimate goal of uniting all of the actors, regardless of their level of experience, into a cohesive group capable of performing smoothly and well. An interesting twist regarding this production is that the number of auditioning participants almost exactly matched the number of available roles, and yet each performer seemed uniquely suited to the role portrayed. One extra role was even created so that all the auditioning hopefuls could be included in the production.  The eleven musical numbers were superbly executed, all to Ruth Baldwin's expert musical accompaniment. Baldwin later commented on how much support, commitment, perception and sensitivity were displayed by all during the evolution of the theatrical project. The unity and dedication were projected to the audience, and they, in turn, fully embraced that effort. Live theater is vibrant, exciting and great fun, and it was a real treat to have it so conveniently accessible. Although it will be a while before another play will be offered, the Backdoor Theater will continue in the meantime to show first-run movies at 7:30 p.m. each weekend evening. Catch "Black Hawk Down" March 1st and 2nd; "I Am Sam" March 8th and 9th; "The Royal Tenenbaums" March 15th and 16th; "Gosford Park" March 22nd and 23rd; and "Return to Neverland" on March 29th and 30th.  A special event will also be held on Sunday, March 10th at 3:00 p.m. when the Frozen Dead Guy Days Video Festival will highlight "Marvin's Flyin' Boat," by Brent Warren, and "Grandpa's in the Tuff Shed, " by Robin Beeck. Both filmmakers will be in attendance to discuss their work, and the admission price is $5.00. Gilpin County is fortunate to have this entertainment venue just up the road, and it is hoped that more local residents will acquaint themselves with the offerings of Nederland's Backdoor Theatre., and perhaps volunteer some of their time to ensure its continued success.  The theater is located on Highway 72, approximately one-half mile past the Nederland traffic circle, in the Nederland Community Center.  For additional information call (303) 258-3044.