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RVP’s Harvey-A Time Honored Classic

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

Elwood P. Dowd (Steve Price) in Harvey at Ross Valley Players. Photo by Robin Jackson.

Ross Valley Players present Harvey, by American playwright Mary Coyle Chase.  Chase was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama when Harvey was named Best Play of the 1944-45 Season.  Harvey has been adapted for film and television several times, most notably in a 1950 film starring James Stewart.

Elwood P. Dowd (Steve Price) is an affable man who claims to have an unseen, and presumably imaginary, friend, “Harvey”—whom Elwood describes as a six foot, three and one half inch tall pooka.  Elwood introduces Harvey to everyone he meets.  His social climbing sister, Veta (Pamela Ciochetti), increasingly finds his eccentric behavior embarrassing.  She persuades family friend Judge Omar Gaffney (Wood Lockhart) to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare her and her daughter Myrtle Mae (Robyn Grahn) from future embarrassment.

When they arrive at the sanitarium, a comedy of errors ensues.  The doctors commit Veta instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion.  When Elwood shows up to the sanitarium looking for his best friend Harvey, it seems that the mild mannered Elwood’s delusion has had a strange influence on the staff, including sanitarium Director, Dr. Chumley (Norman Hall) and his business partner, Dr. Lyman Sanderson (Philip Goleman).  Only just before Elwood is supposed to be given an injection that will make him into a “perfectly normal” human being, do you know what “bastards they are” (in the words of a taxi cab driver played by James Dunn) who has become involved in the proceedings and Veta realizes she’d rather have Elwood the same as he’s always been—carefree and kind –even if it means living with Harvey.

This nostalgic production directed by Ross Valley Players Artistic Director, Robert Wilson, is old home week to many returning Ross Valley Players—Stephanie Saunders Ahlberg as Betty Chumley (Dr. Chumley’s wife), Norman Hall as Dr. William Chumley, Wood Lockhart as Judge Gaffney, Robyn Grahn as Myrtle Mae Simmons, Robin Wiley as Ethel Chauvenent, legendary stage director James Dunn as E.J. Lofgren, Pamela Ciochetti as Veta Louise Simmons and last but not least, Steve Price as Elwood P. Dowd. Ross Valley Players newcomer Lydia Singleton gives an impressive performance as Nurse Ruth Kelly.

The two sets by award winning Set Designer Ken Rowland are truly amazing. Michael A. Berg’s period costumes are quite authentic.

Harvey is a timeless masterpiece that audiences find hilarious even to this day.

Harvey runs November 15-December 15, 2013, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Barn Theatre, home of Ross Valley Players, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross.  To order tickets, call 415-456-9555 or go online at www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

Coming up next at Ross Valley Players is Journey’s End by R.C. Sherriff directed by James Dunn, January 17-February 16, 2014.

Fine Ensemble Acting in The Weir at Off Broadway West

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

Off Broadway West presents The Weir at the Phoenix Theatre in San Francisco

[rating:4] (4/5 stars)

Off Broadway West opened The Weir Friday, November 8, 2013. The Weir is by Conor McPherson an award winning Irish playwright and is directed by Richard D. Harder, Artistic Director of Off Broadway West.

The play opens in a rural Irish pub with Brendan (Adam Simpson), the owner of the pub and Jack (Keith Burkland), a car mechanic and garage owner.  These two begin to discuss their respective days and are soon joined by Jim (Brian O’Connor), Jack’s assistant.  The three discuss Valerie (Jocelyn Stringer), a pretty young woman from Dublin who has just rented an old home in the area.

Finbar (Shane Fahy), a businessman, arrives with Valerie and the play revolves around reminiscing and the kind of banter that only comes about among men who have a shared upbringing.  After a few drinks, the group begins telling ghost stories with a supernatural slant related to their own experiences and those of others in the area.  After each man (with the exception of Brendan), has told a story, Valerie tells her own; the reason why she left Dublin.  Valerie’s story is melancholy with a ghostly twist echoing the earlier tales and shocks the men who become softer and kinder.

Finbar and Jim leave and in the last part of the play, Jack’s final monologue is a story of personal loss which, he comments, is at heart, not a ghostly tale, but in some ways is none the less about a haunting.

This play is typically Irish, both sad and sweet and is as much about lack of close relationships and missed connections as it is about anything else. The Weir of the title is a hydroelectric dam on a nearby waterway that is mentioned only in passing as Finbar describes the local attractions to Valerie.  It anticipates and symbolizes the flow of the stories into and around each other.

All of the actors in this wonderful cast bring a new refreshingly, solid meaning to the phrase “ensemble” acting.  Richard Harder’s direction is precise and effective. Bert van Aalsburg creatively designs the set, a small pub in rural Ireland.  Head to Off Broadway West’s The Weir for a night of Guinness beer, old friends and ghost stories, a perfect way to spend a cold autumn night.

The Weir runs November 8-December 7, 2013, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. (closed 11/28 for Thanksgiving), Off Broadway West Theatre Company is located at the Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason Street, Suite 601, San Francisco (between Geary and Post).  For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or go online at www.offbroadwaywest.org.

Off Broadway West is an award winning, nonprofit, San Francisco Theatre Company in its 7th season continuing its mission to provide the Bay Area theatre community with plays that engage and challenge without forgetting to entertain.

Coming up next at Off Broadway West will be The Marriage by George Bernard Shaw, June 20-July 19, 2014 at the Phoenix Theatre.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

 

 

Ron Nash’s Unique Adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll House at Marin Onstage

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

Marin Onstage presents A Doll House through November 17 at the Little Theater at St. Vincent’s in San Rafael.

A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen is a play that looks at the emancipation of women. Reflecting the beginnings of the women’s movement in the 19th century, the play is the story of Nora, a seemingly content and carefree mother of three daughters who soon comes to realize that her life is a sham and she will never be a good wife and good mother until she discovers herself.  This is almost impossible in 1878 when women have few rights. The theme in the play that interested Ibsen most was the different ethical code by which men and women live.

Although Director Ron Nash has gone for more conversational language than the customary translations, he never allows the play to drag and the evening doesn’t seem to long despite its three-hour duration.

A Doll House looks at the marriage of Nora Helmer (Stephanie Ann Foster), a supposedly loving wife and wonderful mother and Torvald (Gabriel A. Ross), who has landed a decent job, finally giving the family financial security.  But as characters from the past enter their cheerful home, cracks gradually appear in the couple’s relationship and an intense struggle develops between love and truth, honor and betrayal, and finally between an old-fashioned husband and disobedient wife.

Stephanie Ann Foster is magnificent as Nora—a frivolous, irresponsible, spendthrift.  Initially she seems almost shallow, but becomes more three-dimensional as the play goes along.  Gabriel A. Ross gives a solid performance in the difficult role as her domineering husband, a hard nosed business man whose level headed exterior evaporates when he encounters Nora’s irrational behavior.

There is a superb supporting cast including Kelsey Sloan as Kristine Lind, an old friend of Nora’s and Jim McFadden as the manipulative Nils Krogstad, who provides an interesting contrast to the Helmer’s.  Both are people who have been nearly destroyed by life, yet are able to create a second chance for happiness for themselves.  Bill McClave portrays Dr. Rank, the dependable friend who confesses his love for Nora when he discloses he is dying.  Lynn Sotos is endearing as Anne-Marie who takes care of the children and Helmer’s household.

Designer Gary Gonser’s set is typically Scandinavian, a plain middle class home in which there seems to be a doll—until she realizes she is first and foremost a human being and her duty is to herself before being a wife and mother.

Gary Gonser co-founded the Novato Arts Foundation in 2004 and started the production arm, Marin Onstage in 2012.  A Doll House runs through November 17, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Performances are held t the Little Theater at St Vincent’s, 1 St. Vincent’s Drive, San Rafael.  For tickets, call 415-448-6152 or go online at www.marinonstage.org.

Coming up next will be an evening of short plays. The Jewish Wife by Bertolt Brecht, Trifles by Susan Glaspell, and Miss Julie by August Strindberg, February 14-March 2, 2014.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

 

A Wealth of Talent Performs Gypsy at NTC

By Uncategorized

Gypsy by Arthur Laurents (book), Jule Styne (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) is a real winner!  This Novato Theater Company production is brilliantly directed and choreographed by Blanca Florido assisted by Musical Director Andrew Klein and Producer Gary Gonser.

Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous strip tease artist and focuses on her mother, Rose (Daniela Innocenti-Beem) whose name has become synonymous with “the ultimate show business mother.”  The play follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise her two daughters to perform onstage and casts an eye on the hardships of show business life.  The character Louise (Gillian Eichenberger) is based on Lee and the character of June (Julianne Thompson) are based on Lee’s sister, the actress Joan Havoc.

There are 21 talented adult actors in Gypsy as well as 9 talented children.  The real star of this great production is Daniela Innocenti-Beem, an Ethel Merman look alike as Mama Rose, who has fabulous stage presence.  She is ably supported by her two daughters Louise and Baby June.  Other outstanding performers are Ron Dailey as Pop playing three parts, Weber and Phil; Patrick Barr as Herbie, the girl’s manager and Rose’s lover; Burl Lampert in four roles including Uncle Jocko, Bougeron-Cochon and Mr. Goldstone; and Michael Lumb as Tulsa who elopes with Baby June.

Set during the vaudeville era in the early 1920’s, Gypsy is about Rose, the archetype of a stage mother, aggressive and domineering, pushing her children to perform.  While June is an extroverted, talented child star, the older girl, Louise is shy.  Rose travels the country with the two daughters and manager Herbie. While June and Louise wish their mother would settle down and marry Herbie, Rose continues to pursue dreams of stardom for her girls.  But June deserts the act and marries Tulsa and Rose tries to turn shy Louise into a star. When the act is booked into a burlesque house by mistake, Louise is forced into the spotlight and Gypsy Rose Lee is born!

This musical contains many songs that became popular including “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “Together (Wherever We Go),” ” Small World,” and “Let Me Entertain You.”  Gypsy has been called the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers.

Gypsy runs October 18-November 10, 2013 at the Novato Theater Company, 5420 Nave Drive, Novato.  Curtain times are Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 415-883-4498 or go online at www.novatotheatercompany.org.

Coming up next at Novato Theater Company will be “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” by Barbara Robinson, November 30-December 15, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

 

MTC Presents World Premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s I and You.

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

 

Devion McArthur (Anthony) and Jessica Lynn Carroll (Caroline) I and You at Marin Theatre Company. Photo by Ed Smith.

I and You is a heartfelt new play focuses on how the work of Walt Whitman inspires two teenagers.  This play involves two ethnically different teens, cranky Caroline (Jessica Lynn Carroll) who is waiting for a liver transplant, and a level- headed basketball star, Anthony who loves John Coltrane, (Devion McArthur). At the beginning of the play, Anthony shows up in Caroline’s bedroom to get her to collaborate on a project to deconstruct a poem, “Leaves of Grass,” by Walt Whitman which is about the interconnectivity of everything.  But as the two cram to finish their presentation, they learn not only how to work together, but just how fundamentally, they complement each other.

Lauren Gunderson is currently a hot new playwright. Her plays are performed at Theatre Works , San Francisco Playhouse, Shotgun Players, and Crowded Fire.  Director Sarah Rasmussen, the Resident Director for Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Black Swan Lab brings a fresh touch to the direction.  Michael Locher’s colorful attic bedroom set almost becomes a character in the play.  Devion McArthur gives a wonderfully sympathetic and supportive performance as he tries to win over Caroline.  Jessica Lynn Carroll gives a challenging performance as Caroline who is difficult every step of the way.

I and You begins its life at Marin Theatre Company and immediately goes on to productions in Maryland and Indiana.  With this play, Gunderson writes in the voice of two intelligent kids, members of a savvy generation who have a lot to say about how fast the world around them is moving.  She explains their journey of self discovery with a similar journey expressed by one of America’s finest poets over 150 years ago in a beautifully articulated, revealing piece of literature.

I and You runs October 10-November 3, 2013 at Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley. Performances are Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. Sunday matinees are held at 2 p.m. with a Saturday, November 2 performance at 2 p.m. and Thursday, October 24 at 1 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 415-388-0208 or go online at www.marintheatre.org.

Coming up next at Marin Theatre Company will be Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula and directed by John Tracy, November 21-December 15. 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

 

 

 

5 star reviews explanation and samples

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

Sample code has been inserted below for you to use/change/experiment with.

Change (type over) whatever you want. Can also be no text.
– Change (type over) rating: 5 to:
rating: 2 (This creates 2 stars when you Update.)
– Change (type over) 5/5 stars to:
2/5 stars (This creates 2/5 stars when you Update.) You can also eliminate this part entirely.
– Click Update

Experiment. Here are variations.

Suzanne and Greg [rating:5] (5/5 stars)

Suzanne and Greg [rating:4.5] (4.5/5 stars)

Suzanne and Greg [rating:4.25] (4.25/5 stars)

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Suzanne [rating:4]

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Suzanne and Greg [rating:5] (5/5 stars)

ZZ Moor, Amy Resnick, Mark Anderson Phillips

 

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Photos by Ed Smith

Good People is Brilliantly-Crafted, Compelling Start to MTC’s New Season

As its 2013-2014 season opener, Marin Theatre Company has chosen Good People, a Broadway hit in its Bay Area premiere. The story is provocative; the vivid characters sparkle like gems in a setting of steel.  Playwright, screenwriter and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire has won the Pulitzer Prize (Rabbit Hole), and was nominated for a Grammy and several Tony Awards (Shrek the Musical, Rabbit Hole).  Good People opened on Broadway in 2011 and garnered him yet another Tony nod.

With humor and brutal honesty, Good People suggests that the choices we make are not always our own, and that some of us are not able to make choices that put us on the path to success, or even stability. We see Margaret, a hardscrabble single mom, struggling to hold her life together as she cares for her special-needs adult daughter in Southie, a working-class Irish section of south Boston. She’s got her neighborhood pals Jean and Dottie to lean on, but no thanks to her boss Stevie, life is tough and getting tougher by the minute. Her encounter with Mike, an old high-school boyfriend, promises to be a game-changer.

Amy Resnick as Margaret – Margie to her pals – is likeable and authentic in her role, as familiar as a favorite pair of jeans. Margie’s often given to outbursts where she ends up not-really apologizing, with trademark lines like “pardon my French” and ”I’m just bustin’ balls”. Sympathetic but confusing, she’s painfully blunt and seems to take pride in looking foolish or crude. But we soon learn that she’s reluctant to take action in simple, honest ways that could make life easier for herself and her daughter. Is she truly proud of who she is, or is she so invested in her Southie identity that she is unable or unwilling to change it?

Amy Resnick, Ben Euphrat

Mark Anderson Phillips is Mike, Margie’s former flame from the old neighborhood. In a masterful performance, Phillips shows us hints of zaniness, anarchy and fear lurking just below Mike’s smooth surface. Now a successful doctor, Mike fondly endures Margie’s digs about becoming “lace-curtain Irish”, a reference to his moving up in the world. Later on, Margie visits the home of Mike and his elegant young African-American wife Kate, played with compassionate sophistication by ZZ Moor. It ends up being a night of unraveling and uproar, with Mike showing his true colors and Kate challenging Margie’s life choices.

Margie’s best friends Dottie (Ann Darragh) and Jean (Jamie Jones) are so endearing, and offer such skillful comic relief that you wish you could have them over for the weekend. Between bingo games and swapping tales, these ladies are the heart of the story, which has a satisfying conclusion after the convoluted road it travels to get there.

An unforeseen event threatened one recent matinee performance: Ben Euphrat, who plays Stevie, got stuck in traffic from the Bay Bridge closure and missed the first scene, a crucial one with Resnick that establishes the entire storyline. Phillips covered the part, script in hand, and even though he performed well, Euphrat’s absence threw the beginning of the first act off-kilter.  He did finally arrive in time for his next scene and hit the ground running, fully recovering the momentum of the show and turning in a fine performance.

Anne Darragh, Amy Resnick, Jamie Jones

Direction by Tracy Young in her MTC debut is inventive yet efficient, keeping the cast in almost constant motion. Nina Ball’s clean and simple set design allows for effortless scene changes. Young makes use of the clever set platforms that roll backwards or forwards, sometimes while the actors are still performing. Sliding backdrop partitions come and go from the wings on either side. Thus the stage is transformed: from an alleyway to a doctor’s office to a bingo hall; from a subway platform to a high-class home. The gritty urban-rock score, used in between scenes by composer Chris Houston, keeps the energy level high throughout the show.

There are no heroes or villains in Good People. It takes us on a journey to a place where we can stand and peer into the age-old abyss between the classes. It raises questions that have no easy answers, but that need to be asked anyway.

When: now through September 15, 2013

8 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

7:30 p.m. Wednesdays

2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays

2 p.m. Saturday, September 14

1 p.m. Thursday, September 5

Tickets: $37 to $58

Location: Marin Theatre Company

397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley CA 94941
Phone: 415-388-5208

Website: www.marintheatre.org

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo—An Original Drama About the Iraq War at SF Playhouse

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

Flora Lynn [rating:5] (5/5 stars)

Tiger (Will Marchetti) talks to God in SF Playhouse’s current production. Photo by Jessica Palopoli.

The San Francisco Playhouse has launched the first year of their second decade, now in a new venue, at 450 Post Street, with a Tony nominated and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv David and directed by Bill English.

This show is about a tiger (Will Marchetti) that haunts the streets of present day Baghdad seeking the meaning of life.  As he witnesses the puzzling absurdities of war, the tiger encounters Americans and Iraqis who are searching for friendship and redemption.

This tiger lives in the Baghdad zoo. He tells the audience that most of the animals have fled to “freedom” because of the Iraq invasion, only to be shot dead by soldiers.  That night United States soldiers come to guard the zoo.  The tiger, driven by fear and hunger, bites off the hand of Tom (Gabriel Marin), a soldier.  Kev (Craig Marker), another soldier shoots the tiger, mortally wounding him.

Kev finds himself haunted by the ghost of the tiger, who wanders about Baghdad.  Due to an outburst while searching an Iraqi home, Kev is sent to the hospital.  Back in Baghdad with a prosthetic hand, Tom pays a visit to Kev.  It is revealed that the gun Kev used to shoot the tiger was taken from the palace of the late Uday Hussein. Tom wants the gun back so he can start a new life in the U.S. by selling the gold plated gun. During the exchange however, the gun falls into the hands of Uday’s former gardener, Masa (Kuros Charney), who is also working as a translator for the soldiers.  He is frequently visited by Uday’s ghost (Pomme Koch).

The rest of the show involves the living characters interacting with the dead ones as the war happens around them.  Will Marchetti gives an amazing performance as the tiger (worth the price of admission) and is ably assisted by Gabriel Marin and Craig Marker as the two Marines.

Director Bill English chose this play because “it asks the biggest question of our lives—why are we here…we are all part animal, part spirit and our success at being human is defined by how we balance our contradictory nature.” In addition, English has created a fantastic set which is augmented by the imaginative lighting design of Dan Reed.

Playwright Rajiv Joseph tells us “Bengal Tiger is more of a ghost story than a war story in which we are haunted by our struggle to define guilt and responsibility—to define ourselves in relation to the universe and to find a moral compass to guide us.”

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo runs October 1-November 16, 2013. Performances are Tuesday-Thursday at  7 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. plus Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. SF Playhouse is located at 450 Post Street (2nd floor of Kensington Park Hotel b/n Powell and Mason). For tickets, call the box office at 415-677-9596 or go online at www.sfplayhouse.org.

Coming up next at SF Playhouse will be Store Front Church by John Patrick Shanley and directed by Bill English, November 26-January 11, 2014.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Chapter Two–A Semi-Autobiographical Play by Neil Simon at RVP

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

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 Kate Fox Marcom as Jennie Malone, Jennifer Reimer as Faye Medwick in Chapter Two at Ross Valley Players.  Photo by Robin Jackson

 Chapter Two is widely perceived to be an autobiographical revelation of Neil Simon coming to terms with the death of his first wife, followed by his love affair and subsequent marriage to Marsha Mason.  This poignant play is based around four brilliantly penned characters—George Schneider (David Shirk), a mourning writer; Jennie Malone (Kate Fox Marcom), a level headed actress; Leo Schneider (Johnny DeBernard), George’s talkative but loving brother; and Faye Medwick (Jennifer Reimer), Jennie’s utterly clueless but enchanting friend.

George has not “moved on” from the untimely death of his wife despite Leo’s best efforts to fix him up with other women.  Then he meets Jennie who’s just walked out of a terrible marriage to a football player, and in a very short span of time, they’re in love and get married.  But George’s memories catch up with him, and he soon finds himself trapped between the past and present, and their relationship starts to crumble.  How does George reconcile his past and move forward with Jennie—a sentimental woman with a strong head on her shoulders?  Do they give up or can they work things out?

Although it seems like a heavy subject to deal with, Simon’s wonderful narrative and witty dialog makes Chapter Two an immensely likeable play.  In George and Jennie, Simon shows both complexity and simplicity.  In Leo and Faye, Simon presents two confused, yet adorable characters.

The play is sensitively directed by James Nelson (who combines Simon’s frequent phone call dialog in order to show the parallel nature of Chapter Two) He creates an invisible line through the middle of the stage, so each character only exists in half of their former world.   When the two come together, they form one “whole.”  Nelson also added, in several occurrences of what he calls “moments alone”—short transitioning scenes where we simply get a glimpse of the two main characters alone in their own space. The time and place is winter/spring 1977, in the New York apartments of George and Jennie.  This remarkable set design is by Eugene deChristopher.

David Shirk and Kate Fox Marcom work well together digging deep for the panorama of emotions that Simon intended.  Jennifer Reimer milks the audience for laughs in a fun, supporting role.  Johnny DeBernard is perfectly cast as George’s brother Leo.

Be sure not to miss Chapter Two, the opening play of Ross Valley Players’ 2013/2014 season. Chapter Two runs September 13-October 13, 2013. Performances are Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Barn Theatre, home of the Ross Valley Players—30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, CA.  To order tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or visit www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

Coming up next at Ross Valley Players will be their RAW Festival of four plays with “Unintended Consequences” from October 18-27, 2013. This will be followed by Harvey by Mary Chase and directed by Robert Wilson, November 15-December 15, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson


NTC Opens 2013-2014 Season with The Lion In Winter

By Flora Lynn Isaacson, Uncategorized

 Maxine Sattizahn (Eleanor), Craig Christansen (King Henry II) and Brandice Thompson (Alais) in The Lion In Winter at NTC

There is an underlying problem with James Goldman’s The Lion In Winter.  Either it is a play of historical significance and you have to believe you’re looking at the 12th century King of England and the former Queen of France or, it is a satire, a spoof with a mirror basis in history.  Award winning Director Kris Neely interprets it as “a comedy in two acts.”  He felt the cast needed to understand and convey the humor Mr. Goldman wrote into his play. They worked intently to reveal all the comedy that lives in this amazing script.

The Lion In Winter, written in 1966 by James Goldman, depicts the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England (Craig Christansen), his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Maxine Sattizahn), their children and their guests during Christmas, 1183.  The entire story takes place within the walls of the Chateau de Chinon, a castle on the banks of France’s Vienne River.

The play opens with the arrival of Henry’s wife, Eleanor whom he has imprisoned since 1173. The story concerns the gamesmanship between Henry, Eleanor, their three surviving sons, Richard the Lionheart, the oldest son, (Jeffrey Taylor), Geoffrey, the middle son (Kurt Gundersen) and John, youngest son to Henry (Yver Northum).  Also involved is Philip II, King of France (Christopher C. Wright), who was the son of Eleanor’s ex-husband, Louis VII by his third wife Adelaide and Philip’s half-sister Alais Capet who has been at Court since she was betrothed to Richard at age 8, but has since become Henry’s mistress (Brandice Thompson). A silent character who is always around is Matilda, their eldest daughter (Hannah Jester).

Kris Neely has assembled a fine cast, particularly Craig Christansen as Henry. Though aging, he portrays him as vital as he ever was.  His manipulation of family and others are portrayed as spontaneous and emotional.  Maxine Sattizahn plays Eleanor with great temperament and presence.  Yver Northum as John is sulky and sullen with a boyish outlook. Kent Gundersen’s Geoffrey is a man of energy and action. He is charming and the “brains” of the family.  Jeffrey Taylor plays Richard the Lionheart—he is attractive, graceful and impressive. He is easily the strongest and toughest of the three sons.  Brandice Thompson’s Alais (the beautiful mistress of Henry) is initially innocent, but by the end of the play, she has acquired a ruthless streak of her own.  Christopher C. Wright, as Philip is both impressive and handsome.   Dressing it all up in beautiful 12th century costumes is the talent of Costume Designers Janice Deneau and John Clancy.

To witness this play in live performance, to experience the underlying emotional savagery in the plot and spoken word, in the intimacy of Novato’s new theater, as presented by a cast of exceptionally strong actors—is a somewhat intense experience even though we are comfortable laughing out loud at Kris Neely’s exploration of all the comedy which is present in this amazing script.

The Lion In Winter runs at Novato Theater Company August 30-September 22, 2013.  The theater is located at 5420 Nave Drive, Suite C, Novato.  Performances are Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Additional performances are Thursday, September 5, 12 and 19 at 8 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 415-883-4498 or go to www.novatotheatercompany.org.

Coming up next at NTC will be Gypsy with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; music by Julie Styne and book by Arthur Laurents, October 18-November 10, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

 

 

Bay Area Premiere of Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire at MTC

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

Amy Resnick as Margie and Mark Anderson Phillips as Mike in the Good People at Marin Theatre Company through September 15th.

Marin Theatre Company opens its 2013/2014 season with the Bay Area and National Premiere of the hit play Good People by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. According to Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis, “It’s an insightful look at the difficult choices good people are forced to make when the well being of their family is threatened.”

Good People is full of interesting characters and sharply written scenes which combine to paint an indelible portrait of the economically deprived blue-collar culture of Boston’s South End.

Tracy Young, an Oregon Shakespeare Festival regular directs this play with intelligence and sensitivity, eliciting top-notch performances from a powerhouse cast.

Margie Walsh (Amy Resnick), a lifelong resident of Southie, a blue collar Boston neighborhood, is fired due to tardiness at her cashier job at a dollar store.  A single mother, and knowing that she and her handicapped adult daughter, Joyce, supposedly born premature before Margie’s husband left her, are only a single pay check away from a desperate situation.  Looking for employment, Margie goes to her old high school boyfriend Mike (Mark Anderson Phillips) now a doctor, but formerly from her neighborhood.  Margie shames Mike into inviting her (however reluctantly) to his birthday party in Chestnut Hill. She is looking forward to the party because she views it as a chance to meet potential employers.  Her friends Dottie (Anne Darragh) and Jean (Jamie Jones) encourage her to tell Mike that her daughter Joyce was not born premature, but is his, in hopes of getting support from Mike.  When Mike calls to tell her his party is cancelled, Margie assumes that he is dis-inviting her because he’s embarrassed to have her mix with his doctor friends.  She decides to go to his house anyway with the intent of crashing the party.

At the beginning of Act II, Margie arrives at Mike’s house only to discover the party has been cancelled.  Mike’s elegant young African-American wife, Kate (ZZ Moor) at first, mistakes Margie for a caterer. Once the misunderstanding is resolved, Kate invites Margie to stay and reminisce about Mike’s past.  A discussion begins and Mike tells Margie her current financial problems are her own fault for not trying hard enough and Margie tries to explain to Mike that he had a lucky break which most people from Southie did not.

Later, Margie’s landlady receives an envelope containing Margie’s rent. Thinking Mike sent it, Margie intends to return it to him.  At bingo, it is revealed that the envelope is from Stevie (Ben Euphrat), her former boss at the dollar store.  Upon learning this, Margie accepts the money as an indefinite loan and Stevie agrees to help her find a new job.

This is Amy Resnick’s show as Margie and she grabs it and doesn’t let go.  Mark Anderson Phillips gives his affable Mike a wary demeanor around Margie which suggests his unease with this woman from a world he escaped long ago.  ZZ Moor depicts the accomplished Kate with a crisp air and blinding smile.  Jamie Jones undercuts her cozy appearance as a Southie neighbor with a sardonic edge.  Ann Darragh is delightfully funny as Margie’s landlady.  Ben Euphrat smartly stresses Stevie’s decency.  This fine ensemble brings a sense of warm humanity to David Lindsay-Abaire’s affecting story of haves and mostly have-nots.

Good People runs at Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, August 22-September 15, 2013.  Performance days are Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m.; Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. Matinees are every Sunday at 2 p.m. with extra performances on September 14 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, September 5 at 1 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 415-388-5208 or go to  www.marintheatre.org.

Coming up next at Marin Theatre Company will be the World Premiere of I and You by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Sarah Rasmussen, October 10-November 3, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson